PB Kursk '43 South impressions/discussion

[ComradeP]

As with Moscow '42: don't get me wrong, I really like the game, which makes the moments where the mechanics struggle more frustrating.

The Soviets being Fixed for most of the game means that they need some way to put up a reasonable defense with artillery, so that's fine by me. However, even though casualties from individual artillery units aside from Katyusha's are not that high, it all adds up in the end without replacements.

Targeting the spearheading units with artillery is a very effective Soviet strategy that can cause problems in a scenario where German forces don't activate at the same time.

The difference in the starting scenarios is interesting, by the way. III Panzer Korps has to clear about 7-8 lines of bunkers and pillboxes on a wide front (not for the faint of heart or people who have difficulty with losing as the Germans) so that's clearly the most difficult starting scenario from that perspective.

The SS have to go through about 4-5 lines of bunkers depending on where you advance.

XXXXVIII Panzer Korps has 2-3 lines of bunkers and some villages to clear, with soft conditions. The Soviets do have good artillery support.

The III Panzer Korps scenario for July 7th seems to be designed for the masochistically inclined German player : there are no less than 12 Katyusha units on the map combined with other good artillery.

I guess one of the main challenges for the Germans in the non-III Panzer Korps scenarios is the ATR screen. All of those units are spotters, so you need to divert troops to find and clear them if you want to move units to the front in T mode without them getting hammered.