Gen.Goofy Does Barbarossa vs Orm (No Orm)

[warspite1]

Having been completely trounced by Orm when playing the Soviets. Orm will now give a masterclass in playing the Soviets.

[warspite1]

18th June 1941
Pre-turn

I have 16pp to start

I decide to Support Hitler’s plans. Cost is 0pp and gives a pp bonus of 70pp (86pp)

I also get a +14 relationship with The Fuhrer

AGN

I choose the Kaunas-Dunaburg-Luga line to be converted at a cost of 2pp (84pp)

This gives a +9 relationship boost with Gercke

AGC

The Brest-Minsk-Smolensk rail line is to be converted 6pp (78pp)

Another +2 with Gercke

Eisenbahntruppe under-manned and under-supplied. I vote to give them what they need 12pp (66pp).

This gives a +12 (prev 0) to their conversion effort.

More man love between me and Gercke (+9) but -12 von Brauchitsch

Truck repair shops. I Lobby hard for adequate facilities for 13pp (52pp) 75% chance of good outcome but says fallen on deaf ears.

Wagner +5 is pleased but Jodl has got a right cob on -20 [X(]

Mobile Repair – Enough for one theatre only

I go for AGC at a cost of 7pp (46pp)

Wagner +8 and Jodl -7 show what they think of this development.

Truck repair +2% (prev 4%)

The Fuhrer has issued his latest Directive, setting out his goals for the forthcoming undertaking; the conquest of the Soviet Union. To the surprise of many, Leningrad is to be the key target. But there is no alarm in the ranks – and truth be told – even amongst the General Staff, (though a few have muttered cautious soundings under their breath).

After all, hasn’t our Fuhrer led us to victory after victory so far? From reclaiming the Rhineland, the Anschluss, Poland, through to the victory over the French – and whole manner of victories in between. Yes the map looks daunting, the distances vast. But we have confidence in our army, its soldiers, its generals.. and above all our Fuhrer….

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22nd June 1941

There is both bad news and good news on the relations front – but mostly bad.

- Relations are poor with von Brauchitsch, Goering and importantly, von Rundstedt.

- The effects of von Rundstedt’s anger is that there is a 3% chance of AP penalties and, most serious of all, I cannot get focus for von Kleist’s 1st Panzergruppe.

- On the plus side I have neutral relations with the other two army group commanders and have a 1% chance of an AP Bonus

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22nd June 1941

There are four decisions on my desk. I need to be careful as I have been a little extravagant with my pp so far.

- Fuel Allocations. I will order no changes (0pp)

- Hitler Oath (0pp). I am not sure what to do here. I say I will take the oath and that send relations with the Fuhrer to almost intimate, but the downside is that von Brauchitsch is going to be a PITA.

- Air Offensive for the cost of 0pp I will order the Luftwaffe maintain its offensive for the next 12 days. This means no ground support but I am hopeful it will affect activation and movement of Soviet forces. This eases relations with Goering (though still poor) but send relations with von Brauchitsch further south….

- Security Divisions. I order these to continue mopping up (0pp), much to the delight of von Leeb.

Cards and stuff

I will report on these with each Army Group Report.

Not sure why but I seem to have gained 20pp from somewhere and am now back to 66pp???

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22nd June 1941
Army Group North

5pp I give focus to ColGen Hoepner’s 4th Panzergruppe

2pp I give General Busch’s 16th Army artillery support

These cards take effect next turn.

The objective is for Hoepner’s tanks to race for the Dvina – the way hopefully having been cleared by von Kuchler’s 18th Army - and attack before the 27th Army gets properly dug-in. 16th Army, with the aid of the artillery support, will head for Kaunas.

