Before we look at the situation at Dawn on August 4th 1943, some notes on my strategy.
From turn 1 on, I'll be planning a counteroffensive in two areas. The best way to slow or stop the Soviet steamroller is causing enough problems at the flanks to force my opponent to divert forces from the main body to the flanks.
For the moment, I'm inclined to withdraw the infantry divisions in the Tomarovka-Belgorod-Staryy Saltov triangle towards Kharkov. Some of those divisions will support the counteroffensive at Chuguev. The steamroller is unstoppable for the moment, so throwing infantry at it in the open is pointless.
Due to the nature of the Soviet frontal attack, the (rail)road network in the Tomarovka-Belgorod area and the way PzC limits assaults, most of my infantry will safely get out of the path of the initial Soviet attack.
I intend to launch a 5 division (counter)offensive at Chuguev on August 5th or August 6th, with the aim of crossing the Severnyy Donets and outflanking Soviet positions. There are only a handful of Soviet divisions in the area, and I can lure some of them away by allowing my opponent to cross the Severnyy Donets north of Chuguev.
On August 6th or August 7th, after giving the mobile units of Voronezh Front and the Rifle formations of 40th Army and 27th Army behind it some time to move south, I'll attack 38th Army near Sumy with 3.5 divisions and the flank of the Soviet spearhead with 2 or 3 divisions. The positions of 38th Army lack depth and should not be difficult to breach. The area I'll be attacking is held by 2 Rifle divisions along a roughly 30 kilometre front.
Mobile units in the central part of the map will just roll with the blows for the moment. I can't do much about the enormous number of Soviet units there until reinforcements arrive.
What I can do, is slow them down as much as possible. Minefields will be placed along the Belgorod-Kharkov primary road and the part of the Borisovka-Akhtyrka/Bogodukhov primary road between Golovchino and Yamnoye, combined with bridge demolition.
In the rear, the pre-placed obstacles and minefields at Kharkov will be removed for the most part. I might end up pulling back through "friendly" obstacles/minefields otherwise and I would need to keep track of where they are.
Rumyantsev Axis AAR
Re: Rumyantsev Axis AAR
Turn 10, 04:00 August 4th 1943, Normal conditions. Visibility improved to 4, so visibility at Dawn is 2 hexes.
As I had hoped, the pressure of the initial Soviet assault did not prevent an orderly retreat.
My calculation that the Tank Armies would need the rest of the day to reach the frontline in strength proved correct. 5th Guards Tank Corps made contact with my units west of Tomarovka at Dawn.
The Soviet mobile units are handicapped by the slow speed of the Corps HQ's. 48 MP's when motorized isn't great with all the streams without bridges around. You're better off moving them by foot in Clear terrain. German mobile unit divisional HQ's are twice as fast, with 99 or 108 MP's.
The Germans enjoy a Blitzkrieg bonus of sorts in PzC titles, as most units in trucks are 50% faster than the competition (Speed 15 instead of 10, or in this case 8 for Soviet HQ's).
Some of my movements might look like magic, but I made good use of the rail capacity of 10 and the Belgorod-Kharkov railroad.
7. Panzer and 68. ID are moving to the area east of Sumy. The 68. ID positions will be taken over by 57. ID as it arrives.
57. ID will defend the area between Nyzhnyaya Syrovalka and Verkhnyaya Syrovalka. When "Grossdeutschland" arrives, it will form up at either of the two locations.
Numerous minefields are already in place. 255. ID will stay in the area until 11. Panzer is released. After that, it will hop on trains to get out of dodge.
332. ID will retreat to the railroad at Golovchino and board trains to the Kharkov area. 19. Panzer and 6. Panzer will act as a rearguard.
The bulge in my line wasn't caused by a Soviet attack, I wanted to prevent any Soviet tank stacks from shotgunning my Panzer IV's at dawn and also didn't like the idea of a stream behind 19. Panzer's tanks.
The bulk of 198. ID was evacuated first, together with parts of 168. ID. After 168. ID, 167. ID was evacuated during the night. Only a handful of regular infantry units are still around, mostly in bunkers.
After 3-4 turns, my units were out of range of the Soviet rocket artillery and losses dropped sharply. The Soviets have 72 gun rocket artillery units with a soft attack value of 39 that don't withdraw, unlike similar units in other PzC games. Add Katyusha's and hundreds of guns of all calibres and retreat is the only option before everyone disappears in a puff of gory smoke.
106. ID is wheeling its left flank towards the primary road from its position on the banks of the Severnyy Donets, further south the rest of the division is slowly moving west.
Minefields along the primary road are coming along nicely.
320. ID will move west/south-west, 282. ID will move to Voroshilovka.
39. ID pulled back to the second river line in their sector. Soviet forces of the 24th Rifle Division have crossed the river at a bridge I deliberately left in place. I'll slowly fall back. There are now only 3 Rifle divisions between Chuguev and the southern map edge, 2 non-Guards and 1 Guards.
On the left, you can see the first infantry battalions of 168. ID and 198. ID moving up after their trip by train.
Losses are acceptable thus far. Permanent losses are limited to 3 AT companies that couldn't leave their hex in time and a single infantry company that was isolated on turn 1.
167. ID lost 1150 men in a single day, so they'll need some rest. Losses were unevenly distributed and 6 battalions are still in good shape.
332. ID lost nearly 600 men and is still in good overall shape aside from Fatigue.
168. ID lost about 500 men and is also in good shape aside from Fatigue. 198. ID in Belgorod only suffered some interdiction losses.
My opponent hurled his men at the minefields during the opening turns, which is a good strategy considering the numerical superiority he enjoys. Though Soviet losses might already seem to mount, losses per unit are still low. Opportunity fire also caused light losses, but nothing he needs to worry about. Aside from two battalions that were worked over by He 111's and 2 SU-76M units that were mauled by Stuka's, his units should be in good shape.
My vehicle losses are limited to 2 StuGs thus far. I'm trying to keep my armour out of sight for as long as possible and rely on shoot 'n scoot from 2 hexes away for the moment.
As I had hoped, the pressure of the initial Soviet assault did not prevent an orderly retreat.
My calculation that the Tank Armies would need the rest of the day to reach the frontline in strength proved correct. 5th Guards Tank Corps made contact with my units west of Tomarovka at Dawn.
