Matrix Games Forums

Hello guys, new guy here. Doing my first pbem after playing a couple of games vs the ai.
My German opponent is also kind of new so you will get to see two noobs.

Anyway on with the show, first turn was not what I expected, no Lvov pocket on turn one.

This means I can extract some more troops than I had hoped for.

Results in the center. Few units in the pocket, lots of routs and thus more units for me to work with.

And the situation in the north.



What programs do you guys use to get and edit the screenshots?

Don't hit him hard in the winter. He didn't hit you hard on first turn.

not bad for a beginner but not good enough to hurt the rusians.

you have very few units in pockets and he can cut of your panzer spearhead in the south if he likes.

good luck to you.

One thing to be careful of - all of those routed units will suck up your manpower and arm points being on refit. The Axis player can run down the Soviet resources extremely fast by NOT destroying the XXs. It takes some real skill and I have never tried it against a human, but I have read some AARs about the 'Soviet Grind' effects and this is how it starts!

ORIGINAL: bigbaba


you have very few units in pockets and he can cut of your panzer spearhead in the south if he likes.

Our esteemed author is the russians[:-]

ORIGINAL: carlkay58

One thing to be careful of - all of those routed units will suck up your manpower and arm points being on refit. The Axis player can run down the Soviet resources extremely fast by NOT destroying the XXs. It takes some real skill and I have never tried it against a human, but I have read some AARs about the 'Soviet Grind' effects and this is how it starts!

Routed units don't get replacements.

Just keep TOEs down to about 60% and 50% for those building in rear and you will be fine. Keep an eye on manpower and arms points and adjust as required. Better the unit (morale AND experience)higher the TOE. Keep your best divs on highest TOE (suggest 85-90%)but don't then put them where they are likely be surrounded.

Poor German

Thanks for the advices, this is game is on turn 17 right now though, so some of the advice can't be used anymore. I will remember it for my next round though.
I will keep this AAR at least 2-3 rounds behind the current state of the game, since this AAR is free to read by my opponent as well.

Pelton is right though, without to much spoilers I have to say, the number of reds in the OOB is pretty high for the date we have right now, at least I guess it is.

Turn 2
Screenshots will be from the end of the turn, unless stated otherwise.

I managed to cut of the 13th and 14th Panzer near Rovno at the end of the last turn. They are free again this turn but can't advance far and I manage to cut the 13th off again. Apart from that the red army is falling back. Red air force is positioned in the national reserve and will return to its airfields soon.

In the center Minsk is cut off and the Germans are within sight of the dnepr. The spearhead gets cut off by a brave rifle division while troops are being brought in to defend Smolensk.

In the north a defensive is planed near Pskov, the roads towards Tallinn have only a few scattered brigades or divisions to function as speed bumps.

East and southeast of Pskov the 6th Panzer and 20th motorized division get cut off, further slowing the German drive into mother Russia.

I was very happy with this turn, the very edges of the German spearheads were not defended well enough allowing me to cut off four of his mobile divisions.

Turn 3

More pulling back and once again two German divisions get cut off in the north. This time its the 20th motorized again and the 8th Panzer.

Apart from that not much happened this turn defensive lines get prepared. I begin the preparations on the Smolensk - Moscow axis, which, looking back, was far to early.
Also Riga is under siege and repelled two assaults this turn, buying me much needed time.

In the south the Romanians begin attacking and Tarnopol is about to fall. Northeast of Kiev i have assembled four tank corps for possible counterattacks. I prefer to use the tanks while they still have some power instead of pulling them back and letting them transform into brigades.

After the next turn I will post some numbers and the OOB.

In the south the Romanians begin attacking

You may have made a mistake by doing this. If you have captured any Towns in Romania you will free all the Frozen garrison units that are in the Balkans & Hungary.
Manstein63

ORIGINAL: Manstein63

In the south the Romanians begin attacking

You may have made a mistake by doing this. If you have captured any Towns in Romania you will free all the Frozen garrison units that are in the Balkans & Hungary.
Manstein63

I did not attack the Romanians, AGS made contact with the Romanian border at the end of turn two so they are free to move now. I don't see how i could have captured towns that way.

I agree! I am the other NOOB.

Sorry sometimes my brain engages without knowing exactly what to say. A Russian security Rgt has crossed the Romanian Border South(ish) of Izmail if there is a town in that hex that in its self could free the Balkan's garrisons, don't let it move any further into Romania
Manstein63

Manstein you were right I didn't even remember moving that rgt there. If it would have moved deeper it might indeed have been a problem.