Rank and File: A clerk's war Germany 1936 (Semper Fi)

[Surt]

Actually placing new units in Berlin and then railing them might be worse than just placing them near the front as the the strategic move costs lots of supplies (but no fuel).
The HQ missing supply is just a glitch in the network, but from now on the occasional unit will be OOS, after crossing the Dniepr line the rear most units will be more and more OOS as the supplies go to the units furthest advanced into the enemy territory.

You can not build enough infra to cover all provinces!!! I had to realize that a long time ago :/ there are certain paths that will gradually emerge as you advance and sometimes they will not be used after you advance beyond a certain point. Identifying the paths is the key they will mostly be single province paths and might change suddenly when you liberate a province that is far behind the front line which then becomes the best path.

When you are nearing the Stalingrad line and your starting to get problems with front line supplies, withdraw all armour and many planes, then all mech, then the rest of the bombers. This might be less of a problem here as you have few axis troops to help you, but will eventually be the case if the fight continues.

[Uriah]

Rank and File
A Clerk’s War

Tuesday 1st to Sunday 6th July 1941 (Part I)


A new month begins, and Unternehmen Barbarossa is now more than 10 weeks old. Will this be the month in which the Red Army breaks? Or will we see more dogged resistance by starving troops with just enough ammunition to load their rifles? Nobody here at OKH is willing to bet that the Soviets are on the brink of collapse, so it looks as if the heavy losses we have been experiencing will continue.

It wasn’t a particularly good start for the month, as overnight we received three battle summaries from the East that contained bad news. The worst was from Demantove, where von Bock has his victory but at a cost of more than 1,300 men. Herzog also had a win in Vodoskhoryshche, but his losses were much lower and nearly equal to the Soviet losses. Finally, in Polis’ke Cochenhausen had to accept the inevitable. His men had given all they had and further fighting would just increase our losses with no hope of victory. As it was 161.ID lost 845 soldiers.

But as one group of troops began a well earned rest, another group headed into battle. General Erfurth is leading the push east, with his men now in Polatsk. Using 3rd leichte Panzer as a spearhead and his own 1.ID marching at full speed to occupy the captured territory, he is brushing aside opposition. (Although my brother’s unit is involved I am not too worried as the Soviet infantry are reported to be running as fast as we can advance). When we capture this province we will be in striking distance of the vital airbases of Vitsyebesk and Dorogobuz.

Battle of Polatsk

13.ID (mot) has been assigned a more perilous assignment, involving an opposed crossing of the Dniepr. The enemy has two well-organised divisions with a cavalry unit in reserve. Outnumbered five to one, Köstring has promised General Guderian that he will do his best, but warns that success will only be achieved if he receives massive assistance, both ground and air.

Battle of Zgurovka

Wednesday the action swung north, where von der Chevallerie has been ordered by Polen Army Nord to move into Livani, north of Svedesai. The shattered remnants of 11 Tankovaya will offer little resistance and von Manstein is confident that the two infantry divisions present will not last long. Units of the Baltic Army are moving towards the area and this could be the location of the first bridgehead across the Daugava. Unfortunately the Russians in Svedesai look as though they will escape into Daugavpils.

Battle of Livani

Things appear to be going well for von Manstein, with two of his commanders reporting successful battles won with casualties below 50% of the enemy. General Agricola has shown that he has forgotten none of the lessons learnt in Poland and France, and 205 Motorizavannaya is using every vehicle it has left to evacuate to Hybokaye. Nehring’s panzers had an even better win in Wilejka. The Soviets were simply unable to handle a full scale assault by a modern armoured division, backed by Grauert’s Junkers delivering destruction from above. 51 Strelkovaya is moving east, presumably heading for Vitsyebesk.

Loading a 250kg bomb destined for Wilejka

As if that were not enough, my brother Heinz and his fellow panzertruppen have quickly disposed of the defenders of Polatsk. It took Erfurth just a day to clear the province. Barely had I time to sign off the relevant files for the battle when there was an update: two divisions were discovered using back roads to escape from the fighting. There was some fighting with the rear guard elements, but the bulk of the Soviets made good their escape.

2nd Battle of Polatsk

Later in the day there was some news from the south, but it was only a couple of unsuccessful attempts by the VVS to attack our marshalling areas in Smila. Brand’s men, engaged in heavy fighting in Chornabai, will be relieved that none of the three bomber regiments made it to their target areas. The first interception was by Fisser, who drove off 12th and 13th BAD with little trouble. Felmy had even less trouble with Berzanin’s 3rd BAD, and I saw my brother was credited with two kills. “Schlageter” has been very quiet recently which while quite OK by me, has probably been quite a trial for Ernst. He should enjoy the rest: he and his fellow pilots earned some respite after last year’s never-ending battle with the RAF. And I am sure that there will be plenty of action for our fighters in the future. The VVS is a long way from being a beaten force.

2nd Air Battle of Smila

A confirmation of the threat the VVS can pose came on Thursday morning, when Falaleev and his fighters appeared among Grauert’s 4th Kampffleigerkorps over Stolpce. The Luftwaffe was quick to respond and on his following mission Gruaert was escorted by up to 900 Messerschmitts. Unfortunately, as has been the case previously, our bombers were unable to operate effectively with so many aircraft close by and this meant that Vatutin’s 6 infantry brigades were spared further air attacks. (One result of this over-reaction was that OKL decided that if so many fighters were available that it was time for 1st Jagdfliegerkorps to have a rest. Its overjoyed pilots, ground crew and their aircraft are already on their way to Berlin for R&R).

