RE: FITE v.5.0 Ian Soviets larry Axis (Full Version)

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devoncop -> RE: FITE v.5.0 Ian Soviets larry Axis (9/18/2018 6:45:46 AM)

Soviet Turn 56 ....New Years Eve 1941

A dramatic turn follows as the Soviet Winter Offensive effects begin...land shock of 115 to the German 100 ....not huge but the best of the war so far.

The German turn has seen very heavy assaults by the Rumanian 3rd and 4th Armies against the Odessa perimeter with over 1200 Heavy Infantry Squads in 8 Divisions involved. The Soviet Defenders held however and the Rumanians are beaten back with heavy loss.

On checking the weather conditions it seems an extra cold front has arrived freezing many of the lakes in the north so it is decided to send Shock Army armour and infantry across frozen lake Ilmen near Shimsk and Soviet troops are now at the gates of the city having pushed German rear area artillery aside as the German line was outflanked. This may prove nothing more than a diversion but should serve again to relieve pressure on the Luga river line.

Even further north Soviet armour land behind Finnish lines north of Leningrad and seize the port on the east to again persuade to Finns to divert forces away from the main Soviet defences just north of the city.

The German resistance around Zaporozhe Bridge is particularly fierce and only limited progress is made reducing the pocket of defenders but the Germans at Dnepropetovsk are reduced from a 15 to a 10 Km perimeter and it is hoped the pocket can be eliminated very soon.

Once again the performance of the Soviet airforce is exemplary with claimed losses shown at over 250 for the Germans and only 60 for the Soviets.

Increased partisan activity behind German lines succeeds in cutting rail lines around Minsk.






larryfulkerson -> RE: FITE v.5.0 Ian Soviets larry Axis (9/18/2018 6:52:04 PM)

This is the breakthrough that Ian wanted I think. I don't have adequate reserves to service both the north AND the south simultaneously. I'm going to have to give ground back to the Lovat river and see if I can hold there. There's several crossings and I need to hold all of them.

[image]local://upfiles/16287/FC1D10798D12446E8993ED7B717504FE.jpg[/image]



MikeJ19 -> RE: FITE v.5.0 Ian Soviets larry Axis (9/18/2018 10:30:33 PM)

Larry,

That is an interesting breakout. What is the supply situation for him going to be?



larryfulkerson -> RE: FITE v.5.0 Ian Soviets larry Axis (9/19/2018 3:17:52 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: MikeJ19
Larry,

That is an interesting breakout. What is the supply situation for him going to be?

I'm not quite sure but it's probable that it's not good yet. Sometimes it takes a turn or two for the supply to flow into that area. I'm pretty sure the supply is 0 on the water hexes so it would behove me to push them onto the water hexes.

I didn't watch the entire combat replay so I'm not sure but I think Ian did some sea movement to an empty port and outflanked my Crimea defenders. He's cut the only supply source for the entire Crimea so I have to pull those people out of there pretty soon. This game isn't working out as I had planned.

[image]local://upfiles/16287/F4E0154503F942D6918964B453C059FD.jpg[/image]



devoncop -> RE: FITE v.5.0 Ian Soviets larry Axis (9/19/2018 3:24:05 PM)

Soviet Turn 57

The Germans restrict their offensive actions to using their considerable artillery resources to hit Soviet defensive lines and using security troops to try and deal with my partisans which for once are not all wiped out.

A final desperate attack by the pocketed 16th and 6th Panzer Divisions at Dnepropetovsk is repelled and during the Soviet turn the pocket is completely destroyed with the loss of over 230 German tanks. The same fate befalls the nearby pocket at Zaporozhe where the units of 3rd and 4th Romanian Army's are destroyed along with a German Infantry Division.

Both bridges are repaired and supply levels to the Front lines in the northern Crimea are now excellent.

Unfortunately despite high hopes the situation in the North following the attacks across the frozen lakes near the Luga River is much more static as Larry again redeploys troops to contain the break. He is not making Soviet progress easy.

The winter offensive effects are nearly over so I decide I may as well try and make the most of them. Soviet Marines and Infantry launch an amphibious attack from Sevastopol across to the western Crimea and strike out and capture the rail bridge and town at Kherson behind the lines of Rumanian infantry and Armour besieiging Perikop at the entrance to the Sevastopol peninsular.

In the far North in Finland Soviet Armour pushes out after landing on the coast behind Finnish lines facing Leningrad and capture Ayrapaa South of Hitola after cutting the main rail line.

All in all the situation can best be described as "fluid" ....

It's a very interesting game .....

