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

[Strela]

End of German Turn 11; January 23 1000 - 1200

The 3 to 1 ratio of Soviet to Axis losses is gone this turn. 100 Germans fall to 180 Russians - certainly a more sustainable ratio for Stalin's men. The loss ratio was enough to add 6 victory points moving the total to 331 and a draw result for the Germans. It looks like a long way to get a major victory.



The supply situation does not improve from the prior turn. The number of artillery units unavailable actually increases by 1 to 11. All HQ's are in supply, other than 18th Panzer Division. The loss of artillery in the last two turns is unfortunate due to the number of visible targets - visibility has been 4 km's allowing any Soviet attack to be seen long before it can engage.




In the 339th Infanterie sector, a Mexican stand-off ensues. The open ground around the victory locations on the highway is proving too difficult for the Soviets to approach. With clear weather and a number of hexes of clear terrain to traverse, the German Corp artillery gets multiple shots on any approaching enemy battalions. This works both ways with the Soviet artillery starting to target visible German guns in the open. The Russians are obviously planning another probe towards Zimnitsy using the lower ground. This will fail like the Soviet efforts further north.




208th Infanterie continues to push into the forest south east of Vertnore. At Duminich, the Soviet infantry regiment has been disrupted including its flanking battalions. Retreat paths are compressing the Soviets into one area. Is there a chance of a pocket? To take advantage of any opportunity the defending infantry from Duminich advance to maintain contact with the disorganised Russians. Further north, the Soviet light tanks slowly retreat up the road, blocking the recon troops from advancing too quickly, but also preventing any cloase assault.




18th Panzer Division is out of command and out of artillery. The Division continues to slowly pull back from the hill west of Sukhinichi. The threadbare nature of the front is obvious from the opposing units. The German 20mm SP AA is required to cover 4 hexes and if the opposing Soviet recon rallies in serious danger of being swept away by an infantry assault. These microcosms of battle are evident all along the front. The Soviet Cavalry continue to shoot up the opposing German infantry. The losses there is proving unsustainable with another 23 men lost and the armored infantry forced to pull back a hex. These losses are being taken while the Cavalry are disrupted. It’s scary to think of what might have happened if they were good order. The Soviet 10 VP hex looks ripe for the taking. Another defending Soviet battalion is disrupted by direct fire. Hopefully the Russians aren't watching the defending Germans too closely. The infantry sent forward to take on the Soviets have only left some light AT guns and out of fuel panzers - very vulnerable to Soviet infantry. It's definitely the time of expedience....



Both sides are weary. Losses are mounting and it is only the German ability to break up the Soviet attacks before they can close assault that is keeping them in the game. How to move from adraw to a win is currently looking tough.

[Dog Soldier]

Russian Turn Eleven
10:00 23 January 1942 Visibility 4km

Eight Russian units rally. That brings me back to 22 units disrupted at the start of this turn, same as last turn. But can the rallies last?


Sukhinichi Front
A successful assault captures the trenches NW of Sukhinichi and five VP for the Russians. This move is a great stroke as it might force the Germans to change their dispositions in Sukhinichi. That might leave me with an opportunity for the rifle regiments north and east of the village to make their move to quickly grab those outer five point VP locations. That would put a squeeze on the German 216th ID.
Another cavalry regiment rallies. So far, the 83rd Cavalry is holding its own against a strong German attack by the 18th PD. I fear my boys will disrupt into a rabble here. As reluctant as I am to give up ground, I do not need the fatigue of a successful German assault. Nor can I afford to have a regiment or stack become surrounded.
I retreat the T-40 tank screen back one hex at a time. The deep snow prevents the Germans from assaulting the light tanks. I moved them to the railroad bend hex instead of the road to deny the Germans a chance to ‘get inside me’. The T40s are guarding both the road and railroad. There is open ground 2km to the SE which the Germans might try to use to turn my tanks’ flank. I must try and guard both approaches until I spot the second German recon unit again.


In the south the 322nd RD is retreating and trying to avoid losing any units to being surrounded by the Germans. All the same, the German direct fire attacks cause 30-40 casualties per German unit firing. Along with German artillery bombardments, this division is out action. I can only hope to retreat into the forest and the Germans will have better things to do than try and finish me off.

In the NW, both sides are exchanging mean faces with each other. Otherwise it is quiet. A few German artillery shots happen. I am moving the AA unit through the woods to join the eastern group. I am letting the Germans see this, so they may stretch their line to react to the mobility of the AA unit. In any case I think I will need the unit when the Germans get around to pushing NE up the road from Khludnevo.
The three remaining Areo sleighs are trying to sneak their way into the German center to cause some mischief.


