Barbarossa North Campaign #1

[budd]

While eagerly awaiting the release of new campaign series game I thought i would get back into the campaign series. Decided to start a DCG of Barbarossa North.

Major Vonbudd....Leningrad or bust[:D]

Major Vonbudd has been given command of a Panzer Battalion. 4 panzer companies make up of 3 light panzer companies. 2 with mainly PzllF and Pzlllf and the other light company with PzlllG. 1 medium Pz company with PzlVE's .

Early on the mission is to keep casualties low as possible while achieving our objectives and keeping high command happy and not getting sent to the Russian Front.....wait a minute.

I'll send 1 light company around the hill on the left. The other 2 light companies go right up the middle with the attached infantry. The medium Pz company i will hold back and only commit when and if needed. The sIG 150mm i'll keep in range for indirect fire missions.



Turn 2 and i've made a slight change. I'm splitting off 1 company to go up the road. I just don't want everything bunched up in the valley.We have our first contact.

Turn 5
We have our first VP, it wasn't defended. #1 were going to swing around and come down the road on the left. #2 will take up position on the heights to provide fire support while we push in the middle and await the Pz company on the left to come down the road. #3 i moved up the medium Pz company in case i need to commit them. I move up the sIG's to keep range on the enemy and kick out an infantry unit and half-track to watch the right flank and the road. Losses are good so far.


Turn 7 i lose my first tank.


Turn 8
Plan still in effect, slowly closing the armor jaws. I plot my sIG on a target rich environment. The enemy is close to breaking, Major Vonbudd can sense these things[;)]


Turn 13
the enemy flee's before us.


The rest is mop up.
High Command is pleased. my units performed well.


State of my forces after the battle.


On to mission 2

As a side note really looking forward to extra 2d zoom being ported back. I also think some improvement in the victory screens would be good. Maybe some tabs to click with casualties and kills by unit and final map disposition.

Question: is there a key to remove the wrecks and KIA's from the map?

[Jason Petho]

Thank you, budd!! That's great!!

[budd]

Houston we have a problem. Major VonBudd made a major Boo..Boo the major looked at the next map mission and exited.....whoops, no setup mode for you[:-]. I did the first turn, mainly just trying to get some semblance of C and C . This changes things, not too mention I was given a bunch of small trucks that don't have the strength points to carry my infantry or tow my guns. So i have 1 105 that will stay put and 2 infantry platoons that are going to walk....wait i can put the infantry on the tanks..that'll help. A lot of wooded ground to cover with no major roads, might just have to adhoc it.

I also forgot to snap a screenie of the mission briefing. Here's what i'm looking at AFTER the first turn. The circles are the VP's. The plan was of course setting up the armor to the right in the clear terrain and sending a small force up the left side of the map to grab the left most VP.....well that's out the window. That's VonBudd on the bottom of the screen...time for plan B.

[budd]

After missing the setup phase things were a little messy. I spent the first couple of turns trying to get my units in some sort of organization. With the reduced movement rate of the terrain i kind of gave that up and pushed on.


I pushed the Pz companies up the trails, paths, whatever they were. The fire icons were where i was engaged and the black lines are where i was stopped and marked my progress at scenario end.The red stars are the VP's I took.
Had a bit of an easier time on the right. i've marked where the AT guns were located, i suffered a few tank casualties and didn't exit everybody on the right. Not exactly ideal tank country on the left side of the map and the ambushes took there toll. I should of just bit the bullet and swung my tanks to the right to try to keep the casualties down instead of taking them through the forest with minimal visibility. I ended up with a "good" rating and more casualties then i wanted.


Here's my forces after the scenario.Going to have to be gentle with my forces in the next battle.


I don't suppose it would be an easy change to make so you could look at the map without losing the setup phase. I like to look and plan and even print the map out to contemplate my plans.

Another annoying thing is I keep getting trucks [small krupps] that cant really carry anything except maybe machine guns. They couldn't carry my infantry or arty, not sure what they were for. i used them for recon, it was nice to see the AI not fire at them and they were pretty useless for recon, just didn't know what else to do with them. I found that there is kind of an exploit when the trucks bump into an unseen enemy unit you can't enter the hex and it tells you can't enter hex with enemy unit.

Off to battle three, hope to document it better......guess i wont be peeking at the map again.
I'm just warming up for the new game next week.

[budd]

Couldn't resist doing the setup for the next battle. I had 10 strength points to spend for refitting before battle so all of my PzlVe were brought up to original strength, what was left over i used to refit some of my PzlllG's.

The Mission


THE PLAN [Visibility 20]
On the left i'll scout forward with the motorcycles and i will either head toward #1 or swing right to support the main thrust and head toward #2. #2 has good LOS and nice overwatch spot. Just depends on what my recon tells me.On the right by the question mark again depending on what i encounter i may veer left and head toward #2 or go straight in.I'll hold my medium Pz company back and wait and see where i need them. I have some AT guns and a motorized battalion HQ coming in as reinforcements, mostly arriving center bottom of map. I only have 2 smoke or i'd drop some on that tree line dead ahead by that enemy unit.I have 16 turns and with the ground i have to cover there's no hurry.

[Jason Petho]

Looks like a good plan, budd!

Jason Petho

[Crossroads]

Go get'em, General der Panzertruppe Freiherr von Budd !!!

