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1944 Bagration - AAR


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FINLAND & FINLAND GULF

- Quiet turn for Mannerheim as 109div couldn't cross the river defended by Talvela's HQ crew. 122div was forced out of the trenches along the Leningrad Railroad by 23 army and heavy artillery fire but cautious Soviets declined to advance. Some action in the Finland Gulf where a red sub ran into waiting german DDs while hunting the cruiser used as bait to shell the coast near Narva.

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- Frontline was reinforced (HQ, 3, 4 & 5 corps) but all losses wern't replaceable so 122div was sent in the back. 7 corps managed to gain some more kilometers towards safety after losing pursuing enemy divisions in the vastness of finnish forests. In the Gulf Kriegsmarine laid a new trap to finish (unintended pun hoho) the wandering soviet sub by covering all escape routes to Kronstadt.

- At Narva Friessner was deprived of two more units (43 corps & 61div) to answer needs on other fronts. His "army" now only has one corps (26) left facing two russian divisions (120 & 124) in bad supply. Fortunately it seems Russians also have weakened this area sending all armies southwards on the Velikaya.

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POLAND & PRIPYAT MARSHES

- Soviets launched three attacks this turn hoping to reach the polish border and open Hungary's backdoor. In the south 46Pz was destroyed near Svalyava (3G & 4 tank groups) but inflicted heavy casualties to enemy armor preventing any advance across the railroad.

- In the center 13 corps thwarted all efforts against Lviv despite overwhelming odds favoring Russians (1G & 2 tank, 1G, 13 & 60 armies). In the Pripyat area 7G cav tried again to cut supply of our left flank by advancing on the Bug. 2G cav moved towards Baranavichy to link with paratroopers of 2G.

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- As usual Guderian reacted quickly and 40Pz finished wounded 4 tank near Svalyava before being replaced by fresh motorized hungarian 7 corps. However the main counterattack came at Lviv where 56Pz, 13 corps & 9 AT eliminated 1G tank and reduced 2 tank to 40%.

- On the left having already commited all his armored units Harpe only had infantry (8 corps, 52 & 214div) left to deal with 7G cav. It was enough to push back cavalry Guards in the marshes but he had to abandon the defensive line that held so well for three weeks.

- Further north a weak 9th army was reformed under Neday with 131 & 5LW used to block 2G cav in the swamps. They were joined by hungarian 2 corps, Polizei & 22div deployed to protect AGC's lifeline between Vilna and Minsk.

- Though AGNU managed to compensate tank losses over time it lacks infantry to man a continuous front and holes are left in the lines. 1st and 4th panzer armies are then ordered to reorganize for defense in depth and prepare new positions with better supply around Lublin and Jaroslaw.

- Thus units in the center get priority for reinforcements (48Pz, 1 & 340div, 1 artillery) but 52 corps will have to wait. 82 corps still unequiped is concealed in the woods behind Svalyava to cover the rear in the south while what remains of 3Pz moves on the Bug to counter new cavalry raids in the north.

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HUNGARY & ROMANIA

- Not much action in Carpathia as Soviets were busy preparing their next offensive on Bucharest. Given where their katyusha batteries are the only question is if they will strike 4 corps along the railroad or attack 6 corpset the left end of the romanian fortifications.

- The center around Galati was quiet but on the coast 46 & 57 armies surprised 3 romanian corps and made it flee all the way to Constanta. Fortunately they wern't able to push forward thanks to difficult terrain and the weak 52 corps backing the Romanians.

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- Near Targu Orcna 17 mountain corps was the last unit to evacuate towards the railroad while 11 corps wass rushed in front of Constanta to avoid a disaster. Other reserves were deployed with 61div from Narva occupying the trenches behind Galati and 123 engineer being reinforced to 100%.

- Minor counterattacks were launched in the center by 6th army to pin down Russians and buy some time to man the fortifications. 4 mountain div forced back a depleted reserve army and was helped by 306div raiding elite 10G div lines to protect the flank.

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COMMENTS

- Satisfying turn again thanks to Guderian's prowess in Poland with a 1 to 2 loss ratio for MPPs (715 to 1,313 total 9,867 to 10,753). Soviets lost 5 land units including two tank groups meaning we're now at 106 against 130. Given the constant bleeding in infantry I decided to buy back all divisions available at half price (75, 95, 96, 263 & 3/45). They will arrive in a month and though unupgraded yet will certainly receive a warm welcome.

- To gather necessary funds I had to make some sacrifices and let 29 & 52 corps rot at 20% in Romania for one more week. If possible I plan to continue stuffing PQ with half-cost AT, full cost divisions and half-cost corps. Panzer units cost too much and I'm barely able to maintain existing ones at decent strength. Maybe later with an extra artillery and AT when I'll retreat/avoid combat to cut my losses but that's not a priority.

- Despite Manstein's failed encirclement overall strategy hasn't changed with low priority for the flanks (Finland/Romania) and full power in Bielorussia. However it's clear I'll have to divert more AGC forces from now on and send them to Warsaw and/or Bucharest very soon. Events in the Pripyat area had me rethink the whole AGNU/AGSU theater though as I'll have to deal with Baranavichy somehow and prepare for other surprise paradrops.