The Soviet mobile units are handicapped by the slow speed of the Corps HQ's. 48 MP's when motorized isn't great with all the streams without bridges around. You're better off moving them by foot in Clear terrain. German mobile unit divisional HQ's are twice as fast, with 99 or 108 MP's.
The Germans enjoy a Blitzkrieg bonus of sorts in PzC titles, as most units in trucks are 50% faster than the competition (Speed 15 instead of 10, or in this case 8 for Soviet HQ's).
Some of my movements might look like magic, but I made good use of the rail capacity of 10 and the Belgorod-Kharkov railroad.
7. Panzer and 68. ID are moving to the area east of Sumy. The 68. ID positions will be taken over by 57. ID as it arrives.
57. ID will defend the area between Nyzhnyaya Syrovalka and Verkhnyaya Syrovalka. When "Grossdeutschland" arrives, it will form up at either of the two locations.
Numerous minefields are already in place. 255. ID will stay in the area until 11. Panzer is released. After that, it will hop on trains to get out of dodge.
332. ID will retreat to the railroad at Golovchino and board trains to the Kharkov area. 19. Panzer and 6. Panzer will act as a rearguard.
The bulge in my line wasn't caused by a Soviet attack, I wanted to prevent any Soviet tank stacks from shotgunning my Panzer IV's at dawn and also didn't like the idea of a stream behind 19. Panzer's tanks.
The bulk of 198. ID was evacuated first, together with parts of 168. ID. After 168. ID, 167. ID was evacuated during the night. Only a handful of regular infantry units are still around, mostly in bunkers.
After 3-4 turns, my units were out of range of the Soviet rocket artillery and losses dropped sharply. The Soviets have 72 gun rocket artillery units with a soft attack value of 39 that don't withdraw, unlike similar units in other PzC games. Add Katyusha's and hundreds of guns of all calibres and retreat is the only option before everyone disappears in a puff of gory smoke.
106. ID is wheeling its left flank towards the primary road from its position on the banks of the Severnyy Donets, further south the rest of the division is slowly moving west.
Minefields along the primary road are coming along nicely.
320. ID will move west/south-west, 282. ID will move to Voroshilovka.
39. ID pulled back to the second river line in their sector. Soviet forces of the 24th Rifle Division have crossed the river at a bridge I deliberately left in place. I'll slowly fall back. There are now only 3 Rifle divisions between Chuguev and the southern map edge, 2 non-Guards and 1 Guards.
On the left, you can see the first infantry battalions of 168. ID and 198. ID moving up after their trip by train.
Losses are acceptable thus far. Permanent losses are limited to 3 AT companies that couldn't leave their hex in time and a single infantry company that was isolated on turn 1.
167. ID lost 1150 men in a single day, so they'll need some rest. Losses were unevenly distributed and 6 battalions are still in good shape.
332. ID lost nearly 600 men and is still in good overall shape aside from Fatigue.
168. ID lost about 500 men and is also in good shape aside from Fatigue. 198. ID in Belgorod only suffered some interdiction losses.
My opponent hurled his men at the minefields during the opening turns, which is a good strategy considering the numerical superiority he enjoys. Though Soviet losses might already seem to mount, losses per unit are still low. Opportunity fire also caused light losses, but nothing he needs to worry about. Aside from two battalions that were worked over by He 111's and 2 SU-76M units that were mauled by Stuka's, his units should be in good shape.
My vehicle losses are limited to 2 StuGs thus far. I'm trying to keep my armour out of sight for as long as possible and rely on shoot 'n scoot from 2 hexes away for the moment.
Re: Rumyantsev Axis AAR
Turn 20, 04:00 August 5th 1943, Soft conditions. Visibility decreased to 2-3 hexes.
Worsening weather dramatically slows down infantry movement. Only A quality motorized/mechanized infantry can move 3 hexes with a Clear MP cost of 6x1.5=9 MP's per hex. The other infantry units can only move 2 hexes at most.
The Soviet mobile formations are not in contact. I only have a rough idea of where they could be based on earlier moves.
The last units of 57. ID are arriving from the east. The division is digging in and will hold a bridgehead across the Psel. Depending on Soviet movements, there's a chance these positions won't be attacked before I launch a counterattack. I prefer to be prepared for the eventuality, hence the defence in depth.
Not much is happening here. Lead elements of "Grossdeutschland" arrive by train during the day, but its HQ won't arrive until August 6th.
The worsening weather caused a change of plans, as the units of 255. ID on the other side of the Vorskla river (it's a stream in this area) won't be able to make it to the railroad west of Borisovka before the Soviets get there. The units will move west for now.
The 11. Panzer screen north of 255. ID will slowly move south-west. The rest of the division will stay near Garyvoron for now, in case Soviet tanks threaten 255. ID.
19. Panzer will move south, Soviet pressure in the area is minimal at the moment.
The worsening weather causes some issues here. The units around Staraya Nelidovka will now need some help to move to safety, instead of comfortably outpacing the Soviet infantry formations near them.
Most of 320. ID will turn around and march back north-east towards Morokhovets to keep the secondary road open.
6. Panzer will split up and will move to opposite sides of the primary road. PzG units in the east, Panzers in the west. The division will reassemble further south. I'll need some mobile units on the eastern side of the road in case Soviet mobile units start threatening the withdrawal from Staraya Nelidovka.
282. ID will move south instead of west and will protect the left flank of 39. ID.
Losses remain sustainable. No units were lost. The number of vehicles replaced/recovered is significantly higher than the number of vehicles lost through combat or breakdowns at the moment.
Not much to report on the Chuguev front. 168. ID and 198. ID are nearly at the front, but taking over positions from 161. ID is a slow process due to the worsening weather.
Worsening weather dramatically slows down infantry movement. Only A quality motorized/mechanized infantry can move 3 hexes with a Clear MP cost of 6x1.5=9 MP's per hex. The other infantry units can only move 2 hexes at most.
The Soviet mobile formations are not in contact. I only have a rough idea of where they could be based on earlier moves.
The last units of 57. ID are arriving from the east. The division is digging in and will hold a bridgehead across the Psel. Depending on Soviet movements, there's a chance these positions won't be attacked before I launch a counterattack. I prefer to be prepared for the eventuality, hence the defence in depth.
Not much is happening here. Lead elements of "Grossdeutschland" arrive by train during the day, but its HQ won't arrive until August 6th.
