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1944 Bagration - AAR


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POLAND & PRIPYAT MARSHES

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- In Poland enemy numerical superiority is becoming a huge concern as most axis units are depleted (4 tank groups, 6 armies, 8 divisions, 2 AT & 2 artillery vs 3 panzer, 4 corps, 5 divisions, 1 AT & 2 artillery). However for the time being Guderian's timely fallback left Soviets unable to catch up and only delaying forces saw action.

- The forces staying behind were supposed to hold for one or two days before escaping but Gods of War decided otherwise. Instead they stunned an overconfident Stavka by halting the main red push during a week of vicious fighting. As staff officers stared at maps and incoming reports in utter disbelief they were left wondering what the hell happened...

- Actually considering the three units involved it isn't that surprising though it was still an unexpected outcome. 1 & 367div are seasoned units commanded by highly decorated veterans back from the Great War (General der Infanterie Ernst-Anton von Krosigk & Generalmajor Adolf Fischer) while 9AT includes famed 503rd heavy panzer batallion of ace Kurt Knispel.

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- Furthermore they benefited from excellent defensive terrain and had some time to prepare. The tank hunters were deployed in front of Lublin across a gap between two wooden areas and were supported by 1st artillery guns. The two divisions entrenched themselves in the forests north of Svalyava where their leaders experience would be use to the fullest.

- First 38 army advanced unopposed through the town and towards Hungary's border but couldn't overcome 7 hungarian mobile corps positions deep in the mountains. Further north 367div was encircled and lost 80% of its men but held back 1 ukrainian tank & 18 armies for four days of bitter combat tree by tree before slipping through the russian net at night.

- Fischer surviving regiment kept fighting while retreating westwards blocking 11G AT moves while 1div repelled all assaults by 2 tank & 40 armies. 9AT also did well against 6 tank & 1G armies interdicting any advance or flanking move for a week. Then orders were finally received to evacuate and regroup behind the main line between Lublin and the Bug river.

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- With most forces stranded on the polish border in the south the offensive towards Brest-Litovsk was greatly weakened. 3Pz easily stopped 322div spearheads on the railroad bridge leading to the fortress. Following units (8G army, 107 & 151div, 10G AT) were too far to provide support but Soviets had one last card to play...

- Red Army's reserve tank group sneaked past Pripyat Marshes western edge and advanced on the nearby railroad. In the process it fell upon the concealed 56Pz in a confused forest encounter that quickly became a complete mess. With limited visibility on difficult ground and both sides equally surprised it could only end in a bloody draw.

- It isn't clear what was the objective of that maneuver but it wreaked havoc in german plans to deal with Baranavichy. After discussing the situation with Guderian Harpe concluded it was a major operation to relieve the town. Linking with paratroopers inside and cavalrymen around would dangerously increase the threat on AGC thin lifeline between Vilna and Minsk...

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- Back in Hungary 7 mobile hungarian corps receives more men to defend the border. Its mission will be to hold while freshly arrived 17 mountain corps entrenches just behind. Exhausted 1 & 367div are pulled back to cover the northern reaches of the only other path through the mountains towards Nyiregyhaza.

- On the Jaroslaw-Lublin line the flow of men and equipment begins to grow significantly due to the change in strategic priorities. 82 corps is fully upgraded while 8 corps, 240div & 9AT come back to full strength. 48Pz & 52 corps shield 1st artillery retreat by hammering 1 ukrainian tank with no losses before occupying the woods between the two towns.

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- Soviet unexpected thrust in the marshes left 4th panzer army unable to attack Baranavichy as planned. 3 & 56Pz are below 50% strength with enemy tanks still lurking in the woods though in terrible supply. 4th army low quality security and garrison infantry can't be expected to do the job alone despite heavy aerial support (KG 1 & 5 bombers with KG 1 stukas).

- Fortunately Manstein just released 100% combat ready 41Pz from frontline duty. The reserve unit is immediately dispatched from Minsk to launch a surprise strike from the east. 2G paratroopers were completely fooled by diminished 3Pz fake attack from the west and left their back wide open leading to a quick and almost bloodless victory.

- Harpe didn't waste any time to exploit it with 52, 131 & 214div counterattacking all along the railroad. 5LW & 22div secured the town while 56Pz was taken back to Brest-Litovsk to rest and reinforce when possible. That seemingly modest success was a critical step in the organization of AGNU future offensive in Poland as later events will show.

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CARPATHIA & ROMANIA

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- With Red Army reaching the border of Hungary south of Poland the previous "Hungary" map area around Targu Orcna will be renamed "Carpathia" from now on. The last reserve unit (17 mountain corps) in the area was sent northwards to defend a more critical spot.

- Otherwise nothing much happened there this turn except for another russian push on Bucharest through the mountains (53 army & 85div). 4 romanian corps lost nearly half of his men but held again despite massive rocket fire. At Constanta 11 corps inflicted a clear defeat to 46 & 57 armies trying to attack across very difficult terrain. Those 2 corps as well as all german frontline units were reinforced and ordered to assume strictly defensive positions.

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KG 1 stukas over Baranavichy.

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- So we're even for units lost this time at 3 to 3 (98 to 126 land 13 to 20 air) with a sweet vengeance for our eliminated fighter ! However for the first time MPPs kill ratio spiked above 1 to 4 (150 to 655 total 13,136 to 14,760) and Stavka suffered more losses than OKH on two consecutive turns. It was only a tiny -20 at the end of USSR moves against -505 after Axis played but it's exactly what we need to stop the bleeding (and it's very good for my battered morale hehe ^^ ).

