A Clash of Titans, Xhoel (Axis) vs Bitburger (Soviet)

[xhoel]

ORIGINAL: John B.

Thanks for the thorough report! Looks like the Romanians have taken some very heavy losses.

Thanks for the comment John. Indeed they have. All Rumanian divisions are sitting at 60% TOE. The Blizzard was harsh on them.

[xhoel]

T38
AGN

The Finnish Army resumed their attacks this week launching 5 attacks and pushing the Soviets back all along the front. We pulled back the 291st ID for R&R because of their low morale.





AGC

The Rzhev area saw heavy fighting this week. The enemy held their ground in two occasions and caused heavy losses to our attacking forces. Secondary attacks however managed to dislodge the enemy from their positions. We took heavy casualties in all attacks. We lost a lot of bombers in one of the raids that went wrong because of the lack of escorts.





We launched 2 attacks in the Kaluga-Tula sector pushing the Soviets back from the outskirts of Tula and the position that was too close to our rail lines.



Several attacks launched in the Kursk sector as we routed some Tank Brigades and shattered a Rifle Division among other feats.



One of the most bizzare and frustrating results of this week came from an airfield bombing conducted with escorts and dive bombers. Somehow we lost 42 Stukas to this attack, a result that really baffled me considering that we had around 85 fighters as escorts. Have seen bad bombing results especially when flying unescorted bombers but have never seen anything like this especially considering that all the air groups were high morale, high experience ones. Anyone know what might have caused this?

[xhoel]

AGS

The Commander of Army Group South GFM von Rundstedt was dismissed and GO FranzHalder took command of the Army Group.

The Kharkov sector saw sporadic fighting this week with only 3 attacks launched. One of them managed to shatter a weak Soviet Tank Brigade. We have moved several armored/motorised formations in the area but lack of trains prevents a fast build up.



Attacks in the Rostov area managed to trap a Soviet Rifle Division and a strong Soviet Mtn Division. There is little chance that the Soviets will reopen the pocket but the chance is still there. We have pulled most motorised/armored formations for offensive operations and are reaorganizing our forces here.

Nothing new to be reported from the Crimea.

[xhoel]

Casualties

This week saw heavy casualties as the Axis resumed their offensive. The enemy lost around 10.000 men (KIA and POWs) while the Axis lost around 4.000 men (KIA and POWs).



This was a black week for the Luftwaffe, which lost a lot of bombers in two separate incidents.



The truck deficit has fallen to 12.000 trucks.

The OOB has improved for both sides as shown below:



And here is the VP count:

[EwaldvonKleist]

Re bomb result, did you look at the flak numbers?

[xhoel]

ORIGINAL: EwaldvonKleist

Re bomb result, did you look at the flak numbers?

Flak was minimal. Bitburgerdraft also wrote to me and mentioned that it is a very bizzare result. You should have seen my face when I saw that I had lost 42 Stukas in a standart attack [:@]

[SparkleyTits]

With is being pure Soviet fighter and not needing to protect their own bombers perhaps they passed dice rolls to get past your escort and rip the stukas apart?

How tired were your sqaudrons?
They are the "better" Soviet frame types so if Bittburger has been managing his air they could conceiveably be nice EXP sqaudrons

I'm just guessing though tbh we need an air boffin!

[DeletedUser1769703214]

ORIGINAL: xhoel

ORIGINAL: EwaldvonKleist

Re bomb result, did you look at the flak numbers?

Flak was minimal. Bitburgerdraft also wrote to me and mentioned that it is a very bizzare result. You should have seen my face when I saw that I had lost 42 Stukas in a standart attack [:@]

There is a technique to the amount of interceptors to what type of bomber. For example you need less interceptors for level bombers than for Tac bombers. I have found that for TacB you want to have at LEAST 2 to 1 in interceptors to TACB bombers. So if I flew that mission I would fly 130ish plus interceptors. Anything less than that you are asking for trouble, as in high losses to TACB bombers. For Level bombers the interceptors can be a lot less because of a number of factors which I wont get into for keeping both of these simple.

Just FYI a few patches ago, I don’t remember when and which one but it has been awhile, they increased casualties to Stuka if my memory serves me correctly. But from all my games as Germans I would always fly 2 to 1 minimum escorts to TACB to be on the safe side. It used to work for me but haven’t played Germany in awhile now and may have changed. Send Telemecus an email he may have an idea beyond my 2 cents.

[xhoel]

@ST: My air groups had very low fatigue and were in really good condition. From what I understood by talking to Bitburgerdraft, the Soviet interceptors were nothing out of the ordinary. Yes they are flying new airframes but that shouldn't lead to such results. I guess I just had some really bad dice rolls and the Soviets had some really good ones. Still a bummer but nothing I can do about it.

