SOE 1939 (Axis) - Will vs Ash - AAR

[AshesFall]

Well, last time my now regular opponent will took the reins of the megalomaniacal madman from the Reich. Now it’s my turn, and I’ll hear no more of that kind of vile slander! The Reich seeks peace and equality for all (the right kind of) men!

I mean, look at him! How could this man mean anyone ill!

Right. Anyway. I’ll attempt a historical approach to the war to explore how the game works in a closer historical sequence of events. I might deviate a bit, and hopefully I won’t develop sudden and unhealthy obsessions with places like Stalingrad (though I make no promises) and do a little better than the Reich did in history.

I’ll also attempt a slightly different style with this AAR, summarizing longer stretches of time and strategic events in more condensed posts, with “highlights” in pictures and more detailed descriptions. Let’s get to it!

September 1939 – Fall Weiss

It has begun. Our invasion of Poland was swift and without hesitation. Our Panzers, supported by the Luftwaffe, swiftly encircled the Polish armies attempting to set up along the borders in an exemplary display of outdated military thinking. We have ignored these men, as they will soon be too demoralized and starved for supplies to present any credible threat. Instead, all of our forces drove hard at Warzaw from all directions, and smashed any resistance in it’s path, including the polish command structure.

After our three Panzer corps ground the Polish corps at Warzawa beneath their treads, the enemy surrendered on the 6th of October, facing a Soviet invasion from the east. We have honored the pact with Stalin. For now, it will allow us to focus on the enemy in the west, Der Furher truly thought that the western allies would not dare to declare war on us, now it is up to the OKW to teach them the error of their ways.

Our brightest new field commanders, men such as Rommel, Mannstein and Guderian, now theorize of new ways to use these magnificent machines (invest 1 chit in heavy armor tech).

The Italians have gathered their troops for transport to Africa, the Comando Supremo prioritizes a presence in North Africa, and fears the perils of crossing should Italy enter into a war with the Allies.

[AshesFall]

September 1939 to April 1940 – The Phoney War

After the fall of Poland, OKH has been intently occupied with the planning of the war in the west. Two more Panzer corps have been commissioned to arrive by early April, as well as another regular army and the 1st Panzergrenadies, an infantry formation built by Guderian according to the principles of the Panzerwwehr, designed to work in close support with our armored forces.

Most of the Wehrmacht has spent the winter trudging across Germany from Poland. OKH has decided not to occupy a single train in transporting an army that has feet and vehicles of its’ own. We have adapted the Enigma techniques pioneered by Arthur Scherbius to our use (intelligence technology lvl 1) and Von Paulus has come up with several interesting logistical solutions (infrastructure lvl 2).

The Allies have been ineffectual, sending polite letters and using their airplanes to drop pamphlets on our troops. We have responded politely, trying to find ground to make peace with the British. It has not been successful, and we now believe this war will be a long one.

In the Mediterranean the allies have attempted blockades of the Italian North African ports. Unfortunately, allied movements (undoubtedly a feint to draw our weaker ally into the war) have enticed Mousillini to declare war in march. We did manage to bring troops into North Africa, the Allies could not stop the transports in time. But Italy is now dangerously weak at home.

Denmark has been persuaded to become a protectorate, and we are moving forces there for operations in Scandinavia.

The plan for the fall of France that Mannstein proposed has been cleared by the OKH, it is time to end this phoney farce.

Final dispositions of the Wehrmacht in preparation for the invasion of the west.

[AshesFall]

May and June, 1939 – Fall Gelb

With the Wehrmacht standing strong in the west, the blow fell on May 3rd. Mannsteins plan for France and the low countries, Fall Gelb, had begun.

The Plan called for the swift destruction of the Netherlands and Belgium, as well as the conquest of Luxemburg. All of these countries, formidable obstacles in the time of the Great War, fell within days to fierce German attacks, and surrendered in early May.

As the Low Countries fell, the thrust continued into the soft center of the French line, through the Ardennes and the Argonne. These heavily forested areas were believed impregnable, and the defense in place was weak, with the weight of French and British forces in the North and South. A fallschirmsjager division took Nancy, and with that threatened to cut the entire French southern front off from supplies.