The worsening weather caused a change of plans, as the units of 255. ID on the other side of the Vorskla river (it's a stream in this area) won't be able to make it to the railroad west of Borisovka before the Soviets get there. The units will move west for now.
The 11. Panzer screen north of 255. ID will slowly move south-west. The rest of the division will stay near Garyvoron for now, in case Soviet tanks threaten 255. ID.
19. Panzer will move south, Soviet pressure in the area is minimal at the moment.
The worsening weather causes some issues here. The units around Staraya Nelidovka will now need some help to move to safety, instead of comfortably outpacing the Soviet infantry formations near them.
Most of 320. ID will turn around and march back north-east towards Morokhovets to keep the secondary road open.
6. Panzer will split up and will move to opposite sides of the primary road. PzG units in the east, Panzers in the west. The division will reassemble further south. I'll need some mobile units on the eastern side of the road in case Soviet mobile units start threatening the withdrawal from Staraya Nelidovka.
282. ID will move south instead of west and will protect the left flank of 39. ID.
Losses remain sustainable. No units were lost. The number of vehicles replaced/recovered is significantly higher than the number of vehicles lost through combat or breakdowns at the moment.
Not much to report on the Chuguev front. 168. ID and 198. ID are nearly at the front, but taking over positions from 161. ID is a slow process due to the worsening weather.
Re: Rumyantsev Axis AAR
Turn 30, 04:00 August 6th 1943, Soft conditions. Visibility is 2 hexes, so 1 for the Dawn turn.
Admittedly, the previous day was anticlimactic. The worsening weather prevented the Soviet infantry from making much of an impression anywhere and I'm guessing that the poor mobility of Soviet HQ's caused some issues for the Tank/Mechanized Corps. It's easy to move tanks out of command range.
My opponent mentioned "epic traffic jams", always an issue when the enormous initial Soviet unit concentrations begin to move. I'm hoping my minefields along the primary roads will cause a 2 day delay in each sector as far as moving up artillery and HQ's is concerned. The minefields are not difficult to remove, but there's a minefield in nearly every hex.
One oddity is that units with mine clearing capabilities never suffer minefield attacks or suffer from reduced MP's in minefields, even in T-mode. As a result, you can safely drive engineers through minefields in road hexes and deploy them. They'll clear the minefield during the logistics phase of the next turn, unless they're Disrupted.
The first units of "Grossdeutschland" have arrived at Nizhnyaya Syrovalka. The units are Detached as the divisional HQ has not arrived yet, and 8 units failed their fuel resupply check.
The "Grossdeutschland" recon units are slowly probing east to see where the Soviet spearhead is.
It's still a quiet sector, but that will change soon.
Communications have not been truly "cut" yet between Sumy and Garyvoron, but there's no continuous front. There's a 30 kilometre gap between the lead elements of "Grossdeutschland" and 11. Panzer's screen at Slavgorodok. As a result, I don't know where the Soviet mobile units in the area are. I thought the risk to 7. Panzer would be too great if it would try to form a line between 57. ID and 11. Panzer. Safety in exchange for uncertainty.
The many streams, in combination with the worsening weather, have allowed all units to move out of contact.
255. ID and 11. Panzer will slowly withdraw west.
19. Panzer will move to the area between Lyutovka and Zapaden'ka.
In the end, the other units of 255. ID and most of 332. ID ended up walking to the Bogodukhov area instead of moving there by train. The slow Soviet pursuit due to the weather gave the formations enough time to walk there. Only a few units were moved there by rail, units that were in front of the 19. Panzer screen and artillery.
Air recon revealed that mine clearing efforts along the Belgorod-Kharkov road are ongoing 1-2 hexes south of Mikoyanovka. Aside from a single hex, which 6. Panzer moved through, every primary road hex between Zhuravlevka and Mikoyanavka is mined.
Soviet pressure on the withdrawing column south of Cheromoshnoye is mounting, but not enough to cause any difficulties for now.
167. ID and 106. ID are shaking off Fatigue and replacing/recovering losses north of Kharkov, although 106. ID is more or less at full strength besides the withdrawing regiment south of Cheromoshnoye. By now, 167. ID is in good shape.
Lead elements of "Das Reich" and 3. Panzer have arrived by rail. I think I'll move "Das Reich" to Chuguev and 3. Panzer to the Bogodukhov area. I initially intended to move 3. Panzer to Chuguev, but I would prefer to have an A quality division in every sector. "Grossdeutschland" in the west, "Totenkopf" (which will be arriving on August 7th) in the central area and "Das Reich" in the east. "Wiking" will arrive on August 10th, it's still too early to determine where it will be of most use.
Looking at vehicle and aircraft losses:
I have lost 16 vehicles to enemy action and I would say less than 10 to breakdowns. Heer units have replaced/recovered ~130 vehicles since the start. Panzer Regiment 25 (7. Panzer, parked east of Sumy for ~25 turns): +22 vehicles.
Panzer Regiment 15 (11. Panzer, Fixed for 21 turns): +19 vehicles.
Panzer Regiment "Grossdeutschland": +9 vehicles in 2 turns, long live the 200% recovery rate (2x2=4%) for A quality units.
Panzer Regiment 27 (19. Panzer, most companies have moved every other turn): +16 vehicles.
Panzer Regiment 11 (6. Panzer, most companies have moved every other turn): +29 vehicles.
Note the small difference between Panzer Regiment 27 and Panzer Regiments 15 and 25 which have remained in place for most of the game. I think that's mostly due to A quality recovery for Panzer Regiment 27 and starting at a slightly lower overall strength.
Panzer Regiment 11 starts at 30% strength, so it's not surprising that it has replaced/recovered more vehicles.
I think 6 Panzer IV's were lost to enemy action, I'm not entirely sure. Overall, impressive figures.
Panzer Abteilung 52 (Low Reliability, A quality Panthers) is at 24 vehicles, -3 compared to its initial strength. I think all losses were caused by breakdowns, or at most 1 Panther was lost to enemy action. One company was targeted by air strikes, but I thought that only caused Fatigue and Disruption.
Most Marder and StuG units also have more vehicles compared to their initial strength.
I have lost 11 planes but the Luftwaffe's size has grown by 80 planes since the start. The various air units have replaced/recovery 91 aircraft, roughly 3 per turn.
For unclear reasons, there's an air losses replacement/recovery check on turn 1 even though there was no previous friendly turn.
