Ivanov

Our fronts and armies in the south continue to push towards the Dnepr. Red Army recaptured important mines near Stalino and one of our penal divisions actually managed to cross the river near Dnepropeterovsk. Of course it can't be considered a solid bridgehead and the enemy will probably eliminate it with ease. Note the enemy panzer corps reduced to 30% of it’s strength after vicious fighting against our tanks! In the meantime, most of the units of our Baltic fronts reached river Dvina and the enemy has been finally pushed away from Ovinsk. The Fascist Army Group North seems to be severely weakened and STAVKA is expecting that the crossing of Dvina will follow very soon…

The evil Germans took the bait entering Pont-a-Mousson at Moselle. Our reseves were hidden in some distance behnid the river ( out of spotting range of the excellent Prussian cavalry ) and a counterattack followed, resulting in two infantry divisions being removed from the enemy Order of Battle: Note that most of our units are understrength – we are simply unable to reinforce all of our divisions and have to prioritize, which of them are going to receive the replacements first. There has been no combat in other sectors. It looks like the enemy is ready to conduct the assault against Strasburg and there is nothing we can do in order to prevent it. We decided to leave the city to it’s own fate in order to shorten our frontline. We are sure that France will be victorious at the end and Strasburg will return to our great motherland!

We are in the mid August now and the overall situation which has developed around the fortress of Metz is quite encouraging from the point of view of the French HQ. In the area of Briey a series of counterattacks has been undertaken and few enemy divisions have been forced to retreat with heavy loses. South of Metz the German southern pincer stopped it’s march westwards and no attempt has been made to cross Mossele at Pont-A-Mousson. Unfortunately the casualties we have suffered in the recent fighting are high and difficult to replace. Due to that no serious, operational scale French counterattack can be put together… Further south, the rapid movement of the Germans has surprised our General Faidherbe. Fortunately the forced march and poor supply affected the enemy units and our reserves were in place and gave the enemy spearhead a bloody nose. Note that the fortress of Phalsburg remains French! The strong garrison has been left there intentionally in order to slow down the German advance. It will require few enemy divisions and the artillery support in order to capture the town. More importantly the position is perfectly located in order to interdict the supply routes on the main axis of the enemy advance!

It becomes clear to the French High Command, that the treacherous enemy is trying to bypass our fortified position in Mezt. One German Army is marching to the north of the fortress, towards the mines of Briey and another has already reached Pont A Mousson on Moselle, south of Metz. Our commanders don’t waste any opportunity to counterattack and the Prussian spearhead of the northern pincer has been annihilated: We were unable to counterattack in the south and for the moment frantic efforts are underway in order to prevent the enemy from crossing of the Moselle line: The speed of the German advance here is an unpleasant surprise to us and now we need to act accordingly.

French army continues its gradual retreat west. with We hope to establishing some more solid defence along the line of river Seille and the fortress of Metz. Unfortunately the Germans are advancing concentrated along 2-3 main axes and our forces are much more dispersed. The enemy is also much stronger in terms of the artillery and can replace his loses faster than we do, so any prolonged confrontation could end up in a total annihilation of the entire French army… Another interesting event: Privately we believe that the days of the Emperor are numbered and much prefer to increase the morale of the army. So we politely thank His Majesty for his assistance and wait impatiently for future developments in the capital…

I like the flea metaphor I was only refering to Michael, not to other people who are posting here. His style and tone don't encourage to a constructive and polite thought exchange.

Guys, you pay too much attention to the absurd claims, bringing them unintendedly into the spotlight. There's no logic and not even a chint of constructivity in what Michael says. It looks to me like either an attempt of trolling, or that he doesn't fully realize what he's talking about, due to the language barrier. Either way, why allow some mediocrity to lower the well established and high standards of this forum?

On 9th of August the French HQ gave an order to conduct a series of retreats from the border area, towards more defensible position in the vicinity of Metz. The German reserves in the area have proved to be quite considerable, so holding the forward positions could mean an early defeat and unnecessary loses among our forces. Two more enemy divisions were destroyed and a cavalry division was forced to retreat. All in all, so far the combat results are quite encouraging because the invaders have suffered much higher loses than we did.

