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All Forums >> [New Releases from Matrix Games] >> Gary Grigsby's War in the East Series >> After Action Reports >> Del vs Jimbo123 t10 onwards

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Del vs Jimbo123 t10 onwards - 10/28/2012 12:20:44 PM

delatbabel

Posts: 1252
Joined: 7/30/2006
From: Sydney, Australia
Status: offline

I've only just figured out how to get snapshots to work properly, but it seems to be going now. Anyway, I was out of the game for a while, I've played a few PBEM and a few server games, but mostly just FTF against local players so I'm not the most experienced player. My win/loss ratio is about 50% so far.

I have played one game previously against Jimbo that he resigned in mid 1943 after it became clear that he was getting holes torn in his lines all over the place. By that stage I had 11M+ men under arms and it wasn't going well for the Germans in any area of the front. My summation of that game was that his 1941 and 1942 summer offensives weren't fast or aggressive enough, and I was able to hold him back.

After a couple of weeks away (overseas and then sick) I've just completed turn 10 as the Soviets and here is the situation map -- without much else to report. I'm bad at AARs but I'll try to keep this one up as best as I can.

Jimbo claims to have learned a few things since then, so here's seeing if Moscow will hold. Leningrad looks pretty well doomed although I've thrown my best units into the defense there. The Finns have been stopped on the northern frontier, courtesy of a couple of good tank divisions I railed up there but once those break down to brigades I imagine they will come flooding through, but hopefully I'll have a Svir river line before then.

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Del

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RE: Del vs Jimbo123 t10 onwards - 10/28/2012 1:38:27 PM

smokindave34

Posts: 877
Joined: 1/15/2008
Status: offline

Comrade,

Just a few suggestions for you to consider:

1) I'd pull those troops off the Svir line and move them to either Leningrad or to Moscow for defense in depth. If the Finns are bottled up in the North they won't be approaching the Svir anytime soon (if ever).

2) The same goes for the Crimea. From your map it doesn't look as though your opponent is going to make a significant push in that area of the front. Leave a few division there to dig but move the rest to the Stalino area in an attempt to hold those population/resource centers

3) I don't have any data to back this up but I think an army attached to an overloaded front is better than an army directly attached to STAVKA. Others with more experience may have more to add on this. You have a few armies directly in front of Moscow attached to STAVKA; I'd get them attached to the Reserve front or Western front.

(in reply to delatbabel)

Post #: 2

RE: Del vs Jimbo123 t10 onwards - 10/28/2012 4:17:40 PM

delatbabel

Posts: 1252
Joined: 7/30/2006
From: Sydney, Australia
Status: offline

The brigades on the Svir line are quite weak, 50% TOE and they are all brigades. I plan to pull them out shortly.

I've been caught a few times with the Crimea and I've only just discovered that the Axis can cross in a third place that I didn't think was possible, across what is marked on the map as an impassable hexside but clearly isn't. The pic above doesn't show the recon I did earlier (the game crashed just before I ended the turn and I had to redo) but there are a few axis forces behind that front line heading for the Crimea. Actually I don't think I will be able to hold the Crimea, the forces I have there are too weak (one understrength army) but I want to make him fight for the terrain and not have an easy time crossing the Kerch.

This turn's C&C is a bit messed up, it's the one thing I forgot to redo after the crash. Normally I leave sorting out the C&C until the end of the turn when playing defense, after getting the right SUs in place, but I forgot this time. I'll get it sorted next turn. The Stavka armies in front of Moscow have only just arrived, the armies that were there previously got trashed badly and pulled back for refit.

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Del

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Post #: 3

RE: Del vs Jimbo123 t10 onwards - 11/3/2012 10:04:10 AM

delatbabel

Posts: 1252
Joined: 7/30/2006
From: Sydney, Australia
Status: offline

Turn 11.

I have mostly sorted out the C&C mess.

The German tactics appear to be more continual grind this turn -- a lot of attacks up and down the front rather than trying to puncture my lines. A lot of reinforcements sent towards Moscow this turn, and two more armies building up in the Yaroslavl/Ivanonvo area ready to be deployed there.

In the north, the Finns have given up trying to break the northern line. There's more activity south of Leningrad but I manage to pull back a few hexes and reclaim one vital one. I have redeployed the brigades on the Svir line to dig forts behind the main line, now that I have a spare army HQ to stack with construction units to help out.

In the south the axis of the attack seems to have switched from Kharkov to Stalino, where 3 SS units are focused. I've held the line at D-town and Z-town a bit too long I think, that's going to cost me some units. Stalino defenses are being prepared.

This turn saw the evacuation of the last of the major armaments factories. Future turns will revolve around pulling out the equipment factories around Moscow. I took a bit of a gamble early on and pulled the entire KV-1 factory from Leningrad and the entire T-34 factory from Kharkov, hoping that some added production of these might give me some bite over the winter. However this has left me a bit short of rail capacity, meaning that last turn I had to leave some reinforcement units back at the Urals in favour of pulling out the Kharkov armaments factory intact.

Air recon seems to indicate that the units massing for an assault on the Crimea have gone elsewhere. I'm biding my time there, however, it's only turn 11 and anything can happen yet.

