Axis August I

Rundstedt, give me back my legions! I stare in shock at the carnage wreaked by the Soviets upon 1st Panzergruppe. I simply didn't believe that even with air power the Soviets could achieve odds of even 3:1 on a 40-point panzer stack attacking only three hexes on one. I further discounted the remote possibility that Jason would be willing to try an attack at 3:1 (-2). Finally, a 3:1 (-2) HX required a complete suspension of belief. But there it is: 2x 12-10s cadred and Grossdeutschland, 2x 5-3-10 panzer regiments and 1 truck in the dead pile. The massive Soviet casualties on their AR through ZOCs against my 33-point stack only partially mitigates these enormous (and irreplaceable) losses.

I manage to DH a large Soviet mech stack in Romania and force it to retreat through ZOCs leaving only a 4-2-8 light tank cadre. Further reinforcements into Army Group Romania render the likelihood of losing Ploesti or Bucuresti negligible--but then again, look what happened to my "invulnerable" panzer stack adjacent to Lwow!

I eliminate Soviet forces in Hungary almost to the man, and only the presence of a mountain and an infantry division on the rail lines in the Carpathians prevents Panzergruppe Hungary from exploiting past the mountains into the empty zone between Odessa and Kiev MDs. By next turn I'll likely completely recapture the rail line supplying the 3rd Romanian Army.

Moreover, substantial Soviet forces in the mountains both north and south of Hungary are now out of supply and nearly pocketed. If I can get my mobile troops across the mountains into this empty zone, the Soviets will be in very serious trouble. From this area, I can flank either the Kiev or Odessa MDs, or even drive eastwards unopposed in the direction of Kiev itself!

The near-collapse of the Hungarian front offers enormous opportunities, and I must continue applying maximal pressure here. In retrospect, the Soviet failure to provide adequate forces in this area represents a potentially disastrous mistake on the Soviets' part.

The bloodbath in the Lwow area continues as I butcher 4 more large Soviet stacks. 1 HX against a stack adjacent to Lwow, forcing me to cadre a 10-10 panzer division, causing me at first to groan. However, I realize that the lack of any cadres from this retreat (since they died retreating across ZOCs) leaves Lwow with only 3 points within it. With the help of my motorized artillery, I overrun and occupy Lwow in the exploitation phase! 1st Panzergruppe is now poised to turn the Soviet flank south of Lwow and possibly link up with my mobile forces straining to break out of the Soviet-Hungarian border.

More large air battles occur in the Lwow salient resulting in 7 Soviet air groups shot down as well as numerous aborts, along with 7 of my own bomber groups aborted. Between the enormous Soviet air losses, aborts, and lost or occupied airfields, I now possess air superiority in this area for the first time in the game. However, the Luftwaffe itself is reeling from air losses, and more than a dozen aborted groups lie scattered around the map.

AGC sees more desultory fighting as its infantry armies push forward one hexrow and occupy Bialystok. The Soviets still retain Brest-Litovsk, but not for long, I hope.

AGN continues to press along the Kaunas-Wilno axis, creating a minor breakthrough that leaves me two hexes from Kaunas at the end of the turn. This is the perfect area to drive a wedge between the Baltic and Western MDs and allows me to threaten both Riga and Minsk, and lengthen the front. I hope to collapse this sector through a combination of attrition and expansion of the front. Additionally, my panzer forces can operate here with some freedom due to the lack of Soviet c/m forces and air power.

Despite my serious losses near Lwow, I can look around the map and feel optimistic. I now possess the initiative. What I do with it remains to be seen.

Soviet August I

Flavio's motorized artillery allowed him to overrun my garrison in Lwow which put a real crimp in, my ability to rail things around in that area. I begin withdrawing from the Slovakia salient as it looks to be in dire danger of being pocketed, particularly as Flavio threatens to infiltrate through the Carpathians. I cannot cover every hex despite my best efforts. I make only three attacks this turn: a 4:1 (-2) to destroy the Romanian armored division in hex 3B:1526 with an unusual combination of armor and mountain cavalry to retain a tenuous hold on 11th Army's supply line; a 3:1 (-1) on Ploesti itself against a strong German panzer corps with the elite of the armored forces of the Red Army; and a 4:1 (-1) on a panzer corps around Lwow. If these attacks work I will have seized the initiative again after the debacle of the previous turn.

Baltic MD is looking a bit thin, especially as I've left a hex open along the coast, but he doesn't have any armor available for railing to the north, as everybody appears to be fully engaged.

Well, so much for seizing the initiative! I got an AR in Romania that effectively ends any hope of seizing Ploesti anytime this century. I imagine that the Germans and I will just trade kidney punches for the rest of the game in this region. 11th Army is saved as Soviet tactical incompetence results in another AR. For some reason I seem to be getting short on Army commanders in the Romanian Front. Maybe I'll just wait another year before I begin forming cavalrymechanized groups!

And to continue my unbroken string, an AS is rolled near Lwow. 0-for-3, a great batting average by anybody's standards. Only nice result was that two SB-2s aborted a pair of Me109Fs. Teach them to roll air-to- air combat against a certified air maven. My only luck seems to be in the air, now if I could just repair an abort, as I've yet to do it in this game.

Total Losses August I
Hungary: 4
Italy: 3
Germany. 16 (4 c/m), 2 air
Soviet: 199 (59 c/m), 12 air

Groza II: The Great Eastern Grand Slam A Europa Series Replay

Introduction, Set Up and July I Turn
July II Turn
August I Turn
August II Turn
September I Turn
September II Turn
German and Soviet Commentary