Given our overall numerical superiority, we have to admit that the fascists are conducting a very skillful defensive warfare ( especially on the tactical level ). Let’s take a look at the map: In theory, given the share weight of numbers, German Army Group South should be already utterly defeated or encircled. Yet the German rearguard effectively manages to delay our spearheads. Also, most of the Soviet units are already very tired and understrength. On 12th of July the Southern Front of Gen Timoshenko managed to recapture Stalino ( the nearby mines are still in German hands ). It required an effort oF all our mechanized and air assets in the area. It is clear that the enemy will be trying to form a new defensive line along the river Dnepr. We have to prevent it at all costs! In the north, the Baltic Fronts advance south from Estonia. Mechanized units of Gen Konev were trying to eliminate the German stronghold in Ovinsk. Incredibly the town is still held by a battered enemy corps. Our infantry and tanks suffered tremendous loses during the battle: A SOVIET T-34 BURNS ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF OVINSK:

After a successful deployment of our new divisions in Reichshoffen, an order was given to abandon the town and to conduct the retreat towards the fortress of Phalsburg. More importantly Gen Chanzy, the newly appointed commander of our 1st Corps, gave an order to conduct a counter attack near the town of Boulay! It seems that the enemy was trying to outflank us there, because the lead elements of the German 1st Army moved towards the fortress of Thionville. The invaders were probably hoping to capture the important mines of Briey and outflank Metz from the north. The 1st Army is the weakest of the three enemy armies that entered the French territory and it seems to be quite overstretched at present. Due to that, our counterattack against it seems to have good chances success. The 2nd and 3rd German armies are still in no position to support it’s northern neighbor: Our attack went according to the play and two enemy divisions have been completely destroyed and some units were forced to retreat. Unfortunately the enemy was holding good defensive positions that were supported by the artillery, so the fighting proved to be very bloody and some of our units suffered 50% loses in the process. Anyway the bravery of French troops and their Chassepot riffles proved this time to be more than a match for the German artillery. Where the honour of France is at stake, there is no excuse to sit on one’s hands! There was another decision event this last turn. I decided to form a Garde Mobile division instead of few garrisons. I feel that it’s more beneficial to have a real combat unit, which can be used in the offensive and defensive roles alike. From the other hand, each garrison units placed in a fortress, can slow down the enemy army for at least one turn. An interesting choice anyway…

Even the lead elements of the German army seem to be too strong for us and the French HQ decided to order a retreat from the area of Sarreguemines. Holding the ground there would be counterproductive and cause only unnecessary loses on our side. Anyway it seems that the German invaders are acting according to a methodical and precise plan drawn by their HQ, and we were just too happy to introduce an element of chaos on the battlefields There was some more chaos and confusion further south! It turned out that two of our new divisions ( one infantry and one cavalry ) couldn’t be deployed in the town of Reichshoffen because the location was already captured by the enemy! Due to that, an order was given to retake the town: The attack proved to be successful, or brave troops managed to retake Reichshoffen ( destroying one enemy division in the process ) and we managed to deploy the new units: The battles of Sarreguemines and Reichshoffen were mostly initiated thanks to the initiative of the local corps commanders and the High Command is not entirely happy with their insubordination. None has been court martialed yet but we decided to sack the two corps commanders ( Gen Bazaine rating 2 and Gen Mac Mahon rating 4 ) and replace them with people who are better suited for the job – Generals Chanzy and Faitherbe, both rating 7.

On 3rd of August the brave French army attacked and defeated a German cavalry spearhead in Sarreguemines! It has been the first combat since the beginning of this war and it proved that the fighting spirit of our troops remains high! Our small victory is certainly morale boosting but we have no doubts, that very soon swarms of enemy units will cross the border and all hell will break loose…

There hasn't been any combat yet and in the meantime I receive a moral support from the Empress: NOTE: I follow a specific strategy, of giving up some ground. A player that would adopt more aggressive posture at this stage, could easily attack the Germans on their own territory.

There wasn't any ground action on the second turn and both armies are still continuing the mobilization. I was presented with an interesting decision event however: If the expedition succeeds the Germans will also suffer a significant NM penalty. Anyway, I will let Bill guess, if I decided to launch the operation...

The current situation in the south actually reminds me what happened there after the Battle of Kursk - the Soviet operations Rumyantsev and Kutuzov and the subsequent drive towards the Dnepr. It's July of 1943 in our game, so we are only about 2-3 months off if we compare it to the historical events. My Soviets managed to succeed much more than in reality, only in the Baltics, but the Germans still have plenty of ground to give up there. All in all, I am amazed how accurate this scenario is in terms of representing the historical balance of the Eastern Front. The truth is that Fuhrer threatened Ghost with a court-martial and urged him to fight to the last man. So there are only two options left for my opponent - continuation of the fanatical resistance or secret and disgraceful emigration to Argentina :eek:

On 6th of July Gen Konev decided to immobilize his armoured spearhead near the Estonian town of Tertu. His tanks had to be halted in order to rest and reinforce. Nevertheless our current position in Baltics is good and there are few potential attack routes that can be exploited, when the advance resumes once again: At the same time, further south, the situation of the German Army Groups Center and South if changing rapidly for worst. The troops of Gen Rokossovsky managed to capture Lokhvisto and Polatava. The shortest route, which could be used by the enemy to withdraw to the west, is now sealed. The best units of the Army Group South are still positioned around the Stalino Salient. This is probably due to the Fuhrer’s insistence on holding the important mines in that area. As for now still Stalino remains in German hands but the clock is ticking. The potential withdraw behind the Dnepr line is still possible but if the German armies continue to hold their ground, it may mean a complete disaster for them…