Dog Soldier

[Strela]

End of German Turn 12; January 23 1200 - 1400 Visibility 4 KM

The casualty ratio continues at less than 2 to 1 with approximately 200 Soviets lost to 115 Axis personnel. This loss ratio is unsustainable for the Germans and a 4 VP drop moves the pendulum back to a German minor defeat.



The supply situation doesn’t improve. 11 Artillery units are unavailable again this turn, despite all Korp & Divisional HQ's being in supply. Fortunately, the number of low fuel/ammo units has declined and to a small extent offsets the paucity of artillery. With such a long visibility range it is not surprising that the Soviet Aerosled is spotted well behind German lines.



There is little organised opposition for 339th Infanterie Division. The Germans continue to push the Russians back west of Khludnevo with some particularly strong Infanterie battalions. The Soviet Rifle battalion that was slowly moving to Zimnitsy, stops and retreats - no doubt impacted by the very high visibility and the number of supporting German artillery battalions. Finally, the Soviet Aerosleds are destroyed in place by II./Artillerie Regt 42 firing over open sights.




208th Infanterie also pushed their opposing Soviet Rifle Diision away from the local victory point hexes. The Soviet regimental attack near Duminich has been stopped and is now being bloodily pushed back. All artillery is turned again the Rifle Divisions HQ, which suddenly appeared on the edge of a forested ridge line - the result, disruption and hopefully further chaos for the Soviets. The Aufklarung (recon) companies copntinue to push North & East with the opposing Soviet forces slowly conceding ground.




Up at Sukhinichi, things are starting to look a little more ominous. A Soviet assault manages to push a German battalion out of one of the town's victory hexes. A good order Infanterie battalion moves to retake the hex, but has risked its own VP hex by only leaving a light AT gun behind. An example of some of the desperate moves required in the winter game. Fortunately north of Sukhinichi the bulk of the Soviet forces continue to be disrupted. Of concern though is that some units are now rallying up such as the Recon company (only faced off by a weak SP AA unit) and the increasing use of AA batteries. The Soviet AA units have a two hex range and a soft attack value of 17 - very effective in a stand-off situation. South of the town, continuing rally of the Soviet defenders in the 10 VP hex has started to make this look like a Mission Impossible to capture. Couple this with the rallying of a couple of the Cavalry's squadrons and the sitution still remains critical. To face off against the cavalry, the Korp bridging unit arrives and its fresh men are thrown straight into the line.




The decline in Victory points back to German loss is unexpected and it's only the overall state of the Soviet forces that is keeping the Germans from slipping further.

[Dog Soldier]

Russian Turn Twelve
12:00 23 January 1942 Visibility 4km

Sukhinichi Front
The Germans move out of the northern trenches to counter attack my three rifle regiments in the NW trenchs. They leave behind only an ATG company. I send forward two rifle battalions, an ATG unit and assault engineers to assault the German guns and capture the trench. They will have to wait until next turn. Now the Germans have to choose which position is more valuable.

All the cavalry regiments are disrupted.
Half my force in the valley village is low ammo. Three of five units there are disrupted. I send in two more rifle regiments on the east side of the valley village to assault the German held village south of Sukhinichi. Although a gamble at this point, I am hoping the German 216th infantry next to me will stay disrupted. I can then hit them or assault the ATG, and tanks in the village that are without infantry support. If the Germans infantry retreat into the village to support the tanks, I can move into my own village and press the remaining German infantry unit next to the village with a larger force. One of my regiments disrupts in the advance on the German village. That will make next turn even harder.
I have sent the recon company of the 324th RD west to threaten the German flak unit on the western flank of the 18th PD. Maybe some good can come of this move. One must try. The match up is in my favor if I can land an assault on the flak guns. The flak guns are mounted on trucks. They can avoid my recon unit. However there is not much room over there to give up for the Germans. It will be interesting to see what David does.

The other fronts are less interesting for the Russians. The NW remains relatively quiet. The south is in full retreat to save what they can. At least in the south, a superior German force is being pulled far out of position. Too bad I have nothing left to send against the German 208th ID rear and VP locations in Vertnore, Duminich or the village with the artillery to the east. A raid at any of those places would be a good move. However, the Russians are just not numerous for that at this time.

Dog Soldier

[Strela]

End of German Turn 13; January 23 1400 - 1600 Visibility 4 KM

Again the casualty ratio is not improving with 220 Soviets lost to 115 Germans. A couple of extra Soviet vehicle losses improve the VP total by 2 measly points and still one below a draw.



