Thursday, March 13, 2025

Expert Front 1941: Mud and snow

 

It is August 31st, and one month of summer remains before the muddy rasputitsa and biting Russian winter. One month to make German superiority count. Let's do this.

 

Riga to Rzhev:

Axis Current
strength
Current
strength
USSR
10 Infantry Corps 55 74 41 Infantry Army
41 Panzer Corps 148

46 Panzer Corps 79 88 32 Infantry Army


80 30 Infantry Army
38 Infantry Corps 47 100 34 Infantry Army
40 Panzer Corps 188 42 4 Guards Infantry Army
1 Infantry Corps 74 60 1 Guards Cavalry Army
56 Panzer Corps 119 56 56 Infantry Army
28 Infantry Corps 85

2 Infantry Corps 107

 

The strength advantage here is decisively mine, but after my inevitable victory I will have a difficult choice to make - do I go after Leningrad, or not? Leningrad would be worth a few victory points and two Finnish infantry, but Smolensk needs help.


Minsk to Smolensk:

Axis Current
strength
Current
strength
USSR
7 Infantry Corps 145

26 Infantry Corps 93

4 Flieger Corps 231 108 31 Infantry Army
47 Panzer Corps 45 95 22 Infantry Army
6 Infantry Corps 102 11 29 Infantry Army
1 Flieger Corps 218



112 28 Infantry Army
24 Panzer Corps 65 52 2 Tank Army
8 Infantry Corps 59 137 40 Infantry Army
2 Flieger Corps 182



50 3 Cavalry Army


56 14 Infantry Army


57 21 Infantry Army
 

This looks bad. Three units near Smolensk are cut off from supplies and can do little but entrench while waiting for help, and only the 6th infantry is close enough to provide any immediate relief. I will have the 7th and 26th infantries detach from the northern group to help here.

 

Kiev:

Axis Current
strength
Current
strength
USSR
5 Infantry Corps 99 43 5 Tank Army


72 10 Infantry Army


59 18 Infantry Army


80 19 Infantry Army
3 Panzer Corps 141 77 23 Infantry Army
49 Infantry Corps 91

9 Infantry Corps 118

11 Infantry Corps 96

27 Infantry Corps 75

12 Infantry Corps 79

23 Infantry Corps 83

57 Panzer Corps 145

5 Flieger Corps 190

14 Panzer Corps 156 134 18 Tank Army
4 Infantry Corps 96

48 Panzer Corps 121 50 1 Cavalry Army
29 Infantry Corps 39

3 Flieger Corps 179


The 5th infantry is deep in the swamp, bravely holding off three Soviet units. There's little to impede the rest of my army here.

 

Odessa:

Axis Current
strength
Current
strength
USSR
17 Infantry Corps 45

30 Infantry Corps 95 8 4 Cavalry Army
1 Hungarian Panzer 29 24 5 Cavalry Army
54 Infantry Corps 53 70 2 Infantry Army
1 Rumanian Infantry 74

5 Rumanian Infantry 48 36 7 Infantry Army
2 Rumanian Infantry 62

4 Rumanian Infantry 28


My army here isn't in the best shape, but nonetheless I expect Odessa to fall soon, after which I can send them to other fronts.

 

September is a long, bloody month, and apart from Odessa, no additional cities are conquered. I even lose Kiev, though just for one turn, to the mud units behind me!

 

August 31 - October 4


Riga to Rzhev:

"Inevitable victory"


Axis Old
strength
Current
strength x2
Current
strength
Old
strength
USSR
10 Infantry Corps 55 30
74 41 Infantry Army
41 Panzer Corps 148 74 71
9 Militia Army



86
42 Infantry Army
46 Panzer Corps 79 104
88 32 Infantry Army



136 80 30 Infantry Army
38 Infantry Corps 47 22
100 34 Infantry Army
40 Panzer Corps 188 74
42 4 Guards Infantry Army



94
11 Militia Army
1 Infantry Corps 74 62
60 1 Guards Cavalry Army
56 Panzer Corps 119 104 66 56 56 Infantry Army
28 Infantry Corps 85 84 96
7 Militia Army
2 Infantry Corps 107 106 43
43 Infantry Army
35 Infantry Corps
94 104
43 Infantry Army


We destroyed the September squad pretty thoroughly, but this took longer and cost more muster than expected, and by October's mud, whatever we destroyed are more than replaced with reinforcements and militia. Leningrad must wait. Yes, there are two different 43 infantries; Russian numbering systems are very complicated.

 

Minsk to Smolensk:

Axis Old
strength
Current
strength x2
Current
strength
Old
strength
USSR
7 Infantry Corps 145 58


26 Infantry Corps 93 82


13 Infantry Corps
108


4 Flieger Corps 231 118
108 31 Infantry Army
47 Panzer Corps 45 102 69 95 22 Infantry Army
6 Infantry Corps 102 107
11 29 Infantry Army
34 Infantry Corps
96


1 Flieger Corps 218 218






112 28 Infantry Army
24 Panzer Corps 65 78 41 52 2 Tank Army
8 Infantry Corps 59 109 89 137 40 Infantry Army
2 Flieger Corps 182 183






50 3 Cavalry Army



21 56 14 Infantry Army



79 57 21 Infantry Army

The initial goal was to rescue the panzers and 8th infantry from the north Dnieper river, and very soon the goal also became to rescue an eager 7th infantry who pushed themselves into a kitty corner at the month's start. Overall the goal was a success, and the 8th infantry managed to escape their muddy deathtrap with a bit of air support, but nobody in this group is in great shape except the Fliegerkorps and the reinforcements.

 

Kiev to Kharkov:

Axis Old
strength
Current
strength x2
Current
strength
Old
strength
USSR
5 Infantry Corps 99 92 13 43 5 Tank Army




72 10 Infantry Army



42 59 18 Infantry Army




80 19 Infantry Army
3 Panzer Corps 141 52
77 23 Infantry Army



56
15 Infantry Army
49 Infantry Corps 91 80


9 Infantry Corps 118 108


11 Infantry Corps 96 91


27 Infantry Corps 75 77 94
60 Infantry Army
12 Infantry Corps 79 97


23 Infantry Corps 83 80 103
33 Infantry Army
57 Panzer Corps 145 145


5 Flieger Corps 190 132 114
66 Infantry Army
14 Panzer Corps 156 62
134 18 Tank Army
4 Infantry Corps 96 20 113
19 Tank Army
48 Panzer Corps 121 148 41 50 1 Cavalry Army
29 Infantry Corps 39 42


3 Flieger Corps 179 142



Impediment happened, as we're met by reinforcements near Kharkov. 5th infantry couldn't hold off three units alone for long, so I joined it with the 49th while the airplanes moved forward - now they've all moved east some and are holding onto Kiev.

The 14th Panzers tried to encircle a Russia tank army mid-September, but wound up walking right into a pincer trap, where it must remain all October now. This wouldn't have happened if we could play out the action day-by-day instead of week-by-week!

 

Odessa:

Axis Old
strength
Current
strength x2
Current
strength
Old
strength
USSR
17 Infantry Corps 45 88


30 Infantry Corps 95 98
8 4 Cavalry Army
1 Hungarian Panzer 29 36
24 5 Cavalry Army
54 Infantry Corps 53 45
70 2 Infantry Army
1 Rumanian Infantry 74 47


5 Rumanian Infantry 48 17
36 7 Infantry Army
2 Rumanian Infantry 62 35


4 Rumanian Infantry 28



4 Italian Infantry
54



It took all month, but the Romanian Suicide Squad took Odessa, killed everyone around it, and what's left of them are slowly walking away.

 

Fighting over the next month is futile - every Axis unit is working at half strength during the muddy season! As before, I keep some distance as I try to reform my lines on favorable terrain, but this is trickier than it was.

As winter starts, all of my Fliegerkorps are down a massive amount of combat strength, though none have suffered any permanent muster damage.


October 5 - November 8


Northmost cluster:


Axis Old
strength x2
Current
strength
Current
strength
Old
strength
USSR
10 Infantry Corps 30 31 80 71 9 Militia Army
28 Infantry Corps 84 20 36 96 7 Militia Army



82 86 42 Infantry Army
40 Panzer Corps 74 95 123 94 11 Militia Army
2 Infantry Corps 106 95 50 43 43 Infantry Army
41 Panzer Corps 74 83


 

These guys have mostly held it together throughout the mud season, and skirmished a bit with the Soviets nearby during the first week of winter, but aren't fully recovered yet. Strength advantage is overall mine, especially as the militia cannot attack.

