Za Rodinu Axis AAR (no Soviets)

[Harovan]

LOL at the dash to Kharkov. Yea, I had something like this in mind, too. Well done, Fiva, even though you might get into some supply trouble, but I think it's worth it.

[fiva55]

ORIGINAL: Harovan

LOL at the dash to Kharkov. Yea, I had something like this in mind, too. Well done, Fiva, even though you might get into some supply trouble, but I think it's worth it.

I know you originally intended to rest & refit, but in the end I decided against it. After all, there are only so many summer turns left.

[Harovan]

I kept telling myself for several turns, that it would be wise to have a rest. But whenever I saw an opportunity like this (2 pockets, reaching and crossing Dnepr with little resistance, half encircling Kiev forcing to abandon it...), I took it and postponed the rest to next turn. In that respect you seem to think just like me.

[fiva55]

TURN 12
9/4/1941
BEGIN OF TURN REPORT

AXIS OOB
Men: 3.373.063
Guns: 35.153
AFV: 2.390
Air: 2.884

SOVIET OOB
Men: 3.710.203
Guns: 34.526
AFV: 5.637
Air: 7.391

AXIS LOSSES
Men: 318.574
Guns: 3.813
AFV: 1.734
Air: 1098

SOVIET LOSSES
Men: 1.764.404
Guns: 26.195
AFV: 13.040
Air: 10.059

NOTABLE EVENTS
[*]Center: The Soviets have reopened the Smolensk pocket.

[*]South: The spearhead of 1st Pz Group has been isolated.

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BEGIN OF TURN 12 FRONTLINE OVERVIEW

[fiva55]

END OF TURN 12 OVERVIEW
ARMY GROUP NORTH

Commander: Duality

4th Pz Group continues it's advance north, intending to cut off Leningrad from it's supplies before the mud.

[fiva55]

END OF TURN 12 OVERVIEW
ARMY GROUP CENTER

Commander: timmyab

The commander of AGC is a paranoid fellow, believing that spies lurk around in this thread, ready to report our brilliant plans to the Soviets. Or perhaps he just believes I don't do his brilliant manoeuvres justice [:D].

In any case, timmyab has decided that he will post his own updates in a few days, so look forward to it.

[fiva55]

END OF TURN 12 OVERVIEW
ARMY GROUP SOUTH

Commander: fiva55

Plan A was to leave Kharkov behind for the infantry to capture and head straight to Stalino. LAH SS should have reached the outskirts of the town easily, but would have been cut off on turn 13. My fellow commanders, ever so cautious, decided that it was too risky, and outvoted the plan. (I bet you didn't knew that the German army was a democracy)

Luckily, there was also a plan B. After a fierce bombardment by the Luftwaffe, XIV PzCrps, containing 13th Pz, LAH SS and Wiking SS, stormed Kharkov and captured the town with all it's industry still left behind by the Soviets. After the town was captured, 1st Pz Group reconnoitred in force in the direction of Stalino.

[timmyab]

Turn 10, AGC
Guderian's advance has forced the Soviets to withdraw their main line 50 miles to the East.There is also a substantial delaying force left behind to hinder our advance in the centre.
Aerial reconnaissance shows a carpet of Soviet divisions between Pzgr 2 and it's objective, but crucially nothing in the dangerous area behind the Desna river, which was Guderian's main concern about week two of this operation.

Position after air recon and before any ground movement


End of Axis turn 10, AGC
Three divisions of the Soviet rearguard are cut off around Vitebsk.This screenshot also shows the painfully slow progress of AGN's pzgr 3 & 4.There is really nothing that AGN can do about it at this stage.Poor terrain, insufficient infantry support and lack of supply coupled with last week's loss of momentum have made it impossible for them.It's more of an error in strategic planning really.The German advance relies on surprise, speed and momentum above all else.Once these
things are lost then they'd better find them again quick or it's over for them.


In the South pzgr 2 makes good progress and thankfully crosses the Desna without meeting any resistance.Lead elements of Grossdeutschland are now just a few miles from Spas Demensk but unfortunately because of serious delays in the North, the grand plan of destroying a large chunk of the Red army in a giant Smolensk pocket has to be considerd a failure.


Sorry about the size of the images in this thread.I've tried resizing them but they still get blown up to this size no matter what.

[fiva55]

TURN 13
9/11/1941
BEGIN OF TURN REPORT

AXIS OOB
Men: 3.368.372
Guns: 35.027
AFV: 2.747
Air: 2.849

SOVIET OOB
Men: 3.657.570
Guns: 33.172
AFV: 5.089
Air: 7.585

AXIS LOSSES
Men: 367.166
Guns: 4.298
AFV: 1.863
Air: 1.164

SOVIET LOSSES
Men: 1.874.207
Guns: 28.598
AFV: 13.932
Air: 10.363


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BEGIN OF TURN 13 FRONTLINE OVERVIEW

[fiva55]

END OF TURN 13 OVERVIEW
ARMY GROUP NORTH

Commander: Duality

The local Soviet commander seems to have weakened the defence of Pavlovo, perhaps relocating some divisions in order to slow down the advance of 4th Pz Group. Whatever the reason, 18th Army fully takes advantage of this mistake, and launches an attack. The attack succeeds, and Pavlovo is now in German hands. The fall of Leningrad now seems inevitable!

