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Ormster and I are testing Barbarossa. Never played this scenario before so should be a bit of fun. To save time the phasing player is taking all the decisions.

These are the optionals in play

May/June 1941
Impulse: 1 (Axis)

Germany: Land

Port Attack: None
Naval Air: None
Strategic Bombing: None

May/June 1941
Impulse: 1 (Axis)

Ground Strike: None - the Soviets are well spread out and there is nothing tempting to aim for. I will save the bombers - hopefully to see action later in the turn.
Rail Movement: None
Land Movement: The Finns deploy a Ski Division to cut the Moscow/Murmansk rail line, While Mannerheim takes some tentative steps toward Leningrad, liberating Viipuri en route.

Go guys!

Should be entertaining and fun. And I have first row. Onwards to Moscow!

ORIGINAL: warspite1

Ormster and I are testing Barbarossa.

Wait! [X(] Say what?!

I play the Soviets?! How did this happen? Find the responsible party and send him to Siberia!






Just kidding.

[:'(]

May/June 1941
Impulse: 1 (Axis)

Land Combat

Six combats are declared. 16th and 18th armies (with the 4th Panzer Group) aim to get across the Neiman, targeting the Soviet 12th and 33rd Armies.

Panzer Group 3 is ordered to dash east as quickly as possible - but will have to try and dislodge Soviet border units north of Brest-Litovsk. The Soviet units in that city and the forest to the south are the target for 4th and 9th Army + Panzer Group 2.

Further south Panzer Group 1 and 11th Army are tasked with taking Lvov (not pictured). 17th Army in Romania is ordered to keep a watching brief, flanked by the Romanian 3rd and 4th Armies.

Note: there are some different units as I started again to try and get this to work.

May/June 1941
Impulse: 1 (Axis)

HQ Support: None
Ground Support:

The Luftwaffe are ordered to assist the assault over the Nieman using Stukas and long-range Condors.

There are six attacks to be undertaken with the odds as follows:

May/June 1941
Impulse: 1 (Axis)

Combat:

The first attack is the automatic one west of Lvov. Von Rundstedt's Army Group South are underway, swatting aside the weak, sacrificial screening forces ordered by Stalin to defend to the last man.

This is followed up by another automatic attack south of Brest-Litovsk. The German armour achieves a 7:1 and so sweeps aside the cavalry unit guarding the southern approaches to the fortress.

The attack on the fortress itself goes like clockwork. At 7:1 the Soviets obviously choose assault but the defenders are quickly overcome (a 10 is thrown). This is vital. The area west of the Pripyat is now clear, as is the chance for the northern arm of von Rundstedt's Army Group South to head southwest into northern Romania.

NetPlay or email?

May/June 1941
Impulse: 1 (Axis)

Combat:

In a staggering display of incompetence, von Leeb's panzer forces are all sent to the Nieman. Von Bock, thinking von Leeb was providing the muscle, contributed light mechanised units only for the attack on the Soviet defenders on the Lithuanian/Polish border. An automatic attack is now subject to the vagaries and whims of the dice god.....

Edit: Hold on, I'm talking total cobleaux. These are mechanised not motorised units and so the automatic attack stands... yeah, I knew that [8|]

Anyways.... the breakthrough that results allows von Leeb's mechanised forces to race toward Minsk - Hermann Hoth's XL Mechanised Corps leading the charge.

May/June 1941
Impulse: 1 (Axis)

Combat:

This leaves two more attacks. Firstly the Soviet 12th Rifle Army can provide no barrier to the 18th Army (with 4th Panzer Group support) that break out from their start positions around Memel and force a bridgehead over the Nieman.

The Germans get the fractional odds in their favour, taking this to 6:1. It's heart in mouth time as there is no +1 - and its only a 4. A check of the table and there is major relief at General Busch's 16th Army HQ. The panzers of the Hermann Goring Division are vital in forcing a way across the river.