Air Battle of Stolpce

Von Manstein’s prediction that the two divisions responsible for holding Livani would not last long has been proved correct. It was a mere 24 hours before von der Chevallerie (with some help from Feige’s 8.ID) defeated the Soviets: his men are now racing to the Daugava.

With commanders like General Wünnenberg, it is not surprising that Polen Army Nord is starting to accelerate its move forward. Only 4 days after taking Utena, 9th PzD is taking on another challenge, the three infantry divisions based in Braslaw. Our armour must be overjoyed to get out of the trees and onto clear ground, and Wünnenberg’s first messages back to Polen Army Nord HQ report that the only time his men have to stop is to refuel. (During the night the Russians evacuated the whole province, another easy win for 9th PzD).

Battle of Braslaw

The Jagdwaffe has been severely criticised by both our bomber geschwader leaders and senior officers in the Heer over the chaos over Stolpce. Swarms of fighters confusing and getting in the way of our bombers are not helping our troops on the ground. Perhaps some of these complaints have hit home, because Waber and 6th Jagdfliegerkorps have travelled far to the east to hit Falaleev’s fighters over their base at Dorogobuz. Now the shoe was on the other foot, as it became clear that the primitive Soviet air control was unable to co-ordinate 900 fighters. “Udet”, “Pik As” and “Paul Baümer” had a field day, hammering the VVS mercilessly. A much better approach than that adopted yesterday.

Air Battle of Dorogobuz

The day ended on a desolate note, however, despite all the good news earlier. Hilpert has admitted defeat in Yahotyn, his men unable to take further losses. Out of his 20,000 men (his own 76.ID and von Roques’ 46.ID) more than 3,600 were killed, while the four Soviet divisions lost just over 1,000 men. A bitter disappointment for General Guderian’s Balkans Army.

As the exhausted and demoralised men of 161.ID trudged slowly to the rear, heads bowed with the weight of defeat, they were passed by the fresh, confident troops of General Schack’s 106.ID. General Guderian refuses to accept that any of the Soviets trapped in the marshes should escape east, and is insistent that the raised causeways of Polis’ke be blocked. His recent losses and the enormous length of his front are probably too much for his forces, and the only unit he can spare is Schack’s single division. All I can say is that I wish them luck – they will need it.

2nd Battle of Polis’ke

Our troubles with the VVS fighter regiments continued. Wever has been trying to help our schwere Panzer divisions by sending his bombers in low over the Daugava River to hit Semenovskij’s entrenchments and artillery positions. This has attracted the attention of Astakhov and 1st, 3rd and 4th IAD, who have hit him hard several times. With our bombers at such low altitudes it has been hard for our pilots to avoid the Russians and KG 25 “Kran” in particular has suffered.

Air Battle of Sigulda

Furhter south, the air war was a little different. Yakovlev intercepted Kitzinger’s 3rd Kampffliegerkorps with just one fighter unit, 56 IAD. The Focke-Wulf 190As of “Zebra” could easily handle their own number of Yak-1s and proceeded to carve up the Soviet pilots. The few aircraft that penetrated the screen of FW 190As were met by 200 bombers, each armed with a 20mm cannon and three 13mm machineguns. Needless to say, Kitzinger completed his mission without trouble.

A sight to make a Russian fighter pilot shudder: the rear turret of a Ju 188 bomber.

Stavka must have realised the peril of its trapped divisions, as it is intensifying the pressure on the Balkans Army. Rösener’s 35.ID, resting in what was considered to be the quiet province of Pereyaslav Khmel’nyts’kyy, has come under attack by two infantry divisions. Coming from Novitka in the north, they have skirted the Dniepr and hit our men head on. These are not tired and previously beaten soldiers but are fresh and full of spirit. To make matters worse, Rösener had just received orders to move south and so has been caught unawares and with no prepared defences. His rearguard has managed to ambush a Russian detachment, but this will not hold the enemy for long.

Battle of Pereyaslave Khmel’nyts’kyy

In just a few days we have lost 379 men in Zgurovka, and have made depressingly little progress. Guderian has allowed Köstring to withdraw his men, acknowledging that the original order was over aggressive. The Dniepr has proved to be a deadly foe.

Von der Chevallerie is still having a few problems in Livani. This time 95.ID has encountered a Soviet infantry division as it marched eastwards. Although it was part of the force that was beaten in Ukmerge, (and has presumably made its way through the bombing and fighting in Svedasai) 33 Belorusskya is still a viable combat unit and von der Chevallerie is not taking victory for granted, though it is seems almost certain.

2nd Battle of Livani

Two significant battles were successfully completed on Friday. The first was Stolpce, where General Rommel has gained another province adjacent to the key city of Minsk. As always, fighting in the swamps was expensive, but our four divisions also inflicted serious damage to the 44,000 defenders. The other battle was for Jekabpils. Although 7 Tankovaya made a last desperate effort to hold off von Manstein’s men, the river was crossed and we have a bridgehead west of the Daugava.

