"AAR Germany faces East", formerly not an AAR

[freeboy]

As the German player in Fite, the mighty forces that defied the will of the west and rapidly humbled the mighty French and British has come to a fridged stop.. Lenningrad is within sight but between our troops and the gates are several soviet corps. In the north ceter we choose to avoid overextending ourselvs after smolensk and have stopped and dug in awaiting the soon to be luanched counterattacks. Bryansk and Orel fell recently in heavy fighting to three mobile armies... the staff insisted we push into the weak red lines South of Moscow, I urged caution as our supplies running out and the temps falling so low many planes now grounded and men at risk of hyperthermia,sp?. In the South we pushed intp the Crimea, and took ground near Karkov. and grabed Stalino while anhialating another three groups of red army troops including several "elite": soviet gaurds shock army divisions. As we enter Dec (turn 49) our intel all points to a massed buildup so we have fortified a line as well as digging in troops, stationing rapid moving tank and armored infantry behind the lines. I fear the worst as neither Lenningrad nor Karkov fell. After we see warmer temps and before the spring rains a renewed effort will begin in the north and the South.. All my thousands of squads of infantry spent taking and lossing four important breakthrough zones near Lenningrad only caused losses, as all these gains where immediately counterattacked. I am considering a plan by an ambitious general named model to move all the artillery and the armered units North and crush the Defenders. One bright point , other than the terrific soviet casualties, is the performance of our Finn brothers in Arms. while driving throug the red army to the Sliva,sp?, they destroyed no less than 12 enemy divisionss plus numberous hq and nkvd groups. The recently managed a river crossing and could if supported enter the red rear areas causing the supply links to Lenn from the rest of USSR to be threatened.

[freeboy]

From the Southern Front: Sorry about the text, should read as "enemy retreats to near Karkov, Note large formation of armored troops to the South oh K" (German) I will work on the proces s of adding pix to make them more eye appealling .. thanks for your patience

[freeboy]

Turn 49 in the North, Our brave troops dig in, int the Baltic area we shell the concentrated enemy formations consistently reducing the numbers of emeny inf.. Using our fleets . Note the Finns , in the next weeks things will heat up there as both sides pour in reinforcements.

[freeboy]

(Turn 50)
Dear Elsa,
I have put this letter in a packet with Heinz, which he is delivering to Berlin, a good friend H, sorry he lost the eye but still it could be worse. If you are reading it then that is good, I had hoped to avoid any unpleasentness for you that a uncencored letter would cause.
Things are tough here in the East, the cold is unberable, the trucks will not start, and we get our tanks going by lighting fires under the engines. Few of our planes can fly and the infantrymen are ill equiped, my jubalation over our early victories has faded and I fear this will be a long long struggle. I struggle with the guilt of these shortcomings, yet Berlin keeps asking when the next offensives can begin. We heard news from the South that V took a port, and then launched a multi pronged attack into the areas to the east, landing behind rostov! Well, the weather is much better there, good luck to those guys I say. I had hoped to have our northern campeign wraped up by Christmass so I could see you and the girls, that will not be. My only hope of seeing you is if the F decides to relieve me for my honesty.
I have not heard from Karl in months, I am sure things go well for our son, his posting as a military attache in Rome should keep him safe, again my guilt is felt but I am his father and must put his safety first. Please continue to write, but be VERY careful, all your letters will be read by the goons!

Your loving husband,
Kurt
______________________________
Classified TOP SECRET eyes only GHQ berlin

To General Staff report of Dec 11, 1941
From Field Marshell Kurt v Stessel

Minor enemy attacks allong the center, troops other than those billitted in towns/cities suffering from severe winter conditions. Offensive operations exceipt for artillery shelling and minor advances in South impossible till weather improves. 58% of planes out for same, Foresee no threats to current positions, adjusting formations to resupply those overextended from recent attacks. As weather improves in early 42, as predicted, will launch operations blister and stormcloud. The loss of the three mobile supply centers should be noted, there replacement is critical should we acheive a breakout and wish to exploit the intial successes.

