1944 Bagration - AAR

[Strategiclayabout]

Hi everyone ,

After reading all those great AARs, I've decided to try one too using the Bagration start.

Why Bagration ? New campaign, no previous AAR and "short" length.

Axis: Strategiclayabout

USSR: DeNatt

Main settings: AoC 1.02 (no hotfix) hard builds on & FOW on

(updates will probably be slow at times since english is not my main language, I'll try to have many pics and keep sentences short )

Not sure how it will work but I intend to cover the whole front (at least for the first few turns) using 4 pics per post, one before action and one after for 2 nearby combat areas. I'll also try to throw in unit names here an there for "historical" flavor.

Hope you'll enjoy it !

[Strategiclayabout]

CH1: The June Surprise (22-25 June 1944)

- This is the first clear report Model can rely on to know what's going on. Long story made short 8 units destroyed including a precious panzer corps. Only good news is that all of them except 88th division were able to escape encirclement. With other casualties Ostheer losses amount to 2,247 MPPs while soviet ones are estimated at 1,896 MPPs.

- As shown by the first orders he dispatches Hitler's Fireman is perfectly aware of the critical situation he faces. However with only 400 MPPs to deal with immediate needs is there anything he can do about it ?

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- Let's take a look at the overall situation on the eastern front. 119 land units to 147 and 14 air units to 21 and nearly no units in reserve. OKH expected the offensive towards Poland hence the scheduled deployment of an elite panzer corpsat Warsaw. However the massive push against AGC came as a nasty surprise. Lines are already broken in several areas leading to front reorganization.

- For the time being we'll have the following areas of operation:

FINLAND: Karelia (main) & Svir (secondary)

AGN Baltic States (main)

AGC Bielorussia (main)

AGNU Poland (main) & Pripet (secondary)

AGSU Romania (main) & Hungary (secondary)

OVERALL SITUATION

[Will95]

Ooh, a Bagration AAR...colour me interested! Must be a bit demoralizing to literally be fighting a losing war though

[Strategiclayabout]

Well, I hope you'll enjoy my desperate struggle Will. I can promise some nasty surprise for Stalin despite the odds .

[Strategiclayabout]

BIELORUSSIA AND BALTIC STATES

- Soviet main thrust between Smolensk and Vitebsk. Elite forces (5G tank, 3G cavalry, mech group, 6G & 11G armies) plowed through the gap between upper Dvina and Dnieper. 6 and 9 german corps crumbled quickly and the 4th army HQ was overrun. Fortunately, tenacious ground defense by II fliegerkorp crew allowed Heinricki (lvl6) and his staff to escape by plane from the nearby airfield !

- Thanks to good defensive terrain, southern pincer led by 1Bielorussian tank only made minimal gain against Jordan's 9th army (lvl5). First, 3reg of 45div was pushed back along the Gomel-Minsk railroad. However our 41Pz managed to block further advance before retreating with barely any panzer left. Having that unit survive now will prove to be of utmost importance for later operations.

- Russians also launched a side operation to cover the northern flank of their main advance. 4S army submerged the weak 281div north of Vitebsk and cut the railroad leading to the town. That move threatens to encircle most of 3rd Panzer Army (1 corps, 95div, 4 & 6 AT) under Reinhardt (lvl7).

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- Further north it isn't much better but at least AGN doesn't face armored units. Foolish orders from Berlin had Loch's (lvl6) 18th army defend Pskov in front of river Velikaya instead of behind. As a result the 38 corps was destroyed by infantry waves from 3 armies (42, 67, 54). A following move by the elite 1S army isolated the 50 corps and shattered any hope to keep the railroad to Opochka open.

- 16th army under Hansen (lvl7) had a quiet day since most action was on its flanks. Seems the enemy is trying to trap the whole army instead of launching frontal attacks. That said a red division (391) managed to sneak through the lines to reach our HQ in Ludza. Luckily the place was well defended with numerous trenches and the Russians had to cancel their surprise assault.

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- Our strategy for AGC and AGN will be to:

1) Maneuver around strongholds to keep railroads open for supply and reinforcements.

2) Retreat isolated units to establish shorter and better defensive lines.

3) Counterattack enemy spearheads to secure our rear and block further exploitation.

4) Wear down soviet offensive by destroying elite steps and units with low supply.

- Given the crisis we face in Bielorussia, it will have priority over all other areas. Immediate measures are taken to deal with the situation:

1) Manstein (lvl9) takes command of 2nd army. Weiss (lvl5) was considered too passive as he didn't send any help to Heinricki. And he was free to do so since the Pripet area he defended southwest of Minsk saw no enemy activity at all.

2) Hoepner (lvl7) becomes head of 9th army. Jordan (lvl5) is thrown to the wolves because of the near destruction of 41Pz though his lines held well.

3) Vitebsk and Mogilev are declared Festungen. Their defenders (1 and 39 corps at entrenchment 4) can attack but arn't allowed to move.

4) 4th army is dissolved and remaining elements are attached to 3Pz army and 9th army.

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- Reinhardt's 3rd Pz army (1 & 10 corps) is the first to move, hoping to clear the critical Polotsk-Vitebsk railroad. With heavy support from Rudel stukas of IV fliegerkorp 4S army was quickly shattered but some elements managed to escape eastward. 4AT fills the void and 2 corps are railroaded full speed to reinforce the lines. 1 hungarian is deployed north of the town to replace the lost 281div. 1 romanian southeast as a buffer while recovering men from 4th army. Isolated at the end of the Dnieper line the 25Pzg div was unaware of those good news. It could have been saved by retreating just some kilometers further north. Instead it was diverted halfway to launch a desperate and tragic raid against the soviet HQ in Smolensk. Other units (12 & 27 corps, 134 & 267div) begin their retreat to safety past Mogilev Festung.

