Turn 62

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JoeLewis -> Turn 62 (6/20/2021 11:58:27 AM)
Start Of Turn 62 and only 6 more clear weather turns. I spent 60 AP this turn on 3 rifle corps. From this turn onwards I started putting serious thought into future AP spending and my priorities. The big date is Turn 82 (1 JAN 1943) when Soviet rifle corps reduce from 20 AP to 10 AP. However, I am still short on Tank Army HQs, normal Army HQs, and rifle brigades. --------------- I need 3 more Tank Army HQs and 1 more Tank Corps. At some point I will need to decide if these 70-80 individual tank brigades I still have are worth keeping. The goal is to have 7 Tank Army HQs and 21 Tank Corps. I also have 374 infantry divisions but only 18 rifle brigades. That means building 169 rifle brigades (845 AP, or 14 turns) to form enough rifle corps. Those need to start forming over the next few turns so that I can hit the ground running. If I used the "3 division per corps" concept I could only build a total of 124 rifle corps whereas the "2 divisions +1 brigade" gives me much better frontage with 187 rifle corps. I needed to keep building rifle corps throughout the fall of 1942 to counter CapandGown's attacks. -------------------- Here was my first plan to prepare for January 1943: Turn 62 – 68: build 2-3 rifle corps per turn with whatever is available Turn 69: 2 x Tank Army HQs (50 AP) and 2 rifle brigades (10 AP) Turn 70: 1 x Tank Army HQ (25 AP), 1 Tank Corps (20 AP) , 3 rifle brigades (15 AP) Turns 71-81 (11 turns): 12 rifle brigades per turn (also need at least 2 infantry armies here, since I get 1 x Army on Turn 71 and 1 x Army on Turn 85) for 60 AP per turn. Turn 82-112: Jan 1943 when rifle corps become 10 points each (let’s say 360ish by that point for 180 Corps = 1,800 AP or 30 turns, which is what 1943 is for! Turn 86: 1943 Mech Corps TOE becomes available (along w/ 43 Tank TOE and 43 Cavalry TOE). Probably makes sense to wait until here to start forming Mech Corps. Turn 112: 1944 Mech Corps TOE becomes available so it is probably better to wait until then to start forming mech corps after most of 1943 is dedicated to rifle corps. Turn 113 (August 1943): start building mechanized rifle brigades  I want 12 mechanized corps (240 AP) in 4 Tank Army HQs (100 AP) which means building 36 mechanized brigades (180 AP) If I ever get any splurges of AP points I will try to build 3 mech brigades to start gaining morale and experience. Also, these 12 mech corps will need 36 Support Units (36 AP). --------------------------- Gorky rail evacuation continues! Supply Production is becoming an issue – Armaments may need to be cranked down soon! [image]local://upfiles/72588/1BD89D1D219D46EE8E5E47888CD99583.jpg[/image]

JoeLewis -> RE: Turn 62 (6/20/2021 12:00:49 PM)
No changes or attacks anywhere along the line. I shored up the western flank by building three rifle corps for 13th Army (Western Front – dark blue). The cavalry corps stay in reserve again. I have a lot of rifle divisions coming in from the east so I transferred 51st Army HQ from the North Caucasus Front. This HQ has no units assigned to it because they got wiped out during CapandGown's first offensive back on Turn 55 when I took over the game. [image]local://upfiles/72588/63FB355FE863411A9249D72A7BBC5517.jpg[/image]

Bitburger -> RE: Turn 62 (6/20/2021 6:53:12 PM)
Looks like a good build plan. You might want to keep those tank brigades though as they are very handy for quickly reinforcing a beat up tank corps, and they will help keep their experience up instead of refilling with raw recruits. The tank corps are very fragile in 42-43 and take heavy losses when committed. You might not need as many new tank armies as the ones that reach guards will hold 4 tank corps. The mech aren't really needed until summer 44, so you have lots of time to build those. I wouldn't worry about building infantry brigades too fast, only enough are needed as the infantry corps are formed, and getting to your planned 187 is going to take a long time. Better to divert some ap to building artillery divisions, they will be very much needed to drive the germans out of their forts when the tide turns. And build new tac as much as your il-2 pools will allow. With a army that big, supply will soon be your biggest problem, dialing back fort construction once your on the offensive will be a big help. cheers

JoeLewis -> RE: Turn 62 (6/21/2021 12:13:03 AM)
Thanks Bitburger. I definitely adjust my build plan constantly going forward but I like to give myself an idea of what to do going forward. Turn 77 you can start building those sweet rocket divisions so it is definitely a process. I never wound up building more than 3-4 rifle brigades per turn anyways ... at least not on the normal turns with only 60 AP. How much AP does it cost to merge a tank brigade with a tank corps? I have never done that and did not even know it was possible!

