delatbabel vs gadjan starting August 43

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delatbabel vs gadjan starting August 43

Post by delatbabel »

Prequel:

A fairly standard 1941 summer. Lvov pocket. Leningrad fell (I didn't make much of an effort to hold it), Moscow did not (I did make an effort). Everything went well for the Germans in the south up to but not including Stalino which held out for 4 turns of German attacks.

Blizzard 41/42 was a no-show. We are playing with random weather and I got a slightly shortened blizzard, but in any case the Germans stepped back again and again and could not be caught. I maybe took out 1-2 security regiments as POWs, the rest got away. There wasn't any wholesale abandonment of territory but the Germans retreated slowly throughout. The Finns manning the line in the north held firm.

Summer 42 -- same old same old. I managed to stop most major deep penetrations except for a few which took back most of the territory that I had regained in the south. Stalino held out again, against all odds. Towards the end of summer I began a few tentative counter-attacks, mostly hit-and-run attacks in the south with my newly formed and inexperienced tank corps. This allowed creation of quite a few guards tank corps.

Mud/Winter/Mud 42/43 was much of a stalemate.

In early summer 43, the German lines began to crack. After relentlessly hurling themselves at the immovable Finns time and time again the Volkhov line was crossed, and the Finns were pushed back around the north of Lake Ladoga. A larger breakthrough was engineered in front of Smolensk, a few hexes around Stalino were liberated, and the drive was on.

My opponent gadjan (server game) has proven himself to be slow in attack but relentless in defence. Time and time again Soviet attacks have been blunted, with the defenders holding on by their fingernails. Breakthroughs have come in 1s and 2s but have been closed up again and again.

I start the AAR proper in August 1943.
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RE: delatbabel vs gadjan starting August 43

Post by delatbabel »

The line as it appears on 12th August 43. Having broken the Finns at the Volkhov line the Northwest front has pushed the Germans back to the Narva line and the Finns are being held in Leningrad by the Volkhov front. The Finns continue the retreat in the north against the Northern Front. A wide sweep up behind the retreating Germans starting south of Lake Ilmen gained a lot of territory but no captives. A similar drive in front of Smolensk gave me some territory there as far as the landbridge, but again no units captured. The game in the south involves two heavily fortified lines each trying to move the liquor cabinet at the HQ one inch forwards.

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RE: delatbabel vs gadjan starting August 43

Post by delatbabel »

Detail screenshots are posted at the end of my turn.

One hex is taken at the Narva line. The Finns in Leningrad stand firm.

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RE: delatbabel vs gadjan starting August 43

Post by delatbabel »

At the landbridge very little happens. I am waiting for fresh troops to arrive.

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RE: delatbabel vs gadjan starting August 43

Post by delatbabel »

At the Dnepr, forces of the Central Front engineer a small breakthrough, exploited by tanks. Central Front has one "tank army" -- I don't use actual tank armies because 15CP is stupid, I just put a good armour leader in charge of a regular army and load it with tank and mech corps.


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RE: delatbabel vs gadjan starting August 43

Post by delatbabel »

I take one hex in front of Z-town. The drinks cabinet marches forwards.

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RE: delatbabel vs gadjan starting August 43

Post by delatbabel »

[center]August 19 1943[/center]

No major changes since last turn. I have pulled Voronezh Front units (2 "tank armies" and one "cavalary army") out of the line for rest and refit, and prepare to shove them into the next assault which will be at the landbridge. SW Front tanks stand by near Smolensk. I am railing some artillery northwards, however something odd happened -- 3 artillery divisions that were almost full strength have become reduced to unready mode and are now going to have to go back to Moscow for refit (4 turns later they are still unready). It seems that railing rocket or breakthrough artillery sometimes causes this, I'll have to get some stats on it.


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RE: delatbabel vs gadjan starting August 43

Post by delatbabel »

Narva/Pskov region.

One more hex taken at the Narva, however this turn I am over the Pskov lake canal in numbers, having sent a reinforcing tank army there last turn. Units from the Kalinin front push forwards at Pskov creating a situation I could exploit next turn.


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RE: delatbabel vs gadjan starting August 43

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At the landbridge I am pushing forwards slowly.


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RE: delatbabel vs gadjan starting August 43

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At the Dnepr bend I have pushed forwards with the other tank army from SW front backed up by Central Front's tanks. I have railed in the 1st Shock Army (cav corps) from the Voronezh front to assist with forming a breakthrough next turn.

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RE: delatbabel vs gadjan starting August 43

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D-town and Z-town, attacks failed but I solidified my gains.

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RE: delatbabel vs gadjan starting August 43

Post by delatbabel »

[center]August 26, 1943[/center]

The Germans at the Narva and Pskov line have broken and run. A little bit of ground has been surrendered north of the Dnepr bend and in the south to straighten the front.


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RE: delatbabel vs gadjan starting August 43

Post by delatbabel »

At Leningrad I am over the river now that the artillery has arrived, pushing the Finns back one hex.


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RE: delatbabel vs gadjan starting August 43

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At the Narva and Pskov lines it's just a matter of running forwards to take territory. I expect I will hit resistance at the next river line but not much before.


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RE: delatbabel vs gadjan starting August 43

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Another tank army is committed at the Dnepr bend and a small hole appears.


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RE: delatbabel vs gadjan starting August 43

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At the landbridge a tank army of the Voronezh front is committed along with the 1st shock army and everything moves forwards slowly. I am hitting more resistance here than I expected, gadjan is defending in depth so I am unable to engineer any breakthroughs.

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RE: delatbabel vs gadjan starting August 43

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South of Z-town one more hex is taken but unable to be occupied. The drinks cabinet inches forwards again.

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RE: delatbabel vs gadjan starting August 43

Post by delatbabel »

[center]September 2nd, 1943[/center]

A tank corps of the SW Front is isolated by SS PanzerGrenadiers. Their CVs indicate they have done some hard fighting, however, and it shouldn't be too difficult to liberate. Units north of the Daugava retreat again.


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RE: delatbabel vs gadjan starting August 43

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At Leningrad I solidify my gains but unable to advance. At the Janisjarl line in the north the Finns have been broken in several places, so it's looking likely that I might liberate Leningrad from the north.


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RE: delatbabel vs gadjan starting August 43

Post by delatbabel »

The short fat little legs of the NW Front aren't able to advance any further, but in any case resistance is seen north of Riga.


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