Nirosi vs Boldairade(Nirosi welcome)

[boldairade]

The losses the last two turns have been remarkably even when you add everything up!

Are there still forces in N. Africa or is that front done with?

I believe both the US and Germany are maintaining 2 elite armor corps, a strong infantry corps and an hq in N Africa. It's a standoff wit no conflict.

It will be interesting to see if Nirosi decides to start to bring those forces home.

[John B.]

Sounds to me like you have a nice POW camp going in N. Africa. I suspect those forces would be more useful to him on defense than your corps on offense. Be glad they're not at your breakthrough in Russia.

[canuckgamer]

We have yet to play a 1939 Campaign game with the changes to railroad advancement in Russia, overruns, and the winterization of the Siberian units. We will also be playing the small fleet scenario although I understand there is an issue with subs that is not yet fixed.
If your game was started after the above changes I am interested in your opinion as to whether the changes have given the Russians a fighting chance.
Thanks.

[redrum68]

Overrun and rail changes do make a pretty significant impact in the game I played.

[boldairade]

We have yet to play a 1939 Campaign game with the changes to railroad advancement in Russia, overruns, and the winterization of the Siberian units. We will also be playing the small fleet scenario although I understand there is an issue with subs that is not yet fixed.
If your game was started after the above changes I am interested in your opinion as to whether the changes have given the Russians a fighting chance.
Thanks.

we updated in the middle of the game. so barbarossa was still a slaughter(if you wanted to go back through you could see, but i don't blame you for not, this AAR has gotten absurdly long).

we did update at some point, and the change is noticeable. i have a REALLY hard time overrunning German units at this point, and Nirosi has mentioned he has had some instances with very high odds where my units retreated as well.

right now on the E Front, the railroad thing for me is VERY noticeable.

[boldairade]

Sounds to me like you have a nice POW camp going in N. Africa. I suspect those forces would be more useful to him on defense than your corps on offense. Be glad they're not at your breakthrough in Russia.

no doubt. my guess is, Nirosi is calculating VPs and trying to keep Italy safe by maintaining his forces there. At some point, he will decide the home front is more pressing.

[canuckgamer]

We were in the winter of 1942 so the change in overrun wasn't going to have the impact it would have had in 1941 and the summer of 1942. Although we updated I read in the forum that the change in rail conversion would only effect games started after the update.
We are now in to the summer of 43 and the Germans have taken Moscow, Stalingrad and the Caucasus oil fields, the same result as our first game. However, I have done a better job managing my oil so the UK is not short oil as it was in our first game.
Our next game will be the 1939 small fleet scenario. I would think it is going to be more difficult to screen CV's and that subs are going to be more effective. I am also wondering about this bug with subs and whether it is fixed? I would have preferred a limit of 5 or 6 ships like it is in WPP. I hope the small fleet scenario doesn't degenerate in to Strategic Command tactics where you use multiple fleets to sequentially attack enemy fleets.

[boldairade]

August 11, 1944(Just under one year left in the game)

BOA-The Axis surface group was indeed the Spanish CA. They unsuccessfully attempt to raid the N Atlantic route. Next turn they'll likely draw blood. Two full wolf packs(6 groups) raid the Arctic lane, sinking 6 MM while suffering only one hit. Our surface group gives chase. UK aid to Russia is drastically reduced(from 50 to 10). With the UK engaged in the BOA, Spain, Greece, beginning some bombing, and attempting to repair her fleet from the disastrous naval battle of the Med, her resources are simply stretched too far. This is somewhat mitigated by the recent Russian recapture of some manufacturing cities/industrial sites.

Norway-No activity

US Bomber Command-Milan, Naples, and Taranto are hit again. UK tac bombers also participate in the raids. In Germany, strikes are launched vs Linz and Nuremburg, with additional strikes hitting industrial centers in Lille. Two bomber squadrons are held out to recover readiness.

Spain-In the north, US forces continue to work in the area of the near Burgos north of the Duoro River. US infantry corps drive back the Spanish II Corps in tough fighting, with a desperate attempt to overrun the fleeing corps failing. US forces manage to overrun the German 201st Security Division. US 2nd and 10th Mountain Corps attempt to assault the dug in Spanish X Corps in the hills north of Madrid, but are repulsed.

South of Madrid, UK forces launch 6 assaults vs the 50th Volksgrenadiers, eventually driving it back and overrunning it, which allows the UK to occupy another hex adjacent to Madrid. UK Southern Midland Corps, with anti armor weapons occupies it, hoping to hold off the likely German counter next turn.