- Overall things are going "as planned" with Guderian keeping situation under control in Poland while retreating. Soviets also diverted some forces on the flanks towards Hungary and more unexpectedly the Pripyat Marshes. Luckily the quick fall of Baranavichy spared us a lot of trouble in that area. Now the main threat appears to be in Baltic States where the loss of Opochka puts AGN in a difficult situation.

- Deciding the best time to withdraw from northern Russia will be quite a headache. I suppose it will greatly depend on the results of my little Vitebsk gamble: will Stalin push on Minsk or Polotsk maybe both ? I'll have to factor in the new way VVS uses its planes making Festungen harder to hold. If Romania was to face that kind of concentrated assault it probably wouldn't last long even with the fortified line to help...

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Get ready for CH7: Cemetery of Steel (26-31 July 1944)

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Men of 2 corps waiting for soviet assault in the ruins of Opochka.

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CH7: Cemetery of Steel (26-31 July 1944)

"GUDERIAN, NEW NAZI CHIEF OF STAFF

The rust is spreading through his war machine."

TIME (7 August 1944)

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- Our clever spies managed to steal the above strategically critical Time's mock up edition for next week. Though blatantly making fun of one of our most capable generals it also shows how ignorant they are of his true value.

- Those arrogant Yanks clearly think our glorious Reich is finished because of some minor victory in the West. However the concerned party will prove them wrong even before they can slander its reputation further !

- That said we suffered high losses this turn again with 3 units destroyed (95 to 126). MPPs count was slightly in our favor though with 730 to 778 (at 13866 vs 15538 overall).

- Good news are our lines wern't broken anywhere and Ivans were actually nice enough to play along with most of our plans. The Vitebsk gamble worked well and limited soviet push on Minsk to a small but still dangerous bridgehead over the Beresine...

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BIELORUSSIA & BALTIC STATES

- Seems Reinhardt's eye poking game was enough to infuriate Stalin as no less than 5 armies moved on Vitebsk. 258div had no chance to survive an assault from a whole front (Mobile & Moscow mech, 11G, 43 & 65 armies, 93 & 220div, 16AT). Still it fought well and delayed Russians so much it allowed 371div to keep the Festung in german hands.

- Unfortunately 39 corps couldn't hold Mogilev any longer and was wiped out by determined enemy attacks. However combined with forces spent northwards it weakened significantly the offensive on Minsk. 23 corps & 1rgt/45div held fim on the wings while 20 corps & 134div easily stopped T-34s in the center with minimal casualties.

- Despite overwhelming numerical superiority (Kharkov tank, 28, 31, 50, 51 & 61 armies, 33 & 44G, 25div, 4AT) Stavka wasn't able to deploy its troops properly. As a result masses of men were packed tight along the Beresine and in 29 nebelwerfer fire zones. Only 51 army managed to cross the river but it was halted by 267div from Minsk and quickly surrounded.

- In AGN's area Soviets disrupted Hansen's evacuation plans by cutting railroads to Ludza. 93div was forced to retreat north of the town (1 & 2S, 8 armies) while 50 corps was submerged in the south (62 & 72 armies, 43G, 193 & 391 div). Luckily 1 corps & 81div were already preparing a new defensive line behind the Festung and prevented any exploitation.

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- With its flanks secure for a bit longer 3rd panzer army was free to withdraw units from the front without many risks. 1 hungarian & 10 corps finished to clean the rear as battered remnants of 6G army surrendered. That allowed most of the forces still north of the Dvina to cross the river and join the new defensive line.

- In the front veteran 371div (1,5 stars at 8 steps) launched a ferocious night raid against Mobile mech to distract Russians before evacuating Vitebsk. Then shielded by 43 corps it retreated south of the river where it joined Reinhardt's HQ. 6 hungarian corps fell back to Polotsk railroad where it lined up with 4LW AT to screen Luftwaffe airfields under Wohler.

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- On his side Manstein's priority was to hold the Beresine line and reduce 51 army bridgehead. 3 & 41Pz were called back from Baranavichy to back up 267div assault but failed to completely eliminate the soviet spearhead. Further south 1rgt/45div kept the flank sealed by attacking along the railroad where 50 army lost 25% of its men.

- It was better in the center where the Kharkov tank group was forced to flee (2 hungarian & 20 corps, 134div, 29 nebelwerfer) leaving dozens of burning tanks behind. However despite that small success situation remained precarious with Minsk under direct threat. Thus 23 corps isolated in the swamps at the end of the Smolensk railroad was pulled back towards the city.

- AGC's commander hopes this move will incite the enemy to avoid a frontal shock and flow in the open ground northwards. Why ? Because he spotted an interesting opportunity to strike red airfields that were carelessly advanced forward. The thin line of armies covering them is already in bad shape so if it can be stretched just a bit more...

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- Given 16th army's situation with barely any unit left Hansen has no choice but to retreat on new positions. His HQ joins 40Pz which is fully reinforced to cover the growing gap between Ludza and Polotsk. With 18th army's help (72 corps) 1 corps & 81div also tried to force back 2S army across the Velikaya but fell short of the goal.

- Consequently Loch had man the trenches himself as he weakened his lines to anchor AGN's right flank. 4 corps at half-strength was shifted southwards to support 93div just back to 100% combat power. Now the road to Dvina river is wide open our reserve panzers should be able to contain any deep advance in that area.

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FINLAND

Men of 10th division resting near Lappeenranta.