Admittedly, the previous day was anticlimactic. The worsening weather prevented the Soviet infantry from making much of an impression anywhere and I'm guessing that the poor mobility of Soviet HQ's caused some issues for the Tank/Mechanized Corps. It's easy to move tanks out of command range.
My opponent mentioned "epic traffic jams", always an issue when the enormous initial Soviet unit concentrations begin to move. I'm hoping my minefields along the primary roads will cause a 2 day delay in each sector as far as moving up artillery and HQ's is concerned. The minefields are not difficult to remove, but there's a minefield in nearly every hex.
One oddity is that units with mine clearing capabilities never suffer minefield attacks or suffer from reduced MP's in minefields, even in T-mode. As a result, you can safely drive engineers through minefields in road hexes and deploy them. They'll clear the minefield during the logistics phase of the next turn, unless they're Disrupted.
The first units of "Grossdeutschland" have arrived at Nizhnyaya Syrovalka. The units are Detached as the divisional HQ has not arrived yet, and 8 units failed their fuel resupply check.
The "Grossdeutschland" recon units are slowly probing east to see where the Soviet spearhead is.
It's still a quiet sector, but that will change soon.
Communications have not been truly "cut" yet between Sumy and Garyvoron, but there's no continuous front. There's a 30 kilometre gap between the lead elements of "Grossdeutschland" and 11. Panzer's screen at Slavgorodok. As a result, I don't know where the Soviet mobile units in the area are. I thought the risk to 7. Panzer would be too great if it would try to form a line between 57. ID and 11. Panzer. Safety in exchange for uncertainty.
The many streams, in combination with the worsening weather, have allowed all units to move out of contact.
255. ID and 11. Panzer will slowly withdraw west.
19. Panzer will move to the area between Lyutovka and Zapaden'ka.
In the end, the other units of 255. ID and most of 332. ID ended up walking to the Bogodukhov area instead of moving there by train. The slow Soviet pursuit due to the weather gave the formations enough time to walk there. Only a few units were moved there by rail, units that were in front of the 19. Panzer screen and artillery.
Air recon revealed that mine clearing efforts along the Belgorod-Kharkov road are ongoing 1-2 hexes south of Mikoyanovka. Aside from a single hex, which 6. Panzer moved through, every primary road hex between Zhuravlevka and Mikoyanavka is mined.
Soviet pressure on the withdrawing column south of Cheromoshnoye is mounting, but not enough to cause any difficulties for now.
167. ID and 106. ID are shaking off Fatigue and replacing/recovering losses north of Kharkov, although 106. ID is more or less at full strength besides the withdrawing regiment south of Cheromoshnoye. By now, 167. ID is in good shape.
Lead elements of "Das Reich" and 3. Panzer have arrived by rail. I think I'll move "Das Reich" to Chuguev and 3. Panzer to the Bogodukhov area. I initially intended to move 3. Panzer to Chuguev, but I would prefer to have an A quality division in every sector. "Grossdeutschland" in the west, "Totenkopf" (which will be arriving on August 7th) in the central area and "Das Reich" in the east. "Wiking" will arrive on August 10th, it's still too early to determine where it will be of most use.
Looking at vehicle and aircraft losses:
I have lost 16 vehicles to enemy action and I would say less than 10 to breakdowns. Heer units have replaced/recovered ~130 vehicles since the start. Panzer Regiment 25 (7. Panzer, parked east of Sumy for ~25 turns): +22 vehicles.
Panzer Regiment 15 (11. Panzer, Fixed for 21 turns): +19 vehicles.
Panzer Regiment "Grossdeutschland": +9 vehicles in 2 turns, long live the 200% recovery rate (2x2=4%) for A quality units.
Panzer Regiment 27 (19. Panzer, most companies have moved every other turn): +16 vehicles.
Panzer Regiment 11 (6. Panzer, most companies have moved every other turn): +29 vehicles.
Note the small difference between Panzer Regiment 27 and Panzer Regiments 15 and 25 which have remained in place for most of the game. I think that's mostly due to A quality recovery for Panzer Regiment 27 and starting at a slightly lower overall strength.
Panzer Regiment 11 starts at 30% strength, so it's not surprising that it has replaced/recovered more vehicles.
I think 6 Panzer IV's were lost to enemy action, I'm not entirely sure. Overall, impressive figures.
Panzer Abteilung 52 (Low Reliability, A quality Panthers) is at 24 vehicles, -3 compared to its initial strength. I think all losses were caused by breakdowns, or at most 1 Panther was lost to enemy action. One company was targeted by air strikes, but I thought that only caused Fatigue and Disruption.
Most Marder and StuG units also have more vehicles compared to their initial strength.
I have lost 11 planes but the Luftwaffe's size has grown by 80 planes since the start. The various air units have replaced/recovery 91 aircraft, roughly 3 per turn.
For unclear reasons, there's an air losses replacement/recovery check on turn 1 even though there was no previous friendly turn.
Re: Rumyantsev Axis AAR
Very interesting. I am currently at turn 110 in a campaign, at the Soviet side. We are running a much more "slug-it-out" game, with the Germans needing to be dug out of every hex. It shows in the casualty figures - 85k for the Soviets and 75k for the Germans. There is a certain WW1 vibe to our game, where my infantry moves to contact, waits for the artillery to catch up, and then tries to disrupt the enemy infantry. Most of the German casualties seem to be caused by my artillery, while most of my casualties are due to running into SS troops...
I havent yet a solution to the German Panzer units (if there is one...), I just try to avoid them. Occasianally the Red Air Force managed to plink away at the Panthers and the Tigers.
My least favorite part is the bringing up of the rear... It is nice, as Soviet, to have so many units in the rear to exploit any weakness, but anything other than moving each unit individually by hand causes chaos and slows them down even more. Moving a few hunderd units one by one feels a bit like work
.
I havent yet a solution to the German Panzer units (if there is one...), I just try to avoid them. Occasianally the Red Air Force managed to plink away at the Panthers and the Tigers.