Spain.JPG (202.94 KiB) Viewed 1066 times

UK Tac bombers arrive in Lisbon, while two fresh US division disembark in Porto.

The Allies are becoming concerned on this front. We had hoped to have Spain knocked out by late summer, and that is not going to happen. Overall, we are continually pouring more formations in here, and we also seem to be destroying minor formations with some regularity. However, somehow, Nirosi is managing to hold us at bay with a combination of powerful German mobile groups supporting an ad hoc group of low quality Italian, Spanish and Volksgrenadier units. Even if we manage to take Madrid and Bilbao, if we fail to take Barcelona(and we have no plan currently to accomplish that) Spain will remain in the war through the winter of '44.

This was NOT the plan.

[boldairade]

August 11, 1944

Greece-No real activity here. MERLIN, the plan to occupy the Sofia and knock Bulgaria out of the war with airborne units, is now cancelled. Last turn in could have happened, but this turn, Nirosi moves a unit to garrison the capital. That rainy weather was very costly.

No battles happen this turn. A re-org is under way to move Canadian units to the west coast while concentrating UK units in the east. WDF creeps up into SW Bulgaria. A Bulgarian unit dug in in the mountains is bypassed and we will look to encircle it-attacking it would be a brutal job.

greece.JPG (77.74 KiB) Viewed 1059 times

[boldairade]

August 11, 1944

EAST FRONT

Stavka is wrong-Germany again chooses not to fight to seal the breach. Instead, there is another general withdrawal of German forces all along the front-

withraw.JPG (139.89 KiB) Viewed 1053 times

Stavka studies this for a long time(ridiculously long). Our best guess is that that the German units are headed for the Vistula River line-a traditional bulwark against eastern incursion. In the south, the Germans appear to be anchoring along one river line while the Romanians set up west of that along the Dniester.

The obvious gap is between the German forces retreating from the north and the mass of forces retreating in the center. Stavka decides to drive directly into this gap with mobile and ground units. After quickly overrunning the German XXXIII Corps which could not extricate itself from encirclement, Russian forces drive headlong into the gap.

We remain in a perilous and operationally odd situation. German units are in very good order and have not been mauled. They can, and at some point will, counter attack and be successful. When they do, however, we hope to bring overwhelming numbers to bear on them, and grind them down in a relentless battle of attrition. Nirosi knows this, and has shown remarkable discipline avoiding this situation.

After advancement, the front looks like this-

east.JPG (129.81 KiB) Viewed 1053 times

Other than the destruction of XXXIII Corps, there is no fighting this turn. In the south, Konev angles his mobile units toward the land bridge west of Kiev. In the north, Rokossovsky deploys in a manner that will allow him to counter attack should his western spearhead be isolated. On both fronts, the Red Air Force uses this turn largely to rebase for further operation to the west.

[boldairade]

August 11, 1944

Losses-Germany's still bleeding, while Italy gets a respite. Not shown-Spain also losing forces. Allied losses have been steady, sometimes even heavy, but they are sustainable with our economy right now.

losses.JPG (26.93 KiB) Viewed 1050 times

[John B.]

Given where you were at the start of the Soviet Winter offensive in winter 43-44 I think you've made a lot of progress in Russia! The problem with Spain, of course, is that it is so far away from everything.

[boldairade]

D0553267-FA24-4F20-9707-6FA264F89E53.jpeg (127.44 KiB) Viewed 992 times

German formations continue to withdraw in good order. Where will they make their stand?

[boldairade]

Given where you were at the start of the Soviet Winter offensive in winter 43-44 I think you've made a lot of progress in Russia! The problem with Spain, of course, is that it is so far away from everything.

I agree, considering the miniscule advances of BROLER and WINTER STORM, the advances in the East are pretty great.

That said, I think Nirosi is more or less letting that happen. Which means he probably has a plan.

As for Spain, there is probably a reason why nobody ever invades it. That said, it has been great fun. Nirosi had basically fortressed Italy and the West coast of Europe, and I'm still quite clumsy with amphibious ops. I think I would very likely have been repulsed had I attempted landings on those fronts. Spain may very well have ended any chance I had at winning. But it has made for a fun game and an interesting AAR(i hope), so I really don't mind!

[redrum68]

I actually think Spain is helping. If nothing else it is pulling units from the Eastern Front which is probably one of the reasons you finally have some significant advances there.

[John B.]

I think that's right. You are certainly tying down valuable German forces and putting a lot of attrition pressure on them which helps in both Russia and the Balkans.

[boldairade]

Don't give up on me!