@HLYA: Thanks for the tip HLYA, I wasn't aware that you should aim for certain ratios when flying different types of bombers, good to know though. The increased casualty rate for Stukas is all fine and all but in this case the numbers are way off. Will ask Tele about it though!

[Crackaces]

Not an exact science .. (I know you know this but just some thoughts for the forum)

What I do for my air battles is to look at each battle and assess:

1) How much flak was committed to each battle? What type of flak?
2) Info ->air losses What is the difference in flak losses and air combat losses? (You can check this during your turn after each battle) [Just to say in my 8MP game Flak losses are double my air combat losses].
3) With the above information you can determine if suddenly the Soviet Union has trained up Pappy Boyington's or you flew into a flak nest ...

So what was the combat causalities like before the data in post 394?

At least you can confirm if flak was the culprit....by subtracting from last turn.

[xhoel]

Additional info is always good so I appreciate it Checking the numbers is always a good idea.

Flak doesn't seem to be the culprit in this case though. I just checked the numbers, during the whole turn (Axis Turn) where we lost 102 planes, only 8 of the losses were caused by flak, 81 were A2A losses and 13 were operational losses.

[821Bobo]

However dive bombers are more vulnerable to AA fire and would say those Hurries have something to say too.

[xhoel]

T39, 12th of March-19th of March 1942.
AGN

The Soviets were active in the air in the north last week and launched raids against Finnish airfields. They took heavy casualties in the process but recon indicated that they are building up a substantial force in the sector. Because of this, the Finnish fighter groups were ordered to deploy further to the rear so as to protect them against unnecessary losses. Only 1 ground attack was launched by us this week. It managed to rout a Soviet Rifle Division. We have repositioned some of our forces so that they can replace the 1st and 2nd Regiments of the 163rd ID that are leaving next week.
The situation around the Valdai area was quiet.





AGC

The Rzhev sector saw only 2 battles in the ground during this week. We pushed the Soviets back in both occasions and the mens morale is increasing. We are still holding the armored formations back for the time being. We have regrouped our air groups further to the rear due to the strong enemy presence here. We are expecting renewed attacks on our air bases.



2 attacks launched in the Tula area as well. We managed to push back Soviet forces that remained close to our rail line and we can start using it again. The battle was hard fought however and we took heavy casualties in the process. Our units closed the distance with the Soviets. We have pulled our air groups back here as well in order to better defend against Soviet airfield raids.



The main action from Army Group Center happened in the Kursk sector however. Our units launched attacks on a broad front (80 miles) and at the end of the week after heavy fighting were able to encircle 2 Soviet Rifle Divisions. Breaching in this position means that we can advance forward easier than in other sectors since the enemy has not fortified their secondary and tertiary defense lines. The enemy has very strong forces in the area however and there is a possibility that the pocket may be broken.

[xhoel]

AGS

The commander of Army Group South has been changed again this week. GO Franz Halder was dismissed and GFM Wilhelm List took command of the Army Group. Two attacks launched in the Kharkov sector. Things have been quiet otherwise.





The news from the Stalino sector went from bad to good very fast this week. First of all the Soviets launched a brilliantly executed counterattack and opened the pocket that was established last week. The Soviet attack took a heavy toll on our defenders, the 7th Rumanian Cavalry Division was routed and has been pulled back for R&R. Our tank units also took heavy losses, losing 50 AFVs in the battle.



However the rescue operation left the Soviets in a difficult position. Recon and intelligence indicated several weak spots in the enemy defenses. A plan was devised that envisioned encircling the rescuing forces by exploiting the weak points in the Soviet defense. The code name was “Operation Sonnenaufgang”, “Operation Sunrise”. 2 Panzer Corps, the III and the XXIV Pz Corps were used for this operation as well as other units. We managed to push back the weak Soviet troops and were able to secure the pocket by the end of the week. 7 Divisions (2 Mountain, 1 Motorized, 4 Rifle) as well as 1 Rifle Brigade, all constituting the bulk of Rokossovskys 38th Army have been trapped in the pocket. Every single unit that was part of the rescue forces now finds themselves in the same situation that they were called upon for help just last week.

The pocket is not very secure however. The presence of strong Soviet forces in the vicinity leaves us vulnerable. The 16th Motorized Division which is holding the position just west of Voroshilovgrad is the weakest link. A strong Soviet attack here may be able to open the pocket.