- Manstein starts to gather forces at Minsk for a counterattack (52Pz from Romania, 23 corps & 1 cav from 2nd army, reduced 4LW corps & 22eng). The south is covered by 55 corps and 45 div while 41Pz is reinforced back to full strength. It comes at a huge cost for german war effort with a price above 150 MPPs. Speer had to redirect all available ressources to complete this task as quickly as possible (meaning buying back industry & production chits for 175 MPPs). To avoid any detection of our preparations by enemy scouts 1cav is sent north to eliminate Partisans. 35 corps moves on the Beresine to stops 3G cav advance while retrieving battered II fliegerkorp's remnants.

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- On AGN front two Festungen are declared, the first being Pskov for the 18th army. The 28 corps holding the town is the only unit left with offensive power. Loch has no choice but to order a sortie against the advanced 54 army to buy some time while reorganizing his forces behind the Velikaya. 2 german corps (72 from Hungary & 30 from Romania) are sent in a hurry to anchor the new line and cover the retreat of 50 corps. 207div and III fliegerkorp also arrive from Narva army.

- The second Festung is Opochka and witnesses a stunning string of defensive victories scored by 16th army. On the left 6latvian corps supported by 29nebelwerfer rockets pinned down and halved the elite 1S army facilitating the escape of previously isolated 50 corps. In the center 2 corps & 218div wiped out the 19assault engineer with no casualty before it could reduce the town fortifications. They were helped by the 93div leading a surprise attack against elite 3S army. Those successes allowed 81 & 263div to retreat orderly and occupy a good defensive position in the hills south of Ludza. The move also encircled russian 391div which threatened Hansen's HQ and covered Reinhardt's northern flank while he was busy at Vitebsk.

[Strategiclayabout]

FINLAND & SVIR

- Separated from other armies of AGN by lake Peipus the Narva army (26 & 43 corps, 61div) under Friessner (lvl7) has strong defensive ground on a narrow front. We don't expect much action here for the time being so several units are dispatched to other fronts at once (III fliegerkorp, 4LW corps, 207div). Our strongest one (3mech) is moved on a rail tile in the back to be sent wherever it will be needed. And for the sake of making best use of screenshots it was attached to the Finland area of operations.

- Mannerheim (lvl7) has a difficult task on his hands from the start. Elite units from the Leningrad front (21 & 23 armies 6, 97 & 109div backed by artillery) pushed back the 5 corps and put it out of supply while cutting the railroad to Petrozavodsk. We can try to save Talvela by securing the railroad to the east but it will mean weakening Viipuri defensive line (3 & 4 corps, 10div). On the other hand retrieving an HQ and the 5, 7 & 8 corps would be a great help and relief. Leaving finnish brethren behind is out of question so 4 corps shifts to the left and destroys advanced elements of enemy's 6div to link with 5 corps. Our only reserve, the 122div from Helsinki replaces it in the line while FAF crew secures the last kilometers of rail before the town as a last line of defense.

- Due to the situation in the karelian isthmus 7 & 8 corps under Talvela (lvl6) can't guard the Svir any longer. Soviet elite 127 mountain div had already flanked them and is threatening their rear. Finns only chance is a hasty retreat to keep their rail lifeline open and avoid encirclement by Russians (7 army, 29, 272 & 368div).

[Strategiclayabout]

POLAND & PRIPYAT MARSHES

- This is the area where OKH expected the main soviet offensive as our intelligence spotted at least four tank armies reaching western Ukraine in early June. Assuming this was around 40% of all russian estimated mobile forces Model concentrated his best units there. That's more than half of all Ostheer Panzerwaffe with 5 out of 8 corps. And he even obtained the deployment of an additional elite one at Warsaw for the end the month.

- That line of thinking proved to be utterly wrong since Stavka main push was in Bielorussia. Furthermore Russians had not 4 armored groups in Ukraine but 7 ! This negated the small advantage we believed we had but at least provided much needed reserves. Our troops are also well dug in anticipation of the coming onslaught but will that be enough to face the Red Waves ?

- The front is held by two armies: 4th panzer under Harpe (lvl6) is centered on the strategic town of Lviv. It has 2 panzer, 3 corps, 3 divisions and 1 artillery to defend the land bridge between upper Dniester and Pripyat Marshes. 1st panzer led by Raus (lvl6) blocks the gap between the Carpathian Mountains and Buchach. It has 2 panzer, 1 corps, 5 divisions and 1 artillery but was stretched to link with 1st hungarian army. Luftwaffe also has numbers to be proud of with 2 medium bombers, 1 tac bomber, 1 fighter and 1 Flak unit.

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- The enemy is perfectly aware of those weaknesses and avoids our strong center by launching two pincers around it. In the north 88div was pulverized in a matter of minutes and nearby 52 corps barely escaped after losing 50% of its men. This huge breach in our lines left Lviv wide open for russian main advancing force (elite 3G army & 2th tank, 69 army & Reserve tank, 121div). The left flank anchored in the marshes was also in trouble with elite 7G cav rampaging in our rear. It used difficult terrain to slip between 52 & 214div cutting them out of supply and even threatened Harpe's HQ ! Other than that there was no activity in the Pripyat area and Roman's troops only foe were mosquitoes.

