A Second Civil War v5.1

[Lobster]

What version of TOAW are you using? The pre 3.4.1.9 patch had some problems that approximates this but I thought that the patch had fixed it.

[smiley69]

I'm running the latest, 3.1.4.9...

So it's possibly a bug?

[smiley69]

SitRep, Sector 7 26 July 1946 (end of turn):

Doesn’t look like much happened here since the last Sector 7 post, but turn 12 had a ton of action in this sector. US Marine armor and Marine infantry pushed back several companies of CSA armor and assault guns without suffering much loss. Heavy Tank (KV-1S) and Assault Gun (SU-85) units spearheaded a counterattack that gained back 5km of captured territory after several bloody turns. North of Campbell was the attack I highlighted in the last post, where one company of armored recon held off 4 battalions for the first 2 combat turns, and finally on the third they capitulated.

Jo moved a ton of units by rail from points on the east side of the map, crossed the Mississippi and disappeared somewhere in the west. I can only speculate he is going to attack in that small 10Km bulge North of Campbell. I hear rumors the German 1st SS “Adolf Hitler” is in town, along with the GA Sharpshooters, a mechanized infantry division.

I’m going to keep counterattacking in south of New Madrid and hope to make more gains on the territory I’ve won.

[Lobster]

ORIGINAL: smiley69

I'm running the latest, 3.1.4.9...

So it's possibly a bug?

Hope it was just an 'aberration'. [&:]

[ogar]

quote:

ORIGINAL: smiley69

I'm running the latest, 3.1.4.9...

So it's possibly a bug?



Hope it was just an 'aberration'.

My guess is that this is, even with the 3.4.1.9 change to the Retreat From Combat, the same-old, same-old Curse of the Armored Recon [Assault Gun] Defender. My unfounded, unsupported view is that there is some sort of 'magic' embedded in the icon for Arm. Recon or AG that gives those defenders extra dice rolls or special enchantments to withstand attacks from other units.

Also, I suspect that the Recon Rfl Teams and 251/1's are flagged in the .eqp file as recon and/or agile defender and/or armored. The defender looks in good health - green indicator, and D for Dug_In. All very tough to move. I see that two of the attackers have 'fair health' - yellowish indicator; meaning they are more susceptible to weak participation/failing to continue attack. If the attacking units (including supporting units) are not co-operating, that can show up in weakened support or even (gasp ! un-co-operation penalty -- I do not think the un-co-op penalty applies here.). And of course, relative proficiencies, as well relative health (readiness, supply) of units matter a lot as to how many show up for the fight and how well they fight.

What's the scale of this scenario ? It looks to me like 2.5km/hex -- is that correct ? and 6 hour turns ? If that is so, the attackers might be subject to density penalties...over 62 pieces of equipment per hex (including support units). And conceptually, the defending hex is just under 3 sq. miles -- about 1800 acres by my rough calc. Lots of space for a good, agile defender to use to deflect attackers.

And of course, terrain matters. I cannot make it out, but if it aids a dug-in, healthy, agile/armored defender... why, yes, it can take several attacks from healthy, well-supported, co-operating attackers to dislodge.

OTOH, it could just be Curse of Armored Recon.

Thanks very much for the AAR -- they are a real bear to write up, and each one is appreciated. Good luck with the game -- it's always tougher being the designer as well as player because part of your attention is always going to "what happened there ? do I need to fix events ? or check the formation/unit proficiencies AGAIN ? or... aw hell, NOT a CUSTOM eqp file ?!" as opposed to "OK, he broke through at a critical point, but now I can cut off his advance units and eliminate them".

[smiley69]

SitRep, Sector 6 and 7 27 July 1946 (end of turn):

The main objective of this scenario for the Confederacy is to capture and hold Kansas City; and obviously the U.S. player must prevent this from happening. The border between the two countries is defined by the Ohio River on the eastern side of the map, the Mississippi River in the central portion of the map, and the bootheel of Missouri on the Western side.

The map snippet in this post focuses on the west side of the map, as I believe this is the most likely place for a large Confederate offensive. The terrain is more forgiving here, with less escarpments, and is conducive for swift armor and motorized movement. I built the Confederate divisions modelled closely after 1942 German armored and motorized divisions looked on paper; another words having their complete complement of armor, assault guns, motorized artillery and motorized AA. At the beginning of the scenario the bulk of the Confederate forces were positioned east of the Mississippi. To the west there is only the AR militia, which is modelled as an understrength brigade. The militia is placed along strategic points to defend the border but does not have enough organic strength to mount an attack. They need some serious help.