- One possibility I see is falling back for better supply in Poland while holding around Brest-Litovsk and beyond Svalyava. Soviets have avoided the mountains so far but maybe they'll go for it if they see a chance to advance on Budapest and Ploesti. Depending how many units Stavka send there it can create an opportunity to strike back with combined forces of AGNU & AGC (retreated from Minsk) against a vulnerable polish salient.

- Yeah yeah I know what you think: "Keep dreaming Adolf" but Steiner will come to the rescue for sure :D ! Next turn will be a decisive one so you'll have statistic screens (MPPs & unit losses) instead of pics for the comments.

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Below german reinforcements reaching the lines in Romania.

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Don't miss upcoming CH5: One Kessel Too Far (14-19 July 1944)

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CH5: One Kessel Too Far (14-19 July 1944)

OVERALL SITUATION

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- As you can see above only 5 land units were lost this turn leaving us at 101 against 132. However four (39 & 52Pz, 3 mech & 1cav) belonged to Manstein's mobile forces and amounted to 80% of AGC offensive power. MPPs losses went up with +1,799 (to 11,666) for Axis and +1,492 (to 12,245) for USSR. The sunk romanian destroyer inflates a bit the final count for no true effect on the frontlines but it's still at a level the Reich clearly can't afford.

- So we're on the verge of an epic and unexpected disaster in the center and we'll see later how it happened. Fortunately russian attacks in other areas wern't as successful giving Wehrmacht some breathing room despite increasing pressure in Poland. For now let's focus on all the bad consequences of that crushing defeat and why there are still good things about it.

- The bad:

1) OKH whole strategy has to be urgently revised.

2) Armor and mech groups balance is now 5 to 1 for Soviets in Bielorussia.

3) Retreat in northern Russia can't be delayed much longer.

4) Panzerwaffe's enormous casualties can't be replaced.

5) Many 2nd panzer army units that wern't killed are in bad shape.

6) My morale is tanking after believing some kind of victory was possible : D .

- The good:

1) Bagration main push was halted for a month.

2) All destroyed forces were in good supply.

3) Several enemy units were bled dry to get the win.

4) No major objective or Festung was lost and the frontline wasn't breached.

5) Infantry losses were moderate and one panzer remains.

6) Offensive costs were unsustainable then switching to defense is for the best.

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Destroyed panzers near Vitebsk.

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Soviet troops entering Lviv.

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BIELORUSSIA & BALTIC STATES (part 1/2)

- A double post for that area this time due to big events ; ) .

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- Since Manstein failed to break 37div Soviets were able to supply most of their previously encircled units. However many of them were severely depleted and the northern part of the kessel (3G cav, 6G armies) remained isolated.

- That led Germans to more or less ignore any possible threat from that direction and concentrate attention on their pincers' southern perimeter. Stavka took advantage of that fact and ordered suicide human waves from surrounded units while relief forces pushed from the Dnieper area.

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- Operations against 3rd panzer army towards Vitebsk included 5 armies (Moscow & Mobile mech, 11G, 49 & 65 infantry) plus 220div and 16 AT. On the other side there were two assault groups attacking around Mogilev to deal with 2nd panzer army.

- The main one advanced west of the Festung (1 bielorussian & Kharkov tank, 51 armies, 25div) while the second (5G tank, 31 armies, 33G & 37div, 4AT & urban armored train) followed the Smolensk railroad.

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- At the same time (28, 50 & 61 amies, 44G & 69div) conducted a diversionary offensive south of Minsk. It was designed to pin down frontlines troops and lure in any reserve AGC would have near the city.

- Surprisingly there was little to no artillery support backing those moves but russian aerial superiority was overwhelming with at least 3 med & 1 tac bombers covering the skies.

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Generalleutnant Hans Källner commanding 19Pz division of 52Pz corps.

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Mixed remnants of 2nd panzer army (52Pz, 1cav & 134div) crossing the Beresine.

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- South of the Beresine 1reg/45div nearly broke but somehow managed to retreat in good order despite being reduced to 20%. 134div covering Mogilev supply line miraculously escaped death with only one batallion left fleeing across the river. 1cav was quickly wiped out by red armor though it resisted long enough to alert nearby 52Pz and set the stage for an heroic feat.

- After blocking all enemy spearheads for a day the corps was submerged when Russians concentrated all their efforts on it. However despite facing three tank groups and being slowly consumed it always maintained cohesion centered on Hans Källner's 19Pz div. Maneuvering brillantly the two dozen panzer still fighting he kept them together to cover each other using terrain while withdrawing.

- That mobile cluster acted as an irresistible magnet and attracted soviet fury for two days allowing nearby 23 & 35 corps to entrench. It survived all attacks by constantly moving back and even reached the Beresine while wasting already flailing russian momentum. However Red Falcons dominated the area and striked twice to destroy remaining vehicles despite all efforts by 134div remnants to keep at least one pontoon bridge afloat across the river.

