SOVIET AAR thread of Drakken vs. Tamas DC3 Barbarossa game

[Tamas]

It was the closest in-game category to match him

[Tamas]

Besides its about what implied of him. The big threat level isn't his real intention of grabbing power, it's Stalin's perception of him doing so.

[Tamas]

TURN 2, June 26th

Well, none of my armies activated, again. This is mostly due to the furious Luftwaffe interdiction campaign, especially in the North where now I have a decent Marshal in command.

Zhukov hasn't arrived to 27th Army HQ yet (had 22% chance of being delayed, rolled a 10  ) Drakken's forward echelons are approaching the Dvina fast, I am less sure about my plans on serious delaying actions there:



All screenshots are after me moving BTW.

At the edge of the screen you can notice two of my reinforcement armies, the 21st and the 22nd.

The way it goes (for both sides) is that you first plunge down the HQ unit, then pending divisions start arriving (ie appearing on the map) at the HQ's hex. The speed of which depends on the line of communications and such, so you want the HQs ideally in a city but at least on a railroad.

I have sent Khruschev to the Central Front HQ. He shall offer a cheaper opportunity to replace Timoshenko (by shooting him), but the replacement may not be one of the Tsarist ones. Will see. The situation can become critical in the Center I will need to be ready to sacrifice PPs there.

All depends on timing now!

Zhukov's delay is painful... Seeing Drakken's progress I already should be sending him to the newly placed 22nd HQ to help set up the defenses of the Dnepr. Although that shall depend on the next turn... I am very much tempted to try and put up a fight for Minsk, plunging these two new armies forward once deployed, but the risk of encirclement and catastrophe is significant.

On the South, the situation is fairly average. I can (and by all probability will) lose a LOT of units but already most of the German infantry is tied down way behind the panzers... They will need to mop up and consolidate which will give me some pause.




I have used most of my PPs to put a bunch of armies on neutral stance accross the whole front.

And that's pretty much it! T3 will be very exciting.

[Norgy]

Just cancel comrade Krustchev's travel card. I hear he makes lewd gestures at the female tram conductors.

[Tamas]

One thing I forgot to mention: I have been moving my armor units around as much as I could, which in turn makes them lose tanks like there is no tomorrow. (most of Soviet tank losses were due to malfunctions, not combat).

[11B4V]

That is pretty accurate by all accounts for that time in the campaign.

[Tamas]

TURN 3, 30 June

Well, I am not happy.

First of all the general situation report:




Rokoshovsky's effect finally shows, as at least one Northern HQ is not busy running around in a panic with their pants down. So let's start with the North.

Zhukov FINALLY arrived, not a moment too soon. He has ordered the blowing of the bridges of Dunaburg, just right in front of the nose of the 6th Panzer division.

He also motivated the commander to fight better next turn, the way only Bolshevik leaders can!



Here is how this particular front line looks after I have tried to even it out a bit:




I have used my turnly free garrisoning card on Dunaburg, which was a tough decision, because the Central front looks like this:



And my two new armies are inactive, needless to say, so there is NOBODY to plug that massive hole with.

I do have 3 new armies as reinforcements to the Central front (the 16th, the 19th, and the 20th), and I WILL put one each to Vitebsk and Polotsk, but the only thing that can possibly stop Drakken from overruning them (if he wants to risk overextension) is the river in case of Polotsk.

Kruschev has arrived to the Central Front HQ but I still have the "release Tsarist" general for the same cost as his options to dismiss or shoot, so I did just that:



I should be fine with Paranoia for now, as the masses of scared mice army commanders who have not gained a name for themselves yet, will still more or less balance the rehabilitated Marshals, as you can see from this confidential report from the start of this turn:




So yeah, the Central front is an unmitigated disaster. Still, I have opted to be able to freely place one of the 4 new armies arriving there next turn. I will want to use it up north for protecting the flank of what I hope to be a successful defensive line.

the South itself is pretty boring in comparison. Yes, massive losses to the encircled units (made one of them partisans) but hey what else is new. I have plenty of space to trade there, and if there is an imminent deep breakthrough to happen, I am not seeing it.

AND I have had the first successful offensive action of the war, when I sent the Romanian tank division back to the western side of the Dnestr.



I have also made an attack in Karelia but that didn't end well.

Next turn we will see the first test of my Might Northern Line of Defense (MNLOD), and  if anything will stay between the Panzers and Smolensk.

[jimmy olsen]

The Soviet response was such a huge disaster in real life, and it's been such a long time since I read up on the campaign that I'm having a hard time discerning whether you're doing worse.

[Tamas]

The Soviet response was such a huge disaster in real life, and it's been such a long time since I read up on the campaign that I'm having a hard time discerning whether you're doing worse.

I think I am more or less in the ballpark.

[The Brain]

Paranoia runs... ZERO??!?

[KRonn]

This is an interesting AAR. Waiting to see how it progresses after more turns go by and if the Soviets gain more footing, which they should. I can imagine the mess it is for Mutha Russia in the first many game turns.

[Tamas]

I have several armies incoming almost every turn indeed. Most of them will be for Central, so I shall be able to plug that ugly disaster up if

a) Drakken will start experiencing his first command and supply issues due to rapid advance
b) the reinforcement armies will be in the mood of activating (new marshal should help)
c)there will be no disaster on the other fronts forcing me to spend precious PP reallocating some of those armies to other treaties

Up North Drakken is very passive with the Finns I wonder what is brewing. Usually I try to press with them to keep the pressure up.

I am awfully tempted to move the Leningrad army down to the northern front line, but what if he spots that and decides to ignore the huge PP penalties of prematurely advancing with the Finns past their old border?

[PDH]

If I were you I would order a hold everywhere and shoot generals who retreat.

[katmai]

That's your answer for everything PDH

[sbr]

One thing I forgot to mention: I have been moving my armor units around as much as I could, which in turn makes them lose tanks like there is no tomorrow. (most of Soviet tank losses were due to malfunctions, not combat).

Tying to get rid of obsolete models?