My least favorite part is the bringing up of the rear... It is nice, as Soviet, to have so many units in the rear to exploit any weakness, but anything other than moving each unit individually by hand causes chaos and slows them down even more. Moving a few hunderd units one by one feels a bit like work
.Re: Rumyantsev Axis AAR
Those casualty figures are pretty stiff, particularly for the Axis. I'm surprised the Axis player managed to maintain the integrity of the frontline after losing over half of his initial strength in men.Bertram wrote: ↑Mon Aug 26, 2024 3:42 am Very interesting. I am currently at turn 110 in a campaign, at the Soviet side. We are running a much more "slug-it-out" game, with the Germans needing to be dug out of every hex. It shows in the casualty figures - 85k for the Soviets and 75k for the Germans. There is a certain WW1 vibe to our game, where my infantry moves to contact, waits for the artillery to catch up, and then tries to disrupt the enemy infantry. Most of the German casualties seem to be caused by my artillery, while most of my casualties are due to running into SS troops...
I havent yet a solution to the German Panzer units (if there is one...), I just try to avoid them. Occasianally the Red Air Force managed to plink away at the Panthers and the Tigers.
My least favorite part is the bringing up of the rear... It is nice, as Soviet, to have so many units in the rear to exploit any weakness, but anything other than moving each unit individually by hand causes chaos and slows them down even more. Moving a few hunderd units one by one feels a bit like work
As losses for German units are (considerably) more expensive in terms of victory points than Soviet losses, this should give you a comfortable lead in victory points. 100 D quality Riflemen are worth 8 VP's, 100 C quality Guardsmen are worth 9. 100 German B quality infantrymen are worth 12 and PzG units are worth 13 (B) or 14 (A).
Did you destroy any formations thus far? Were any of your formations destroyed by counterattacks?
Were your mobile units ever able to exploit a breach?
Most German mobile formations are B quality, which should lead to some caution in terms of how they're used. The SS units and "Grossdeutschland" are close to being an unstoppable force, but the Panzer divisions are not. Artillery fire tends to disrupt the PzG units and T-34 or Mixed tank units should enjoy some success against the Panzer III's.
Because counterattacking with B quality units is more difficult, I prefer to withdraw and let a widening front as well as movement speed differences create gaps. To prevent gaps on my side (other than the deliberate gap west of Slavgorodok), I'm withdrawing to an area where the terrain, road network and proximity to the areas where reinforcements arrive make defending easier and a Soviet mobile breakthrough less likely.
Moving the mass of Soviet units can be a bit of a pain. Moving the Rifle formations as stacks of ~3 battalions in areas with higher unit densities could help, though you'd need to watch out for counterattacks isolating those stacks. I would be inclined to just park the AT assets somewhere, they're usually not worth dragging around due to their low effectiveness. For the Soviet side, PzC can feel like a logistics puzzle for scenarios where the Soviets are attacking.
Re: Rumyantsev Axis AAR
Yes, I wasn't displeased, as Soviet
. Lines of infantry, with loads of artillery plays to the strenghts of the Soviets, I think. It is my first large campaign with this system - it is kind of difficult to know what is "normal". Playing with FOW, it is also difficult to know if the enemy lines are still solid... They look thin in the direction of Boromlya-Trostyanets, where my 2nd Tank Corps is operating. But for all I know, I might run right into some Tigers next turn... As to victory points - I am about 2000 in the plus on the casualties side, though that number is about stable or even decreasing somewhat, as I ran into one of his SS divisions. (I got 4500 VP location points, though at halfway the game that isn't saying that much). I did manage to destroy some units - though not complete formations. Most of those were smaller sized initial units. And AT guns, that have difficulty to get away. Recently I destroyed an SS regiment though - got to love the large Rocket Artillery units, if they finally manage to catch up, avoid to get hammered by the Luftwaffe and catch some infantry in the open....
I did lose almost an entire (guard) division of infantry in the counter attack where I destroyed that SS regiment, but my follow up divisions managed to stop the counter. Not sure who came out on top there...
My 1st Mech Corps also got hammered pretty hard near Zapadenka. There his Panzers almost broke through, but the 2nd Guards Airborne Division arrived just in time to save the day.
No real exploitating yet, though my 2nd Tank Corps is trying. The trouble with traffic jams and time it costs to bring up the second echolon units made it difficult at the start, and the arrival of the German elite units stopped any attempts later. I have some formations in reserve though...(read: stuck behind bridges and RUBBLE)
As to the AT units - I bring them up, because leaving them behind looks sloppy. But I havent yet get any use out of them - besides soacking up air attacks that could have hit something more usefull. They seem to be very vulnarable when moving, only usefull on the defense, and even then the most powerfull (the 75mm guns) are not really effective against anty Panzers.
If I started this scenaio again, I would start moving artillery earlier (I had to pause several turns to let them catch up), and I would try to keep the formations better together. Keeping divisions together isn't really a problem, but at the corpse level and higher it is easy to mess up (got some artillery to the front, only to discover there is no one there to spot for them...). It is sometimes difficult to fnd the higher HQ of formations...
Re: Rumyantsev Axis AAR
Do you play with Delayed Disruption Reporting or without it?Bertram wrote: ↑Mon Aug 26, 2024 7:56 am Yes, I wasn't displeased, as Soviet
As to victory points - I am about 2000 in the plus on the casualties side, though that number is about stable or even decreasing somewhat, as I ran into one of his SS divisions. (I got 4500 VP location points, though at halfway the game that isn't saying that much). I did manage to destroy some units - though not complete formations. Most of those were smaller sized initial units. And AT guns, that have difficulty to get away. Recently I destroyed an SS regiment though - got to love the large Rocket Artillery units, if they finally manage to catch up, avoid to get hammered by the Luftwaffe and catch some infantry in the open....
I did lose almost an entire (guard) division of infantry in the counter attack where I destroyed that SS regiment, but my follow up divisions managed to stop the counter. Not sure who came out on top there...
My 1st Mech Corps also got hammered pretty hard near Zapadenka. There his Panzers almost broke through, but the 2nd Guards Airborne Division arrived just in time to save the day.
No real exploitating yet, though my 2nd Tank Corps is trying. The trouble with traffic jams and time it costs to bring up the second echolon units made it difficult at the start, and the arrival of the German elite units stopped any attempts later. I have some formations in reserve though...(read: stuck behind bridges and RUBBLE)
As to the AT units - I bring them up, because leaving them behind looks sloppy. But I havent yet get any use out of them - besides soacking up air attacks that could have hit something more usefull. They seem to be very vulnarable when moving, only usefull on the defense, and even then the most powerfull (the 75mm guns) are not really effective against anty Panzers.