- Further south Hitler's stubborn insistance to defend each and every piece of land made things even worse. 24Pz defending Buchach had a no retreat order and was wiped out by a massive assault from three tank armies (4th, elite 1G & 3G). Despite heavy shelling our brave men still managed to destroy nearly a third of the attacking force before meeting their end.

- At this point the town was ripe for the taking but luck was on our side. Exhausted T-34 crews lost heart when they suddenly saw german infantry pouring out of nowhere in the previously empty trenches. Believing nazi reinforcements were already there and having already suffered heavy casualties soviet commander cancelled the assault. Actually the so-called reinforcements were fleeing remnants of 371div down to a single regiment. Ignoring the fate of 24Pz they just retreated northwards along the railroad after being rolled over by elite 1G army & 6th tank group.

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- Thanks to the ignominious loss of 24Pz Raus is sacked and replaced by "Speedy Heinz" Guderian (lvl8). He takes immediate measures to restore front integrity and obtains reinforcements to secure Lviv. They include 40Pz from Romania, Roman (lvl6) HQ from Pripyat area and hungarian MKL fighters. That leaves the 48Pz free to attack 1G tank and clear the retreat path for 13 corps & 340div isolated on Dniester's eastern bank. The operation ends in a quick victory with Soviets running for their lives after only one hour of combat. The unit is then redirected north where it will back up 4th panzer army efforts. In the south 75div supported by 1 artillery attacks 4th tank and manages to push it back. It allows forces defending the Siret to avoid encirclement by pulling back safely. 46Pz becomes reserve for 1st panzer army while 1 & 367div establish a shorter line around Buchach with 371 & 75div. Unfortunately 54 corps lacks supplies and is unable to reach the new defensive position.

- Harpe also has a lot to deal with having elite 7G cav on his doorstep. 52 & 214div can't do much but are strong enough to pin down the Guards while 8 corps strikes in their back and rout them. However the main action is in front of Lviv where 3 & 56Pz with 96div destroy elite 3G army and advanced units of elite 2th tank. Massive support from 2 artillery and Luftwaffe including VIII fliegerkorp from Baranavichy were necessary to achieve that critical victory.

[Bill101]

I love desperate struggles so it'll be good to see how well you do!

[Strategiclayabout]

Thanks Bill ,

- Many things to do on first turn and I was a bit in the dark about what to write as it is my first AAR. I decided to take my time for this one and show most units on my side. Have to find some balance with playing time though since we're already at turn 8 (4 on each side). So I'll probably focus on main moves later to catch up with that. One thing I can promise is that it isn't a one-sided game so it should be fun to follow.

[Strategiclayabout]

HUNGARY & ROMANIA

- At first sight Hungary's border seems like an advantagous set up for Axis operations. A good number of soviet units (18, 38 & 40 armies, elite 62, 10 & 11div, 11G AT) are stranded in bad supply on difficult terrain while being surrounded on three sides by superior numbers. However they're entrenched units of little offensive value with no significant strategic objective around. The truth is that whole area is actually a mess and a complete waste of manpower. Though our troops have great defensive positions (all entrenched to 4) except they're deployed... on the wrong side of the mountains far away from any railroad. Hitler's "forward" defense mandatory strategy is to be blamed (again) for that genius move deprieving us of much needed reserves.

- Taking a closer look we have elements of four armies intermingled with each other. German 1st panzer (Raus) & 8th armies (Wohler lvl6) share the front with 1st hungarian (Neday lvl4) & 4th romanian (Niculescu lvl4). Most of their units are in various states of decaying supply due to Carpathia's mountainous landscape. Hungarians cover the center (7 mobile & 6 corps) linking with 1Pz army on the left. Romanians (5, 6 & 7 corps) defend Targu Orcna with Germans (17 & 49 mountain, 11 corps) filling the gaps. Throw in reserves (1 hungarian & 72 german corps) available in the back and we reach a total of 10 corps & 3 HQs plus some fighters (hungarian MKL 1st Erzel). Just a couple of units entrenched in critical spots would do the same job as well if not better.

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- Romania is something else entirely because of the valuable targets close to the frontline. Too bad those are on our side of the trenches with Bucharest & Ploesti oil fields (worth 110 MPPs per turn) only some dozens of kilometers away. No wonder there are two strong german armies guarding the Pruth salient to "support" our wavering allies. Allmendinger's (lvl6) 17th army (40Pz, 4 & 106 corps, 4 mountain, 258 & 370 div) is facing Roman & Ungheni on the western side. Angelis' (lvl6) 6th army (52Pz, 29, 30, 44 & 52 corps, 306div, 9 AT) holds the eastern side following Dniester's line to reach Artsyz. Dumitrescu's (lvl5) 3rd romanian (1 mountain, 3 & 4 corps, 4div, JGF fighters) covers the swamps in front of Constanta.

- However that last "army" only exists on paper since all units minus HQ & 3 corps were attached to german 8th & 17th army. They're supposed to block any soviet advance towards the capital on the Siret while Germans try to recapture Roman (direct orders from Berlin)... Russians have other plans and attack first eliminating 17 AT in a brutal assault by 3 armies (27, 52 & 53). Elite 7G army protect their flank by pushing back romanian 4div. Another offensive launched on the Dniester (57 & elite 5S army, 353div) fails to break 44 corps but Angelis is pretty sure it was only a diversion.

