Thoughts on Uranus SS variant?

[Ricky B]

As the one who attacked the Iron Div in the game against Fury, I will give some more information as to what happened. First Tobias and I are playing this blind about the Soviet strength/positioning and so we weren't sure where their weak points were or the threats would come from. We also agreed to let the pocket form, which to us has meant no retreating out of the pocket and no major effort to pull the panzers out of Stalingrad to smash the T34s in the main Soviet attacks. So I, playing the 6th Army, kept the panzer divisions in the city except for slowly pulling out and sending west small portions of the panzers, mainly part of one division about midday on the first day of the game, then slowly making it all three by early on the third day.

The attack on the Iron Div was not heavily support by the panzers - it was mainly the recon units and no more than a couple of other tank units, almost all of which went low fuel before the attack and so played only a minor role. Extra infantry in the area and I believe a Stug unit from the VIII Korps, along with some other spare mobile AA units and artillery moved up and assisted the attack, which destroyed the defenders as planned, while also maintaining garrisons in the fortifications in case of later need.

Along the rest of the western end of the German line, there was no mass rush to the rest. We have carried out a fighting withdrawal. This has led to the destruction in combat of the westernmost German division, only a small number of infantry units surviving unfortunately. But not due to encirclement except the small direct ones by units trapping a single stack. The other two divisions are basically back across the Don or in the bridgehead that has now formed around Kalach, which is the western end of the line now.

As you say Scar, not a good trade as such, but the loss of the western division has nothing to do with the attack on the Iron Div. I think we have tried to fight as the 6th Army did historically - no mass move out of the city but a slow transfer, probably a little faster than happened historically. The 6th Army did move a panzer division west to attack the flank of the Soviet penetration to the west but it was too late and really didn't move far enough, primarily because the Soviets were already swamping everything to the south by then anyway.

All in all, it has made for a fun battle so far, I think for both sides.

Rick