If I started this scenaio again, I would start moving artillery earlier (I had to pause several turns to let them catch up), and I would try to keep the formations better together. Keeping divisions together isn't really a problem, but at the corpse level and higher it is easy to mess up (got some artillery to the front, only to discover there is no one there to spot for them...). It is sometimes difficult to fnd the higher HQ of formations...
For the Soviets, getting to the fight and staying in the fight are the main challenges. Low(er) unit quality results in reduced mobility and more Disrupted units compared to German units. A fight on Soviet terms, with plenty of artillery and a Red tide crashing into the Axis line is a fight the Axis can't win. The artillery setup (also limiting non-towed artillery from moving and firing on that turn or the next for the Soviets) lead to the WWI situation you describe. The Rifle formations are usually unable to get through by themselves, so you end up with a cycle where the infantry moves into contact, Soviet artillery is deployed and the Axis withdraw to avoid being pummelled. Repeat a few hexes to the rear.
Regardless of the phase of the war on the Eastern Front, on a unit-by-unit basis the Germans enjoy an advantage in mobility with their mobile units and, as long as they have B quality infantry units, with infantry units as well. To me, the German 1943 strategy often comes down to a fencing match. The Germans have a rapier, the Soviets a very large club. Get out of the way of enemy blows, parry less focused moves and carefully prepare for a piercing strike.
The 1943 Soviet mobile units are not really suitable for Deep Battle. Too few T-34's, too ponderous. In this scenario, in a contest between "Grossdeutschland" with a (nearly) full strength Panzer regiment and the three mobile formations opposing it, my money is on "Grossdeutschland" even against all three at once. For the other Heer mobile units, a contest against a single Soviet mobile unit will end with the Germans on top, but more will pose a challenge. Dealing with large numbers of tank units is a problem for the Germans in PzC and Panzer Battles as they can't be cut down a size in a limited number of turns.
I'd say 3 SS PzG battalions for ~9 Guards Rifle battalions is a trade in your favour, unless the exchange left a gap in your line that the Germans exploited.
I also think parking the AT units somewhere for the duration of the game looks sloppy, so I'll drag them along at some point, but I don't move them to the front. They'll just be near the front.
Re: Rumyantsev Axis AAR
Turn 40, 04:00 August 7th 1943, Soft conditions. Visibility is 3 hexes, so 1 for the Dawn turn.
More Soft conditions, three days in a row. Not extremely unlikely, but still an uncommon result. August 6th had guaranteed Soft conditions, but on August 5th there was a 30% chance and on this game day a 40% chance. On August 8th, there's a 20% chance.
It was another anticlimactic day, with most units easily breaking contact. As all infantry units besides A quality motorized/halftrack Deployed units can move 2 hexes, the Soviets can't close the distance with infantry if both sides move 1-2 hexes each turn depending on the terrain.
Withdrawing does mean that, eventually, my units near Kharkov will be thrown off the map. A counteroffensive on the Soviet flanks remains a necessity to slow down the central push.
Unfortunately, all Tank/Mechanized Corps are still out of LOS. I've only seen some independent Tank brigades and Mixed tank regiments on the previous day, as far as I know.
That's primarily an issue in the west. As the Germans usually have fewer, but higher quality units, they're more suitable for responding instead of initiating a fight with enemy mobile units. If you end up striking an area where the enemy mobile units are not, but if some mobile formations are in the area, you're likely to end up with exposed flanks. Panzer divisions are not very good at holding ground and there's a shortage of infantry formations. Ideally, no mobile units should be at the front when defending, but it's a necessity for the Germans.
The first phase of the counteroffensive in the west had a solid start, though no Soviet units were pocketed. The attack started on the 08:00 or 10:00 turn to allow the Pioniere to clear several minefields.
North of the Psel, 75. ID and 7. Panzer dislodged the handful of Soviet units in the western part of Pushkarevka and the flank along the river should now be lightly held. I think I'll move most of 7. Panzer back across the Psel now that the attack is gaining momentum. The Soviets will receive 1 Rifle division as reinforcements, and there's a Fixed Rifle division north of the forest at Yunakovka. It will be released on August 8th. As the terrain is unsuitable for mobile units aside from a road next to the Psel, I doubt much can be achieved before those formations join the fight.
The Psel eventually turns north towards the edge of the map and the area is a bit of a dead-end. There are two north-south fords to the east and there's a heavy bridge at Miropol'ye, but 7. Panzer should be able to get there much more quickly by moving along the road south of the Psel.
South of the Psel, the 9 Rifle battalions of the 167th RD face 13 infantry battalions, with both sides having numerous combat engineer units in the area. As my infantry battalions are considerably larger than the Rifle battalions (600 Men compared to 343 Men), it's clear why the Rifle battalions had a bad day on the previous game day. 68. ID attacked from Bezdrik and the 323. ID KG attacked from Bol'shaya Chernetchina. The Soviet units in the area in between the formations should withdraw due to pressure at their flanks.
The Soviets are holding some BUNKER hexes in the area, constructed since turn 1 by Sapper and Engineer units, but it's not a continuous line.
For me, a lot of PzC comes down to interpreting the situation and intuition. I usually don't have a specific target in mind for turn X, my operational plans tend to focus on areas or enemy units instead of specific hexes. Particularly in campaign scenarios, any kind of timetable for an attack can easily become a complete mess.
In our recent Spring Awakening game, my units didn't capture a limited objective before it expired. Early setbacks bought enough time for Elxaime to roll a stack in. That's why I'm not a fan of making attack timetables, there's too much unpredictability. A few Disruptions and the timetable can be thrown into the bin.
I do plan unit movements when moving units to a different sector if there's a need to do so, but without enemy pressure or having to reach an area before good weather comes along (to make the most of the good weather), movement taking 1-2 extra turns isn't an issue. Long distance movement is also difficult to plan due to interdiction. The interdiction losses are usually not too bad, but units might lose movement points that turn a neat line of units along a road into a traffic jam as not every unit will be able to move the same distance.
The Soviets around the Psel are being pushed back and that's good enough for now, even if no units are pocketed. The terrain a bit to the east is far more suitable for pocketing units than these wooded areas.
The units in Rail mode west of Sumy are the "Grossdeutschland" divisional HQ and its protection detail in the shape of a weak company.
