My First Battle: A Bigger Disaster on the Donets

[SS Hauptsturmfuhrer]

Human player: Germans
AI: Russians set to Computer+
Options: all at default except for the Computer+ difficulty setting

Just for fun, I am posting my very first battle after installing Kharkov. I was not aware how artillery worked in this game so I am now being properly schooled by the Russians on the effective use of barrages. My own artillery remained silent for the opening round and slowly got put to use as I found them mixed in with the units. Some artillery were cut off from supplies and could not be used and at least one was destroyed by rampaging Soviets.

These pictures were taken near the end of turn 4. I'm still doing the end of turn duties like pillbox placements. This first photo shows on turn 4, Kharkov and the few survivors holding on for dear life while the Red Army sets up a powerful encirclement and does probing attacks on the outskirts.

In the lead-up to Kharkov, wehrmacht units sallied out to fight the Russians in the small forest region just east of Kharkov. German troops and tanks attacked and pushed back a stack of Russian units but were then shredded by a brutal barrage from air and artillery while enemy ground forces massacred the survivors. Only a few German units survived to retreat back into Kharkov while one stack of 4 units which includes 2 artillery batteries has been cut off and bypassed by the Soviets. Remember that this photo is on turn 4.

[SS Hauptsturmfuhrer]

The Germans are trying to desupply the Russians using air intervention on the neck of their salient.

The next photo shows destroyed units around Kharkov on turn 4. It is sad but must be reported.

[SS Hauptsturmfuhrer]

The defenders of Kharkov are saying their prayers. Due to ammunition shortages caused by the Soviet squeeze, the staff in the command post have been issued nightsticks and pepper spray for the final stand.

Down south at Krasnograd, the units assigned to this area have been conducting a fighting retreat... more appropriately called a 'dying retreat'. Rebuilt units behind Krasnograd prepare to keep a lifeline open to the defenders to maintain communications.

[SS Hauptsturmfuhrer]

This photo shows the destroyed units in the Krasnograd region. Again this is on turn 4.

[SS Hauptsturmfuhrer]

So far, the Russians have curbstomped the defenders of Kharkov and put a stranglehold on Krasnograd at virtually no cost to themselves.  The Germans desperately try to disrupt the overextended Russians' lines of communications.  But will it be enough?  In the south, the 2 fresh German panzer divisions prepare to attack north.  Due to lousy use of artillery assets, limited ammunition and poor accuracy, the Russian pillboxes in the South are mostly intact.

The battle will continue....

[SS Hauptsturmfuhrer]

The Russian assaults continue with a brutality I seldom see in a game.  Stacks of German units are systematically surrounded, bombarded and then massacred to the last man again and again.  Some Russian artillery units around Kharkov have been destroyed by German air strikes and by limited counterstrikes on the ground.   The defenders of Kharkov are quickly being blasted out of the ruins and depleted units are being rotated through the CP in the centre of the city in brave but apparently futile attempts to resist the huge numbers of Red Army troops and tanks rampaging through the streets.

Krasnograd has fallen, the relief force wiped out before it could even get saddled up, and the Soviets seem to be making a move for the rear areas now.  The German counterattack from the south is making slow progress by a very determined Russian defensive line.  Almost all of the enemy bunkers have been destroyed but the Russian troops fight for every inch of land and refuse to retreat to the better defensive ground to the north.

I will post updated photos and news later.

[SS Hauptsturmfuhrer]

Turn 7

I did some more reading of the manual while on the train today. I learned about HQ's and how we can click on things and see each division by highlighting all the units in a group in green color. I did this and when my divisions were revealed, it looked like someone had spilled green peas on the floor and then kicked them about. The reason for the mess is when I placed rebuilt and reinforcing units, I did so without regard to divisional groupings; hence, the green pea spill effect.

This photo shows the fight situation on turn 7 in the south. The tiny encirclement on the left side is holding the Soviet 57th Army HQ along with two other units. Not suprisingly, the command post staff are burning papers in a panic while Krupp manufactured bullets perforate the walls of the CP cabin.





