1941 Barbarossa - Will (Allies) vs Ash (Axis) - retroactive AAR

[Will95]

Hey guys, inspired by some really interesting AARs and the simple joys of the B2B scenario, I've decided to do an AAR from my POV as the Soviets against my favourite regular opponent AshFall. We previously played a campaign where I was the Germans and we fought a bitter battle all the way to 1944, but ultimately the Red Tide was too much for me to handle. This time I take over as the Allies, and we shall see how it goes!

*One thing to note, the first few turns of this will indeed be retroactive- we're currently on turn 15 but I just felt we've had so many great moments in this scenario so far that it's worth going back and looking over them. However, as I don't have (or want) Ash's password, the first few turns will be screenshotted from my point of view at the start of the following turn (so the images under turn 1 are from the end position of Ash's turn 2, ie the start of my turn 2).

Turn 1

Barbarossa begins.

STAVKA reports massive losses and the Russians are taken completely by surprise.

German panzer divisions steamrolled Kaunas siezing the town. Attempting to hold any real territory this close to Axis lines is a waste of manpower- but I will not give up Riga easily. I just hope the troops have time to dig in before the tanks arrive.

Southern progress proves much slower, much to Stalin's relief. To add to STAVKA good fortune, a division is able to sneak through the lines and damage a German HQ! The romanian divisions do not pack the same blitzkrieg-powered punch as their German counterparts and as a result are halted, at least temporarily, at Chernovtsy. The abundance of small towns and rivers make the southern areas of the Soviet Union good for defensive measures, so the Red Army prepares to stand and fight!

[Will95]

Turn 4

Skipping over a few turns of nothing but Soviet death and retreat...

In the north, Riga is surrounded. Enemy panzers with elite steps and in good supply stand by to obliterate the city- undoubtedly it will fall next turn. Meanwhile Axis forces close in on Minsk, where a moderate force is waiting to slow the grey tide!

The south turns into a hotbed of destruction as the Red Army, unafraid of encirclement, stand to fight. My strategy in the south is, rather than constantly retreating, to allow encirclement to a degree in order to gain maximum defensive bonuses and do the most damage to surrounding troops as they move into lower supply. The caveat is, of course, that I must keep my HQ's healthy in order to prevent whole troop loss without the chance of a reduced purchase later.

Odessa, ever the fortress of a city, stands firm against the Romanians, and a nearby light tank unit is able to cause some reasonable damage to an enemy corps.

[Will95]

Turn 7

Riga has fallen, and the Axis make alarming progress in the north, spearheaded by elite panzers. Stalins worries mount as it appears there will not be nearly enough troops to stem the flow of German forces on their approach towards Leningrad.

Army Group Center takes a different route, breaking off from the main northern thrust and heading south, taking Minsk and threatening Smolensk. Forces here are greater than the Leningrad defenders, but not by much.

Kiev appears to be the next Axis target, as the southern defenders are forced into an all out retreat over vast swathes of open ground. Kiev is well defended though, with troops dug in and massed.

[Will95]

Turn 11

Skipping on a bit so we can get to the current action!

The Leningrad front sees men thrown to the Panzers in their thousands. Simple divisions are being used to plug the gaps where real armies ought to be- but at least we keep doing damage to the Finns, whose elite steps are almost entirely gone. STAVKA high command orders that all available reinforcements be sent to the defense of Leningrad while we wait for the autumn rains.

In the center, a noose is closing on Kiev. Tanks from the north and infantry from the south. Soviet counterattacks towards the southern German infantry divisions have left countless dead on both sides, but it is now the threat from the north which most worries Stalin.

In the south a pocket is forming around the defenders at Odessa. Orders are to stand and fight- another Romanian division is polished off as the Germans move to encircle.

[Will95]

Turn 15

The threat to Leningrad is now very real. The panzers appear unstoppable...STAVKA is lost for solutions.

In the center, Kiev is rapidly becoming an isolated pocket. The defenders, buoyed by their entrenched position, remain staunch and strong, but this will surely not last forever. Enemy armour to their rear is now a very real threat.

The Odessa pocket is sealed off...We destroy yet another Romanian corps but the enemy keeps coming, and now the panzers are close enough to threaten our HQs.

[Will95]

RETROACTIVE AAR OVER!

We are now in real time!

Turn 17

Leningrad's fate is sealed. Although the enemy was unable to storm the city, the defenders were ousted, replaced with a nearby light tank unit. What units that were able were operated to the rear and the Red Army now prepares a rough and ready defense in the soon-to-be muddy marshes of northern Russia. Enemy progress should slow now that we are into October, but Stalin mourns the incoming loss of Leningrad.

Recent reinforcements to the area has allowed for the siege of Kiev to be lifted, and severe damage was done to Rundstedt's headquarters, losing 50% of its staff to a flanking light tank. German armour and infantry units are now trapped in a corridor behind Kiev, surrounded by a mass of Russian infantry. Can Soviet forces score their first major victory to date?

