Struggling in the East - SigUp vs. loki

[Gabriel B.]

ORIGINAL: SigUp

That is similar to what I was thinking. My initial plan was to force a breakthrough north of Vinnitsa, but seeing the recon results I don't want to expose the panzers to possible counterattacks from the North. The thing I am pondering is whether to attack the gap between Mogilev-Podolsky and the Bug with all four panzer corps, or to reroute XXXXVI. Panzer Corps together with the Rumanian armoured division South, to attack towards Bendery.

The main danger is that his forces reach de Dnepr in good order, to prevent that a braketrough at Vinnitsa still has to be made .

The atack between Mogilev-Podolsky and the Bug should be secondary, sending 4 corps to trap 8-9 divisions is a bit to much IMHO

[SigUp]

Turn 3: 3rd July 1941 - 9th July 1941

Army Group North



After exhausting their fuel stocks (divisions were between 18 and 20 MPs), Army Group North set out to consolidate its gains. 18th Army continued the march towards Pskov with three corps. Only XXXVIII. AK was diverted to capture Estonia which was - with the exception of one rifle division on Saaremaa - completely evacuated by the Red Army. 16th Army managed to cross the Velikaya with three divisions, nearly catching up with the panzers.

XXXXI. AK (mot.) managed to capture Pskov against the Soviet 3rd Tank Division using all three divisions, before pulling back behind the Velikaya, preparing for a HQ buildup on the next turn. The gap was filled by Manstein's LVI. AK (mot.), which arrived in Pskov on 6th July 1941. As LVI. AK (mot.) was not in position for a HQ buildup, Luftflotte 1's Ju-52s flew continuous supply missions to fuel up the corps.

With the infantry nearly at the front, Von Leeb is readying AGN for the second stage of Operation Barbarossa in the North - the breaching of the Luga line. Depending on the situation 4th Panzer Group will rest on turn 4, allowing the infantry to push forward, before committing to a powerful strike to hopefully open up the Luga defences on the first try.

Army Group Centre



Like AGN, Army Group Centre's motorized units had also outrun their supply lines. Therefore fighting was very limited here. In the northern part of the front three infantry corps crossed the Dvina. 3rd Panzer Group's V. and VI. AK headed into the direction of Velikie Luki and were 10 miles away from Nevel on the evening of the 9th July 1941. 9th Army's XXIII. AK routed away a NKVD regiment, while preparing to march towards Usvyat, to fill the widening gap between VI. and XXXIX. AK (mot.).

On the landbridge XXXIX. AK (mot.) concentrated it's forces around Vitebsk and received aerial supply delivered from Luftflotte 2. Adolf Kuntzen's LVII. AK remained behind the frontlines and conducted a HQ buildup. Meanwhile VIII. AK reached the frontlines.



Unlike Hoth's troops, Guderian's forces still had some fighting to do. XXXXVII. AK (mot.) pushed towards Dnepr and 17th Panzer and 29th Motorized Division routed the 172nd Rifle Division in Mogilev. Afterwards the divisions pulled back and the corps conducted a HQ buildup. The occupation of the city was left to Generalleutnant Walter Model's 3rd Panzer Division and on the evening of the 7th July 1941 Kradschützen-Bataillon 3 was the first German unit to stand on the banks of the mighty Dnepr. However, the Soviets had been busy and managed to evacuate the armament factories of Mogilev.

4th Army's infantry was still in the process of catching up. The only corps to make it over the Berezina with all subordinate divisions was XXXXIII. AK. Other than that only 263rd Infantry Division crossed the Berezina. Five infantry division were still preparing the crossing at Bobruisk.

1st Cavalry Division was reassigned directly to 2nd Panzer Group and continued their police action in the Pripyats, reaching Luninets.

Similarly to AGN, Von Bock's forces were also preparing for the second phase of Barbarossa. The next few weeks 3rd Panzer Group should storm the landbridge and try to get behind Smolensk near Yartsevo. 2nd Panzer Group will have to force a Dnepr crossing near Mogilev, in order to link up with Hoth between Pochinok and Smolensk. Due to the prioritisation of getting reinforcements to AGN, 2nd Army is still standing at Kutno. These divisions will be railed to Vilnius and then head towards Gomel the next turn.

Army Group South



Unlike AGN and AGC, Army Group South was still engaged in heavy fighting. At the south edge of the Pripyats 6th Army's XVII. AK routed away two Soviet divisions near Sarny while pushing to the Sluch at Goronitsa. XXIX. AK south of it already crossed the river and was standing 30 miles west of Zhitomir. While LV. AK marched on the landbridge towards Kazatin, XXXXIV. AK had to clear a rifle division southeast of Proskurov. The biggest hits, however, were taken and delivered by Von Kleist's panzer group. III. and XXXXVIII. AK (mot.) combined their strengh and ripped open a 40-mile hole into Southwest Front's lines. As always, the combination of low initial tank strength and heavy fighting meant a rapid melting of 1st Panzer Group's tank numbers. Von Mackensen's 13th and 14th Panzer Division possessed 85 and 90 tanks respectively.

