A bunch of losing battles this turn, but I'm still optimistic.
Turn 30: Late August 1919
Historically, at this point, the Whites were at their most dangerous. Although KOMUCH had been destroyed and the Siberians were in retreat, Denikin's armies, led by Mai-Mai, were advancing straight up the railroad track from Kursk towards Moscow. Kiev had fallen to the Whites, and Voronezh looked like it would fall soon. Meanwhile, Yudenich's forces were marshalling for the strike on Petrograd.
Our situation is different. Rodzianko commands the NW Army, not Yudenich, for starters - and he's been in the field for months. The Whites do not hold Kiev, or Kursk, or Orel, though they do control Voronezh. Unfortunately, the Siberians and Komuch are still very much an extant threat.
Regardless, this is why I feel confident: the Whites are farther from Moscow than they were in reality. And time is on my side.
Here's one reason time is on my side. The British forces leave Russia this turn, so they won't be able to wallop Stalin like this again:
Ouch! I hadn't expected them to put up much of a fight, I guess. Shows me for pissing off a bunch of frigid, battle-hardened Brits.
To the south, Bonchy isn't doing much better against Rodzianko's NW Army:
The BEF is no longer problem, but I need more numbers to defeat Rodz. (Great name.) To that end, we'll be resting and fitting out a new combined Northern Front at Tsarskoye Selo. Observe!
My three mobile forces, combined with two fresh divisions from Petrograd, should number in the area of 40,000 men - enough to crush Rodz' 12,000 in one swift blow, I hope.
I have to say, Pariah's done a splendid job leading the Northern White forces. He's pinned down far superior numbers for quite a long time by playing on my fears about Petrograd and striking and retreating from multiple directions.
Here's a shot of North Ukraine/South Russia.
Trotsky's new army (formerly under the command of Frunze) is finally ready for battle and assembled at Kursk. I've decided to go over to the offensive. Attacking Voronezh will push the whites back south and protect Kursk, while Kamenev covers the direct northern approach from Kharkov. I still don't like having only two forces to maneuver with in such a large theatre, but as Narwhal said, I have to leave gaps if I want to score decisive victories. Battering the already-damaged Drozdovsky command will suit me nicely.
There's one more big front left, and it's the East. Let's see here..
Ah yes, the Latvians were unable to escape Kazan without a fight. Just as well, I suppose - considering the disparity in numbers, my boys were able to inflict impressive casualties. The previously mentioned escape route is still open, so we're moving along the north bank of the upper Volga now.
Here's the really big deal:
Something ominous is happening in Penza. As Tukhachevsky's Eastern Front stands off and watches, the Southern and Siberian Whites have joined arms. Mai-Mai commands a corps in the same region as Galkin, Komuch's premier corps commander. Combined, they're a huge and powerful force.
I don't know if this cooperation is a policy or just a coincidental convergence but I want to nip it in the bud. Tukhachevsky is going in. He commands the largest single force I have right now - 65,000 men with 2000 power points. He's a rising star - gone from divisional to army command in the course of the conflict - and decent on the attack. I'm throwing him and his stack in all-out-assault mode at the White concentration, hoping to inflict crippling losses. Timoshenko will protect the rear, at Tambov.
This could be the decisive battle of the war.