[budd]

the mission continues
This will be a combination AAR and DAR as time allows...onward

This is the situation after my moves on turn 1.
as i move forward another AT gun makes itself known, i take fire from both and return fire with light Pz company on the closest AT reducing it by 1.Enemy fire has no effect on my units. I delay pushing the other Pz company up until the AT's are dealt with. On the left i move my recon motorcycle up and also move forward my Pz company. the plan is to move my motorcycle to #1 for good LOS. I plot my arty on the 2 AT guns and end my turn.

[budd]

Before my moves turn 2

After the enemy turn more enemy units reveal themselves, some tanks, trucks and what looks like a command car. My arty pays off KIA on one AT and the other was reduced and displaced. I had some movement on my forward left[question mark] so i'm altering my plan on the left. I will still move my recon motorcycle towards the star but i'm shifting the Pz company and attached infantry assets to the right to take the high ground. On the right i'm shifting my middle Pz company to the left and heading for the high ground, i'll save AP's for firing in case i get range on the enemy or for OP fire. With my right Pz company i'll put fire on the #1, i have LOS but no range on #2 and #3. Since the enemy AT guns are temporarily out of action i'll take the opportunity to move my sIG's up where they have LOS and put some direct fire on the enemy. On the right i'll move my sIG up to #4 and #5 which gives me LOS to #1 and #3. The right sIG's will move o #6 which gives me LOS to #1 and #2. Lastly i'll move my Medium Pz company up just a bit. i'll leave my 105mm for indirect fire.

Well i'm off to see how that works.

[budd]

After my moves turn 2
I put fire on the most forward tank and reduce it by one and it displaces, I still have action points for OP fire with that Pz company so that went well. Everything else i went with my plan and no surprises. Time to see what the enemy does. I plot my 105mm and end turn.

[budd]

Before my moves turn 3

the enemy drops some arty that hits nothing but empty hexes. My arty was effective displacing one unit and reducing another. The smoke the enemy dropped was effective in blocking LOS of my sIG on the right. i'll look for a better position for my right most sIG's or i might leave them in place until the smoke clears. the yellow X was where some enemy units were visible but not any longer, so i'm moving my reserve medium Pz company to #1, i'm worried the enemy will come down that road. No more indication of contact on my extreme left. I will continue to push all 3 light Pz companies forward gently and also the infantry.

time to make the moves.

[budd]

After my moves turn 3

Things are going well. Pz company at #3 took some fire from an AT gun and a tank unit, no damage. My tank units at #2 return fire reducing the tank unit by 1. the enemy units retreat under my fire. on left i continue to move my Pz company forward along with the infantry which i have behind a hill currently to protect from enemy fire. I move my medium Pz company to #4
I plot my 105mm and my available sIG's and hit end turn. Did i mention i still have 5 airstrikes[:D] of course last scenario i had 3 airstrikes and they all were called back[:(]

[budd]

Turn 4 before and after

I continue to push my 3 tank companies forward, shots are exchanged, i lose my first tank. I push my motorcycle unit across the water to recon on my left. No reason to change the plan...forward.

[budd]

turn 6 after my moves

We continue to push forward. We grab our first VP and take fire and retreat. I will hold the tank co. at #1 and eventually use them to take the right most VP. #3 is my medium tank company which i'll jam up the middle with he plan to hook left past the town. At #2 i'll go into town with 1 Pz company and the attached infantry units, which are 2 machine guns and an engineering platoon. Yellow line is where i'll hold the other tank company with the sIG's on the ridge.
The enemy KIA list, i still have only lost one tank. I think i'm pretty good on time and don't have to rush, i am expecting some stiff resistance the other side of the town at the river and forest. I'll try to work my motorcycle unit around to take a look.

[budd]

turn 7 before and after

The enemy reinforces from the right, they come under fire from my sIG's, no damage done.






I pull a couple of tanks back a few hexes on the right. i'll pound the right VP area with arty before attempting to capture.


i'll take my medium tanks up around the town and use what little infantry units i have to try to take the VP in the swamp tile.

[budd]

turn 8

The enemy bring more units to the party on the right, mainly tanks. In the center i'll keep pushing thru the town, on the right i'll back up a couple tank units a hex to cut there exposure.


After my moves and plans for turn 9.
I'm beginning to think the main enemy units are on the right.



I still have 4 airstrikes left, now seems like a good time to use them. I use 3 on the right and plot my 105's on the right also.

[budd]

turn 9

The enemy brings more units to the party on the right. Before my moves.


I start to swing 4 tanks and a sIG to the right to help out. i'm across the river,creek and moving toward the 165 VP.


The enemy has payed a heavy cost and i've kept my losses to a minimum. I forgot about my motorcycles and they got taken out by arty.I plot my arty and hit end turn.

[budd]

After the enemy turn.My moves are still come.

The enemy tries again to push on the right, my arty and OP fire take a heavy toll. I have disrupted units highlighted on the map. I lose a medium tank. I forgot to mention i received an engineer unit and a couple of AT guns but again i don't get the right transport and have to leave something behind. I'll move the reinforcements up to the 165 VP to cover and pull more armor to the right. Thats all for tonight, until the next time.

[rickier65]

thanks for posting, I'm enjoying the fight!

Rick

[budd]

turn 10 after my moves.

I kill a couple of enemy units and grab the 165VP, i'll move my MG and engineer platoon up there and pull the tanks back. I'm having 2 tank companies swing to the right to reinforce. I plot my arty and hit end turn. I'll pound the enemy for a few turns with potshots and arty and then move on the VP.