 

Rzhev:

Axis Old
strength x2
Current
strength
Current
strength
Old
strength
USSR
46 Panzer Corps 104 103


38 Infantry Corps 22 35 177 136 30 Infantry Army
1 Flieger Corps 218 60


56 Panzer Corps 104 92 135 66 56 Infantry Army
35 Infantry Corps 94 88 134 104 43 Infantry Army

Also not much of a line change, but the strength difference is serious. I'm going to need to push my numbers advantage here to encircle and cut them off from supplies.

 

Smolensk:

Axis Old
strength x2
Current
strength
Current
strength
Old
strength
USSR
7 Infantry Corps 58 33


1 Infantry Corps 62 29


26 Infantry Corps 82 62


13 Infantry Corps 108 91


4 Flieger Corps 118 88


47 Panzer Corps 102 118 34 69 22 Infantry Army
6 Infantry Corps 107 36


34 Infantry Corps 96 80



We took an unguarded Smolensk during the start of October, cutting off the lone infantry there from supplies. The Russians are trying to take it back, and the severely weakened infantry they sent are joined by a severely weakened tank unit from the south and a strong infantry from the north. But it won't be enough.

 

Minsk:

Axis Old
strength x2
Current
strength
Current
strength
Old
strength
USSR
24 Panzer Corps 78 111 20 41 2 Tank Army
8 Infantry Corps 109 46 41 89 40 Infantry Army
2 Flieger Corps 183 106 45 79 21 Infantry Army



22 21 14 Infantry Army
 

Pathetic. Minsk will hold, but going after the Soviets in the river will be annoying.


Orel:


Axis Old
strength x2
Current
strength
Current
strength
Old
strength
USSR
9 Infantry Corps 108 45


11 Infantry Corps 91 30 138
54 Infantry Army
27 Infantry Corps 77 11 186 94 60 Infantry Army
12 Infantry Corps 97 30 47
50 Infantry Army



202
61 Infantry Army


My guys mostly marched here in the mud and snow unimpeded from northern Ukraine but are too exhausted to fight despite being positioned for multiple pincer attacks. I can only hope supplies reach them before the Soviets break out.

 

Kiev:

 

Axis Old
strength x2
Current
strength
Current
strength
Old
strength
USSR
5 Infantry Corps 92 46 35 42 18 Infantry Army
5 Flieger Corps 132 41


49 Infantry Corps 80 35
13 5 Tank Army
3 Flieger Corps 142 116



Most of these units have left Kiev by now and are moving up to Orel. Two of the units currently there came from Odessa, moving north. The Soviet 5th tank army perished trying to take Kiev back, and the 18th infantry army is about to.

 

Kharkov:

Axis Old
strength x2
Current
strength
Current
strength
Old
strength
USSR



209
39 Infantry Army
3 Panzer Corps 52 44 96 56 15 Infantry Army
4 Infantry Corps 20 21 126 113 19 Tank Army
48 Panzer Corps 148 42


14 Panzer Corps 62 58 107 114 66 Infantry Army
57 Panzer Corps 145 74


23 Infantry Corps 80 40 149 103 33 Infantry Army
29 Infantry Corps 42 21 1 41 1 Cavalry Army



174
2 Guards Infantry

Oh. Oh no.

My units here are in no fighting condition, and a battering ram of Soviets are coming in, and more are right behind them. Try not to let anyone get encircled as we withdraw west for more reliable supplies. Try not to let anyone get bashed in.

 

 Odessa:

Axis Old
strength x2
Current
strength
Current
strength
Old
strength
USSR
30 Infantry Corps 98 46


17 Infantry Corps 88 86


1 Hungarian Panzer 36 37


54 Infantry Corps 45 44


1 Rumanian Infantry 47 46


5 Rumanian Infantry 17 16


2 Rumanian Infantry 35 33


4 Italian Infantry 54 54



Odessa is now far behind all of these companies, who have regrouped and formed up with others. Russia doesn't seem all that interested in taking it back.

 

November 9 -  December 6


Northmost cluster:

Yep, the Finnish armies are still stuck there.

Axis Old
strength
Current
strength
Current
strength
Old
strength
USSR
10 Infantry Corps 31 24 48 80 9 Militia Army
28 Infantry Corps 20 38 24 36 7 Militia Army
41 Panzer Corps 83 15 40 123 11 Militia Army
40 Panzer Corps 95 95 61 82 42 Infantry Army




50 43 Infantry Army

Despite a strength advantage and a little help from the south, these minor tussles are slow. Weak, poorly supplied units can still encircle, but fighting is hard.

 

Rzhev:

Axis Old
strength
Current
strength
Current
strength
Old
strength
USSR
46 Panzer Corps 103 53


2 Infantry Corps 95 31


38 Infantry Corps 35

177 30 Infantry Army
1 Flieger Corps 60 223


56 Panzer Corps 92 85
135 56 Infantry Army
35 Infantry Corps 88 91


7 Infantry Corps 33 49



Total Soviet destruction, but not without losses on my end. Rzhev will be taken by Monday.

 

Smolensk:


Axis Old
strength
Current
strength
Current
strength
Old
strength
USSR
11 Infantry Corps 30 38
134 43 Infantry Army
26 Infantry Corps 62 9


4 Flieger Corps 88 180


1 Infantry Corps 29 56
34 22 Infantry Army
13 Infantry Corps 91 104 208
1 Guards Tank Army
47 Panzer Corps 118 58


6 Infantry Corps 36 89
20 2 Tank Army

The feeble and isolated Russian attempts to liberate Smolensk were all encircled and crushed by December. A single powerful tank army is closing in, but I've learned not to fear single armies.

 

Minsk to Orel:

Axis Old
strength
Current
strength
Current
strength
Old
strength
USSR
34 Infantry Corps 80 93


2 Flieger Corps 106 163


24 Panzer Corps 111 102
41 40 Infantry Army
8 Infantry Corps 46 101 16 22 14 Infantry Army


Minsk held, one Soviet was destroyed as we chased it across the frozen river, another is caught in a pincer on the other side of the river.

 

Orel:


Axis Old
strength
Current
strength
Current
strength
Old
strength
USSR
27 Infantry Corps 11
177 138 54 Infantry Army
12 Infantry Corps 30 51
47 50 Infantry Army
5 Infantry Corps 46 39
45 21 Infantry Army
4 Infantry Corps 21 35 236
2 Guards Cavalry
9 Infantry Corps 45 70


5 Flieger Corps 41 129 192 202 61 Infantry Army



128
45 Infantry Army

The sawtooth formation did not hold. I got two of theirs, they got one of mine. Unfortunately, they get two powerful reinforcements. At least I can count on a bit of help coming from Minsk.

 

Kiev to Kharkov:

Axis Old
strength
Current
strength
Current
strength
Old
strength
USSR
49 Infantry Corps 35 35


4 Italian Infantry 54 24


2 Rumanian Infantry 33 33


54 Infantry Corps 44 44
35 18 Infantry Army

As expected, these ragtag survivors from all over the front destroyed the sole enemy here and are marching to Kharkov.

 

Kharkov:


Axis Old
strength
Current
strength
Current
strength
Old
strength
USSR



129
47 Infantry Army
48 Panzer Corps 42 40
186 60 Infantry Army
3 Flieger Corps 116 88


17 Infantry Corps 86 65 195
9 Tank Army
3 Panzer Corps 44 62
209 39 Infantry Army
57 Panzer Corps 74 52


30 Infantry Corps 46 85


1 Hungarian Panzer 37 21 94
7 Cavalry Army
23 Infantry Corps 40
92 96 15 Infantry Army
29 Infantry Corps 21 42 130 126 19 Tank Army
5 Rumanian Infantry 16 8


1 Rumanian Infantry 46 46


14 Panzer Corps 58 22 76 107 66 Infantry Army



202
28 Tank Army



89 149 33 Infantry Army



54
95 Infantry Army



170 174 2 Guards Infantry



106
52 Infantry Army




1 1 Cavalry Army

Never forget that well-supplied Germans can punch above their weight. By withdrawing in a measured manner, I allowed multiple Soviets to spearhead and isolate themselves, letting me cut them off and destroy them piecemeal.