[warspite1]

22nd June 1941
Army Group North

Operation Barbarossa begins with an attack by Gen Wodrig’s XXVI Corps against the 125th Rifle Division east of Tilsit. The 1st and 217th Divisions, straddling either side of the Nieman, push the Soviets back and General Keffel’s 1st Infantry crosses the river. General von Both’s 1 Corps (with the 217th attached) then pushes north to engage the 202nd Mechanised Division. Fierce fighting ensues and the 8th Army HQ is almost overrun, but manages to extricate itself, along with much of the 202nd, and retreats to the northeast. Finally a combination of General von Chappuis’s XXXVIII Corps and Both’s divisions, attack the 11th and 48th Rifle Divisions that are guarding the road to the port of Liepaja. Once again the defenders are pushed back, although once again they retreat in good order.

16th Army’s advance begins with assistance from Army Group Centre’s 3rd Panzergruppe. Two divisions push the 5th Infantry back from the main road/rail link between Konigsberg and Kaunas. 4 divisions from II and X Corps then attack three Soviet rifle divisions west of Jurabakas. In a sign perhaps of things to come, the Soviets fight tenaciously and refuse to yield ground. The attack grinds to a halt as does 16th Army’s contribution to the turn.

It’s now the turn of Hoepner’s 4th Panzergruppe to try and exploit the ground opened up by the 18th Army. General Manstein’s LVI Panzer Corps pours more misery on the retreating 202nd Mechanised, before having to halt to replenish.

Tracing Manstein’s steps, General Reinhardt’s XLI Panzer Corps – 8th Panzer and 36th Motorised Divisions – crosses the Nieman and heads north. Then, having cleared the heavily wooded area between Tilsit and Kaunas, swings east to attack the previously retreated Soviet armour. The Germans are unable to destroy the Soviet tank divisions, but they are effectively no longer capable of combat operations. The infantry of the 269th and 290th Divisions then move in behind the three Soviet divisions that have so bravely held out previously and, in a change of plan, Reinhardt and Manstein provide a division each to the south, to move along the rail line to attack two Soviet divisions defending the approaches to Kaunas. The Soviet defenders retreat into the city and the tanks finish off by returning the favour to 3rd Panzergruppe; hitting the Soviet 56th Rifle Division and forcing it to retreat with heavy loss.

[warspite1]

22nd June 1941
Army Group Centre

1 Division failed to deploy – the 110th Infantry Division of 9th Army.

5pp I give focus to ColGen Guderian’s 2nd Panzergruppe

4pp I give FM von Kluge’s 4th Army artillery support

The plan chosen is risky in that 2nd Panzergruppe will be tasked with destroying the Western HQ forces before they can fall back on Minsk. This means moving swiftly into enemy territory without infantry support. Success depends to an extent on the activation throws, but by moving quickly I am hoping I can maximise the possibilities here. Meanwhile, 3rd Panzergruppe’s job is to get across the Upper Nieman and then swing north toward Vilnius. If taking Grodno is possible then that is an opportunity to be taken, but authorising attacks by tanks against towns and cities is to be an exception rather than the rule. 9th Army are responsible for sealing the north of Bialystok, while the larger 4th Army are to deal with both south AND Brest Litovsk. This means the latter city will not fall on the opening turn at least.

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22nd June 1941
Army Group Centre

The opening salvoes in this sector are fired by 4th Army’s 78th Division which engages the 6th Cavalry Division south of Bialystok. Two divisions of General Heinrici XLII Corps then head southeast to confront the 42nd Rifle Division in the northwestern approaches to Brest Litovsk. The ensuing attack causes the 42nd to fall back into the city. General Fahrmbacher’s VII Corps then provides two further divisions to invest the city, but there will be no attack on Brest Litovsk this turn.

General Felber’s VIII and General Gelber’s IX Corps provide the divisions for the reduction of the Soviet forces west and south of Bialystok. Meanwhile General Strauss’s VIII, XX and XLII Corps provide the same service north of the city and to ensure a breach is made in the junction between 3rd and 10th Armies – a breach through which 3rd Panzergruppe are hoping to pass through. The methodical attacks gradually reduce the almost-sealed pocket bit by bit, until there are eight divisions left.