The Schwerpunkt created near Verdun prompted the total redeployment of British and French forces towards the center, forcing them to abandon their carefully dug positions and expose themselves to the deadly combination of our Airpower and Panzers. Panzer groups that paused to refit in Holland struck the front near Lille and Maubeuge, and the threat of a breakthrough and Chalons and Verdun is still very real. With a deep penetration into French lines the initial part of the Sichelschnitt was complete. Fall Gelb is a success.

Fall Weserubung

In late June, a corps sailed into the sound of Oslo. Believed to be easy prey, the Norweigan government, having received a German declaration of war days earlier, surrendered as paratroopers struck the capital from Aalborg, and an occupation force entered the streets of Olso. We believe that sympathizers within the government will let us take control over Norway with some ease, Quisling will make a fine collaborator. Our transports delivered well trained commandoes to the northern ports of Norway, and we now have complete control of the country.

[AshesFall]

July and August, 1939 – Fall Rot

Fall Rot, the development and amendment of Fall Gelb after its’ initial unexpected successes, aims at “der sichelschnitt”, a developed cut both North and south behind the enemy lines from our central breach. These cuts, one heading towards the coast towards Caen and Cherbourg, and one heading south to link with the Fallschirmsjaeger in Nancy, will envelop our already confused and demoralized enemies. Combined with the push across the largely abandoned Maginot line, we believe that this will be enough to end the war in france and perhaps even persuade the British to surrender.

OKH is dismayed at the first true loss of the war. Under determined counterattacks from several French and British formations the newly formed brain child of Guderian, the Panzergrenadiers, shattered. Nevertheless, our answer was decisive, reaching the outskirts of Paris while enveloping the northern center line by smashing through the anchor and skirting around it on its’ north end, coming into direct contact with British headquarters. The Englishmen will not find it easy to escape France. The Luftwaffe redeployed to support the final assault on Paris, slated for August.

The assault on Paris took two weeks, but elsewhere the encircled French and British forces have been decimated. We shattered Alexander and his staff, and though the man himself managed to escape, he was in dire straits and must rebuild his staff from the ground up (he was str 1 or so when I destroyed him, so low supply). The main B.E.F army has retreated to the coast, no doubt hoping for an emergency evacuation by sea. Goering promises that he can destroy them and that we need not waste our armor in finishing them off. The French fight on despite the loss of Paris.

Early August, and Fall Rot draws to a close. Though the French stubbornly fought on for a while longer, Rundstedt managed to convince the Furher to send Panzers north to finish the British decisively. They were completely shattered and surrounded, and though a select few escaped by fishing skiff across the channel, most of the British are now in out custody. Elsewhere, the decimation of the French forces continued. Despite all efforts, the French continued to fight on until late August, when their will to go on as British abandoned them evaporated on the cusp of September.

Our invasion of the west was a complete success. Though we have taken fairly high attritional losses on our participating formations, only one formation was completely shattered. Our extreme advantage in mobile armored forces (five “armor groups”), supported by several wings of ground attack aircraft, are believed to have been decisive. The French stubbornness and willingness to fight on until September is largely offset by the destruction of the B.E.F. It is believed that between one and three corps escaped, but one Corps, an Army and the British HQ were all surrounded and taken captive. A new government has been installed under the management of collaborators in southern France to pacify further resistance, "Vichy" france has been born. We are on a tight time table, and cannot afford to be bogged down in France any further.

As of the fall of France, Fall Rot is concluded. However, our forces are already on the move to new goals set by the OKH, and the endless ambition of the Fuhrer.

[AshesFall]

The war in the Mediterranean

Ever since Italy entered the war, France and the UK have harassed the Regia Marina in port. Their concentrated efforts, mostly by the French, sank a cruiser in the port of Durasso, and severely damaged a Battleship. Ever since, Mussolini’s prize navy has been hiding as deep in their ports as possible, wisely taking Admiral Raeder’s advice to avoid battle with the French fleet.

All the while, the Regia Aeronautica tried to harass the British (in particular), with only marginal success. However, as the fall of France drew close the Luftwaffe joined their beleaguered allies, and struck from the skies to severely damage both a British battleship and a Carrier.

