RE: T61 (Full Version)

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xhoel -> RE: T61 (9/4/2019 5:12:34 PM)

AGC

The pocket of last week held and the 3 Rifle Divisions trapped in it were swiftly destroyed. Soviet forces in the Center remain to the east of the Pra river and launched a strong attack last week, pushing our units back. The enemy seems to be expecting our main thrust to be south-west of Vladimir.

Our forces have other objectives however. Attacks are launched with the goal to encircle Soviet Guard units in the vicinity and also ZOC lock other forces in the area. A Soviet hold prevents the encirclement from being completed, saving the 4 Rifle Divisions and the 7th Guards Rifle Corps from destruction. Soviet units are being held in a ZOC lock but the Cavalry Corps are free to counterattack once they arrive from the west. The 14th Panzer Division is especially vulnerable to enemy attacks. One of the rail lines leading to Moscow has been cut off.

Further to the South, the enemy has pulled back and we have given chase to them even attacking weakened units in certain sectors.

Positions at the start of the week:

[image]local://upfiles/57112/9661F43B62CA4A679E4F1B0A1F6C105D.jpg[/image]

Positions after German moves:

[img]https://i.imgur.com/8rs58Bg.jpg[/img]

The hold that messed up everything. If the Soviets would have pulled back here, we would have been able to close the pocket. Marked in black is the exposed 14th Panzer Division.

[img]https://i.imgur.com/JtlDREW.jpg[/img]

Moscow sector overview:

[img]https://i.imgur.com/O3UOojH.jpg[/img]




xhoel -> RE: T61 (9/4/2019 5:34:12 PM)

AGS

The pockets in the south held and the enemy forces trapped within have been destroyed. The 11th Army has crossed the straits of Kerch and is marching east. The Soviets have pulled their forces back again creating a 50 mile gap between them and us. The well rested and supplied 1st Panzer Army has found a chance to push north and encircle Soviet forces defending on the Don. The operation was a success, linking up with the XI Corps forces in the north. There are 14 Rifle Divisions, 5 Rifle Brigades, 3 AT Artillery Brigades and a number of other unidentified formations trapped in the pocket. Many of these units are of low quality or barely filled with men.

The pocket is breakable but in case it holds, it will bring us closer to capturing Stalingrad. The city has not evacuated the factories yet.

Soviet forces directly in front of Stalingrad have also been pushed back. The defending units were recently raised formations, manned by raw recruits. The push back has destroyed the fortifications and cut off 2 Rifle Divisions from supply.

South overview at the start of the week:

[img]https://i.imgur.com/8CJAtsJ.jpg[/img]

Closer look on the Krasnodar area:

[img]https://i.imgur.com/BaxKMrg.jpg[/img]

South Stalingrad sector at the start of the week:

[img]https://i.imgur.com/xzp6cfi.jpg[/img]

Positions after Axis moves:

[img]https://i.imgur.com/oyVkCVL.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i.imgur.com/wbNfSuA.jpg[/img]

[image]local://upfiles/57112/C70B35EB502B43F6AA49BC3063C8BA26.jpg[/image]

[img]https://i.imgur.com/B4SrYZB.jpg[/img]

AGS overview at the end of the week:

[img]https://i.imgur.com/BmaTZX2.jpg[/img]




xhoel -> RE: T61 (9/4/2019 5:46:05 PM)

Casualties

Casualties were heavy this week for the Soviets which lost 97.000 men as irrecoverable losses. Axis forces lost 13.350 men (irrecoverable losses) and 173 AFVs. Losses in the air have also been high, 143 Axis losses to 550 Soviet ones. The war in the air is quite contested and will become even more difficult as fighter groups are beginning to be pulled back to the west. This week only we have lost the services of ZG 2 and the III./ZG 1.

Ground and air losses:

[img]https://i.imgur.com/csz1O8v.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i.imgur.com/veSN8ht.jpg[/img]

Air groups that withdrew this week:

[img]https://i.imgur.com/gsVRBNV.jpg[/img]




MattFL -> RE: T61 (9/4/2019 6:20:09 PM)

Nice to see another update from this one. The battle for Moscow is particularly interesting. I think if I were the Russians in this one, I wouldn't put my best units opposite yours, I think I'd use them to try to penetrate into the base of your Northern Moscow Penetration. You're pretty weak there as compared to what he could mass against it and penetrating there would almost force you to pull your spearheads back.

