Moscow '42 AAR: Sukhinichi II : We Will Rescue You

[Strela]

End of German Turn 7: January 22 1800 - 2400 Night

With the coming of night the VP's show a significant change from the prior turn. The Soviets have lost another victory location and more importantly 300 men. The overall plan of using the stronger Infanterie Divisions to bombard and shoot to ribbons any adjacent Soviets is paying off.



The overall situation is little changed with no HQ's out of command and 'only' seven artillery pieces unavailable. The plan this turn is to limit all actions only moving and fighting where absolutely necessary.



In 339 Infanterie Division's sector little is changed with direct fire disrupting the two adjacent Russian battalions and the Corp assets transiting towards 18th Panzer's sector.



208 Infanterie Division calls a halt after capturing Vertnore, but does start to reposition it's Aufklarung companies to head north and threaten the flank of the Soviet Cavalry.



18th Panzer Division continues to reposition its meagre assets to face off against 83rd Cavalry Division. Of concern is the massed nature of the enemy and the fact no artillery support is available this turn. Night move disruption is risked to get a perimeter setup and readied before the Soviet's begin operations in the morning, some units actually move back from contact. The Soviets continue to pull back north of Sukhinichi and it is clear that the town has been well and truly relieved.



The hoped for lull has started. Movement and fighting has been kept at a minimum and the largest threat - the Soviet Cavalry is unable to follow us without risking almost guaranteed disruption.

[Dog Soldier]

Russian Turn Seven
Night, 18:00 22 January 1942 Visibility 1km

Not much to report as it is night on the frozen battlefield. Units are hunkered down for what little warmth can be found. The recon elements of the 18th panzer ran away to avoid being decimated by the Russian cavalry. I send one cavalry squadron in travel mode up the road to pursue. They disrupt under German defensive fire. They do force the Germans to have no rest. I allow the German motorcyclists move away without pursuit. No sense in disrupting too many of my troops. I will need them all in the morning.
A battalion of 1107th rifle regiment moves up the road to the village SW of Sukhinichi. They will rest then proceed at dawn to reinforce the other Russians holding this village and the road. The village is important because it will protect the right flank of the cavalry. All the 83rd cavalry units will be needed tomorrow to wrest the initiative from the 18th panzer division.
The VP total for the end of the day show the Axis just over the 300 VP mark. This is not too bad from previous experiences in play testing.

Dog Soldier

[Strela]

End of German Turn 8; January 23 0000 - 0600

Another 200 Soviets dead, unfortunately matched by nearly 100 proud sons of the Fatherland. Victory points are pretty much unchanged - from last turn we have improved from a major defeat to a minor. Both sides are licking their wounds after a tough day.



The supply state is abysmal with three HQ's out of command including XXIV Korp, seven artillery formations unavailable and a staggering twenty six units either low on ammo or fuel. You can see all the aflicted units highlighted in red in the following screen shot.



Not surprisingly with such a poor supply state, the German forces choose to stand still. The only units still on the move are the two Korp asset formations that are in travel mode and immune to night disruption. The Polizei choose to halt short to avoid overstacking and potentially disrupting. For all other units, the extra fatigue recovery maybe key for the actions of the morrow, particularly with the 83rd Cavalary ready to run amok. There is no change to any corp attachments as this is the midnight turn.



As my weary men rest in the cold, they strain to hopefully not hear hooves crunching through the snow....

[Dog Soldier]

Russian Turn Eight
Night, 00:00 23 January 1942 Visibility 1km

Same units as last turn in contact with the enemy skirmish through the night. No changes. Most all units are resting as the dawn is approaching. The Germans will get first crack at me. I will let as many of my units rest for the next days fighting. Those in contact harass the Germans to increase the enemy's fatigue.

Dog Soldier

The 83rd Cavalry is ready to step off at dawn to press the Germans back. Our squadrons are much larger than the German units facing the cavalry. Infantry can move into the village south of Sukhinichi to begin pressing the garrison there. By attacking the from the south at Sukhinichi I can take the pressure off my battered troops on the hill west of the village perimeter. I will look for opportunities for the infantry to support the main push by the cavalry.
I am in a strong position south of Sukhinichi. Once I take the southern 5 VP locations the assault on the 18th PD by the cavalry may close the village off again. Then I can begin to reverse the VP movement or at least give as much as I have to take from the strong German force. In this way I hope to engage the weaker part of the Axis forces and try to avoid the stronger infantry of the other two divisions.

[Strela]

End of German Turn 9; January 23 0600 - 0800 Dawn

Commensurate with both sides actually trying to rest overnight, casualties were light for the last turn. The victory point score edged up a further 2. Visibility also improved and is now 2, unusual for this time of day.


Overall the supply state has improved slightly from last turn. All HQ's are in supply and some units with low ammo or fuel have recovered. 18 Panzer Division though has twelve units still stranded in the snow, low on fuel. Someone forgot to order the heavy shells for the Korp artillery as they are unavailable this turn and this may influence operations, particularly in 208 Infanterie's sector.


