1941 Barbarossa - AAR!

[Hyazinth von Strachwitz]

Thanks, Strat. I agree to your analysis.

11th of March 1943

Still bad weather. Esp. my operation at Velikye Luki is delayed, but this is not yet a problem, because my advance on all other fronts goes way better than expected.

The northwest is almost unchanged. My troops suffer from bad supply, bad weather and the lack of bombers and paras.

Safonovo is taken, and this is way more important than most readers might think. Next turn I can move a HQ in the city, and then my supply will be almost at maximum. Most of my units in this area are on very low supply (sometimes zero), and this will help a lot.

Slow advances in this sector.

My bridgehead is growing.

[Hyazinth von Strachwitz]

27th of March 1943

Finally, we get better weather. Bombers and Paras, Action!

Velikye Luki is cut off. Jörg can decide not: flee or get destroyed.

A lot has happened during this turn. Supply is way better than in the previous turn, and so my troops have more actions points. More paras land in the back of the German troops. A German Panzer Corps is destroyed, and my spearheads reach the outskirts of Brjansk. Pressure over the complete length of the frontline.

Another Russian city is taken back from the invaders, and they retreat.

A Romanian corps survives very lucky. Next turn.

[Bill101]

Nice moves!

[Hyazinth von Strachwitz]

Thanks Bill! The ball is rolling now...

6th of April 1943

We see the next episode of The Great Escape... the only question that matters is: can Jörg run quicker than I can advance?

The German frontline is shattered. Jörg moves some troops back to fight my paras, and the remainder was not able to hold the line.

Let us call it Safonovo Effect: better supply means more Action Points, and this means a quicker advance... way quicker. Any German units that do no move back get destroyed.

This is the weakest part of my frontline, but my troops advance. What a pity I have bad weather again...

This also looks promising.

In general I need to mention I destroyed 5 German units this turn... and Jörg cannot afford to buy them back AND refresh damaged units.

[Hyazinth von Strachwitz]

18th of April 1943

This turn a couple of interesting things are visible.

At first: when Jörg has good weather in his turn and I have snow an muddy ground in my turn, it does not help me. Jörg's tanks have full strike power and mobility, while my I cannot move or attack. Can I please have this the other way round?

But apart from that everything works out. Jörg does a counterattack and destroys 6 of my units, but this does not hurt me, I buy them back instantly... enough MPP.

In the past turn I did let some of my units make a decoy attack from Opochka to the west. Jörg has attacks my troops, but he needed to shift troops to the west. This allowed my to encircle Velikye Luki. So this idea worked out. I need to point out that Neither Opochka nor Velikye Luki are important for The Plan... controlling these cities will help, but I do not need them to attack in western direction. My main thrust goes to the south.

Here you can see where the bulk of my troops is. Roslavl is taken, and this is very important for my supply, this goes up to 8 and 7 for the surrounding troops. A very big improvement. Smolensk is under attack as well, and Brjansk will be conquered next turn.... numercial superiorty is massive in this sector.

My troops reach Kanatop, and in Poltava the Reichenau HQ is encircled. Also I try to encircle Dnjepropetrovsk... not quite sure if this will work out. Depends a lot on what the tanks will do.

My tanks almost destroy the Romanian HQ, and this will lower supply in this area. Also, my troops advance to the north. It will be vital for Jörg what he does with his tanks... move them to Dnjepropetrovsk or let them fight my troops? Or move them back in safe areas? Cutting off Dnjepropetrovsk will be a big step ahead...

[Hyazinth von Strachwitz]

26th of April 1943

This fight gets more and more bloody... but the prize I can win here is worth the effort. The German frontline has major gaps, and my troops fill these gaps. This turn 5 Russian cities fall back to Soviet control.

The situation for the defenders of Velikye Luki looks hopeless. Next turn I will start an all out attack on the city if the weather is right.

Even more important: I take back Smolensk, and the German frontline there looks poor.

My main thrust is still going very well. My forces conquer Brjansk, Kanatop and Poltava. The German frontline looks shattered, and only a quick evacution will help here. Just one turn of good weather please...