17th Army was only engaged with the IV. AK in the fighting outside the Lvov pocket. These divisions cleared Proskurov of Red Army presence and XIV. AK (mot.) exploited the hole and set up positions between Zhmerinka and Shargorod.



While the mass of XIV. AK (mot.) halted north of Mogilev-Podolsky, LSSAH drove all the way down to the Dnestr near Kotovsk, where it linked up with XXXXVI. AK (mot.). That corps swung through Rumania and crossed the Dnestr at Dubossary, beating a Soviet tank division and NKVD regiment in the process. With that about five Soviet divisions were cut-off, although communication will easily be restored. The main target of this move was to deny Southern Front an orderly retreat to the Yuzhny Bug, while simultanously strengthening XXXXVI. AK (mot.).

Southwest Front's strongest units seem to be concentrated around Zhitomir, so therefore I hope the combination of attacks at Vinnitsa, Proskurov and Dnestr managed to open the door into the plains of the Ukraine. If loki can't delay AGS at the Bug, then I believe 1st Panzer Group will have a very good chance to reach the Dnepr before a solid defence has been constructed.



In the Lvov pocket 17th Army cleared away divisions while moving east at the same time. The Slovakian Corps was brought to the front and immediately went to work, as did the Hungarian Mountain Brigade and the Rumanian Mountain Corps. The rest of the clean-up work will be left to the Axis Allies, while 17th Army marches to the front.

Air War

On the Soviet turn 2 the Rumanians were especially busy with interdiction, with multiple 50 fighter 25 bomber attacks. During the fighting, Luftwaffe provided air support in key situations and maintained air superiority over the entire frontline. Fighter losses, however, were not light. 18 fighters were shot down during the week. Bomber losses were moderate with 1 Ju-87 and 8 level bombers.

[Gabriel B.]

He is most likely to abandon the upper Bug now, and form another delay line around the Tikich/Sinyukha affluents .
He still has a good position around Korosteen which ,as historicaly I would not abandon without a fight .

[SigUp]

Aftermath: 10th July 1941 - Morning

Army Group North



Before Army Group North the Red Army apparently has given up the entire terrain south of the Luga river. Not even many blockers were spottet, the crossing between lakes Peipus and Pskov seems to have been abandoned. South of lake Ilmen the Red Army holds positions up the Polist. In Estonia one divions remains in Saaremaa, while another unit occupies Tallinn.

Army Group Centre





In the northern part of Army Group Centre the enemy has retreated behind the Lovat, occupying a solid line based on the strongpoint Velikie Luki. At the landbridge the divisions in the woods right in front of VIII. AK were withdrawn. In general, facing AGC loki seems to be content with a checkerboard defense to slow the Wehrmacht down. The main line of resistance is way behind the front, going from Rzhev down to Vyazma, then Yelnya down south the Desna to around Znob.

Army Group South



In front of Army Group South's 6th Army, the Reds have surprisingly given up the terrain from Korosten to Zhitomir, leaving only a few blockers out there. The main line was taken back to the Irpen, then down south to Novoarkhangelsk. In this area Southwest Front has also set up a Dnepr defence to Cherkassy.



East of the Dnestr loki has pulled back all units behind the Yuzhny Bug, in order to slow down XXXXVI. AK (mot.)'s progress. The Red Army is especially present in the space from Pervomaysk to Voznesensk. Nikolaev is also guarded. Odessa apparently has to make due with two to three divisions guarding the city itself. Furthermore recon has spotted defensive works at the isthmus of Perekop.

Industry

In Leningrad loki has evacuated the 7 armament factories, and an additional 2 were taken out of Gomel. Kiev is still unevacuated and neither Krivoi Rog nor Kirovograd were touched. Odessa and Nikolaev, however, were stripped of their armament factories.

[Gabriel B.]

ORIGINAL: SigUp


In front of Army Group South's 6th Army, the Reds have surprisingly given up the terrain from Korosten to Zhitomir, leaving only a few blockers out there. The main line was taken back to the Irpen, then down south to Novoarkhangelsk. In this area Southwest Front has also set up a Dnepr defence to Cherkassy.

He is running.
Next turn would see the bulk of Southwest front fall behind the Dnepr .
This of course has left the Southern front badly overextended.
The cavalry holding Pervomaisk shows just how short of units it is.

[SigUp]

ORIGINAL: Gabriel B.