General Hoth’s forces are then brought into play. 6th Infantry Division attack the already severely mauled 56th Rifle Division north of Grodno. VI Infantry Corps and XXXIX Panzer Corps combine to force the 29th Motorised Division – detached from its parent HQ - to retreat into Grodno. Two German motorised divisions are then diverted to the task of clearing Bialystok after all. [Sticking to a plan is a discipline in itself]. The rationale is that the fuel situation would be greatly eased by taking this city, and 14th and 18th Motorised are given the job of laying the foundations by removing the 13th Rifle Division to the north. Having done so the plan changes again! Don’t use panzers against a city! Instead von Bock orders Hoth to continue with the original plan to head south of the Upper Nieman with 3rd Panzergruppe’s tanks. Firstly two divisions are required to remove the powerful 204th Motorised Division from the west bank and this is achieved.

The final army to see action is General Guderian’s 2nd Panzergruppe. Firstly, 29th Motorised is ordered to seal the pocket around Bialystok – but does not quite have the range to achieve this. Das Reich and 10th Panzer Divisions then assault 6th Infantry and the 4th Army HQ north of Brest Litovsk, forcing them back, and this is followed by an attack by the 1st Cavalry and 31st Infantry against the 42nd Rifle Division directly north of the city. The combined effects of these attacks are that the railroad link between Brest Litovsk and Minsk is broken. South of the city the 38th Tank Division is pushed over the army group boundary by the 167th Infantry Division. It is clear that the original goals are being forgotten. Von Bock makes clear, no more effort must be expended against 4th Army and Brest Litovsk until the Bialystok pocket is closed. This is achieved by 18th Panzer Division brushing aside the 2nd Rifle Division, allowing Hoth and Guderian’s forces to meet up. 17th Panzer is then brought up and makes contact with the most westerly units of the Soviet Western HQ. There will only be one attack possible sadly, but Guderian’s panzers are there in force. Two panzer divisions of General von Schweppenburg’s XXIV Panzer Corps seriously maul two Soviet divisions and destroy the remnants of a third.

Who forgot to take a picture then? [8|]

[warspite1]

22nd June 1941
Army Group South

3pp I give General von Stulpnagel’s 17th Army artillery support

The plan is yet to be worked out for this army group (I will think more next turn when the Romanians and 11th Army come in).

The action begins with 17th Army and the attempts to take the old fortress of Przemysl, which falls easily. Panzer Group Kleist is then brought immediately into the action but fierce resistance from the Soviets brings their main attack to a crashing halt. The Soviets now have a solid line – albeit of weak units – between Lvov and the panzers.

In better news von Reichenau’s 6th Army dish out some punishment to the Soviet 5th Army, but without any major surroundings or pockets being formed.

This could have gone a whole lot better….

[warspite1]

22nd June 1941
Finland

I almost forget to do the Finns [8|]

The Finns move forward in Karelia, but are not in a position to attack. However, at the head of the Isthmus, its a different story. The Finns take back the city of Vyborg, lost to them in 1940 and seriously maul the 27th Border Division.

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26th June 1941

I run through the last turn and I desperately hope I am wrong but I have a horrible feeling the Western HQ either activated or partially activated...

[warspite1]

26th June 1941
Finland

The Finns are in conservative mode. The 71st Rifle Division is attacked and forced into retreat by two Finnish units, but the Finns do advance. They wait for reinforcements to arrive first and will attack in numbers.

In the Isthmus I suspect my opponent put the 27th Border Division on the northwest bank of Ladoga in order to bait the Finns, but I have to go for the attack, which is only partially successful. We shall see....

[warspite1]

26th June 1941
Army Group North

A couple of things that fail to impress von Bock....

On the positive side:

- all units deploy (none failed)
- none of the three armies suffer penalties

I have one decision to make that directly affects AGN. It concerns Water Towers. I cannot keep cheesing von Brauchitsch off so go against Gercke. My relationship remain good with the latter and distrustful with the former.

[warspite1]

26th June 1941
Army Group North

The weather is fine - a high of 22-23C expected in the target area.

The Germans go into action.