The southern Odessa pocket has now been worn down to remenants of former glory. Almost all the infantry has been destroyed, although one of the Russian HQ's was able to transport out of the pocket via the dock. The losses taken here are regrettable, but they have bravely held up the German advance in this sector for weeks, if not months. A new defensive line is being prepared at Dnepropetrovsk. An engineer unit preparing defenses by the city was destroyed by a scouting armour unit, but STAVKA was overjoyed to see that the unit was unsupported, and nearby divisions have moved to surround it, cutting it off entirely!

A German destroyer was also sunk by the Red Navy.

[Will95]

Turn 18

Screws are turning on the Axis war machine...in 1941?!

In the north, Leningrad fell as predicted. But with most useful troops operated out of the way just in time, the loss is not huge. We have vast swathes of infantry in defensive positions in the swamps, recently reinforced with the finest in Soviet anti-tank weaponry. Finally we may be able to dent the elite Panzers!

In the center, a savage Red Army counterattack is underway. The siege of Kiev is all but broken, with German corps routed to the south of the city and enemy armour forced back across the river to the north. Bombers flew overhead to damage the German HQ's supporting the northern troops, and more armies have been sent to the front to continue the push.

In the south, the German armour which scouted just a little too far has once again been surrounded after attempting a breakout. His supporting infantry forces are damaged after finally wiping out the Odessa defenders and Red Army forces push up to capitalize. Also, notice the Red Army secret weapon; our first proper tank uni, plus some elite armies. STAVKA will have their first panzer destruction yet!

The autumn mud finally arrived at the end of this turn, finally bringing an end to the Luftwaffe's reign of terror. With their treads thick with mud, Stalin has ordered the destruction of the German panzers...at all costs.

[Strategiclayabout]

Hoho nice to see you (two) back ^^ .

Good defense you exchanged Leningrad for Kiev not a bad deal . Operation Typhoon will be very complicated for Germans with bad weather coming soon !

[Will95]

Hehe we were never gone! But I've certainly missed the AARs. I really love this scenario so I felt it deserved one.

[Will95]

Turn 19

The Red Army digs into the marshlands surrounding Leningrad and await the next onslaught of the panzers. Heavy reinforcements arrived this turn and were sent north. I am curious to see what Ash does next- whether he continues to push on my troops, or sends his tanks to support his struggling southern front.

The central front experienced further success, driving back a corps to 20% of its strength while sending others fleeing to the north. Kiev is now secure once again, with thousands of troops sent to its aid.

In the south, more success. Another German corps destroyed! The encircled German panzer unfortunately managed to escape, although it will be some time before it represents the potent killing force it once was.

More Serbian reinforcements arrived this turn, including more tank divisions. STAVKA must now choose whether to orchestrate a winter offensive to retake Leningrad, or continue to push in the south...

[Will95]

Turn 20

In the words of my friend AshFall in a previous AAR, the Leningrad front is nothing but 'frozen molasses'.

The center now plays host to an intimidating Soviet infantry force, supported by recent reserves from the Serbian front. Two corps were brought to 20%.

The south saw a renewed offensive. Damage was exchanged between several infantry corps and Soviet armies. The tank unit was held back for reinforcement.

[Strategiclayabout]

Mmmh ? Serbian Front ? Damn is Operation 25 still going on in Yugoslavia ?

Go Siberians go ^^ !

[Will95]

Whoops haha Serves me right for doing late night updates!

[Will95]

Turn 21

The autumn offensive continues in the center. A recently renewed Soviet air force began with a heavy bombardment of one of the front line panzers. Subsequent spoiling attacks brought it down to 50% strength- goodbye elite steps! It seems that Ash's lines are not as deep as he might like- he is not retiring damaged units to the rear, choosing instead to constantly reinforce them on the front line. As a result we are now doing heavy damage to war-weary units.

In the south Zhukov launched an offensive, coming in from the north with a tank unit and assorted infantry. Timoshenko spearheaded another offensive from the south. The need for a German garrison to be used in a front line capacity is either a cunning trick to entice STAVKA into more audacious moves, or indicative of a real lack of infantry....

Winter is coming. So is the next step in research. The question is, who will get theirs first?

[Will95]

Turn 24

Winter is here, and the German troops are slowly freezing. There is some activity in the Leningrad sector, as Russian troops cautiously advance, taking advantage of the snow to cover them. STAVKA will attempt some mild offensive activites during the early part of 1942 to discourage the German high command from sending reinforcements to the south.

In the center, a corps is ground down and a Russian paratrooper makes a break across the frozen river to land a nice hit on Strauss' HQ.

The south saw further attacks which destroyed yet another experienced German corps. Elite ski troops were brought to the south this turn to aid in further offensives!

[Will95]

Turn 25

A scouting division finds an Axis airfield and strikes a few planes before their inetivable destruction. However they do reveal quite thin lines here in the north- better yet, the front line German troops are unable to reinforce their elite steps and are now in low supply. As soon as the snow clears, STAVKA has ordered an immediate attack...

The center was a hotbed of action once again, seeing the destruction of a German corps, the routing of another, and Strauss' HQ takes another brutal hit.

No less than two German corps were destroyed in the south following continued offensive action by brave Soviet armies. There are almost too many troops now, as the HQ's are struggling to keep track of them all!

