Month: November 2018 (Page 3 of 3)

Finish Front; The Soviet relief column races north – will they be in time to save Murmansk?

Leningrad Front: The offensive drives further south but on a narrow one hex front and still just 16 miles short of the vital Axis rail supply line. The breach is widened west and the attack out of Narva is launched which cadres the defending German infantry division.

Mar II Sov 1942: Soviets push into the Baltics

At Kalinin the front continues to dissolve and pull back but a good firm shoulder protects Moscow from any moves East by the Axis.

Moscow Front: Trapped but still dangerous the isolated Soviet pocket at Moscow West swipes at an infantry division and cadres it,

Voronezh Front: The main push continues on the NW axis with the soviets forming a defensive line against any Axis moves from Kharkov. 5 hexes are attacked between Kursk and Tula cadering an infantry division and Panzer XX.

Mar II Sov 1942: Soviet attacks along the main front as the winter offensive slowly peteres out

Crimea and Odessa: A punitive raid from Kerch retreats the German infantry cadre. Odessa feeds on supplies and hopes the transports will get through.

Air War: The Soviets attempt to ferry supplies into Odessa with some protection from local fighter squadrons. Of the 5 strong transport fleet, 1 is patrol attacked away one eliminated by interception and two more are returned so only 2RE are ferried in to feed 13 REs of troops.

Battle Report:
Combats Diced = 10
Losses Soviets = 9,  German = 31

This being posted 100 years from the end of  “THE WAR TO END ALL WARS”  a poignant reminder that lessons were not learned 21 years later;

What passing-bells for these who die as cattle?
Only the monstrous anger of the guns.
Only the stuttering rifles’ rapid rattle
Can patter out their hasty orisons.
No mockeries now for them; no prayers nor bells;
Nor any voice of mourning save the choirs, –
The shrill, demented choirs of wailing shells;
And bugles calling for them from sad shires.
What candles may be held to speed them all?
Not in the hands of boys but in their eyes
Shall shine the holy glimmers of goodbyes.
The pallor of girls’ brows shall be their pall;
Their flowers the tenderness of patient minds,
And each slow dusk a drawing-down of blinds.

Wilfred Owen

Weather; The unseasonal Siberian winds continue to blow maintaining snow cover in A-C (D = Mud, G = Clear)

Finland & Army of Norway:  The Garman forces push East passed the rail line immediately south of Murmansk cutting it off again from the south. In the South the Fins only obtain a DR in an attack north of the lakes.  A reinforcement 6-8 mtn arrives at Petsamo.

AGN: In front of the Soviet drive south from Leningrad the second 16-10 panzer arrives but no offensive action is taken and the unit joins arriving reinforcements to bolster the defence.

The Kalinin operation continues with infantry forces arriving to reinforce the panzer spearhead. The Soviet flank to the left of the breach is hanging in thin air and two hexes are rolled up together with the stay behind fortified 4-6. On the German right (East) flank the Germans take out a lone 3-6 but otherwise hold the line. Harassment plasters both flanks to hinder any soviet moves to seal the breach.

Mar II ’42 Axis Turn: Axis expands the Kalinin breach

AGC; In the latest round of tit for tat at Moscow the Germans take the fortified city of Podolsk  thus trapping the soviet relief column and the city once again.  (Podolsk had been too week left weak to supply troops to bolster the Soviet advance column to relieve Moscow West.)

Mar II ’42 Axis Turn: Axis expands the Kalinin breach. (c) Ken Newall, 2019

AGS. Other than eliminating a single 3-6 holding a Soviet weak point no other attacks are made in this sector.

11^th Army and the Crimea:  No action on this front but twin engine fighters are transferred south to intercept future attempts to ferry supplies into Odessa.

Air War. Other than the harassment at Kalinin the majority of Axis air activity this turn is flying DAS missions to the front. The one offensive operation is at attempt to eliminate the Soviet transport air bridge ferrying supplies to Odessa. Two airfields are bombed but disappointingly result in only 2 aborts.

Battle Report;

Combats; Automatic = 3.  Diced =5

Losses: Soviets = 37;   German = 3;

In the far north the relief column opens up the road to Murmansk; in the centre the Soviet offensive grinds on aiming to inflict maximum damage and seek out mech forces where possible. On the Leningrad front more troops are poured into the attack to try and regain the initiative while the troops around Kalinin fall back but reinforcements rush in to stabilise the front while at Moscow…

Finland: The soviet relief fights its way north eliminating the German infantry cadre and although the Germans straddle the rail line immediately to the south of Murmansk the city is back in supply.

To the north of the lakes both sides lick their wounds without combat.

Leningrad Front: The Soviets strike back recapturing last turn’s lost advance cadreing a Pz and reinforce the spearhead with copious amounts of DAS. They also expand their attacks immediately west of Pskov and place an attack force ready at Narva.

At Kalinin the forces on the German left flank fall back leaving a token fortified division as rear-guard. On the Germans right forces are reinforced and troops slip past the German spearheads to temporarily put them out of supply.

Soviet Mar I 42: Soviet winter offensive slowly pushes Germans back into the Baltic

Moscow Front: The Soviets cannot re-take the city but the trapped forces in Moscow West strike SW and link with troops fighting directly west. They cadre a 11-10 pz and link up placing Moscow West back in supply.

Voronezh Front: The main assault plough on the centre 7 attacks are lunched and while 4 result in NEs the rest inflict massive damage. An attack lead by Guards cavalry penetrate a indent in the Axis line and a left hook eliminates an entire infantry corps of 3 divisions whose cadres have no retreat. At Kursk a scratch defence of cadres and security division is eliminated while just south of Tula a 9-10 pz is cadred. All for the loss of 9 points in a HX.

Soviet Mar I 42: Battles of Attrition along the Central Front.

Crimea and Odessa: Odessa receives 10 factors of supply by air and accumulated Inf Reps replace isolation losses. From Kerch a rather belated attack cadres the lone 7-6 infantry division guarding the peninsular but a Guards Cavalry is cadred in the exchange.

Air War: Nursing their losses from last turn the Soviets send some long rail bombing raids out for little real impact. DAS reinforces the defenders falling back from Kalinin. One raid is mounted against an undefended stack of Heinkels at Zaporozhe with 5 of the 6 raiders being returned by AA fire and no effective bombing factors delivered.

Battle Report
Combats automatic = 1. Diced = 11
Losses: Soviets = 9; German = 68;