This Prompted the withdrawal of English naval forces from the vicinity, leaving only the dispirited French fleet to continue the attacks. Shortly, the French navy surrendered and were recalled to Vichy France, where the treacherous British swiftly struck their former allies at port and sank much of their already damaged navy. They say they do not “recognize the government”… semantics for base traitors and backstabbers!

Our overall strategy in the Mediterranean theatre then. The first part was to preserve, as much as possible, the Regia Marina as a fleet in being. That has been mostly successful, the loss of a single Cruiser is not devastating.

The second part involves the already present Tactical Bombers, and the German and Italian Strategic bombers. Operation Heraclion. We need to start reducing Malta to rubble, so that our close air support can eventually destroy the corps on Malta, and allow our second fallschirmsjaeger division to take the Island. That damned patch of sand hampers and bedevils any attempt at supplying our forces in North Africa, and the coming campaign there must be free from such difficulties.

The third part then, is the war in North Africa. The Italians already stand around Tobruk in some strength, though reinforcements still trickle in. Unfortunately, the Italians stubbornly refuse to discover any sort of technological advances, despite having invested in Advanced Naval warfare back in 1939. As soon as possible, we will attempt to invest in better infantry weaponry for these backwards allies of ours.

The Fourth part is the arrival of Rommel, an Elite panzer corps, and the leichte Africa corps. An offspring of Guderians Panzergrenadiers. With these forces, we hope to be able to overtake the Allies in Egypt, and threaten their precious oil in the east. With enough luck (and of course the application of fabolous skill from the desert fox), perhaps an invasion of Soviet from the south can be possible.

[AshesFall]

Axis preparations and interim operations

The war of the Atlantic does not go particularly well. Admiral Raeder has resigned in shame, and Dönitz is now chief of the Kriegsmarine. Despite a significant investment, our scientists reach no conclusions as to the betterment of neither out Infantry warfare techniques and weaponry, not our submarine arm. This is most disappointing. We believe that Allied interference and sabotage may be to blame. Nevertheless, our Submarines are currently refitting in port, new ones being brought up to the technological standard of today (lvl 1) and those brave captains who have raided the Atlantic for the past year brought to port to receive repairs and shore leave. With allied countermeasures in effect (they seem to have reached Anti sub tech 1 much sooner than I did) it would be unwise to roam the Atlantic at anything less than full capacity.

The Fuhrers’ Directive 25, the order to invade and subjugate Yugoslavia at the behest of our Italian allies, has been put into effect. Plans for a continued invasion into Greece in concert with Comando Supremo are in the making. Negotiations between the axis parters, of which Japan can now count itself a member, is ongoing regarding the division of our conquests. While Germany needs every available resource to combat the threats we will face in the coming years, Italian resources are nothing short of abysmal. Letting Italy conquer Greece could well give them the boost they need to be anything but a dead weight. This assessment of the situation is, of course, one made behind closed doors at the OKH.

Meanwhile, every possible preparation is being made for a future war in the East. Significant forces are being commissioned, and the OKH have begun planning. The operation has no name as of yet, but I am sure it will be inspired by our… imperial ambitions.

[AshesFall]

So, what do you guys think of this different style of AAR? Is it interesting? Any thoughts?

[Strategiclayabout]

Interesting . Since I'm reading both AARs, the different styles makes me think I'm not watching the same events twice and if you have less work to do to put it together, even better . It also probably allows you to focus on main action spots !

[AshesFall]

Interesting . Since I'm reading both AARs, the different styles makes me think I'm not watching the same events twice and if you have less work to do to put it together, even better . It also probably allows you to focus on main action spots !

Thank you! I'm getting no comments, so I was afraid that it was just really bad or something .

I wanted to stay very close to history in this game, so I thought "why not use the historical operations". So far I think I've done a good job of it, implementing Fall Gelb and Rot/weserbung etc pretty much the way they were planned in history.

[AshesFall]

Difficult Decisions

After the fall of Yugoslavia in November 1940, OKH was faced with a difficult decision. The pressure was high from the Italians to take Greece, and Mussolini warmongered energetically through his own propaganda channels, making bombastic speeches to the Italian people. It seems plausible that the Italians will attempt to invade Greece themselves sans German aid, and in the estimation of the OKH such an attempt would not only be a disaster, but a danger to the entire Balkans, should the Brits become involved.