Of course, even with the capture of Stolpce, Rommel was not yet ready to mount his full-scale attack on Minsk: he wants to ensure he has complete control of the area before starting that exercise. Part of the plan is to clear Slutsk, and Keppler’s 1st leichte has been sent into the mud. Although on paper he faces five divisions, in reality four of those will prove to be made of glass – ready to shatter at the first blow. In fact, with three of them lightly armed cavalry units, Keppler may keep his losses to acceptable levels in spite of the terrain.

Battle of Slutsk

In the north, von Manstein is making sure that his small bridgehead is protected. He has ordered von Weichs’ 101.ID (mot) to take on the two Soviet divisions in Ergli, even though there is no chance that such an attack would succeed. The only purpose is to distract Chibisov and prevent him from attacking our soldiers in Jakabpils. Von Weichs has the difficult task of maintaining enough pressure to keep Chibisov off balance while not losing too many men on what is only a sideshow.

Battle of Ergli

Later that day, another piece of Rommel’s plan for Minsk was put in place. With Keppler moving to the south (in Slutsk), General Steiner is heading to the north of the city into Zaslawye. 3rd Panzer Division has the luxury of solid ground, even if it is covered with trees. This will more than offset the added number of Russians they will face. It also appears as though Rommel is preparing to reinforce the attack, probably with an eye on the airbases of Vitsyebsk just to the east.

Battle of Zaslawye

For once our Army commanders are co-operating closely, and von Manstein is assisting the moves to isolate Minsk by ordering 3rd leichte Panzer and 1.ID to halt 82 Motorizavannaya which is transiting Polatsk. Once again I am not too worried as the official communiqué asserts that casualties are expected to be light, but there has been a disturbing message that some of our men have been ambushed. That is always a risk when sending vehicles into woods, and I can only hope that if Heinz was in a lead tank (and I am sure that he would want to be!), that the armour of his Pzkpfw 38(t)G will protect him. That extra 25mm on the front may make all the difference.

3rd Battle of Polatsk



PzKpfw 38(t)s of 3rd leichte approach a small village in Polatsk

The final news of the day was from Braslaw. General Wünnenbergs panzers have been given some more target practice as yet another division fleeing Svedesai has blundered into his path. This should present no problems for a unit with the reputation of 9th PzD.

2nd Battle of Braslaw

End of Part I

[Uriah]

Good going, yet again. Surprising that the Italians are actually doing something useful in Africa (although they seem to prefer to conquer with HQs insteaf of conventional troops) while still being involved in a staring contest in Athens. Anything you could possibly do about the Japanese inability to supply their Indo-Chinese front?

Things really picked up for the Italians once I closed the Straits. I think that the UK started to have problems with supply in NAfrica, while the Italian supply problems vanished. I have hopes that they haven't just forgotten Athens, but I can't afford to help them.

I have thought about making Saigon an objective, but that is the only thing I can really do.

That's the thing: If the enemy is disorganized or just plain weak, a "defending" army moves as fast as one set to "attack". As an example, in my current game a "defending" German army crossed the Maginot Line.


Ask yourself this: Would you like to have shiny new toys faster, or would you like your front to not collapse from lack of supply? (If it's less than a year per every two years of tech ahead of time, I'd seriously go for it. Once you outrun your supply, really bad things start happening.)

Unfortunately the Red Army keeps finding just enough good units to block me, and I really need to keep pushing. Up unitl now things have been OK, but my rapid advance is what is causing a problem. Just filling dozens of captured provinces with supply is costing a fortune. (eg. If I advance 3 provinces and the lead unit is using 25 supply a dau, that means that I must have an additional 75 supply to keep everyhting flowing. multiply this by 200 and you see my issue).

You have convinced me - I always meant to start supply techs again at the end of the year : I'll just do a little earlier.

Indochina looks pretty disastrous.
Do you have any crowded areas on your side of Eastfront? Where there would be force enough to make a potential bigger advance?

Could be IndoChina cost the Japanese about 12 divs - mainly garr but at least one marine

I have no crowede areas: what may appear congested is large numbers of divs recuperating at the rear. The speed and location of the advance is up tothe rmy I: am only setting objectives.

Actually placing new units in Berlin and then railing them might be worse than just placing them near the front as the the strategic move costs lots of supplies (but no fuel).
The HQ missing supply is just a glitch in the network, but from now on the occasional unit will be OOS, after crossing the Dniepr line the rear most units will be more and more OOS as the supplies go to the units furthest advanced into the enemy territory.

You can not build enough infra to cover all provinces!!! I had to realize that a long time ago :/ there are certain paths that will gradually emerge as you advance and sometimes they will not be used after you advance beyond a certain point. Identifying the paths is the key they will mostly be single province paths and might change suddenly when you liberate a province that is far behind the front line which then becomes the best path.

When you are nearing the Stalingrad line and your starting to get problems with front line supplies, withdraw all armour and many planes, then all mech, then the rest of the bombers. This might be less of a problem here as you have few axis troops to help you, but will eventually be the case if the fight continues.

By filling up in Berlin (which takes more than a week) I avoid having to carry a massive amount of upply to Russia along paths that are already struggling. I know it costs more in trasnport costs, but I think I am way ahead.

