SOVIET AAR thread of Drakken vs. Tamas DC3 Barbarossa game

[11B4V]

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.

I'd say yip. Darn close.

[Habbaku]

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

What about forming all of his divisions into one, massive army?

[Habbaku]

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?

I think that moving troops to where there is fighting is more useful than leaving them where there might be fighting, all else being equal.  Could you delay the Finns long enough to reinforce without the Leningrad army around to keep them honest?

[11B4V]

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.

The seeds of the disaster were sown during the initial Soviet planning COA cycles in 1940 & 1941. That set the Soviet armies deployment wrong from the get go. Soviet General staff predicted correctly about where the German main effort would fall, but was overridden by Stalin. In short the general staff predicted the German main effort would fall north of the marshes with AG Center, which it did. Stalin over road them and stated the main effort would come from AG South into the mineral rich Ukraine. He chose poorly, because that placed the bulk of the Soviet mobile forces with Kirponos' Kiev MD/ Southwestern Front. Get the book Stumbling Colossis by Glantz, it goes into get detail Soviet prewar planning and deployments.

Btw you guys have sold me on this game.

[Tamas]

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?

I think that moving troops to where there is fighting is more useful than leaving them where there might be fighting, all else being equal.  Could you delay the Finns long enough to reinforce without the Leningrad army around to keep them honest?

In theory I should be able to direct one of the incoming reserve armies to Leningrad in time. Plus I wonder if I shouldn't in fact tempt Drakken into breaking the border with the Finns . The PP penalty is huge for that.

Yeah will see what happens next turn. It is entirely possible he will break through my river line in strength in a turn or two and then I will have no choice anyways

[PDH]

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

What about forming all of his divisions into one, massive army?

Grand Divisions only work against Tamas, not for him. 

[Tamas]

 

[Syt]

What about long divisions?

[FunkMonk]

Or joy divisions?

[Syt]

Or joy divisions?

No, that's what the Japanese had.

[Norgy]

That's your answer for everything PDH

He even did that in Football Manager.

[PDH]

That's your answer for everything PDH

He even did that in Football Manager.

worked there though.

[Norgy]

Or joy divisions?

Love would tearm them apart.

[Tamas]

TURN 5, 4 July

Well that Northern thing didn't last long, did it?




Retreat begins! Except from Riga - that will serve as a roadblock, and Zhukov departed to the respective HQ (Baltics) to blow up the cities bridges.

Also the reinforcement army I redirected last turn, the 24th, have been placed to Pskov.

Regarding the Lengingrad HQ, the Finns have activated themselves it would seem, besides, I didn't realise the HQ's units are already partaking in defending the front line there. So the HQ is staying.


I have retreated along the entire front as much as I was able, and deployed my Central reinforcements. The recently arrived armies there were ordered to try and take up defensive positions. They are planned to be used as roadblocks at this stage. If I can trust my intel on the map, Drakken hasn't moved his FSBs, he will need to soon. That shall give me time to prepare holding the Dnepr.

I have also ordered one of next turn's reinforcements to be freely deployable. It is probably going to the South where a giant envelopment from the north started. It is scary-looking for sure, but then again that route is the furthest from the German supply routes. It cannot be maintained forever.


Here is how the central and southern fronts look like respectively, after I moved and placed reinforcement HQs:





Seeing how my Paranoia has started to grow, Kruschev has been dispatched to the South Front HQ. Budenny is probably toast.

Otherwise though, I saved some PPs to enact some minor reorganisations next turn.

[Tamas]

TURN 6, 8 JULY



Lots of losses this turn, of units that were pretty much dead already.

HOWEVER, the northern front has not turned into a full blown disaster YET. In fact, I managed a successful counterattack against the 8th Panzer. Not that it would amount to anything but panzer losses are awesome losses, and it should give me an extra turn as it pushed down the possible start-off point of their next pig push.

Unfortunately I couldn't blow up the Riga bridges as the city got cut off from the army HQ. So Zhukov bestowed increased independence on the general and departed for 21st Army in the center of the Central Front, expecting the bulk of enemy pressure there from next turn.

Speaking of the Central Front: I see Drakken opted for converting the railroad toward Vilnius first but I have spotted units from both of his Central panzergruppes next to Minsk. If he will base his next thrust from there it will make his earlier choice sub-optimal, although it depends on a few things.

At any rate, I decided to move my reinforcements armies there forward a bit. This can make me vulnerable but I am not willing to give up a big portion of land unopposed, and I have new armies coming in to form a second line behind the rivers.

On the South the situation is very dire and is expected to totally collapse any turn now, unless Drakken is already having fuel issues.

Which prompted Kruschev to do this:





The new Marshal, however, isn't exactly the jackpot:



HOWEVER, since I already had around 38 Paranoia points, the big decrease given by this is welcome.


If you remember I opted to have one army deployed freely this turn. After some considerations I placed it to Kiev. It would have been of great use up North, it would have given me a feeling of confidence in the center, but as I mentioned, the South is about to utterly collapse.



Here are how the fronts look after my moves. Mind you, I don't expect any of these first lines to actually hold; but I want to slow the enemy down.