STAVKA WAR DIARIES III- Farewell to Barbarossa

[M60A3TTS]

My other campaign game with Mehring has slowed dramatically because he is dealing with RL issues as we all do from time to time. I'm hoping that one will still continue at a slower pace, but we'll have to see.

Meantime, I'll be taking on this challenge from smokindave34 and this will probably be my last run and AAR with WiTE 1.0

I am of course taking the Soviet side. Server based, Random weather, alt VC. Let the game begin!

[M60A3TTS]

Week 1- June 22 1941

Dave moves his northern forces but doesn't take Riga directly. The rail line is also left intact allowing me to rescue a couple divisions. Not much by itself, but I will take any help.

In the center, standard opening. A defensive screen is established along the Berezina.

To the south, a regular looking Lvov pocket. Another screen line is established.

All in all, a rather standard Axis opening. Nothing that I haven't seen before, except not at least cutting the rail at Riga.

North



Center



South

[M60A3TTS]

Week 2 - June 26 1941

PG 4 heads for Pskov. Dave's push in the center moves on Vitebsk as our forces settle in behind the Dnepr. The main Soviet defense line on the road to Moscow is formed. Strong tank divisions were transferred to this area to act as reserves. To the south, limited Axis advances.

North



Center



Southwest



South

[M60A3TTS]

Week 3 - July 3 1941

Mud hits the Soviet center zone. As a result, Dave does little to move the panzers forward, instead taking the time to bring up his infantry divisions.

North



Western Front



Southwestern Front



South

[M60A3TTS]

WEEK 4 - July 10 1941

In the north, the Germans close on Pskov.

In the center he consolidates on the land bridge.

Dave sends his panzers south of Kiev and they arrive at the Dnepr.

Reserve Front is activated. General Pavlov is dismissed from the service and is replaced by General Vatutin.

North



Western Front



South of Kiev



Change of command

[M60A3TTS]

Week 5 - July 17 1941

German forces move to encircle the two divisions at Pskov.

Western Front evacuated the banks of the Dnepr as Dave consolidates on the land bridge.

Southeast of Kiev, Dave has a bridgehead over the Dnepr.

Southern Front drops back to defend on the Ingul River line.

Pskov



Land bridge



German bridgehead southeast of Kiev



Southern Front



OOB



Losses

[M60A3TTS]

Week 6 - July 24 1941

Little action to note, except for one case. Dave flanked and isolated units in the Odessa region. A mini-Dunkirk was performed as Red Army units slipped out via Black Sea ports.

The defense around Odessa is strengthened.

[Dangun]

Hi. I am enjoying the AAR, but also enjoying the pretty maps.
So I have a noob-ish question: how do some people seem to have variant maps/text?

Cheers

[AKCLIMBER]

ORIGINAL: Dangun

Hi. I am enjoying the AAR, but also enjoying the pretty maps.
So I have a noob-ish question: how do some people seem to have variant maps/text?

Cheers

Head on over to the Scenario Design forum. Here's a link to the thread for the map and counters being used for this game:

tm.asp?m=3327255

Have fun!

[M60A3TTS]

Week 7 - July 31, 1941

In the Leningrad area, Dave cut the rail line leading to the city. All key tank and arms production had been previously evacuated.

Northwest Front reported no significant activity.

On the road to Moscow, the enemy moved cautiously. German troops moved closer to Smolensk.

In the south, a few Soviet units were pocketed around Cherkassy. Industrial evacuations were undertaken in the area.

The STAVKA's Coastal Army took up the defenses of the Crimea.

There were two changes in command, Gen. Lt. Vasily Kachalov was replaced as commander of 28th Army by Gen. M. Georgy Zakharov. In the Western Air Command, Gen. M. Ivan Kopets was replaced by Gen. M. Timofei Khryukin.

[M60A3TTS]

Leningrad Front



Northwest Front



Reserve/Western Front



Southwestern/Southern Front



Change of Command



OOB



Losses

[M60A3TTS]

Week 8 - August 7 1941

In the Leningrad area, a thin line remained place keeping the fascists at bay for the moment. The 23rd Army commander of Northern Front was replaced to provide a more energetic defense of the area.

In the Poltava-Dnepropetrovsk area, Dave advanced steadily. Factory evacuations at Kharkov continued.

Leningrad



Poltava-Dnepropetrovsk



23rd Army Commanders

[M60A3TTS]

Week 10 - August 21 1941

Nothing of significance was worth reporting on week 9, although Dave was able to sever the land line to Leningrad.

During week 10, Pavlovo fell, that gave the Germans a bridgehead over the Neva. The city of Leningrad remained supplied through the Ladoga port of Osinovets. Futher north, 7th Independent Army actively resisted against Finnish attacks.

In the far south, the Germans and her allies suffered a severe rebuff in an attack on Odessa. The city remained defiant with the fascists on her doorstep.

[janh]

You are doing quite ok, M60. The Germans are close to Leningrad, just at the "right" but wrong time. Do you think you can repeat the big feat and keep LG open and supplied over Ladoga? I guess they will assault heavily across the water to Osinovet's port, but if you managed to get fort levels up to 3 by now there might be a real chance to repeat history. Slim perhaps, but I would like it if this were possible with this game.

[timmyab]

Leningrad is doomed now for sure.I agree that something should be done to make Leningrad's back door more difficult to break through.Maybe Osinovets and the hex South of it could be made into either swamp or heavy woods terrain.

[loki100]

this is a great read, easy to follow and very informative.

as with the others, do you think there is anyway to defend Leningrad, esp if it gets isolated? It seems that either the Germans stall at the Luga and thus never threaten the city or, if they manage the historical overland isolation, it tends to fall with some ease.

[M60A3TTS]

If the Axis player wants Leningrad bad enough it's hard to prevent it without a major investment in troops. Even then it's iffy for most games. If I can keep the Axis out until turn 13 or thereabouts, it's good enough for me. The loss of the city doesn't do irreparable harm to the war effort. I would prefer to keep Moscow more heavily defended and stabilize the northern fronts in general.

In my suspended game with Mehring, he pocketed 41 division equivalents in the north during his isolation of units defending the Leningrad region. It basically was the whole of the Northern Front and a few divisions of Northwest Front. In this game, Dave stands to collect far fewer and the front lines will remain much closer to Leningrad.

[M60A3TTS]

I would like an opinion from the audience.

In the previous turn I surrounded 8th Panzer Division and a corps HQ. Dave had the misfortune subsequently of drawing a mud turn.

From what you see here, what are my chances of forcing a surrender of 8th Panzer in a direct attack?

[carlkay58]

Probably about zip in the mud.

[janh]

Unless they were in poor supply and high fatigue before the mud turn already, I think these 1=11 say enough. Not doable during the mud-turn, or at least I would not really expect a surrender. It screws you just as much as him. He probably has a ton of units ready for relieve actions from around Smolensk, but if not, I'd consider bolstering against the Mot. Div. to the West in hopes of sealing him off another turn. Very dangerous, though.