Digger
22 Mar 04, 20:56
Heya all
We agreed on deployment TO plus 2 others. I took deployment north, plus early release of 1PZ Army & 19 PZ Division.
I am not yet sure of his deployment (turn 2) but is obviously not north, as I have followed Mike J's theory of attacking 5tank army ( I have also bitten off 1 shock army & the 8th ?cavalry army in there as well. It may be too ambitious, but we'll soon see. I figure if I can envelop the majority of these 3 armies, and destroy the bulk quickly, then the rest, as they say, is gravy.
Turn 2:
Air losses 332soviet to 20 axis
Losses 11 to 1 my favour
I decided to attack on three fronts. As large an assult as I can make on the Northern end of 5 Tank Army, pushing east one with a one hex gap from the 3rd guards unit above. I am using 23rd Pz/57 & 6th Pz/57 to spearhead this attack. I also have the 17th Pz approaching. It will engage next turn. The idea of this attack is to push along the southern side of the river, entrenching & forming a line East as I go, then pushing South to envelop all 3 armies in the pocket. This Northern attack is my hammer.
In the center, at the closestr point to the 6th Army, I have assulted with 336 Inf & 11Pz/57 out towards the 6th, and am trying to squeeze the few units below me against the super river & destroy them. I dropped in my Brandenberg unit on a bridge over a major road next to the XXXXX points on the map, about 3 hexes above the bridge over the super river. Heinz57 said that his interpretation of the rules was that if I occupied a XX hex he would release the Don Front forces. So, I have cut off supply with the B unit & have penetrated to meet it along the road. I hope this will stop any major reinforcements from the South. Both penetrations are about 4 hexes wide & in force. My troops are now dug in. I moved my forces that were between these two assults up to meet the units I want to envelop, to slow them (and if he wants to assult them, he'll never get them out in time.
In the South, I attacked the 4th Soviet cavalry with my 306 Inf & 15 LFD/57. This assult is to inflict as many losses as possible to his mobile forces in the South, and hopefully to envelop units trapped between my penetration & the Super river. I may be able to stall or divert some reinforcements from the North, as well.
My only concern in the South is that this has left the Rumanians unsupported, but I have the 1 Pz Army moving across to the rail line in the South, so if he has deployed South I can stop him further back. I have recieved 3rd Pz & 16 Mot of the 1Pz. They are both travelling.
The 304 Inf is moving east around Millerovo, to support the center attack ( if things go well I may divert them North in support). The 19Pz has also been railed in to Millerovo, headed for the Northern assult. I have started to form a second line futher back in the North with loose units from around the town, and have diverted 2 German infantry units from reserve behind the Italians to act as support for the Northern assult.
STALINGRAD. I played a heavy turn of supply drain from within the Stalingrad defences, figuring this was a battle of attrition anyway. Managed to evap 22 rifle divisions, retreat several hexes, in particular the 2 East of Stalingrad. I moved forces forward & blew the 2 bridge approaches across the super river to Stalingrad.
All & all & I am very happy with the first turn, especially as I have never employed supply drain attacks before & have managed to devastate the Don forces. I managed 9 combat rounds in all !!!!
Grant/Digger
We agreed on deployment TO plus 2 others. I took deployment north, plus early release of 1PZ Army & 19 PZ Division.
I am not yet sure of his deployment (turn 2) but is obviously not north, as I have followed Mike J's theory of attacking 5tank army ( I have also bitten off 1 shock army & the 8th ?cavalry army in there as well. It may be too ambitious, but we'll soon see. I figure if I can envelop the majority of these 3 armies, and destroy the bulk quickly, then the rest, as they say, is gravy.
Turn 2:
Air losses 332soviet to 20 axis
Losses 11 to 1 my favour
I decided to attack on three fronts. As large an assult as I can make on the Northern end of 5 Tank Army, pushing east one with a one hex gap from the 3rd guards unit above. I am using 23rd Pz/57 & 6th Pz/57 to spearhead this attack. I also have the 17th Pz approaching. It will engage next turn. The idea of this attack is to push along the southern side of the river, entrenching & forming a line East as I go, then pushing South to envelop all 3 armies in the pocket. This Northern attack is my hammer.
In the center, at the closestr point to the 6th Army, I have assulted with 336 Inf & 11Pz/57 out towards the 6th, and am trying to squeeze the few units below me against the super river & destroy them. I dropped in my Brandenberg unit on a bridge over a major road next to the XXXXX points on the map, about 3 hexes above the bridge over the super river. Heinz57 said that his interpretation of the rules was that if I occupied a XX hex he would release the Don Front forces. So, I have cut off supply with the B unit & have penetrated to meet it along the road. I hope this will stop any major reinforcements from the South. Both penetrations are about 4 hexes wide & in force. My troops are now dug in. I moved my forces that were between these two assults up to meet the units I want to envelop, to slow them (and if he wants to assult them, he'll never get them out in time.
In the South, I attacked the 4th Soviet cavalry with my 306 Inf & 15 LFD/57. This assult is to inflict as many losses as possible to his mobile forces in the South, and hopefully to envelop units trapped between my penetration & the Super river. I may be able to stall or divert some reinforcements from the North, as well.
My only concern in the South is that this has left the Rumanians unsupported, but I have the 1 Pz Army moving across to the rail line in the South, so if he has deployed South I can stop him further back. I have recieved 3rd Pz & 16 Mot of the 1Pz. They are both travelling.
The 304 Inf is moving east around Millerovo, to support the center attack ( if things go well I may divert them North in support). The 19Pz has also been railed in to Millerovo, headed for the Northern assult. I have started to form a second line futher back in the North with loose units from around the town, and have diverted 2 German infantry units from reserve behind the Italians to act as support for the Northern assult.
STALINGRAD. I played a heavy turn of supply drain from within the Stalingrad defences, figuring this was a battle of attrition anyway. Managed to evap 22 rifle divisions, retreat several hexes, in particular the 2 East of Stalingrad. I moved forces forward & blew the 2 bridge approaches across the super river to Stalingrad.
All & all & I am very happy with the first turn, especially as I have never employed supply drain attacks before & have managed to devastate the Don forces. I managed 9 combat rounds in all !!!!
Grant/Digger