[fiva55]

END OF TURN 13 OVERVIEW
ARMY GROUP CENTER

Commander: timmyab

Clearly Moscow is out of reach, so the commander of AGC proposed an alternative plan, which was put in action this turn. With the help of a PzCrps of AGS, the Kursk Pocket has now been formed. Having closed the pocket, one PzCrps swings north, threatening Tula.

[fiva55]

END OF TURN 13 OVERVIEW
ARMY GROUP SOUTH

Commander: fiva55

Despite lending one PzCrps to AGC, 1st Pz group manages to break through the Soviet defences and reaches Stalino. In a brilliant coup, the commander of SS Wiking takes the defenders of Stalino-Makeeva-Gorlovka by complete surprise, and manages to capture all 3 cities with just his single division!

In the south, strong elements of 11th Army have crossed the Dnepr and are approaching the gates of the Crimea.

[timmyab]

Turn 11, AGC
It has become obvious that pzgr 3 & 4 are just banging their heads against a wall in the North so the decision is made to strategically redeploy pzgr 4 to the North in order to assist 18th army in it's effort to capture Leningrad.
Pzgr 3 is handed over to AGC and is ordered to do a right hook around the heaviest defences to capture Smolensk and, to the East of it, the town of Dorogobuzh.24th panzer corps is to turn North and link up with 57th panzer corps at this town, trapping several Soviet divisions.
42nd corps is ordered to storm Mogolev.


The trap is closed and there appears to be 11 divisions inside.The perimeter NE of Smolensk isn't as tight as I'd like and may be broken.


In the South, three divisions are surrounded by 4th army.


Turn 12, AGC
Not much action this turn.
The Soviets temporarily relieved the Smolensk pocket with a succesful counter-attack against 20th panzer division.


Vitebsk is taken by V corps, while 57th, 24th and 47th panzer corps continue to push East so as to permanently reseal the pocket and hopefully create a bit of a diversion.


Two of 47ths' panzer divisions plus Grossdeutschland from 24th are handed over to 46th panzer corps and the corps is sent to an assembly area further South to be resupplied and refitted.39th panzer corps is sent to an assembly area closer to the railhead, East of Mogilev, where it's joined by 1st ss motorized brigade.These two corps now have eleven mobile units between them and the plan is for them to breakout next week towards the SE and into good tank country.
It is absolutely essential that the enemy doesn't get wind of these large concentrations of armour, so an effort is made to hide them from aerial reconnaissance.The front to the SE is deliberately kept quiet apart from one or two preliminary assaults.

[fiva55]

BEGIN OF TURN 14 OVERVIEW
9/18/1941

[fiva55]

END OF TURN 14 OVERVIEW
ARMY GROUP NORTH

Commander: Duality

[fiva55]

END OF TURN 14 OVERVIEW
ARMY GROUP CENTER

Commander: timmyab

[fiva55]

END OF TURN 14 OVERVIEW
ARMY GROUP SOUTH

Commander: fiva55

[Klydon]

Too bad you can't collapse the southern area because of the ports. It would help protect the panzer thrust and also doom the units in the pocket.

Interesting game. [:)]

[timmyab]

Hmmm, 99% certain ah?You had to go and say it didn't you.We're doomed, doomed I tell you.

Turn 13, AGC
AGC's original plan for turn 13 was for 46th pz corps to capture the important rail junction at Lgov, probably trapping 10 or 20 divisions and forcing the enemy to withdraw from the Kursk bulge.


However, the commander of AGS offered to send a panzer corps North so as to trap all the Soviet divisions in this bulge, (approx 40+).This also meant that AGC could push 46th pz corps further East without having to worry so much about it's flank.
A couple of days before the attack, aerial reconnaissance reported that the river Desna, South of Bryansk, was only lightly defended, so after some furious staff work, the assault zone was moved further North in order to trap a few more soviet divisions and to allow 46th pz corps to push further to the NE, threatening the industrial centres of Tula and Kaluga.The move North also allowed 57th pz corps to play a more active part in the initial assault.
Revised plan

Turn 13, end.
In the south everything goes according to plan with no serious problems.47th pz corps HQ is sent South to take some of the strain off of 46th pz.47th's remaining panzer division is given to 24th pz corps which remains to the East of Smolensk in order to maintain a threat in that area.


The Smolensk pocket is reduced and yields 70,000 prisoners.The garrison in Gomel surrenders along with two other isolated pockets adding another 30,000 prisoners to the pile.

[Redmarkus5]

Great to see you guys still playing this mode and also making mincemeat of the enemy!