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- Further north Reinhardt's men (39Pz & 3mech) were even harder to subdue and died where they stood inflicting terrible losses to attackers. 11G army retreated after falling to 20% strength and 49 is down to 30% while mech forces were decimated (Mobile group halved and Moscow one pulled back with 10% left). Smaller units (220div & 16AT at 60%) fared better but after such a butchery for minimal ground gain only 65 army (70% manpower) retained some offensive capability leaving Vitebsk out of reach.

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- Given its difficulties to obtain a clear breakthrough in the Baltic States Stavka moved some from the Narva area. Then AGN faced once again waves of infantry with no less than 6 armies deployed shoulder to shoulder in front of the Velikaya. 8 & 42 were on the flanks keeping an eye on Opochka and Pskov while the others (1 & 2S, 54 & 67) tried once more to cross the river and link with isolated 43G div.

- 93div couldn't stop such a massive assault and had to fall back towards 18th army HQ but 218div didn't move an inch. The supporting offensive towards Ludza with exhausted troops (4S army, 16 & 391div) was stopped by 81div alone and failed to achieve anything.

- Though 16th army is under constant pressure it seems Russians begin to lack men (6 corps against 7 armies and 3 divisions on each side). Combined with good defensive terrain it should allow Hansen to keep AGC northern flank secure for now.

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End of the turn for Bielorussia and Baltic States next post ^^ .

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BIELORUSSIA & BALTIC STATES (part 2/2)

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- AGC faces a crisis with Minsk threatened but thanks to previous moves and some luck many units are already well positioned. Depleted ones (41Pz, 29 nebelwerfer, 1reg/45 & 134 div) are fully reinforced and continue to entrench forming a new defensive line. 29 nebelwerfer protected by 267div can cover all the center while 41Pz has an ideal spot to counterattack with good communications and supply. 2AA also arrives from Vitebsk as well as I fliegerkorps from Hungary to protect the critical area north of the city against enemy air raids.

- True to himself Manstein quickly organized a counterattack to take advantage of Källner's heroic retreat. 55 corps pushed back 69div across the Beresine allowing 20 corps to freely move on the left wing. There it filled the gap along the railroad near 41PZ and joined 23 & 35 corps in a clean sweep that eliminated the weak soviet vanguard without casualties (5G tank, 37div, Urban armored train). They received unexpected help when a bold sortie of unsupplied 39 corps from Mogilev attacked 1 bielorussian tank group in the back and sent it fleeing southwards.

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- 3rd panzer army front is still strong despite losing all of his mobile units but situation of 2nd panzer army makes things difficult for Reinhardt. He will have to evacuate his salient sooner or later and needs to secure his back before launching that operation to avoid another disaster.

- Thus 6 hungarian & 1 corps began to reduce the pocket west of Vitebsk by hammering 6G army and tightening the ring around 3G cav. Meanwhile 10 & 43 corps with 371div provided some breathing room south of the Festung by destroying 49 army reduced to one corps and forcing 65 army to retreat with heavy losses.

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General der Artillerie Christian "Rocket" Hansen commander of 16th army.

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AGN deployment around Lake Peipus before the transfer of Narva army units.

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- Déjà vu for AGN with 18 army lining up 4 & 72 corps to get rid of 67 army bridgehead over the Velikaya isolating 43G div once more. 93div had to be reinforced and couldn't replace 4 corps to keep the road to Pskov open. At that point Loch only choice was evacuating the town to plug the hole with 28 corps though as usual the Führer refused flat out.

- However this time Hitler the magician managed to pull an actual rabbit out of his hat by stealing 40Pz to Guderian's AGNU reserve and railroading it full speed all the way to Latvia's border. Not a smart move given 6G AT was around but well better than your typical imaginary unit for the moustache guy isn't it : D ?

- With his left flank clear "Rocket" Hansen had the chance to shine again and didn't hesitate a second to seize it. Borrowing again 1 hungarian corps to Reinhardt he pinned down 16 & 391div though our brave allies lost a quarter of their men in the process. Then he gathered all his remaining forces around Opochka and destroyed 4S army to put the two soviet divisions out of supply.

-In five weeks of combat and wihout armor support 16th army has completed the destruction of five enemy units (3 armies, 1 division & 1 engineer). Such a feat while losing only one corps and one division makes it Wehrmacht's most efficient one though sadly it wouldn't last...

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Thanks Aryaman :) ,

- Yes it's a very interesting campaign for both sides even against AI. Playing Germans train your defensive skills a lot while strong Soviets have to deal with a short time window. As Axis you'll truly feel the pressure of that endless stream of red units.

- If you go for it better play with Big Al hotfixe though because german research is dead otherwise. Without it I'm at 12% for infantry level 5 after 8 turns. So I may have a chance of breakthrough starting December when the game will already be decided :P . In my game Soviets have intel 3 and german only 1 so I can say goodbye to Tigers II :( .

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FINLAND

Finnish soldiers of 3 corps defending VKT line near Viipuri.

