Raindem
Posts: 696
Joined: 7/15/2000 From: Arizona Status: offline
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Crisis in the North, Summer 1942 - Larry's spring offensive has been spectacular. I congratulate him on a well conceived and executed plan. Combined with some huge mistakes on my part, it achieved in just a few weeks what should have taken the whole summer. And once Leningrad fell I thought I could re-establish the line and contain the catastrophe. But Larry just burst through every front I put up as if it was July 1941 all over again. He also made some good progress northwest of Moscow and even in northern Finland, where I thought my position was fairly secure. There were a few turns there where I was worried about the entire front falling apart. But then I noticed something, starting with his breakthrough north of Kalinin. He would create a breach and surge ahead but he wasn't encircling any troops (this was a few turns after Leningrad fell). And at each breakthrough his troops veered more northeast than east. In other words I was worried about him encircling Moscow from the north be he seemed to be pointing in a different direction. There were some breaks in the line where I could have plugged the hole better, but I purposely left some areas weak just to see how far he would venture into the evergreen forests. Larry's offensive, devastating as it was, was starting to lose focus. It was at this point that I realized that the Soviet Union will not fall in 1942, that I will be able to hold on to the vital central and southern sectors which still produce enough output to keep me in the game. So now what? It is true that I had orginally planned another southern offensive this year. And I still think the balance of forces favor me there. But that is not going to happen now, and I'm already starting to slowly disburse the army group that had gathered south of Rostov. The crisis in the north is not over yet. Soviet offensive operations for the remainder of the year will most likely be local actions (like reversing the encirclement on his FJ division). I'll eventually come up with something for the winter offensive but it won't be anywhere near as consequential as the historical Soviet attack. Larry's shock bonus is almost over, and I know his troops are tired, but there are still three good months left in the campaign season. Where will he strike next?
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Grab them by the balls. Their hearts and minds will follow.
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