We are prepared for this eventuality but are hoping that it will not come to that. The XXXXVIII Panzer Corps has arrived in the area south of Kharkov and will be used to reestablish the pocket if the Soviets manage to break it. No question the Soviets will attempt to break the pocket, we can only hope that our forces will hold their ground.



Closer look of the pocket:

[xhoel]

Casualties

The week saw a lot of activity on the ground but not so much on the air as the LW recovers from the losses suffered in the last 2 weeks. The Axis lost around 3.300 men while the Soviets lost 9.000. Losses in total counting those of last week were much higher as shown below:





The LW took another beating last week as the Soviets continued their air offensive. This is taking a heavy toll on the enemy however. They lost close to 600 Aircraft while we lost around 140, 104 of those losses were fighters.



The truck deficit is improving and now sits at only 8.000 trucks.

[piotrmx]

Bitburgerdraft is good player. We have just finished 1941. The frontline looks similar to your game but I took one Moscow hex (southwest) Losses also. I read your AAR thoroughly to know what the suprise my opponent can do.

[xhoel]

Yeah he is a really good player and a very reliable one too. Good luck with the blizzard and keep reading the AAR!

[xhoel]

T40, 19th of March-26th of March 1942
AGN

The Soviets struck a lone Finnish regiment last week with overwhelming power. The Regiment was forced to retreat. We are reorganizing our forces and expect further Soviet assaults. The Finns should hold their own for 2 more weeks until the mud season comes.

Luftwaffe Jager Regiments have been brought to Leningrad for training and to serve as security forces in pacifying the large urban center. The 297th ID which has been reforming in Prussia will join them next week.







AGC

There was a lot of action in the Rzhev sector this week. Our forces managed to break through Soviet lines and encircle 2 Soviet Rifle divisions as well as make contact with Soviet tertiary defensive lines. There is a good opportunity to secure a bridgehead across the Lama river. Both Torzhok and Kalinin are only 30 miles away now.



Interesting developments occurred in the Orel sector as well. Soviet forces launched 2 counterattacks last week, pushing back 1 Infantry Division and 1 Infantry Regiment. To do so, the Soviets had concentrated a lot of units in the area. We were able to exploit this concentration of the enemy forces and managed to cut off 4 Rifle Divisions as well as 1 Rifle Brigade. Due to bad weather conditions and heavy enemy resistance, we were unable to seal the pocket and the cut off troops will make contact with their main forces next week. In order to seal the pocket next week, reinforcements were brought up from the rear. 2 Key armored formations that have already been dedicated to the operation were also resupplied by air with fuel. We hope to close the pocket next week.



(I could have actually closed the pocket this week if I had been more careful/paid more attention to the units at hand. But I didn't so I am left with this open pocket This was also the last pocket done during the turn, after I had commited some armored reserves elsewhere. Live and learn!)

The pocket in the Kursk area held and the enemy resupplied the cut off forces by air. We were able to clear the pocket after heavy fighting. The Soviets sustained around 16.000 casualties in the process. Due to the bad fuel situation our units only made little gains this week. The Soviets were able to hold back some attacks as shown below. An attempt to encircle Soviet troops was not undertaken due to supply shortages and heavy enemy resistance. Our positions however are quite good. Several armored formations have been resupplied by air and should regain their mobility next week.







AGS

The Soviets were able to break the pocket last week as expected. The 16th MD was forced to retreat even though they put up a tough fight. The division executed a fighting withdrawal and both sides took heavy casualties.



However unbeknownst to the Soviets we had a fully supplied Panzer Corps in the area as well as the LIX Corps with the elite 12th and 30th Infantry Divisions that arrived from Leningrad. Our troops were able to rout the enemy forces and reseal the pocket. Another pocket was formed further to the north as we exploited the weak enemy positions there. At the end of the week, after heavy fighting, we had sealed 2 pockets in the South, containing about 8 Soviet divisions among which was the 20th Mountain Division (the second best Soviet formation on the front right now). We are confident that both pockets will hold. We have created a major gap in the enemy lines and are only 20 miles away from the Donets. Securing a bridge head over the frozen river as well as clearing the pockets will be next weeks priority.

[Crackaces]

Just one thought .. the 16th motorized retreated through a ZOC. I would wager that the logistics phase was not kind to this unit. I mentioned this because I find the logistics phase to accumulate fat more losses than the actual battles themselves. Retreat through ZOC, (retreat through unfrozen river hexes) both have accumulative effects.

I tend to asses the weeks work by looking at the results since the Germans last turn that includes the Soviet logistics phase. One can look at this separately and get a real feel for the numbers.

[xhoel]

Yeah they did take heavier losses than shown but such is combat. I couldn't have done anything about it really. Was just finishing writing the casualties section