I only pointed the HQ units out as it was the first cases of lack of supply (German) showing up on the screenshots. It is only temporary and due to huge demand a few preovinces forward. And I know it will get worse.

I wiolstart my Russian supply paths in a few weeks. At the moment I am getting all of west Poland up to 100, an 80-100 path across Yugo, a roughly 80 path across Romania. Spain must do with what is has. Some of my spending may be wasted, but I was keen to get my construction skill as high as I could to reduce cost/time when I start the really big job.

As I said before, I play with supply mode on a lot, and will be watching problems and hopefully catching them before too bad. Given my relative lack of troops, withdrawing will be the last option. I may shut down sections of the front to allow others more supply.

[Blackfriar]

Hi Uriah, great updates as usual!

Would it be possible to see a macro-view of the supply map in the next update? I'd assume that would be requested from your office at some point!

Also, how far south have the Italians pushed in Egypt? Overall, I realize I've been more optimistic than some, but things are looking pretty good given the start conditions. The majority of their forces seem to be at or past the breaking point, perhaps the rivers are acting as a [false] local barrier to a more general collapse state. Lets see what happens once your generals who assault rivers like it's 1914 get past them.

[Ruunu3004]

I am already imaging your defeat and our brave hero joining Volkssturm.

That would be an twist.

[Enewald]

Soviets soon back to pre-war borders. Could be worse, I guess.
How many km's to Moscow?

[Dáin]

Wow, a lot of the battles seem to go the Soviet's way recently. Still, the Wehrmacht is advancing across the front. That's something.

[jju_57]

High water mark looks be Lenningrad to Smolensk to Kursk to Rostov. The way I figure it you have 10 to 12 weeks of good fighting then things slow way down. The SU AI still has not defended Lenningrad so it looks like you might capture that city.

Edit: I went back to my post #2328 which was written after the May 5th reports and am pretty shocked how accurate I guessed things would go.

[Caezaire]

This Eastern Front reminds me a lot of Red Storm Rising. Your forces are advancing everywhere but cannot create the decisive breakthrough. But who knows?Perhaps the marshes will allow you to capture enough divisions to breakout to the point that the Russians cannot stop you.

[Axe27]

What are you going to do if your manpower gets too low? My guess is you'll start disbanding garrison divisions.

[Uriah]

Rank and File
A Clerk’s War

Tuesday 1st to Sunday 6th July 1941 (Part II)

Minister Schacht will be pleased with the efforts of our chemical engineers, as they have further improved our oil refining technology. We will be able to get more fuel from the same amount of oil, which is vital as a greater proportion of the Heer becomes dependent on motorised transport of some sort. No new research has been started, as the Wehrmacht’s demand for officers is becoming pressing. The Führer has decreed that we must achieve a level of 140% of demand before he will be satisfied. We are currently at about 130%, so many more young men are required.

Today a senior review panel reported their findings on the administration of the Heer. There have been some serious blunders and the report makes several recommendations. The most common mistake is giving different units the same name. This has occurred no less than three times! From today General Ott’s 3.ID (mot) will be known as 43.ID (mot), General Crüwell’s 3rd PzD will be 13th PzD and Bock’s 36.ID will be 136.ID. A more serious problem was discovered with 168.ID (mot). Somehow 102nd Infantry Brigade was assigned to this unit although it has no transport! The brigade has been withdrawn to be equipped with its full complement of trucks which will take about two months. Until it is returned to 168.ID (mot), General von Bünau must make do with two infantry brigades and a regiment of armoured cars.

A police investigation into theft at one of our manufacturing plants has led to the seizure of dozens of vehicles. Could these be some of the missing trucks of 102nd Infantry? It seems likely as the only other explanation is criminal negligence on the part of whoever placed the order. A guard has been stationed to protect the property of the Heer while further enquiries are carried out.

While I leafed through the administrative report, pursing my lips and shaking my head at the inefficiencies it revealed, I was able to ignore the overnight delivery of news from the East. My desire to ignore was because it showed a distressing lack of commitment by some units. I can understand that General Brand has been forced to back out of Chornabai: he is now facing more than 50,000 troops and 3rd Gebirgsjäger has suffered 1,300 casualties. And I can accept that Keppler may have found his tanks becoming mired in the mud of Slutsk and been unable to push back his opponent’s 36,000 men. But why has Wünnenberg conceded Braslaw to a single infantry division that can surely be on the verge of total collapse? As far as I can see 9th Panzer has lost just 16 men so far, but the whole armoured division is withdrawing, leaving General Rogadov in control of the battlefield.

General Kleinheisterkamp is keeping the traditions of 1st Panzerkorps alive by overrunning the hapless 19 Voronezhska in Dzisna. At least one panzergeneral knows how to do things! Admittedly Dzisna is flat and the enemy was caught in the open, but he has shown how a bit of élan can carry the day.

Battle of Dzisna

46 and 76.ID (mot) are licking their wounds in the rear (they are heading to Myronivka where they will rest for the next week or so) 25.ID and 100.ID (mot) hare shouldering the burden of crossing the Dniepr at Yahotyn. General von Förster is in overall command of our forces, while the Soviet Shirov has three divisions with which to hold the province. Only one of these is fresh, but the natural barrier of the river is a major impediment and the Balkans Army is not confident of success.