This still costs significant muster strength, though, which can never be recovered. And with these quickly-dwindling combat strength numbers, I'm doubting that I can outlast Soviet reinforcements!

I do, however, have an opportunity to snatch Dnepropetrovsk to the south, which is completely unguarded.

 

Overall combat strength, not counting the Finns or Fliegerkorps, comes to 1,905 now, out of 2,728 points of muster strength. Winter supply problems account for most of the difference.

Don't know if I'm going to be able to win this time!

Monday, March 10, 2025

Eastern Front 1941: Expert mode

The second edition of Eastern Front 1941 does waste your time with an intro/options screen.

Operation Barbarossa was a massive success, achieving Lebensraum by the end of winter. The red army scattered and useless, every major population center from Warsaw to the Urals fell under German occupation.

Not so fast! With Eastern Front 1941 far surpassing their modest sales expectations for a mail-order wargame, Atari would re-release it as a professionally published retail product. For this new edition, designer Chris Crawford would make some improvements, including a rebalanced difficulty setting to ensure that nobody wins too easily. The Wargaming Scribe attempted this years ago - now it's my turn.

This new edition includes a much nicer looking manual, decorated with vintage photos and war anecdotes, and a folding game area map with geographic annotations. There is a now a provision for saving an in-progress game to disk or cassette, something sorely lacking from the original. But most importantly, and the whole reason that I'm revisiting this version, are five new scenarios. Three of them (learner, beginner, and intermediate) are designed to gradually show you the ropes, and are followed by "advanced" which corresponds to the original 1981 version's scenario. The next, "expert 1941," is designed to kick your butt.

Negative 128 points and we haven't started yet!

Two gameplay features are introduced here. First, your army is complemented with five Fliegerkorps units who do not attack directly, but may support ground units within a radius of home base, enhancing their combat strength. The home bases may also be moved like regular units, but provide no air support during movement, and will be weaker the following turn.

Second is the introduction of unit tactics. We can march, which trades defense and attack power for mobility, entrench, which trades total mobility for defense, and assault, which trades defense and mobility for attack power.

Uses for march and entrench seem straightforward enough. If a unit is far from the front (e.g. reinforcements) and needs to cross a lot of terrain to get there, we march. Otherwise, we don't. As for entrenchment, this seems more useful to the Soviets than to myself, as they need to delay and wear me down in order to win, but I need to move and gain ground in order to win. But it could still be useful to me in situations where isolated units need to hold ground until help arrives, especially if they can't retreat.

But assault is ambivalent. I'm certainly going to be using a lot of attack power, and the option to enhance it is nice, but at what cost? We need our units to last, and damage done to German units is permanent.

I did some tests, and the results are surprising and difficult to quantify. Overall, my units inflicted about triple the muster damage and double the combat damage when in assault, and suffered only 12% more muster damage in return, but much of this is because the Soviets broke faster and more easily, and therefore took additional damage and only fought back passively. When one factors out the assaults that outright destroyed Soviet units, the numbers are all over the place, and overall we did not inflict significantly more damage to the well-entrenched divisions, but also suffered a bit less damage in return; it seems that the Soviet divisions on the receiving end of a heavy assault had less of an opportunity to "break" ours in retaliation.

Furthermore, infantry in assault mode can move a maximum of three spaces per week, down from five. Armor in assault moves up to five spaces, down from eight.

So it seems assault is worth using, but I'll need to be mindful of attrition losses, especially as this is what defeated Scribe. Standard attacks, it seems, are better to use against weakened units who will fall either way.

 

I play out the first three turns with my usual methods - simulate day-by-day play using GIMP, assume the Soviets will not move, assume every push will be successful. Assault is to be used only by armor, only when the unit begins its turn adjacent to a weaker unit, never against enemies entrenched in defensive terrain, and never against enemies that are already at the breaking point. Fliegerkorps will support the nearest armor unit in assault mode - by the end of the month I need to start moving them closer.

June 22 - July 12

 

A decent push, and I think I did a better job of avoiding gridlock than I did last time, but I'm about a week behind my progress on original difficulty. An over-aggressive push on the north perimeter left two units stranded for a turn, and this cost them some muster strength. The Romanian troops in particular are struggling; their morale breaks much more easily than Germans do, and they're also placed in unfavorable river terrain with no easy way around the Soviet cavalry guarding the banks.