ORIGINAL: SigUp


In front of Army Group South's 6th Army, the Reds have surprisingly given up the terrain from Korosten to Zhitomir, leaving only a few blockers out there. The main line was taken back to the Irpen, then down south to Novoarkhangelsk. In this area Southwest Front has also set up a Dnepr defence to Cherkassy.

He is running.
Next turn would see the bulk of Southwest front fall behind the Dnepr .
This of course has left the Southern front badly overextended.
The cavalry holding Pervomaisk shows just how short of units it is.

Indeed, right now it seems to be more or less a race to the Dnepr. My plan is to go over the Dnepr somewhere between Kremenchug and Dnepropetrovsk. Right now there are no units there and if I can squeeze enough MPs out of my forces I should arrive at the Dnepr with no units dug-in. I am pondering whether or not to do a HQ buildup with a panzer corps down south. But right now I'm leaning against it. Only one division of 1st Panzer Group is below 80% fuel and if I rest one corps, the result should be more or less the same as doing a buildup.

[SigUp]

Hm, loki has left about 4 divisions along the rail line in the Pripyats. Nothing decisive, just annoying as I only have the cavalry division there. Guess the best way to deal with that is to use a security division to guard the nothern and southern edges of the marshes and wait till the Pripyats get encircled when AGC and AGS link up?

[Gabriel B.]

I move the 2nd army divisions along the northern edge of the marshes , in the wake of the 4th army , so the threat to the north is minimal , plus I do not convert that track, as it is not efective in suporting 2nd PZ Group.

In the south ,one security division behind XVII corps is enough.

the central sector as far as Yanov Polesky gets secured early on, by LIII corps .

[SigUp]

Thanks. I've already shipped 2nd Army to Vilnius per rail to march them down to Gomel, but recon indicates nothing on the north edge of the marshes. So I guess one security division is enough to keep watch. I've also followed your advice and went with the northern rail route, so even if there is something, it shouldn't have any effect. The cavalry division is at Luninets, behind it loki has managed to ZOC recapture Pinsk, but another security division there should put a lid on it. The southern edge should be secure with a security division there and if needed I still can send the Slovakians north.

[Gabriel B.]

Can you share your strategy concerning reinforcements ?

Historicaly the germans reinforced heavily the 6th army (5 divisions ) while 18th,17th,16th,11th,4th and 1st panzer only got one until august .

[SigUp]

I have sent all infantry divisions received up to turn 4 to AGN, bringing 18th and 16th Army to 24 CP and another 4 divisions to 4th Panzer Group. My aim is to deal with Leningrad as quickly as possible. I also intend to withdraw one panzer corps from there after reaching Lake Ladoga and send it to AGC. Afterwards my initial assessment is to send further infantry reinforcements to 2nd Army or 6th Army to fill in the gap between AGC and AGS. Depending on how quickly the Leningrad situation is resolved AGC aside from perhaps 2nd Army won't get any infantry reinforcements at all. Rather it will be AGN taking over front sectors for AGC.

As for 60th Motorized, I have yet to decide on a suitable location. And I have also not decided on a spot to send XXXX Panzer Corps either. I'll make that dependent on how the prospects of a Moscow push looks.

[SigUp]

Turn 4: 10th July 1941 - 16th July 1941

Army Group North



For the second consecutive week, Army Group North's units had a quiet time. XXXXI. AK (mot.) conducted a HQ buildup, while LVI. AK (mot.) was refueled using Ju-52s, in anticipation of the coming assault against the Luga line.

The infantry finally reached the frontlines and divisions from 16th and 18th Army managed to advance some 30 miles into enemy territory. All in all some 17 infantry divisions were heading towards Luga, with LI. AK's four divisions marching to the front. Only XXXVIII. AK (heading towards Tallinn) and XXVIII. AK (heading towards Lovat) were targeted elsewhere.

Army Group Centre



While Army Group North had a quiet time, von Bock's units drove forward again. At the landbridge XXXIX. AK (mot.) launching from Vitebsk managed to breach the Soviet checkerboard defense and ended the week in a quarter-circle frontline in the woods northeast of Smolensk. In it's wake the fully refueled LVII. AK (mot.) turned southeast and blasted away the 18th Tank Division with it's 302 AFVs. Kuntzen's troops reached the Dnepr east of Smolensk on the 15th July and completed the movement of the northern pincer.