I placed the Confederate motorized infantry and armored divisions east of the Mississippi on purpose – forcing the CSA player to make an objective assessment of the border defense in order to find the best place to attack, and then decide if he wants to attack the bulk of his forces quickly at the obvious weakened points across the rivers, or to instead attack in only one or two places in Sectors 5 and 6 and move the rest of his forces West to attack into Missouri. The idea behind this is that although the CSA planned their attack carefully, Confederate generals were hampered by politicians to attack at the most high value targets, which were heavily contested border towns along the Ohio River that had been sore spots for years. While capturing these towns quickly was possible given the strength of Confederate forces it was not the best long term strategy. The U.S. had been planning for such an attack for years and had large amounts of forces, albeit weak ones, to rush in to defend. These U.S. forces were not efficiently motorized however and political forces within the U.S. side kept rigidly defined sector borders in place, not allowing units the opportunity to train beyond their ‘boxes’. This points out the inherent weakness I built into the U.S. side; lack of mobility.

There is a 3 turn cease fire built into the game giving the CSA player the chance to either focus on the Ohio River crossing points, or perhaps move his forces for an attack in the West. Jo chose to attack across the Ohio right out of the gate, which played right into my defense. Although my forces are weak I am able to utilize the defense in depth strategy to pull weakened units off the line and replace them with fresh ones. Plus I can line the defensive perimeters with tons of artillery.

We all know the key to this game is mobility; finding the holes to attack and exploiting them gets the victory. In many of past games between Jo and I the maps ended up looking like WWI trench warfare. Attempts to breakout are thwarted and units dig in for the long defense. So in this scenario I wanted to give the opportunity to change things up a bit…

Doesn’t seem like Jo took the bait!!!

[smiley69]

Thanks for the input Ogar. You brought up some good points that I did not consider. Initially when I started this AAR I was caught up in the combat and alternate history aspect. Now I'm swinging a bit more to the scenario design aspect - because as we get deeper into the turn base it seems the ability of the CSA to continue an offensive is peetering out. Jo chose to attack in three places across the Ohio River which played right into my defense. It's been a war of attrition and the pendulum is swinging back a bit more in my direction as my counterattacks are gaining more ground.

Jo asked me if perhaps I did not give the CSA enough offensive power. I believe that I did, however he did not chose to attack in the area I designed as the most conducive for an attack.

The scale of the scenario is:

Map Scale: 2.5 km per hex
Turns: Full Day

Would it have made a difference to shorten the turn window to 6 hours?

[smiley69]

SCW Scenario Aircraft profile – Douglas A-20G Havoc

Purpose: Ground attack and level bomber
Engines: Two 1,600 H.P. Wright R-2600-23 Double Cyclone Radials
Span: 61 ft, 4 in
Max Speed: 317 mph at 10,000 ft
Armament: Five .50 machine guns and 40 20mm cannon; up to 2,000 lbs of bombs internally and a further 2,000 lb externally

Making its debut in 1939, the Douglas A-20 was a workhorse for the USAAC. The first major productions were the A-20B and A-20C. These versions served as a medium level bomber, night fighter and photo reconnaissance aircraft. These models were also ordered by the R.A.F, rearming them with .303 machine guns and badging them under the name Boston III. The plane was well liked by pilots and proved to be rugged, versatile and dependable. Taking advantage of excellent flight characteristics and handling, the A-20G model was rolled out in 1943, serving as a heavily armed ground attack and interdiction aircraft.

Large numbers of A-20G’s caused heavy damage to CSA supply lines on the roads, rails and rivers of Kentucky and Northern Tennessee during the early phases of the war.

