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RE: A tale of three cities: Soviets on the brink of defeat (hooooper vs Bomazz)

 
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RE: A tale of three cities: Soviets on the brink of def... - 12/7/2012 12:03:22 AM   
Scook_99

 

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quote:

ORIGINAL: hooooper

The first snow turn is 38, I think. But I gather the Germans begin recovering CV in February.


Actually, you start getting some recovery in January, sometimes hard to notice depending on the level of beating. The February CV increase is very noticeable, enough so that the Germans can counterattack (but still get blizzard morale hits).

Just curious how much time you have in the south. Stalin had fantasies that aren't as good as your Romanian/ Hungarian/ Italian front is at the moment.

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RE: A tale of three cities: Soviets on the brink of def... - 12/7/2012 12:07:59 AM   
Scook_99

 

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Status: offline 		Oh, and your assessment of Bomazz is spot on, in our 30 years of gaming, he pretty much plays to the extremes, logistics are key, and psychological warfare is not only encouraged, but preferred.

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RE: A tale of three cities: Soviets on the brink of def... - 12/7/2012 12:09:27 AM   
hooooper_slith

 

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Status: offline 		I think there is enough time to get somewhere. But my aims are modest: I want to take Kharkov and Nikolaev and use them to anchor a forward defence line. As I was telling Pelton, I'm expecting the Germans to take the initiative once the blizzard is over with those units that spent the winter in Germany.

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RE: A tale of three cities: Soviets on the brink of def... - 12/7/2012 12:11:28 AM   
hooooper_slith

 

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RE: A tale of three cities: Soviets on the brink of def... - 12/8/2012 11:30:21 PM   
hooooper_slith

 

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Status: offline 		Turn 30
More of the same: slow progress in the north, no progress in the Moscow sector and a rout in the south. Between the south and Moscow, a series of battles are being fought for Tula, Kursk and Kharkov. These cities are too strong to be assaulted frontally, but all are somewhat vulnerable to eventual encirclement. I'm beginning to think that it will
come down to a test of nerve as to who holds on longest.

Leningrad.






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RE: A tale of three cities: Soviets on the brink of def... - 12/8/2012 11:34:01 PM   
hooooper_slith

 

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Status: offline 		Leningrad after Soviet moves. Contact is reestablished with the cavalry division, and a couple of hexes are taken. I'm not really expecting to get to the city.




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< Message edited by hooooper -- 12/8/2012 11:35:19 PM >

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RE: A tale of three cities: Soviets on the brink of def... - 12/8/2012 11:37:21 PM   
hooooper_slith

 

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Status: offline 		The NW before Soviet moves ...






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RE: A tale of three cities: Soviets on the brink of def... - 12/8/2012 11:38:20 PM   
hooooper_slith

 

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Status: offline 		And after ... painfully slow progress. VV is going to be difficult to take, without a frontal assault and a huge bloodbath.





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< Message edited by hooooper -- 12/9/2012 12:15:02 AM >

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RE: A tale of three cities: Soviets on the brink of def... - 12/8/2012 11:42:38 PM   
hooooper_slith

 

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Status: offline 		Moscow after Soviet moves. Again only two or three hexes have been taken, but I want to fortify every hex around the city, ready for the inevitable German countercounterattack.




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RE: A tale of three cities: Soviets on the brink of def... - 12/8/2012 11:46:18 PM   
hooooper_slith

 

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Status: offline 		Tula after Soviet moves. Pressure is starting to build to the south of the city, but Western Front has yet to develop its offensive to the north,




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< Message edited by hooooper -- 12/9/2012 1:54:13 AM >

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RE: A tale of three cities: Soviets on the brink of def... - 12/8/2012 11:49:46 PM   
hooooper_slith

 

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Status: offline 		Kursk. The breakthrough is still in progress south of the city, but SW Front lacks the power to extend it. Stavka is assembling 38th Army to help with the exploitation.






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< Message edited by hooooper -- 12/8/2012 11:52:30 PM >

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RE: A tale of three cities: Soviets on the brink of def... - 12/8/2012 11:54:15 PM   
hooooper_slith

 

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Status: offline 		Kharkov, which I continue to think will be the crucial sector in the medium term. 56th armoured brigade takes Poltova as a battle honour, 90 miles to the south west of Kharkov. I don't expect my opponent to evacuate.