JoeLewis -> Turn 63 (6/22/2021 9:40:49 AM)
Turn 63 opens with a major German attack around Rzhev and a potential push to Moscow. Uh oh! 2 rifle corps – 40 AP by Moscow 20 AP spent on reorganizing units and attaching rifle brigades End of turn strength – Germany is finally under 4 million and 5,00 tanks [image]local://upfiles/72588/4BBB5E6EF46C4E81AAEBA16D70C6213A.jpg[/image]

JoeLewis -> RE: Turn 63 (6/22/2021 9:41:58 AM)
1st Panzer Army has opened an attack between Rzhev and Kaunas. 48th and 11th Armies pull back a bit to consolidate their front lines, but not far enough as it turns out. One Tank and one Cavalry Army are marching west, Kalinin Front redeploys an army southwest of Moscow, and a lot of the good morale and experience rebuilt divisions are railed into the Moscow defenses. This attack actually forces a much more active response on my end in the other sectors of the front line to prevent the Germans from having a free hand everywhere. I have been pretty passive up till now. [image]local://upfiles/72588/951748A1B7A542D28F038BA92ACB1D49.jpg[/image]

JoeLewis -> RE: Turn 63 (6/22/2021 9:43:08 AM)
The bulk of the Saransk salient forces are committed in a series of massive counterattacks. Combining rifle, cavalry, and tank corps can break down the strongest German defenses in the open and even in forests. The turn ends with my best units pulled back to the second and third lines while weaker divisions are kept in the front. I like this tactical approach because it keeps a weak screen in front for German counterattacks while preserving some of the strength of my best units. A concentration of three tank armies hovers east of Saransk to counter any major German penetrations. I wanted to force the Germans into a choice: fight it out here or redeploy elsewhere. Otherwise, they might send even more mechanized forces west of Moscow! [image]local://upfiles/72588/86E1F925BD6A4796BCE20ADC3223640E.jpg[/image]

JoeLewis -> RE: Turn 63 (6/22/2021 9:43:52 AM)
Some of the combat this turn was exceptionally bloody especially in terms of vehicle losses for both sides. Good! [image]local://upfiles/72588/20ED2E88C4C5453F9A5AF3FC39AE648C.jpg[/image]

JoeLewis -> RE: Turn 63 (6/22/2021 9:45:13 AM)
I make the risky decision to close the front lines in the south to increase German attrition losses. A lot of my divisions will be defeated in battle and driven back, so I put almost the entire second line on reserve to maximize my defenses. I want to frustrate the Germans and present a lot of options for them to deal with. Right now they have maintained the initiative and picked and chosen the engagements. I want that to end, even if it means suffering greater losses. [image]local://upfiles/72588/10AEBA6F42924B73A0ABFF81728C480A.jpg[/image]

JoeLewis -> Turn 64 (7/1/2021 2:03:52 PM)
Start of Turn 64 60 AP - 40 spent on 2 rifle corps, 20 spent on reorganizing units and rifle brigades around Moscow and Saransk for future rifle corps. If you can get 3 rifle brigades attached to the right army on one turn, you can use the full 60 AP on the next turn for 3 rifle corps! If you have to spend even 1 AP on reorganizing units then you are out of luck to get 3 rifle corps per turn in 1942, which is why I never tried that hard to reach that goal. This turn sees the Germans encircle 15 divisions and make real headway towards Moscow. Uh-oh! [image]local://upfiles/72588/2474806F81434352A0A6E001D1986945.jpg[/image]