Profile work by David E and David S Bright, 2015

[smiley69]

SCW Scenario Aircraft profile – Messerschmitt Bf 109 K-4

Purpose: Fighter and Fighter Bomber
Engines: One 1,800 H.P. (with boost) Daimler-Benz DB 605D inline
Span: 32 ft, 8 ½ in
Max Speed: 428 mph at 24,250 ft
Armament: One 30mm Mk 108 cannon firing through the spinner, two 13mm MG 131 machine guns on top of the cowling

The first prototype Bf 109 (695 h.p. Rolls-Royce Kestrel) took flight in September of 1935, followed in 1936 and 1937 by subsequent prototypes fitted with the 610 h.p. Jumo 210A. Bf 109’s won three contests in the military aircraft competitions in Zurich in 1937, and later that year a Bf 109 set the world speed record of 379 which stood untouched for two years. This sleek, versatile aircraft became the symbol of Nazi air supremacy throughout the early years of the war with legions of Bf109’s sweeping the skies of Britain, the Soviet Union and Africa.

By the middle 40’s Germany was focusing on its jet aircraft development and less attention was directed to upgrading or improving existing models of 109s. The last major version to see combat under the swastika was the K model in late 1944.
As CSA design engineers struggled to field a fighter with the performance to match the competition of Germany and her allies, in 1944 political maneuvering secured the delivery of several models of Germany’s aging piston engine aircraft, including the Bf 109E/F, Bf 110, and FW 190 under a lend-lease style agreement in return for German access to Confederate naval technology. In early 1945, a batch of 200 Bf 109 K-4’s were purchased and arrived at ports in New Orleans. By late that year, 4 squadrons of 109 Ks were established utilizing pilots already familiar with the Bf 109E.

At the beginning of hostilities in July of 1946, 150 Bf 109 K-4’s populated three elite CSAF squadrons, the 228th and 229th Tennessee and 212th Kentucky.

Profile work by David E and David S Bright, 2015

[Lobster]

I really like the art work on the aircraft. Shows a lot of imagination. Two thumbs up.

[smiley69]

ORIGINAL: Lobster

I really like the art work on the aircraft. Shows a lot of imagination. Two thumbs up.

Thanks Lobster! Putting together the profiles is great fun! My Pop and I have been working together - I've been creating the vector drawings and doing the initial paint in photoshop. I then send the file off to my Pop, who shades and weathers them...he has much more patience than I do...and has an artist's background.

[smiley69]

SitRep, Sector 6 and 7 29 July 1946 (end of turn):

These two sectors are starting to get very, very messy. Jo has moved a good chunk of 1 MS Armored division west across the map from Sector 6, and has began to attack N into Missouri. I was expecting this, but not really so soon. I also put in a theater option for the 1st SS and Luftwaffe to join in the CSA fight, which as you can see from the circled units on the bottom Jo has opted to select. Seeing the Luftwaffe units on the map, I dispatched several airstrikes with A-20s, B-17s and B-18s to see if could get some of the Nazi jets on the ground. Results were mixed. Suffice to say the B-18 should be put out to pasture and does not stand up well to Me-262s, Me P1101s, and FW Ta 152s. Losses were heavy and I do not think I did much of anything except anger the German pilots.

On the ground supply is terrible for the US side, which I had built into the scenario but I did not realize it was going to affect my defense so much. The combination of low proficiency and low supply are causing my units to splinter and retreat on any sort of attack, and there is reorganization left and right. I cannot even muster more than one or two rounds of counterattacks because I either do not have the available units, or I run out of supply.

Mental note to adjust the US supply a bit higher on the next revision.

In Sector 7, I counterattacked in only one location, and spent the rest of my turn digging in units and moving forces to try and counter Jo’s new offensive in the west. I have 6 battalions of tanks moving down from Kansas City, 4 of them heavies. On the Campbell/New Madrid defensive line, I am resisting the urge to pull back forces to counter the western offensive, and instead hope my units will reorganize enough for me to counterattack next turn. If I pull them back now, the whole bootheel will be lost…got to have them hang in there.

Around Bay City in Sector 6, Jo continues to press attacks with 2 NC ID. 2 ID is putting up a fight, but the low supply is hurting the defense…causing units to retreat quickly under the ‘limit losses’ setting. Jo and I have a gentleman’s agreement to not set forces to ‘ignore losses’ on the ground…

[smiley69]

Pre-turn Supply for Sector 7, turn 15:

Here is the pre-turn supply situation in Sector 7 – as you can see things are not the greatest.
I built a lower level of supply into the scenario, modeling the U.S. failure to prepare for a C.S. attack and not having the industry ramped up just yet…however I may have modelled it a little too harsh. My defenses are crumbling across all sectors.