The time has come for another after action report – this time me and Bill will be refighting the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71! This new campaign, has a very different, special feel when compared to the WWI scenarios you know. The map is big and beautiful so there will be a lot of open space for maneuvering. It has kind of “Napoleonic” feel to it, at least I would describe it in this way. It is not possible to entrench the units so you can expect a lot of bloody, meeting engagements. Both sides should pay a lot of attention to the cavalry reconnaissance. This time I will be commanding the French, trying to save the young Republic from the evil and predatory Prussians Let us begin… Unfortunately for my troops, they will be facing an enemy that is more numerous and has a clear superiority in terms of the artillery. Unlike their German counterparts, the regular French divisions start with some experience, so they are good in combat but they are also very difficult to replace. The average French income is about 350MPP per turn while the upgraded with Chassepots riffles regular division costs 550MPP… The other type of French infantry unit are the Garde Mobiles. They have worst stats than the regular divisions but they are also cheap, so you will be seeing them a lot during this campaign. All in all I cannot count on a military victory, but my aim will be to slow down the attacking armies and do better than the French did in the reality. From the very start I get some wise advices regarding the conduct of the campaign. It is certainly true that during the first few days the French will poses a numerical superiority over the mobilizing German armies but I find advancing into Germany too risky and pointless. From the other hand retreating straight to Paris would be also too extreme – giving up so much ground would kill our National Morale. Instead, I will try to slow down the attackers, falling back gradually, towards the subsequent defensive positions. As you can see, the brave French troops in Metz are looking good! Unfortunately some of the units are understrength and the HQ is in a particularly bad shape. So my priority during the first initial turns will be to reinforce the HQs’ ( there are two on the map ) and then some of the units in the most critical areas.

Google Translate did a pretty decent job for me

On 30th of June 1943 the German Army Group North still falls back towards the line of river Dvina. In the meantime our First and Second Baltic Fronts ( previously Leningrad and Volkhov Fronts ) continue to press forward after the fall of Pskov. Unfortunately our drive is not as fast as STAVKA would like it to be. Our troops in Estonia are extremely tired and plagued by poor supply. It will take some time before the new, secure supply lines are established there. The center of gravity, of the whole Easter Front, is right now where the front of Gen. Rokossovsky operates. The First Belorussian Front is moving south against a negligible enemy opposition. The Soviet tanks have already managed to capture Kanatop. Some may remember that almost two years ago, the panzers of Gen Guderian also captured the town and shortly after that the Kiev pocket was sealed. Right now the situation is very different, because it’s the Army Groups Center and South which are facing a grave danger of being encircled in a gigantic cauldron. Her Adolf -the time has come to wake up and recognize the seriousness of the situation. An order should be given for once. Not to withdraw but simply to run! In the south the German armour has been busy mopping up the pockets of resistance formed by our paratroopers and marines. STAVKA believes that it’s simply a waste of the precious, enemy mobile units. They should be rather employed somewhere else… Well – we are yet to see how this will end. In the meantime our southern fronts have been consolidating their positions. The fascists lost another panzer unit in the process and the town of Millerovo has been liberated by the Red Army after a savage urban fighting. *** RED ARMY ASSAULT GUNS ON THE STREETS OF MILLEROVO:

Each passing day brings more and more tragic news for the fascists, while our glorious Red Army marches firmly towards the ultimate victory! The situation of Army Group North can be only described as calamitous. Units of the First Baltic Front under Gen Konev struck south from Tertu and the unfortunate HQ of Gen Hoepner along with one infantry corps have been destroyed in the process. At the same time the our Leningrad front has finally managed to capture Pskov. Right now the German units in the area have to simply run for their lives because the mechanized units of gen Konev are posing a serious threat to their rear. Also Talin, capital of the Estonian SSR has been captured thanks to the surprising maneuver of one of our divisions. In the center the situation of the enemy doesn't look much better. Our Western Front once again managed to inflict heavy loses on the Army Group Center, destroying yet another panzer corps. Worst of all, the First Belarussian Front of Gen. Rokossovsky has turned south towards Kantop and is now threatening the rear of the whole enemy army group Pretty spectacular action took place in the south because the Soviet paratroopers and marines went into action for the first time during this war. Their main objective was Taganrog and the secondary Melitpol ( both have been captured ) Even more importantly the troops under Gen Timoshenko managed to recapture Rostov after a heavy, preliminary bombardment of our fearsome Katyushas.