339 Infanterie has the Soviets again pressing from the west and use artillery to break up their attacks. Rarely can the Russians get into contact and that is spoiling their ability to assault the spread out Axis forces. The Bicycle recon company moves west towards Khludnevo to back up the battalions already in place.


In 208 Infanterie's area of responsibility, the German forces at Vertnore begin to push south, hoping to beat back and maybe trap the Soviets in the forest. This has the additional advantage of pushing the Soviets further away from the objective hexes. A Soviet Rifle Regiment appears south east of Duminich, but there should be more than enough in the village to handle this threat. The two battalions there have rested and are now over 600 men each. Further to the west, the other victory point hex is protected by engineers. if the Soviets continue to push towards Duminich then they may be caught with Axis forces behind them in the forest. The lack of Korp artillery leaves the Soviet Regiment unscathed for this turn.


Around Sukhinichi the amount of movement is best shown with a before and after shot. At the start of the turn these were the German positions. The disrupted state of the Soviets in the north allows the Panzer Grenadiers to disengage and start a general withdrawal southwards.



In the end of German turn shot the Axis forces have pulled back slightly, but also assaulted the Soviet Rifle forces directly south of Sukhinichi. This has the dual purpose of both tying up the Soviet forces that could assist the 83rd Cavalry while threatening another victory point hex. Clearing this area is also important for keeping the supply routes to the town open, particularly as the units to the north retreat. A recon flight (the only air the Germans possess) confirms all 6 squadrons from the Cavalry Division are present and this will simplify the German defense and response. The actual forces that face the Cavalry are little changed as they wait for both the Panzer Grenadiers and Korp assets to arrive.


It appears that the Soviet Cavalry will not be in a position to attack during the next two hours as they have to move to contact. Hopefully this will allow the German redeployment to be completed while attempting to keep the other Russian forces around Sukhinichi occupied and hopefully disrupted.

[Dog Soldier]

Russian Turn Nine
Dawn, 06:00 23 January 1942 Visibility 2km

In the south the 322nd RD moves in to see what the Germans have garrisoning Duminich. Turns out to be a full battlion of the German 208th ID. I had hoped the Germans might have broken down to companies to try and envelop the left flank of the 322nd. My stack of three Russian regiments could have dealt with a company easily and two companies perhaps. A full German battalion is a no go. The 322nd will withdraw next turn.
Special note: AS can be seen in Strela's image for this turn, there are 650 German infantry in Duminich which are B morale with negligible fatigue. While my Soviet regiment (three battalions stack) out numbers the Germans at 903 men, they are D morale. Consideration of the difference in firepower (Russian S/A values of five, German S/A of 9) and the fact that my regiment is three units which can be fired upon individually degrading the close combat performance of the group by concentrating the defender's fire on one unit makes this attack a 'no go'. The Russian units will pull back next turn unless some lucky shot disrupts the Germans. The chance of disrupting both German units in the village in a fire fight without superior artillery support is remote. This demonstrates the use of the 37mm ATG company stacked with each German battalion in the village. Wasting Soviet firepower on the ATG will mean crippling fire from the German infantry without a response. Also without adequate artillery, the Soviet regiment will have to take several turns to disrupt both defending German units. The weak 37mm ATG companies play a significant role in the defenses for the Germans. Most players new to the system might miss this point. A quick strike (assault) is not possible against this strong defense.

At Sukhinichi I am probing the positions on the west side of the perimeter looking for a soft spot to close the circle on the village again. The 18th PD is rocked back by the cavalry appearing at dusk last night deep in their rear. A fast defense was cobbled together to halt my horsemen. Now I will try to apply pressure to see if I can at least wound the 18th PD more than they hurt me. That will halt their northern drive and give the 328th RD a chance to recover. I sent the T-40s of the 23rd Tank Squadron south along the road to scout and form a picket line of sorts to warn me if the German 208th ID tries to come north to attack the 83rd Cavalry division rear.
The village in the valley south of Sukhinichi is swarming with my infantry from the 328th RD. With the Germans of the 216th out in the open north of the village, I will concentrate fire on them. Hopefully I can badly damage that unit enough to turn my full weight onto its neighbor and defeat them one at a time. If the cavalry attack attracts all the 18th PD’s attention, I might be able to explode out of the village into the southern part of Sukhinichi or drive NW to link up with the rest of the 328th RD.

In the NW, the 323rd RD is defensive. I will wait and see if the Germans make any mistakes I can use to turn the situation around. I sent some units forward to probe the German defense there as a show of strength to ties down the German 329th infantry from coming to the aid of the 18th PD. As expected they drew a lot of German artillery fire this turn. I withdraw most of the units. Maybe I can get the majority of the Germans to chase my unis further north allowing for a strike at the VP location village on the southern end of the enemy line.


The 23rd Areosleigh Battalion appears as the Russians final reinforcement. This is an interesting unique unit in M42. Not much for combat strength, but very fast in the frozen deep snow of winter outside Moscow in 1941/42. It can reconnoiter deep behind the German lines. I will try to sneak it into the German center and at least garrison the one remaining Russian victory location. That might allow for a surprise for the Germans if they send a weak ATG to snatch the hex in travel mode.

Dog Soldier

Overall view of the battle as dawn breaks for the Russians.