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- Nothing much to say here as with their artillery trailing behind Soviets wern't able to attack efficiently. That said even reduced 7 & 23 armies alone were enough to push back exhausted 7 corps. The retreat didn't go well and most regiments scattered in the woods northwards instead of withdrawing orderly along the railroad.

- Mannerheim understood too late what was happening but still ordered a despearte counterattack by 4 & 5 corps against 7 army in the center. It actually broke enemy lines but despite that temporary success 7 corps can't be saved anymore. Surrounded by impassable terrain it is now isolated at the end of the Viipuri line with nearly no supply reaching it...

- The previous decision to speed up Karelian Isthmus evacuation was clearly a mistake. Units left behind were already weakened and couldn't withstand any serious assault without decent entrenchments as we'll see again very soon. Also to be noted was that Friessner's last valuable unit (26 corps) evacuated Narva and its ersatz army was dissolved.

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You can see below that Finns' situation is quite worse than historically though they retained Viipuri.

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POLAND & PRIPYAT MARSHES

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- The previous fall of Baranavichy yielded immediate results with Soviets retreating in the Pripyat Marshes (Reserve tank & 2G cav armies). In the south 18 & 40 armies resumed their advance south of Jaroslaw but couldn't get past well entrenched 82 corps.

- There were also excellent news from Hungary with significant enemy forces being diverted against 7 hungarian mobile corps. 38 army & 72div with an HQ were quite expected but seeing an artillery unit away from more critical areas is great !

- Actually it seems Stavka got tired of the poor gains made on the wings and revised its plans. Ukrainian fronts massed their power in the center to storm Lublin probably aiming to split in half our lines.

- A preparatory move involving 8G army targeted 2 artillery with an attack along the Bug to flank the german line but it couldn't destroy our guns. As a result 2 & 6 tank groups pushing on the town faced a rain of shells by two batteries concentrations when they had only one to support them.

- If that wasn't enough to stall the offensive there was nearly no accompanying infantry. 336div was supposed to follow closely but was mostly blocked in 340div defense zone leaving T-34s alone while they forged ahead.

- And to make things worse Guderian had established a fortified HQ in the town at the best possible place to answer the threat. Consequently 8 corps inflicted disproportionate casualties to russian armor before falling back to rescue 2 artillery with 20% of its men left.

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- That costly but heroic stand was the opening act of what would quickly become "Das Schlag" (the strike). Using his blitzkrieg knowledge to the fullest in less than perfect conditions Speedy Heinz was about to stun his foes big Time (pun intended hoho ^^).

- He noticed enemy guns in the area had spent most of their devastating fire against 8 corps and should be running low on ammunition. On the other hand his own had been in good supply for a while and still had a sizeable amount of it to spare.

- Furthermore two strong units from 1st panzer army are immediately available to strike back. 48Pz had time to rest and is led by Hermann Balck one of the best officer of the Reich. 9AT has already made itself known to Ivans thanks to Kurt Knispel's 503rd heavy panzer batallion.

- It's a deadly combination with the second covering the first while 1 artillery pounds mercilessly any organized resistance. After two hours of combat 2 & 6 tank groups are gone without a single panzer lost on german side !

- The scale of destruction is astounding with clusters of burning carcasses and wrecked vehicles over miles. Sadly due to the lack of specialized infantry most enemy personel couldn't be captured but the victory is clearly indisputable.

- Guderian seized the chance to inflict further damage by sending nearby 52 corps towards the Bug to support the counterattack against 8G army. It was another success with 52, 214 & 340div completely destroying the enemy forces in low supply.

- However that move leaves our armored troops vulnerable and the russian answer will surely come at a high price for AGNU. Thus diminished 8 corps is pulled back to reorganize in the rear while 2 artillery remaining guns join 1 artillery ones.

- South of Jaroslaw 1 & 367div are fully reinforced while 82 corps pushed back 18 army to prevent any surprise there. Same thing for Harpe's 131div in the northern forests though 4th panzer army main reserve unit (56Pz at Brest-Litovsk) still has half of its theoretical strength missing.

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CARPATHIA & ROMANIA

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- All the action happened north of Bucharest this turn with a massive soviet assault (7G, 27, 37 & 52 armies). Constantly under heavy rocket fire 4 romanian corps was halved once again and finally forced to retreat. However when elite 62G div came down the mountain road to finish the job it faced entrenched german engineers already using several finished bunkers.

- As Russians couldn't get past that defensive line 85div was sent westwards to flank it and nearly got out of the mountains. Fortunately regiments from 5 romanian & 29 corps were already dug in the hills to block any advance on the oil wells. Pushing further would mean no supply so it will be impossible as long as Axis can man the Ploesti line.

- With the fortifications protecting the capital completed shortly after Dumitrescu was able to rest his men at last. To replace them 26 corps was railroaded all the way from Narva and relieved our brave 123rd engineer in the trenches. There was still work to do though and they began to build a second fortified area just behind the first one.

- Given increasing enemy pressure Allmendinger managed to obtain long desired reinforcements. 29 & 52 corps left in the rear at 20% strength for a while got back to full combat capacity. Exhausted 4 romanian corps moved west to help extend the line and prevent sneaking maneuvers through the mountains by 85div.

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503rd heavy panzer batallion's ace Kurt Knispel.

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General der Panzertruppe Hermann Balck commander of 48 panzer korps.

