2x3+ Team Side Game - BOTH SIDES

[Beria]

T029 Soviet North

Here we can see the Soviet Team discussing moving forces south - and deciding mid-blizzard that would be a waste

Darojax, Soviet Centre Commander
1st Shock Army will withdraw and redeploy to the Tambov sector

Neogodhobo, Soviet Supreme Commander
when will 1st shock arrive and combat ready ?

Darojax, Soviet Centre Commander
Was just looking at that now
There is an issue. The railhead is minimum 10 hexes away for 1st Shock.'
It will be a month

Mamluke, Soviet South Commander
but its a danger the Germans can't ignore.
it can help push the front away from the city with out more casualties at the very least
...
Its good to pressure them along several points along the fronts so they cant just send all their reinforcements to Tambov

Darojax, Soviet Centre Commander
Yeah I suppose you are right. Its going to be a full month before the 1st Shock is combat ready in the south anyway.
Maybe better to let it stay where it is and focus on getting more easily available reinformcements to go tothe Tambov sector

Mamluke, Soviet South Commander
and we must take advantage of January!

[Crackaces]

Turn 30 Axis:

WITE is a very complicated game involving multiple playing pieces that have varying attributes and unlike chess -- randomness of the results. That makes WITE not only complicated but complex. The planning is not just for turn 30, but what do turns 31 - xxx look like? If I do 'x' what options do I have after those moves? What about my opponent? Both teams are caught in a whirlwind of dynamicism as the playing pieces move and apply their attributes toward a goal.

The Soviet plan above is interesting. The Soviet team recognizes a salient and have marshaled in forces to accomplish objectives. Unfortunately for the Soviet's -- the German's also have a plan and dynamics start to take a toll on the plan.

Crackaces
I am thinking to bring out the Bronze Armor guys to address this critical situation. With the right SU's I think I can rout some Cav units and stem the tide. It will mean losses. But right now I think we need to neutralize some of there chess pieces ..

The map below shows the results of one attack -- the Finn's revenge. A Cavalry unit is exposed without any real fort level. I loaded up an HQ with light and heavy flak, along with artillery SU's. One of the highly valued chess pieces is temporarily taken out of the equation for a turn at least ...

[Crackaces]

NORTH Turn 30:

The reader can get the big picture by comparing the map below with the previous Soviet planning maps. The German's are fighting a flexible defensive battle giving up space to save blood and time. I can visualize at this point what our Summer offensive looks like, but for now we have to survive the winter blizzard. That means retreat but in a way that burns Soviet MP's. I do not think Yaro is a position would holding .. give up the salient now ..

[Beria]

T30 Soviet North Rail Repair

Supply is becoming a real problem in the North. With hindsight putting 1st Shock Army as far away as possible from rails round the back of a lake on the other side of some swamps was not such a good idea! Now that we have connected up through the south of Lake Rybinsk things are better.

Mamluke, Soviet South Commander
Stavka sent some rail repair units north this turn.
we have no control over it, we kind of have to pray to be honest
one hex at a time
...
assigned to an army HQ will repair within 5 hexes but not work as well
honestly I prefer to keep it all on Stavka with maybe one or 2 at Front HQ
this way, it guaranties they will work every turn

[Beria]

T30 Soviet North

And I think some Germans are definitely get into a tight spot near Ivanovo

[joelmar]

This kind of defensive operation takes steady nerves!

Interesting to see the Soviets have the same problems that the Germans usually have with supplies

[Crackaces]

The Commander makes a decision. We bring out armor that was resting in nearby level 4 towns. A quick counterattack will stem the tide for a turn .. maybe two turns. The cost is in armor as there are die rolls for AFV's to become damaged. Then damaged AFV's are not as likely to be repaired. A change in strategy in that we shall give up some blood for time and space.

[Crackaces]

This game is Soviet +1 and mild winter. I have conducted blizzard counteroffensives with the harsh winter rules and have achieved success. It was the Northern Commander's decision to bring out the lions and smack the Soviet's in the nose. Maybe put a set back into the Soviet time tables. You can see by the balloon we achieved our objectives.

What is interesting in reading the AAR together is that the Soviet's and the German commanders each understand they are achieving goals each turn. The Soviet's are connecting a LOC they see as essential. The German North commander is buying time that they see most essential to the end goal -- 290 points at the end of Summer 1942 .,,,

[Beria]

T31 Soviet North

Darojax, Soviet Centre Commander

About 12 divisions under pressure in the western Ivanono area
And one division temporarily encircled just north of Tambov
...
Totenkpf SS division is in that pressure area

Mamluke, Soviet South Commander
it's always nice to put great pressure on then!
there are too many panzer divisions in proximity (Moscow) for any large success, but it still brings a smile to my face

[Beria]

T31 Soviet North continued

Darojax, Soviet Centre Commander
Honestly, I think they're running around in the snow, confused
Its the feelxing I get haha

Mamluke, Soviet South Commander
just a look on the map, the Soviet intention is too obvious

Darojax, Soviet Centre Commander
I think they are just surprised by the punching power of our cav corps
And our glorious infantry soldier in general!

[Beria]

Tambov 2 coming up!

[Crackaces]

TURN 32 NORTH

I look at the map and send the following text in Discord to Telemecus -- our fearless leader ..

I think I can rout some units giving us one more turn just North and East of Moscow.
………

"In my sector I plan to rout some cav toward my east and then [turn toward] the North. It is going to be close but I think I can make a straighter line next turn."