Battle of Yahotyn

Two provinces to the south-east, Heunert and 61.ID have clawed their way to victory in Cherkasy, assisted by the last minute arrival of Bieß and the “Bitburg” division. It was a close run thing, with Heunert’s men dead on their feet, only a few bullets rattling in the bottom of their ammunition boxes and the guns of their attached artillery regiment nearly out of shells. (As many of the barrels needed replacement after a week’s continuous firing this was not so important!). 61.ID is now on its way to Lysianka, a trip which will take some time: the weary men are only able to maintain a slow march, and the vehicles that are still able to move are carrying the wounded and a few essential supplies. There was a brief scare as 161.ID came under attack from Chornabai, but this was brief and caused Heunert no real concern.

2nd Battle of Cherkasy

In the neighbouring province of Smila, Österrieich Army has another repeat attack underway, into Chornabai. Brand’s 3rd Gebirgsjägers are on their way to Tsybuliv where temporary camps have been set up, but 112.ID has moved into Smila and General Veith is already implementing his own plan as to how to cross the Dniepr. He has been assisted by a General Leonov’s incredibly rash decision to cross the Dniepr himself, attacking Heunert’s exhausted men before Bieß could get his own men into position. Leonov must have thought that having beaten off Brand’s attack that he had some time before his own base would be under threat again. If that was the case he was seriously deluded: General von Kluge has shown he is just as determined as General Guderian to cross the Dniepr. As soon as Veith ordered his artillery and tank destroyer regiments to begin shelling the opposite bank Leonov realised his error and called back 134 and 144 Strelkovaya, but the damage had been done. His best units have expended much of their ammunition and stored supplies and despite a huge advantage in numbers he cannot feel too confident of holding Chornabai, particularly if Veith receives any reinforcements. I am sure General von Kluge has requested that his adjutants advise him of any nearby units capable of immediate departure to the front.

2nd Battle of Chornabai

To the north, in Livani, von der Chevallerie has cleared the way to the Daugava without too much trouble, though his men are fairly tired. Though not too tired to start digging foxholes and entrenchments and to clear fire lanes to the river. We can expect von Manstein to move up fresh troops as soon as possible, to cross the Dauguva before the Russians can react.

Presumably it is part of his plan for Curtze to strike at Haritonov in Daugavpils. Although there is little chance that 20.ID (mot) can shift Haritonov’s two divisions, it will prevent him from blocking any attempt to cross the river to the north in Rezekne.

Battle of Daugavpils

Tuesday morning, great news – we now have the most powerful fighting vehicle in the world! The Pzkpfw VI (H) has been revealed to great fanfare and publicity. Reliability trials have been carried out and the results were so good that we have immediately started production. As vehicles roll off the production line they will be railed to Latvia to replace the temporary heavy tanks of our two schwere Panzer divisions. With the schwere divisions happy, the researchers are now looking into improved engines for a new tank for the standard panzer divisions.

The first “Tiger” is prepared to leave the Henschel factory and head east

During the night General Köstring tried another crossing of the Dniepr at Zgurovka. He has been given another division (386.ID (mot)) and his own unit is still in good condition despite his aborted attempt just a few days ago. The Russians are now reduced to an infantry and a cavalry division so Köstring has a better chance than before.

Battle of Zgurovka

General Brämer and 12.ID have finally arrived at Artyz in Romania, and have been assigned to XII Armeekorps. General Rothkirch und Trach has instructed Brämer to take his unit to Mikolayivk and await further orders. 27.ID is still on its way to the Österreich Army, and should arrive in a day or so.

Air Vice-Marshall Newall must have thought that the recent activities of the VVS had stripped the West of Jagdgeschwader. If that was the case, he made his decision to bomb Leipzig on a faulty assumption. Generalleutnant Bogatsch and 5th Jagdfliegerkorps, assisted by our network of radar installations, were waiting to show the RAF that the Reich could still defend its borders. Bogatsch was almost clinical in his destruction of the British strategic bombers, first hitting them over Borken, then again at Leipzig itself and finally delivering the coup de grace over Eindhoven. As the depleted bomber squadrons straggled back over the Channel, Bogatsch’s air combat analysts carried out debriefings and received reports from Luftwaffe observation officers on the ground. A conservative estimate is that we destroyed 89 aircraft: about 27% of Newall’s original force.

Air Battle of Eindhoven

That good news was followed quickly by more good news from the Baltic Army. Brandenburger’s heavy tanks have cleared sufficient defenders to allow his motorised infantry to cross the Daugava into Sigulda. With a pontoon bridge up the panzers were soon among the Russian infantry and the battle was over. General Kesselring is rushing more infantry divisions into Sigulda: the river line has been breached.

With the risk of Russian snipers gone, our engineers can really get to work strengthening the bridge across the Daugava. It needs to be strong: soon it will have to bear the 60 tonne weight of replacement PzKpfw VI(H) Tigers crossing on their way to 1st schwere Panzer.

Although I am aware that Sigulda was the more significant battle, to me the news from Polatsk was more important. lePzD “Angriff” is mopping up as the Russian trucks stream east. The casualty reports show a decisive win, but to me the critical fact was that my Familienname is absent. Heinz is still leading a charmed life.