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- Great turn for OKH seeing 4 elite enemy units destroyed (total 95 to 122) including 2 tank groups and 2 guards infantry armies out of supply. The kill ratio is also very good being close to 3:1 in our favor at 370 MPPs lost to 1,044 (14,236 vs 16,582 overall). Actually it's the best turn result since the campaign started as the 674 MPPs difference even tops the heigths of Manstein's Kessel Battle (651 MPPs) with far less casualties. It's also the fourth turn in a row where Red Army suffers more than Wehrmacht.

- All of that explain the confident atmosphere reigning at Berlin and beyond despite bad news from France. As Allies' Operation Cobra captured Avranches on July 30 it effectively threatens to collapse the entire Normandy front. Not that it matters much to an enthusiastic Hitler already envisioning victorious counterattacks everywhere to turn the tide of war. Overjoyed by Guderian's reports he remains blind to the actual force balance especially in the East.

- The truth is Speedy Heinz' victory at Lublin has no strategic value though the tactical gains were tremendeous. It gave AGNU what it needed the most: Time (yeah yeah I know easy one :D) to reinforce and fall back orderly. Armor ratio was also cut to 2:3 from 3:5 and would have been equal without the loss of 3Pz lent to Manstein. Still it's the tree hiding the forest with Stavka securing key advantages everywhere else to resume offensive.

- Finns are slowly crumbling under soviet pressure and Narva probably won't last long in the other side of the Baltic Sea. After the fall of Opochka AGN was forced to evacuate Ludza and couldn't reduce the Velikaya bridgehead. AGC has the same issues losing Mogilev and leaving Vitebsk while having enemy troops across the Beresine just in front of Minsk. Even Romania is in trouble with Ivans inching closer to Bucharest though at a snail's pace.

- The strategy to leave holes in the lines worked well so far allowing to trap or contain red spearheads. That said at some point there are too many holes to keep playing this game. So everything is screaming "shorten the front" at Model right now but he knows it's easier said than done. The whole retreat timetable will depend on what Stalin does next and OKH we only pray to avoid nasty surprises...

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...in CH8: Falcons Down (1-6 August 1944)

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What remains of 2 & 6 tank armies after "Das Schlag".

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CH8: Falcons Down (1-6 August 1944)

Generaloberst Georg-Hans Reinhardt commander of 3rd Panzer Army (left).

General der Infanterie Otto Wöhler.

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- As expected Stalin was infuriated by the lack of progress at the end of July and asked for immediate results. Any complaint or failure to comply by concerned officers would mean a fair but of course expeditive trial leading to death. Thus OKH faced a string of determined offensives all along the front that nearly broke the back of AGN.

- For the first time since the end of the Kessel battle we suffered more MPPs losses than USSR with 1,513 to 1,315 (15,749 to 17,897 overall). Three units were destroyed (93 to 124 land & 12 to 20 air) but they were all support ones allowing us to focus on rebuilding our combat power.

- At that point we've lost around 25% of our forces in the East and Soviets are gaining ground each turn. The planned transfer of units from Bielorussia and Baltic States to Poland will also have a cost. So it was decided to cancel all secret weapons programs and increase unit production instead to gather reserves for our future offensive.

- Furthermore and according to Speer the remaining research chits (infantry, heavy tanks, aerial & anti-tank) were still far from any significant breakthrough (at 12, 17, 14 & 16%). Having 275 extra MPPs at hand to begin the organization of 8 divisions and 7 garrisons left in the pool looked like a far better use of our ressources.

- The 7 GAR will arrive in a month and will be used as cheap roadblocks while we retreat to the Reich. They will help to buy time until early october when the 8 divisions will be ready to receive modern equipment. Meanwhile we'll try our best to lower casualties and buy back the 12 infantry corps available at half price so they can deploy in October as well.

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BIELORUSSIA & BALTIC STATES (part 1/2)

Soviet plan for the fall of Vitebsk and the encirclement of 3 Panzer Army.

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- Some good news in the midst of a not so wonderful turn with our 22 engineers finishing the fortifications near Minsk. Not that it matters much given flanking possibilities but it will help protect our primary evactuation lane for AGC. With some luck it will also trouble Stavka a bit making our foes think we want to make a stand there...

- In front of Minsk Russians made little to no progress and even evacuated 51 army from its bridgehead over the Beresine. 31 army with 25 & 69div made some gain along the Smolensk railroad by pushing back 4 hungarian & 20 corps. Diminished 44G div had some spirit left to forge ahead and probe our lines even surprising Manstein HQ in the process.

- 33G div was diverted northwards in an effort to support the encirclement of 3rd panzer army but was quickly stopped by 35 corps. Units in the south (28, 50 & 61 armies) didn't move at all and seem to be in terrible shape like most enemy forces. 2G cav and Partisans are still lurking in the swamps near the Baranavichy railroad but we won't let them distract us.

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- As Vitebsk was left empty Soviets easily captured it and began to advance towards Polotsk. However with 43 corps & 4LW AT keeping the railroad under fire from the other bank of the Dvina they had to stop quickly. With Germans entrenched in swamps and woods crossing the river was a dreadfull task and several enemy units wasted themselves trying.

- Despite enormous losses (1 bielorussian tank, Mobile & Moscow mech down to 50% or below) Russians kept coming (11G, 43 & 65 armies) and our brave men had to retreat having lost half of their comrades. Thanks to difficult terrain they were able to reform a defensive line with 371 & FBD 4 div plus 10 corps in the back.