- Given AGC situation any unit we can spare on secondary theathers will be sent there. Targu Orcna becomes a Festung and 7 romanian corps receives better equipment to increase its defensive ability. All other units begin to fall back towards the closest railroads while increasing supply and forming shorter lines. Sadly that also means abandoning all hopes to save 54 corps from 1st panzer army isolated further north. I Luftflotte & I fliegerkorp move from Romania to Hungary were they will cover the retreat before reaching Poland. Troops already on railways are ordered to depart asap as a first wave including 2Pz & 4 corps while the second is expected to free 4 more plus one division, 1 AT & 1 HQ.

- Of course this will leave Romania dangerously exposed since it will be left with only half of its forces and no panzer. Even with no armor spotted on the opposite side holding the salient is out of question. Then 6th army evacuates the Dniester line to establish a new temporary one along the Pruth and Artsyz railroad. 3rd romanian is regrouped behind the Siret while 17th army buy some time by counterattacking advanced 52 army. Everything goes well as Russians are sent fleeing in disorder with minimal losses for our sturm group (106 corps, 258 & 370div). We hope to delay the enemy as much as possible with that kind of tactic before relying on the Galati fortified line.

[Strategiclayabout]

COMMENTS

- The last pop screen showing Axis MPPs gives an idea of the challenge we face in the summer of 1944. Germany produces 645 MPPs per turn but around 25% are diverted to fight Allies in the West leaving 495 MPPs for OKH. As USSR gets 897 MPPs we have to deal with an enormous 400 MPPs difference each turn. That means we would need to destroy at least twice our own losses to make Stalin suffer. We nearly managed to do it on our turn with 681 MPPs lost (from 2,247 to 2,928) against 1,222 (from 1,896 to 3,118).

- However it doesn't seem possible to keep that pace since the MPPs gap will only grow with time. First because I expect to lose ressource tiles sooner or later (mainly in Romania). Then because I killed my research chits in industry and production to face immediate needs. I think that was a good decision so far though I know I'll pay for it at some point. Just wait for Russians to suddenly jump over 1,000 MPPs while I dive under 400. I'm not sure it's worth it trying to buy those 2 chits again if I ever have 350 MPPs to spare later.

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Below what remains of 6 & 9 corps from 4th army .

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Thanks for reading and see you soon for CH2: Manstein Returns (26 June - 1 July 1944) !

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[Strategiclayabout]

CH2: Manstein Returns (26 June - 1 July 1944)

"Retreat may be subtle, but victory lies in the other direction". TIME (10 January 1944).

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Manstein ready to launch his counteroffensive at Minsk.

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- The soviet avalanche continued this turn with attacks all along the front. We managed to bloody the nose of advanced enemy forces but they just flowed around our Festungen as if it was nothing. 4 of 5 units lost were destroyed in the center expanding the growing breach in our lines. 3 armies (3rd panzer, 9th & 16th) are in danger of total anihilation by giant pincer moves with several of their elements already surrounded. Despite the quick arrival of no less than 5 corps situation of AGC & AGN worsened to the point where a general retreat was on the table. However Manstein was adamant a counterattack was the best course of action and for once he had Hitler's full support in the matter.

- To better understand such a decision in face of a looming disaster of that magnitude several things have to be considered:

1) Though our losses were enormous (+2,164 MPPs) Stalin also had a rough ride (+1,545 MPPs).

2) Once again only one unit was entirely wiped out (low supply).

3) Not a single Festung was captured.

4) Thanks to our previous moves new reserves are immediately available.

5) Elite 39Pz corps was deployed at Warsaw replacing nearly all of our armored casualties.

6) Failure to anticipate some enemy moves led to unexpected trouble but actually favored us in most critical areas.

7) The bulk of enemy mobile forces is now confirmed to be in Ukraine allowing us to achieve at least parity in the north.

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OVERALL SITUATION

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[Strategiclayabout]

BIELORUSSIA & BALTIC STATES

- Manstein expected at least a strong recon run on Minsk but the enemy didn't even try to cross the Beresine ! Instead his leading forces splitted north and south to encircle AGC's Festungen. 1 Bielorussian tank also vanished from the frontlines probably to be reinforced in the rear. Seems we concealed our moves well enough for Stavka to ignore them and not be aware of our build-up.

- One pincer (mech group, 3G cav, 6G & 11G armies, 220 div) crushed 6 LW AT and rolled around Vitebsk to trap 3Pz army. The other (5G tank & 2G armies, 33G, 37 & 173div) aiming to isolate 9th army (12, 27 & 39 corps) around Mogilev. 27 corps held firm but 134div was quickly submerged after being reduced to 40% and agonizing II fliegerkorps was finished. It lost all equipement but 35 corps managed to keep a bridge open long enough to retrieve nearly all of its personnel.

- A massive assault coming from the Dnieper closed the ring with 7 armies (elite 4G cav, 3, 31, 49, 50, 51 & 65) obliterating 12 corps. It even made some gain towards Minsk when a "diversion" to cover the main advance vaporized 3reg of 45div on the left flank. Surprisingly our 25Pzg div stranded in front of Smolensk managed to survive against all odds with two armies (43 & 48) trying to kill it.

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- On AGN's front Russians left 18th army alone and concentrated all their attacks on 16th army. Two major operations were launched the 27th June to encircle Opochka and cut 3Pz army lifeline between Polotsk and Vitebsk. The first started with a northern pincer (1S & 67 armies, 123div) mauling 6 latvian corps to cross the Velikaya. And it nearly succeeded when the southern one (3S army, 43G & 391div) forced 93div to retreat behind Ludza.