With a bridgehead across the Daugava, attention swung south to Kremenchuk where the Österreich Army is making a promising attack on a lightly defended stretch of the Dniepr. 7th Gebirgsjäger is moving as fast as possible to get a bridge constructed and General Förster has advised General von Kluge that resistance is fading. As long as the Russians cannot react by sending in fresh troops, we will have a bridgehead in the south within a day. Already Udet’s dive bombers are over the area, eliminating any group that dares to disrupt our attack. His reconnaissance reveals just 7,850 soldiers: two infantry brigades, a rocket artillery regiment and an anti-air detachment. It is now up to the 11th Pioniere Regiment attached to 7th Gebirgsjägers. How fast can they build a bridge?

Battle of Kremenchuk

Polen Army Nord HQ has decided that Slutsk is essential to its plan to capture Minsk. With Keppler’s panzertruppen still cleaning mud from their vehicles and counting their dead, von Manstein has arranged a mass assault by no less than three infantry divisions. 28,000 soldiers are available to General von Salmuth and he is wasting no time. Lvov has a slight advantage in numbers, but some of these have already been trapped and the battle is evenly poised. Air support and a possible flank attack from Malkowicze could be the decisive factors.

2nd Battle of Slutsk

Österreich Army HQ is setting a trap for a Russian armour division in Novo Odesa. The road to Odessa through Ochakiv is clear and the city appears undefended. We already hold Mykolayivk and General Eppich has carried out a lighting attack on Bobrynets’, harrying Potapov and his men to the east. Should the Russian tank commander go for the bait and move west, von Kluge is ready to cut off his line of retreat. (And Odessa is not really at risk 12.ID, newly acquired by Österreich Army, is already on its way north from Romania and its trains, slow as they are, are far quicker than an armoured division moving into enemy held territory.

Battle of Bobrynets’

Hardly affected by the river crossing, 1st schwere Panzer is already expanding its bridgehead, pushing into the heavy forests of Cesis. Still with 11,676 effective soldiers, Brandenburger had no fear of Chrisyakov’s 10,000 men, particularly as they are already shaken from earlier fighting. His confidence was well based, as after a few shots the entire Russian division turned tail.

Battle of Cesis

The best news had been kept to last. Against enormous odds (Marshall Budennij had 85,500 men in 9 divisions compared to Crüwell’s single panzer division) we have won the battle of Makhrovka! 13th Panzer division (previously the duplicate 3rd) lost just over 1,000 of its men and quite a few tanks, but the enormous mass of Soviet troops is flowing east, its officers unable to halt the retreat. Truly a magnificent victory and a display of what can be achieved with determination and persistence.


Finalised Battles for the period 1st to 6th July 1941

Vodoskhovyshche: 241 (9,992): 261 (15,997)
Polis’ke: 845 (9,255): 344 (76,310)
Domantove: 1,371 (19,986) 672 (27,870)
Postawy: 210 (21,991): 432 (16,693)
Wilejka: 131(31,981): 438 (15,241)
Polatsk: 32 (19,995): 101 (28,227)
2nd Polatsk: 60 (19,965): 120 (17,985)
Livani: 312 (18,916): 190 (49,136)
Yahotyn: 3,635 (29,983): 1,008 (48,800)
Braslaw: 107 (10,000): 192 (34,717)
Zgurovka: 379 (19,513): 81 (60,005)
Stolpce: 1,114 (39,349): 1,773 (43,704)
Jekabpils: 1,308 (19,996): 1,261 (37,161)
2nd Braslaw: 16 (9,891): 69 (9,897)
Chornabai: 1,322 (29,773): 654 (51,179)
Slutsk: 89 (9,991) 57 (36,601)
Dzisna: 28 (12,000): 189 (8,999)
Cherkasy: 1,381 (19,957): 1,420 (42,997)
2nd Cherkasy: 26 (17,843): 26 (8,511)
2nd Livani: 128 (18,626): 481 (8,999)
Sigulda: 655 (23,981): 610 (8,999)
2nd Polatsk: 206 (20,000): 436 (8,999)
Bobrynets’: 45 (9,993): 59 (8,996)
Makhrovka: 1,050 (9,620): 1,140 (85,552)
Cesis: 9 (11,676): 15 (9,999)

Total Battle Casualties for the period 1st to 6th July 1941

German: 14,700
Russian: 12,029

Prior Battle Casualties

German: 180,445
Russian: 187,447

Total Battle Casualties to date

German: 14,700 + 180,445 = 195,145
Russian: 12,029 + 187,447 = 199,476

Sigulda – Polatsk

Ergli: Von Weichs has received help from 68.ID (from Jekabpils) and 2nd schwere Panzer has swung its tanks north-east to join 101.ID. Despite this help, progress is still depressingly slow. (19% complete)

Daugavpils: 28.ID is marching from Svedasai but will take a day or so to arrive. Perhaps Curtze may be able to cross the river.(33% complete)

Polatsk – Janów Poleski

Zaslwaye: Stavak must place great importance on Minskl, as it is reinforcing the surrounding areas. 313 Strelkovaya has been withdrawn but the newly refitted 80 Strelkovaya has replaced it. 198 and 218 Motorizavannaya are now in reserve, but Ponedelin still has three divisions to oppose Steiner’s single panzer division. In response, Steiner has ordered an assault, but his men are tiring rapidly. (54% complete)