The strategic map on turn 7 with fights and troop movements displayed. Over the next two turns, Soviet troops on a victory buzz from taking Krasnograd, pour south brushing aside Romanian infantry and reach the suburbs of Dnepropetrovsk. Apparently the people who live in this city hate being asked where they are from. SS Wiking troops and light armor together with Romanian cavalry arrive just in time to deliver a counterattack that pushes back the Russian spearhead.





On turn 8, the Soviets corral German defenders in the Chuguyev region. These brave soldiers are all out of supply and grimly await either the miracle breakthrough promised by Hitler or the gulag.

[Fred98]

ORIGINAL: SS Hauptsturmfuhrer

On turn 8, the Soviets corral German defenders in the Chuguyev region.

These brave soldiers are all out of supply and grimly await either the miracle breakthrough promised by Hitler or the gulag.

Actually, Chuguyev has it's own supply source.
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[forgorin]

I bet he wish he new that.  Nice post.  Glad to see some one diving in with both feet.  I have just bought this game and will probable be starting it up in a week or two[8D]

[SS Hauptsturmfuhrer]

Kharkov city is a desperate mess. The Russians continually reduce the defenders with brutal assaults while constantly tightening the noose on the city.

Here is the fight situation at Dnepropetrovsk. The SS Wiking and Romanian cavalry have just finished conducting their counterattack. The narrow supply route of the invaders looks inviting for some air intervention.




Here is supply information for the Chuguyev pocket:



The Chuguyev hex displays a green supply dot which I understand to mean it is a source of supply, yet the city and entire pocket is displayed as out of supply. Is this because the Russians are next to Chuguyev supply point? Or is it an HQ issue? Also, I am unsure what 'Axis penalty [15]' in the center top of the popup refers to.

There is one Army HQ still within the pocket 2 hexes south of Chuguyev city, but the units attached to it are fairly scattered as mentioned. A German HQ was recently lost south of Kharkov near the bridge in the forest. Unfortunately, formation integrity was not considered for most of this battle due to the inexperience of the theater commander.

[SS Hauptsturmfuhrer]

The Russians use the streetfighting skills they learned in Stalingrad to full effect. German units are destroyed in stacks. The relieving Germans just west of Kharkov in this photo are all destroyed moments later by murderous barrages followed by swarming Russians.



Constant fighting in Dnepropetrovsk in the southeast is a mutual slaughter. More fighting is happening north of Kharkov in sadly futile attempts by the Germans to open up a line of supply to Kharkov.

The surrounding landscape turns a lovely organic brown and green. However, the delicious view cannot be enjoyed by the remnants of the German defenders because there are too many Russians blocking the view. This next photo shows the one of the last few city blocks of Kharkov being overrun.



In the south, the German relief forces are still bogged down by the fearless Russian defenders who fight to the last man delaying us. Their not-one-step-back tactics would please even the grouchiest of tyrants. Small pockets are lasooed and reduced. The preturn briefing tells me that we should have taken Izyum and be mopping up any remaining Russians east of Kharkov. Pure fantasy. It would help us all if Hitler would quit the drugs and get some sleep.

The picture below is at the start of turn 11 before any moves have been done. The bad weather is not likely to help us get to Izyum. On the bright side, there are likely to be very few Russians left defending Izyum after the southern pockets are written down.

[emcgman]

Well written AAR, SS Hauptsturmfuhrer.

I have to give you credit for fighting your first battle at C+ difficulty.

[e_barkmann]

The Chuguyev hex displays a green supply dot which I understand to mean it is a source of supply, yet the city and entire pocket is displayed as out of supply. Is this because the Russians are next to Chuguyev supply point? Or is it an HQ issue? Also, I am unsure what 'Axis penalty [15]' in the center top of the popup refers to.

The 'green supply dot' is actually a small hex-shaped icon that indicates that hex is an OMA entry/exit point.

You will note in the top middle of the popup there is a supply icon showing (supply crates) but it has a 'no-go' red circle and line through it, meaning the hex is currently out of supply.

Axis Penalty [15] means that your units will need to spend 15 OP points to move through the hex. No doubt due to ZOC's exerted by enemy units.