[Strela]

End of German Turn 10; January 23 0800 - 1000


The scorecard shows the Soviets losing men at a rate of 3 to 1 (230 Soviets to 78 Germans). The game score at 325 is about to cross over into draw territory. Only 5 more points required to move a victory level.



Someone forgot to order any artillery shells with ten artillery units unavailable. This is surprising as all HQ's are back in command and the impact is not as severe across the ground troops - though thirteen are low on fuel and supplies, the same as last turn.



Combat operations slowdown in the 339th Infanterie sector. All the Soviet attacks have been beaten back and their forces sit disrupted on the margins of the forest. Having the inner lines is a definite advantage for the Germans and the lack of a series threat to their right flank has meant all their combat power is centred along the highway.



208th Infanterie faces of against the Soviet Infantry Regiment near Duminich. A combination of artillery and direct fire disrupts two of the three battalions. Soviet light tanks, presumably from 83rd Cavalry Division run headlong into the motorised reconnaissance company. Both stumble onto each other. The sweep through the forest east of Duminich continues with the bulk of the Soviet forces disrupted and retreating. In the heavy ground conditions all either side can do is fall back and stumble forward.



Up at Sukhinichi, 83rd Cavalry Division is plagued by bad luck and poor coordination. Each time it comes forward, artillery fire easily disrupts its squadrons. Though faced by a threadbare defense, it can't even threaten the German's considering its current state. The push to take the 10 VP hex south of Sukhinichi is beginning to stall as further Russian battalions move in to support the defense. This is starting to look like a hard nut to crack and with little artillery available, possibly impossible. The Panzer Grenadiers continue to fall back. The Soviets tentatively follow, but are given a drubbing northwest of Sukhinichi when they try to storm one defensive position. Soviet AA guns are starting to use their two hex range and causing casualties. There is little than can hit back at them currently.


The last two hours have been relatively quiet. The initial foray by the Soviet Cavalry has been halted and combat operations elsewhere routine.

[ComradeP]

Based on my quite limited experience with Moscow '42, it does seem the inability to assault a target 2 hexes away is a big problem for the Soviets, combined with the ease with which their units are disrupted. In the full campaign, the Germans will be forced to withdraw by Soviet artillery initially (there's just too much of it to make an even remotely historical stand feasible I think), but that's not the case in smaller scenarios like this.

The Germans might have fewer men, but disrupted units are close to worthless on the offense, so if the Soviets get stuck in a Disrupted-loop of sorts, they're not going anywhere.

[Strela]

Based on my quite limited experience with Moscow '42, it does seem the inability to assault a target 2 hexes away is a big problem for the Soviets, combined with the ease with which their units are disrupted. In the full campaign, the Germans will be forced to withdraw by Soviet artillery initially (there's just too much of it to make an even remotely historical stand feasible I think), but that's not the case in smaller scenarios like this.

The Germans might have fewer men, but disrupted units are close to worthless on the offense, so if the Soviets get stuck in a Disrupted-loop of sorts, they're not going anywhere.

Hi ComradeP,

This is not the best scenario to make a call on the whole game. The Germans (other than 18th Panzer) are very strong and will deal the Soviets heavy losses if they are not spread out. Brian's play style is a little different to mine in that he will usually only pause to recover disruption overnight, where as I usually disengage it as soon as possible to recover. Neither is right or wrong, but it gives the appearance of permanently disrupted Soviets.

Finally, because of exactly the concern you raise, we lifted all Soviet HQ's to "C" morale to help the Russian recovery rates - if they're rested.

David

[Dog Soldier]

Russian Turn Ten
08:00 23 January 1942 Visibility 4km

From the command report I can see what the effect of bright and sunny day does to my force. Fully 1/3 of it is now disrupted. That count includes all artillery, AA, ATG, and even the HQs along with the infantry and cavalry. 22 units are still disrupted and seven are low ammo at the start of my turn. I am in trouble now.

The cavalry attack has ground to a disrupted halt. My large stack in the valley village is mostly disrupted. Recon companies from the 208th bumped into my T40s on the 83rd Cavalry’s southern flank. Good thing I had the tanks there. Those thin tanks will serve very well to delay any move north by the German 208th ID by denying the road and RR.

And to make matters worse, the Germans are all in good order with no visible disruptions.
The bright spot is the defense of the 10VP location village south of Sukhinichi. Control of this position in force may turn things around if the cavalry can rally.


In the south my disrupted division begins to withdraw into the forest. If the Germans do not pursue, I may be able to rally this force for another try.


The 323rd RD in the NW recoils three units from a German battalion sized attack west of Khludnevo. The image shows this stack is badly mauled.
I have some good order troops on the SW tail of this division's line. With some luck I might be able to catch the Germans napping with them.


Even the sneaky Areo sleds cannot do what I had hoped. They are spotted and decimated by German artillery. Only three remain. I move the sleds SE of Zimitsy and hope they will remain out of sight for a turn or two. They might recover enough fatigue to get back to D morale. Maybe they might cause more German units to go out looking for them. That will draw Germans away from positions where I can take advantage of the weaker defense.
The German artillery is really wrecking all my plans.

Dog Soldier