JoeLewis -> RE: Turn 64 (7/1/2021 2:04:56 PM)
Very nice offensive by the Germans west of Moscow. This area was relatively weak because Northwest and Volkhov Fronts had transferred a full field army to the east when I first took over this sector. I should have withdrawn my forces east more when CapandGown launched the first breakout last turn. I have transferred a lot of units this way. 2 tank and 2 cavalry armies along with most of the reserve replacement units which were unfortunately hovering at only 20-30 experience, but at least were above 45 morale. The strength of the Moscow defenses made me fear an attack to encircle Kaluga and the Oka River. The only realistic option was to abandon Kaluga to have enough strength south of Moscow by shortening my lines. Ugh! I think I have enough available forces right now to deal with any attack east or southeast. I can’t do much for the northern area in here right now but hopefully the Germans don’t do much that way. I wondered if CapandGown was driving all the way to Kalinin. [image]local://upfiles/72588/8B9FDF8F9BE14B119FB21BAA14C88E64.jpg[/image]

JoeLewis -> RE: Turn 64 (7/1/2021 2:08:33 PM)
Where is the armor going? The withdrawal from this salient started making me nervous for what CapandGown planned to do. I feared that he had finally felt comfortable with stretching my forces east that he now wanted to launch a major offensive on Moscow from two directions. 15 total infantry divisions surrounded this week, which isn’t terrible. The Germans evacuated a lot of their northeast salient north of Saransk. I reoccupied that land with scratch divisions to keep their MP honest. I feared a major attack west towards Moscow across the Oka River, so that was part of the reason behind the withdrawal for Kalinin Front. I have moved the 4 unassigned tank corps from Stalingrad up here – they weren’t doing anything down there. The reoccupation of territory should offer some vulnerable divisions and keep German armor occupied here rather than west. Plenty of tank, cavalry, and rifle corps north and east for counterattacks. Secondary and tertiary defenses look very strong here. [image]local://upfiles/72588/3164425C840D42F596B09C8F8F017B3C.jpg[/image]

JoeLewis -> Turn 65 (7/7/2021 3:13:11 AM)
Start of Turn 65- some sneaky moves by Cap and Gown that I think I successfully discover. \\ 60 AP this turn: I built 8 x recon planes because I got really worried about where German panzer divisions moved 40 AP on 2 rifle corps 10 AP on 2 new rifle brigades 2 on Support Units [image]local://upfiles/72588/B4E58B3626124C1BAB152C2B5FC7802F.jpg[/image]

JoeLewis -> RE: Turn 65 (7/7/2021 3:15:12 AM)
Cap and Gown is a sneaky commander who I have found likes to hide his panzers in difficult terrain. He has attacked around Saransk and now Rzhev, but he knows my best units are there available to counterattack. I think he launched the Rzhev attack to pull my attention in that direction in favor of an attack in the south where I have a very thin line pushed out to try and close with his front. Look how many hidden stacks there are. Those could be several panzer armies at least. If so, my units are dead not because of the encirclement but because I have no cavalry or tank armies available to break up any such envelopment. [image]local://upfiles/72588/9F7BD2BD4EA94609B64E838D4FAAEC81.jpg[/image]

JoeLewis -> RE: Turn 65 (7/7/2021 3:16:14 AM)
Prepping for another major attack north? The northern defenses are thin, but I have good counterattacking power here now. This area looks like a diversion now after CapandGown's early victories. [image]local://upfiles/72588/2C9BFF1EFD7743428AB232B21953F54E.jpg[/image]

JoeLewis -> RE: Turn 65 (7/7/2021 3:16:47 AM)
I kept one cavalry army between Moscow and Murom just in case there is some type of major effort here. I don’t think so, but why take the risk? [image]local://upfiles/72588/D72648B4CB9C4FED9928C21AE719C57D.jpg[/image]

JoeLewis -> RE: Turn 65 (7/7/2021 3:17:18 AM)
Looks like the Germans have mostly given up here and a lot of armor has pulled out. That was why I got worried about a southern attack. 2 cavalry armies and one tank army remain in reserve. [image]local://upfiles/72588/2E91C75F64E041DF8CE83898F5D90D7A.jpg[/image]

JoeLewis -> RE: Turn 65 (7/7/2021 3:18:46 AM)
Most of the southern forces withdraw back to the Don and Volga River lines. Better safe than sorry. Closing these front lines will repeatedly become a major tug-of-war match between myself and my opponent. Unfortunately, his infantry are dug in at level 2 and 3 forts while my infantry would just be out in the open with very thin lines. North Caucasus Front (yellow) only has 2 field armies available since the rest are in the north fighting. [image]local://upfiles/72588/62EB29C9D7D04C03AF4F72ABA3D3BE7F.jpg[/image]

JoeLewis -> Turn 66 (7/11/2021 1:37:08 PM)
Turn 66 and ORGANIZING ARMY HQs: 60 AP this turn: 40 on 2 new rifle corps in the Penza-Saransk region 15 on 3 new rifle brigades (I have 17 rifle brigades and need 167 more for my 368 rifle divisions) 5 on reassigning brigades to STAVKA (so they are available to attach to rifle corps on the next turn and let you build the maximum of 3 rifle corps with 60 AP). --------------------- I went through my front commands to see where I needed HQs: 1. All mobile fronts were full on army HQs (4 max per front) except North Caucasus Front 2. Northwest, Volkhov, Leningrad, and North Caucasus Fronts each had an army far from their front location due to the German spearheads at Moscow and Penza. 3. Southwestern Front arrives on Turn 71 along w/ 5th Shock Army. 70th Army and 5 NKVD divisions arrive in January 1943 on Turn 85. 4. Right now I have 53 infantry divisions assigned to STAVKA and 12 rebuilt divisions coming into the front lines. These 65 divisions will need 8 total Army Headquarters (8 divisions per Army HQ). I am still stuck spending AP on more HQs. [image]local://upfiles/72588/CBA80692795D47798B4ABC87E6E6C531.jpg[/image]

JoeLewis -> RE: Turn 66 (7/11/2021 1:37:33 PM)
I moved a cavalry army northwest of Moscow just to be safe for now. This area remains very thin. [image]local://upfiles/72588/7A2AFA008EAB497993CF2942FDDAD8EA.jpg[/image]

JoeLewis -> RE: Turn 66 (7/11/2021 1:37:59 PM)
Time to start thinking about winter offensive plans. There are two areas not guarded by rivers that offer an opportunity to attack. With 4 Cavalry Armies and 8 Tank Armies, along with all of Southwestern Front reformed and fighting along this line I can make some good headway. This region is the #1 priority for rifle corps. [image]local://upfiles/72588/524B16763BBB4F2EBD7D5C146446998E.jpg[/image]

JoeLewis -> RE: Turn 66 (7/11/2021 1:38:53 PM)
Germans more than happy to occupy some of this area. I thought about making this my main focus for a winter offensive, but it might just take too long in terms of transferring forces. [image]local://upfiles/72588/B576FA7E098448B1BDA7CC1E4E0784CF.jpg[/image]

JoeLewis -> Turn 67 (7/17/2021 2:07:56 AM)
Turn 67 - no major worries or moves this turn and mud is almost here! 60 AP this turn: 2 x rifle corps = 40 AP 3 x rifle brigades = 15 AP 2 x AP on transferring units 3 x new fighter squadrons  Il2 factories – one is working, the other needs 9 more turns to get undamaged [image]local://upfiles/72588/BEEC27BD12CD4C2DB04941E650836BBB.jpg[/image]

JoeLewis -> RE: Turn 67 (7/17/2021 2:08:51 AM)
I am worried about an attack south of Leningrad so I reinforced this area a bit more. I am scrambling to return the armies I detached from these fronts back from the Penza-Saransk front lines to support Moscow. The Moscow defenses have enough counterattacking power. [image]local://upfiles/72588/16188D711E13451D9C21DBE06866859D.jpg[/image]

JoeLewis -> RE: Turn 67 (7/17/2021 2:09:19 AM)
I broke out 2 rifle divisions and a Guards rifle corps from an encirclement, and shifted some reinforcements back this way. A tank army from Stalingrad and a cavalry army from Moscow are brought back here for a turn, since the turn before mud is always very dangerous. [image]local://upfiles/72588/476E85E18B2A4FCE93E9DA50929024CA.jpg[/image]

JoeLewis -> RE: Turn 67 (7/17/2021 2:09:46 AM)
Southern sector looks pretty stable this turn, no major worries. [image]local://upfiles/72588/EF271492C8E04378A0310DC657765356.jpg[/image]

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