Based on your last update, the Soviet OOB is disconcertingly small and about to get a lot smaller with 20-25 divisions surrounded. Stalingrad will still be a grind, but is pretty much all but lost at this point.



xhoel -> RE: T61 (9/4/2019 7:57:15 PM)

Hey Matt, I can't say I agree with you on this one. The base of the northern pincer is not that weak and the forces defending there are in good condition and defending in fortifications behind a major river. Should he try an attack there I will be more than able to move additional forces to close the gaps. I think that the fact that he is keeping his best units in my path is what is making the advance so difficult both in the north and in the south.

The Soviet OOB is small indeed but the pocket will not bring in that many captured men. Like I said most of the units are very weak and with very low TOE, I hope I can get around 100.000 POWs next week. Stalingrad will be a tough fight, the fort levels on the outskirts of the city are really high.

I am sure Bitburger will have fun counterattacking next turn, there are multiple locations that are good spots for counterattacks. Will see how things go.

Appreciate the comment, stay tuned for new developments!




Telemecus -> RE: T61 (9/5/2019 12:47:08 PM)

My guess is probably the only good Soviet units left are defending the jaws of Moscow. The depletion of the units you have seen elsewhere is symptomatic of that. But given how low the OOB is I did expect a greater collapseor drawback in soviet forces than we have seen. There is a lot more fight overall than I had expected.



MattFL -> RE: T61 (9/5/2019 4:40:39 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: xhoel

Hey Matt, I can't say I agree with you on this one. The base of the northern pincer is not that weak and the forces defending there are in good condition and defending in fortifications behind a major river. Should he try an attack there I will be more than able to move additional forces to close the gaps. I think that the fact that he is keeping his best units in my path is what is making the advance so difficult both in the north and in the south.

The Soviet OOB is small indeed but the pocket will not bring in that many captured men. Like I said most of the units are very weak and with very low TOE, I hope I can get around 100.000 POWs next week. Stalingrad will be a tough fight, the fort levels on the outskirts of the city are really high.

I am sure Bitburger will have fun counterattacking next turn, there are multiple locations that are good spots for counterattacks. Will see how things go.

Appreciate the comment, stay tuned for new developments!



You may well be right. I'm basing my comments on the relative CV's of your defense in these areas compared to what he could potentially bring to attack you. Any penetration in these areas would, from what I can see, potentially put your spearheads at risk and would have to be dealt with. Of course, I don't really know the soviet situation very well, so perhaps it's just not possible. But if he could penetrate your line by Krasny Kholm and/or Kiverichi even just a hex or two, would you pull the spearheads back to deal with it or press on?

Overall though, his OOB is so low that he's in pretty deep trouble. I don't think you'll knock him out of the war, but I also don't think he's getting to Berlin before 1946. [;)]

Would be interesting to see an overview screenshot showing the entire moscow front. Look forward to the next updates!

Matt



Fetterkrolle -> RE: T61 (9/5/2019 5:49:13 PM)

I wonder why he has not cut the railine or tried to cut the railine feeding your northern pincer in AGC. Its literaly only 1 railine guarded by regiments in some parts. I think all he as to do is push 1 regiment and just rush in a tank brigade to cut the rail and all your panzers on the northern pincer would be kind of useless for 1 turn.



Rokko -> RE: T61 (9/6/2019 10:12:01 AM)

First off thanks for writing this highly captivating AAR.
I was wondering about some things I noticed:
It seems as if you have decided to deploy 11 Army in the south with AGS. It seems to me like it would be more urgently needed in front of Moscow as a diversion or to help the pincers advance and secure their flanks. Likewise, it appears as If the southern pincer is not supported by a single rail line, which might cause Problems when you get further away from the railhead near Ryazan.
Do you think the Soviets are about to crack and a breakout ist iminent or will there be a slow slog until the mud turns?



xhoel -> RE: T61 (9/10/2019 3:46:16 PM)

@Telemecus: It would appear so. There are some Guard units that are unaccounted for however. They were defending the Don during the last couple of turns but have been pulled off the front and I don't have eyes on them. Most Soviet units are not depleted, the ones in the South that I showcased are an exception. It seems that Bitburger chose to order some of his rebuild shells to hold the Don river line because he did not expect an attack, which was a mistake from his side.