- However the Reds still had some fight in them and 93div managed to reach Reinhardt's HQ crippling 3rd panzer army's supply. Not a big deal by itself but quite a problem with situation on the flanks deteriorating quickly. To the north underequiped 6 hungarian corps crumbled after suffering 50% casualties and fled to the other side of the Dvina leaving Polotsk exposed.

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- A flow of Ivans (62 & 72 armies, 43G, 193 & 391div) set free by the previous fall of Ludza immediately swarmed through the hole nearly annihilating everything in its path. Wholer HQ and the Polotsk airfields were submerged with most of fliegerkorp IV stukas destroyed on the ground.

- Fortunately an heroic kampfgruppe hastily improvised with land personnel from fliegerkorp JG XI was able to hold the town avoiding a complete disaster. Despite that setback the red tide still had some momentum left and recon elements seized the railroad bridge to an open Ovinsk over the Dvina and even reached Hansen's HQ (a bad habit : D) !

- Further north Loch couldn't help being attacked by 46 army while his own command was tied on the Velikaya by 5 other ones. 18th army was able to held but with a growing gap to the south and dwindling supply Pskov isn't secure anymore. The situation becomes critical especially with bad news also coming from Narva...

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Attack on fliegerkorp IV airfield near Polotsk.

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  • 2 weeks later...

BIELORUSSIA & BALTIC STATES (part 2/2)

Sorry for the wait, here we go again !

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- Since two weeks Manstein was contemplating an audacious move to exploit Stavka's shift of forces towards the north. With most of soviet mobile forces decimated by the Vitebsk offensive red infantry was left on its own in front of Minsk. Most of enemy units there are in a sorry state after more than a month of continuous combat. Russian commanders in the area are no fools and the Battle of the Kessel is still fresh in their memories so they deployed two AT units to cover their back along the Smolensk railroad.

- It is clear they expect our armored reserves to counter-attack the weak spot between the Beresine and the northern marshes. A logical assumption considering that open piece of land is the better terrain for panzers to make a breakthrough. AGC leader will use what looked like a safe bet to his advantage by killing two birds with one stone. Codenamed Falkenkopf (Falcon's Head) the operation will target VVF airfields near Gomel while a diversion to the north will also reestablish firm communications with 3rd panzer army.

- Everything starts well on the left with 35 corps pushing back 33G div in the swamps but 10 corps couldn't rout nearby 31 army. In the center 2 hungarian & 23 corps managed to eliminate 44G div spearhead while 134div nearly crushed 51 army. Sadly none of those units were destroyed despite heavy support from 29 nebelwerfer but we clearly got the Ivans' attention ! Manstein HQ was repositioned in the rear to organize to prepare the evacuation of Minsk.

- Now to the main action where 1rgt/45div attacked 61 army along Gomel railroad and sent it fleeing across the Beresine. 4LW corps followed southwards against 50 army and opened the way for our panzers while 267div pinned down 28 army on the river. 3 & 41Pz were then free to massacre III (tac bombers) & IV (med bombers) aerial corps without even taking a loss. They even ignored Rokossovsky HQ (lvl 7) who could only watch the disaster unfolding from the other bank !

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The results of Operation Falkenkopf.

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General der Panzertruppe Otto von Knobelsdorff commander of 40 panzer korps.

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- With several HQs damaged AGN supply network is crumbling compromising a swift retreat. Guderian is sent near Postavy from Poland to support an exhausted Reinhardt while bulgarian logistics elements under Marinov arrive at Ovinsk. 29 & 52 corps freshly reinforced are operated to Polotsk all the way from Romania to screen 3rd panzer army fall back on the new line. They replace our heroic remnants from XI fliegerkorps who are evacuated far in the rear and won't see action for a while.

- The withdrawal on the Postavy-Polotsk railroad has eliminated the encirclement threat from the south but the northern one is still endangering the whole front. Weakened 1 & 6 hungarian corps attack northwards and reduce 43G div bridgehead over the Dvina though at an appallingly high cost. Fortunately they distract enemy attention long enough for Hansen to reorganize his wavering troops and perform a decisive counterattack to save Ovinsk.

- 16th army forms a defensive wedge in front of Ludza with 4 & 30 corps on the sides and 93div at the the tip. That will both protect 18th army evacuation from Pskov and shield 40Pz move to the south. Having that unit being fully reinforced just days ago was truly a relief and a wise decision. Though it isn't in the best condition for an offensive with low morale and preparedness it's still far enough to create a big shock for unsuspecting Soviets...

- Slipping through the woods west of Ludza at night von Knobelsdorff's panzers emerged from the trees in the morning of 5th August. Taken from the rear 72 army was completely surprised and quickly crushed between the armored hammer and the Polotsk anvil. Dozens of trucks carrying supply to support forward troops were also destroyed while sealing the pocket. That left 43G, 193 & 391div unable to advance or receive reinforcements securing Ovinsk and AGN lifeline.

- That allowed Loch to organize an orderly retreat though the lack of transport means limited 18th army movements. 28 corps left Pskov for Postavy with the last train available covered by 1 & 72 corps. They cleared their side of the Velikaya one last time by pushing back 1 & 2S armies before falling back on the Pskov-Ovinsk railroad with 89 & 300 div. The situation there is still under control but who knows for how long ?

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FINLAND

The Salpa Line & abandoned 4 corps trench in the woods east of Viipuri.

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- In Finland Mannerheim's foolish offensive from last turn had weakened 4 corps in the center of the line and the Soviets didn't fail to notice it. The exhausted men couldn't withstand another pounding by red shells and deserted their trenches when 97 div assaulted them. That left 7 corps isolated with its back to a lake and unable to reach safety by its own means. Though a narrow corridor remains towards Viipuri it is under constant artillery fire and no man would go through unscathed.