Over to Larry.



larryfulkerson -> RE: FITE v.5.0 Ian Soviets larry Axis (9/19/2018 4:00:16 PM)

Ian came across the lake and trapped some of my units on the wrong side of the river. They will be out of supply soon if they aren't already. Fortunately I have some reserve units standing by that I can use to contain this intrusion. There's no way to introduce the Sweeds into the fight due to an exclusion zone around the entire country. Else I would have sailed them into the fight.

[image]local://upfiles/16287/ED10ECD2893542908BD35C58F9656230.jpg[/image]



devoncop -> RE: FITE v.5.0 Ian Soviets larry Axis (9/20/2018 3:56:58 PM)

Soviet Turn 58...7th January 1942

The Germans wipe out more partisans near Minsk though one escapes to blow a bridge nearby.Other than that the Front's remain stable during the German turn as Larry concentrates on defensive bombardments.Though the diversionary attack in Crimea which led to Soviet troops taking the rail artery at Kherson has been contained by Larry though the town remains in Soviet hands. This diversion has had an immediate benefit as the heavy Rumanian guns that were backing up the attacks on the Sivash isthmus were diverted along with other troops to try and retake Kherson.

With 3 more turns of the Soviet Winter Offensive to enjoy the attacks continue. Taking advantage of weakened Rumanian positions as a result of the above developments Soviet troops break through the remaining Rumanians on the western Sivash defence lines and move north whilst in the southern Crimea Soviet troops now free from dealing with the pockets around Dnepropetovsk force their was across the lower Dnepr and head south near Nikopol arriving to the rear left of German defence lines near Melitopol.

In the north the Luga defences are finally breached and Guards Army and Shock Army troops push through south , just to the East of Narva. Off the coast a Heavy Cruiser is sunk by American Dauntlesses.

Further north in Finland (see Larry's picture above) just east of Salla the German 2nd Geb Div HQ and 136th Geb Regiment are still cut off and reduced by further attacks.

Once again the Soviet Air Force targets Italian and Rumanian airbases in the south and Wehrmacht Artillery to good effect.






larryfulkerson -> RE: FITE v.5.0 Ian Soviets larry Axis (9/20/2018 11:48:42 PM)

Ian is using his shock difference very well, making several breakthroughs in many places in the front lines. I've successfully capped them I do believe but next turn he will make some new ones and I'll be in deep do do. I'm going to have to put in a request for a general pull back to better defensive terrain. I'll do it in an email for speed.

The railroad engineers are running out of rail to repair because the front lines have been stable for so long. The way the war is going I may have to start using them as defenders, at least against the partisans.

My air losses have ballooned lately and I'm running out of planes. Most of them are in reorg and or yellow and can't shoot.

[image]local://upfiles/16287/D20C0184936C47DFB3F35F1B791901A4.jpg[/image]



larryfulkerson -> RE: FITE v.5.0 Ian Soviets larry Axis (9/21/2018 12:18:24 AM)

I've got problems down south too. Ian dropped a bridge and cut off the supply of every unit in the Crimea. I've got to repair it real soon now. Also, Ian used a sea assault to advance a unit to the bottleneck and he dropped the bridge there too. So I'll have to wade across the flooded marshes to get out of this situation.

[image]local://upfiles/16287/B3AFB65C46F04962B5915CCABF81891E.jpg[/image]



MikeJ19 -> RE: FITE v.5.0 Ian Soviets larry Axis (9/21/2018 12:28:23 AM)

Ian and Larry,

Well done, this remains really interesting. I love the way you both report on the battle.

Have a good day,



devoncop -> RE: FITE v.5.0 Ian Soviets larry Axis (9/21/2018 4:28:03 PM)

Thanks Mike.

Before I do my quick despatch from the Front for turn 59 I thought I just needed to sing the praises of this scenario for anyone who is wondering if it is for them.
Although the scale may seem big at first glance and the geographically daunting, it really isn't. What the Russian Front has turned into in this game is actually a series of eminently manageable "mini dramas".


The South around Melitipol and the Crimea was almost instant disaster in the first few turns as Larry reached Odessa well ahead of schedule and I had little more than a few Cavalry regiments on the Dnepr to stop him. Supply issues for the Germans saved me then and now the South is even more subdivided into fascinating breakouts and responses in the depths of winter around the Sivash isthmus, Odessa and the Western Crimea.

In the North the desperate battles over the Narva River to save Leningrad in late summer 41 have now expanded to include the ferocious fighting over the Luga river as the Soviets try to push back AGN and also into a battle of manoeuvre in Finland.