Indeed, the Soviets are counterattacking and holding their ground quite well were it matters. The OOB is indeed low, losing units turn after turn does not help the Soviets at all.

Here is the OOB at the end of turn 61:

[image]local://upfiles/57112/66AA0D0ABD044F09874883EF3A193A0F.jpg[/image]

@MattFL: I thought you meant the forces defending on the Volga bit now I understand you mean the northern flank and I agree with you. I have plans to reinforce the area but right now it is not my greatest concern. To answer your question: any penetration in that sector would be dealt with by using local forces. The spearheads would not be pulled back to deal with it, they would press on.

His OOB is low indeed (see above) but the fact that he has concentrated his best forces in and around Moscow which has really good terrain and fort levels means that he can still be quite strong in one sector and counterattack very well.

I will try to get a screenshot of the front the way EvK does it in his AAR but my skills are lacking in that area :P

@Fetterkrolle: Easier said than done. From what I can tell he doesn't have enough units in the area and even the ones that are there are relatively weak although he has brought fresh reinforcements in. I think he doesn't want to move forces there to delay me for 1 turn at the risk of weakening the defense of Moscow. Like I said to MattFL I plan to reinforce the sector with 2 Infantry Divisions soon so whatever window there is, the Soviets should use it fast or their chance is gone.

@Rokko: Thanks for the kind words, it is nice to hear that people are enjoying the AAR. Your observation about the 11th Army is not exactly correct. I decided to split the 11th in half, sending the elite XXX Corps with 3 of my best Infantry divisions (commanded by Model) north together with a Panzer Corps that had 2 Panzer, 1 Cavalry Divisions and 1 Motorized Brigade (commanded by Hube). That makes a total of 6 divisions and 1 brigade sent north to support the southern push on Moscow. The rest of the 11th Army (6 Divisions) will be committed to the south. It will receive a Corps from the 6th Army (to ease the command overload) and help the southern push. The 2 Corps that I have sent north will be reassigned to the Armies operating under Army Group Center. So no worries, those forces will help the push for Moscow :)

The supply situation of the southern pincer is indeed concerning for me but I am confident that my forces will be able to reach their objective even with the limited supply coming from Ryazan. The advance of Army Group North which crossed the upper Volga during this turn means that I can utilize the rail line going through Yaroslavl (if the city falls) to improve the supply situation of the pincers (once the pocket is closed).

I do not think that the Soviets are about to crack. The fight for Moscow is very bloody and difficult and I am well aware that it will be a slow grind until the pocket is closed. My current objective is to reach Kovrov and take the town, which would cut off all rail in and out of Moscow thus prohibiting large scale evacuations and worsening the supply situation for the Soviets. We will see how things go.

Thank you everyone for your comments and questions. I hope I have answered everything and been clear in what I mean.

Cheers!







Telemecus -> RE: T61 (9/10/2019 6:57:30 PM)

I had even imagined the Soviet OOB might be even worse given the formation losses. So yes low relatively, but high given the unit losses I think?



xhoel -> RE: T61 (9/10/2019 8:13:27 PM)

Their OOB has not dropped since the start of the summer but has stayed at around 4.6 million (fluctuating a bit up and down) even though the Soviets have taken heavy losses. From what I can see so far, Bitburger has chosen to not refill the newly rebuild shells, channeling the manpower to his "strong" formations. In short, I agree with your observation, considering the number of destroyed units, the OOB is not doing that bad.



xhoel -> Short update. (9/16/2019 7:29:44 PM)

Short update from the front:

-Soviets counterattack the German spearheads north of Moscow. Soviet attacks cut the rail line connection feeding forward units. 3rd Panzer Army operating with little to no fuel.
-Soviet counterattacks in the southern Moscow spearhead push back German forward units causing them heavy losses. Soviet forces in front of Moscow pull back towards the city.
-Soviet counterattacks open the pocket south of Stalingrad. Multiple Tank Corps present at the breach.