Our “Operation Red Kommissar” in the north, turned out to be great success and the mechanized and tank units of gen. Konev, continue to wreak havoc in the Baltics. Rakvere and Tertu were liberated and the HQ of Gen. Hoepner came under a direct attack. It is clear that the enemy front in Estonia is quickly disintegrating. At the same time our Leningrad Front has been heavily pounding the enemy defenses in Pskov. Surprisingly the town is still held by a bunch of fanatics from the German and Latvian Waffen SS, who refuse to surrender or to give up the ground. Anyway we don’t offer surrender terms to Waffen SS… Near Bryansk, Gen Rokossovsky, according with the “Deep Battle” principles ordered a tank army to exploit the breakthrough achieved by the infantry. The German units under Gen.Bush look particularly depleted there and their frontline seems to be pretty feeble: Near Kursk the Heeresgruppe Mitte suffered heavy loses due to the Red Army creeping offensive. Note that apart from the artillery, one Panzer Corps has been already destroyed and the anti-tank near Kursk was also removed from the German order of battle. Still there has been no major action in the south – just regrouping, reinforcing, few probing attacks, heavy air strikes against the enemy armour… And yes – our Katyushas begun reducing the enemy defenses in Rostov. Still there has been no direct assault against the city...

The German HQ claims that May of 1943 has been the worst month for Wehrmacht since the beginning of the war. Well, STAVKA sincerely hopes that June will be even worst – we still have some aces up our sleeves and not all of our forces have been committed yet to the fighting! In the north gen Hoepner suffered a major blow because our mechanized units managed to destroy the sole panzer unit of the Army Group North. Also one more enemy infantry corps was destroyed. The Baltics may be a secondary front for the Germans ( as they are for us aswell ), but having strong Soviet mechanized group roaming there practically unopposed is certainly not a pleasant experience for the OKW The Western Front of gen Rokossovsky managed to overcome weak German defences near Bryansk and the city itself has been captured by the Red Army. Also the HQ of gen Bush ( not that Bush – we are talking a different one ) has been nearly overrun but managed to survive. The attack against Bryansk could be also seen as a secondary operation but STAVKA is practicing a death by a thousand cuts strategy and believes that every enemy defeat and loss will contribute to his final defeat: In the south our intelligence spotted a considerable panzer and mechanized force behind the river Donets and for the moment an more vigorous advance is considered too risky. For now a series of limited attacks has been undertaken and our Red Falcons pounded heavily the enemy armour just to keep the fascists off balance *** All in all the German strategy of careful retreats and shortening of the frontline is pretty sound. The best Soviet tactics to counter it, is to conduct attacks on many fronts at the same time (especially there where the enemy frontline is weak and overextended ), taking a full advantage of our numerical superiority. For the first time during this the Red Army managed to achieve a numerical superiority if it comes to the total number of the units. Right now there are 145 Soviet units vs 126 German ones. There are also 25 Red air units vs 15 German ones. Up until now there were more Wehrmacht units but at least 20 of them were performing garrison duties. Right now there are probably about 110 actual combat units on the German side and the current casualties are simply irreplaceable due to the tempo in which the current loses occur. Das krieg ist verloren and if Fuhrer does not recognize this fact, his more sober generals certainly do. It’s just a question for how long the Wehrmacht will manage to hold and in game terms, if the Soviets manage to capture the victory objectives. The MMP charts clearly indicate the current balance of power: SOVIET: GERMAN: The total MPP’s lost by the sides are practically equal but if we look at the MPP’s spent on the units, the Soviets hold already almost 2:1 advantage. What is more this gap is expected to widen even further.

Our glorious operations in the south start to gather pace and the fascists continue to suffer tremendous loses on that front. The counterattacking enemy armour is simply sucked into the whirlwind of our advance. In the recent fighting, the Germans lost one Panzer Corps and another one has been forced to retreat with the heavy loses near the Donets crossing. Also our advancing tanks managed to overrun an airbase, where an experienced fighter group was crushed under the tracks of out T-34’s! It’s worth noting, than unlike during the 1942 campaign, this time our Red Falcons held a clear numerical superiority over the Luftwaffe and contribute greatly to the success of our troops on the ground. On the Kursk front we managed to destroy an enemy mechanized corps and our army commanders have been advised to maintain a vigilant posture and keep the troops alerted. The orders to move forward may arrive any moment! In the north, STAVKA has revealed the code name of the current operation which is taking place near the Narva bridgehead. Apparently the highest political echelon was insisting on the “Operation Red Commissar”. It is believed that the name will inspire our troops to perform even greater and more heroic feats on the battlefield. No wonder – in the Red Army of today, there are a political officers in every infantry company and our troops hold them in a very high esteem, often sharing with the Commissars their doubts and worries of everyday, frontline life. *** Our tankers inspect the wreckage of an enemy tank:

That's great!

Same about the Soviet elite, mechanized army in the 1942 decision event.