[Strategiclayabout]

Aaaand the triple line of red units is there again .

To be honest I think Axis has already lost given overall situation.

But we still have to know what kind of soviet victory it will be !

[Will95]

Turn 28

The last few turns of winter have made slow progress, but this turn there was some fighting among the snow.

In the center, we now have a sizeable force across the river, and the town of Glukhov was siezed (destroying the corps therein), with Russian tanks spearheading the attack and destroy 40% of Hoth's general staff.

Elsewhere at Kiev, the German line finally advanced to pressure the city once again, but Russian attacks drove back a central Romanian troop, exposing another German HQ, which took 10% damage from an advancing division.

In the south, the town of Novyi Buh was siezed and a nearby corps ground down to dust. I am holding back from engaging in any large armoured fights at the moment as I wait for technology- and as luck would have it, tank tech level 1 hit at the end of this turn. Now STAVKA can finally start hurting the panzers properly!

In other tech news, industry level 1 was reached in a surprise breakthrough, meaning we now earn 500MPPs per turn, more than enough to keep the Red Tide driving to Berlin.

[Will95]

Turn 33

After a bitter winter war which saw...well, not a lot of action, to be frank, we're back into the brutality of spring. The skies have cleared and the Luftwaffe is back in force....

In the north all the elite armour was conspicuously absent, leaving only a skeleton crew of German infantry to defend Leningrad. Unfortunately they are heavily dug in, and it's slow progress for the Red Army.

In the center, the enemy is advancing on Kiev once again. The first line of defense was broken and the city itself is now under siege. Along the river line skirmishes continue without decisive victory for either side.

In the south, a huge panzer offensive shattered multiple armies and a tank group. Anti-tank weaponry is being ordered to hold the line immediately! Further down the line however, our own offensive succeeded in breaking down the thin wall of Romanian troops. It's a bloody game of give and take!

[Will95]

Turn 38

Weeeeeee I'm back.

Everything is going swimmingly and we are about to win the w-

Wait, what's this?

Panzers?

Elite panzers?

From...where?

WHAT DO YOU MEAN ZHUKOV

HOW COULD THEY POSSIBLY COME FROM THERE

WELL SEND THE ****ING REINFORCEMENTS, WHAT DO I PAY YOU FOR YOU PISS

So in conclusion, Ash, when you read this, **** you.

Elite panzers smashed the Soviet lines along the central front, turning it into a pocket. At the same time, German troops siezed Kiev after an artillery barrage sufficiently weakened the defenders. Army group center in its entirety is now surrounded, weak, and out of supply.

I'm actually writing this about a week post-turn but I'm still a little flabbergasted by the sudden turn of events. Anyway, I'll let the picture do the talking.

Along the southern front (still a front, thank god) a corps was destroyed and we continue to advance. Some good news then.

The thin lines at Leningrad are also showing signs of cracking. Although the Red Army presence here is also small, the Finnish troops guarding the city are without a commander and easily defeated in combat. Progress into the thick marshland is slow but promising.

All in all a fairly terrible turn (over a page of losses, many out of supply). It will take a miracle to right things again!

[Strategiclayabout]

Hi back ^^ ,

- You two first pics are the same, must be because you were shocked huhu .

Well I have an idea of what happened from a pic used in another thread about a supply question for towns without rail hehe.

- That means summer 1943 will see Axis go all out for Moscow I suppose... Having a Kiev encirclement is quite bad but having it in June 1942 instead of September 1941 leaves you some room to maneuver.

All in all it evens the game so it will be more fun (for readers ).

[Ancient Demon]

All in all a fairly terrible turn (over a page of losses, many out of supply). It will take a miracle to right things again!

Don't worry, I think you've already won.

[Big Al]

The German learning curse is steeper than the Russian one IMO. But once you learn how to play Germany it will be tough on the Russians. Skill plays a huge role in AoC.

[Altaris]

Playing the Germans is all about planning where the HQ's are going and where the tanks are relative to them, and keeping the tanks at full strength or very close to it. German panzers with full strength and readiness (particularly with experience steps) will stomp anything the Russians put in their path. As the Germans, when my tanks get a little too far ahead for my liking, I'll pull them to a stop for a turn or so, get HQ's in place to get them better supplied, and heal up any damage they've taken. If you position the tanks in a centralized spot for striking in multiple directions, you also put the Russian player off footing and stretch his defensive line.

Moving forward quickly is of course a concern, but you're better off in 1941 making a steady pace and keeping supply logistics good rather than racing ahead at top speed (in the end, you'll get there just about as fast, since tanks at supply of <= 5 have less action points for movement anyway, and are in danger of taking counter-attack damage).

If played right, I fully believe the Germans can put the Russians out of commission in 1941. The Russians aren't likely to be outright beaten in 1941, but if you take enough MPP's away from them, they'll be in steady decline through 1942 and 1943 while the Germans grow stronger. Then it's just a matter of attritioning the Russian to defeat in late 1942 to mid 1943.

[Big Al]

I mean learning CURVE not curse.