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- Soviets pushed on Viipuri but Talvela and 3 corps stood firm but took heavy casualties. HQ crew was retreated to avoid meaningless losses since Mannerheim knows he'll have to abandon what remains of VKT line very soon. Further east 7 corps is about to reach the Karelian Isthmus after its long march so there won't be "Svir" pics anymore to follow it separately.

- Kriegsmarine's trap in the Baltic Sea worked as intended with red sub S-102 being ambushed by Admiral Hipper cruiser. However despite help from Z18 destroyer it wasn't sunk and FAF had to fly against overwhelming odds to complete the kill. It lost half of its remaining planes in the process falling to 20% strength but axis convoys from Sweden are now secured !

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Exhausted men of 7 corps keeping an eye on soviet advance.

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POLAND & PRIPYAT MARSHES

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Sorry for update delay but game's pace became quite hectic (now at turn 24/CH12). I can promise some stunning moves for next chapters :D .

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- In Poland soviet units three ranks deep advanced all along the front but were blocked everywhere after initial gains. 13 corps heroic defense in Lviv ruins attracted the bulk of enemy armor (3G, 1 ukrainian & 2 tank, 8G, 13 & 18 armies, 77 & 107div) and pinned it in vicious street fight for three days.

- When the town finally fell german 9AT was ready to prevent any exploitation forcing exhausted Russians to flow around the railroad right in the gaps where Guderian's staggered reserves were waiting for them.

- Same story at Svalyava with 7 hungarian corps holding its ground while 82 corps stopped 11G AT recon unit in the woods further west. Following forces (6 tank, 1G & 38 armies) were unable to push through the narrow gap between the town and 367div without creating a giant traffic jam in the rear. - On the other flank (Reserve tank, 60 & 70 armies, 151, 322, 328 & 336div, 10G AT) wern't able to dent even slightly 4th panzer army trenches and just lined up themselves for slaughter.

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- After Soviets failed to advance significantly the conditions to execute Guderian's plan were perfect. He launched brutal counterattacks everywhere to cover AGNU fall back on the Jaroslaw-Lublin-Brest line.

- In the center 367div & 9AT hunted down scattered 3G tank vehicles to the last in the woods west of Lviv. At Svalyava 1div bloodied the nose of 11G AT to cover 82 corps retreat while 7 hungarian corps evacuated the town for a stronger position further back in the mountains.

- Harpe's 4th panzer army (56Pz, 8 corps & 214div) maneuvers on the left flank were also flawless with great results. All forward enemy units (60 & 70 armies, 77div) were violently pushed back with heavy losses safe for 10G AT thanks to forest cover.

- That allowed Harpe to free his panzers (3 & 56Pz) and shift them northwards where they'll be able to strike Baranavichy and deal with russian 2G VDV paratroopers threatening AGC rear.

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HUNGARY & ROMANIA

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- Soviets resumed their attacks north of Bucharest (4G, 27, 52 & 53 armies) with Stalin's organs roaring all over the place. However and contrary to German's fears 4 romanian corps having its capital behind didn't break despite losing 50% of its men.

- The respite provided by that unexpected stand would prove invaluable for AGSU and the engineers working further back. Another piece of good news came from the south where 46 & 57 armies ignored 11 corps to score an easy kill against romanian Viscol DDs left unprotected in Constanta's port.

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- Seeing enemy efforts concentrated on his wings Allmendinger decided to reinforce the northern flank by weakening his center and abandoned Galati. 4 mountain div shaked a bit 37 army to conceal the move and evacuated the town to man the fortifications. 4 romanian corps absorbed all reserves available while 6 corps sallied out of its trenches further east to distract 53 army.

- That "minor" offensive had a surprisingly high cost with 30% casualties but it didn't matter since nearby 106 corps was ready to replace Romanians after 4 mountain div arrival. Every scrap of unit (5 romanian & 29 corps reduced to 20%, JGF fighters) remaining in the rear was transfered to the left and concentrated around Ploesti as a last line of defense covering the oilfields.

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COMMENTS (part 1/2)

- That was as close to an ideal turn as it can be for Germans with 1 to 2,5 loss ratio in their favor (369 to 889) though we'll reach an astonishing 1 to 3,5 on a later turn. 7 enemy units were destroyed including two tank groups to avenge my two fallen panzers (but I'm still one mechanized unit short). Since Soviets gained little to no ground I suppose the Führer can allow himself to call it a victory with a big smile on his face : D .

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Hitler flying all the way to Minsk to congratulate Manstein for his "victory" in Bielorussia.

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Detailed MPPs statistics.

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[400] starting MPPs

[175] research chits MPPs

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- Now that the main battle for Bielorussia is over it's time for some analysis of our situation. As you can see with MPPs reports for both sides my intended plan worked quite well (before my final blunder that is). The two first spikes on Axis' one show Bagration initial push while the two following cover Manstein's counterattack. The steady and satisfying decline in casualties met an untimely end with the fifth spike and the loss of all those mobile units.

