Decisive at Dubno - Russian Steel aar

[hellcat]

Spoiler warning : this is my report on 1st scenario outcome of the Russian Steel campaign... if you've not played it yet (and you really should!) you may not wish to read through this report...

My core force consisted of:

HQ
3 T-34 m.41
5 BA-3 (recon)
5 BT-5
3 OT-134
4 GAZ-4M AA
4 Cossacks (Recon)
4 Engineer units
10 Conscript units
4 7.62 Maxims
3 Motorcycles (even more recon)
3 Tachanka
4 Marine squads
2 SU-37
2 SU-12
2 ZiS-5
2 76.2mm ATG

I purchased LaGG-3 planes with my support points

Seeing such a sparsely defended line of defence and starting off so far back I immediately began moving everything into the line in order to strengthen it along the whole length, dispersing my armour into fighting groups into North and South while sending the flame tanks into Dubno town as part of my urban defence force (including engineers). A T-34 and a motorcycle unit managed to immobilise themselves on the first round, not an auspicious start and I had to leave several units back at HQ as I didn't have the transport available for everyone - those wagons sure were handy!

Despite reports of poor performance of the conscript units in the main Russian Steel post (now hall of fame) I found them to give an excellent account of themselves as the Germans starting coming on in Dubno. I deliberately kept them in buildings and wouldn't dare step out into the open with them unless to cross to another building. In the northern sector, once supporting units began to arrive I used the conscripts to clear the surrounding heights of German AT units (with the help of the cossacks and motorcycles).

The first shock was the wave of panzer IIs coming in towards Lvov in the South. It was a race to get there in time and the defending rifle platoons already had their hands full with the German infantry approacing the line. Lvov successfully held off and smoked the PzIIs with only 1 unit being immobilised, 2 Bt-5s and 1 T-26 managed to take them out with the aid of the local Anti-Tank Gun.

The next shock was the Luftwaffe... They came in and I didn't think it was going to stop. They took out one of my OT-134s in Dubno and seemed to be going for my wagons mainly (Thank God!) and I lost about half my transport in one turn.

Meanhile the fight was hotting up in Dubno (quite literally, thanks to the OT-134s and Engineers who were now investing Dubno along with - much needed - rifle platoons). Flame Tanks are great for sitting on the line and letting the germans just come up and say hi, aiiiiieeeee! I deliberatly didn't try anything ambitious in Dubno town but just filled as many buildings as possible with men and let the German wave break over them) This was definitely helped by some armoured cars (who I didn't risk in street fighting) GAZ AAA and Tachenka units covering the open ground between Dubno (north) and Rovno and mowing down the germans attempting to cross it and get into the fight. Meanwhile I sent some units into Rovno (East) via the track that runs between the fields and began to roll up the Germans there East-West.

The real fight however, was starting to go down in the Northern sectors. The heights (once cleared) were set up with Anti-tank guns with armour in support lurking in the trees and behind the buildings. First warning was the appearance of the German recon teams (taken out in one hit by Gaz AAA!), then came an enormous wave of motorcycles (a company?) whicch immediately began picking apart my pakfront of AT guns. Once again the conscripts did well firing from cover and the maxims began to pick them apart as I wasn't risking breaking cover with my armour). Then came the PzIIIs (a company?) and all hell broke loose. In the duel that followed, I losts several tanks (I lost more here than anywhere in fact) and others had their guns shot out (turning them into much needed anti-personnel / motorcycle units) or the crews bailed out and had to reboard their vehicles after popping smoke all about. If it wasn't for the reinforcements, handily close enough to get into the fight quickly I think my whole defence in the North would have crumbled. The Anti-Tank guns managed to squeeze a shot in (once they returned to their guns) but it was a real tank fight from start to finish.

By now my cossacks had progressed further West and discovered a load of Stug Bs heading towards Rovno (which was currently occupied by some rather worn out conscript units). Peeling off some armour from the North - where I figured the fight to be dying down and sending up engineers and marines from Dubno which was pretty much in my hands now. I booked a flight of LaGGs to hit the Stugs, which took two of them out, so I booked them again. Thankfully some of the Stugs came too close to the buildings of Rovno and were assaulted and duly silenced. The armour vectored over from the North managed to make short work of the rest.

However, in the North all hell broke loose again as out of the smoke came a wave of German infantry, sending my anti-Tank gun crews running and being more than a match for my conscripts. Thankfully my tanks without guns and the maxims and GAz AAA (along with judicious use of artillery fire) managed to stem their tide before they got close enough to assault my tanks.

