Red Storm Rising: A 43-45 AAR

[fiva55]

Axis: Jajusha
Soviets: fiva55
Version: 1.04.24
Settings: Full FOW, non random weather

Alright, a new GC. This is new territory for the both of us, so bear with any mistakes we make. I will delay posting turns, so Jajusha may freely visit and post in this thread.

Before we begin, here is a short comparison made by Jajusha of our starting OOB compared to our last game:

Just for a comparison between our 42 GC and the 43 GC starting OOB:

our 42GC on 7/3/1943:
AXIS OOB
Men: 2.548.138
Guns: 19.450
AFV: 3.318
Air: 2.226

SOVIET OOB
Men: 6.092.038
Guns: 101.686
AFV: 8.917
Air: 13.277

43GC on 7/4/1943:
AXIS OOB
Men: 3.370.115 (+821.977)
Guns: 32.629 (+13.179)
AFV: 4.735 (+1.417)
Air: 3.397 (+1.171)

SOVIET OOB
Men: 6.645.282 (+553.244)
Guns: 124.784 (+23.098)
AFV: 14.750 (+5.833)
Air: 11.087 (-2190)

The Axis here starts in a much better situation then the one you where in our 42CG in the same date, almost 1M more men, 13k guns and 1.5k AFVs. The extra 1k airplanes isn't to be dismissed too.

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Turn 1
Date: 7/4/1943

Despite intelligence indicating that the Germans would launch their summer offensive this week, the front has been suspiciously quiet. The bulk of the German armour remain uncommitted, seemingly content to take a defensive role.

[fiva55]

Turn 2
Date: 7/11/1943

The front remains quiet, though recon indicates that the Germans have pulled back some of their armour. However, they have yet to begin shortening their front lines. Perhaps they wish to lure the Soviets in and destroy them on open ground?

With most of the German attention centered around Kursk, STAVKA has planned to kick of their summer offensive with a major operation launched by North Caucaus Front, with as goal the destruction of the German 17th Army.

North Caucaus Front begin of turn 2:

[fiva55]

End of turn 2
Date: 7/11/1943
Location: North Caucasus Front

This part of the front has remain quiet, except for the destruction of our beachhead west of Novorossivsk. The Germans have yet to evacuate 17th Army, though recon shows that one division has already been pulled back to form a rear guard.
Fearing that if we wait another week, 17th Army will have escaped completely intact, STAVKA has authorized the lauch of the Crimea offensive.

The plan is as followed: 58th Army will launch an amphibious operation with as goal the capture of the port (Temryuk) in the rear of 17th Army. Simultaneously, 4th Guards Calvary Corps will land south of Temryuk to close off the connection between Kerch and 17th Army, preventing the Germans from relieving 17th Army.

Once the Germans have been cut off, the remaining armies of North Caucasus front will start pressuring the flanks of 17th Army, with mobile elements (18th Tank Corps and 3rd Guards Mechanized Corps, railed in last week) racing forward as fast as possible, hopefully linking up with the landing forces.

End result:

[Jajusha]

Turn 1: Used AP to start activating the Crimea region. Slightly shortened the Orel salient to more defensible positions.
Turn 2: Used AP to finish activating the Crimea region. Started an orderly retreat to a more defensible position - Strait of Kerch
Turn 3: 13 divisions isolated.


This is what i hate about the way non 41 campaigns are done.
In our 42 GC, i lost over 140 divions as the soviet because fiva attacked not the Stalingrad region (where i had my activated divisions) but in the Leningrad area, where everything was static.
Over here, spend 2 turns activating units in the right area (thankfully), and i even consider myself lucky by getting that one divisions outside the encirclement. He could have went for the Stalino region - all static, or the Leningrad region - all static, both very very juicy targets too.

By having everything static but the Orel salient region doesn't mean the action will happen there, I'm not going to thrust my armor into the Kursk deathtrap, just as my opponent won't hit my forts there. Static fronts, in my opinion, are right now exactly the opposite of their design focus, it works against the AI, sure, but not against an opponent that knows the weakness of Static defensive positions.

So, and wrapping my rant here, instead of discouraging action, the static fronts encourage it, as its just a too juicy target to avoid to whomever has the attacking initiative.

[Tarhunnas]

It is a bit strange to have a mechanism in the game, static mode, that is widely adopted by the historical forces that no player would ever use (except as the Soviets to free up some trucks, but never for units in the front line). IMHO that is a pretty strong indication that static mode needs to be looked over. Either it needs to be made more attractive to players or its effects need to be mitigated.

One possible way to make it more attractive to players would be to reduce attrition for static units. That would give a real incentive, and there are historical precedents that dug in units in static positions suffered fewer casualties (WW1 for example, I know people think of it as as a bloodbath, but in fact casualties due to attrition were low in inactive dug in sectors of the front. Trenches save lives!).

[Flaviusx]

I agree the static function has issues. However, the Sovs can beat a human German to pulp in this 43 scenario if they just focus on getting the Red Army activated, mass it in a weak spot, punch a hole, and keep up the pressure. The place to do this is by Stalino.

Don't spend APs on anything other than activations for many months. Yes, that means your command and control will be a mess.

[JJKettunen]

Strange that people play the stock scen when there's a much better version available.

[hfarrish]

ORIGINAL: Flaviusx

I agree the static function has issues. However, the Sovs can beat a human German to pulp in this 43 scenario if they just focus on getting the Red Army activated, mass it in a weak spot, punch a hole, and keep up the pressure. The place to do this is by Stalino.

Don't spend APs on anything other than activations for many months. Yes, that means your command and control will be a mess.

Both good and bad to hear - I just started a '43 campaign as the Sovs where I picked exactly that spot - the weak German forces NW of Stalino - to mass and launch an attack. I did use a lot of APs trying to keep some semblance of C&C and reduce penalties, so perhaps that was a mistake. While not an overwhelming success (I won't reach the Black Sea and cut off the salient) it degenerated into a huge slugfest that has caused significant damage to his panzers that will probably result in me having the initiative for the rest of the war...

Will try to post an AAR by this weekend, I think it will be interesting.

[fiva55]

End of turn 3
Date: 7/18/1943
Location: North Caucasus Front

17th Army was unable to break out, and was forced to surrender.

[fiva55]

End of turn 3
Date: 7/18/1943
Location: Orel Salient

The Germans seem to have detected the build up in the flanks of the salient, and have started to pull back. Unfortunately for them, they were too conservative, allowing the gathered mobile elements of 5 fronts to cut off the top of the salient.

[Klydon]

Ouch! That will leave a mark.

Well done sir!

[karonagames]

Deja vu of my game with Don - thankfully he gave me a mulligan!

tm.asp?m=2482758#

[Klydon]

Good to see you post Big A [:)]

[fiva55]

End of turn 4
Date: 7/25/1943
Location: Orel Salient

Strong German reserves originally intended for the Kursk offensive were put too good use by relieving the Orel pocket. Most of the Soviet tank corps were routed, but this turn they came back with a vengeance.

[Mynok]

When he piles up those rifle corps it's time to tuck tail and runaway.