- You can also see that I controlled my losses very well on german turns keeping them just a bit above what I produce. Granted the actual green line should be lower since western front consumes 25% of it and it counts for TWO turns (Axis + USSR) of losses but it's a nice reference point. It explains clearly why AGC offensive was unsustainable whatever the results as at its peak MPPs burning rate was insane.

- The sharp fall of losses on axis turn after I cancelled the kessel battle confirms that it was "for the better". Furthermore though high the fifth spike is below the first ones and with what I saved by switching to defense it mitigates the disaster quite a bit. Bagration two starting turns costed Hitler 5,828 MPPs against 5,782 for Stalin while the 3 turns of Axis counterattack ended at 6,207 to 7,352.

- It's worth noting that most of the 1,145 MPPs difference was actually made in a very short span of time (2 Axis + 1 USSR turn). One week (5-13 July) of glory where Ostheer ruled the battlefield (2,690 MPPS lost to 3,908) like in the good old Blitzkrieg times. However that's not enough to balance the Reds 1,865 MPPs income advantage (2,620 to 4,485) as we're still 720 MPPs short making recovery harder for us.

- On USSR side the first thing to notice is that losses never go under the production line meaning Soviets wern't able to replace all their losses. With casualties over 1,000 MPPs each turn (2,300 for combined turns) except the last Red Army overall strength declined continuously allowing Germans to more or less maintain starting unit ratio.

- Of course Stalin got some freebies from the production queue and perhaps events but Hitler got some too so it remains of little importance given the numbers we face. Russians also went in "overburn" mode during Manstein's offensive spending more MPPs than they earned thus showing how close they were to "break" (yeah yeah I know never gonna happen in this campaign ^^ ).

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P.S.: second part of comments will focus more on strategic plans and options.

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COMMENTS (part 2/2)

Detailed unit statistics.

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A: Allied units

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- Another way to look at it is the unit count and we're down from 127 to 101 and Stalin from 147 to 126. Germans lost 30 of them while destroying 24 enemy ones both sides receiving 3 extra units to fill the ranks. However if we take out unavoidable first turn losses (8) it's actually 22 to 24 showing Ostheer resilience after initial surprise.

- Furthermore many of those casualties were recoverable at half price and the difference (6) with Russians is mostly made of small units (2div & 2AT). The lost HQ stands out a bit but would have no troops to command even if it survived. So our main wound comes from the mech unit since tank groups & corps/armies numbers are balanced.

- As for air units russian 3:2 (21/14) starting advantage remains though Luftwaffe is already worn out. With the early loss of Fliegerkorps II nazi wings were down to 8 fighters with 3 being underequiped allied ones (finnish, hungarian & romanian air forces). Adding low replacement rate/priority we barely have 60% of planes still flying.

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- Panzerwaffe was also bled dry with only 50% of its forces remaining (3 PzKorps in Poland, 2 as reserves for AGN & AGC). On the other hand Stavka's armored forces were underestimated with at least 11 tank and 3 mech groups available. The 1:1 initial ratio (11/10) was actually 3:2 and increased to 2:1 (10/5) after the Kessel battle.

- That said we have a more pressing problem with the lack of infantry to hold the front and it's getting worse by the turn. Starting figures at 9:8 (91 to 79) favored USSR and didn't change much reaching 5:4 (75 to 60). We lost around 25% of our corps and divisions while it was only 15% for Stalin's armies and divisions.

- Since we concentrated our offensive efforts on enemy armies we managed to maintain some kind of superiority there (37 to 40 corps from 48 to 52). However the price of leaving red divisions more or less alone is a growing gap in that area from a 3:2 to 2:1 ratio (38 to 20 from 43 to 27) leaving our lines thinner than before.

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- You can also see numbers above show clearly the priority given by Model to each army group (unit total %):

5) FINLAND 9% (Finnish army) Mannerheim* (7) & Talvela (6)

4) AGN 14% (16th, 18th & [Narva] armies) Hansen* (7), Loch (6) & Friessner (7)

1) AGC 30% (2nd & 3rd panzer, 2nd, [4th] & 9th armies) Manstein* (9), Reinhardt (7), Hoepner (7), Neday (4) & Wohler (6)

2) AGNU 25% (1st & 4th panzer, [17th] & 1st hungarian armies) Guderian* (8), Harpe (6), Roman (6) & Angelis (6)

3) AGSU 22% (6th army, 3rd & [4th] romanian, bulgarian armies) Allmendinger* (6), Dumitrescu (5), Niculescu (4) & Marinov (4)

* assumed actual command of the whole army group at some point

[] disbanded/reformed or ersatz armies without significant forces

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Victory conditions & strategic plans.

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- All of that leads to new priorities in MPPs allocation as german infantry will come first then artillery and AT units. Panzers will be reinforced if there is something left and lost units won't be rebuilt. Luftwaffe fighters will be maintained at 6 steps to provide enough aerial cover. Allied forces won't be reinforced unless they're in critical spot/state.

- Speaking of critical spot let's take a look at victory conditions above. We need to keep Warsaw for a german minor victory and Berlin to deny Stalin a minor or decisive one. Retaining any of Budapest/Helsinki/Bucharest/Sofia with Berlin would kill a major victory for USSR and allow for a draw.