- The second (22 army, 16 & 193div) pierced german lines between 81 & 263div and pressed towards its objective. At some point it looked like the single overwhelming human wave Soviets unleashed that day would sweep everything in its path. It was to be remembered forever as the "Red Tide" by those who survived it.

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- To lead his offensive a new 2Pz army (41 & 52Pz, 1cav, 23 & 35 corps) is created by Manstein. Its first task is to relieve what remains of 9th army in the Mogilev kessel. Soviet screening forces left on the Beresine are taken by surprise and 173div is wiped out while 5G tank & 33G div flee in the swamps northwards. 55 corps from Hoepner's 2nd army supports the move by attacking 51 army and regain all lost terrain along the Minsk railroad.

- To take advantage of our quick progression a side operation was improvised to cut advanced enemy forces from supply along Smolensk's railroad. 3Pz surged forward and romanian 1 mountain corps was able to reach the exhausted 25Pzg div. However 27 corps & 95div failed to dislodge 37div from its positions despite heavy aerial support.

- Smelling a once in a lifetime chance OKH showered Reinhardt with reinforcements (3 mech & 49 mountain corps, 258 & 371 div) to continue the push southwards. Another secondary operation was hastily devised with security units (201 corps & FBD4 div) to shield Polotsk from russian spearhead (3G cav).

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- With hordes of infantry about to swallow its HQ 16th army was on the verge of retreat when rockets began howling northwards. Facing a desperate situation Hansen took direct command of 29 nebelwerfer and continued to fire even with enemies only meters away. The close range pounding devastated russian morale and halted the seemingly unstoppable tide for one hour.

- It was long enough for the General der Artillerie to save the day and earn the "Rocket" nickname. 67 army couldn't join hands with 43G div and the thin link with Opochka wasn't severed. The first counterattack (6 latvian & 72 corps, 218div) shattered 67 army and reestablished the Velikaya line.

- A second (2 corps & 81div) put soviet southern pincer out of supply and was close to surprise Bagramyan (lvl7). The third and last was led by elements of 3Pz army (1 hungarian, 10 & 50 corps, 4LW AT & 263div) and scored a decisive victory with the complete destruction of 22 army.

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[Strategiclayabout]

FINLAND & SVIR

- In Finland Soviets resumed their attacks to trap our units retreating from the Svir. Elite 23 army halved 122div without even sweating and forced it to retreat under heavy shelling. 21 army was then free to march on Viipuri but was stopped by the heroic sacrifice of finnish air force land crew. Further east elite 97div nearly reached the railroad but battered remnants of 5 corps held to the last man.

- In Karelia 7 army assaulted Petrozavodsk for no gain while our 8 corps ambushed 127 mountain & 29div. Unfortunately 119div managed to circle around a lake through swampy terrain to cut Talvela's foces lifeline west of 7 corps.

- A surprise attack of elite 2S army at Narva smashed hard 61div and pushed it back. However Russians retreated quickly afterwards making Friessner think their only objective was to delay 3 mech corps transfer.

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- The long awaited arrival of Talvela by rail at Viipuri allowed Mannerheim to launch his first counterattack. 8 corps replaced FAF land crew in the trenches and 3 corps pinned down 21 army while 10div raided soviet supply lines. 4 & 5 corps guarding the railroad were reinforced to prepare a large scale offensive.

- Though most of our forces evacuated Petrozavodsk safely volunteers from 7 corps were left behind to secure the way out. Those brave men will have to retreat towards Viipuri by their own means. Will the Karelian Isthmus be open long enough for them to be saved ?

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[Strategiclayabout]

POLAND & PRIPYAT MARSHES

- The dual soviet thrust against AGNU gained momentum with two pincers trying to encircle 1st panzer army. In the north 3 & 56Pz couldn't stop russian masses and had to retreat after falling below half strength. Their resistance allowed 52 corps & 96div to hold their ground despite terrible losses but also left a gap open between them. Enemy forces exploited it and 121div backed by 69 army even reached Lviv where it disrupted Roman's chain of command.

- On the other flank our shortened defensive line was able to limit russian advance but Buchach was lost. 371div "only" reduced to 60% fled again when T-34 (1 ukrainian & 6th tank) swarmed the town. The rout stopped only past nearby 75div trenches and left 1 artillery vulnerable. However 1div was heroic standing firm while losing more than 2/3 of its men. At the southern tip 367div managed to prevent any threatening move by two armies (1G & 38 armies).

- No activity in the Pripyat area since enemy units there (2G cav, 1 polish, 28, 61 & 70 armies) have terrible supply.

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- Guderian's reaction was swift and efficient with 3 panzer units concentrated to reduce the soviet spearhead threatening Lviv. 40Pz massacred 121div and a combined attack under Harpe (46 & 48Pz) shattered 69 army while routing adjacent 151div. That almost bloodless victory allowed Roman to secure Lviv once again by reinforcing 96div and deploying fresh 9 AT from Romania.

- In the south lines were shrinked with 1st panzer army establishing new defenses in front of the Svalyava railroad. Some moves were also made in the Pripyat to keep an eye on enemy forces and free more men.

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[Strategiclayabout]

HUNGARY & ROMANIA

- Except for desperate help requests from 54 corps buzzing on radio waves life was quiet on the hungarian front. A small soviet force (40 army 62G & 10div) advanced on Targu Orcna but 7 romanian corps strong position prevented any surprise attack.

