Matrix Games Forums

Back to the dark side (nothing to see with the current french poll [;)])

I play the axis side for the first time for at least a year. So I'm rather rusty.

Mild blizzard, random weather, +1 bonus for Russia, limited sea invasion, no paradrops.

We will begin on turn 4.

North / Center

My first aim was to breach the landbridge. It's done. Russian army tries to build a line from Pskov to Smolensk.



South

Classical Lvov Pocket. I sent 2/3 of Pzg Guderian in the South. Some interesting encirclements.



The losses

Very interesting. no rush for Leningrad. or will you try the right hook strategy?

Looking forward to another one of your AARs.

ORIGINAL: bigbaba

Very interesting. no rush for Leningrad. or will you try the right hook strategy?

I usually drived hard through Pskov and Novgorod and wanted to try somenthing else.

We are only turn 8 so no spoil

ORIGINAL: EwaldvonKleist

Looking forward to another one of your AARs.

Thanks

turn 4 after my moves in the center. Russian units South of VK are in great danger. See in Riga the Pzd arriving from the south

ORIGINAL: STEF78

ORIGINAL: bigbaba

Very interesting. no rush for Leningrad. or will you try the right hook strategy?

I usually drived hard through Pskov and Novgorod and wanted to try somenthing else.

We are only turn 8 so no spoil

always great to see new ways and tactics in new AAR's. Maybe blitzing Moscow is the new trend.

ORIGINAL: STEF78

turn 4 after my moves in the center. Russian units South of VK are in great danger. See in Riga the Pzd arriving from the south

This looks very familiar Stef78 ;-P

ORIGINAL: HardLuckYetAgain

This looks very familiar Stef78 ;-P

True! i'm always open to bright ideas.

I used 2nd Pzg one more turn in the South. It allowed me to grasp some extra units near kiev. and i'm surely less keen on logistics than you [;)]

ORIGINAL: STEF78

ORIGINAL: HardLuckYetAgain

This looks very familiar Stef78 ;-P

True! i'm always open to bright ideas.

I used 2nd Pzg one more turn in the South. It allowed me to grasp some extra units near kiev. and i'm surely less keen on logistics than you [;)]

You are doing very well for turn 4 I'm ready to see some more of your eye candy on this AAR. As always it is a pleasure reading your well done AAR's

Good to see all that elan on show Stef

i guess HardLuckYetAgain sets the standards for axis gameplay. he is the new pelton but more friendly.

One has to credit Pelton for showing what he did in AARs while Hardluck only did so recently.
I think the consensus was that MichealT is the best both at Germans and Soviet but Hardlucks tweaks to the Moscow first approach are excellent as well.

ORIGINAL: bigbaba

... but more friendly...

+1

ORIGINAL: EwaldvonKleist

One has to credit Pelton for showing what he did in AARs while Hardluck only did so recently.
I think the consensus was that MichealT is the best both at Germans and Soviet but Hardlucks tweaks to the Moscow first approach are excellent as well.

I never played Michail T but I also think that he is the best player I've seen on this forum.

Hi.
As i'am allowed to post here thanks to Steph, a small word from the soviet forces :

We will prevail !!! [:D]

Now real informations :

In this game i decided to be very flexible in the opening. So i did not started with a specific plan.
I did not rail troops from south to north in the opening or things like that.

My purpose was to aim for the long term. I was not confident in my ability to defend something that the german really wanted (especially in case of moscow rush or things like that).

So i did not wanted to commit everything (and loose everything) to defend a critical objective from start, like moscow or lenigrad.

There are no critical objectives. Except Stalingrad of course.

Turn 5, 17th July 1941

In the center, russian troops are retreating....



... but not fast enough near VK.



In the South, I wasn't enough careful and Stelteck is able to create a nasty corridor

turn 6, 24th july 1941

Stelteck gives ground in order to avoid encirclement. I do my best to keep pressure on.

Center

Pocketed units are abandoned to their fate.



I drive as hard as possible in the direction of Moscow



South

Retreat in order of russian units



Nothing subtile because of fuel shortage, I hammer Kirivograd

I look forward to learning a few secrets

At this level of the game, i was quite happy with the situation south where i had some options to delay the ennemy.

Center was in difficult situation, with not much i could do.

North quite peacefull, for now.

Factories evacuation looked good. I especially evacuated first 100% vehicules and the full T-34 factory of karkhov. (But this last one will not be so usefull as i discovered that separate tank bataillon mostly use light tanks, and so i have no use of spare T-34 [:'(]. And my light tank production is very small for know. Damn soviet planners !!!).

Last point.
I really love playing with the +1 soviet attack bonus(mild blizzard). It changes the mindset of the game for both of us in my opinion.
Instead of thinking "i'am doomed" let's mitigate the damage, i have tactical option to bite my ennemy and it make a game much more fun. I can think of limited counter attack.
The german also have to be carefull.

What is funny is when i performed some local counter attack, i discovered that in fact, the +1 bonus was not needed as my victory odds were better than > 2.0. So it was mostly a psychological help. But psychology change everything as i can try things that i would have considered too risky without it.