The Choice then, lay in whether to send the Balkan Heeresgruppe into Greece, possibly delaying the invasion of the USSR or otherwise removing the strength of its’ southern thrust. The OKH has decided that the redesignated Heeresgruppe Sud must Continue to Romania, and take part in the original plan for the East. Instead, forces slated for North Africa are being reassigned to make a daring attack on Greece, Operation Marita.

Meanwhile, operation Heraclion, the bombing campaign and subsequent invasion of Malta, is not progressing to plan. Goering promises that it will be done in time, though the collective (and silent) opinion of the OKH is that Goering is an insufferable windbag, and not to be trusted. Nevertheless, the operation will continue, if it shows significant results in enough time, a decision on whether to deploy the Luftwaffe to the east or finish the operation must be made.

(I effed this one up a bit. I should have moved all three tacs into the operation right away, but used one to bumble about in Yugoslavia where it did zero and zip in the way of good. An unlucky turn of extra bad weather delayed it further)

All is not bad however, the Regia Marina is strong and upgraded to modern German standards. The same unfortunately cannot be said of the Italian army in North Africa.

To complicate matters further, the British have woken up and moved against Tobruk, where the Italian army is both badly organized, outdated, and understrength. After months of harassment from both sea and air they struck from bardia and destroyed an Italian army on the Outskirts of Tobruk. The Italians badly need German help, the help that has at least partly been reallocated to invade Greece. It is, then, a tense and difficult situation in the Mediterranean overall.

(It’s very funny actually, this part going as historical. It truly was not my intention, but the Italians finally got that hit in naval tech and the british fleet was being the bastard that it is, and I had to upgrade. Suddenly, there were no funds for the large Italian army group I so laboriously moved to North Africa. The Brits were quiet, and I was happy with that. Now I’ll pay for this oversight. Will the desert fox arrive to save the bumbling Italians in time?)

[AshesFall]

The Prelude to the Storm – Operation Marita and Heraclion

The initial preparations for operation Marita were finished by April 11th. The Gepanzerte Afrika Grenadiers boarded ships in Brindisi, with the Italians having boarded a corps onto their own ambhibious landing vessels the weeks before from Durazzo. The Italian navy, having exercised stringent radio silence for 24 hours, slipped out of port. Due to the deadly Luftwaffe Umbrella, no allied ships were close to the boot of Italy, and they moved undetected. As this was going on, operation Heraclion continued. The first signs of attrition and demoralization was showing among the beleaguered British on the island.

The Italian army was under immense pressure from the British in North Africa, and from the Royal Navy that had long blockaded the port of Tobruk and bombarded its’ defenders. After leaving port, the Regia Marina struck east, heading to relieve the army in North Africa and Draw the attention of the British away from the transports approaching Greece. What followed would be known as the battle of the gulf of Bomba.

The Lanciere destroyer squadron scouted ahead of the main fleet, and soon sighted a British battleship with auxiliaries north of Derna. Meant to screen the blockading British fleet, the Battleship Valiant soon came under fire from the Conte Di Cavour and Gorizia cruiser. Listing badly, and smoking as she sank, the battleship nonetheless managed to send a warning call to the blockading fleet. Unfortunately, Admiral Alberto Da Zara was already in contact with the Italian forces around Tobruk, and the German Luftflotte IV was sent to strafe the royal navy in the bay. The Warspite failed to disengage, trying to reach the open waters for room to maneuver and the Ark Royal was forced to send intercepting fighters, attempting to hold the Germans off. The British, unaware of recent Italian naval advances, miscalculated the speed with which the Regia Marina would engage, and could not disentangle themselves in time. As a result, both the Warspite and the Ark Royal were sunk in the bay by The Andrea Doria, Guilo Cesare and the cruiser Trieste. The Cailo Duilio battleship, attempting to run down British cruiser disengaging from the battle in the Gulf, instead contacted another screening battleship, The Malaya. The aging British warship soon came under heavy fire, and barely managed to limp away from the area, with the Regia marina in hot pursuit. The battle of the Gulf of Bomba would later be considered the first Naval disaster for the British of the war, prompting redesign of battleships that would later be shown ineffective when faced with Japanese carrier air.