The Centre has seen massive Somme like attrition around Kiev and Smolensk and failed counter attacks using pontoons in several places by Soviet probes.

The air war has been gripping in itself. The massacre of Soviet squadrons in The first three turns has now given way to Soviet air superiority as German bombers have been hit hard as they try to maintain interdiction runs and Soviet air power replicates the Luftwaffe in 1940 in the early battle of Britain concentrating on German and Romanian airfields.

All in all (and we are only just into 1942 ) this is proving quite an experience.

PS.....

Each turn now takes me around an hour or so, maybe slightly longer, as I never watch the replay and this works fine for me.




devoncop -> RE: FITE v.5.0 Ian Soviets larry Axis (9/21/2018 4:38:21 PM)

Turn 59. .....11th January 1942

My push out from the Sivash isthmus is contained by German Infantry regiments failed in by Larry and my lead Cavalry regiment surrounded. Despite best efforts including decimating one German regiment surrounding the Cavalry I failed to break through and the unit is doomed.

After heavy fighting Larry retook Kherson and the Rifle Division there was destroyed but the diversion did its job.

In the North the US naval bombers again are successful sinking 3 destroyers and a Heavy Cruiser off Narva.

The Axis air losses were huge this turn. My air superiority is at 125 and the Axis at 7 so German bombers on interdiction were getting a hard time even before my airfield strikes. By turn end Soviet pilots reported 460 Axis planes destroyed to 125 Soviet.

On the ground resistance to the Soviet counter offensive was tough and the only small gains were South of Nikopol in the Crimea and across the River Luga in the North where the 1st SS Reichsfuhrers Dvision 10th Regiment was pushed aside.





larryfulkerson -> RE: FITE v.5.0 Ian Soviets larry Axis (9/21/2018 8:56:46 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: devoncop
Thanks Mike.

Before I do my quick despatch from the Front for turn 59 I thought I just needed to sing the praises of this scenario for anyone who is wondering if it is for them.
Although the scale may seem big at first glance and the geographically daunting, it really isn't. What the Russian Front has turned into in this game is actually a series of eminently manageable "mini dramas".

The South around Melitipol and the Crimea was almost instant disaster in the first few turns as Larry reached Odessa well ahead of schedule and I had little more than a few Cavalry regiments on the Dnepr to stop him. Supply issues for the Germans saved me then and now the South is even more subdivided into fascinating breakouts and responses in the depths of winter around the Sivash isthmus, Odessa and the Western Crimea.

In the North the desperate battles over the Narva River to save Leningrad in late summer 41 have now expanded to include the ferocious fighting over the Luga river as the Soviets try to push back AGN and also into a battle of manoeuvre in Finland.

The Centre has seen massive Somme like attrition around Kiev and Smolensk and failed counter attacks using pontoons in several places by Soviet probes.

The air war has been gripping in itself. The massacre of Soviet squadrons in The first three turns has now given way to Soviet air superiority as German bombers have been hit hard as they try to maintain interdiction runs and Soviet air power replicates the Luftwaffe in 1940 in the early battle of Britain concentrating on German and Romanian airfields.

All in all (and we are only just into 1942 ) this is proving quite an experience.

PS.....

Each turn now takes me around an hour or so, maybe slightly longer, as I never watch the replay and this works fine for me.

Ian's summary of the situation is spot on. It's an epic battle and there's plenty of action over the entire map and Ian is right in that most of it is mini-battles and each of them are important. I really like this scenario a lot. Ian does too. I can tell. I believe it IS one of the better scenarios



larryfulkerson -> RE: FITE v.5.0 Ian Soviets larry Axis (9/21/2018 9:04:06 PM)

This is what the Crimea looks like now. I restored the situation at the bottleneck and as soon as I repair the bridges that have been dropped I'll have some supply again. Ian attempted to invade at Landing Zone X-ray and I quickly contained it. The Soviet units retreated back to the fort and I've got the FJ Paratroopers babysitting them. I still plan on pulling back to Kherson and defend along the river because the supply is better there. This Soviet Winter Offensive is turning into a severe setback for the Axis all over the map. This game is a lot more fun now.

[image]local://upfiles/16287/CF678AB0D9A04ACFA754D732024FEF98.jpg[/image]



Veloz -> RE: FITE v.5.0 Ian Soviets larry Axis (9/21/2018 10:50:41 PM)

larry what a mistake, but i used to play Hpps games (panzer campaigns) A JOHN TILLER GAME Smolenks 41 and probably best games, play this...genttelman



devoncop -> RE: FITE v.5.0 Ian Soviets larry Axis (9/22/2018 1:42:41 AM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: Veloz

larry what a mistake, but i used to play Hpps games (panzer campaigns) A JOHN TILLER GAME Smolenks 41 and probably best games, play this...genttelman


Decent game but operational and not strategic scale. No air or naval war and truly awful AI.