- Thus they are ordered to sacrifice themselves to buy time for their comrades and hold out as long as possible. At this point finnish arms are in a terrible situation with only 5 corps combat-worthy. With 4 corps fleeing westwards it has no choice but to abandon Viipuri leaving 7 corps to its fate after all the efforts made to save it from the Svir trap. Such a tragedy forced Germans to ship equipment urgently to bring back 8 corps defending Lappeenranta at full strength.

- Helsinki has good hopes to stop the russian hordes on the Salpa Line with increased support from Berlin but unfortunately Hitler has other priorities. Actually his eyes are all over Narva where Friessner previously deprieved of all units but the Polizei div had to give up on the town. There is no reserve to send there with the front south of Lake Peipus already crumbling so the Gulf of Finland is lost. What could justify to waste ressources over Finland especially when suspicion of a finnish surrender is arising ?

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POLAND & HUNGARY

Given the shift in areas of operation there will be no more Pripyat Marshes screens alone.

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- As expected after the humiliation of "Das Schlag" in front of Lublin Ivans came back with a vengeance. Our heroes from last turn suffered heavy casualties 48Pz being down to 30% and 9AT being halved as well as 340div.

- However they once again stopped enemy armor before retreating leaving a third of 12 tank and two thirds of 1 ukrainian tank alive. That left following infantry (1G, 60 & 70 armies, 107div) led by 7G cav unable to break through the second line fully entrenched between Lublin and the Bug (Guderian HQ, 52 corps, 52div).

- Still there were some rough times when 11div managed to sneak unnoticed in the woods south of the town to surprise 2 artillery. Our gunmen were reorganizing and couldn't do a thing to avoid destruction but their comrades from 1 artillery quickly forced the attackers to take cover behind trees.

- It wasn't better for red arms at Jaroslaw where 13 & 40 armies wasted themselves against Angelis prepared defenses while 82 corps blocked any moves by 18 army & 77div. Further south in the mounatins 38 army and 38div assaulted 7 hungarian mobile corps to no avail despite massive shelling.

- Though AGNU held well and decimated the Reds Guderian knows he can't afford many more losses. Angelis and Harpe stand firm on the flanks but units under his command are beyond exhaustion in the center. Furthermore his primary supply centers are now on the frontline and directly under threat.

- With Manstein's situation worsening by the minute it's time to let Soviets overextend themselves while waiting for reinforcements from AGC and AGN. To make sure everything goes as planned Speedy Heinz' staff is operated near Postavy to oversee unit transfer and provide additional logistic support.

- In the meantime Roman (lvl6) takes charge in the center to organize the army group's retreat. His task is to delay Stavka's advance long enough to establish a new defensive positions on the Radom-Siedlce line. 48Pz is asked a last effort to distract the enemy and allow a smooth evacuation of more vulnerable units.

- First it forces 7G cav to retreat in panic then together with 52 corps it crushes 107div before rolling back full speed westwards. To complete the illusion of a classic pincer counterattack 214div even launched a bold and successful attack on 10G AT guarding the railroad bridge on the Bug.

- On the left Harpe (lvl 6) concentrated his forces around the Brest fortress and 56Pz. Defending difficult terrain with limited forces he will have the same role as Neday's (lvl 4) 1st hungarian army on the other side. They are to "keep control" of Stavka's offensive by canalizing it between the Bug and the Carpathian Mountains (good luck boys : D).

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ROMANIA & CARPATHIA

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- Very quiet front except for the usual attack north of Bucharest (27 army vs 26 corps) with no result for Stalin. Nontheless a small scale counterattack was organized further west (4 mountain div vs 4G army) to alleviate a bit the pressure on romanian capital. However due to 3rd panzer army situation in the north 29 & 52 corps in reserve near Ploesti and Constanta were sent to Polotsk.

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COMMENTS

Destroyed stugs of 9 AT in the woods south of Lublin.

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- Stats of the turn are 205 MPPs lost to 699 (15,954 to 18,596 overall) or a near 1:3.5 loss ratio in our favor that's what we want :P ! 4 soviet units were destroyed 2 land (93 to 122) and 2 air (12 to 18). However that kind of result will be hard to attain on a regular basis when facing a seemingly inexhaustible russian tank supply.

- Operation Falkenkopf reduced soviet air power against AGC by exposing its last mobile reserves but it will cripple enemy scouting and deentrenching abilities for a while in that area. Having Stavka partly blind at the critical time and spot when OKH shift forces to Poland for Guderian's counterattack is of utmost importance.

- Also the Vitebsk gamble worked a bit too well and nearly caused AGN whole front to collapse but it attracted the bulk of red assault units. Thus our remaining panzers should only face weak units and with the Beresine to protect on one side they should be ok though some casualties are expected before they can retreat.

- The new Polotsk pocket is a very tempting target but contains only divisions then it will probably be better to just let them rot while I evacuate what remains of 16th and 18th armies. I hope it will distract Stalin from more pressing matters so I'll do everything I can to make him believe it's a key battle instead of the mere rear guard action it actually is.

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- That's because I intend to begin AGC retreat and mass transfer of units to Poland next turn depending on what happens. My estimate is I will need at least 2-3 turns to complete it and have the necessary forces for a major offensive in Poland. You can see below the theoretical deployment of that giant trap.

