Strategiclayabout

Hoho nice to see you (two) back ^^ . Good defense you exchanged Leningrad for Kiev not a bad deal . Operation Typhoon will be very complicated for Germans with bad weather coming soon !

Hi Bill, Yes they're from the finnish movie Tali-Ihantala 1944 (2007) .

FINLAND Finnish soldiers of 3 corps defending VKT line near Viipuri. * * - 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 ! * * Exhausted men of 7 corps keeping an eye on soviet advance. *

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 . In my game Soviets have intel 3 and german only 1 so I can say goodbye to Tigers II .

BIELORUSSIA & BALTIC STATES (part 2/2) * - 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. * - 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. * General der Artillerie Christian "Rocket" Hansen commander of 16th army. * * AGN deployment around Lake Peipus before the transfer of Narva army units. * * - 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... *

BIELORUSSIA & BALTIC STATES (part 1/2) - A double post for that area this time due to big events ; ) . * - 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. * - 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. * - 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. * Generalleutnant Hans Källner commanding 19Pz division of 52Pz corps. * * Mixed remnants of 2nd panzer army (52Pz, 1cav & 134div) crossing the Beresine. * * - 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. * - 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. * * - 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. * End of the turn for Bielorussia and Baltic States next post ^^ . *

CH5: One Kessel Too Far (14-19 July 1944) OVERALL SITUATION * * - 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. * Destroyed panzers near Vitebsk. * * Soviet troops entering Lviv. *

Hi Kool Kat , 1) seems your best option given your situation with Germans already near Paris. French armies at entrenchment 8 can take some time to reduce even in low supply. However if you don't have anything to defend Paris you better get something there quickly . 2) not sure what you mean by southern France but Axis usually says yes to Vichy event. It often happens after the fall of Paris though sometimes capital moves to Bordeaux and you're allowed to surviove some more turns. 3) SeaMonkey strategy is indeed the standard one but there are also more interesting (and risky ones). Like heavy UK involvment (better get infantry tech 1 if you can), Benelux invasion, surprise attack on Rome, landings in the back of german froces... One thing to know is when France surrenders all Allied units on Vichy territory will be "interned" and vanish (ouch !). All supply sources in occupied France will also become axis (including ports) pitting any Uk units there in big trouble. You can read this short wiki page to know what happens then ^^ : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Fortune Hope that will help .

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 ! Next turn will be a decisive one so you'll have statistic screens (MPPs & unit losses) instead of pics for the comments. * Below german reinforcements reaching the lines in Romania. * Don't miss upcoming CH5: One Kessel Too Far (14-19 July 1944) *

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. * * - 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. *

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. * * - 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. *

Hi dtreller , - I'm also playing Bagration but moved the panzer unit out of Warsaw so I can't tell. Warsaw uprising began 1 August and my last turn finished 31 July so I'll know soon if there is an event (unless it only happens when Soviets are near the city). - However I had something similar at Minsk with supply suddenly dropping from 8 to 3 for no reason (see pic 1 below, one free railroad to Berlin, no bomber attack...). EDIT: - After launching a quick hotseat game I can tell there is a Warsaw uprising event when Soviets arrive near the city dealing some damage to any axis unit there (pic 2 below). - Another thing is Soviets have strategic bombers with 16 tiles range so Warsaw isn't unreachable for them. That said there should be pop messages about city being damaged by bombardment and MPPs lost.

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. * * - 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. *

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. * - 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. * * - 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 . * - 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... *

Thanks for the link Bill .

CH4: Red Parachutes (8-13 July 1944) Soviet 2G VDV landing near Baranavichy. * * - 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). *

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 ? * Below soldiers of romanian 4 corps guarding the carpathian pass north of Bucharest. * Soon will be CH4: Red Parachutes (8-13 July 1944) *

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. * * - 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. *

Hi Karhu , - Morale has less importance in WWII since most countries (at least major ones) were ready to fight to the last man. Not sure about that but maybe NM in AoC has an effect on units morale ? Even like that you'd need more than some points in difference to see noticeable consequences. - One thing that could be interesting would be to penalize MPPs production if your NM hits 0. Something like a pop window telling you that to quell growing internal dissent (or restore faith in final victory ) you have to distract 50 or so MPPs per turn. more or less like the events for Axis' western front (Italy, air defense of the Reich and such).

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. * * - 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%. *

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. * * - 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. *

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. * * - 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. *

CH3: Corridors of Death (2-7 July 1944) Remnants of 1st division defending the Svalyava-Lviv railroad. * * Captured map showing soviet offensive plans in the Mogilev area. * * - 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. * OVERALL SITUATION *

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) * Yeah I know there are two 52 corps in this AAR (52nd in Poland & 52th in Romania). Big Al are you there ? * Next will be CH3: Corridors of Death (2-7 July 1944)

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. * * - 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. *