Slutsk: to the south of Minsk, however, von Salmuth is going well. Lvov and his 5 Kavaleriy have already fled, and Badanov is struggling to hold his men in place as 28,000 men bear down on him. (59% complete)

Janów Poleski – Baryshivka

Peresyaslav Khmel’nyts’kyy: Rösener’s men are standing up well under the onslaught, but Korshilov is throwing thousands of men into the battle and out soldiers are gradually conceding ground. (70% complete)

Zgurovka: Ratnikov and the two HQ units are safely away, leaving General Resehtev to hold with about 15,000 men. Köstring is more than satisfied with the course of the battle and expects th3 Bessarabskaya Kavaleriy to break soon. Then it will be the turn of the infantry and he will be across the Dniepr. (61% complete)

Polis’ke: Schack’s men are no longer so confident. They have been bogged down from the beginning of the attack and now we have information that another Soviet division has moved up as a reserve. (13% complete)

Baryshivka – Mikolayvik

Kremenchuk: Progress with the river crossing is going better than expected. Österreich Army has found another division to support the Gebirgsjägers and it will arrive soon. (79% complete)

Chornabai: No change (48% complete)

Yahotyn: 2nd leichte Panzer has swept into Yahotyn from the south east, and von Förster simultaneously lauched an assault. (47% complete)



Bombing Summary for the period 1st to 6th July 1941

Bobrovytsye: Schwartzkopff with 2nd Kampffliegerkorps: 237, 222, 228 (687)
Vodoskhovyshche: Kesselring with 1st Schlachtfliegerkorps: 82 (82)
Wilejka: Grauert with 4th Kampffliegerkorps: 218 (218)
Postawy: Kitzinger with 3rd Kampffliegerkorps: 234 (234)
Zgurovka: Schwartzkopff with 2nd Kampffliegerkorps: 323, 346, 294 (963)
Yahotyn: Kesselring with 1st Schlachtfliegerkorps: 166, 148 (314)
Stolpce: Grauert with 4th Kampffliegerkorps: 220, 29 (249)
Stolpce: Kitzinger with 3rd Kampffliegerkorps: 253 (253)
Stoplce: Hoffman von Waldau with 4th Schlachtfliegerkorps: 218 (218)
Polatsk: Kitzinger with 3rd Kampffliegerkorps: 205, 350, 319, 101 (975)
Sigulda: Wever with 8th Kampffliegerkorps: 180 (180)
Noviska: Schwartzkopff with 2nd Kampffliegerkorps: 389, 204 (593)
Chornabai: Dörstling with 6th Kampffleigerkorps: 191, 333, 230 (754)
Zaslawye : Sperrle with 1st Kampffleigerkorps: 327, 358, 184 (869)
Zazlawye: Weise with 5th Schlachtfleigerkorps: 122, 209, 115 (446)
Daugavpils: Kitzinger with 3rd Kampffliegerkorps: 312, 260, 233 (805)
Kremenchuk: Udet with 3rd Schlachtfleigerkorps: 95, 95 (190)


Total Bombing Casualties for the period 1st to 6th July 1941

German: Nil
Russian: 8,030

Prior Bombing Casualties

German: 1,817
Russian: 125,637

Total Bombing Casualties to date

German: Nil + 1,817 = 1,817
Russian: 8,030 + 125,637 = 133,667



Total East Front Casualties for the period 1st to 6th July 1941

German: 14,700 + Nil = 14,700
Russian: 12,029 + 8,030 = 20,059

Prior East Front Casualties

German: 182,262
Russian: 313,084

Total East Front Casualties to date

German: 14,700 + 182,262 = 196,962
Russian: 20,059 + 313,084 = 333,143

The East Front – Supply

As can be seen supply is moving well, but our stockpiles have been reduced from nearly 1,000,000 tonnes to just over 300,000 tonnes. Fuel is less of a problem, with at least 900,000 tonnes still in reserve.

[Uriah]

Hi Uriah, great updates as usual!

Would it be possible to see a macro-view of the supply map in the next update? I'd assume that would be requested from your office at some point!

Also, how far south have the Italians pushed in Egypt? Overall, I realize I've been more optimistic than some, but things are looking pretty good given the start conditions. The majority of their forces seem to be at or past the breaking point, perhaps the rivers are acting as a [false] local barrier to a more general collapse state. Lets see what happens once your generals who assault rivers like it's 1914 get past them.

Thanks Blackfriar - your wish is my command! Unfortunately I forgot to check the Italian progress south of Egypt - frommemory they haven't gone too far. I will include it a map at the end of the month.

While I would like to think the Russians are close to breaking, I think they are just weaker, not collapsing. The Dniepr and Daugava have not been as hard as previous rivers. Progress is OK, it is my losses that are a concern.

I am already imaging your defeat and our brave hero joining Volkssturm.

That would be an twist.

Defeat is not an option!!! But if my losses continue to mount then he may well be called upon to serve - but that is still a long way off. Let's see how we are next spring.

Soviets soon back to pre-war borders. Could be worse, I guess.
How many km's to Moscow?

In the north progress has been slow - but we have a lot of Russia in the south. It could be much worse, the full mobilisation has really hurt. Moscow is not really on the horizon at the moment, unless there is an unlikely total collapse.

Wow, a lot of the battles seem to go the Soviet's way recently. Still, the Wehrmacht is advancing across the front. That's something.

