Kharkov '43 Grand Campaign AAR

[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: