Kharkov '43 Grand Campaign AAR

[larsonney]

KHARKOV ’43 GRAND CAMPAIGN---Day 5/Final

Well, my friends…sadness! The game was called in the late hours of day 5…the Russians conceded. Unfortunately, because of the night turn, you won’t see much from the Russian side, but I will do my best…

Day Five saw more retreats in the center, but a surprise German counter-attack in the southeast and a sneaky move that would have brought a heavy northern thrust from us the morning of the 6th.

North Front
The decision was made mid-day on Day 3 to move the Grossdeutschland to the extreme north, centered on Pokrovka, to attempt a “schwerpunkt” on the northern flank of the Russian forces and relieve pressure on Belgorod. Recon elements of the Russian 40th Army found the lead elements of this splendid division on the morning of Day 6, which might have influenced the concession of the match. As you can see, the division was rested and ready to roll…



The Russian 40th Army continued chasing our retreating 168th infantry division on day 5, moving farther into the trap. The division planned on turning on their pursuers just north of Belegrod and forming the anvil to GDs hammer.



Center Front
In the center, Axis units disengaged, using their higher mobility to retreat across Severnyy Donets. Below are the 4 center areas, no enemy in sight…we saw very little push here during day 4, just some limited skirmishing east of Volchansk.

We had expected a major push in the Volchansk & Martovaya areas. We did feel confident that we could at least hold the Red hordes back a couple of days, using the river to keep them at bay.

[larsonney]

South Front
The 681st regiment of the 333rd infantry moved west all day, finishing 6kms west of Petroyskaya. The regiment did accumulate some fatigue disrupts, but it appeared that there were no mobile units available to the Bolsheviks, so we had hope to continue our delaying action, eventually angling northwest to hold the southern flank of Kharkov…obviously a lot could have happened along the way!



To the south, the encircled 680th regiment of the 333rd infantry division at Barvenkovo was squeezed all day by the 3rd Tank Corps from Mobile Group Popov. The Russians did launch numerous fire missions, but did not conduct many assaults, preferring to stand away a bit. Because of this, the regiment, while low on food & ammo, is still in good order for the most part



Southeast Front

Here is where it got interesting on Day 5!! Here we go…
General of Panzer Troops Hermann Breith, III Panzer Korps commander, woke up early on Day 5, agitated and restless. Von Manstein had personally called around midnight, assigning 11th Panzer to his III Pz Korp. He now had 2 full strength Panzer Divisions (3rd & 11th), one ½ strength (7th), and 2 strong brigade-sized remnants (19th & 27th).

He had decided the night before that 3rd Panzer Division would push northeast, trying to pin 4th Guards Tank Corps southeast of Slavyansk. Their open flank to the west was worrisome, but fortune favored the bold, and German panzer troops hated to dig-in & defend…hadn’t 7th Panzer been mauled the day before when they tried to hold the heights southeast of Slavyasnk?

3rd Panzer did their job, pushing the 4th Guards Tank Corp back 7-10 kms. Breith had a surprise ready for 4th Guards on Day 6…the entire 6th Pz Regiment, fully rested & at 70-80% strength, had crossed the Krivoy Torets during the night, and was tasked with slicing behind the 4th Guards, trapping them before they could withdraw into Slavyansk.



Breith’s true gamble was on the other side of the Torets river. The Russian 10th Tank Corp had thrust south from Nikolayevka the evening before, and 7th panzer had requested permission to withdraw south. Breith had given it, until at 2am he countermanded his order…his new plan taking shape in the sleep-deprived fog of his brain. By dawn he had shifted 19th Panzer, the stronger of the two Panzer kampfgruppens, west of Kriyaya Luka, intermingled with the units that were still offensive-capable of the beleaguered 7th panzer.

The 11th Panzer had moved north during the night, and were north of Belen’koye, opposite the 57th Guards Rifle Division. The western wing of this crack Russian division had fought hard on day 4, suffering heavy losses in pushing 7th panzer and assorted army units out of the heights. Breith hoped they were in no shape to stop a full strength panzer division in battle roar!

So the plan was simple…11th Panzer on the left & 7th/19th on the right, with 4 Russian divisions in-between…and the river at their backs. The attack rolled on in textbook fashion, and the sun set on day 5 with the majority of the Russian troops disorganized and scrambling to escape across the river…with only one ford that was a scant 2kms from German forces, hopes were not high.