Two divisions of von Both's 1st Corps immediately head north along the main road to Liepaja, with 291st Division on their right flank and the Baltic on their left. The Soviet 11th and 48th Rifle Divisions are pushed back almost to the Lithuanian port before the German infantry run out of steam. Two other divisions push the 125th Rifle Division deeper into the forest. The remaining units push into northern Lithuania toward the Latvian border.

Further south, 16th Army order an attack, launched by Hansen's X Corps, to liquidate the two divisions of 11th Army trapped behind the lines. The attack succeeds and the whole army moves up to the south bank of the Nieman to threaten Kaunas from the west.

Hoepners panzers begin their day with a cross river assault against 179th Rifle Division west of Kaunas. The 269th Infantry Division combines with the Panzergrenadiers of the SS Totenkopf, to forge a bridgehead. 1st Panzer Division follow them across, leaving 16th Army to occupy their position. North of the Nieman the 36th Motorised Division attack the shattered Soviet armour and the 8th Army HQ. The attack completely isolates three divisions. Manstein orders 6th and 8th Panzer Divisions northeast of Kaunas to attack two divisions of 11th Army seeking to flee east. The attack succeeds in forcing the Soviet units out of position - and into the Central Front sector. Hoepner, sensing the plan to reach Dunaburg in 12 days evaporating, orders 1st Panzer and 36th Motorised divisions to clear the approaches to Kaunas from the north. This attack succeeds in destroying a tank division and forces the surviving units to retreat. The final attack involves four armoured formations attacking three divisions east of Kaunas. Two Soviet divisions survive the brief engagement, but also flee into the Central Front sector for safety.

Von Leeb regrets not asking von Bock to plug the gap.

[warspite1]

26th June 1941
Army Group Centre

- Similar to AGN, AGC has suffered tank breakdowns and problems with rail conversion.
- 110th Division of 9th Army once again fails to deploy.
- None of the four armies are suffering any penalties.

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26th June 1941
Army Group Centre

von Leeb requests assistance from von Bock. The last attack in the AGN sector showed the ability of Soviet units to get away over the army group/front borders. von Leeb wants this stopped. von Bock agrees and orders General Ruoff's V Army Corps to push on over Nieman and invest Kaunas from the south. 5th Division takes up position with a view to further assistance depending upon how things progress elsewhere. This further assistance comes in the form of the 6th Infantry Division which mauls the Soviet 56th Rifle Division. However, the surviving riflemen are able to get across the river and provide another obstacle to the German advance.

But von Bock's focus, as far as 3rd Panzergruppe is concerned, is the destruction of 3rd Army around Grodno. General Schmidt's XXXIX Panzer Corps are able to cross the Upper Nieman and achieve a bridgehead on the north bank south east of Grodno. Using this as a launchpad, Hoth is ordered to attack the Soviet infantry east of the city. The attack is a failure as once again the Soviets prove stubborn in defence. An ad-hoc two division strong infantry/Panzergrendier force is quickly cobbled together and evicts 29th Motorised Division from Grodno. 7th Panzer is added to this formation and together they assault the 204th Motorised Division guarding the river north of the city.

Having failed to surround the 3rd Army HQ from the south and east, Hoepner follows up the success north of Grodno by ordering 7th Panzer Division to continue harrassing the retreating Soviet motorised unit - which is destroyed in the process. Hoepner then commits the last of his reserves - the 12th Panzer Division - to form a very tenuous encirclement of the 3rd Army.

The 3rd Panzergruppe are exposed and will need Guderian tanks to secure their right flank.....

But before then, von Bock turns his attention to Bialystok, and Strauss commits almost the entire 9th Army to taking the city. 5 Divisions are committed giving a 362 vs 262 but with an 80% modifier. Unsurprisingly the city falls. Siege Artillery is immediately ordered up to Brest-Litovsk.