[freeboy]

(51)
Personal dairy, the forcaster are telling me the weather could get worse! We may actually have to move troops away from the enemy lines.. troops not getting supply enemy seems to be unaffected by weather! Damn this cold, now it looks like the next month is a mess. I will again reqquest the return of our three army group supply centers, but the most important thing is this weather. No enemy advances to date, and we caused diversion ofresources to the North bu the finns, reconisence photos reveal an entire S army. Also the landings in the south are divering troops, although there is still a large reserve located near Stal. If the weather cooperated we could be surrounding the enemy lines and crushing Karkov defenses, they are a thin shell. Enemy has a concentration in Lenn area, although I do not forsee a major battle there.. and a large force in the center... time will tell.

player note all three supply support groups are withdrawn and s first winter goes ten turns shock level 120 s 80g

[freeboy]

(t55) Dairy entry
Enemy concentration inflicting heavy casualties... but no breakouts... Attacks from the Bryansk area to the Lenn zone with our elite panzers being pushed around... Lots of enemy casualties are my only consolation. The landing in the south where destroyed ill timed in the late spring when we could follow up they would be fortuitous. I order the lines redrawn, and several reserve inf units are moved forward.
This damn weather must abate, for I fear we will crack under its strain and unleash a terrible hoarde of angry Reds!

[freeboy]

T56 player note
Another nasty red army pushing my guys around turn, and then I attack at Minimim with some fleets and art and get on attack!.. what is up with the reds getting to move and attack four times? I must be missing something here! Does shock affect this? These winter offensives really are hurting moral!

Personal diary.. OKE
My men are taking horrendous casualties, from the cold and from the weather, my complaints have reached sympethetic ears as three new inf divisions where released this week. I am slowly reorg my units ... pulling back into the center where much of the action has taken place, although reds took back Satalino in the South. No worries there as Karkov is the next objective there and will be persued once the weather improves. Soviets have air suppieriority... cannot even think of using our commandoes and the 7th ab untill that changes, maybe summer of 42...
The north looks to be a gridlock.. I do not forsee any major advances although the enemy has invested a good deal of efforts to dislodge our forces Southeast of Lenn around that large lake. The meteorology division tell my staff that the weather should begin to warm and that by Feb could be back to normal... so before the spring mud I hope we can make up some of these losses

[freeboy]

Turn 59

Diary entry
It is so cold that the sea lanes to Lenn are FROZEN, I did not believe it but I actually saw the pix! many areas in the north that one would think impossible to freeze are doing that, very very sub zero cold, we have taken nearly 3500 heavy inf sq losses in the last month! replacements coming in are helping another few air units and some more infantry, but what we need is some good warm weather. limited counter attacks including the brave finns, God I would trade all the other minor allies for some more of these guys, launched acrross some undefended frozen river cutting the northern line into L. We had a limitted counterattack in the North and in the K zone, but the maps above are pretty much still the front lines with minor corrections. My weather update shows a warm front reaching into poland and the intel also indicated the Reds are running out of men and supplies.. Estimates they have lost in the 10 k range for inf sq in this offensive.

[freeboy]

t62
Diary entry mid January,
The new heavy weather gear combined with only cold, as opposed to super cold sub Zero weather and deep snows, have allowed us to regain supply integrety. I ordered a limited front wide operation code named Operation Spring Fever. The Crimia was breached, but a follow up was not acheaved anywhere ( one rounder ) Karkov zone saw a good pusj, it will be interesting to see what kind of responce the reds have, the only have two defensive line there, as oposed to four in the Moscow Zone. I realized I made a huge error in not pusshing forward in the center and taking the rail center just to the East, it would have allowedthe troops north of the main road to get supplies, an issue allowing a painfull amount of suffering . The mighty Finns pusshed several Red units around, again no follow ups, If our air power was not in such dire state I would feel positive, yet I will take the change of weather and make the most of this frosty time beforer the spring mud. I will get some rough shots of the front after visiting the officers mess.

[freeboy]

Diary entry late Jan 42
Operation spring fever commentces in full wit ha full scale breakout by our friends the Roanians into the Crimia.. and the lines south of Karkov shatered under concentertaed artillery and massed german tanks. Will my adversary counterattack now that his winter operations have lost steam? The Finns are stopped but they required a large group of red army troops to accomplish this. I continue to shell the coastal areas and my advisers tell me the enemy suffers 10-20% losses in the areas attacked, these losses must be taking a toll, at lest this is my hope.beacause my lines are overstretched at Orel, we are withdrawing and strengthening while removing three panzer divisions that will be transfered into the next phase of SF. I must destroy a large group of enemy troops to regain the momentum lost, and it looks as though he is still massing troops in front of L and M, looks like a southern breakout could be the order of the day, although a center strike encircling the bulk of his depleated forces would ruin his summer as these forces would hopefully not be rebuilt by then, could this be achieved before the mud? I wonder

[freeboy]

again from the crimia

[freeboy]

This is the area near Orel with lots of reorg, pix taken prior to those moves

[freeboy]

And finally in the North.. Note the Three Sov controlled H with the overstacked dots.. shelling these with combination land and sea based art does wonders !