A German Tank Corps near Dnjepropetrovsk is badly damaged on low supply, and two Romanian Corps get destroyed. I feel quite excited about what will happen here... letting my troops march to the northwest might cut off Dnjepropetrovsk. Will Jörg let me?

The way to Kiev: half way gone!

Further in the west, some Russian partisans take back an undefended Russian city... big problem for Jörg!!

[Hyazinth von Strachwitz]

8th of May 1943

This turn is another big step ahead... my bombers have good weather, and they find their targets.

This starts to get more and more bloody... but Jörg looses even more units this turn.

Velikye Luki is taken, and my troops move in the gap behind the city. The German frontline around Smolensk is starting to disappear.

Same picture here: advancing Soviets and fleing Germans. A lot of German troops face the risk of getting encircled. Many units are on Str 2 or 3, so they will be easy prey next turn.

Similar development in the south... some German units get destroyed, others get encircled. Esp. the situation at Dnjepropetrovsk is better than expected.

[Big Al]

I see things aren't good for the Germans

[Hyazinth von Strachwitz]

16th of May 1943

I do not want to be in Jörg's position, his army is falling apart.

My losses get less, and Jörg looses a Strategic Bomber while trying to destroy one of my armies. His losses increase.

The Red Army marches on Vitebsk. A German Tank Corps survives 4 attacks on strength one... Jörg's luck with dice is legendary. Most of his remaining units are on very low strength.

Heeresgruppe Mitte at its final dance. Jörg did not pull back quick enough, so he must face destruction.

Same picture in the very south.. the frontline is broken.

In the west, my partisan take Lemberg. This is starting to get a real problem.

[Hyazinth von Strachwitz]

26th of May 1943

Good progress everywhere. I received Infantry Weapon Level 3 and Heavy Tanks Level 3. That means from 1944 on the whole Red Army will be technologically superior to the Wehrmacht, because Jörg lacks the MPPs for Upgrades.

The German frontline is shattered as well. Vitebsk is back under soviet controll, and the remainder of the Heeresgruppe Nord flees.

Mogilev is under siege, and my spearheads reach the outskirts of Minsk. No more frontline troops down there. HQ Model is destroyed. Gomel is surrounded, and this means Heeresgruppe Nord lost the contact to Heeresgruppe Mitte. I predict not too many troops will reach Kiev.

And the funny thing is: my offensive will not stop at Kiev, it is still powerful enough.

A Breaktrough near Odessa... my troops reach the open plains... no more German troops here. Devastating.

My partisans approach Brest-Litovsk.

[Big Al]

Hoping the new patch balances Barb41 more. Some feel its pro Soviet.

[Hyazinth von Strachwitz]

5th of June 1943

Heeresgruppe North is shattered, the remainder of the Heeresgruppe Mitte gathers in Kiev... and Heeresgruppe Süd moves back as fast as they can.

The next Russian City is taken back. I do not mind loosing a Tank Corps... I can buy it back instantly, and then I get new Level 3 Tanks.

A lot of German troops get cut off. The capture of Gomel allows me to turn southwards.... and cut off Kiev.

Jörg establishes a new defense position behind the Dnjpr. A wise choice. I would have my difficulties in breaking this position... but there are good news from the south. I think it is now visible why I did not attach any tanks to the section of my frontline: the music plays elsewhere.

HQ Dumitrescu is destroyed. Odessa and Berezivka under siege. I will try to capture Uman... succeeding there means that all troops in the east of the city will be cut off. The Russian population cheers the capture of Dnjepropetrovsk, and my MPP basis grows.

[Hyazinth von Strachwitz]

15th of June 1943

Jörg is not a human being that surrenders easily... although the match is pretty much decided, he fights on.

The very northern part of the Wehrmacht is facing destruction... completely. Everytime Jörg starts to fight against the Red Army, the corresponding unit is cut off in the next turn. Happens a lot these times.