Around Malta, Goering was spurred to manic efforts by the Fuhrers wrath. Again, and again the Junkers heavy bombers and Stukas fell upon the British Garrison, and soon the dead littered streets and houses among fallen brickwork. When the Luftwaffe was entirely exhausted after the intense five day blitz, the 2nd fallschirmsjaeger division landed on the Island. It is said most of the British were grateful to be captured, wanting only an end to the infernal thunder of Goerings planes.

Following the battle of the Gulf of Bomba, and a formal declaration of war against Greece, the Cailo Duilio battleship escorted the grenadier army to the shores of Athens. The Battleship held up the surprised and ancient Greece cruisers, and supported the landing with shore bombardments. Athens fell, and the Italians disembarked to take control. Greece has fallen, and without compromising Barbarossa.

The situation in North Africa is still precarious. The British are here in force, and a second Italian army has been routed. A saying among the Germans is that the italians are in such a hurry to be captured and get better food and rest that they practically throw themselves unarmed at the enemy. We hope that the ones guarding Tobruk is a little more steadfast, perhaps those thick walls will give their spines some iron. Nevertheless, Guzzoni is retreating with the Centauro "tank" corps, dragging the remains of his artillery support with him. Rommel has just arrived in Benghazi, and has managed to persuade the Fuhrer to assign the Luftwaffe to North Africa instead of the Eastern front. Soon, more german units will arrive, as well as the Panzergrenadiers from Greece. The war in North Africa is yet to be decided.

[AshesFall]

June 1941 – Operation Barbarossa – Order of battle

On the sixth of June, all possible preparations within the time frame allotted by the OKH had been made. Operation Barbarossa, how can an operation with such a bombastic name possibly go wrong?

(In reality, I agonized a LOT about this. As you will see when I go through the preparations, I focused a great deal on building a numerous army. I did put chits into research, all the key areas have had at least one chit in them since the fall of france but I simply could not get a hit even with inf weapons at 90% and heavy armor at 50% . I suspect that this is probably due to American intelligence tech, but I haven’t really had the new system thoroughly explained yet so I don’t know. Mostly, the tech deficient is likely a result on a focus on units, and lesser focus on the tech aspect, while the opposite might be true for my opponent. Also, due to events elsewhere and the costs of operating and transporting units (I tried to walk most of them, but even given time since the fall of France they couldn’t reach the front in time without multiple force marches, something that would have hit my morale/readiness badly I think) I could not upgrade every unit fully. This had the unintended side effect that I actually presented a variety of old and new units, and armies with and without mechanized transport, just as in history. I could have waited another turn to upgrade everything fully, but doing so would shorten my summer window and just give the red army more time to prepare. It was time to strike. In hindsight, this proved wise, since all the MPP’s for the next turn went towards strengthening Africa at what could well prove to be a critical moment. As of the declaration of war against the USSR, and the deployment of their STAVKA armies, OKH estimates total german land unit count at 79 and Soviet count at 35. Of these, it is likely that around 50 German, and Allied, units are present on the eastern front. It's worth mentioning that the Soviets match the germans in both armor and infantry tech. ).

On the target date, four of the five Heeresgruppen envisioned by the OKH after the fall of France were finally ready. Despite the best efforts of German industry, several Panzer I’s and II’s were still in service at this time. The new Panzer III’s were allotted primarily to elite formations, and other Panzercorps as possible. Guderians brain child has been fully realized into this campaign, with formations of Panzergrenadier special forces supporting each Heeresgruppen. Originally, the OKH wanted no less than three fully mechanized armies, one Special forces, two tank groups and supporting artillery for each Heeresgruppen. This is the result;

Heeresgruppe Nord under the command of General Leeb sports two elite formations of Panzer III’s, a special forces army, two mechanized armies and one army of footsloggers. In support, two corps.