Time for some numbers.

  • Pink - New divisions
  • Green - Minor muster damage
  • Yellow - Major, irrecoverable muster damage
  • Orange - Supplies blocked, combat strength halved
  • Red - Destroyed

 

Poland/Slovakia:

Axis Old
strength
Current
strength
Current
strength
Old
strength
USSR



55 115 7 Tank Army
38 Infantry Corps 120 75 73 128 8 Infantry Army
41 Panzer Corps 198 88
140 11 Infantry Army



77
10 Tank Army
28 Infantry Corps 112 82 46 54 1 Tank Army
56 Panzer Corps 194 155 98 108 4 Infantry Army
10 Infantry Corps 101 101 91
6 Tank Army
26 Infantry Corps 104 100 169
13 Infantry Army
1 Infantry Corps 129 113
65 8 Tank Army
2 Infantry Corps 123 123


24 Panzer Corps 223 198
157 3 Infantry Army
5 Infantry Corps 136 120 55 92 3 Cavalry Army
1 Flieger Corps 219 154


40 Panzer Corps
143


6 Infantry Corps 127 122
115 6 Cavalry Army
46 Panzer Corps 192 175 118 116 10 Infantry Army
7 Infantry Corps 150 143


2 Flieger Corps 183 132


47 Panzer Corps 199 184 58 46 5 Tank Army
8 Infantry Corps 129 129


3 Flieger Corps 206 206


57 Panzer Corps 184 167
105 5 Infantry Army
9 Infantry Corps 136 136


4 Flieger Corps 237 162 118
18 Infantry Army
3 Panzer Corps 202 187 96 134 6 Infantry Army
29 Infantry Corps 111 102 52
1 Cavalry Army
14 Panzer Corps 195 158
178 12 Infantry Army
49 Infantry Corps 140 140


5 Flieger Corps 191 137


48 Panzer Corps 191 161
138 26 Infantry Army
17 Infantry Corps 119 119


4 Infantry Corps 142 97
99 3 Tank Army




31 4 Tank Army
 

And here we can see the sobering reality of expert mode. Damage is much more severe this time around! The numbers here are combat strength, which does recover on its own, but never exceeds muster strength, which only recovers for the Soviets, not for us!

Note that four of the Fliegerkorps lost considerable combat strength, but no muster strength. Moving the airbase costs a lot of combat strength, but is not damaging.

Like before, a little over half of this army is going north around the swamp, and the rest south to meet up with the Hungarian group.

 

Hungary:

Axis Old
strength
Current
strength
Current
strength
Old
strength
USSR
54 Infantry Corps 106 78
40 11 Tank Army



46 158 12 Tank Army
30 Infantry Corps 131 116 46 52 5 Cavalry Army
11 Infantry Corps 125 93 111 127 9 Infantry Army
1 Hungarian Panzer
98



This group began as three fairly strong infantry corps fighting against a strong infantry, a strong tank unit, and two feeble tank and cavalry units. That initial defense force is shattered now, though, and support is coming from around the swamps.

 

Romania:

Axis Old
strength
Current
strength
Current
strength
Old
strength
USSR



75
2 Infantry Army
4 Rumanian Infantry 92 80 64 101 4 Cavalry Army
2 Rumanian Infantry 96 86


1 Rumanian Infantry 97 83 78 53 2 Cavalry Army


These guys aren't doing amazingly. Their attacks faltered, and the 4th infantry in particular got pushed around a lot. I wound up moving them away from Odessa and am trying to pincer-attack any Soviets foolish enough to try to fight in the river.

 

July 13 - August 2


The main group continues to push around the swamp, but more slowly than before. Assault mode slows us down some, and I take every opportunity I can to surround Soviet units before attacking. This creates some traffic jams, but a four-way pincer isn't often slipped out of!


