Operation Barbershop - Carnage(Ax) vs. Redmarkus(Sv)

[Redmarkus5]

That's only a PC unit - it's not active, just sitting on a mountain providing zero benefit. If it was active, all the enemy would need to do is move his weakest Rumanian unit next to it and it would disband. Anyway, I can't issue it with orders to support my attack even if I drop the whole of the NKVD into the hex in support. Let me not upset anyone by commenting further.

[Redmarkus5]

TURN 25 - FRONT.

I played this turn at 0200 and forgot to save the screenies when I shut down the PC, so I only have those taken before I moved my units. See the images for my notes.

[Redmarkus5]

TURN 25 - NORTH

[Redmarkus5]

TURN 25 - CENTRE

[Redmarkus5]

TURN 25 - SOUTH

[Redmarkus5]

TURN 25 - OOB AT START OF BLIZZARD

[Redmarkus5]

TURN 25 - LOSS STATS AT START OF BLIZZARD

[Redmarkus5]

TURN 25 - DESTROYED UNITS STATS AT START OF BLIZZARD

[randallw]

You can combine cavalry divisions into cavalry corps now.

[Redmarkus5]

TURN 26

I want my cavalry as divisions so that I can put as many separate units though the gaps as possible. The value of cavalry is their power to disrupt LOC rather than their combat value.

In the north this turn, Leningrad has been reconnected to a land supply route and I have recaptured one the outlying southern urban hexes. Plans for T27 are shown by dotted arrows.

[Redmarkus5]

TURN 26 - SOUTH

Operations in the Kuban are making some progress after a slow start. The enemy was well entrenched and my attacking units are weak.

[Redmarkus5]

TURN 26 - FRONT

Operations continue with attacks and advances along the length of the front. AGS is frantically attempting to pull back, while AGN and AGC are trying to hold in place. The AGS strategy is more effective as it reduces my opportunities to engage with maximum strength - the blizzard conditions impact my movement significantly, so by the time I advance to catch up, I have limited available CV in those units with MP remaining.

[Redmarkus5]

TURN 27 NORTH

Three turns into the counter offensive the north is where my main successes have been realised so far. The breakout from Leningrad is gathering pace and the destruction of the enemy's front south of Lake Ilmen is largely complete and in line with my operational planning. He will need to either rush reserves to the Ilmen sector or pull his troops on the Volkhov and around Leningrad itself back to Pskov if he wants to escape the threat of a major pocket forming around the main body of AGN.

I have suffered a large percentage of my losses to-date in these two sectors, as the enemy was well entrenched, but his entrenchment values are now mostly 1 or 0, so I expect my losses to decline and my forward momentum to pick up over the next few turns. I have moved substantial reserves into the sector to support a major push to the north west.

There is also some potential for an advance by elements of my cavalry toward the south, threatening the LOC of the Axis troops south of Lake Seliger, but this will be defined by the enemy's response and the axis of movement taken by his reserve forces if they move up to re-establish a line between Ilmen and Seliger.

[Redmarkus5]

TURN 27 - FRONT

Along the remainder of the front progress has been slower, although I am advancing 1-2 hexes per turn. The enemy's defence is robust and harder to break through than expected, but this turn I was able to create several gaps - not enough to break through, but sufficient to suggest that he is under strain.

I had set limited objectives for the centre and south and the key ones (Rzhev and Vyazma) are only one hex away, so I may be able to push further west than planned.

In the Kuban, progress is slow but steady and I feel reasonably confident that I can clear it over the next few turns.

I have suffered about 250k men killed since the start of the offensive, against only 32k Axis fatalities, although I have destroyed over 4,000 enemy guns. Axis armour is mostly held back in the rear, so my tank losses are disproportionately high at 821 to 101. This is a poor ratio of losses overall but it does reflect the breakthrough phase. I will probably cease operations in the south when I reach the 'checker board' defence of forts, as the Soviet army in 41/42 is not up to that task and I want to conserve my strength for my defence in depth in '42. The capture of the two key cities in front of Moscow and the pummelling of AGN will represent a decent result for the offensive and should leave me in a better than historical position.

[Klydon]

I think you have a good plan to a point by limiting your offense instead of just trying to push all across the front. I am still learning the game, but it appears that while the Soviets want to launch a healthy winter offensive, there is such a thing as going too far with it and having your formations be depleted when the Axis get some of their strength back in the spring. As you noted, it is not like you are causing him a ton of casualties by direct combat, but rather I think it is the same deal for the Russians as the Germans; the real losses come from encircled unites forced to surrender. 

[Redmarkus5]

TURN 28

Aphib Ops definitely not working...

More incremental advances all along the front. Axis panzers have arrived (2 divisions) in the forests around L Ilmen. The enemy managed to escape from the pocket forming near Leningrad.

Rzhev and Vyazma have both been liberated, meaning that the main remaining goals are to threaten AGN's flank to the point where it pulls back a substantial distance and to clear the Kuban. I am building up forces for both purposes.

In the south I have arrived at a checker board of forts and will now suspend operations, find suitable defensive terrain and dig in to fort level 4 in 2-3 successive lines. (No checker defence for me - I prefer chess!)

More Shock Army HQs are arriving and I am forming my 3rd Echelon reserves around them. I have 4 complete Armies refitting in my 2nd Echelon and most of my front line units are also in refit mode as the winter campaigning is brutally damaging on them.

Comparing my current positions to my operational plan shows that I have seized about 90% of the ground sought in 50% of the time. Casualties have been heavy, but nowhere near the 1m killed figure I was worried about.

[Q-Ball]

red, keeping track of losses since the start of winter is very interesting, thanks for doing that. Informative.

Not sure what the "break-even" point is, but certainly 1-1 casualties is way in the Soviet's favor.

[Redmarkus5]

It is 10/1 losses in terms of killed though - in the Axis favour. I have the blizzard to thank for the overall situation.

[Redmarkus5]

TURN 29 - NORTH

The enemy has now pulled back from the Volkhov and appears to be struggling with the breach between L Ilmen and L Saliger. The armoured units he moved into the woods are now affected by the harsh conditions and have pulled back a hex or two.

He has also responded to the emerging threat to the left flank of AGC by pulling back west on the Moscow front. This allowed me to make some successful attacks this turn in less fortified areas. I expect he has another checker board of forts around Smolensk however.

I have moved 3 reserve armies to the northern sector. I am positioning to strike at Pskov, Novgorod and the flank of AGC simultaneously in order to force the retreat of both AGN and AGC.

[Redmarkus5]

FRONT

After a few attacks to test the resilience of the AGS fortified zone, I have suspended combat operations south of Vyazma. An assault in the Kuban with 9 divisions cost me 6,000 casualties vs. 175 Axis losses.

The use of forts and the checker board defence by the Axis severely reduces the capacity of the Soviets to attack successfully with 1941/2 units. I now need to:

1. Cause as much damage to AGN as possible and push it back beyond Pskov.

2. Build a defensive line that has the potential to drain the enemy of significant strength during 1942.

3. Plan for a 1943 offensive that can break though a map filled with forts by that time.

I have the AP to build forts but I rarely use them, regarding them as a-historical. I'm not entirely sure what they represent - are they combat units or engineers? My preference would be to see entrenchments being built by 'engineers' based on expenditure of AP, but all defensive operations within those entrenchments needing to be conducted by on-map combat units. So, if you build a mass of empty trenches, they are useless until filled with line units.