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< Message edited by hooooper -- 12/8/2012 11:56:08 PM >

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RE: A tale of three cities: Soviets on the brink of def... - 12/8/2012 11:57:36 PM   
hooooper_slith

 

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Status: offline 		South. As I mentioned the aim of this offensive is to roll up the flanks of the German armies to north and south rather than advancing to the Rumanian border. But the question still arises: how far west to push? As far as I know there is no value in taking Soviet territory I can't hold, so I don't see the point of going much beyond the Ingul. In any case, the offensive is being held up by a lack of armour.




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< Message edited by hooooper -- 12/9/2012 12:27:49 AM >

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RE: A tale of three cities: Soviets on the brink of def... - 12/9/2012 12:06:17 AM   
hooooper_slith

 

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Status: offline 		Production. Output may improve when all those damaged units are repaired. In terms of the war of the factories, the Soviets are probably stretching their lead in artillery, but they are not improving their position greatly for armour, air or men.




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RE: A tale of three cities: Soviets on the brink of def... - 12/9/2012 12:10:41 AM   
hooooper_slith

 

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Status: offline 		The big picture in the south. It's pretty obvious, geometrically, what the Soviet objectives are going to be




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< Message edited by hooooper -- 12/9/2012 12:12:03 AM >

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RE: A tale of three cities: Soviets on the brink of def... - 12/11/2012 1:10:14 AM   
hooooper_slith

 

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Not much action in the north, hence the single large screenshot. I have reduced activity in the hope of acquiring a little more manpower.




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RE: A tale of three cities: Soviets on the brink of def... - 12/11/2012 1:19:50 AM   
hooooper_slith

 

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Status: offline 		At Tula, the Red Army approaches the city's south western outskirts. The artillery commander around Red Square is on 24-hour alert to fire a 21-gun salute when the city falls ....




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< Message edited by hooooper -- 12/11/2012 2:05:09 AM >

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RE: A tale of three cities: Soviets on the brink of def... - 12/11/2012 1:25:21 AM   
hooooper_slith

 

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Status: offline 		Kursk. Two reserve armies are being sent to add a little oomph to the attack. At present they are being overseen by Marshal Kulik, an interesting chap who pioneered some human resources techniques that were later employed by Enron. He was very good friends with Marshal Stalin, despite the fact that he (Stalin) had executed his (Kulik's) wife.




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< Message edited by hooooper -- 12/11/2012 1:43:07 AM >

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RE: A tale of three cities: Soviets on the brink of def... - 12/11/2012 1:31:31 AM   
hooooper_slith

 

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Status: offline 		And the fate of Kursk is important because it has a bearing on the all important battle for Kharkov. Significant progress is made in here, but if, as I suspect, Bomazz orders his troops in the city to stand fast despite the looming encirclement, will I have time to complete the pocket, reduce it and go over to the defensive before the snow turns? Obviously, he is trying to defend with the bare minimum of troops, but will he commit reserves from Germany to hold it? Note the armoured brigades on the move to the southern sector; they were just getting in the way in the Moscow sector.




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< Message edited by hooooper -- 12/11/2012 1:38:40 AM >

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RE: A tale of three cities: Soviets on the brink of def... - 12/11/2012 1:34:09 AM   
hooooper_slith

 

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Status: offline 		The south. Little opposition is encountered by North Caucusus and Transcaucasian fronts. Soviet armour is now 40 miles from Nikolaev.




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RE: A tale of three cities: Soviets on the brink of def... - 12/11/2012 1:45:27 AM   
hooooper_slith

 

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< Message edited by hooooper -- 12/11/2012 1:47:57 AM >

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RE: A tale of three cities: Soviets on the brink of def... - 12/11/2012 2:56:51 PM   
hugh04

 

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Status: offline 		The success of the Soviet blizzard offensive in the south is truly impressive. That said, a German panzerball driving from Kharkov to Rostov could win the war for the Axis. I see the sea of azov as a gigantic trap against which to pin the Bear. A front line east of the Mius river is fraught with risk in 42. Good luck.

Vandev

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RE: A tale of three cities: Soviets on the brink of def... - 12/11/2012 7:05:23 PM   
hooooper_slith

 

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Status: offline 		I'm aware of the danger ... but there's also a chance of trapping much of Army Group South before then. It's a devilish dilemma.

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RE: A tale of three cities: Soviets on the brink of def... - 12/11/2012 8:05:49 PM   
Kronolog

 

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quote:

ORIGINAL: hooooper

I'm aware of the danger ... but there's also a chance of trapping much of Army Group South before then. It's a devilish dilemma.