North of the swamp:

Axis Old
strength
Current
strength
Current
strength
Old
strength
USSR
41 Panzer Corps 88 127
73 8 Infantry Army
38 Infantry Corps 75 47
55 7 Tank Army



63 77 10 Tank Army
56 Panzer Corps 155 47 31
35 Infantry Army
26 Infantry Corps 100 93 96
27 Infantry Army
28 Infantry Corps 82 89 118
20 Infantry Army
10 Infantry Corps 101 32 92 98 4 Infantry Army




46 1 Tank Army
1 Infantry Corps 113 85
91 6 Tank Army
2 Infantry Corps 123 110
169 13 Infantry Army
24 Panzer Corps 198 84 77
24 Infantry Army
40 Panzer Corps 143 198 81
14 Infantry Army
1 Flieger Corps 154 218 103
28 Infantry Army
5 Infantry Corps 120 115 70 55 3 Cavalry Army
46 Panzer Corps 175 164 129
40 Infantry Army
6 Infantry Corps 122 122


7 Infantry Corps 143 147 109 118 10 Infantry Army
2 Flieger Corps 132 132


4 Flieger Corps 162 187 73
22 Infantry Army
47 Panzer Corps 184 180 25 58 5 Tank Army
8 Infantry Corps 129 129


3 Flieger Corps 206 115



The fighting is heavy, the terrain difficult, air support has to spend much of this month catching up, and for each Soviet unit I destroy or cripple, another comes along! For now the advantage remains mine, and the Soviets can't really maintain a stable defense line, but my dwindling numbers do concern me.

 

South of the swamp:

Axis Old
strength
Current
strength
Current
strength
Old
strength
USSR
23 Infantry Corps
84 81 118 18 Infantry Army
3 Panzer Corps 187 188
96 6 Infantry Army
57 Panzer Corps 167 167 107
2 Militia Army
5 Flieger Corps 137 138


27 Infantry Corps
77


14 Panzer Corps 158 154 51 52 1 Cavalry Army
29 Infantry Corps 102 94 97
16 Infantry Army
49 Infantry Corps 140 140


9 Infantry Corps 136 127


48 Panzer Corps 161 161


17 Infantry Corps 119 119


4 Infantry Corps 97 97


11 Infantry Corps 93 117
46 12 Tank Army
30 Infantry Corps 116 116


54 Infantry Corps 78 78


1 Hungarian Panzer 98 90



The fighting here is comparably lighter, but Ukraine's rivers slow our march to relieve the Romanians to the southeast.

 

Moldova:

Axis Old
strength
Current
strength
Current
strength
Old
strength
USSR



55 46 5 Cavalry Army



93 75 2 Infantry Army
2 Rumanian Infantry 86 86 105 111 9 Infantry Army
1 Rumanian Infantry 83 29 69
4 Cavalry Army
4 Rumanian Infantry 80 52 57
7 Infantry Army
5 Rumanian Infantry
52 34 78 2 Cavalry Army


The foolish ones are us. Romanian infantry panic and break so much more easily on expert than they did in the original difficulty, to the point where I'd say they are now considerably worse than the Russians! Three units could barely injure a cavalry army from advantageous terrain, and are now reduced to taking defensive positions in their foxholes as they wait for relief from the north.

 

August begins with a few tricky situations. Up north, I have a strength advantage, but a lot of my units aren't in places where they can easily reach the action. Moving them without causing a logjam is going to be hard! We also have a few units including Panzers stuck in pincer traps, but if they hold long enough I can free them with pincer attacks of my own. South of the swamp, a few Soviet units are stuck in the mud, and while it's tempting to leave them there, they will dig their way out, and when they do, my Fliegerkorps will be sitting birds unless I pull a few of my own back from the front line. And Moldova is just a quagmire, but at least no Soviet support is coming any time soon.

 

August 3 - August 30


Riga to Rzhev:

QOL improvement - cities are now color-coded to show ownership.


Axis Old
strength
Current
strength
Current
strength
Old
strength
USSR
10 Infantry Corps 32 55
63 10 Tank Army
41 Panzer Corps 127 148 74
41 Infantry Army
56 Panzer Corps 47 119
31 35 Infantry Army
28 Infantry Corps 89 85
92 4 Infantry Army
26 Infantry Corps 93 93
96 27 Infantry Army
38 Infantry Corps 47 47
118 20 Infantry Army
2 Infantry Corps 110 107
77 24 Infantry Army
1 Infantry Corps 85 74 100
34 Infantry Army
40 Panzer Corps 198 188 88
32 Infantry Army



60
1 Guards Cavalry Army



42
4 Guards Infantry Army

Excellent performance all-around here, with barely an ounce of strength wasted. The mediocre armies at Riga at the month's start were completely encircled and destroyed, at little cost to us. But more units are quick to replace them, and more still are on the way.