Don't be confused by a group of defeats at the beginning of a day: when I reload a saved game for some reason I always get a rash of defeats, some of them incomprehensible. Even when I reload over and over, I can rarely eliminate the defeats. Most of the unexplainable losses have a new attack launched in a day or so.

High water mark looks be Lenningrad to Smolensk to Kursk to Rostov. The way I figure it you have 10 to 12 weeks of good fighting then things slow way down. The SU AI still has not defended Lenningrad so it looks like you might capture that city.

Edit: I went back to my post #2328 which was written after the May 5th reports and am pretty shocked how accurate I guessed things would go.

Yes, you are pretty much on track (though I intend to check your predictions when winter hits). The only thing I think you did not take into account is the number of Russians I have (or will have) trapped and eliminated. I got about 12 divs in Latvia, should get another 6-8 in Estonia, hopefully another 12-20 in the Pripyat. This reduces the Soviet ability to withdraw to resupply,. If Ihit units with low org, battles are quicker and less costly.

But overall I had no issue with your analysis: I have never played so far with pure AI so I have no idea how it will go.

This Eastern Front reminds me a lot of Red Storm Rising. Your forces are advancing everywhere but cannot create the decisive breakthrough. But who knows?Perhaps the marshes will allow you to capture enough divisions to breakout to the point that the Russians cannot stop you.

Fingers crossed.. Or a meatgrinder slowly creeping east.

What are you going to do if your manpower gets too low? My guess is you'll start disbanding garrison divisions.

Well, I have a few options. My priority will be to keep my exisating units up to strength. At the moment I get about 55MP per month, and this should increase, albeit slowly. If I can keep losses below this rate I will be pretty happy.

Of course, if I stay about that level, I can't build anything new. That would allow me to drastically improve infra to the front, maybe increase airbases and build a few more bombers.

The other possibility is to upgrade motorised to mech, leichte panzer to mediums. As I have no problems iwth fuel, vac can be turned into mot/mech.

Rather than disband GARR, I would be more likely to upgrade to INF/MOT. I might start to strip the west, but I am not keen on making any invasion too easy.

But this is defeatist talk!!! I refuse to consider it any more!

[MajorMayhem]

3:2 isnt the best ratio! The critcal point of the war will soon be upon you, and after that, its schnapps in Moscow or vodka in Berlin. Good work from a long timer!

[Uriah]

3:2 isnt the best ratio! The critcal point of the war will soon be upon you, and after that, its schnapps in Moscow or vodka in Berlin. Good work from a long timer!

I would like it to be lot higher, but don't forget it doesn't take into account overruns (I am guessing about 12 divs) and surrender (about another 12). So probably another 200,000+ casualties for the Soviets, whcih would make it 2.5:1. Still not good, but a lot better. My original calc was I need to hit 3:1 to guarantee success.

[Dáin]

Why do I have the sudden but persistent suspicion that it was the filing clerk's own filing mistake that caused the mess-up with the missing transporation for the new motorized brigade? Hopefully, no-one will ever find out. Quick! Bury the paper-trail by misfiling the lot of it!

[Uriah]

Why do I have the sudden but persistent suspicion that it was the filing clerk's own filing mistake that caused the mess-up with the missing transporation for the new motorized brigade? Hopefully, no-one will ever find out. Quick! Bury the paper-trail by misfiling the lot of it!

One of the best kept secrets of the Third Reich was the identity of the miscreant who, when adding an infantry brigade to a basic motorised division, mistakenly ordered a non-motorised unit. Despite the enthusiastic efforts of the Gestapo, no evidence of guilt was ever discovered. The final report submitted to Minister Frick admitted the crime would never be solved but said that all indications pointed towards a person with an intimate knowledge of administrative procedures. Several Gestapo officers were rewarded with transfers to front-line penal battalions where they would have the opportunity to redeem themselves.

[Wellington527]

after three weeks of power reading i finally caught up . awesome AAR but one question though. how did you calculate how many soldiers are in your manpower pool?

[Uriah]

after three weeks of power reading i finally caught up . awesome AAR but one question though. how did you calculate how many soldiers are in your manpower pool?

Thank you for the compliment - glad you like it.

Not sure what you mean with the question, and I have no idea how long you have been playing, so apologies if this is a bit basic in places.

Well, base MP is on top of the screen (with the picture of the two soldiers). So for me it is currently about 600MP.

In the production screen, if I select "Divsion" or "Brigade" I get a spreadsheet with a million bits of info. First column is strength. So a normal INF Brigade is 3,000 men.

The second last column is MP. So a normal INF brigade is 3.33 MP.

Therefore 3,000 men is roughly equal to 3.33 MP.

There are anomalies, as an ARM brigade (3,000 men) is 2.33 MP and a PARA is 4MP, but I work on 1 MP is close enough to 1,000 men. So at the moment I have 600,000+ men in reserve and I get about 55,000 MP per month.

Hope this is what you wanted: if not please let me know and I'll try again.

And congrats on the power reading: did you realise what you were letting yourself in for?

[Enewald]

When will you stop AI from losing the east?

[Wellington527]

Thank you Uriah and you answered my question perfectly. and sort of guessed it when i saw it was a 100 and so odd pages long, but it was worth it