Depending on the size of the pocket, both in terms of units and area, he could potentially move in an airbase, put every bomber and transport in the Luftwaffe on transport duty, and hold out for long enough to gather a relief force.

< Message edited by Kronolog -- 12/11/2012 8:06:55 PM >

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RE: A tale of three cities: Soviets on the brink of def... - 12/11/2012 8:27:26 PM   
Scook_99

 

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Status: offline 		hooooper, I am glad you are in this kind of game, not the usual min/max games, and this kind of game is what is closer to what really could occur in historical terms than say, running away and vacating territory. Then tension is very palpable and has you thinking of the future, and not knowing what to expect. This one will run for quite a while. Oh, and that tension you feel, that's the psychological part. It's amazing when playing face to face how many people can't handle pressure. When we used to play board games with other people, we weren't on the same side more than twice in ten years, as psychologically, the 'other' side had already lost in their heads. The best battle to win is the one you don't have to fight.

I salute you! Enjoy this one to the bitter end.

Oh yeah, I like to see how the Romanian OOB manpower report is about half of what it should be. You are schwacking them hard!

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RE: A tale of three cities: Soviets on the brink of def... - 12/11/2012 8:35:33 PM   
hooooper_slith

 

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Status: offline 		Yes, I hadn't thought of that; that could be a disaster. I'm beginning to think it's just too risky to go for the Kharkov pocket in the time remaining, but the blizzard continues until T37, so I have a little time yet.

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RE: A tale of three cities: Soviets on the brink of def... - 12/11/2012 8:42:12 PM   
hooooper_slith

 

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Status: offline 		Yes, it's been a tense struggle right from the start. If it was chess, it would be a sharp game. I think I scored a moral victory at Moscow, but I suspect I'm going to suffer a moral defeat at Kharkov. But, and I really can't stress this enough, I do hope to avoid an actual defeat, the kind that might lose the Southern Front.

I do feel I've taught the Romanians a lesson, but I'm not as sure as Pelton is about how much that actually affects the strategic balance of power.

< Message edited by hooooper -- 12/11/2012 8:45:48 PM >

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RE: A tale of three cities: Soviets on the brink of def... - 12/13/2012 2:20:21 AM   
Scook_99

 

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Status: offline 		More or less, it's a later game usage of the the Romanians. If you need more CV to hold a spot, one German unit thrown in with two Romanians can do the job rather well. There is also garrisoning, along with fort building. The little things don't seem like much, but it's easier to get the Russian Steamroller up and running with the summation of little problems put together. It's like in late 1942 into 1943, you will throw the Italians in the way to be speed bumps knowing they will be gone mid 1943; better they take the hits than your good units. Additionally, I like to keep the Hungarians up and running as long as possible, and it's a lot easier if they aren't being attacked, and that's easier the longer the Romanians are around. So the culmination of your efforts will pay off.....down the road.

If it were me...I would bang out as much as possible in the south through January, think of it as morale building activities (trusting your comrades to catch you as you fall backwards into the snow, group activities like shooting Romanians in the head, that sort of thing), and then pull back to continue their training and reduce casualties to increase your army size. Kharkov to Leningrad there looks to be no rest for either side in this one.

Edit: Congratulations! Just noticed you reduced Romania to 0 AFVs! Have not seen that before this early in a game.

< Message edited by Scook_99 -- 12/13/2012 2:22:55 AM >

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RE: A tale of three cities: Soviets on the brink of def... - 12/13/2012 3:20:46 AM   
hooooper_slith

 

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Status: offline 		Heh heh, yes the Rumanians have been hung out to dry; I don't expect they'll ever recover. So you would begin falling back at the beginning of February? Wouldn't you be at all curious to find out if you could pull off a big encirclement at Nikolaev or Kharkov? I'm assuming that I can pull back at fairly short notice, on account of the wrecked rail lines in the south. Reconnaissance will be fairly important towards the end of the blizzard.

< Message edited by hooooper -- 12/13/2012 3:21:17 AM >

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RE: A tale of three cities: Soviets on the brink of def... - 12/18/2012 6:12:14 PM   
hooooper_slith

 

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Status: offline 		Turn 32

Leningrad after Soviet moves. We make more minimal progress to our goal (the line shows the front line before Soviet moves)




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