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41-45 GC vs the talented and intelectual 821, he's invited to post an introductory comment. House rules include no paradrops past 8 hexes and no mulling. Hopefully it will be a long and interesting game.

Looking forward to our game.
Maybe we should mention that this will be played with random weather.

Indeed we should, at your insistence, I find random weather mostly screws the axis, but hey, who am I to disagree.

So we start at turn 4, and I am getting whipped badly. Here's how things are looking:

Here is the center:

We've seen pockets much bigger than that. Keep at it.

And saving the best for last, here's the north. Going crazy trying to find a unit that can isolate the panzers.

Im not worried about that, Im worried that its turn 4 and the Axis are within ten hexes of Leningrad. I got complacent after my succesful game vs baba and now have a full fledged crisis in my hands.

he did a great job so far. i remember that i was not able to reopen a path to the PG 4 in the north and still was attacking at the dnjepr line in turn 3-4 against you.


one problem against you was your constant reopening of the pockets but that was not the reason to surrender. the only reason was the cut off PG4 in the north. you would surely destroy this force in the next turn.

he is already over the great river in turn 4 without much infantry support!

and all that although you do a great job trying to isolate his panzers like you did it in my game.

i started a new game against a more "defensive" russian opponent and am east of smolensk with PG 2+3 in turn 3. i like this kind of opponents more then you.

yeah, I am very aggressive. Every turn I have managed to reopen a pocket and at least isolate some mobile units. I actually managed to isolate PG 4 on turn 2, but 821 managed to break out of it and cross the river near Pskov. Really this game so far has come down to some infantile mistakes on my part failing to defend properly in depth. Still, I am determined to defend Leningrad no matter the cost.

So here we have the final end turn situation in the south, we counterattacked and managed to open a lifeline to the pocket.

The Center, where I managed ot extircate all of Western Fronts divisions from the emerging pocket, creating a very bizarre shaped front.

And the aneurism inducing north, all of Leningrad's armament, KV and vehicle production is out. 100k rail just for that. It's maddening that not a single div had enough MPs for an isolation.

Lastly, losses and the counterattack that resupplied the pocket in the south. Notice that the panzer div has less than 30 operational tanks now. You can see that this is one of 14 combats on the hex, part of the reason is air recon, but I also used my echelon tactics of making repeated attacks to soften and tire the division before the main assault.

Well hello there loyal readers, its a heck of a time to be a soviet, lemme tell you.

The last three turns have seen a rolling battle in the center with Smolensk being nearly pocketed (and then pocketed and releaved) for three consecutive turns. And we're only up to turn 6.

So let's get cracking, here's the stabilized but still very delicate situation in the north. I'm making the most of those northern tank divisions (with CV values of 7) using them to check the Axis advance as best I can. Also, what is the deal with security regiments? I had to panic move my brigades to the border because I saw some sec regiments were withdrawn? How am I supposed to man the border with the fins???

Of course, despite the deadly serious situation in Leningrad, I can always spare a couple formations for a little mischief. Have fun bailing your entire corps out.

And here's the almighty clusterf***k known as the western front. It's hard to tell whose encircling whom. Do you know what's happening? 'Cause I don't. Breakout in the south is unstoppable, so had to revert to a very loose checkerboard.

And here's the attack that saved the nation (perhaps literary). I used my Zukhov strategy of making a dozen small attacks before the main assault. Against exhausted divisions it works like a charm. Believe it or not, the only isolated division in the whole western front is that topmost panzer div.

And finally the south, and island of tranquility that I've been siphoning off troops to feed other fronts. There are two reserve armies around Kiev that were delaying the Axis advance, I'm pulling them back and will use them to counterattack any breach the Axis make across the river. Dig dig dig.

Notice the isolated spearhead and my use of speedbumps in front of the river line. I put disposable cav and AB divs in front of the river to mess the Axis attack plan. Its actually worked fairly well in the past.

Which does remind me, where is my local STAVKA liason, flavius? I do so miss his 'counterattack everywhere!' advice.