Then my HQ was under attack! German special ops forces turned up and were making short work of my few conscript units (still awaiting transport due to the wagon shortage) as well as taking potshots at my precious mortars. Thankfully I had 2 GAZ AAA units along with a motorcycle unit heading back to the ammo dump to resupply and the conscripts held them off unit they could blast them to bits. Close one though! And really unexpected.

In the North the infantry wave was followed by a wave of halftracks which were literally stopped in their tracks by my armour and anti-tank guns. After that it was a matter of mopping up. My conscripts accounted for the 88mms and a BA3 and SU-12 managed to take out the GW-38s lurking up there in a tense micro-duel.

With Rovno and Dubno secure my thoughts turned towards Lutsk with its solitary 50 point victory hex. The cossacks circled round from the North and ran into the PzIves who were warming up their engines in the town, which was also home to German engineers and infantry. The Rovno force were assigned the job of taking Lutsk and the LaGGs were called in again. With only a fe turns to go it would have been impossible to eliminate all resistance so my small attack force drove a wedge into Lutsk from east-west (once the tanks had been taken out) and forced their way to the victory hex while artillery rained down to stop the Germans reinforcing it.

On Turn 21 the game ended with a Decisive Victory for the glorious peoples army! 14822 versus 1890, I lost 424 men to the Germans 1013, 1 arty piece to the German 8, 13 soft vehicles (mostly wagons), 9 AFV to the German 40 and I shot down 1 german aircraft (finding the two AA guns supplied to be good anti-tank instead).

One of my T-34s got 10 kills and a BA-3 got 6!

All in all it was one hell of a challenge but a great scenario with plenty of surpises!

Conscripts seemed pretty good to me, apart from their inability to assault armour that is. Tachenka units are amazingly good value and better than maxims as they don't lose their shots and move further. GAZ AAA trucks are lethal infantry suppression units just keep them well back. Soviet tanks really need to stay in cover and fight a hit and run battle, german tanks will pick anything off in the open (or shoot out their guns - grr).

A fantastic scenario!

hellcat

[wulfir]

Jolly Good Show, Comrade!
A fine AAR and a DV! Wow!

I got hammered at Dubno...twice

[Gary Tatro]

Good AAR. I have played the senario twice have not finished it yet. When you get home at night and think, well I can play the MC-LV, my PBEM turns and oh I want to play Russian Steel, there is just not enough time.

[Henri]

Originally posted by Gary Tatro
Good AAR. I have played the senario twice have not finished it yet. When you get home at night and think, well I can play the MC-LV, my PBEM turns and oh I want to play Russian Steel, there is just not enough time.

Nice AAR, sounds like a tough scenario....

If you think you got troubles, I am waiting for both Lost victories and Starships unlimited to arrive, and I have so far only gone through the first scenario of the long German campaign and I have to try Russian Steel and I'll probably order Uncommon Valor.And there are a bunch of scenarios that I would like to try.

And my wife tripped and fell down the stairs last night and I had to take her to the hospital just when as I had broken through the Soviet lines. It delayed my whole attack. I bet Guderian never had problems like this...

Henri

[adantas]

hey Gary,

Really nice AAR!!

I managed to achiave a Marginal there!


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Senta à Pua!!!

[adantas]

Hey Hellcat ! sorry for my mistake..

[hellcat]

adantas - no problem. I've not played any MC as yet... can imagine they'll be cool though - am still playing thru regular campaigns and sharpening skills

[Orzel Bialy]

Congrats Hellcat for pulling off the Dubno scenario in flying colors!
I got my butt kicked there pretty good....while still managing to ink out a marginal, but probably not by much. Lord knows I had some pretty beat up units when I was done. Definitely had me thinking it was time to re-tool my approach too!

[RussianSteelDar]

Thanks for the AAR, Hellcat..

A DV at Dubno is impressive - 6 kills with a BA-3 even more so!

Your AAR described the battle very much as the designer intended - the northern strike force is potentially devastating. and it sounds like you survived it handily.

With CC ON, the Soviet player generally doesn't have enough command points to effectively respond to the northern threat quickly enough to avoid losses...

Good luck at Slutzk!

Brad

[hellcat]

Brad,

You're right about me not having had C&C on, I'm really yet to get the hang of that...

I purchased the armored (?) cars with the idea that they could be good for armor support but in the end they were far better at infantry suppression and good 'motorbike killers', I much preferred using the cossack cavalry as primary recon as they didn't go 'pop' when running into enemy armor (as in Lutsk).

Slutzk - I have no real transport for my troops so it will be a slog I'm sure...

[hellcat]

Slutzk was another DV - permitting me to purchase one brand new T-35... Looking at the map for the river crossing though and I am filled with fear again however...