As expected, most of "Grossdeutschland" is Low on Fuel. The HQ is finally on the map, though, so those problems should soon be rectified.
Several battalions of 57. ID are still probing back the way they came. They haven't bumped into anything yet and nothing has bumped into them. The situation is quite puzzling, where are the Soviet mobile units?
The screenshot was taken after air recon, but that only revealed a Rifle battalion. Other recon flights in that area didn't reveal anything on the previous game day. That doesn't mean there was nothing there, recon flights with small air units are not very reliable.
2nd Tank Corps might be moving towards Boromlya, towards Sumy, towards the units attacking around the Psel or east. The same applies to the 2 other units. The Soft conditions on August 5th and 6th would complicate movement for the motorized units, but 2nd Tank Corps starts on a primary road.
The continued Soft conditions lead to a change of plans on my side, as the weather slows down the Soviet offensive considerably. 3. Panzer will move west of 11. Panzer and will move/attack towards "Grossdeutschland" in a sweeping movement. After some deliberation, "Totenkopf" will join them later on. "Wiking" should arrive in time to stop/slow Soviet breakthroughs between Kharkov and Bogodukhov together with 6. and 19. Panzer.
Due to the lull in the fighting, I'll post an overview screenshot of the central sector.
The green units in, west and south of Yamnoye belong to 3. Panzer. The green units north of there belong to 255. ID. The latter will move south to Bogodukhov using the primary road after the former have moved north. The other units in the area consist of various (bridge/combat) engineer units laying mines, some Corps artillery and a Sicherung company a bit to the west. Nothing that would slow a determined Soviet attack down. 19. Panzer will move west towards Yamnoye. Mine laying will be halted at Yamnoye. There will be no further bridge destruction either. I'll need to keep the road clear for the counteroffensive in the area.
In the Kharkov area, the part of 6. Panzer assisting the withdrawing infantry east of the primary road moved west again to reunite with the rest of the division. Air recon shows that the Soviets are now approaching rapidly along the Kharkov-Belgorod primary road after the pace of my withdrawal decreased to give the mine layers more time. The minefields forced Soviet units off-road, so they bought time.
The withdrawing column reached 320. ID positions and temporary safety, with the Soft conditions making it difficult for the Soviets to apply pressure on the column.
320 and 282 ID will slowly withdraw towards Kharkov. As a new outer defensive line, defensive positions (including some BUNKER hexes by now) have been prepared east of the Khar'kov river. You can see the northernmost positions in this screenshot and the rest in the next.
Considering the sheer number of Soviet artillery units, I have no illusions about the capability of the handful of divisions in the area to deal with several Soviet Armies by themselves. They'd be blown away within a day in static positions. It's all a delaying action. If Kharkov can be held until the halfway point, that would already be a good result. Math favours the Soviets in this sector. Even limited losses each turn will eventually destroy a unit if it can't recover/replace its losses.
The weather conditions delayed the part of the counterattack in the Chuguev area featuring the crossing of the Severnyy Donets. "Das Reich" wouldn't have been able to maintain a counterattack at an earlier point with its units arriving piecemeal and without its divisional HQ. Following the idiom of "Klotzen, nicht Kleckern" the attack will be launched by all infantry units of "Das Reich" at once. The Panzers will remain parked to recover/replace vehicles. Opposition across the river should be minimal, with over half of the Guards Rifle division that starts in the area on "my" side of the river.
A bridge was constructed during the second night turn, but I decided to wait with a crossing until Dawn. This way, units can move off-road without risking a Disruption check. "Das Reich" will also be fresh instead of slightly fatigued, which is beneficial as well.
The counterattack by 161. and 168. ID is going well. Its primary objective is creating more space between the Kharkov-Chuguev primary road (and the counteroffensive across the river) and the Soviet units in the woods north of Chuguev. Pocketing Soviet units in the woods isn't likely to happen. Several battalions from 168. ID will also cross the river to assist "Das Reich" in the initial stages.
As to losses: Soviet losses in Men are now higher than Axis losses and overall there has been a sharp increase in a relative sense. Barely a shot was fired between Kharkov and Sumy and only the forces counterattacking northeast of Sumy and at Chuguev were in contact for most of the previous game day. Losses are sustainable everywhere for the moment, though not for several days in a row. There are only a handful of Soviet artillery units in the areas where the counteroffensives take place and the Soviet units around Chuguev can't spot for air strikes. That helps quite a bit.
More Soft conditions, three days in a row. Not extremely unlikely, but still an uncommon result. August 6th had guaranteed Soft conditions, but on August 5th there was a 30% chance and on this game day a 40% chance. On August 8th, there's a 20% chance.
It was another anticlimactic day, with most units easily breaking contact. As all infantry units besides A quality motorized/halftrack Deployed units can move 2 hexes, the Soviets can't close the distance with infantry if both sides move 1-2 hexes each turn depending on the terrain.
Withdrawing does mean that, eventually, my units near Kharkov will be thrown off the map. A counteroffensive on the Soviet flanks remains a necessity to slow down the central push.
Unfortunately, all Tank/Mechanized Corps are still out of LOS. I've only seen some independent Tank brigades and Mixed tank regiments on the previous day, as far as I know.
That's primarily an issue in the west. As the Germans usually have fewer, but higher quality units, they're more suitable for responding instead of initiating a fight with enemy mobile units. If you end up striking an area where the enemy mobile units are not, but if some mobile formations are in the area, you're likely to end up with exposed flanks. Panzer divisions are not very good at holding ground and there's a shortage of infantry formations. Ideally, no mobile units should be at the front when defending, but it's a necessity for the Germans.
The first phase of the counteroffensive in the west had a solid start, though no Soviet units were pocketed. The attack started on the 08:00 or 10:00 turn to allow the Pioniere to clear several minefields.
North of the Psel, 75. ID and 7. Panzer dislodged the handful of Soviet units in the western part of Pushkarevka and the flank along the river should now be lightly held. I think I'll move most of 7. Panzer back across the Psel now that the attack is gaining momentum. The Soviets will receive 1 Rifle division as reinforcements, and there's a Fixed Rifle division north of the forest at Yunakovka. It will be released on August 8th. As the terrain is unsuitable for mobile units aside from a road next to the Psel, I doubt much can be achieved before those formations join the fight.