- The shape of the 3 sides salient that should become an open ground battlefield can already be seen this turn. 17th army will lure Ivans forward in the center by retreating and even abandon Siedlce if necessary. However it will hold the line behind the town at all costs to conceal arrival of 2nd panzer and elements of 16th armies.

- 4th panzer will guard the Bug line and concentrate around Brest-Litovsk while 2nd army will shift from Minsk via Baranavichy to cover its left flank. 1st panzer army will maneuver around Radom playing the mobile defense card and giving ground north of the river while exerting continuous pressure south of it.

- Of course things will probably not unfold as planned (nooooo kidding :D ) but reduced supply from Jaroslaw and Lublin will hinder enemy moves whatever happens. On the other hand Germans will benefit from better logistics and strategic mobility with Warsaw not far in the back. It should allow OKH to achieve consequent numerical superiority at the main striking point.

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Next will be CH9: The Great Escape (7-12 August 1944)

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Guderian's plan for the counterattack in Poland.

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Thanks Will and mvdh1 ;) ,

I can tell you next turns have some surprises in store for both sides and it will be worth reading :) . About Romania, the fortification I built north of Bucharest helps a lot but I guess the great tank battles in Poland and Bielorussia have also reduced the pressure down there...

Thanks for your support !

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CH9: The Great Escape (7-12 August 1944)

General der Artillerie Helmuth Otto Ludwig Weidling commander of 41 panzer korps.

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- Uh oh... Welcome to the worst german turn since a while with one panzer unexpectedly down. Seems like having elaborate plans going too well for their own good is becoming a nasty habit of mine. The russian shark gobbled up the Polotsk bait hook line and sinker but didn't stop there. He swallowed up the fishing rod and started munching Hitler's fingers before he pulled back his hand : p .

- Anyway, numbers are quite bleak at 1,043 MPPs lost to 714 (16,997 to 19,310 overall). With the 3 units destroyed we're now down to 90 against 122 on land our lowest point at a 3:4 ratio. Furthermore, those units were costly so I have no hope to rebuild them anytime soon as panzers and axis allied units have no production priority. Time to fall back full speed !

- The good side is despite losses there was no surprise and Stavka was nice enough to advance along OKH predicted pathes. Finland is still a mess but enemy main offensives in Poland and Bielorussia are under relative control. There is nearly no activity in the south so I begin to wonder if I need more reserves down there...

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The russian shark gobbled up the Polotsk bait hook line and sinker but didn't stop there. He swallowed up the fishing rod and started munching Hitler's fingers before he pulled back his hand : p .

lol ^^

I'd watch out for a sharp turn northwards from Stavka now that they're past the marshes though, the north front is starting to stick out a bit :P

Other than that I don't think it's really a bad thing to be losing more MPPs at this stage than him, is it? I'm not familiar with bagration but one would think that you'd be kinda expected to :P

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Hehe,

- That's an interesting point you make Will and you'll see what happens about it in 2 turns (including this one). But basically Stavka needs Brest-Litovsk to do that because of supply and for now I have it :D !

- MPPs: actually it is bad because I'm supposed to be on the defensive and use terrain/ entrenchment to minimize casualties. A 3:2 loss ratio against me is no good at all because USSR produces twice what Germany has so it means Stalin's superiority will grow very quickly...

- That said it's only the soviet turn and Germans usually manage to fill the gap on their own turn as you'll see below. Overall I need a regular 2:3 loss ratio in my favor to wear down Russians and maintain force balance while a 1:2 ratio would allow me to "win" :P .

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BIELORUSSIA & BALTIC STATES

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- So what happened south of Minsk ? Actually it's pretty unclear as Operation Falkenkopf was designed as a hit and run diversion. Weidling should have retreated his men once the job was done and Gomel airfields were cleared.

- Instead he defended to death a strategically meaningless position in the middle of nowhere. Did he understood orders wrong ? Was he pinned down with no way out ? Did he thought his corps could break soviet assaults ? Or was he somehow persuaded that following the plan would bring an even greater disaster upon AGC ?

- What is certain however is that soviet reserves were underestimated once again. When Manstein and everyone else on the german side believed they were exhausted Stalin proved them dead wrong. Following the lead of fresh Kharkov tank group previously battered units (28, 50 & 61 armies, 121 & 173 div) swarmed exposed 41Pz from all sides.

- Facing overwhelming numbers our crews fared well and inflicted heavy casualties on the attackers even hoped to survive for a brief moment. However their foes determination was at least equal if not greater and a last ditch effort made of suicide molotov throwers took the brave down.

- Losing AGC last mobile unit with reasonable strength level is a terrible blow and Manstein is furious. But it's even worse considering it should have participated in the great polish counterattack making Guderian scream as well. Nontheless there are some good sides to teh disaster as Weidling heroic defense consumed all enemy forces in the area.

- Thus other units were able to maintain their lines around Minsk easily since Russians last armored reserves showed up well southwards. In the center 25 & 61div gained some ground but wern't able to get past german trenches. Further north 43 army advanced on Postavy but was quickly stopped by 43 corps.

- At Polotsk massive human waves (8, 54, 62, 65 & 67 armies) tried to relieve the pocket (43G, 193 & 391div) west of the town. 40Pz & 52 corps lost many men but sustained all attacks though 16div managed to slip between them. It opened a narrow corridor that was enough to supply encircled troops and keep them alive.

- Truth be told it even allowed the beleaguered Ivans to cross the Dvina and shatter what remained of depleted hungarian 1 corps. Luckily they obviously couldn't do more and wern't able to secure an actual bridgehead over the river.

