Towards the edge of destruction with hooooper and Blubel

[hooooper_slith]

I'm hoping the Germans will need another turn to get themselves into position for a big push. In the north, the Luga line seems reasonably secure and two NW Front pockets will need to be eliminated before the right hook can be launched in earnest. In the centre, heavy fighting will certainly take place next go, but the German infantry doesn't seem to be quite in position yet, so I'm not expecting anything disastrous to occur. The situation is the same in the south. Although those pocket battles cost the Red Army heavy losses, reflected in the manpower figure in the OOB, it's clear that the Germans won't be over the Dneiper for at least two turns, so maybe they weren't as bad as I thought.

Generally, I think the Germans have had the better of the war so far, but nothing has been decided yet. If I can hold the centre for three or four turns without suffering a big encirclement, the Soviets can stay in the game.

[hooooper_slith]

Turn Six

As predicted, on the Leningrad axis the Germans do more looking than fighting, apart from tying off the Pskov pocket, of course. Stavka expects a determined attack next turn.

[hooooper_slith]

In the Valdai sector, German armoured forces have begun wading into the swamp that forms the principal defence of these vital hills. A reaction is definitely needed here.

[hooooper_slith]

In the centre, the German's are poised for an assault. The early blows fall north of Vitebsk.

[hooooper_slith]

In the south, the German's draw up to the Dneiper. I have slight hopes of damping the German offensive here. A lot of reserves have been directed to the river lines behind the Dneiper. This is putting Moscow in some danger, but after my game with Bomazz I fancy myself to be an expert defender of the capital.

[hooooper_slith]

Turn 7

The onslaught has begun. Leningrad is, unusually, the quiet sector — just been some attacks to the west, which is fine by me. On the other hand, the whole of 28th Army has been encircled with an impressive neatness. Only the headquarters remains of this formation. I think a right hook may be in the making.

[hooooper_slith]

In the centre, a similar fate has befallen 20th Army. While I curse the German's brutal victory, I can't help but admire their neatness.

[hooooper_slith]

At Kiev, the German have established their bridgehead just south of Kiev. Although I would have liked to have kept them on the west bank until they turn into tourists, I would prefer any bridgehead to be close to Kiev, as the city restricts movement and it fits in with my defensive plan — multiple lines on minor river lines between Kiev and Kharkov.

[hooooper_slith]

In the south .. very quiet. This seems to be a trend among German players. Presumably because a breakthrough in the northern Ukraine offers the possibility of co-operation with AG Centre. This is the position after Soviet moves.

[hooooper_slith]

In the north, the Soviets do their best to defend against the right hook. Not entirely convincing, I know, but it will take a turn to reclose the pocket, and another to eliminate it, after which I might be able to come up with something a bit more sturdy.

[hooooper_slith]

In the centre, the pocket is reopened and we fall back to the Smolensk line ...

[hooooper_slith]

The bridgehead is swaddled in Soviet division. Those three bright green panzer division will mow them down with hasty attacks, but I don't think they will be able to pull off an encirclement straight away, which is the key to stifling the Germans in the south.

[hooooper_slith]

OOB. The Red Army is looking a bit anaemic. And there are one or two Front commanders I would like to replace, when I have the APs available.

[hooooper_slith]

So my assessment is that the German's are doing pretty well. It's not the supercharged air-dropped fuel exploit that brings the Wehrmacht to Gorky on turn 10, but they're still in with a good chance of taking Leningrad and Moscow before the mud. My grand strategy, as I may have mentioned last go, is to cut it as fine as possible in the north and centre and overprotect the south. The reasoning is simple, and possibly simplistic: in the north the defensive terrain is better, and the urban hexes of Moscow are so formidable that a defence naturally has an anchor. Then there are all those rivers and marshes and forests and canals and reservoirs to help out with the line. In the south, there are only a series of minor river lines, which are labour intensive to defend. I would like to tempt my opponent into a complex battle of encirclement and counter encirclement, with enough forces to keep it going for four or five turns, after which there won't be enough time to get much beyond Kharkov, nor transfer mechanised unit to the centre. This plan has worked before, and we are in a fairly good position to try it again.

[Peltonx]

Another game with the old right hook going down

[hooooper_slith]

It's a high risk strategy, as you know. The rewards are great, but to get them you have to commit a lot of units, and if it doesn't come off, then the whole German strategy starts to look suspect.

[HITMAN202]

The Ruskies south of St Petersburg need to start running east. Or is it too late ????

[hooooper_slith]

I think they've still got a little time. Especially if the right hook is on.

[hooooper_slith]

Turn 8

The German attack continues to make good progress in the south and centre, but an operational pause is ordered in the north while 28th Army's pocket is resealed and the infantry moves forward.

[hooooper_slith]

The Soviets have time to build up a reasonable defence of the Pola and reorganise the armies in front of Leningrad.