Guderian is ordered to Minsk - and don't spare the horses! Sadly after moving a couple of units it does indeed appear that the Western HQ either activated or partially activated as they have managed to get along way away [:(]

General Lemelsen's XLVII Panzer Corps catch up with two fleeing Soviet divisions and attack at extreme range. Three divisions of General von Schweppenburg's XXIV Panzer Corps leapfrog the exhausted 18th Panzer and continue the attack - but this hastily arranged attack fails to dislodge the Soviet. Guderian has shot his bolt - and many of his panzer units have spent fuel with nothing to show for it.

Meanwhile, east of Brest-Litovsk, three of Guderian's infantry divisions attack two armoured units in a bid to cut 4th Army in two. The attack succeeds, as does a follow-up that pushes the 4th Army HQ further into the Pripyat, but this is not what the plan envisaged - 3 infantry and one cavalry division of Guderian's force are tooling about miles behind the panzers they are supposed to be supporting.

And so the turn peter's out. All that remains to be done is for 4th Army to head for Brest-Litovsk to ensure the fall of that city as soon as the Siege artillery arrives.

[warspite1]

26th June 1941
Army Group South

- Third Romanian Army suffer -20 AP's thanks to 'bad' relations with von Rundstedt...
- 3 divisions failed to deploy (1 x 6th Army and 2 x 11th Army)

[warspite1]

26th June 1941
Army Group South

The attack starts with 17th Army once again. von Schwedler's IV Corps are tasked with pushing the Soviet left wing of 6th Army back. Given the terrain and the shortage of transport, the attack, though successful, quickly reaches the extent of its reach. The attacks on the left flank meet with considerably more success and in a series of attacks, 6th Army is almost wiped out - thanks in no small part to the fact that 1st Panzergruppe sealed the Soviet's escape route.

There are two main prizes here. Firstly grabbing Lvov and secondly destroying as much of the Soviet army as possible before they get the chance to retreat. With the first target in mind, two infantry divisions of General Obstfelder's XXIX Corps create a small breach northwest of Lvov. The 16th Motorised and the SS Wiking Divisions then set about exploiting and widening that breach. They achieve a deeper penetration and cut off the bulk of 6th Army from 26th Army. 9th and 11th Panzer Divisions follow the route carved by their motorised panzergrenadiers.

After much debate, von Rundstedt agrees with von Kleist that the destruction of 26th Army is far, far more important than taking Lvov - especially as this job can only be done with tank units. As a result, the panzer formations concentrate on the Soviet infantry and armour either side of the former Polish city.

This phase of the battle begins with 14th Panzer Division attacking the junction between 5th and 26th Armies. It was decided in the interests of not spreading oneself too thin, not to attack south of Lvov, but for the panzer forces to remain to the north. This tactic perhaps yielded less than what could have been achieved with a more gung-ho approach.

On 1st Panzergruppe's left flank von Reichenau's 6th Army slice into 5th Army as they head for Rovno.

[warspite1]

26th June 1941
Army Group South (South)

The offensive in the south of the Army Group South theatre gets off to a bad start with 20 AP being removed from the 3rd Romanian Army....

Things then get worse when the Romanian 4th Army fail to achieve anything against Soviet cavalry and rifle units on the left flank of 9th Army. Two further Romanian attacks prove dismal failures and only an attack by four infantry divisions of 11th Army (supported by the Romanian armour) gives any cause for optimism whatsoever... An equal number of Soviet divisions were pushed back in the attack, although they did not head for Kishinev.

[warspite1]

26th June 1941
Army Group South (South)

I have 62 pp.

Decisions

- I upset Field Marshal Antonescu by ordering a maximisation of Romanian oil production (9pp)
- More train trouble (0pp) I try and make the problem go away, but have ended up cheesing off von Rundstedt. Not something I wanted to do....
- I've given a propaganda film a big swerve - and promptly annoyed both Goebbels and Keitel (0pp).
- I order security divisions in AGS sector to keep mopping up. That is good as it costs (0pp) AND it improves relations with von Rundstedt (although still neutral).

Cards

- Focus on 1st Panzergruppe (5pp)

I will start showing the losses situation from next turn.

The truck situation is looking okay so far.