Dog Fight - Ostkreig Tournament Round 1

[Dog Soldier]

Russian turn 25.
14:00 PM July 11, 1941
Normal
Visibility 3km.


Victory points after the Russian turn twenty-five


The battle ends as a draw. The Russian forces are badly battered. I saw no reason to try and hold the 300 VP hex. The casualties that would have been sustained there holding the hex, would still give the same result of a draw, though maybe a lower victory point total. The Axis needed another 70 VP in casualties alone. I could prevent that.

I could not prevent the fall of the 300 VP hex. I could not reinforce the hex in turn 24. There were not enough good order Russian units left to create a corridor. In any case if I did create a corridor, rather than surrounding the hex, the Axis could just shove the enfeebled defenders out of the village. Same result, a draw.

It turns out the Germans are in no shape to go much further. In retrospect, I should have tried to retreat faster so I would not have lost so many units delaying the Germans. It is hard as the Russians in S41 to hold the flanks of a large stack, even on the second day. I think I should have been more patient and set up a reserve force early on the second day to guard the 300 VP hex. My front line units would possibly be broken since they would not have been relieved. It is hard to say if fresh units, dug in, would stop the Germans as the Germans in turn would be less fatigued.

For those who might think the Germans would have been better to split their force and threaten a greater area, that plan has risks. A good Russian player might concentrate on one of the two German divisions. There is enough Russian units to form a rear guard to hold one German division from breaking out on its own, while the remaining Russian forces hammer the less numerous Germans in the other division. If the Germans split up a passive defense will not work.

Dog Soldier