October I

No mud. Well, I'd rather be lucky than good. On the left, infantry continues reducing the VaIdai pocket, which by now is down to only three stacks.

I forget to allocate air support on a critical attack and get an AR. Stupid, yet realistic. The more I think about it, this game is better played with timed turns. When everyone does perfect turns with no mistakes, it's not as exciting and the Russians usually are the ones to benefit.

In the center, I press towards Moscow. Unfortunately, the enemy is fairly well entrenched and in double rows. We will not take Moscow this campaign. However, with the good weather an opportunity presents itself. Bryansk is full of Russian divisions. So we attack to isolate it by linking up with some AGS armor.

Next turn with the mud, I will be U-1, but I can deplete some trucks. The lack of any lateral rail lines around Moscow is a real limitation.

The Bryansk attacks are successful and we trap about 15-20 divisions. A Soviet airfield around Bryansk is captured which we can use next turn to air transport supplies. Between JU-52's and HE111's you can supply about 15-20 RE's, more if you use gliders. Gliders can be eliminated on a roll of 5 or 6, so only use them in great need.

November I

Mud city. This sucks because you go nowhere. Fortunately, my supply condition is great since rail conversions went smoothly. This is by far the most critical aspect of 1941 strategy. We were using partisans and the Russians started placing them in the last hex you would convert. Since you can't end movement in a partisan hex, even if you have the Grenadier Guards with you, you lose a conversion hex. (Hint: Hey John, the partisan rules need some work).

The VaIdai pocket is history, freeing troops up for an AGN push towards the Leningrad rail line. It will probably not succeed, but it will cause panic and require a number of divisions to stop us.

Around Moscow, I am trying to edge left of Moscow between the Kalinin Reservoir and Moscow. Since the Russians are 20+ points in each hex and entrenched, all I can do is attack one hex per turn. Engineers are useful to negate forts. A big 4:1 attack for the turn rolls a NE.

One comment: The Soviet air is really starting to outnumber us in fighters. It is getting very difficult to stage more than two air attacks since a pile of eight MiG-3's are in Moscow. I think this fighter is overrated along with the rest of the Soviet air force.

On the right flank, I am beginning to press towards Tula. The Russians are not entrenched on this flank and much weaker. I am about five hexes west of Tula, but in the mud it might as well be 50. Two big attacks succeed; however, there is nowhere to exploit since the Reds have a double line in the mud. Things are not going well in AGS and AGN, but that's another article.

Since I do feel a cold snap in the air, I start to build entrenchments for the inevitable winter. I found it best to concentrate on the clear hexes first, then go for the woods since they take longer and are already -1. Use two engineers to get the quick construction bonus since building times are doubled in poor weather. Two mech engineers make a great team since they can move to the next hex to be fortified in the mech phase.

November II

FROST! Ah, the feel of mobility again. Along the east end of the Kalinin Reservoir is a single line of divisions behind the Volga River. Soviet engineers are busy entrenching there. The panzers attack and break through. In the mech phase, I overrun several engineers digging away along the south shore of the reservoir. The best Soviet engineer is a dead one.

In the center and right, it's one or two hexes at a time. This gets increasingly more difficult each turn as Soviet reinforcements arrive. There is little choice but to press on.

December I

Breaking across the reservoir really panicked the Russians. They counterattacked big time and stepped two motorized and an infantry division.

Time to get the hell out of Dodge and retreat back across the frozen reservoir. The momentum has shifted to the Soviets as they can now attack pretty much any hex they like at 2:1. Since it's snow and Axis is -1 on attacks, it's time to become conservative and minimize Soviet damage in their winter counteroffensive. Being -1 on attacks kind of adds insult to injury. Simple counterattacks are now a major effort.

In the Center of It All Planning the 1941 Invasion of the USSR

Introduction and Initial Set Up
Surprise and Jun II Turns
Jul, Aug, and Sep Turns
Oct, Nov, Dec Turns
Summary