- It was much livelier in Romania where two enemy offensives were conducted. One north of the Siret (4G, 27 & 53 armies) failed to break 17th army lines (4 corps & 4 mountain div). However a katyusha concentration was spotted at Roman announcing difficult times for Allmendinger.

- The second and main russian effort (5S, ?, 37 & 57armies, elite 56G & 353div) was directed against 6th army at Artsyz. 52 corps held the town well despite massive enemy infantry waves but 29 corps was forced back from the railroad with heavy casualties.

- There was also some activity on Angelis' flanks with 306div blocking attempts to cross the Pruth on the left (elite 10 & 58G div). The other side along Black Sea saw 46 army advance on Constanta halted by 3 romanian corps.

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- In Carpathia our forces continued their orderly retreat secured by a brilliant counterattack under Niculescu. He made great use of 7 romanian & 17 mountain corps knowledge of surrounding landscape to hammer 40 army and isolate 62G div in a narrow valley. It quickly proved to be a decisive blow as Stavka ceased all operations in that area afterwards.

- Further south more units left Romania to reinforce AGC & AGN. Combined with pressure on Artsyz it led to new withdrawals on shorter lines. 17th army was gutted and disbanded leaving 3rd romanian alone on the Siret. Allmendinger received proper reward for his staunch defense with command of the whole AGSU.

- 6th army witnessed another drama when a furious Hilter "exiled" Angelis to Poland. Given his precarious situation at Artsyz he ordered his men to fall back behind lower Pruth to defend Galati. The ferocious sortie launched by 52 corps to cover the move broke 57 army ranks but it wasn't enough to save the general's neck.

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[Strategiclayabout]

COMMENTS

- So far so good we managed to follow our plans. Lines were secured in Poland and Baltic States while soviet main push in Bielorussia was kept under control. Losses are now 5,828 (+736) MPPs to 5.782 (+1,119) so we were able to limit casualties on Axis turn again.

- The offensive in Finland worries me a bit but at worst I'll lose Helsinki and I can afford that. The question I have to answer now is how many MPPs I'm ready to spend there, upgraded allied units being quite costly (12 by infantry corps step against 8 for german ones).

- I'm also slowly realizing buying back destroyed units (even those at "half" price) won't be an easy task. I'm barely able to reinforce german land units each turn so I'll have to take harsh decisions very soon. I can't do much to save MPPs hence all the bad choices below:

1) Let Luftwaffe bleed.

(at least as long as fighters can intercept meaning 50% strength)

2) Let Panzerwaffe bleed.

(impossible to avoid for some units given cost of upgraded panzer)

3) Sacrifice useless MPPs eaters namely Axis allies.

(already happening by not upgrading units )

4) Stop operating troops.

(easy to say harder to do)

5) Retreat and avoid combat for several turns while producing units.

(will happen at some point whatever I do)

6) Kill remaining research chits.

(will provide less than a turn worth of income so a very desperate measure)

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Yeah I know there are two 52 corps in this AAR (52nd in Poland & 52th in Romania). Big Al are you there ?

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Next will be CH3: Corridors of Death (2-7 July 1944)

[Strategiclayabout]

CH3: Corridors of Death (2-7 July 1944)

Remnants of 1st division defending the Svalyava-Lviv railroad.

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Captured map showing soviet offensive plans in the Mogilev area.

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- Despite our best efforts last turn soviet units kept coming to storm our lines everywhere. No less than 7 infantry units (3 corps & 4 div) vanished though only one was out of supply (25Pzg div). Thus we fell at 109 land units against 140 with MPPs losses reaching 7,177 to 6,845 (+1,349 to +1,063) a bad day indeed.

- The enemy push forward nearly reached critical objectives and supply lines but was stalled short of them. Fortunately we were partly aware of Stavka's moves against AGC thanks to documents seized in a destroyed vehicle. That allowed Manstein to meet the threat in the best conditions to rescue Reinhardt's desperate 3rd panzer army.

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OVERALL SITUATION

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[Strategiclayabout]

BIELORUSSIA & BALTIC STATES

- The meager dyke we established to contain the soviet flow in the center broke up easily. 27 corps & 95div were pulverized by enemy masses while agonizing 25Pzg was put out of its misery. 5 armies (4G cav, 3, 31, 50 & 65) resumed Mogilev's siege while 2 (2G & 11G) securized the widening gap's flanks. Another (6G) forged northwards to link with stranded 3G cav and march on Polotsk. The poorly equiped and manned (50% strength) 201 security corps was only supposed to delay enemy forces and couldn't withstand the shock.

- That sacrifice bought enough time to prevent the Guards from crossing the Dvina and cut the last open railroad to Vitebsk. However it wasn't the only offensive threatening Vitebsk's lifeline and a single division nearly achieved the unthinkable. Stealthy 88div managed to sneak past the Festung without being spotted and disrupt Wohler HQ operations. As it was tasked with railhead organization and logistical support the surprise crippled forward units supply when we needed it the most.

- On AGN's front men of 6 latvian corps defended the Velikaya with their homes only kilometers behind them. Already halved by previous combats they perished to the last fending off assaults from 2 armies (1S & 54). Sadly enemy's ultimate reserve (123div) was able to cross the river and establish a weak supply line towards the Opochka kessel. Fortunately there was total confusion in the pocket at the time with no coherent chain of command. 3S army & 43Gdiv had no order to move though 391div began to retreat eastwards while 16 & 193div continued to advance south of Ludza.