Jörg has three fresh units here. When they attack me, they can do a lot of damage... but then they will be surrounded as well. I think he is trying to establish Minsk as a stronghold... no problem, I will advance further in the north.

I do not have many tanks or artillery here, so the way over the Dnjpr is blocked. My plan is to outflank the German troops in the north and in the south. Not quite sure if Jörg has realized what is happening in the northwest of Kiev.

Berezivka will be vital for my operations in the south. I expect Jörg to move an infantry unit in, and I will destroy it next turn (Mech Infantry near Nikolayev). Every new unit I get from the production queue goes to the south. If I can advance to Uman and maybe meet with the troops that will attack Zhitomir next turn, I can trap the whole Heeresgruppe Süd.

[Hyazinth von Strachwitz]

25th of June 1943

My operations work out better than I thought. I have high losses, but the German losses are even higher. At the end of this turn, I have 153 land units left... the Axis has just 69, and this includes garrisons. Not very healthy.

The Red Army approaches Riga. Apart from this, some strong German units get surrounded. Even if they can flee, their supply is zero. They will not do any more damage.

I think Jörg has realized what might happen at Zhitomir and Kiev.... but I am not quite sure if he can react. Encircling Kiev would be the biggest victory in this war.

Further in the south (at Cherkassy) my troops cross the Dnjpr... this brings Jörg into a miserable position.

My troops take Berezivka and destroy an Italian HQ there. This is vital for my operations down there. Two German Tank Corps get cut off... this sets their supply to zero, and their effectiveness is very limited.

The German Rear: Jörg needs a lot of units to hunt down my partisans... and these units are missing on the Frontline.

[Hyazinth von Strachwitz]

1st of July 1943

The complete Wehrmacht is facing annihalation. Wherever Jörg establishes a stronghold, my troops surround and destroy it. For sure not funny to play as the Axis player...

We see some kind of Battle of the Baltic Sea (no, not the one from Sabaton)... let us see if the German Cruiser retreats... next turn my Subs will enter the Battle.

Heeresgruppe Nord does not exist anymore... just badly damaged units. The HQ in the south of Riga is Manstein... down to strength 2.

There is just one German unit in this area that can deliver damage to my forces: a fresh Level 3 tank. I will try to keep it busy while the Red Army conquers Minsk and Vilnius.

Jörg abandons Kiev and tries to escape to the west, but the road is blocked... and more forces arrive from the north... including a couple of Level 3 tanks.

Höppner is surrounded in Cherkassy...

Btw: I have another 5 Level 3 tanks in the queue... they will arrive until the end of August. I think I will reach the border of the Reich until the end of 1943. Jörg has lost Kiev, and he will loose Odessa and Riga sooner or later... so he will get even less MPP.

There have been 4 German Tank Corps between Chisinau and Berezivka at the beginning of the turn... one is destroyed, and all others are badly mauled. If they do not retreat, I will get them next turn. Once the Infantry Corps in the west of Berezivka is destroyed, my forces will move the sothwest... I do not expect much resistance there.

[Strategiclayabout]

Way to go Hyazinth, you're ahead of history ^^ !

- Thanks for continuing the AAR despite patches and terrible Axis state. Must hurt a lot to lose all those units in low supply for Hitler.

- Not sure why Jörg dispatched his strongest units here and there instead of keeping them concentrated. I wonder if there's any kind of reserve in Poland ?

P.S.: Nice little brawl in the Baltic hehe .

[Hyazinth von Strachwitz]

7th of July 1943

This was a really bloody turn... but just for the Axis. Jörg did not destroy a single of my units in his turn, and I did around 13 or 14... including 3 HQs and 2 Tanks Corps. I have the impression that my advance is getting quicker and quicker each turn.

Manstein is gone, and Riga is surrounded. The German Tank Corps might try a counterattack, but then I will also surround it.

In blue circles: fresh Mechanized Infantry... ready to strike.

Several cities are taken back from the German invaders. Good for our Morale. I have a 3:1 advantage in numbers... helps a lot. Fortunetely the few good German units cannot fight all of my troops... just some..