Heeresgruppe Mitte is the result of combining two previously envisioned army groups, A and C, into a single entity after the OKH found that it would not be possible to produce the necessary two Panzer corps required by German doctrine for flexible operations for group C in time for June. Instead, Mitte is commanded jointly by Generals Rundstedt and List, and as the bulk of Soviet forces seem to be concentrated in its’ area of operations it has been strengthened further by an army slated for Heeresgruppe Balkan and given what artillery could be manufactured in time for Barbarossa. In all, this is nearly two full army groups built in accordance with the original specifications, save for the lack of two Panzercorps. List, having fallen ill during the winter and only now starting to recuperate, is missing from this order of battle (he was slow at walking, and I couldn’t afford to operate him as he was pretty close to the front anyway).

Around Premyzl, General bock gathers Heeresgruppe Balkan, or B for short. Expected to receive support from and link up with Heeresgruppe Sud, B has been given the concentration of aging Panzer I’s and II’s. To compensate for the lack of the army given to Heeresgruppe Mitte and lack of special forces support, Bock can expect the support of the Hungarian armed forces.

Heeresgruppe Sud, led by General Kuchler, advanced intact to the USSR/Romania border after the conquest of Yugoslavia. Sporting elite grenadier armies and a mix of Panzer III’s and II’s, this army group is also supported by the Romanians and Bulgarians.

Next, the plan!

[AshesFall]

Barbarossa – The plan

The overall objectives of operation Barbarossa is nothing less than the total annihilation of the soviet armed forces with an initial focus on destroying the STAVKA armies as they deploy and the encirclement of their southern and central fronts. Each army group fits into this plan.

(By the way, I would like to commend you guys on the map itself, it really is very nicely done)

Central to OKH’s planning (after having spent half an hour staring at the railway network in soviet) is the two “corridors” (henceforth designated the Pripyat valleys) created by the Pripyat marches.

Heeresgruppe Nords’ main objectives are the destruction of STAVKA forces around Siaulaili (Primary) the area around and including Riga (Secondary), the Capture of Kaunas and Wilno (Primary) and if possible the city of Minsk (Tertiary, situational/opportunity). The capture of both Wilno and Minsk will effectively cut any forces in the Central Pripyat valley between the Mansurian lakes and the Marshes themselves off from the rest of the USSR. As long term objectives, the Heeresgruppe must capture Riga, Talinn and Leningrad. If Leningrad proves to be heavily defended, it is possible that artillery must be reallocated there.

Heeresgruppe Mitte seems to face a line of Soviet forces. If possible it must smash through these forces to encircle and destroy them. if not, it must engage the Soviets and force their slow withdrawal under constant harassment. The capture of Kowel is a priority to prevent any forces around Lwow from escaping. Heeresgruppe Nord will assist from behind if needed. As always, the STAVKA forces around Bialystok is a priority.

Heeresgruppe B’s main objective is the destruction of STAVKA forces, and other soviet forces, around Lwow. Provided that Heeresgruppe Sud is successful, there is not much pressure on Bock to accomplish this with haste, as they will be unable to escape deeper into the USSR. If it is not, the STAVKA forces must be destroyed immediately at all costs. Heeresgruppe B is flexible in its’ long term objectives, slated to support either Heeresgruppe Mitte in its’ push towards Moscow, or Heeresgruppe sud in its ‘drive from the south.

Heeresgruppe Sud will, as a matter of extreme priority, focus on the disruption of the railway around Vinnitsa. Capture of the city and blockade of the railway must be accomplished at all costs. As a secondary objective, the capture of the area Dnepropetrovsk and Kiev or the support of Heeresgruppe B in the destruction of trapped soviet forces in the southern Pripyat valley. Long term Objectives include a supporting drive upon Moscow from the south, or if obviously unnecessary, expansion towards Rostov and Voronezh.

[AshesFall]

Barbarossa – Initial Stages

The Wehrmacht strode across the soviet border on the 6th of June.

Heeresgruppe Mitte ran into immediate difficulties. Scouting corps detected a very strong Soviet presence along the border, and Rundstedt (still lacking the direct involvement of Kleists’ staff at this point) settled for a cautious advance towards the entrenched enemy to pin the Soviet forces in place, coupled with a few spoiling attacks at exposed AT and AA assets. One of the primary objectives was accomplished as Kowel fell to a determined assault by Special forces and a Panzer corps. Negligible losses for the Wehrmacht.

