TulliusDetritus
Posts: 5521
Joined: 4/1/2004
From: The Zone™
Status: offline
|
Turn 6
24 july 1941
Well, I think Phase One of the Blitzkrieg is over. I haven't touched the Axis side, not even played the small scenarios!  When I bought the game the 12 december if I remember correctly I of course first read the manual twice (and I should reread quite many parts again methinks), then started the GC against the German AI. I played like 7 or 8 turns vs the Axis AI then jumped to my first PBEM vs Sire Chaos (18 turns so far). Soooo, all I know about the Germans is that more or less on turn 6 or 7 or 8 (I can't remember exactly) the German war machine has sort to stop. This I know from what other people have said on these forums. And of course because my two opponents told me so. On his last two emails 2ndACR has mentioned this: "rail heads too far, running out of everything". 
So what am I seeing? What could be my [possibly wrong] conclusion about this first and scary phase of the game? Well, I might be utterly wrong, But I LOVE what I see. The Southwestern Front is obviously another story, but if I have to survive the Blitzkrieg -my great or should I say VITAL objective- what happens there is not relevant in my opinion.
In fact I think my opponent has perhaps made 3 mistakes on these last two turns. His AGN has made the first mistake (and that might cost my opponent Leningrad, but of course I might be 100% wrong). His AGN Panzers were near Pskov... For some "reason" he's decided they should be sent to my Leningrad backdoor: Narva River, a bottleneck, swamps, heavy woods. He thought I would not be protecting that part? Had he seen my other AAR he would know I would not allow any enemy to pass through that place: in fact Sire Chaos is right now at that same place (turn 18)!
So, assuming that your enemy will not do "something" on the next x turns is a very wild and dangerous assumption  The fact is that that maneuver has bought me 2 vital turns to protect Leningrad. He's needed 1 turn to get there (and NOT even all his Panzers managed to do that) and once he's arrived (tired, I guess), he's atacked, advancing one hex here and another hex there. That's all. Had they been CONCENTRATED where they originally were -Pskov area- they would have been MUCH MORE dangerous... he would have certainly destroyed my defences there and then... resume towards Leningrad
As I said, I will move my defence like an “accordion” now the main threat is in that bottleneck. I will too bring many hordes if I think they are needed (and I suspect they will), among them… the MONSTER Tank and Motorized divisions frozen at the start of the game near Leningrad are now UNFROZEN! One of these monsters is a 7=15 units. Not too bad. Let’s hope the game does not disband them to form the future tank brigades! I just need them er, 4 or 5 turns, I guess… If that happens I will send my assassins to the guy who created that devilish rule (so whatch your back)! 
The second mistake: his AGC had a Panzer goup northwest of Vitebsk, in front of my Kalinin Front. I thought he would be attempting an encirclement to finally capture Vitebsk and then Smolensk…
Then nope, he’s moved these Panzers to the north! In front of Velikie Luki. BUT they are relatively isolated, I mean his other Panzer chums are far (AGN bottleneck and in the south near Gomel). In other words all these 3 Panzer groups are very separated which means –if I am not mistaken- that the pockets should be more complicated or simply much more small. A pincer should be formed exclusively by mere infantry, if I well understood. The other one with the Panzer units themselves.
And then I just have mentioned the third mistake: the Panzers near Gomel. Their close mates are then near Velikie Luki, that’s very far away! That in case this Panzer Group is going to suport the AGC operations. If they will be heading southwards, please, go ahead, Irkutsk is such a nice city!
I will obviously reinforce the forces in the Velikie Luki and Gomel areas to meet this new threat.
And what about the center? He’s only kept 2 divisions of his Panzer forces… Now I think I might resist here (and I am thinking about Vitebsk and Smolensk) maybe 4 turns (until turn 10). And that perhaps might definitely save Moscow. I could even resist more if I manage to make him advance at snail’s pace in the Velikie Luki area and around Gomel (IF he wants to help in the north that is).
RANT OVER and bring vodka and accordions!
P.S: and of course feel free to disagree with the many strategic idiocies I have said above. In the end maybe I will be getting some… That’s the spirit, at least until turn 18.
EDIT: in fact the third "mistake" is not a mistake per se. The panzers down there make sense IF the goal is the destruction of my Western Front mega hordes. So the presence of another Panzer Group in the vicinity of Vitebsk-Smolensk (NW or W) -the other classic scary pincer we see in many games- IS a must, I guess. So when he has sent this northern panzer group to Velikie Luki area this threat has disappeared, gone, vanished, poof...
 Attachment (1)
< Message edited by TulliusDetritus -- 3/12/2011 7:53:57 PM >
_____________________________
a nu cheeki breeki iv damke
|
Printable Version
RE: Stalin's in the gulag - Tullius (Soviet) vs 2ndACR ... - 
Along with the enemy controlled hexes toggled on, they are a MUST if people want to really understand what's going on. 
Maybe this defence can achieve this at least one or maybe two more turns. But in the end the Germans must prevail, this I know... But hey, mud is around the corner... turn 18. That's what I am waiting for (I'm such a coward, but hey! the cemetery is full of heroes 
New Messages
No New Messages
Hot Topic w/ New Messages
Hot Topic w/o New Messages
Locked w/ New Messages
Locked w/o New Messages
Post New Thread