We attack in the blizzard and achieve our immediate goals:

[Crackaces]

The map below shows the salient .. reduced somewhat but I am still very concerned that the flanks could fold ..

"I just looked at the situation. I will need to retreat more as I am getting pincered near Yaro .. My situation is right at the breaking point. I do need the Armor to prevent a disaster. I think I can rout some more Cav with the armor this turn and provide some relief, but things are right at the cusp.

You saw the posting above .. we counter-attack and at the same time we bring our infantry back .. the salient is flattened .. A total for 5 attacks result in routs .. this should stave off pressure for one more precious turn ..

[Beria]

T032 Soviet North

Darojax, Soviet Centre Commander
However, 3 of my Cav Corps were routed north east of Moscow
One of the panzer corps is active

Mamluke, Soviet Centre Commander
too many panzers in the area comrade you still manage to push then back considerably

Darojax, Soviet Centre Commander
Yup
Got to be a bit careful now though. I guess they got tired of being pushed around : p

[Zorch]

ORIGINAL: Beria

T032 Soviet North

Mamluke, Soviet Centre Commander
too many panzers in the area comrade you still manage to push then back considerably

Darojax, Soviet Centre Commander
Yup
Got to be a bit careful now though. I guess they got tired of being pushed around : p

'Tonight when I chase the dragon
The water may change to cherry wine
And the silver will turn to gold
(Time out of mind)
Time out of mind'

Steely Dan (in T-34)

[Crackaces]

I am not sure if you have seen the latest turn .. but things are looking good for us ..
Some Finns were withdrawn which creates a minor crisis .. but .. the Soviets decided to attack where I had good art and paid a price .. in one battle 1/2 of the tanks lost in a brigade (39) The left 3 cav units exposed to attack and I think I can rout these guys with air support

I push back the Soviet offense with some attacks from the Finn's.. the Finn's that were depleted and starving just few turns ago are now making life difficult for the Soviets ...

[Crackaces]

The lions take their pound of flesh but a look at the AFV's lost .. we are trading tanks for space and time ..
A routed unit has some probability of not being active the next turn, and they rout away from the action, which takes time to get back into position. I do not think I am playing an expensive game of wack-a-mole but I believe very strongly that the Soviet's have limited resources and once expended we can start thinking about our initiatives.

[Beria]

T033 Soviet North

Neogodhobo, Soviet Supreme Commander
Stiff resistence in Moscow, the enemy has not retreated. And we know the Germans are on a slow retreat defensive strategy so this leads me to think maybe Moscow isnt well protected. That would be odd though. Advance to Moscow @Darojax and try to encircle it. Keep operations going as strong as possible in the main offensive. And as far as everything else, keep doing whatever you are all doing.
...
Alright bring them back then. Keep on pushing as much as you can and also prepare for defensive position in the coming months

Darojax, Soviet Centre Commander
Progress towards Moscow very slow as resistance is getting stiffer with Panzer Divisions and other strong units joining the axis defense.

[Crackaces]

From my perspective, in terms of combing strategy, operational maneuver, and tactical decisions, WITE is one of the most brilliant war games to date. The player(s) that only focus on one or two of these facets will be at a disadvantage against players that understand how strategy, operational maneuver, and tactics are integrated into this game.

I propose that the tactics of this game are expressed in the use of SU's. Many wargames have a combat value (offensive and defensive) and a combat results table. The old war colleges exclaimed that 3:1 was ratio needed to guarantee victory, and many wargames, especially AH, used this mantra to design relatively dimensionally flat wargames. WITE is very very different. WITE deftly integrates a concept of firepower into the combat results.

I have written volumes in AAR's and I have posted in various places my understanding of firepower. But in summary, it is a very complex game of Rochambeau, or "rock. paper, scissors" Except you have light, medium, and heavy armor, dive bombers and level bombers, infantry and infantry weapons, and artillery. If those combinations are not enough, within these categories are good and bad match ups. The combinations are made complex by the famous (or infamous [:D]) Grisby die roll. There are leadership checks, morale checks .... With all this complexity it is very easy to be overwhelmed and just think CV and 2:1 ...

The Soviet's are discussing discovering the Panzer divisions. From a high level these units represent 5 CV per medium tank. What is not being discussed (at least in this AAR) is the SU's required to neutralize the German tanks, and directly lower the CV per unit. One huge advantage of blizzard -- blizzard light or the harsh blizzard is the fact that damaged AFV's have a die roll for destroyed. From a tactical (and strategic over time) perspective I am expecting anti-tank SU's either in the units or on map AT units. The skeptical Soviet will exclaim that the AT guns are worthless but a 45mm matched up vs a Pz II will damage and possibly outright destroy the device. Out of 50 tanks match up against say 5 and you have a 10% cut in armor. But I am not seeing this thus far. Thus, I feel pretty good that the exchange in terms of blood for space and time will be a profitable one...

From my perspective the Soviets see winter and the ability to cut through the German lines like butter. Reality is that an aggressive German commander willing to sacrifice manpower and devices can put up a good fight. Quite possibly not only flounder the Soviet plan -- but set up a strategic advantage for the summer.

[Crackaces]

This posting builds on the concept of SU's. In this case, you can see a mix of German SU's vs 2 infantry divisions and a Soviet Artillery SU. The German's have brought a nebelwerfer rgt, medium raged guns, and flak from HQ units. The Panzer divisions are attached with things like Stug IIIb's with a 75 mm gun that matches up quite well to infantry in the open. The abundance of support vs no support yields a rout.

The Soviet player that does not understand this concept or simply believes the German Panzer divisions are "invincible" will find that to be true.