[smiley69]

SitRep, Sector 7 30 July 1946 (end of turn 16):

Once again, the most action on this turn is in Sector 7. Jo moved the entire 1 MS AD across the map from the bootheel of MO and launched an attack north from Mammoth Springs with Infantry, armor and artillery. The pitiful defense put forth by the MO NG was disgraceful and the friendly units retreated immediately when attacked. As you can see also, the entire bloody MO NG ID is reorganizing!! Very frustrating part of this game – I understand the mechanics behind it – but nevertheless very annoying when you cannot muster any sort of counterattack because your units are all licking their wounds. Just a quick gripe – I do not think an entire division would take the day off from actively defending against an enemy attack. One or two companies or battalions? Sure. But an entire division? Including artillery? Not in my army.

I managed two successful counter attacks directly south into the CSA ranks using Marine Armor and Infantry along with a Heavy AG battalion. The battle was tough but in the end the Leathernecks beat back the Rebs and gained some much needed real estate.

At any rate, the 1st SS is on its way up from Memphis and will be entering the fray within a few turns. The MO NG is not going to stand a chance – so all I really have for initial defense are those 6 tank battalions at the N top of the map. I’m moving some infantry battalions to the NW as well to help out but they are not going to be much of a match for what the Germans are going to hand out. I am very concerned once the SS arrive they will collapse this entire sector and open the road to Kansas City.

One good side note from this turn; I launched an air attack onto CSA air fields near Memphis and wiped out 44 German jets, including an entire Stab of Me.P.1101 A’s on the runway! I mustered together over 200 A/C including 50+ B-18A’s and 65+ P-36C Mohawks. Completely lopsided I would agree but given the debacle of my three pronged infantry battalion attacks repelled by a company of armored recon earlier in the game, I’ll take it.

[smiley69]

Pre-turn Supply for Sector 7, turn 16:

Here is a site picture of the friendly supply situation in Sector 7. That rail link E of Williamsburg is the lifeline keeping what little defense the MO can put forth at least somewhat sustained. I’m keeping as many forces parked on the roads as possible to gather up supply and limiting movement in preparation for the 1st SS attack.

Along the Campbell/New Madrid line supply is not so good. Forces right along the front line have abysmal numbers and will be hard pressed to keep territory gained. Further back is a bit better and is keeping the artillery fed.

In the change log for this scenario I am seriously thinking about not making the US supply levels as low as they are now. I do not find much of a balance when entire regiments are splintering and retreating after attacks into dug-in positions. Or perhaps I need to look at it from the other direction and turn the strength down on the CSA side…not sure. We’ll have to see how these next few turns play out.

[smiley69]

SCW Scenario Aircraft profile – Messerschmitt Me 262 A-1a

Purpose: Fighter and Fighter Bomber
Engines: Two 1,980 lb.s.t. Junkers Jumo 004B turbojets
Span: 40 ft. 11 ½ in.
Max Speed: 540 mph at 19,684 ft.
Armament: Four 30mm Mk 108 cannon

Messerschmitt A.G. were asked in 1938 to design a vehicle around the new turbojet engines then being developed by Junkers and BMW. The first prototype was completed the following year although the earliest models of the jet engines were unsuited for the aircraft and performance was poor. In July 1942, with the emergence of Jumo engines, the Me-262 began to show its true promise as a fighter. With the recent defeat of the First Battle of Britain and the catastrophic failure of Operation Sea Lion in 1940, Reichsmarschall Ernst Udet authorized top priority to the development of advanced fighter designs, with large emphasis places on the Me-262. By early 1943 series production of the Me 262 A-1 began in ernest. By the end of the year a quarter of Luftwaffe fight staffell were comprised of the Me-262. With its blazing speed and devastating firepower the aircraft showed its dominance over Allied piston engined fighters.

At the beginning of hostilities in July of 1946, Hitler recognized an opportunity to leverage German air superiority and assist the Confederate offensive against the United States. He personally authorized Udet to form Fliegerkorps Amerika in early 1946, and employed a relatively small but powerful, battle hardened contingent force of Luftwaffe fighter and bomber units.