Attachment (1)

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Del

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Post #: 4

RE: Del vs Jimbo123 t10 onwards - 11/3/2012 10:22:24 AM

delatbabel

Posts: 1252
Joined: 7/30/2006
From: Sydney, Australia
Status: offline

Turn 12.

Road/rail link to Leningrad cut.

No further activity from the Finns.

2 failed attempts by the Germans to cross the Volkhov this turn. I expect fresh troops and artillery arriving will make it impossible for me to hold that line next turn.

One new army committed to the Moscow front, and I pulled back some units of the reserve front to secure the release of the lone Western Front army that was messed up in that sector. It's far simpler just to rail it south than to spend the APs to switch it to the new front. Besides, I need to commit another army south of Moscow anyway, this one was surplus where it was. I still have one army in refit at Ivanovo, and more divisions coming in. A plethora of empty tank brigades have arrived, so I've set up a parking lot near Vologda to keep them out of harm's way until tank production catches up. Hopefully with the entire KV-1 and T-34 factories in full production that should be earlier than normal.

Bryansk front seems to be holding well against some but limited attacks. SW front took a beating earlier but is steadily digging in to useful positions. Provided I can hold that line north of Kharkov that is.

As predicted, the defense of D-town cost me deep in the purse. 5 divisions isolated this turn and 3 more that I couldn't pull out far enough because General numb-nuts decided they'd only get 6 movement points this turn. I feel another purge coming on.

I just realised I'd left an idiot General in charge of the 9th army. The clerk responsible for this has been demoted to Stavka office cat, and Rokossovsky has been dispatched to stabilise the situation, at least until the fate of Stalino is decided. 9th and coastal armies succeed in an effective but belated pullback from the last positions on the Dnepr.

As always, I'm still feeling the pinch in terms of number of divisions. I desperately need to create some rear lines, especially around places like the Valdai Hills, Moscow/Volga canal and Oka river lines, Tula, and the rivers between Stalino and Rostov, but the units just don't exist to put in those places. Unless I do something like stripping the front lines to one unit every second hex. Another hundred or so divisions would be nice, even just farmers with shovels.

Attachment (1)

< Message edited by delatbabel -- 11/3/2012 10:25:41 AM >

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Del

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Post #: 5

RE: Del vs Jimbo123 t10 onwards - 11/3/2012 2:54:32 PM

Baelfiin

Posts: 2978
Joined: 6/7/2006
Status: offline

Hi Del
Which hex is able to moved across that shouldn't be?

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The Logistics Phase is like Black Magic and Voodoo all rolled into one.

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RE: Del vs Jimbo123 t10 onwards - 11/14/2012 11:21:57 AM

delatbabel

Posts: 1252
Joined: 7/30/2006
From: Sydney, Australia
Status: offline

Jimbo's been away on holidays so we haven't had a turn for a bit. Today's is the first for a while.

Again another broad overview map, mostly because I haven't told Jimbo he's not allowed to read this AAR. But you get the general idea from this at anyway at this stage of the game -- just advances with little resistance and attempts to counter-attack falling short. Note that this turn I actually planned 5 counter-attacks but only managed to pull 1 off because of a lack of movement points and CV. There was a German spearhead in the south just itching to get cut off but I couldn't get the nearby units in with enough MP left to pull off an attack.

Slow grind up near Leningrad. I lost a few hexes and gave up 1. The good news is that the 1st Guards Rifle division has appeared, in Osinovets. Just as quickly I shipped it out across Ladoga to the port on the other side. It will be more useful after a few turns of R&R down south.

Clearly Moscow is Jimbo's prime objective and I don't see that I have much chance of holding it. Turn 13, he's 3 hexes away and advancing 2-3 hexes per turn. You do the maths. I had a wall of level 3 forts with level 2s behind them, the panzers went through the lot like a hot knife through butter.

In the south I narrowly avoid being pocketed south of Stalino. Due to a miscalculation in rail points I didn't get the whole of the Stalino armaments factory out last turn, there is 1 point left to be captured. Other than that I'm reasonably happy with my factory withdrawals.

Attachment (1)

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Del

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Post #: 7

RE: Del vs Jimbo123 t10 onwards - 11/16/2012 10:06:16 AM

delatbabel

Posts: 1252
Joined: 7/30/2006
From: Sydney, Australia
Status: offline

Turn 14

The grind at Leningrad has halted for a turn, however the attacks in front of Moscow continue to pick up pace. Jim's driven 4 hexes forwards, pinning my few remaining factories in the city, and looking at the CVs in the area it appears that Moscow will certainly fall next turn. I have railed every strong unit I can find within range into the critical hexes, but that's still not going to be enough to hold.

The other main drive is towards Rostov. He isolated about 8 divisions at Stalino, which I could have rescued but at the cost of 8 more so it wasn't worth the effort. Plus it would have left him with a straight run to Stalingrad, I have almost no units in the way, not even brigades.

Tambov Tank Park is filling up with brigades. No tanks mind you yet :P

I will start including some more close ups when it becomes important to do so. At this stage it's just a matter of keeping troops alive.