- Saving Warsaw seems unlikely so our main strategy will be to aim for a draw. Helsinki is isolated and has bad supply, Bucharest and Sofia are close to the front and far from Germany. Then our best choice is Budapest as it's near AGC troop concentrations with strong defensive terrain on three sides. So our defensive priorities will be:

1) Berlin

2) Budapest

3) Warsaw

4) Sofia

5) Bucharest

6) Helsinki

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- What we need is time & MPPs and we can get both by avoiding combat on our turn. Offensive moves will only be allowed to kill advanced enemy units or protect retreating pathes. That said remaining panzers will be kept ready to distract Russians if pressure increases too much and threatens our orderly withdrawal.

- Thus our plan will be to fall back slowly on railroads in the north while avoiding encirclements. When we have enough forces ready for transfer without endangering the front we will operate them all at once to the Reich. To help achieve local superiority we will also try to time unit production to feed the offensive when we strike back.

- We'll also retreat a bit in Poland to obtain the best maneuvering field possible with clear terrain and better supply. Our hopes are to appear weak enough for Russians to divide their forces in separate offensives as the front extends. With many enemy units tied in pursuit of AGN & AGC we should have chances to crush red spearheads.

- At the same time we'll begin to fortify the area around Berlin with both engineers once their current work is finished. GAR units and unupgraded units will be deployed in towns and cities behind the frontline to have time to entrench properly. We'll also deploy some GAR in Carpathian Mountains to back up AGS lines.

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- The overall map below shows our retreat plans with expected counterattack areas (green arrows) depending on Stavka moves:

1: first defensive line (protects AGN & AGC evacuation lanes along Kaunas-Utena-Ovinsk & Kaunas-Vilna-Minsk railroads)

a: alternate defensive line (if the first is broken too quickly in the north) Kaunas-Vilna

2: second defensive line (where most of forces will be concentrated) Tilsit-Heilsburg & Siedlce-Radom-Tarnow

m: main defensive line (will be held as long as possible) Elblag-Warsaw-Krakow & Carpathian Mountains

- As the whole front will be quite shortened AGC will absorb AGNU and AGSU will be renamed AGS to keep things simple:

AGN will cover Prussia

AGC will cover Poland & Hungary

AGS will cover Carapathian Mountains & Romania

- One last word about timetable as we still have at least two monthes of good weather to survive (August-September). If things go well in the north we should be able to delay Soviets for a month while evacuating Belarus & Baltic States. A victorious strike in Poland can do the same and allow bad weather to help us starting October while giving us more time to buy back units and dig.

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Stay tuned for CH6: Lost Victories

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CH6: Lost Victories (20-25 July 1944)

Hitler planning the next offensive on Smolensk then it's Nach Moscow : p !

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- Welcome back for the second phase of Operation Bagration. This turn saw a significant drop in casualties for both sides with even numbers (951 to 971 for 12986 to 14105 overall).

- Nontheless three german units were lost leaving us with the greatest forces gap so far (30 at 98 to 128). Still it's the first time soviet losses are higher than ours when they have the initiative so we can open that schnaps bottle and celebrate !

- After the previous bloodshed main combat areas in Poland and Bielorussia were eerily quiet. Most of the action took place around strategic towns on secondary fronts with Stavka and OKH jockeying for better positions before the next big moves.

- So Russians concentrated their efforts on Opochka while Baranavichy was our target. Stalin had some surprises in store for us on those two fronts but evacuation of Svalyava and Galati from last turn worked well.

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Soviet paratroopers defending Baranavichy.

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Hi Big Al :) ,

- I think overall balance is very good. So far turn 31 (23 September) and I'm still in the game. Soviets are very strong but attacking everywhere weakens their superiority. German tech advantage allows some interesting counterattacks. The 2 panzer units in the PQ are well-timed to help. Force pools looks good though I'm a bit afraid of russian infantry crowding the map later when front shortens.

- Actually DeNatt (playing USSR) only has two problems with the campaign: not enough MPPs and fortifications in Romania :D . He says he has a very hard time killing my panzers lvl 4 but half of them are already gone so well ^^ ...

- On my side I'd say maybe Finland needs some help. They only have infantry, units on the Svir have a terrible starting position (very hard to escape), there is no fortification (Salpa & VKT lines), step costs are high and Soviets have better supply (Leningrad 10 vs Viipuri 5).

- Research is also a bit frustrating since Germans have nearly no chance to get a hit unless they're very lucky. Not sure if it's the 3 vs 1 intel level favoring Stalin or too low base per turn %. It seems more efficient to kill all Axis chits and get an early MPP boost.

- Other than that only minor things like OoB details (two 52 corps and such) or small bugs (but once again we play without hotfixes as my opponent wanted):

* very cheap (?) AA upgrade costs for Brest fortress compared to cities

* volksturm corps upgrade costs are the same as axis allied ones (maybe it's normal ?)