I am hunting down each unit in range of my troops. Not quite sure if I can encircle some troops... Jörg is moving backwards at maximum speed.

Not much restistance down here.

[Hyazinth von Strachwitz]

13th of July 1943

I know I repeat myself... this is getting ugly for the Axis.

Riga and Kaunas taken... the Red Army is approaching the German border.

There are very few good German units around... Minsk is taken as well.

The remainder of Heeresgruppe Süd is swept away.

Romania is close... and its oil wells.

[Hyazinth von Strachwitz]

19th of July 1943

The Red Army has entered Germany... and the first city is taken... and the same happened in Romania.

Not visible in the picture: my subs have reached the German Capital Königsberg... it is empty.... and not far away from Tilsit, which is now under Soviet control.

Nothing can stop the Red Hoardes!! Strong German units gets isolated, and then they loose their power.. and are easy targets.

My progress in the south is very satisfying.

Romania will be mine sooner or later.

Currently I have an advantage or 4:1 in ground units... and this will get even better.

[Strategiclayabout]

Only a 4:1 advantage in ground units ? Looks like 10:1 when lookings at the pics .

Seems most german units are in western Ukraine. I wonder if Luftwaffe units are of any use at this stage of the game ?

[Hyazinth von Strachwitz]

25th of July 1943

I really need to admit: Jörg`s endurance impresses me... I would have surrendered long time ago. This remembers me of my match against him as he was playing the German side in the 1916 East Africa Campaign... he fought to the last unit.

Soviet troops approach Königsberg. When I take the city, the German Capital will transfer to Warsaw... and I can imagine I will take Warsaw as well.. sooner or later. There are still German troops in the field, but they are isolated and do not threaten my advance.

The remainder of the German troops in the Ukraine is facing encirclement. The gate to Hungary is open... no Axis troops in between.

Romania is undefended as well. Bukarest will be mine next turn.

[Hyazinth von Strachwitz]

31st of July 1943

Good progress again, thanks to the good weather. My troops ar exhausted by the long marches, but so are the German troops.

Königsberg is encircled. The city has full supply, but it will not get any additional troops. Just a matter of time... heavy units are approaching. In Byelorussia, some strong German units get surrounded... you already know what will happen to them.

Ukraine: Jörg establishes a defensive line around Lemberg... something he should done a few hundred miles further in the east. This is the first time since the capture of Kiev..

My plan is to outflank this position in the north... I do not see many troops there.

Hungary: no resistance at all..

Romania: same picture here, no Axis Ground Units available. Next stop after the conquest of Bucharest will be Bulgaria.

The lost unit in the Black Sea is the Combined German/Italian Sub Group.

[Hyazinth von Strachwitz]

6th of August 1943

Jörg still continues to fight.

Königsberg still resists, and the Red Army approches Warzaw.

The remaining German forces in the western Part of the Ukraine have been separated from the rest that fights in Poland.

March trough Hungary... no resistance.

Romania is under soviet control.... my MPP basis almost reaches 1.000 MPP per turn.

[Hyazinth von Strachwitz]

12th of August 1943

Königsberg has fallen and gets a new name: Kaliningrad.

My troops surround Warzaw. There is no more organized resistance.

The Red Army approaches Budapest.

... and they enter Bulgaria.

[Hyazinth von Strachwitz]

18th of August 1943

Jörg had a few Infantry Corps in reserve... so we will get a tough Battle of Warzaw.

But the city is surrounded... just a matter of time.

24th of August 1943

Warzaw makes the experience of 15 consecutive Air Attacks... Tac Bombers, Med Bomber, a Strat Bomber and Fighters... everything I have in range. The German HQ in the city is down to strength 3. Two more attacks by my infantry, and the city is empty. A soviet division moves in, and the German Capital has fallen.

A few German units decide to continue the fight around Krakau. I have asked Jörg what he thinks about capitulation now... let us wait for the answer.

Further in the south, Soviet troops have taken Budapest, and so Hungary is gone. Sofia is under siege.. and Soviet troops are at the gates of Belgrad.