Of more concern is the overall supply & command state. At probably the worst possible time both XXIV Panzer Korp & 18th Panzer Division are out of command. This has a very significant impact in the 18th Panzer sector where many units are either low ammo, unavailable or low fuel (red highlighted units have supply issues). Ironically, for the first time all game, 18th Panzer's Artillerie Regiment is completely available. Artillery unavailability seems to have ended up in the 208 Infanterie Division sector.



All continues quietly up in the 339th Infanterie area. A small push along the railway line just moves the Soviets a bit further away. Unfortunately not much more can be done as all the objectives have to be covered. I have resisted the temptation to break down the Infanterie battalions to company equivalents as that is just inviting the Soviets to get into a 'fair' fight.



For 208 Infanterie things are getting a little tougher. The grand plan for an encirclement of the fleeing Soviets is coming unstuck. The speed of advance through the forest and snow is preventing the Germans from cutting any retreating enemy. Unfortunately the Cav who have great mobility in the woods are miles away and not available. More of an issue is two battalions undisrupting and a further appearing suddenly in the open and heading to either Duminich or around our lengthening flank. The Infanterie Battalions follow the retreating Russians, but rarely have the movement points or ammunition to fire upon them.




18th Panzer and Sukhinichi are in trouble. Night can't come quickly enough to stop the Russians moving around. A significant number of units are low on ammo and that is making it hard to both attack and defend. The Soviet break-in to the towns defensive perimeter and subsequent pressure has resulted in moving the northernmost Infanterie battalion back into its original bunkers. All three Soviet battalions that advanced from the northwest are disrupted but there is just no Axis units close enough to assault and push them back out. I can only hope that the disrupted Infanterie battalion directly to the south rallies up. All along the hill, 18th Panzer's units are pulling back. There is significant pressure on the left flank and the only decent unit left is the Krad (motorcyclists) from the recon battalion. The Soviets are also pushing hard southeast of the town and the German counterattack to take the 10 VP hex is looking dicey. The Soviets still have one undisrupted battalion facing a few out of fuel tanks. If they survive this turn, the adjacent Infanterie battalion will have to join them. Fortunately, the Russian Cavalry are still disrupted and the artillery fire on them trying prevent them recovering fatigue.



As the German player at the halfway point of play, the game feels like it's starting to slip away. The decision to muscle up against the flanking Soviet divisions has left 18th Panzer very exposed with only weak Panzer Grenadiers available to hold ground. 216 Infanterie is pressed just to hold Sukhinichi and with the poor supply and failing defenses that is now at risk. Losing any more VP hexes will really compromise the next day as there is little that is strong enough to hold ground, let alone counterattack.

[Dog Soldier]

Russian Turn Thirteen
14:00 23 January 1942 Visibility 4km

Five units rally this turn bringing me back to 23 disrupted at the start of the turn. While it was nice to get those five units, they only help me face the Germans another turn and will not turn the tide.

Sukhinichi Front
The German infantry return to the northern trenches to aid the ATG company. My rifle regiments take some losses from direct fire and retreat. At least they pinned the German unit to defend the VP trench. That German unit will not be going after my recovering units to the west.

The 83rd Cavalry Division is in full retreat. I call off any assault on the German valley village because one rifle regiment is still disrupted and the other went low ammo and E morale. An assault here would only spend the unit without achieving many German losses if any.
The T-40 tanks continue to block the German recon units to the south of Sukhinichi.
It will be dusk next turn. Best I disengage and hope to come back stronger the next day.

Dog Soldier

Russian viewpoint of turn 13 end.

[Strela]

End of German Turn 14; January 23 1600 - 1800 Visibility 2 KM (Dusk)

With the coming of dusk, visibility drops to 2 hexes. Casualty rates are not improving with 232 Soviets lost to 122 Germans. Victory points improve by 5 and move the Axis into draw again.



The supply situation has improved again despite XXIV Panzer Korp being out of command. Less units are out of ammo and the bulk of the Korp artillery is available. With the dropping light there are less targets to fire upon.



The fighting dies down in the 339th Infanterie sector. A German battalion pulls back to straighten the line while the Soviets melt back into the woods. The only visible Soviet unit (recon company) receives an unfair share of the local artillery assets. This sector looks like it will be quiet overnight with the objectives around Khludnevo secured. There is now potential to push up the highway towards Verk' Syaglova tomorrow.



A similar stalemate is beginning in the south with 208th Infanterie. The Soviets have given up their push towards Duminich and are retreating back through the forest. The pursuing Germans do not have sufficient movement to both move and fire and can only tramp behind the withdrawing Russians.