TOAW IV much better in my view.



devoncop -> RE: FITE v.5.0 Ian Soviets larry Axis (9/22/2018 6:10:25 AM)

Turn 60...14th January 1942

An offensive in the north across the Narva river is underway and the Soviet tanks have reached the rear German artillery parks and now need to try and reach the coast to cut off German garrisions in and around Narva itself (but with only a turn or so of the Soviet Winter effects left this may be impossible). The effort in the north is helped again by the US Dauntlesses which sink another German destroyer and the last Heavy Cruiser present off the coast.

There is also a drive west from Kiev which makes some progress through the lines of the German besiegers though German Infantry are being railed in close by.

Up in Finland the cut off 2nd Geb Div HQ and 136th German Geb Regiment with it are both destroyed by Soviet armour.

Down in the south in the Crimea the push across the lower Dnepr south west of Dnepropetovsk continues in an attempt to cut off the multiple German Divisions holding lines west of Melitopol.

After their exertions last turn soviet bombers have a quiet turn with a couple of Rumanian air squadrons being wiped out on their bases and some minor combat support attacks. The turn itself is foreshortened as a big tank battle on the eastern side of the Dnepr north west of Dnepropetovsk which destroys about 70 German tanks eats up the turn and a proficiency test is failed......

Overall VP's are around -489 at present (-450 is a draw) so I am still in marginal loss territory but the VP's were around -580 before the Winter Offensive effects so the snow has been a big help !



larryfulkerson -> RE: FITE v.5.0 Ian Soviets larry Axis (9/22/2018 6:56:41 AM)

Ian has made breakthroughs in several spots and here's the one he made at Kiev. I'm not at all sure I can contain any of the breakthroughs so this should be interesting. I'm wondering if I should start building an MLR somewhere to the west. I guess that's the next thing to ponder.

[image]local://upfiles/16287/E68855CB0E7F446D93B82D3600C0449C.jpg[/image]



larryfulkerson -> RE: FITE v.5.0 Ian Soviets larry Axis (9/22/2018 7:11:35 AM)

Here's the losses so far. I expected to see less assigned HRS's. That it's still 39k is a very good thing indeed. That means the losses are far lower than I was expecting. The Soviet Winter Offensive is almost over and I'm hoping the shock difference is again in my favor, or at least parity. I counted four partisans this turn. I've cornered two of them already. I'm going to have to chase down the other two. I'm keeping the MP's and security forces in the backfield to handle the partisans with a lot of help from the Hungarians and Slavoks.

[image]local://upfiles/16287/8F6EEC131D904931BE3336DD8DD85B7C.jpg[/image]



larryfulkerson -> RE: FITE v.5.0 Ian Soviets larry Axis (9/22/2018 12:33:05 PM)

Ian is leaping his units across the river near Narva; he's got units on the west side of the river and there's a huge stack of Soviet units including a massive armor unit on the west side and that spells trouble for the Axis units. I think Ian's goal is to move the Axis units to the west, outflank them and destroy them, opening another section of the front lines across the peninsula on a line as south as Pskov. I'd be forced to some up with a lot more units to defend that outstretched section of the lines and that would weaken the rest of the lines. I may have to start a general pull-back to shorten the lines.

[image]local://upfiles/16287/5E70B0F051FB41CE8A4887F801CE2B81.jpg[/image]



larryfulkerson -> RE: FITE v.5.0 Ian Soviets larry Axis (9/22/2018 12:42:21 PM)

This image is a little south of the above image and shows a partisan behind my lines close to the front itself. I've succeeded in surrounding it and I'll dispatch with it sometime this turn but the main problem itself is the pressure my troops are under from the Soviet units. There was a breakthrough and I contained it but the bulge remains and there is evidence to suggest that there's going to be another breakthrough real soon now. I'm thinking about building an MLR along the rail running east-west near Pskov. That might shorten the lines a tiny bit.

[image]local://upfiles/16287/F5EC73545FC94F83BEF1636D97ACE7A5.jpg[/image]



MikeJ19 -> RE: FITE v.5.0 Ian Soviets larry Axis (9/22/2018 1:09:22 PM)

Larry,

A line along the rail line and taking out some of the bridges as you pull back sounds like a good plan. Interesting seeing an MP units in the middle of a lake!



devoncop -> RE: FITE v.5.0 Ian Soviets larry Axis (9/22/2018 1:14:04 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: MikeJ19

Larry,

A line along the rail line and taking out some of the bridges as you pull back sounds like a good plan. Interesting seeing an MP units in the middle of a lake!