[freeboy]

Northern Flank, pix prior to attacking, this is the lake area just to the South and East of Lenningrad

[freeboy]

OKE reports Early Feb
Air supperiority woes continue.. official requests seem to be reaching deaf ears. Operation SF in full swing now with another fine winter day, the sovs have colapsed in the Northern Crimia, massed Roms pouring through, Rostino recaptured and the line from the river north to just south of R ruptpured, Karkov line to the South in total disarry as our men surge forward... not much elsewhere. The Finns rebuild for anouther push. I sent a reprimand to AGS commander VR regarding the lack of oversight of the Roms, they had not finished the rail to the units attacking into the crimia! One important consideration in continuing advances is supply! I commended the commander in the Karkov front for attaining five coordinated flanking attacks all supported by massed artilery!

[freeboy]

This is a problem waiting to happen, note lack of RR engeniers to build captured RR lines! My recomendation to AGS is to move several RR eng int oCrimia to alieviate the problems. Due to the continued buildup of supplies in the south while the Sov attacked in the North and Center, these units attacking R K and Crimia mostly started at over supply status.

[freeboy]

Operations order .. General staff briefing
Weather updates for Feb through March, trending to warmer weather with snows ending, beginning of the melting and mud appearing.

Notes from meeting with AGS
General VR and M are against a frontwide assult, prefering to take limited objectives before our summer offensive, not too much dissent from their staff, I point out that every inch taken and Red army destroyed is one less to destroy in the summer months, and if we can get them on their heals we should by all means destroy the frontal armies between Karkov and Tula. the enemy has not created lines to the south of Moscow, only N-S lines and we may be able to take advantage of this. I encourage the use of forward deployed small arms teams to race through gaps, request from M for Commmandoes under advisement and several Center Eng already tasked to move into
Crimia where an investigation into the misshandling on support will undoubtable lead to some poor Romainian Clerk being shot, even if he wheres Gold on his sleaves, I shudder at my fate should we stall this year. The newer M, model who put forth the rejected plan "ice castle" to move all artillery and armor into the Lenn front last winter came up with another bold plan, his ideas have merit.. we will see. After a coursoury trp through the staffs of the several front armies, I planned to observe some of the shelling of the next wave against the defenders near K, but was disuaded by reports of heavy enemy activity in the center and decided to return to my HQ near Smolensk.
Reports from the Finns indicate they do not believe they can take more ground without the commitment of several new German inf divisions, which are in NA France and Greace and I would not think I should see them soon. The Southern front Generals do not seem to be as affected by the S air as in the North, too bad we cannot attack those bases up north.


Notes from GHQ Berlin, intelligence advises that taking Karkov, Rostov and the Major industrial area to the North will reduce Red army reinforcemtns temperaroly by as much as 25%, I do not belive it is this high but any reduction is a good one.

[freeboy]

General's notes from late Feb offensives.
The drive acrose the frozen marshes and rivers in theLenn front has seen the Reds in full retreat... too bad it is the are to the south and not that are directly in front of L. I am impressed that the Roms are doing so well in the Crimia... additional RR eng are making a difference.. yet only one G division committed. The Rostino Front also is breaking, too many places for s troops to go.. as VM and R launched coordinated attacks along 250 km front driving to both Flank Karkov.. and to within 15 K of the city center. I transfered two center armored divisions, Das Reick and Viking into the area and several others may follow up as we are nearing the midpoint between the new year and the Mud. The enemy still maintains air superiority, this must change! I expect to get a msg from AGS soon informing me of the conclusion of Spring Fever, and the commencment of operation Pinata, the destruction of the Red army south of Kursk. In the North the Finns recieved, much to my surprice a reinforced mountain division fresh from France and moved two other divisions from the middle zone to renew the presure along the Sila. If Savastapol, Karkov, Rostov and the industrial area to the north of R fall... We cann plan for the summer offensive into the enemy center and the drive on M.

[freeboy]

Advancing into crimea

[freeboy]

And by Feb 15th in the Crimia we are close to being ready to attack S!