Part 7
The recon reports show that the enemy are really building up around Leningrad.
I need to pick a area and force my way through – there are no easy breakthroughs to be had here.
The 18th Army moves forwards, and I see the opportunity to link my forces and create a small pocket .
The 16th Army pushes into the gap created by the 4th Panzer Group, they push back a few enemy units, but are mainly moving to pin others and stop them moving forward.
4th Panzer has a few problems, as they are low on fuel and facing stiff opposition. The lead units get some fuel by air, getting them ready to push forwards some more.
1st Panzer Division is dispatched to cut off the seven divisions we have trapped around Pskov. If we can liquidate this pocket, then this part of the front will look better.
6th Panzer, the eastern most unit here, is unable to break across the Lovat and continue to move east, so the 8th Panzer division moves north – and what looked like a strong front shatters in front of it – two of the units literally shattering.
Next weeks advances will be supported by the newly arrived LI Corps, which is attacked to the 16th Army.
The Finnish troops move forward, they reach the no attack line, were the bulk of their troops will stay unless I can take Leningrad.
Allies eh?
The recon reports show that the reds have thrown up a whole new line of troops to prevent us from continuing our advance. Its frightening how quickly they can put together new units like this.
Firstly I use the 4th Army to clear as much of the line as possible.
They spread themselves thing to hold open the pocket we have created, but it should be harder for the Russians to counter attack with them there.
9th Army moves forwards as well, they take up positions around Smolensk, as well as pocketing five enemy divisions and opening a huge hole near Dretun.
2nd army finally get into the action, even if it is policing up a single brigade.
Lack of fuel makes my options for the Panzer groups more limited, so I decide to go for another small pocket - 2nd Panzer group moves first, and the 3rd Panzer Division blows a hole in the line.
The rest of the force flows through this hole – I could have gone deeper than this, but this is safer, and conserves more fuel.
Add to that the fact that most of these units are being pushed to the limits of human endurance, and you see why I am moving more slowly – I may have to move the Panzer units off the line for a week or two just to make sure they are properly rested.
3rd PG is worse off than the second – they manage to make a pocket, but I doubt that we can hold it – at least we will force the enemy to retreat from Smolensk, and we should bag some of these units.
And, as you may have noticed in one of the above screen shots, Moscow is in sight. Only 160 miles separate us from the Russian capital.
Ahh yes, that bloody bulge, Stalin's Balls as we know them. I have the 25th Motorized trapped, but it seems that the Russians have very little after the line we see here.
The Romanians continue to move forwards. They shatter a unit or two, and drive back many more, but Odessa looks like it will be hard to break.
The 11th Army secures the south, shortening the line and preventing the Reds from pushing forward and protecting that ever precious supply line.
17th Army surges into the gap between the enemy line. This should stop it closing and gives me plenty of troops in the area to clear the enemy if I am able to close the pocket this week.
6th Army, supported by the Hungarian motorized divisions, rescue the 25th, create a smaller sub pocket and easily clear the way to recreate the Pocket near Kiev. The 25th move the one hex they can this week, and the pocket is once more created.
This is not a secure pocket however, and I use the Wiking SS Division to open the lines a little more.
I then use the rest of 1st Panzer Group in trying – and succeeding – to isolate Kiev itself. Once more, I limit my movement to secure the pocket, conserve fuel and give my men a chance to rest.
To remind everyone, the first number here is my Combat Value, the second remaining movement points. This pocket has 6 motorized Divisions, 6 Armoured divisions and a Cavalry division – the latter would have been the Russians main hitting force if we are still fighting once Winter comes.
Yes, the Russian Winter deserves a capital mid sentence.
In the north, the Russians move to solidify their lines – they also cut the 1st Panzer off. I'm not worried, I have plenty of troops in the area to break them out. The fins cut off two Divisions of Russian troops, and will eliminate them from the Leningrad defences.
The central pockets hold. This makes 20 Divisions, including motorized, cavalry and tank divisions.
Amazingly, we also hold the southern pockets – including Kiev. There are 25 Divisions here.
This was a great week – we now have nearly 50 units trapped behind out lines, and we shall begin elimating these – if we say that these units are 5,000-10,000 men each, we have trapped 250,000 – 500,000 men here.
Our losses for the last week have been low – these are our lowest weekly losses for the whole war – although the same can be said for the Russians as well. That said, a 12-1 kill ratio is always going to be our way – and its 15:1 in tanks.
The Russian losses are now at 1.5 million men, how they can take these losses and continue to fight is beyond me.
The overall Soviet numbers have increased by 50,000 men – but with all those men trapped, I'm sure that I can eliminate a good number of these in the next week. Their armour numbers continue to drop like a stone.
Men flow back to our units.
The supplies show the normal increase in raw materials and the decrease in stocks on the front line. At least we will have huge stores to fall back on.
Hmmm, Supplies. I love supplies.
Have some maps!
Click here for the full 1753x2774 image
All those red units, soon they shall me mine.
Click here for the full 1831x1375 image
There is no historical map this week, as I don't have the data to plot it. There is data for next week, so we'll have an update then.