* some event screens appearing two times (Warsaw uprising & Paris liberated)

* typo for events (2 volksturm corps announced when 4 arrive)

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Hi Big Al :) ,

- I think overall balance is very good. So far turn 31 (23 September) and I'm still in the game. Soviets are very strong but attacking everywhere weakens their superiority. German tech advantage allows some interesting counterattacks. The 2 panzer units in the PQ are well-timed to help. Force pools looks good though I'm a bit afraid of russian infantry crowding the map later when front shortens.

- Actually DeNatt (playing USSR) only has two problems with the campaign: not enough MPPs and fortifications in Romania :D . He says he has a very hard time killing my panzers lvl 4 but half of them are already gone so well ^^ ...

- On my side I'd say maybe Finland needs some help. They only have infantry, units on the Svir have a terrible starting position (very hard to escape), there is no fortification (Salpa & VKT lines), step costs are high and Soviets have better supply (Leningrad 10 vs Viipuri 5).

- Research is also a bit frustrating since Germans have nearly no chance to get a hit unless they're very lucky. Not sure if it's the 3 vs 1 intel level favoring Stalin or too low base per turn %. It seems more efficient to kill all Axis chits and get an early MPP boost.

- Other than that only minor things like OoB details (two 52 corps and such) or small bugs (but once again we play without hotfixes as my opponent wanted):

* very cheap (?) AA upgrade costs for Brest fortress compared to cities

* volksturm corps upgrade costs are the same as axis allied ones (maybe it's normal ?)

* some event screens appearing two times (Warsaw uprising & Paris liberated)

* typo for events (2 volksturm corps announced when 4 arrive)

Russian crowding - well that's why they would lean on armies not divs for most operations.

Finland - they fell that summer so they are suppose to take a beating

Research - they have as much chance to hit as normal but they have to stay ahead of Soviets

52nd corp - found the fat finger in middle suppose to be 42nd corp FIXED

Cheap AA - AA guns are AA guns no matter where you put them

VS units - yea well they are just a cheaper event for free units mostly for flavor. VS units are basically

Screenshots - that is already fixed

Typo? Where? When? I don't see any typoes? what are they?

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Russian crowding - well that's why they would lean on armies not divs for most operations.

Finland - they fell that summer so they are suppose to take a beating

Research - they have as much chance to hit as normal but they have to stay ahead of Soviets

52nd corp - found the fat finger in middle suppose to be 42nd corp FIXED

Cheap AA - AA guns are AA guns no matter where you put them

VS units - yea well they are just a cheaper event for free units mostly for flavor. VS units are basically

Screenshots - that is already fixed

Typo? Where? When? I don't see any typoes? what are they?

- Russian crowding:

DeNatt use red divs to fill the gaps, move in my back/empty space, screen offensive units or finish weak units so it works as intended

- Finland:

I just remembered you worked on an option/event for Finland to surrender in other AoC campaign (with other changes like Karelia/Viipuri being finnish territory instead of soviet ones) ?

Would be nice for Soviets in this campaign to have the choice of going for Helsinki or lose that victory location (Finland becoming neutral) for immediate benefits (free up units and some war reparations MPPs).

- Research:

I launched a hotseat game to survey research and the only hit Germans had was production lvl4... I'll launch another one to see if it was just very bad luck.

- 52/42 corps:

Thanks ^^ ! I forgot to tell about the soviet army without number just named "army" in southern Ukraine (pic 1 below).

- Cheap AA:

I didn't express myself well, sorry for that. I agree about AA guns being AA guns wherever they are. That's why I find strange to have AA upgrade costs for fortresses (Brest-Litovsk, Sevatopol...) being 1 MPP per AA level while it's 10 MPPs for everything else (cities, towns, ports, ressources...).

(pic 2 below)

- VS units:

Thanks for the explanation. Makes sense a bunch of men unfit for duty would require more investment to be combat ready than regular corps though they are cheaper to assemble as units.

- Screens:

Great ! Another thanks then hehe.

- Typoes:

Those are rare and elusive mythical beasts arn't they : D ? For the VS unit screen see pics 3 & 4 below. Unless you included that in the solved screenshots issues. In that case my bad !

Army.jpg

Fortress_AA_upgrade.jpg

Volk1b.jpg

Volk2.jpg

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BIELORUSSIA & BALTIC STATES

- AGC had a quiet day with no activity at Vitebsk or Mogilev and only a weak attack in the center. 23 corps entrenched in marshes easily repelled understrength 1 belorussian tank & 31 army with minimal losses. It seems the Kessel battle have exhausted enemy forces in the Mogilev-Smolensk area and they need a breather.

- However to keep Manstein under some kind of pressure Stavka activated the Gomel front (28, 50, 51 & 61 armies) facing 2nd army. The assault was brutal and 55 corps vanished quickly despite good entrenchment. Fortunately russian morale was quite low and 1rgt/45 plus 267div were enough to hold the line though Partisans managed to crawl around towards Minsk.

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- It was more nerve-racking in the north were Soviets decided to revise their tactics after so many failures. Opochka was reduced to dust by massive air attacks before launching the usual infantry waves. 2 corps & 218div were wiped out but no less than six armies (1 & 2S, 8, 62, 67 & 72) were needed to break their formidable defense and capture the Festung.