May/June 1941
Impulse: 1 (Axis)

Air Rebase: The four rebases available are utilised by the fighter arm.
HQ Reorganisation: None

And so concludes the opening phase of Barbarossa....

May/June 1941
Impulse: 1 (Axis)

The losses after the first impulse. All entirely manageable for the Soviets at this stage (two weak rifle armies, one cavalry corps and three garrison units) but better than a slap in the chops.

May/Jun 1941
Impulse: 3 (Axis)

Weather Report: The weather is fine (Fuhrer weather)

The Hungarians, not wanting the hated Romanians to get too chummy with Germany, decide to add their 'weight' to the Axis cause, and the woefully weak Hungarian 2nd Army joins the Axis OOB.

By the way, the Finnish manoeuvring in post 3 hasn't happened. When I was trying to sort out the problem with the missing combat chart I had to start again - and forgot to move FM Mannerheim and his blue and white army.....

Unsurprisingly the Soviets have decided that trading space for time works and they have placed blocking units in Riga, Kaunas, and in the forests north of Lvov and south of Vilna.

May/Jun 1941
Impulse: 3 (Axis)

The Germans choose a land - I don't seem to have any Italians. My reading of the scenarios booklet is that an Italian reinforcement was supposed to have arrived next month turn but there's nothing in the pool. Anyways that's a problem for later.

Naval Air: None
Strategic Bombing: None
Ground Strike: Two ground strike attempts announced - one in Eastern Poland and one in the Ukraine. The Soviets can intercept the Ju-88 in the Ukraine and, as per standing instructions from the Soviet high command, an I-17 intercepts as there is no German fighter in range.

May/Jun 1941
Impulse: 3 (Axis)

Ground Strike:

The Germans catch a break with the air to air combat. The Soviet fighters struggle to make an impression on the best bomber in the Luftwaffe arsenal and are made to pay for their impudence in trying to contest the skies.....

May/Jun 1941
Impulse: 3 (Axis)

Ground Strike: a 75% success rate is achieved, albeit the Luftwaffe have used their best aircraft now. Still the strutting, preening, porcine Goering, sticking his stupid fat chest out, and with a dumbarse look on his face, is not complaining about that.

May/Jun 1941
Impulse: 3 (Axis)

Rail Movement: None
Land Movement:

Army Group South: General Dumitrescu's 3rd Romanian Army and General Ciuperca's 4th Romanian Army operate under the command of General Schobert's 11th Army and are strung out precariously along the west bank of the Dneistr. Schobert's own units cross the river into the Western Ukraine. Von Stulpnagel's 17th Army meanwhile takes Lvov and seeks to dispense with the Soviet 1st Cavalry that is expertly blocking the general advance.

Army Group North: The advance on Riga begins but once again the expert blocking tactics at Kaunas and southwest of Vilna holds von Bock's forces up.

Army Group Centre: Worse than this is that the Germans don't know what to do about the Pripyat and are caught in two minds. Troops from 4th and 9th Armies are generally milling about not knowing where to go.....

Land Combat:

Just three attacks are announced - Kaunas, in the forest southwest of Vilna and in the forest northeast of Lvov. The Luftwaffe use up the last of their Heinkel He-111 in Eastern Poland. There is no reply from the Soviets due to the presence of German fighters.

Two attacks are automatic, and the cavalry in Kaunas and the garrison troops near Vilna are destroyed.

The last attack is only a 3:1 (but with a +2). Fractional odds bring this up to 4:1. It's a 4 (Shattered) which gives the Germans a choice of retreat or convert. I don't really want them retreating back into Vilna so go for the latter option.

May/Jun 1941
Impulse: 3 (Axis)

Air rebase: The Luftwaffe have just two moves left and move a fighter and bomber unit into Lithuania.
HQ Reorganisation: None

German penetration into Soviet territory has been limited thanks to expert blocking tactics by the Soviets; no gaps have been allowed, thus restricting losses while using up valuable time.