Sorry about the delay. It took Nirosi a few days to get me his turn which i looked at quickly(and didn't like at all) before a 3 day workathon. I then went to boston with my wife for a concert, we travelled a bit for easter, then came home and had three more very long work days(actually nights). I had hoped to do a turn today, but our basement flooded, which i am working on currently(on zero sleep).

in any case, I'll get a turn in tomorrow.

the Allies fight on!

[boldairade]

August 25, 1944

BOA-Two attacks by large wolf packs in the Arctic route sink an eye popping 9 MM and an escort. The subs lose 3 steps, and also lose an additional step as they interdict our fleet as we pursue. Overall, the reduction in aid to the USSR has left us with a sizable surplus in MM. For the first time in years, we have legit breathing room in this battle. The Axis can still cost us more than we can cost them in this battle, but the idea of losing supplies is far less worrisome.

Norway-No activity


US Bomber Command-Milan, Taranto and Naples are pounded. Linz and Stuttgart are also hit. Two formations continue to recover for an expected Berlin raid.

Spain-Our constant efforts to break the Axis defenses here have led to consistent overextension, and this turn we receive a flurry of reposts. The hex SE of Madrid, taken at such high cost last turn, is retaken fairly easy by strong German formations and then occupied by the Italian 2nd Alpine Corps. The UK unit, South Midland Corps, is devastated after two attacks(but survives). On the US/Northern front, counter attacks by German, Italian and Spanish units erase the bulge towards the strategic port city of Bilboa, driving back the US XII and VII Corps.

There is a decisive feeling of shifting initiative here, with many Allied formations ground down. Somehow it seems every victory here has brought us closer to stalemate. Instead of attacking in three areas as we did last turn, we concentrate all assets, including fresh UK tac bombers, in an attempt to dislodge the Spanish X Corps north of Madrid, which has repelled all attack thus far. It requires all our air assets as well as a rotation of 5 units, but on the 5th assault, we drive them back. The only unit in range to occupy the captured hex is UK IV Corps. We had wanted to position a US unit here, and the use of the UK forces further stretches England's assets.

After much consideration(and consternation), another attack is launched in the north vs the Spanish III Corps, trying to push towards Bilbao. Three attacks accomplish nothing, and the attack is called off.

Spain.JPG (227.93 KiB) Viewed 888 times

Fresh US and UK formations continue to arrive. The race to accomplish anything before winter continues-but is becoming worrisome.

[boldairade]

August 25, 1944

Greece-Our attempts to push hard here are thwarted by some cagey moves by Nirosi. German mountain corps have recovered from their thrashing earlier in the campaign and are forming a strong front in the mountains. The Bulgarian corps which we had sought to encircle is backed up by one of these mountain corps. At the same time, Nirosi splits the Bulgarian corps, allowing him to cut off our forces driving to the NE into Bulgaria.

We quickly are forced to backtrack and use several units including an airborne formation to destroy the Bulgarian division. However, it stalls the attack, and we see a corresponding drop in readiness from our forward units. No Allied units can reach the hex, so the possibility of Nirosi repeating the move next turn remains. In addition, an overly aggressive move by VIII Armor leaves that formation vulnerable to being cut off again, as it fails to displace a Romanian division. Finally, a German Falschimjager(para) unit arrives on the west coast of Greece, creating the possibility of other unpleasant Axis maneuvers.

I've been over aggressive and clumsy here. Allied units, and progress, are paying the price.

greece.JPG (137.66 KiB) Viewed 880 times

Continued pushing of units north is demanding a stripping of garrison units in the eastern Med to ensure rear security in Greece. Allied Command is worried about this, and is moving low quality units to regarrison these ports, but there will be a lag time.

[boldairade]

August 25, 1944

EAST FRONT

North-The Germans are done retreating here. They counter attack, isolating 10th Mech and hitting it with three formations, including 2 Pz Corps, immediately smashing it and forcing a retreat. It appears their strategy is to set up along the Vistula to the south, while attempting a land defense in the hills/forest south of Konigsberg.

Stavka will look to exert pressure in the clear terrain north of the Vistula but south of the forest. To this end, ground strikes and an attack by three mobile formations hit the German 1st Fallschirmjager Corps and drive it back. 2nd Ukrainian Army occupies the hex, but it will likely be retaken next turn. This is probably going to be the battleground for the next few turns, perhaps longer.

The days of a German line one hex thick are over. All along this frontier, it looks as though the Wehrmacht will have considerable depth.

north.JPG (248.29 KiB) Viewed 836 times

Far to the east you can see the 60th Volksgrenadier Corps. Their fate is sealed.