Largest Encirclement you have achieved so far

[I had a bad name 99]

Guys, just achieved one of my largest encirclement with the Japs on the Soviets. Trapped multiple armies in the middle of Siberia. Feeling proud of this achievement after more than 4 years slogging through the forests of Siberia. This is even more difficult, given that the Germans were not engaging in the Western front so their 500-1000 divisions are mobilized against my 125 divisions...

Anyone cares to share theirs?

 

[NeuGemi]

I don't have a picture of an encirclement I have made, but I have a picture of an encirclement the AI did on me:

I was RP:ing, although not that much, so it really took me by surprise when the AI actually managed to encircle my divisions, and in Stalingrad out of all places.

 

[KRonn]

EliteW, that's a quite impressive encirclement! Including Russian allies, I count about eighty divisions cut off.

 

[I had a bad name 99]

EliteW, that's a quite impressive encirclement! Including Russian allies, I count about eighty divisions cut off.

Haha it is not easy one though. Probably take several months due to vast distance of Siberian forests and time to bring up my infantry divisions around the flanks while protecting them from counter-attacks. You can tell the enemy is also running out of supply as they stayed in the mountains for too long. So the encirclement is easy in theory but requires patience to pull it off.

 

[Holdy]

I don't have a picture of an encirclement I have made, but I have a picture of an encirclement the AI did on me:I was RP:ing, although not that much, so it really took me by surprise when the AI actually managed to encircle my divisions, and in Stalingrad out of all places.

Really? It is Feb 1943 and the soviets are finishing off the Stalingrad encirclement?
You using expert AI?
Also I like your historical OOB!

 

[I had a bad name 99]

I don't have a picture of an encirclement I have made, but I have a picture of an encirclement the AI did on me:I was RP:ing, although not that much, so it really took me by surprise when the AI actually managed to encircle my divisions, and in Stalingrad out of all places.

How did this happen even though you had the historical hindsight that Stalingrad was taken in similar fashion? Why didn't you protect the flanks better? I guess you might have pushed too far like the Germans did, cos you were desperate for oil...

 

[Rashie]

230 divisions in northwestern europe, give or take, as I pushed the allies back off the continent after backstabbing Germany during a Austria-Hungary achievement run, although that was a couple of patches ago now.

 

[NeuGemi]

Really? It is Feb 1943 and the soviets are finishing off the Stalingrad encirclement?
You using expert AI?
Also I like your historical OOB!

They encircled me around the beginning of February and I managed to hold Stalingrad until April after the USSR pushed me back from the 3 other tiles. 3 Desperate counter-attacks and around 220 transport planes for supply apparently wasn't enough to beat the Soviet resistance

I was using my Expanded Start Dates (now The Campaign in the East) mod, so Expert AI wasn't compatible. But I had one AI Battleplan-related mod and some moderate buffs to the USSR.

Thanks! I was very proud of that OOB. I can send an easy to read and (of course) historical OOB for Case Blue/Battle of Stalingrad if you're up to it.

How did this happen even though you had the historical hindsight that Stalingrad was taken in similar fashion? Why didn't you protect the flanks better? I guess you might have pushed too far like the Germans did, cos you were desperate for oil...

I've succeded in capitulating the USSR several times, but in this playthrough I decided to buff the Soviets a bit, so usually encirclements aren't something I'm worrying about. Reason I wasn't protecting my flanks better was first, historical OOB, and then I also decided to divert some of my more better troops from the flanks to capture the last oil province in the Caucasus since Romania at the time of the attack wasn't very eager to export oil to me

It took me by huge surprise since the most I've lost in an encirclement was around 50-100k compared to this 500-600k

 

[I had a bad name 99]

Guys just did another encirclement, although a smaller one. I also did another two, but I was not able to get the screenshots. Also, quite sizable but slightly less than this one.

At this rate, I am reaching Moscow . Though the Russia still has majority of factories and resources plus 700 more divisions than me

 

[Matoro_TBS]

It's in Kaiserreich mod. Divisions have 50% more manpower than they do have in vanilla, so it's even more manpower encircled. By quick count it's about ~50 divisions from Germans and their allies - more than half million men.

 

[I had a bad name 99]

View attachment 567285
It's in Kaiserreich. Divisions have 50% more manpower than they do have in vanilla, so it's even more manpower encircled. By quick count it's about ~50 divisions from Germans and their allies - more than half million men.

Wow, this is really impressive! What faction you playing as?

 

[Voigt]

Probably around 200 divisions? In one MP I pushed from Norway and landed in Finland, meanwhile pushed from the south around Riga, met around Leningrad. After that drove south to Rostow. Crimea I got with another Naval Invasion. So pretty much encircled all of the Soviets at once.

In Singleplayer doing around 80 divisions encirclements are quite normal I would think

 

[Matoro_TBS]

Wow, this is really impressive! What faction you playing as?

I was playing Commune of France. I basically managed to hit Germany+Belgium through the Ardennes and encircle their whole armies in Belgium without ports. It did take months to clear out those pockets - they did have multiple big VP cities there.

 

[I had a bad name 99]

In Singleplayer doing around 80 divisions encirclements are quite normal I would think

Thanks for your comment! I am new to the forum and community here, so I am just finding out what others have achieved so far. Not trying to brag, but this is just my achievement. I did not know 80 divisions encirclement is quite "normal".

But having said that, it really depends on the state of campaign. If you played as Germany invading Soviet Union, it is easier because of better infrastructure(allowing fast closing of gaps) and panzer-heavy focus. Playing a more powerful faction attacking a much weaker one also allows you to pull off powerful encirclements. But I am just saying haha. Execution is harder than just giving theory.

 

[I had a bad name 99]

Hehe another large-scale encirclement at Ural mountains

 

[I had a bad name 99]

Edit to my previous post

 

[Simon_9732495]

Not my largest but an enjoyable one. The spanish sneak-joined the axis and attacked from behind. Now they may regret it...

 

[Simon_9732495]

And because it just happened: Same campaign half a year later: 78 German Divisions encircled.

 

[I had a bad name 99]

Not my largest but an enjoyable one. The spanish sneak-joined the axis and attacked from behind. Now they may regret it...

View attachment 567823

Haha, this is the really classic encirclement (on a strategic level). Same for the Belgium one in the second screenshot.

I also like to do a fast double envelopment on a tactical level. Meaning I quickly pull around multiple units clustered in several provinces around their flanks, when there are strong units concentrated on two points. You sort of do it at your convenience, not necessarily when you want to set it up. Usually best to wrap up the final months of a long war where you quickly destroyed the enemy standing in your way with tactical superiority (at this point, the average combat strength of the enemy unit is less than half. )

I am inspired by the Battle of vyazma and bryansk -- the Germans did that to quickly open the road to Moscow.

Edit: The advantage of this tactic is that you don't need to defend very long flank because it is supposed to be fast and short.

 

[I had a bad name 99]

Got a big one in WW3!

Note: The war is extremely late, I know.