These terrain popups are explained on p100 of the manual.

And a very entertaining AAR - nicely done!

cheers

[SS Hauptsturmfuhrer]

Thanks for you comments gentlemen. And Chris, thanks for clearing up those points. I read the terrain sections and realized there are a lot of details I should be studying while building assaults.

Now back to the battle.

The Second Battle of Krasnograd

An ad hoc group of units refitting behind the Orel River make a grab for Krasnograd. The Soviet response is immediate and brutal. Not one German soldier survives to tell the story.




The good side of the Krasnograd slaughter is the entire Russian battlegroup assaulting Dnepropetrovsk in the south build pickets and then move north to protect their supply lines. SS Wiking leads an attack blowing through the pickets and reaches the tail end of the retreating Red Army units.


Izyum Liberated (turn 12)

The German divisions in the south finally break out into the vast open regions around Izyum and westwards while leaving pocketed Russian units to be mopped-up at leisure. A strong defensive force is assigned to hold Izyum city. Recon units fan out on the lookout for ambushes and secure key towns on the way. If enough troops can be moved up, it may be possible to blast a hole through to the Chuguyev pocket so our people there can get a bite to eat.

[SS Hauptsturmfuhrer]

The Russians continue to funnel large numbers of units from the south, through Krasnograd and onwards into the fog of war. Their rearguards erect a series of pickets and douse the pursuing SS Wiking units with artillery before heading north. It is possible they are loading up for a final clearing operation in Kharkov city.

The defenders of Kharkov are so low on troops and ammunition that it's fall really only depends on when the Russians work up the bottle to assault the last redoubts. The centre HQ is down to a reduced elite infantry unit and an ad hoc group including a bridging unit of engineers. The bridge engineers don't offer the defense much but they inflate stacks of rubber boats and use them for cover.

Third Battle of Krasnograd

The weather turns bad but SS Wiking continues to blow through roadblocks and pickets and finally makes it to the outskirts of Krasnograd. On the other side of the tortured city, stragglers from the opening massacre put pressure on the defenders to help SS Wiking take the city. With the strongpoint and defenders destroyed, Krasnograd swaps ownership for the third time to the Germans.




The situation north of Izyum looks dismal with a combination of inadequate supplies, bad weather and Soviet counterattacks. Two German infantry units are wiped out while defending a small town and the way to Chuguyev is properly blocked by the presence of Soviet reserves. The pockets in the south are reduced to skeletal formations, though slower than planned due to a lack of attack supplies and inaccurate artillery support. We had hoped to get a supply convoy through to Chuguyev so our troops there could get some food and letters from home but it seems unlikely before May 28th with most German units still south of Izyum.



Hopefully in the next post, I can post the exciting conclusion of the battle.

[Noakesy]

Nicely presented AAR. The maps look nice like that, I must admit I usually leave the hex outline on when I'm playing (so I don't make any slip ups during movements, or at least no more than necessary).

[SS Hauptsturmfuhrer]

The Soviets counterattack towards the south in a bid to subjugate Izyum. This photo shows a big attack pushing my troops out of a village. After this, Red Army units swarmed down to the west of Izyum bypassing German spearhead units.

[SS Hauptsturmfuhrer]

Here is the Izyum situation on turn 16. The Soviets attacked southwards while making a very strong line of defense south of Chuguyev in the strongpoints. Many enemy units were destroyed when they skirted the German defensive line trying to get to Izyum.






Here is the tally at the end of the day. Sorry for the flipped image. I forgot I had flipped it while trimming the edges of the image and it was already hosted when I noticed the error. It basically says I got an overwhelming victory due to my impressive strategic skills. I hope this report can be a help to other players who want to learn some good strategy, especially my handling of the defense of Kharkov city.

[sabre1]

SS Hauptsturmfuhrer,
 
Great job, and congratulations on your victory.  It was fun to read.
 
 

[emcgman]

Hello!

It clearly says the `AI' won.

Sorry SS, but you got your butt handed to you on a silver platter!

Nice AAR, though.

Again, I have to hand it to you for playing your first battle on computer C+.