Flashing Sword of Retribution

[Ivan]

This is my first attempt at a AAR in the OPzCs so bear with me.

This excellent mod is by Marquo and comes highly recommended.

This is an an ongoing game and I'll post updates as the game progresses without trying to give anything away to my opponent.

I am playing Russians v herr_oberst an able German commander. This is a large campaign of 412 turns and based on previous experiences fortune can swing back and fore as the game progresses. Initially the initiative is with the Russians but I am under no illusions that this is likely to change at some point when Manstein with the help of herr_oberst strikes back.

This is the position to the evening of the 1st of February from a Russian perspective.



The battle has been in two phases so far:
(1) pushing the Germans to the line of the Oskol
(2) crossing the Oskol after some preparation and regrouping

Phase one was relatively easy as the Germans were outnumbered and lacked mobility. This was costly for the Germans.

The German commander then decided to make a stand at the Oskol and destroyed most of the bridges. This meant I had to construst bridges and develop bridgeheads such as this one at Pristin:



The Russian artillery proved very effective in this phase. There were a couple of times when I thought I'd bitten off more than I could chew. The German airforce was very powerful at times and some bridgeheads had to be abandoned under fierce counterattack.

Next: thoughts about objectives, strengths and weaknesses.

[Ivan]

Organisation is a major headache for me an inexperienced player. I've decided to try and think in terms of 6 major groupings as defined under the Corps Atachement dialogue. This makes it easier to get my head around things. These six are:

1st Guards Army
38th Army
3rd Tank Army
40th Army
69th Army
6th Army
Popov

3rd tank bump into Das Reich the 00:00 2nd Feb, slightly precarious for both sides:




An obvious 1st objective for the 69th army will be Volchansk for example. Just having this in mind makes me keep some sort of order. The last thing I need is mixed up units and organisations all scrambling towards the west with no sense of coherence. One of the major reasons for this is the problem of supply. All the Russian supply sources are east of the map and set at '65' the situation will get worse the further west I roll. I have already noticed problems and I'm only just barely past the Oskol.

I've never used Corps attachments before but I will be utilising this as needed to keep things coherent. Keeping HQs in command range will be vital as will maintaining security of my supply lines.

The briefing stresses the importance of taking out the German Supply sources, Kharkov and Krasnograd will clearly be initial targets followed by the major supply junction at the Dnepr.

As I see it at the moment I have some strengths and weakness.

Pro
Numbers
mobility (especially tanks)
artillery (seems very effective)
the iniative

cons
lower morale
supply
behind on points
security as I advance (prone to counter attack)

That's all for now.

[herr_oberst]

By invitation from Ivan, I will try to contribute with this AAR from "the other side" of the battlefield.
For now, this is the most difficult battle I yet fougth in Panzer Campaigns.
As Ivan sayed, the first part consisted in a hasty retreat of two german infantry Divisions (298 and 320) and parts of the 19 Panzer Div. to the other side of Oskol river.
The operational skill of evacuating battered foot soldiers through bridges in the brink of demolition under pressure of massed infantry and roving tanks threatening encirclement, while setting up hastly river defenses at the same time was a new ability I had to learn the hard way for this already demanding battle.
Unfortunately, many troops were encircled and destroyed by the red onslaught.
In this phase of the battle, the soviet tanks infiltrating, the tank panic in the rearguard and the few panzers acting as fire brigades depict brillantly what I have read about the winter war in 1943.

On the second phase, with my troops on the west side and the bridges blown, expecting some quiet resting time, the russian surprised me by setting up six different pontoon bridges and quickly establishing bridgeheads, wich I harrassed with my infantry.
The problem was the powerful soviet artillery, causing horrible casualties on the defenders; but when the russians managed to cross the river with armored units, the risk of encirclement was too big to attempt a retreat on foot in the immensity of the steppe.
So, I decided to delay the russian expansion of the bridgeheads with the three battered divisions, no matter the costs, until the release of my reserves.
On february 2º all the front got alive, and I had to start a general retreat in the north to avoid encirclement or simple annihilation by massed artillery.