Summary

Overall, the campaign was a joy to play. Here are some “take-aways” from our perspective
• We made a conscious decision to withdraw immediately across the front. While this did not always work, we were able to extract about 1/3rd of both the 298th and 320th Infantry Divisions…more than historical. I also think this had a demoralizing effect on our Russian opponents…slugging along at 1 hex with nothing to grab onto is tough for a Russian commander!!
• We were able to use our mobility to stop retreating & turn to pick small, decisive engagements where possible. Case in point, the Slovonka pocket on Day 2, where the Russians lost a whole rifle division in one day, and we were able to slip away before becoming engaged.
• I think our opponents did not realize the pounding they did give us…Das Reich, in particular, bore the brunt of the fighting in the center & while most of the division slipped across the Donets, they were red-fatigued, many to the max. Some of these units had to turn & hold the line since there was no one else to help. That said, the Russians did not know exactly where our weak points were going to be, and we had the obvious points( heavy bridges & highways) covered with fresh units, namely LAH.
• Our Russian opponents did a fine job, with only one error I thought…they crossed the river south of Slavyansk and pushed too far. We had assumed they were going to hold that line and push west. The threat of them moving south would have tied up the 7th, 19th, & 27th divisions, since there was no German infantry (none arriving for weeks, either!) in this sector. These divisions were not strong enough to jump the Donets river. True, the 3rd & 11th were also here, but I think by concentrating all their forces around Slavyansk, it allowed us to in turn concentrate 5 panzer divisions (not all full strength, obviously)together.

Overall, I thought our opponents did a superb job of keeping the pressure up and capitalizing on our slightest mistake! I think all of us involved struggled with fathoming the sheer length of the campaign…at 440+ turns, Kharkov ’43 is unique…we as gamers are often not as patient as we should be and I think the length plays a mental part in how both sides approach the campaign.

In any case, we will find out for sure soon enough! Arkan & I are finishing up Day 1 of a new Kharkov ’43 Campaign, this time as the Russians! :rolleyes: I can already say that it is nothing like the above campaign…our new opponents are holding the line, even counter-attacking! :eek1:

Yes, a new AAR will be forth-coming, but it will be awhile…now that we are on the attack and setting the tone (kind of), we must hold the cards a bit closer to the vest my friends!!

Until next time…Jon & Arkan! :smoke:

[Mr Grumpy]

I think all of us involved struggled with fathoming the sheer length of the campaign…at 440+ turns, Kharkov ’43 is unique…we as gamers are often not as patient as we should be and I think the length plays a mental part in how both sides approach the campaign.

How very true, i think it is only when you play a scenario with 300+ turns that you can fully appreciate what a mental challenge it is. ;)

An excellent AAR with equally excellent images, in recognition of the work involved and the fact the AAR was completed i have awarded Jon 100 ladder points.

[Strela]

Congrats Jon for an excellent AAR and the 100 ladder points.

We will all be waiting for the Soviet AAR and will be interested to see what you do differently.

From a design perspective I do believe we have the casualty/tank recovery set too high and the bunker building a little too liberal for a campaign of this length but other than that I think it is essentially all good.

It sounds like your opponents may let you get close enough to grapple - that will make interesting reading!

Good luck,

David

[raizer]

....to grapple with the bear once the bear's artillery is flinging lead....

btw lars what opt rules did you go with?

[larsonney]

....to grapple with the bear once the bear's artillery is flinging lead....

btw lars what opt rules did you go with?

The same as in ours except for supply...we are using explicit supply in this one.

[enigma6584]

A most enjoyable AAR. Congratulations to you.

[larsonney]

I think all of us involved struggled with fathoming the sheer length of the campaign…at 440+ turns, Kharkov ’43 is unique…we as gamers are often not as patient as we should be and I think the length plays a mental part in how both sides approach the campaign.

How very true, i think it is only when you play a scenario with 300+ turns that you can fully appreciate what a mental challenge it is. ;)

An excellent AAR with equally excellent images, in recognition of the work involved and the fact the AAR was completed i have awarded Jon 100 ladder points.

Mr. Foul!

I just realized I never said thank you for the bonus points!! It makes those long hours I spent more rewarding ;)...Jon

[edhm]

fantastic read larsonney... love stuff like this!

hope the other game last a lot longer...

[smurf309]

Very interesting to watch! The Soviet 69th Army is predominantly Rifle Divisions but its attached Tank Brigade can cause you grief - which is very evident by the isolated Gross Deutschland units. The German units are so powerful but when spread out as per the starting positions it is hard to utilise that firepower without the Soviet forces worming around your flanks.

I am impressed how close to history you are currently playing. Das Reich made Verliky Burlok the stronghold you are planning to and split 3rd Tank from 69th Army. Ultimately the SS were forced to pull back once their flanks were threatened but not before they had launched a number of counterattacks consistant with what you have planned.

Be warned the 2nd & 3rd days is where it gets exciting - particularly in the German 298th Infantry sector.

Hope you are enjoying the scenario and I would appreciate any feedback!

David

this really does help learn the complex tatics of pz .my battles were mostly against the ai.have a couple of pbem games going and have really enjoyed the hth part of the game.

smurf309