Hi Mike

To clarify...the MP units are covering a withdrawal from a speculative probe across the lake.....they aren't rowing by the way.....the lake is frozen this time of year [:)]



MikeJ19 -> RE: FITE v.5.0 Ian Soviets larry Axis (9/22/2018 1:32:41 PM)

Ian,

That makes more sense - I forgot that it was winter in Russia...

It would have been fun to see them rowing though.




devoncop -> RE: FITE v.5.0 Ian Soviets larry Axis (9/23/2018 1:31:37 PM)

Turn 61....18th January 1942

The last turn of the first Winter Offensive sees a significant development as Soviet spotters see German troops formations heading West away from the Front lines . More than a trickle but nowhere near a flood. The

The move is particularly evident in the northern Crimea West of Melitopol where the advances from both North and South of Soviet troops advancing from Dnepropetovsk and the Sivash peninsular respectively risk cutting the Germans off completely.

This welcome development encourages Soviet advances and the breakout from Kiev continues with armoured spearheads heading towards Zhitomir.
The Cherkassy town and bridge on the Dnepr are recaptured and the attack against Romanian troops North of Perekop pays further dividers pushing them back North east.

In the North the 1st Reichsfuher Division is in danger of being surrounded South of Os'mino on the River Luga as assaults by 1st and 2nd Guards Army dislodged the 113th Infantry Division who were supported by some SS which had been protecting the Reichsfuhrers southern flank.

Just North of Riga the heroic US Dauntlesses sink all 6 Kriegsmarine destroyers still present . The entry of the US Air assets in response to Larry bringing Sweden into the war has been a huge benefit.




MikeJ19 -> RE: FITE v.5.0 Ian Soviets larry Axis (9/23/2018 5:03:42 PM)

Sweden has entered the war - cool!



devoncop -> RE: FITE v.5.0 Ian Soviets larry Axis (9/23/2018 5:35:03 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: MikeJ19

Sweden has entered the war - cool!



It has Mike.

It did so a few months back as a result of a couple of Theatre options. Basically I tried to bully Sweden into cutting Iron ore shipments to Germany....to reduce supply to the Wehrmacht. As a result Larry had a choice whether to accept this and take an immediate 10% supply hit or bully Sweden into the war as a result of undue Soviet pressure. This means no supply loss immediately but does two things....first it brings some US fighters,Strategic Bombers and Tactical Bombers (only one unit of each but high quality) into play for the Soviets.
Secondly two Swedish cities are now Objective cities for the Soviets and if they fall at any point the Germans lose a full 20% supply☺




larryfulkerson -> RE: FITE v.5.0 Ian Soviets larry Axis (9/23/2018 10:18:39 PM)

This is me trying to contain all the breakthroughs and do a general pull back at the same time. I'm having success in fits and starts. Some of the units have no problem at all in pulling back and some of them need a unit in the hex for them to move. A lot of my recon units are on the front line now and they aren't used to being there. Ian has been dropping so many of my bridges that I've started parking engineers on the key spots that I'd like to be fully operational if possible. I've only a few ways for the supply to flow and dropping a bridge can cut off the supply to the folks at the front and they need all the supply they can handle right now. The Soviets still have a shock advantage even though the SWO is done and I guess that means that the SWO ISN'T done after all. There's more struggle to do yet.

[image]local://upfiles/16287/D9346C1312644058ACD6C8343BE5BC9F.jpg[/image]



MikeJ19 -> RE: FITE v.5.0 Ian Soviets larry Axis (9/23/2018 10:54:03 PM)

Hi Guys,

Cool stuff. Ian, thanks for the information on Sweden and how they started fighting.

Larry,

Pulling back is never an easy thing. I'm thinking a lot about it lately. In the bulge scenario I'm playing, the Americans are not pulling back and this has given me tons of opportunities to encircle and destroy. It is not an easy decision for anyone to make - let alone the computer. It is very interesting to follow the decision making process ...

All the best,



fulcrum28 -> RE: FITE v.5.0 Ian Soviets larry Axis (9/24/2018 1:44:47 PM)

great AAR!
some questions;

1) what is the maindifference between FITE 2 and this one FITE v5.0?
2)I could find FITE2 in hyphotetical scenarios folder, but I cant find FITE v5.0, where is it?




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