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

[Strela]

End of Game; German Epilogue

The scenario finishes with the sun rising on January 25th. The fighting over the last six hours has been inconclusive for all but the 260 Soviets and 70 Germans who have fallen in the last turn. The score edges up slightly and finishes in the middle of a German minor victory. The Soviet push came just a little too late.



The below screen shot is of the finishing positions and HQ's of all formations remaining on map. It's a good comparison to the full screen shot included in the very first turn of this after action report.



The post-game view shows all units. I have tried to show you all the engaged units in each of the following screen shots so the reader can see the various force match ups. In the 339th Infanterie area it is obvious that the 323rd Rifle Division is pretty much out of action, while the German forces have if anything become stronger. There is actually sufficient Landsers to break down the big German battalions further, but this was resisted to ensure units were not picked off piecemeal but rather to try and heavily wound any Russian stacks that could be engaged.



For the 208th Infanterie Division, the standoff at Proloskoye is evident. The German's were too slow moving an Infanterie Battalion in that direction and this left the Recon cavalry unit unable to take the village. The other Infanterie battalions are showing little wear for their recent engagements. The average unit strength is 600+ men each.



With so many units around the confines of Sukhinichi it was necessary to break the action across a number of shots so all units could be identified. This is the overall battlefield around the town.



North west of the town the Russian strengths are more than a match for the opposing Germans - if only they could have more than one or two Rifle battalions undisrupted at a time. The German line is completely threadbare. Note the single mobile AA vehicle and two Pzkw-II's as well as the very persistent lack of supply due to the Soviet interdiction of the highway. There is little to stop a concerted Soviet effort.



In the Sukhinichi defences the German strength is evident. The breaking of the siege and the periods of inactivity have allowed the 216th Infanterie to rebuild some of its units. Less can be said on the flanks beyond the town. The 18th Panzer Division has been pretty much bled dry in the attempt to keep the corridor open and it would have taken little effort to isolate the town again. Maybe the Russian cavalry should have pushed to the north rather than to the west?



South of Sukhinchi, both the problem with supply and strength of the cavalry is apparent. The cavalry have continued to push back the remnants of 18th Panzer Division and have assaulted the German's wherever possible. Another two PzKw III's were lost this turn to cavalry charge. Most of the defending units are now only companies and are accumulating excessive fatigue.



The scenario has finished after 24 turns a German minor victory. Looking at the state of the Panzer units in particular, it is a pyrrhic victory at best.

The scenario has been a great example of the small unit actions that typified the desperate 1941/42 fighting on the Eastern Front. Single vehicles holding the line is not atypical.

The margin of victory is not indicative of how close the Russians were to winning. Their chances were really cruelled with excessive disruption of units and delays in recovery. The very lucky sighting of the 83rd Cavalry Divisions movement was a game changer. If not spotted there was a very good chance that the bulk of 18th Panzer Division would have been isolated on the hill - in deep snow and with supply threatened if not cut. In another play through we have seen the cavalry achieve surprise with dire results for the German’s.
In real life the German’s abandoned Sukhinichi on the morning of the 25th due to the same challenges now being faced by 18th Panzer. The rescuers were in danger of needing their own rescue and a retreat was ordered despite Hitler’s entreaty to stay put. This scenario has followed history nicely with the strong push by the fresh German regiments the only significant difference.