Telemecus -> RE: Short update. (9/16/2019 7:39:34 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: xhoel

Short update from the front:

-Soviets counterattack the German spearheads north of Moscow. Soviet attacks cut the rail line connection feeding forward units. 3rd Panzer Army operating with little to no fuel.
-Soviet counterattacks in the southern Moscow spearhead push back German forward units causing them heavy losses. Soviet forces in front of Moscow pull back towards the city.
-Soviet counterattacks open the pocket south of Stalingrad. Multiple Tank Corps present at the breach.


Wow - the Soviet side has teeth



Crackaces -> RE: Short update. (9/16/2019 7:57:43 PM)

IN post 602 I see Mountain units headed for Saratov .. I would get these and every cav unit into the Caucasus .. see the 8MP AAR for how much damage this can cause



EwaldvonKleist -> RE: Short update. (9/16/2019 8:38:41 PM)

quote:

Short update from the front:

-Soviets counterattack the German spearheads north of Moscow. Soviet attacks cut the rail line connection feeding forward units. 3rd Panzer Army operating with little to no fuel.
-Soviet counterattacks in the southern Moscow spearhead push back German forward units causing them heavy losses. Soviet forces in front of Moscow pull back towards the city.
-Soviet counterattacks open the pocket south of Stalingrad. Multiple Tank Corps present at the breach.

Stop including cliffhangers too! I hate being on the receiving end of them [:D]



mouse707 -> RE: Short update. (9/17/2019 3:30:27 PM)

Now, we want to see the movie ! :-)



xhoel -> RE: Short update. (9/17/2019 9:30:30 PM)

The cliffhanger is not intentional, I only received the turn yesterday and have not touched it since. Will be quite an interesting turn. And yes the Soviets have teeth and a lot of luck :D



xhoel -> T62 (9/27/2019 10:48:04 AM)

T62, 20th of August 1942-27th of August 1942.
Army Group Finland

Finnish forces in the north start putting pressure to Soviet forces in an attempt to force the enemy to deploy more units in the sector. Attacks by Finnish forces put a ZOC lock on the 23rd Rifle Division while Finnish air raids on Soviet airfields claim 72 Soviet aircraft most of which are fighters.

[img]https://i.imgur.com/njzbzJH.jpg[/img]

AGN

Bad news in the north this week. Soviet forces counterattacked a lone regiment and managed to disrupt rail connection feeding forward units fighting on the Volga as well as displace an airbase operating in the vicinity causing heavy losses in aircraft. We had received warning of an imminent attack in the sector by 2 agents working for the office of Fremde Heere Ost (codenames Fetterkolle and MattFL) but the higher echelons of command had unfortunately disregarded the information. Local reinforcements were sent to the sector to counterattack and stabilize the situation which they have done successfully.

Further to the east the Soviets managed to push back our panzers defending the newly taken fields south of the Volga, thus making the supply situation worse for our forward units which were already suffering from shortages due to the rail transport being disrupted. The position was retaken this week and the Panzer divisions that have been send to defend it should be able to fortify the position before the enemy can launch an attack (they have enough MPs to bring fort levels up which should help).

Attacks north of the Volga continue successfully but the enemy is slowly bringing in strong units in the area. 9th and 4th Guard Rifle Corps have arrived and will be tough opponents for our units. Meanwhile the Soviets have begun a general pullback in front of Moscow, shortening their line as they pull back to the east. Kalinin has fallen.

Of note this week was the fact that the GD Motorized Regiment has received the upgrade to a Motorized division. The unit is severly understrength however sitting at 20% TOE and will be in need of R&R before it is combat ready.

Positions at the start of the turn:

[img]https://i.imgur.com/WnTZvwL.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i.imgur.com/gdxBTCe.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i.imgur.com/rXPZSbx.jpg[/img]

Posiitons after German moves:


GD Motorized Division vs GD Motorized Regiment TOEs:

[img]https://i.imgur.com/VzjSY3d.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i.imgur.com/BTKU5oT.jpg[/img]

Quite annoying to see the GD Mot Division turn into a combat ineffective unit within the week in the middle of combat. The TOE upgrade also has come very late as we are in the middle of August currently.

[image]local://upfiles/57112/5384CD41F77F42B58B20B9549A9B71C5.jpg[/image]



xhoel -> RE: T62 (9/27/2019 10:48:23 AM)

T62, 20th of August 1942-27th of August 1942.
Army Group Finland

Finnish forces in the north start putting pressure to Soviet forces in an attempt to force the enemy to deploy more units in the sector. Attacks by Finnish forces put a ZOC lock on the 23rd Rifle Division while Finnish air raids on Soviet airfields claim 72 Soviet aircraft most of which are fighters.

[img]https://i.imgur.com/njzbzJH.jpg[/img]

AGN

Bad news in the north this week. Soviet forces counterattacked a lone regiment and managed to disrupt rail connection feeding forward units fighting on the Volga as well as displace an airbase operating in the vicinity causing heavy losses in aircraft. We had received warning of an imminent attack in the sector by 2 agents working for the office of Fremde Heere Ost (codenames Fetterkolle and MattFL) but the higher echelons of command had unfortunately disregarded the information. Local reinforcements were sent to the sector to counterattack and stabilize the situation which they have done successfully.

Further to the east the Soviets managed to push back our panzers defending the newly taken fields south of the Volga, thus making the supply situation worse for our forward units which were already suffering from shortages due to the rail transport being disrupted. The position was retaken this week and the Panzer divisions that have been send to defend it should be able to fortify the position before the enemy can launch an attack (they have enough MPs to bring fort levels up which should help).

Attacks north of the Volga continue successfully but the enemy is slowly bringing in strong units in the area. 9th and 4th Guard Rifle Corps have arrived and will be tough opponents for our units. Meanwhile the Soviets have begun a general pullback in front of Moscow, shortening their line as they pull back to the east. Kalinin has fallen.

Of note this week was the fact that the GD Motorized Regiment has received the upgrade to a Motorized division. The unit is severly understrength however sitting at 20% TOE and will be in need of R&R before it is combat ready.

Positions at the start of the turn:

[img]https://i.imgur.com/WnTZvwL.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i.imgur.com/gdxBTCe.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i.imgur.com/rXPZSbx.jpg[/img]

Posiitons after German moves:

[image]local://upfiles/57112/5384CD41F77F42B58B20B9549A9B71C5.jpg[/image]

GD Motorized Division vs GD Motorized Regiment TOEs:

[img]https://i.imgur.com/VzjSY3d.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i.imgur.com/BTKU5oT.jpg[/img]

Quite annoying to see the GD Mot Division turn into a combat ineffective unit within the week in the middle of combat. The TOE upgrade also has come very late as we are in the middle of August currently.




xhoel -> RE: T62 (9/27/2019 10:55:15 AM)

AGC

German forces in front of Moscow have started giving chase to retreating Soviets formations. A line of regiments remains in the rear to hold the Volokolamsk fortified line. They will gradually be substituted by fortified zones. German forces are now withing 20 miles of Moscow.

[img]https://i.imgur.com/7eplYAN.jpg[/img]

In the Ryazan sector the Soviets surprised us with their move. Instead of pulling their forces back as we had expected, the enemy ordered their forward units to hold their ground and attack the enveloping German units in coordination with arriving Cavalry and Tank Corp reserves. The Soviets prove victorious in a hard fought battle on the swamps and manage to push back 1 Panzer division and 1 Motorized division.

The Soviet reserves have arrived in strength, 5 Guard Cavalry Corps as well as 6 Tank Corps are present in the area as well as multiple Guard Rifle divisions.

The plan for the week had 1 goal: to encircle the strong Soviet units that are in contact with our line and secure the said pockets. The Soviets prove resilient to the attacks, constantly causing more casualties to our advancing units than they are taking themselves. However against the sheer force of the motorized and panzer formations they are forced to give way. All Tank Corps are forced back with 3 of them routing in the process. Numerous other Soviet forces have been forced to retreat as well. We have secured the pockets and we are hoping that our units will manage to keep them sealed but the enemy is far too strong in the area and has far too many units here for us to be sure about our success.

In the Tambov sector our forces continue attacks on weak Soviet forces and are advancing slowly.

Positions at the start of the week:

[image]local://upfiles/57112/971727659FFE4D31AF78B498B8EF2C59.jpg[/image]

Infantry is the king in dense terrain (swamp). Soviet Guard Rifle Corps CV doubles to reach a stunning 645.