18th Panzer sees the pressure recede slightly with the Soviet Cavalry pulling back to the east. It's assumed this is to give them a chance to recover overnight out of range of harassing fire. The Soviets slow their push from the hill to the west of Sukhinichi, though they move more anti-air units forward. Their two hex range and high soft values (17) are causing continuous casualties to the opposite Axis units and there is just not sufficient artillery to counter them. The disparity in the Soviet 37mm cannon vs. the German 20mm is very obvious when used in a ground role. The German attack on the 10 victory point objective south of Sukhinichi is called off with the two German battalions bloodied and tired. Their opposing Soviet battalions have effectively rallied in hex and are now a threat on this flank. Unfortunately the German Infanterie battalion that had been pushed out of the 5 victory point hex still doesn't rally up, despite having no good order opposition.



With the daylight waning there is little to be achieved than to try and keep the opposing Soviets disrupted and off balance. The Soviet Cavalry have been bloodied during the day and if the Axis are lucky they may play little part in the next half day or so. With the scores still a long way off a victory, the German's need a quiet period overnight while strength is recovered and fatigue is reduced.

[Dog Soldier]

Russian Turn Fourteen
Dusk, 16:00 23 January 1942 Visibility 2km

Sukhinichi Front
I pull back all units to rest for the night. Exceptions are the three rifle regiments in the Russian held valley village south of Sukhinichi and some harassing units which will not get much better during the night.
One cavalry regiment finally rallies south of the 83rd CD HQ. I move it into the 10 VP village hex to wait for the inevitable German rush to come tomorrow. The other five cavalry regiments are E and F morale from disruption or low ammo or both. Only one has yellow fatigue. All the others have low fatigue. I might not get them rallied for tomorrow with their HQ out of command. If that happens, this could become a rout.
I am visiting that division's commander personally tonight.

Sukhinichi front as night falls from the Russian POV.


In the south the Russians are too badly mauled.


Dog Soldier

[Strela]

End of German Turn 15; January 23 1800 - 2400 Visibility 1 KM (Night)

With the coming of night, operations slow down. Two days of fighting in the snow has taken its toll on both sides with casualties still reasonably high for the last turn at 160 & 90 for the Soviets and Germans respectively. Victory points move up significantly to 347 due to the destruction of 12 Soviet AA guns.



Though only one HQ is out of command, ten artillery units are unavailable. This will impact the Axis ability to fatigue visible enemy units without employing its own ground troops. Significantly, the disrupted Infanterie battalion in the Sukhinichi defensive perimeter rallies up and is in a position to counterattack.



There is no contact at all in 339th Infanterie Divisions sector. There is a good chance of continued strength recovery overnight and a push north east up the highway towards Verk' Syaglova in the morning. The six Infanterie Battalions average strength is 650 men apiece.


208th Infanterie continues to push south through the forest, but rarely have the movement points to move and fire. The artillery though takes the opportunity to punish the spotted Soviet units - particularly the opposing Divisional HQ. The recon probe towards Proloskoye is blocked by the opposing Soviet cavalry, necessitating a more southerly approach.



Further up the highway towards Sukhinichi the other German recon companies continue to push back the Soviet light tanks. It is now looking like the nearby 10 VP objective could be taken by coup de main.



At Sukhinichi, the assault by II Battalion is successful and the perimeter defences are recovered. South of the town the defending Battalions are worn down with most low on ammo and with a base morale of D. The lack of artillery is preventing any aggressive attempts to disrupt the concentrated opposing Soviets who are using full stacks to inflict on going heavy casualties. All in all as many units as possible are trying to rest.



With darkness falling there is a hope that there will be some recovery of fatigue and losses overnight. All will depend upon whether the Soviets have available artillery to harass and disrupt the resting German troops.

[Dog Soldier]

Russian Turn Fifteen
Night, 18:00 23 January 1942 Visibility 1km

Sukhinichi Front
The Germans retake the NW trenches from the Russians. The attacking Germans were disrupted in turn. All the Russian rifle units there are spent and cannot counterattack. Back where they started the day.
The HQ of the 83rd CD remains out of command.
I pull back my light tanks south of Sukhinichi. His recon are in for a bit of a bloody nose there I hope.



Russian losses more than doubled this day from the first day. However the bright side is German losses were increased by two and a half times over the first day. If I can get more Russian units rallied, there might be a chance to gain some VP ground the last day. The game is a solid draw by VP. It can still go either way the next day.

Dog Soldier