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- As Manstein's forces were expected to relieve Mogilev from the south he attacked north instead. It was a tremendous success for 41 & 52Pz with 2 armies destroyed (4G cav & 3) and 2 more (31 & 50) routing in opposite directions. 1cav & 23 corps brawled a bit with 5G tank group to anchor 2nd panzer army left flank with 35 corps & 267div reaching the Festung on the other side.

- Then Reinhardt only had to push 49 mountain corps a bit southwards to cut supply of all advancing Russians. That said 3rd panzer army was still threatened from the north but a swift attack by 3 mech corps cleanly wiped out 88div. Having received the fresh elite 39Pz by rail he was also able to release 1 corps from Festung duty. Associated with 4LW AT and backed up by reinforced 10 corps they isolated red spearheads again (3G cav & 6G).

- In the north 16th army stroke again though having 123div across the Velikaya was a thorn in her side. And "Rocket" Hansen scored another victory when his forces (2 corps, 81 & 218div) destroyed 3S army in the Opochka kessel. Furthermore 16 & 193div were trapped south of Ludza by 1 hungarian corps & 217div allowing exhausted 50 corps to rest and regroup.

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[Strategiclayabout]

FINLAND & SVIR

- In the Karelian Isthmus Soviets gobbled up Mannerheim's bait line hook and sinker. They concentrated all their firepower (21 & 23 armies, 6, 97 & 109div, 7 art) against our decoy 10div. It fought so well that it monopolized attention even more than what was planned while weakening finnish intended target.

- Furter east along the Petrozavodsk railroad 7 corps managed to get some breathing space while crawling westwards. Tailed by 3 divisions it used terrain to delay them with localized infrastructure destructions and repeated ambushes.

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- On July 6 nearly all available finnish forces (3, 4, 5 & 8 corps, 122div) counter-attacked together at Tali-Ihantala. 21 army was obliterated in one day leaving russian commanders stunned after 2 weeks of continuous advance. This was a critical victory greatly relieving pressure on Viipuri and dramatically increasing the chances of retrieving 7 corps. It also favored a smooth retreat for beleaguered 10div quickly sent to the rear after its heroic stand.

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[Strategiclayabout]

POLAND & PRIPYAT MARSHES

- In Poland the double offensive against Lviv showed no sign of faltering. The southern pincer mustering 6 armies (1 ukrainian, 4 & 6 tank, 1G, 13 & 18) rolled over our freshly established line along the Svalyava railroad. 75div was erased from the map but the cunning commander of 367div managed to get 40% of his men out. 18 army forcemarched to threaten Luftflotte V airfield near the town while soviet artillery went mountain climbing to keep it under fire.

- On the other flank 96div was flattened by enemy guns supporting 1G & 2 tank groups. 9 AT nearly encountered the same fate but a dozen of Stug III managed to escape. Despite terrible losses those two units prevented any exploitation towards Lviv. That forced Russians to push elite 8G army & 38div forward to make some gains. There was no activity in the marshes.

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- The staunch resistance of Guderian's decimated units left red spearheads exposed to panzer counterattacks. 4th panzer army (46 & 48Pz) led a devastating charge against elite 8G army but the cowards fled in terror before 8 corps could finish them. In the center 1st panzer army (40Pz & 13 corps) made short work of enemy armor (1 ukrainian & 6 tank) though Russians evaded again complete destruction by fleeing shamelessly. And at Svalyava 18 army failed to break the lone surviving regiment of 1div guarding the railroad. The planned retreat became a rout with heavy casualties when elements of 40 & 46Pz unexpectedly showed up to speed up the process.

- The soviet debacle left hundreds of vehicles burning for kilometers in its wake. However no decisive blow was dealt and there wern't enough reserves left to reduce 38div beachhead in front of Lviv. Despite repelling advances by no less than four armies two german airfields remained under fire leaving retreat as the only option. The salient in front of the town was evacuated while 13 corps stayed behind to let AGNU reorganize further back. Some moves were made in the Pripyat area to prevent enemy cavalry (2G cav) raids in the rear. 20 corps also took a free shot at the unsupplied 1 polish army reducing it to 50%.

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[Strategiclayabout]

HUNGARY & ROMANIA

- Nothing happened in Hungary with enemy units keeping their distance after Niculescu's brutal counterattack.

- Further south the Siret line was broken quickly with 2 underequiped romanian units (5 corps & 3div/4 corps) nearly eliminated by several soviet armies (4 & 7G, 27, 52 & 53). In the center advanced enemy divisions crossed the Pruth in front of Galati to reach the Focsani-Namoloasa-Braila fortifications but couldn't go any further. On the coast 46 army increased pressure without results on Dumitrescu's 3 corps defending the road to Constanta.

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- In Hungary unit transfer continued with two more corps reaching the railroad. 17 mountain corps was kept back a bit around Targu Orcna to avoid any surprise move by Russians.

- Given its precarious situation Dumitrescu's 3rd romanian army had to fall back hurriedly on the FNB defensive line. One regiment of german engineers was sent north of Bucharest to fortify the mountain pass leading to the capital shielded by 4 corps. 3 corps retreated towards Constanta leaving the port and its Viscol DD exposed. 6th army (29, 44, 52 & 106 corps, 4 mountain, 306 & 370div) was ordered to occupy the trenches around Galati to defend the most vulnerable area. All depleted units were sent to the back waiting for Berlin's "promised" reinforcements and modern equipment.