Heeresgruppe Nord Struck the STAVKA forces, and Tank group 1 utterly destroyed them with few losses. Likewise, the assault on the Corps guarding Kaunas was successful without a loss. Leebs’ panzergrenadiers made a daring fast dash towards Wilno, and found the city empty with an army slowly approaching from the north. The soviet Central front is in danger of being encircled.

In the South, Kuchler was successful in a lightning dash to capture Vinnitsa, and deployed Panzer corps on the rail line to keep the soviets in the southern Pripyat valley bottled up with no way to escape. Massed attacks on Kishiniev brought the corps there to low numbers. A stronger Soviet Tankovy army has been spotted near Tarnopol, a counter attack seems probable. Heeresgruppe B advanced cautiously, having received dispatches of Kuschlers’ success. Bock preserved his aging panzers as much as possible, striking cautiously to destroy only one of the STAVKA tankovy armies. The fighters were overrun on the ground however.

Towards the end of the month Soviet forces counterattacked Bocks’ aging armor formations. The STAVKA Tankovy army was destroyed and the 2nd Shock tankovy army damaged as they battled Bocks forces in the largest armored battle of the war so far. Renewed German attacks strengthened by armor and special forces from Heeresgruppe Mitte destroyed both the soviet 2nd shock armor group and the army holding Lwow. In the end, Bocks’ two Panzer corps were too damaged to remain in service. They were dissolved (I.e. the soviets destroyed them in their turn), and the remaining relics of the French campaign redistributed to the surrounding Panzer corps as reconnaissance vehicles. Kishinev and Kiev fell to Heeresgruppe Sud, and Odessa is under siege. Buddeny has been caught in Tarnopol, and his staff will shortly be shattered.

The soviet army started a slow withdrawal up the central Pripyat Valley. Rundstedt, now finally aided in commanding the unwieldy strengthened army group by Kleist, followed. Rundstedts forces struck a strengthened STAVKA tankovy army behind Bialystok, and focused attacks on enemy AT assets to forestall the destruction of the forward Panzer corps as it sustained losses in its’ battle. Kleists forces attacked Brest Litovsk after a heavy bombardment, and the army there will soon be destroyed.

Leeb has taken up quarters in Wilno, and has set up his forces along the perimeter to receive the retreating soviets should they decide to stay in the closing pocket. Unfortunately, the special forces ran into engineers near Minsk, and failed to capture the city. Supporting corps are quickly taking the area around Riga.

(So far during Barbarossa we have suffered some 14 steps of army losses, 6 steps of Armor losses and two groups destroyed, and six steps of special forces losses. In return, we have destroyed five soviet tank armies (four STAVKA), two fighter formations, and several corps, two armies, as well as significant steps lost on auxiliary formations (AT/AA). Not brilliant, but workable).

[Strategiclayabout]

Strange to see those fortifications empty at Minsk, seems Stalin was surprised by Barbarossa . Kiev taken in July ? That's very good for Axis. Seems Soviets didn't expect a strong attack from Romania or maybe there is some kind of evil communist plan at work since the north was also nearly empty...

[AshesFall]

Strange to see those fortifications empty at Minsk, seems Stalin was surprised by Barbarossa . Kiev taken in July ? That's very good for Axis. Seems Soviets didn't expect a strong attack from Romania or maybe there is some kind of evil communist plan at work since the north was also nearly empty...

Thanks! As you might have seen in the other AAR we talked the situation over. The English navy was basically gone (mostly destroyers left), North Africa was set to fall with the Luftwaffe and Rommel present in force and soviet was more or less empty save for the troops in the center there of which only half would be able to operate out. We decided to call it a practice game and restart, though I wonder, could he have come back from that?

It was a lot of fun, and I really enjoyed writing the "historical" battle descriptions and operations

[Strategiclayabout]

- Unlikely but possible. Allies would have needed luck with weather and to be more agressive very quickly in the West and Med with early landings.

- USSR still had some room to maneuver and retreat but it would have been complicated to hold until winter while protecting critical points.