[img]https://i.imgur.com/ecSxZsm.jpg[/img]

Positions after German moves:

[img]https://i.imgur.com/FNEd9R0.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i.imgur.com/TRP8RNJ.jpg[/img]

Moscow sector overview:

[img]https://i.imgur.com/5vohUXq.jpg[/img]




xhoel -> RE: T62 (9/27/2019 11:05:07 AM)

AGS

In the sector of the 2nd Hungarian Army and in front of Stalingrad we have launched attacks targeting weak Soviet forces and have had success in pushing them back and destroying fortifications in the process.

2nd Hungarian Army sector before and after:

[img]https://i.imgur.com/HcsyzDv.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i.imgur.com/FeqgMPb.jpg[/img]

Stalingrad sector before and after:

[img]https://i.imgur.com/dZXoj7d.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i.imgur.com/fPG7uq3.jpg[/img]

Further to the South the enemy managed to break the encirclement that we had established last week by launching a counterattack by 3 Tank Corps. The lone panzer regiment had no other choice but to pull back. However this is nothing but a delay as the fate of the Soviet defenders has already been sealed. After multiple attacks the pocket was resealed again, this time, there is no chance the Soviets will be able to break it. 16 Rifle Divisions, 2 AT- Artillery Brigades, 1 Tank Corps and 1 Naval Rifle Brigade are trapped in the pocket. Soviet forces in the area appear to be quite weak.

In the Voroshilovsk and Krasnodar sectors we initiate small scale attacks probing Soviet defenses. The line north of Voroshilovsk is very weakly defended but we do not have the forces to exploit this opportunity yet while the Soviet line in the mountains around the port of Tuapse is rock solid and will not be moved unless we really concentrate units here. Meanwhile the 11th Army has reached Krasnodar and will soon be thrown into action.

Pocket before and after:

[image]local://upfiles/57112/EA6F641C7D094768B9322D7C399FB792.jpg[/image]

[img]https://i.imgur.com/ISR37U2.jpg[/img]

I accidentally moved the panzer division into a ZOC-ZOC hex when i was trying to attack. Bad misclick and quite annoying.

Voroshilovsk sector:

[img]https://i.imgur.com/CFEFBSe.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i.imgur.com/BbPy8zt.jpg[/img]

Krasnodar sector:

[img]https://i.imgur.com/mycKABv.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i.imgur.com/HiUOWCT.jpg[/img]

Two good holds in the area by the Soviets.




xhoel -> RE: T62 (9/27/2019 11:12:07 AM)

Casualties

This week has seen the lowest losses for the Soviets so far only 72.650 men lost. On the other hand AFV losses have been quite high as the Soviet mobile reserves are being thrown into action.

Losses in the air have been quite high for us this week, 206 aircraft lost to the Soviet 453.

[img]https://i.imgur.com/jUEdr1L.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i.imgur.com/E5oc2My.jpg[/img]



TunganNinja -> RE: T62 (9/28/2019 10:52:35 PM)

Excellent work so far! All of your efforts are rapidly approaching a crescendo.

Now that you are north of the Volga in force, I see a significant opportunity in the North that is practically beginning to be exploited. Bear with me here, and please tell me why this would or wouldn’t work...

I see two salients at this time: the Moscow salient, and the Cherepovets salient. Both are supplied by a single rail line. Both have significant overextended forces (I count approximately 40 or more divisions on frontlines West of Cherepovets!) Both salients’ rail lines are relatively close to your spearhead MLRs (The Cherepovets to Voldoga rail section is 70 miles to interdict, and 80 miles to cut! Compare that with Kovrov which is 60/70 miles respectively.

A further look at the situation in the North is where the real gold lies. Despite the interruptions to the rail this turn near VV, the northern spearhead is capable of being better supplied at the current range. A lunge to cut the rail would only be moderately far from rail, and would disappear if a path can be drawn to Finnish lines. And a most critical difference, the enemy is not dug in along the path to cutting the northern rail! Consider the enormous rail transport cost involved in bringing in troops to cover your advance. Also consider the fact that half of the Soviet forces West of Cherepovets, in the SouthWest, are too far from rail for immediate evacuation. Even if evacuation was possible, all of this rail use, combined with the reinforcing of Soviet forces to prevent cutting the rail, brings these two things away from Moscow to a less important part of the front.