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- With panzer reserves already spent and only 3 & 40Pz remaining at 40% there isn't much to think about. Time to evacuate northern USSR is now or never and all units are ordered to fall back as fast as they can. However to conceal the scale of that maneuver and protect the main railroads that will operate units to Poland diversionary attacks had to be launched.

- Surprisingly but also thanks to Manstein's abilities those hastily planned local offensives ended up to be a resounding success. What was left of 2nd panzer army nearly completely cleared the Beresine west bank with barely any casualties. In front of Minsk 69div held its ground against 10 corps but 25div was mauled by a pincer move (23 corps & 134div) and forced to flee along the Smolensk railroad.

- In the south a wagnerian charge by 1rgt/45div and every rolling vehicle of 3Pz collapsed 28 army bridgehead and annihilated 61 army. Caught while reorganizing with several subunits still crossing pontoons the Russians were utterly defeated. Though nearby 41Pz nemesis (Kharkov tank group) was stranded in the swamps on the other side and hadn't time to react at all.

- Further north a difficult decision had to be made but AGC's commander was willing to take risks to get rid of 43 army. It was a flawless kill with 28 & 35 corps obliterating the red spearhead after it was cut from supply and 11G army support by FBD 4 div flanking move. That poorly equiped unit has no chance to survive in the open but its sacrifice was well worth it.

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- Northwards continuous psychological pressure took its toll and an usually brilliant Reinhardt made a terrible mistake. Broken 6 hungarian corps was sent to the rear and replaced by 52 corps evacuating Polotsk as scheduled. However adjacent 29 corps guarding the railroad bridge didn't move at all leaving a gap on both sides of the two units ! With soviet mobile divisions ready to advance on both flanks losing those two corps in their entirety is a distinct possibility...

- Guderian immediately stepped up and altered his plans to prepare for the threatening encirclement. Units ready to transfer in Poland were ordered to redeploy with 4LW AT being fully reinforced on the right and wounded 1 corps moved in front of Ovinsk on the left. Those desperate measures arn't enough to guarantee 3rd panzer army safety but they should prevent a complete disaster.

- Fortunately unexpected help came from AGN where Hansen "diversion" degenerated in an all-out sweep of dumbfounded Reds. First things went as planned with 40Pz properly routing 54 & 67 army south of Ludza before moving back past Ovinsk with only 20% of its men left.

- Then german infantry smelled blood and went berserk with 4 & 72 corps plus 93div launching a full scale assault without orders. The shock vaporized 67 army and an AT unit nearly submerging the stunned remnants of 54 army as well.

- Hopefully that will shake a bit Stavka because AGN just put itself in big trouble to achieve such a "victory". 18th & 16th armies are scattered all over the place without any order and their back is wide open near Pskov. At least it's better for AGC with air units already out and most land ones reaching evacuation positions as intended.

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FINLAND

Last hours of 7 corps pocket.

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- Our brave encircled 7 corps was finally forced to surrender in a true nordic tragedy with many men suiciding themselves. Others were seen throwing themselves at enemy lines in desperate attempts to flee or avoid being taken prisoners by the evil communists. It is said that some managed to cross the marshes northwards to freedom and safety but there isn't any official record aknowledging such a feat so it remains a war tale.

- Soviets captured Viipuri unopposed as Karelia's jewel was left open by finnish panicky retreat. Since Germans are quite busy ont he other side of the Finland Gulf the situation is worsening by the day. Despite the sorry state of his troops Mannerheim ordered an ill-advised counterattack by 5 & 8 corps against advancing 6 & 109div. Instead of displaying an undying will to fight the higher losses sustained just made clear the fact that finnish morale was severely tanking.

- West of the fallen Narva Friessner had to deal with impossible odds with its remaining forces. But somehow he managed to delay the inevitable outcome and block enemy units (29, 120, 124, 128 & 368div) for several days. Using guerilla tactics with no more than a weak regiment of veterans from the Polizei division he kept Estonia's door closed a bit longer. Of course that stand instantly became propaganda material and was even praised by Hitler himself with a rain of medals !

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POLAND & HUNGARY

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- Here the main event was the arrival of our first wave of reinforcements with five divisions. They're deployed at once in the Warsaw-Lodz-Krakow-Tarnow area where they begin to entrench. Those units will be the core of our main defensive line and will not be moved if it can be avoided.

- Other than that it was a quiet turn as Soviets followed the script and advanced in the expected directions. There was some fire exchanged between 70 army and 52 corps west of Brest-Litovsk but nothing serious. The main action was in the south with 13 army pursuing Angelis HQ but being ambushed by 1div.

- There was also action at the border with Hungary where 7 hungarian mobile corps was forced to retreat under heavy shelling by superior enemy forces (18 & 38 armies, 89G div). Fortunately 17 mountain corps had time to entrench just behind and stopped Ivans before they could get out of the mountains.

- With everything going as planned Guderian had no reason to change his main plan so the second part of AGNU retreat was approved. 4th panzer army clustered around Brest-Litovsk while 17th army left Siedlce open and moved behind the Bug. However the loss of 41Pz at Minsk forced to shift 56Pz between the two armies.

- 1st panzer army also executed its mission of keeping pressure south of Radom by eliminating 13 army while concentrating around Radom. 48Pz was fully reinforced to strengthen the line (82 corps, 1div & 1 artillery) and prepare for the coming counteroffensive. At the same time Angelis began to organize Tarnow's main defense line with two divisions.

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