At Mogilev infantry first opened up the Dnepr and then crossed the river with Geyr's XXIV. AK (mot.) following right behind them. Very crucially, 10th Motorized Division beat back the Soviet 20th Rifle Corps (144th and 160th Rifle Division) on 13th July with a single hasty attack and captured an intact bridge over the Pronya at Chausy. Lemelsen's well-rested units then proceeded to break out of the bridgehead and linked up with 3rd Panzer Group the 16th July. Thereby 10-12 Soviet divisions were encircled near Smolensk. Unlike the northern pincer, Guderian's encirclement ring is very thin. Basically a 10-miles-wide corridor, held mainly by regiments. But the most vulnerable point of the encirclement ring is with 3rd Panzer Group. The hex north of XXIV. AK (mot.) is held only by a regiment of 12th Panzer Division, with multiple Soviet divisions in the vicinity.

North of Vitebsk 26th Infantry Division reached the outskirts of Velikie Luki and V. and VI. AK are preparing to storm the city next week.

Army Group South



A week after the heavy fighting at Vinnitsa, Army Group South had a much calmer turn after the massive Soviet retreat. South of the Pripyats von Reichenau's 6th Army continued their march to Kiev, while 17th Army's forward divisions reached the frontlines near Vinnitsa. There they, with assistance of XXXXIV. AK, drove back a Soviet tank division standing in the way of III. and XXXXVIII. AK (mot.)



In Bessarabia the mass of 11th Army crossed the Dnestr, while the Rumanians cleared the banks of the river of Soviet blocking detachments. Meanwhile XIV. AK (mot.) recaptured the terrain between Dnestr and Bug and captured Pervomaysk, routing two Soviet cavalry divisions in the process. XXXXVI. AK (mot.) lunged forward from its positions at the Dnestr and reached the Ingul with LSSAH crossing the river on 15th July. In the meantime III. and XXXXVIII. AK (mot.) drove east towards Sinyukha.

The movement of XXXXVI. AK (mot.) was actually topic of very hard deliberations. LSSAH and Das Reich could have come within 20-30 miles of the Dnepr (and reaching the river if I didn't care about them possibly getting cut off), if they drove towards Chigirin. But in the end I decided against it. loki has enough units to plug the line at least up to Kremenchug, so a crossing next turn would be unlikely. Instead these two divisions would probably be in a bad position to maneauver with Kirovograd held by the Soviets to the South and only a narrow space between Ingulets and Dnepr to the east.

Air War



With fighting resuming in the centre, air losses picked up. Due to many ground support missions, the Stuka's were hit very hard and 30 machines were shot down. Additionally, reconnaissance squads also suffered heavy losses with 19 planes lost.

[Gabriel B.]

A very good turn overall , except maybe in the north where you are paying for turn 2 .

Ground support should be used upon request from ground troops , it does not has to be turned on, all the time .

[SigUp]

ORIGINAL: Gabriel B.

A very good turn overall , except maybe in the north where you are paying for turn 2 .

Ground support should be used upon request from ground troops , it does not has to be turned on, all the time .

Thanks. I agree about the mistake in the North on turn 2. Otherwise I could have pushed with the panzers this turn. I hope the weather holds up. Otherwise I would pay dearly for pushing the panzers too far.

I know that about turning ground support on and off. But I lost 14 bombers on two crucial attacks over rivers alone. All in all the support of 2nd Panzer Group's drive cost me 24 bombers.

[Gabriel B.]

By turn 4 you have enough bomber groups to aford to rotate the stukas , so that only one wing is engaged .
stg 77 atacks, stg 2 reserve, stg 1 prepares for the next week and so on.


german airbases can support only 1 stabs and 2 level bomber groups without being overloaded .
also at this stage you can increse the percent needed to fly to 40% so that a minimum of 16
bombers are combat ready per group .

[SigUp]

Good to know, didn't know about the overload settling in that early. So how many stukas and level bomber groups per airbase would you suggest is optimal?

[Gabriel B.]

ORIGINAL: SigUp

Good to know, didn't know about the overload settling in that early. So how many stukas and level bomber groups per airbase would you suggest is optimal?

the stukas require minimal suport , it is one of their hiden advantages [:)]
One base can suport one stuka wing and a fighter wing ( I usualy keep stg2 togheder with Lg 2 )

For level bombers 1 stabs, 2 groups :
I need 225 ground suport elements to service KG -1 while a airbase has 250 at ful TOE,

There are no damaged bombers in this unit case, from 1069 bombers at the start turn 4 only 49 were damaged . Serviceable aircraft 95% is something I take for granted .

[SigUp]

Thanks, good stuff, it's for these kind of things that I started this AAR. I'll start reorganizing next turn. By the way, do you know whether there is a way to choose which airbase to relocate to when there are two or three stacked together?

[Gabriel B.]

I am not sure I undestand your question .

[SigUp]

I mean, for example I have 1st Airbase, 2nd Airbase and 3rd Airbase on the same hex. Now I want to transfer a squad from 4th Airbase to 1st. Is there a way to do this without moving away 2nd and 3rd Airbase?