Profile work by David E and David S Bright, 2015

[smiley69]

SCW Scenario Aircraft profile – Arado Ar-234 B

Purpose: Bomber
Engines: Two 1,980 lb.s.t. Junkers Jumo 004B turbojets
Span: 46 ft. 3 ½ in.
Max Speed: 461 mph at 19,685 ft.
Armament: Various combinations of bombs slung under fuselage and/or engines to maximum of 3,000 lb

With an operational ceiling of 36,000 feet and a range of more than 950 miles with a 2,200 lb bomb load, the Ar-234 – the world’s first operational jet bomber – was a critical addition to Luftwaffe power projection and combined arms warefare. The first series version was the reconnaissance Ar 234 B-1, which flew in August 1942 and entered production later that year. The jet began operations over the British isles in the Second Battle of Britain in the Spring of 1943 much to the dismay of British Spitfires and Hurricanes which had no chance of intercepting the jet on an operational run. By late 1943 several Staffell of elite KG units such as KG 1, KG 26 and 76 were supplied with the aircraft and commenced a tactical bomber offensive against British airfields and other strategic targets with barely a 2% attrition rate.

At the beginning of hostilities in July of 1946, Hitler recognized an opportunity to leverage German air superiority and assist the Confederate offensive against the United States. He personally authorized Udet to form Fliegerkorps Amerika in early 1946, and employed a relatively small but powerful, battle hardened contingent force of Luftwaffe fighter and bomber units.

Profile work by David E and David S Bright, 2015

[smiley69]

SitRep, Sector 7 1 August 1946 (end of turn 18):

Sector 7 remains active; 1st SS continues to push to the N and NE with Armored Recon, Motorized AT and Armored Infantry units. Two counterattacks by Heavy AT and AG battalions from 5 AD pushed back the Motorized AT company however I do not feel the territory gained will be held very long. Supply at this point on the front is not good and any attacks made by the enemy are causing my units to retreat and splinter. I have a tank battalion standing by to the NW to attack into the flanks of the 1st SS if they manage to push any further north.

Along the Campbell/New Madrid defensive line a two pronged attack from a Heavy Tank and Heavy AG battalion pushed back CSA armor and gained me a hex.

The middle salient did not gain or lose any ground since turn 16.

[jmlima]

Well, I'm our esteemed host opponent in this scenario.

So far, things have been far from rosy from a CSA perspective. The attack was poorly planned and tried to gain too many footholds across the Ohio river. No only that, but the casualty rate has been, to put it mildly, alarming. The effect of crossing against a fortified defence force and then trying to dislodge ring after ring of defenders took his tool on the CSA force. The German contingent proved effective in the air, but rather redundant on the ground. They could be effective if there was a gap to exploit, but having to force a gap AND then exploit it is proving too much.

With hindsight, the adequate strategy was to use the cease fires to prepare two areas for crossing and staging a large force on the west plains, fording the minor rivers in there and punching through the defensive screening force. Then the Germans could be used for exploitation, probably creating a couple of pockets in the process and paving the way north to the major objectives.

But hindsight is always a great thing!

[smiley69]

SitRep, 4 August 1946 (end of turn 21):

There has not been much movement on either side for the last couple of turns – hence the lack of updates.

The CSA gained the addition of 4 Stabs of Luftwaffe aircraft, and the 1st SS “Adolf Hitler” Panzergrenadier Division around turn 19. Within a few turns the jets had swept the obsolescent USAAC aircraft from the skies; however despite the addition of the elite SS division, things have not moved much at all on the ground.

Jo pushed the 1st SS and 1 MS AD north from Mammoth Springs towards Greenville, slicing easily through the defenses of the MO NG. I scrambled forces to block and counterattack along the highway straddling Greenville including 4 battalions of heavy armor and heavy assault guns. I also brought down a battalion of tanks and armored infantry from defensive positions around KC to secure the NW flank of the fresh CSA offensive. Even though my forces were for the most part hampered with low proficiency and lack of supply, they managed to push back SS Panzergrenadiers and heavy tanks in counterattacks over the past 3 turns. The terrain was not in the US favor either – and supply in hexes south of the highway are extremely poor. However since the CSA has not captured a road route north from Mammoth Springs their supply situation is just as bad. This leaves them understrengthed and at a disadvantage to sustain an attack.

There is another elite enemy division that just arrived last turn; the GA Sharpshooters. They are equipped with mechanized infantry, tanks and armored artillery and could possibly be used to secure a road supply route to the north. I am not sure where Jo will place them. It might be a case of too little, too late.

The ultimate goal for the CSA is to capture Kansas City. After 20 turns the battlefield looks more like Verdun than anything else...