The Psel eventually turns north towards the edge of the map and the area is a bit of a dead-end. There are two north-south fords to the east and there's a heavy bridge at Miropol'ye, but 7. Panzer should be able to get there much more quickly by moving along the road south of the Psel.
South of the Psel, the 9 Rifle battalions of the 167th RD face 13 infantry battalions, with both sides having numerous combat engineer units in the area. As my infantry battalions are considerably larger than the Rifle battalions (600 Men compared to 343 Men), it's clear why the Rifle battalions had a bad day on the previous game day. 68. ID attacked from Bezdrik and the 323. ID KG attacked from Bol'shaya Chernetchina. The Soviet units in the area in between the formations should withdraw due to pressure at their flanks.
The Soviets are holding some BUNKER hexes in the area, constructed since turn 1 by Sapper and Engineer units, but it's not a continuous line.
For me, a lot of PzC comes down to interpreting the situation and intuition. I usually don't have a specific target in mind for turn X, my operational plans tend to focus on areas or enemy units instead of specific hexes. Particularly in campaign scenarios, any kind of timetable for an attack can easily become a complete mess.
In our recent Spring Awakening game, my units didn't capture a limited objective before it expired. Early setbacks bought enough time for Elxaime to roll a stack in. That's why I'm not a fan of making attack timetables, there's too much unpredictability. A few Disruptions and the timetable can be thrown into the bin.
I do plan unit movements when moving units to a different sector if there's a need to do so, but without enemy pressure or having to reach an area before good weather comes along (to make the most of the good weather), movement taking 1-2 extra turns isn't an issue. Long distance movement is also difficult to plan due to interdiction. The interdiction losses are usually not too bad, but units might lose movement points that turn a neat line of units along a road into a traffic jam as not every unit will be able to move the same distance.
The Soviets around the Psel are being pushed back and that's good enough for now, even if no units are pocketed. The terrain a bit to the east is far more suitable for pocketing units than these wooded areas.
The units in Rail mode west of Sumy are the "Grossdeutschland" divisional HQ and its protection detail in the shape of a weak company.
As expected, most of "Grossdeutschland" is Low on Fuel. The HQ is finally on the map, though, so those problems should soon be rectified.
Several battalions of 57. ID are still probing back the way they came. They haven't bumped into anything yet and nothing has bumped into them. The situation is quite puzzling, where are the Soviet mobile units?
The screenshot was taken after air recon, but that only revealed a Rifle battalion. Other recon flights in that area didn't reveal anything on the previous game day. That doesn't mean there was nothing there, recon flights with small air units are not very reliable.
2nd Tank Corps might be moving towards Boromlya, towards Sumy, towards the units attacking around the Psel or east. The same applies to the 2 other units. The Soft conditions on August 5th and 6th would complicate movement for the motorized units, but 2nd Tank Corps starts on a primary road.
The continued Soft conditions lead to a change of plans on my side, as the weather slows down the Soviet offensive considerably. 3. Panzer will move west of 11. Panzer and will move/attack towards "Grossdeutschland" in a sweeping movement. After some deliberation, "Totenkopf" will join them later on. "Wiking" should arrive in time to stop/slow Soviet breakthroughs between Kharkov and Bogodukhov together with 6. and 19. Panzer.
Due to the lull in the fighting, I'll post an overview screenshot of the central sector.
The green units in, west and south of Yamnoye belong to 3. Panzer. The green units north of there belong to 255. ID. The latter will move south to Bogodukhov using the primary road after the former have moved north. The other units in the area consist of various (bridge/combat) engineer units laying mines, some Corps artillery and a Sicherung company a bit to the west. Nothing that would slow a determined Soviet attack down. 19. Panzer will move west towards Yamnoye. Mine laying will be halted at Yamnoye. There will be no further bridge destruction either. I'll need to keep the road clear for the counteroffensive in the area.
In the Kharkov area, the part of 6. Panzer assisting the withdrawing infantry east of the primary road moved west again to reunite with the rest of the division. Air recon shows that the Soviets are now approaching rapidly along the Kharkov-Belgorod primary road after the pace of my withdrawal decreased to give the mine layers more time. The minefields forced Soviet units off-road, so they bought time.
The withdrawing column reached 320. ID positions and temporary safety, with the Soft conditions making it difficult for the Soviets to apply pressure on the column.
320 and 282 ID will slowly withdraw towards Kharkov. As a new outer defensive line, defensive positions (including some BUNKER hexes by now) have been prepared east of the Khar'kov river. You can see the northernmost positions in this screenshot and the rest in the next.
Considering the sheer number of Soviet artillery units, I have no illusions about the capability of the handful of divisions in the area to deal with several Soviet Armies by themselves. They'd be blown away within a day in static positions. It's all a delaying action. If Kharkov can be held until the halfway point, that would already be a good result. Math favours the Soviets in this sector. Even limited losses each turn will eventually destroy a unit if it can't recover/replace its losses.
The weather conditions delayed the part of the counterattack in the Chuguev area featuring the crossing of the Severnyy Donets. "Das Reich" wouldn't have been able to maintain a counterattack at an earlier point with its units arriving piecemeal and without its divisional HQ. Following the idiom of "Klotzen, nicht Kleckern" the attack will be launched by all infantry units of "Das Reich" at once. The Panzers will remain parked to recover/replace vehicles. Opposition across the river should be minimal, with over half of the Guards Rifle division that starts in the area on "my" side of the river.
A bridge was constructed during the second night turn, but I decided to wait with a crossing until Dawn. This way, units can move off-road without risking a Disruption check. "Das Reich" will also be fresh instead of slightly fatigued, which is beneficial as well.
The counterattack by 161. and 168. ID is going well. Its primary objective is creating more space between the Kharkov-Chuguev primary road (and the counteroffensive across the river) and the Soviet units in the woods north of Chuguev. Pocketing Soviet units in the woods isn't likely to happen. Several battalions from 168. ID will also cross the river to assist "Das Reich" in the initial stages.
As to losses: Soviet losses in Men are now higher than Axis losses and overall there has been a sharp increase in a relative sense. Barely a shot was fired between Kharkov and Sumy and only the forces counterattacking northeast of Sumy and at Chuguev were in contact for most of the previous game day. Losses are sustainable everywhere for the moment, though not for several days in a row. There are only a handful of Soviet artillery units in the areas where the counteroffensives take place and the Soviet units around Chuguev can't spot for air strikes. That helps quite a bit.