Kharkov '43 Grand Campaign AAR---from the Russian side

[larsonney]

Kharkov '43 Grand Campaign Intro Part I

KHARKOV ’43 GRAND CAMPAIGN---Opening Thoughts from the Russian side

Arkan & I have now switched sides, and we will be retaking the beloved earth of the motherland from the hated Hun in the Grand Campaign of Kharkov ‘43

The Russian side consists of two fronts…the Voroenzh Front, commanded by Arkan, and the Southwestern Front, commanded by Larsonney. We are commanding the same sectors as we did when we were Germans, so we are familiar with the force dispositions of the enemy.

Here are the initial dispositions and our strategies…

North Front
The Russian 40th Army begins the game along the northern map edge, fixed until February 5th, 3 days hence. This Army gets some massive help on February 7th, so the northern push here will be strong, but delayed. Obviously, this area is expected to be quiet for a few days.





Center Front
---69th Army---
In the north, or right flank of the initial offensive, sits the 69th Army. This Army is almost all “D” quality units, so they will try to keep the pressure on the Grossdeutschland PZG division that faces them.



The Army does have a tank brigade attached to it, which we plan on using to try and pocket German units, if they choose to stay & fight.



69th Army’s general axis of advance is towards Volchansk, protecting the right flank of the drive on Kharkov, eventually linking up with 40th Army to its right.



---3rd Tank Army---
Definitely the most powerful unit in the center thrust on Kharkov is General Rybalko’s 3rd Tank Army. With a Cavalry corps, 5+ Rifle Divisions, assorted tank & destroyer brigades, & a healthy dose of artillery brigades, this Army packs a punch.



The real power arrives in the first 3 days of battle…2 full strength Tank Corps to exploit any initial breakthroughs. The plan is to go full speed west with this army!The immediate goal is to push towards Veriliky Burlock, then head towards Volchansk, hopefully trapping Grossdeutschland before it can get across the Donets.



---6th Army---
South of 3rd Tank Army is the 6th Army, mostly consisting of infantry divisions. This Army will be tasked with destroying the German 298th infantry division, then marching west to Chuguev. This will not only protect the flank of 3rd Tank, but keep the Hun busy with a direct threat to Kharkov.





The extreme southern part of the Army boundary has Izyum, so 6th Army will coordinate with 1st Guards Tank Army to capture this strategic city.

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South Front

The Southwestern Front is in charge of the offensive in the south, and it is a curious mix of strength & weaknesses.

---1st Guards Army---
This Army is strung out across many kilometers, with Mobile Group Popov in the middle. As mentioned earlier, the 35th Guards Rifle will assist in the capture of Izyum. The rest of the Army will be tasked with capturing Slavyansk and protecting the southern flank of Mobile Group Popov.



---Mobile Group Popov---
This exciting Army is both steel & paper in strength. A lot of tank brigades, but very little holding power due to an extreme lack of infantry!
The 4th Guards Tank Corp will push west to Barvenkovo to capture the supply dump there. The rest of Popov is frozen for the first two days of the campaign, so we will wait and see what occurs in the south to determine where Popov goes. The Germans will have 5+ panzer divisions in this area by Day 5, so initiative is expected to pass to them. What will they do?





Below is the map of Strategic Plan, with phase one expected to last 2 weeks.