Pitaman (Axis) vs Tyronec (Soviet). All welcome.

[Pitaman]

Mud, then partisan attack on main rail line has significantly reduced Axis movements points two turns in a row.

[tyronec]

T11 start

Leningrad. Axis have attacked East advancing 2 hexes. The wee pocket was resealed and two divisions secured. A lot of ground bombing before combat, this time my fighters reacted: 22 for 95. Will try and push back the advanced Mod div.
They have also flanked my line below L Ilmen, will have to pull back there.

Moscow. Northern pincer is still pushing NE, will just have to fall back a little.
Southern pincer has pocketed 7 divisions, will hope to break the pocket this turn.

Stalino. Axis make the right hook as feared. Will evacuate Stalino and try and push back the lead two mot. divisions.

My defences at the Crimea hold out for anther turn.

So several attacks to do this turn, will be costly as it is still August but will accept the casualties. Can get more aggressive next turn.

[tyronec]

T11 end.

All our attacks but one succeeds, but costly at 13k men for a few hundred. Pocket to the SW of Moscow has been opened (just).
Air war – not so good this turn: 65 for 298 for the turn. Have switched on ground support so will see what happens next turn.

In the south have moved two armies to the Stalino area so am thin to the north. Am vulnerable to a left hook behind Stalino or a right hook pocketing units next to the sea.

My front line is somewhat ragged as I pass the turn back, am hoping that most of the panzers are not too well fuelled up and will not do too much damage.
Am playing a more active defence this game than usual, willing to sacrifice manpower to save some cities. My prime objective, from T1, has been to save Moscow. The strong defence around Leningrtad is all about delaying the time PG4 will switch to the centre.
Have a lot of partisans around this game, two battalions within range to strike the AGS rail line – that would be nice !

[tyronec]

T12 Start.

Finns. Almost up to the no-advance line.
Leningrad. City is almost cut off, will evacuate everything I can this turn and pull the rest back towards the city.
Kalinin. Moderate advance this turn.
Tula. My pocket has been securely sealed off – 7 divisions lost. Axis have broken through and sent 3rd Mot towards Tula. Not sure whether to try and kill it or rout it out. I still have industry in Tula that needs to be got out.
South. Two Pz corps are breaking through East of Kharkov. At Stalino have lost one city hex but no pockets as feared.

7 Guards divisions created.

[tyronec]

T12 End.
Leningrad: evacuation going OK.
Moscow. I failed to rout 3rd Mot so have had to surround it. Am concerned that I may lose a lot of industry here if things go badly next turn.
South. Manage to ZOC quite a few of the panzers, there are two Pz corps in reserve so they may be fuelled up.

Air war: 100 for 397 for the turn, am still reducing the Axis fighters. Will turn off ground support for my Tacs as they were taking too many losses. Will start having U2VS available in a couple of turns.

[tyronec]

T13 Start.

4 new guards divisions.

Leningrad. Axis have cleared my defences south of the river, had hoped the stack in the swamp would hold out for a turn. Have 2 armies in Leningrad and the rest defending the Volkhov river line.

Moscow. Northern pincer took just a couple of hexes. Southern pincer wipe out my pocketed units and advance a little. They cannot get through to 3rd Mot.
Just steady defence this turn and can hopefully start to get industry out of Tula if I kill 3rd Mot.

South. Defences have largely held this turn I have a big hole in my line around Voronezh that needs reinforced. Will do a few counter attacks around Stalino.

Crimea. All holding.

[tyronec]

T13 End.

Air war. Axis have stopped night intercepting. We get 70 for 130 (including 56 fighters) with a mix of day and night bombing. Am getting my airbases better organised for day bombing and also move more aircraft to the centre.

Finish off 3rd Mot, a failure would have been serious. Get most of the industry out of Tula.
Make another half dozen or so attacks along the line, usually getting me about 3 Morale pips for 6 or so units each.
Generally am holding my line and hoping there are no Panzers too fuelled up.

Thoughts on the game so far:
Air war going well.
Leningrad has held out a couple of turns longer than I’ve seen in the past.
Moscow looks fairly safe for ’41.
Industry is just about OK – 213 HI, 336 AP, as long as there are no disasters which is always possible.
OOB at 4.1m is low, I have lost far too many units. Will probably lose more at Leningrad when it falls and am at risk in several places along the front line of getting a few pocketed.
I seem to have more partisans than usual, just need a strike against AGS.

[tyronec]

T14 Beginning.

5 new guards divisions.

Leningrad. Axis are clearing the river line rather than assaulting Leningrad. There is also a Pz corps working up from AGC that has isolated a few units. Can get them out this turn.
Not sure what they are up to here, will shift an army or two up from the Moscow area to guard against them pushing up to link with the Finns. Am beginning to have some available rail capacity.

Moscow. Almost no advance towards the capital. The Pz corps near Tula has advanced a little.

Voronezh. Axis advancing towards the city, some possibility of counter attacks to get my cav a few wins.

Stalino. 9 divisions cut off. Can probably break the pocket this turn. Situation looking rather dangerous down here, will move down some of the VVS to give me some air supply capacity.

[tyronec]

T14 end

North. We pull back behind the river.
Cut off the three lead armour units around Vishny V.
Also cut off the two Panzers around Tula, will slow them up next turn.
Just manage to break through to my 9 isolated divisions around Stalino, one attack failed. Not looking good around here.
Get in a few attacks to raise morale and Wins, am attacking where ever I can.
Am pulling mack most divisions when they are promoted to guards so they can get up to their 55 morale.

Air war – Axis fighters no longer flying at night, get 30 with bombing so they are still decreasing.

[tyronec]

T15.

1 rifle division promoted to guards – am guessing that is my quota.
Mud in the South. Predicted in the North for next turn.

Leningrad:
Axis got across the river at Leningrad with the first attack, disappointing as it was at less than 1:1. Am not having much luck with critical combats up North.
They are also across the Volkhov river.
In view of the pending mud will try and hold the line, while evacuating what I can from Leningrad.

Moscow.
3 units re-isolated near VV but can escape this turn.
2 new pz div attacking at Borodino.
At Tula they have isolated my two cav divisions. No chance of extracting them.
Central area should all be mud next turn so will make what attacks I can.

Stalino.
6 divisions isolated, may be able to get through to them this turn.
South of Stalino is mud.

Manage to relieve all three pockets and get some good morale building attacks in. Listed units are my Infantry and Cavalry.
Air war is quiet, still manage 25 Axis fighters from bombing and interceptions.

[tyronec]

T16.
Mud in the north zone, which covers most of the map apart from Leningrad and around Stalino so not much happened this turn.
Another hex taken around Leningrad, one division shipped out.
Two cavalry units lost around Tula.
Some battles both ways around Stalino but surprisingly nothing pocketed yet.
I get half a dozen morale raising attacks in.
3 partisan strikes, only one in the south does any good and that one not much.
Have now got all my industry out for ’41.

[tyronec]

T17. Start of turn.

AGN. Leningrad cut off, 11 divisions lost. Otherwise fairly quiet.

AGC. 8 divisions cut off near Kaluga, will try to rescue but is against the odds. Not many other attacks.

AGS. Axis still pushing hard around Stalino. 2 divisions cut off but should be able to get them out with the mud coming.

Air war continues much as before, can usually get about 20 fighters per turn from night bombing.
3 partisan strikes around Smolensk which will have reduced supply to the Orel area.


I fail to rescue any of the pockets, so 21 divisions effectively lost this turn. Some were expected but not a good turn for me.
Mud predicted next turn so will resume when the snow arrives.

[tyronec]

Am closing this game down, one of the conditions for the game was no contact for 10 days and game over; and have had no reply to my e-mails.

I think the game is far from won however probably Soviet advantage at this point.
Final losses screens:

[SparkleyTits]

Shame

GG mate

[iwolfhound]

Agreed.

I was enjoying this AAR. Is it not possible to replace the other player? This has happened to Hard Luck as well.

[Telemecus]

If a server game no - the program could treat someone having two usernames as cheating. And it would mean Pitaman giving up to their credentials to their entire online account. If it was PEBM game then you only need to send on the game password for whoever is taking over.