- Thus when exhausted men of 8 army emerged from the ruined town they believed it was over. However german second line (50 corps & 81div) was waiting for them and enemy will to forge ahead faltered. Some say red infantrymen were still afraid deep inside of 29 nebelwerfer rockets mowing them down once again as they did earlier.

- They couldn't receive help from both wings either as units there were already spent and could barely advance. The northern flank only managed to send 54 army over the Velikaya leaving the 42 behind. On the left only four divisions remained with two (43G & 391div) stranded near Ludza and the other ones (16 & 193div) struggling just to march forward.

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- In the center Manstein's first concern was to keep Soviets distracted to conceal his moves while organizing the retreat. 23 & 35 corps launched a limited counterattack and 31 army held but 1 bielorussian tank fled ignominously. That was enough to take back units (41Pz, 35 corps & 267div) from the frontline and deal with more pressing matters.

- Hoepner's 2nd army began to concentrate around Minsk and gather heavy equipment near the railroads. A screen of weak units was established to contain Partisans moves south of the city (4LW & 2 hungarian corps). In the meantime 1rgt/45 div pushed back 61 army to keep pressure on main enemy forces in the area.

- Further north 3rd panzer army task was to eliminate the surviving pocket (3G cav & 6G armies) from the Kessel battle. The german hammer (1 hungarian, 1, 10 & 43 corps, 4LW AT) supported by Rudel's stukas easily cracked the red nut and only scattered infantry regiments were left wandering in the swamps after it was unleashed.

- The success of "Operation Nussknacker" (Nutcracker) was such that it allowed to create unexpected reserves. 10 corps was redirected to AGN almost immediately to great effect as it plugged a critical gap in the line. 6 hungarian corps was also freed from its garrison duty at Vitebsk and moved north leaving only skeleton crews behind.

- At this point Reinhardt's was fully aware of the tragic fate awaiting both of AGC Festungen. 39 corps defending Mogilev can probably hold a bit more but the moment it breaks three soviet fronts will be able to push together towards Minsk. However he foresaw an audacious plan to make the most out of the inevitable.

- He will leave an opening in his lines to bait russian mobile forces near Smolensk. An offensive northwest of the city would encounter difficult terrain and won't be able to pressure Mantein's 2nd panzer army. Furthermore there are already troops well positioned around Polotsk and along the Dvina to build a secondary defense line.

- That said poking the Red Bear in the eye would be a good idea to increase our chances where it counts. Thus 258div shifted to "cover" Vitebsk while 371div launched a suicide raid against XI fighter corps airfield just north of the city. Wiping out an entire nest of red hawks should be enough to anger our short tempered comrade Stalin...

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- It was another rollercoaster day for Hansen as his beloved 16th army took the heaviest losses to date. Everything seemed lost after the fall of Opochka having only one corps and one division left. Then unexpected reinforcements (6 hungarian & 10 corps, 93div) popped out of nowhere and he managed to somehow stabilize the lines again.

- By pulling back his surviving men (50 corps & 81div) on the Ludza railroad he made them ready for evacuation. But he also kept the threatening 43G & 391div isolated and unable to roam free in his back. 10 corps blocked any advance there with 93 div while 6 hungarian secured the southern flank towards Vitebsk.

- On 18th army side Loch was free from any major pressure and able to reduce 54 army bridgehead on the Velikaya (4 & 72 corps). 40Pz was moved back as a reserve to rest and protect III fliegerkorp while waiting for reinforcements. The combined threat from AT guns and heavy airstrikes made that decision unavoidable given that unit's sorry state.

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Baltic02.jpg

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FINLAND

Men of 3 corps retreating through the woods.

Evacuation from the Karelian Isthmus begins.

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- In Finland continuous shelling from red artillery managed to force 3 corps out of its trenches in front of Viipuri. 6 & 97div wern't able to cross the river but a following attack by 23 army cleared the railroad to the town. Thus our wounded unit had to fall back again with only 40% of its strength left.

- Further east increasing supply allowed exhausted 7 corps to hold back pursuing forces (127 mountain, 119 & 272div) on a narrow defensive line though it costed some more lives.

- Mannerheim's remaining frontline units (8, 5 & 4 corps from left) are well dug along the railroad but no room to maneuver. With their back against impassable terrain any soviet breakthrough could put the whole front in jeopardy.

- Then decision was made to evacuate the isthmus and it was probably the good one however it was poorly executed. Furthermore previous losses wern't replaced greatly affecting morale and readiness of the whole army at the worst possible time.

- At the same time a fresh russian army was spotted behind enemy lines and rumours of offensive spred like wildfire. When retreat orders arrived fortifications were all abandoned in a frantic rush westwards that nearly degenerated in a rout without combat.

- 7 corps wasn't ready for another forced march at all and unwillingly acted as a dangerously exposed rearguard. 4 & 5 corps (80 & 100% strength) were supposed strong enough to secure the new line but that proved to be a terrible mistake...

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Finland02.jpg

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