Ironically, this is a distraction that will benefit you more: you have the initiative; he has to react without fortification to help hiim; it will cause mass panic on his northernmost frontlines; and you otherwise have a very low ability to reach Kovrov from a northern axis of advance; so a Cherepovets offensive would be a effective use of their positioning.

I don’t know if my proposal is radical to you. But I am begging you to consider. I understand that a low resolution understanding of the front would be critical of diverting troops from an encirclement on Moscow, but I hope I have convinced you otherwise. I will leave because I have said enough. Also I am on my phone.

Cheers,
Tungan



MattFL -> RE: T62 (10/1/2019 6:03:43 AM)

Really interesting update Xhoel. Most interesting is the Soviet decision to give up their level 3 Forts west of Moscow and pull back to the city. To me, this is akin to capitulation of the city. I still believe your northern thrust by Moscow is incredibly vulnerable, but as i'm not playing the game I have no idea of the actual reality of the Soviet Situation. Clearly he thinks Moscow is a goner, so that speaks volumes.

The surrounding of the Soviet Guards on your southern Moscow Pincer is disastrous for Stalin. But this is what happens when the Russian advances massively powerful guards formations into the teeth of the Germans and protects their rear with a CV 6 unit in a swamp. X+ CV out in front, 6 CV protecting. And this is an ALT CV game. Is the Russian mad?

It's a great AAR, I really enjoy your AAR style, but this is academic at this point.




xhoel -> RE: T62 (10/2/2019 6:16:07 PM)

@TunganNinja: Destroying the Cherepovets salient is my objective for when snow begins. I cannot divert forces there now since that would require a lot of units and that would come at the expense of not taking Moscow which is my primary goal. Not to mention the amount of time it would take to cut the enemy off, secure the pocket and destroy it.

Any Soviet player would gladly trade in 40 low quality divisions in order to save Moscow. The flaw in your plan is that you believe the Soviets will move units from Moscow to the north. I guarantee you that they won't. The second I loosen up my grip on Moscow, Bitburger will breathe a sigh of relief.

I think you have misunderstood my intentions for the northern spearhead. Their goal is not to reach Kovrov. They simply have to advance to meet up with the forces that are coming up from the south.

So to recap, I intend to do what you have proposed, but not now. I will rather wait for Moscow to fall and for snow turns to arrive. Moscow has priority over all offensive operations and that will not change for anything. I really appreciate you proposing it though, it is nice to hear peoples proposals.

@MattFL: The Soviets have level 3 forts in front of Moscow too and Bitburger knows my best units are located on the flanks. Them pulling back to interior lines is a smart choice as it allows them to create reserves since the frontline now is much shorter. It would be a mistake to think that Moscow is lost and I do not think the Soviets believe that (for that matter neither do I). From where I am sitting the operation can go either way now. The Axis are running on borrowed time.

I partially agree with you on your second comment. However you should notice that the X+ CV means nothing considering the forces he has in the vicinity. Look at post #621 and you will see that the Soviets managed to force a retreat of 2 units that had a defending CV of 126 (so X+).

The fact that he didn't pull those units back but chose to counterattack shows you how aggressively the Soviets are playing. By doing that he has delayed my advance by a whole week.

I am crossing my fingers and praying to the gods of war so that the pockets can hold. If they don't, that will mean another week of resealing them and 1 more week delay in advancing forward. But I hope they can hold.

Thanks for the kind words, it is nice to hear people are enjoying it, God knows I spend way too much time writing this up and organizing all the screenshots.



chaos45 -> RE: T62 (10/2/2019 10:16:28 PM)

your doing a bang up job on the AAR.

One thing I would mention is don't discount taking ground in the south...every dot city or better with a manpower point you take weakens the soviets and gives you more Hiwis for the long game.



xhoel -> RE: T62 (10/3/2019 7:57:19 PM)

Thanks for the kind words chaos45! That is in my plans but Stalingrad and Moscow have priority right now.



mouse707 -> RE: T62 (10/28/2019 2:39:35 PM)

Any advance in this game ? :-)



xhoel -> RE: T62 (10/28/2019 10:59:49 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: mouse707

Any advance in this game ? :-)


Turn 63 update is coming soon. Expect a nice big haul on POWs!



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