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[Strategiclayabout]

COMMENTS

- Great turn despite starting losses with 4 soviet armies and 1 division destroyed leaving us at 110 land units against 135. That's 8 to 5 but I received unupgraded 82 corps from the PQ so it's actually 7 to 5. I lost 714 MPPs to 1,365 (overall 7,891 to 8,210) a very good score keeping in mind the 400 MPPs production difference per turn.

- I'm very satisfied with Mannerheim and his Finns but now it's Romania worrying me. Axis units state there is horrible with 4 units at 20% and an enormous cost to reinforce them. With those katyushas around Roman I'm not sure how demoralized Romanians will fare even with mountain defensive bonuses. Dumitrescu started the campaign near Constanta putting most of romanian units out of HQ range and I paid dearly for that. I'll try to concentrate back hungarian units around Neday if I get the chance to avoid that kind of disaster again.

- Poland frustrated me to no end with all soviet units (especially tanks) just retreating far away when in danger. AGN was ok and Bielorussia was a dream come true with that encirclement of 9 units including 5 armies. I know Stalin will free them again next turn (except the 2 in the north maybe) but at least they won't be able to threaten me with 0 supply. That said and though it doesn't look like it just now I made sime very dangerous mistakes this turn and it got critical the next. Can you spot them from the pics ?

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Below soldiers of romanian 4 corps guarding the carpathian pass north of Bucharest.

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Soon will be CH4: Red Parachutes (8-13 July 1944)

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[Strategiclayabout]

CH4: Red Parachutes (8-13 July 1944)

Soviet 2G VDV landing near Baranavichy.

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- Main surprise this turn was a surprise paradrop capturing a town in the Pripyat Marshes. I left it empty the previous turn (one of my mistakes) as I have to admit paratroopers slipped out of my mind starting day 1 . A very good move distracting OKH and MPPs from critical areas with later consequences.

- On the other hand soviet assaults were weaker with less casualties than ever on my side. Seems Stavka needed a break to regroup and free units encircled by AGC before resuming offensive. The strongest push was in Poland but failed to achieve much despite killing one panzer. All in all Axis "only" lost 4 units (now 106 to 135) and 1,261 MPPs to 1,230 for Stalin (9,152 to 9,440).

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[Strategiclayabout]

BIELORUSSIA & BALTIC STATES

- Red flags (pun intended) all over for Manstein this turn with two new enemy mobile units (Kharkov tank & ? mech) spotted near Mogilev. We are now at 10 armor and 2 mech groups overall negating local advantage panzers enjoyed so far.

- Also and as expected Soviets managed to supply again all units AGC encircled last turn destroying two corps in the process (49 mountain & romanian 1 mountain). Two AT units were also pushed forward and one damaged 39Pz while an armored train secured the Smolensk railroad.

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- In the north desperate Russians tried to resume their advance on Ludza despite terrible losses on previous attempts. Under a whistling rain of fire consecutive assaults at divisional level (123 & 391div) failed once more to break unwavering 29 nebelwerfer.

- Further south 4S army was the only unit to achieve something of importance by eliminating 263div reduced to 50%. The resulting hole in german lines across the Vitebsk railroad reopened the main supply route towards 193div "beachhead" and threatened Polotsk again.

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- Despite Manstein's wise advice to avoid a Kursk-like frontal clash with soviet reserves Hitler ordered to continue the offensive. Blinded by pipe dreams of giant annihilation pockets 1941 style he insisted that a decisive victory was at arms reach.

- The southern pincer advanced quickly with 41Pz wiping out 2G army while 52Pz & 1 cav forced back 49 army. However due to bad planning they ultimately failed to kill 37div and link with 39Pz & 3 mech from the north. Those units sent 4 AT fleeing with barely any gun left before destroying 48 army and halving 11G army.

- Though 2 armies (3G cav & 6G) were isolated again northwards russian main forces (5G tank & 11G armies, 33G & 220div, 16 AT) wern't. This was the turning point as you'll see next turn. After some thinking it appears destruction of 37div was an easy job and I just made a string of very bad decisions I still can't explain to myself. Below some of the mistakes involved:

STRATEGICAL

1) Being distracted too much by Baranavichy's paradrop.

2) Not paying enough attention to soviet increasing mobile reserves.

3) Hitler is a nutjob : p .

TACTICAL

4) Not concentrating assaults on the weakest/critical point.

5) No air support to reduce entrenchment.

6) Letting panzers exposed/adjacent to AT units when I could have retreated them.

7) Not sending the best unit (elite 39Pz) under the best general with best supply (Minsk instead of Vitebsk)

8) Playing late at night : D .

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- Back to Baltic States where 16th army tightened ranks again to crush out of supply 123div near Opochka (2 & 50 corps, 81 & 218div). The move left 43G div alone far behind the lines and unable to cause more than minor disturbances.

- Heroic 29 nebelwerfer was granted a leisure trip near Minsk to rest and reequip under direct orders from "Rocket" Hansen. Lastly 1 hungarian corps secured the railroad south of Ludza by expelling 193div from the gap between the hills and occupying nearby heights.

- 18th army (4, 28, 30 & 72 corps) supported those efforts by launching attacks along the Velikaya while 93div sealed the breach on the river. However what was only supposed to divert enemy forces degenerated in an all-out assault ending as a costly stalemate.

- AGN's commander Lindemann was about to sack Loch because of those unnecessary casualties when he got Hitler on the phone. The Führer was very pleased by his men's fighting spirit and announced a full shipment of iron crosses already on its way...

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