 

Minsk to Smolensk:


Axis Old
strength
Current
strength
Current
strength
Old
strength
USSR
47 Panzer Corps 180 45 95 73 22 Infantry Army
24 Panzer Corps 84 65 56 81 14 Infantry Army
46 Panzer Corps 164 79 108
31 Infantry Army
6 Infantry Corps 122 102 11
29 Infantry Army
7 Infantry Corps 147 145 112 103 28 Infantry Army
4 Flieger Corps 187 231 52
2 Tank Army
8 Infantry Corps 129 59 50 70 3 Cavalry Army
2 Flieger Corps 132 182 137 129 40 Infantry Army
1 Flieger Corps 218 218 57
21 Infantry Army
5 Infantry Corps 115 99 72 109 10 Infantry Army


Yikes, this is a situation. Just about everyone is either stuck in the swamp and cut off from supplies or far away from it. The only bright side - we have plenty of air support. But if we can't hold the lines here, we might not for long!


Kiev:


Axis Old
strength
Current
strength
Current
strength
Old
strength
USSR



43 25 5 Tank Army



59 81 18 Infantry Army



80
19 Infantry Army
3 Panzer Corps 188 141
107 2 Militia Army
57 Panzer Corps 167 145 77
23 Infantry Army
23 Infantry Corps 84 83 134
18 Tank Army
49 Infantry Corps 140 91


29 Infantry Corps 94 39
97 16 Infantry Army
9 Infantry Corps 127 118


5 Flieger Corps 138 190


27 Infantry Corps 77 75


14 Panzer Corps 154 156 50 51 1 Cavalry Army
4 Infantry Corps 97 96


11 Infantry Corps 117 96


48 Panzer Corps 161 121


3 Flieger Corps 115 179


12 Infantry Corps
79



Kiev is taken, but the fighting around it has taken a toll on its besiegers. I have a few units staying behind to guard the fliegerkorps from any muddy surprises that might crawl out of the swamps.

 

Moldova:


Axis Old
strength
Current
strength
Current
strength
Old
strength
USSR
17 Infantry Corps 119 45


30 Infantry Corps 116 95


1 Hungarian Panzer 90 29 24 55 5 Cavalry Army
54 Infantry Corps 78 53





70 93 2 Infantry Army



8 69 4 Cavalry Army
1 Rumanian Infantry 29 74 36 57 7 Infantry Army
2 Rumanian Infantry 86 62
105 9 Infantry Army
4 Rumanian Infantry 52 28
34 2 Cavalry Army
5 Rumanian Infantry 52 48


 

I am, at last, in control of the situation here. The Romanians aren't great, and neither are the Hungarians, but they're trying, and with a bit of help from German infantry, the encircled Russians are breaking and will have to concede Odessa by the end of summer.


I thought that at this point, it might be interesting to compare my progress to the previous game's state at the same time, so I made a combination overlay. Transparent tokens represent my units in the August 30th state of the "advanced" game, solid tokens represent the current one.

 

Expert mode certainly slows things down! We're at least two weeks behind schedule, thanks to deadlier, more strength-depleting attrition, the Soviets' ability to entrench and stay put longer, and our own mobility-sacrificing assault mode. Suprisingly, Expert mode is also going by a bit faster for me than Advanced did - this is partly because I'm more experienced with planning out traffic, but the reduced mobility also means there's fewer moves for me to plan out each turn, and that more than offsets the added complexity of choosing tactical modes and managing the Fliegerkorps.

Discounting the Fliegerkorps and newly-arrived reinforcements, we have 3,067 units of combat strength at the front, out of 3,598 units of muster strength. In comparison, the same units at this point in advanced mode had a combined 4,353 units of combat strength, and slightly higher muster strength! The Fliegerkorps provide a maximum of about 1,000 extra combat strength, depending on how rested they are, and how close they are to the action, so I'm going to need them to make the difference if I want a chance at winning.

To be continued!

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