The third phase is starting, with a new retreat to a river, this time the Donetz. This time I think (and expect) it will be harder for the red army, as now almost all the german units are motorized and backed by the release of the SS Panzer Korps. The mass of the russian infantry is on foot, and for now this in the only advantage on the german side.

All in all, this is a very demanding scenario, both in small unit tactics and in general strategy. The terrain is simply too huge to have any defense in depth, and impossible to cover the flanks. Some time I expect a terrible cat and mouse armored and mobile troops duel in the steppes, trying to encircle and destroy each other!

[Mr Grumpy]

Sounds like a great game, keep the reports coming! :)

[enigma6584]

Very much looking forward to reading this.

[The SNAFU]

This AAR should give excellent insight into the huge K42 scenario. I'm very much looking forward to following the battle. As an opponent of the skillful Herr_Oberst I know it will be hard fought from start to finish.

[Ivan]

Top secret report: 12:00 2.2.43

To: head of all security Comrade Beria

Sorry for the rushed report, my situation is most precarious having to put myself in constant danger to get the truth of the matter as the Tsarist elite try to hide things, as you know great comrade.

Worrying news! Progress is horrendously slow as the beasts try to hold onto every inch of soil in a most fanatic manner. Our peasant soldiers are barely past the Oskol when they should be half of the way to the Dnepr by now.

I personally have walked the streets of Izyum and yet reports now suggest it is again in enemy hands, what treachery, where is the security.

It is also most worrying that our infantry are not fighting hard enough, the ratio of their casualities seems light while our tanks are disappearing on the battlefield at a horrendous ratio. Where is the priority, they are showing more concern for the peasants than the irreplacable tanks.

And most worrying of all I have heard of fresh beasts not only arriving in Izyum but on the southern flank. I hope the Tsarist commanders know what they are doing and protect our flank or we will be in a real Pickle.

Sorry for the rushed report great comrade but as I said my own situation is now precarious, I am asking permission to move further to the east so I do not fall into the hands of the beasts. Not that my own safety concerns me but I know now more than ever you need these reports as a disaster could be approaching to match that of the German one at Stalingrad.


Your comrade agent xxx.

[herr_oberst]

February 2, 1943. 14:00.
The retreat continues, hoping on the promised relief force from the SS.
In the north flank, mobile elements of Grossdeutschland Division are trying to disengage from the pursuing soviet armor before getting trapped and slaughtered by the mass of russian infantry (fortunately on foot).
To the center "Der Fuhrer" regiment supported by Grossdeutschland armor is executing a fighting withdrawal in the face of a soviet armored and cavalry advance.
In the middle of the line, the battered remnants of 298º and 320º Infanterie Divisions are being decimated and slowly retreating. The desition to make a stand at the river Oskol was a hard one, the poor landsers don´t have a chance; but having they run westward means sure encirclement by the soviet armored formations. At least in their positions they can hold a little longer and hope for aid. It is a situation similar to the 1941 winter in the central front...
Meanwhile, the exhausted 19º Panzer Division reached Izium as the pursuing armor dissapeared. But a dangerous gap exists bethween them an the southern front. Reconnaissance detected a russian advance in the Bororodichnoye area heading Barvenkovo or Slaviansk, and mobile reserves are rushing to close the gap.
It is impossible to have a stabilized front and cozy flanks in this damned huge and frozen russian steppe!

[herr_oberst]

This AAR should give excellent insight into the huge K42 scenario. I'm very much looking forward to following the battle. As an opponent of the skillful Herr_Oberst I know it will be hard fought from start to finish.

Thanks for your compliment The SNAFU. I hope to do a better performance than in Vitevsk!

[Marquo]

Heh, heh, heh...Izyum recaptured :conf: ? There should already be a bridge across opening the way to the Dnepr :hissy:

What about the north - who holds Byelgorod - the key to victory?

Marquo