The Sky’s the Limit- PBEM GC 41 jubjub (Axis) vs. M60A3TTS (Soviet)

[M60A3TTS]

Ground and air losses. Rumanian ground unit losses added significantly to overall Axis losses. In the air, our fighters remain no match for the opposition.

[tm1]

History seems to be repeating itself possibly

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[M60A3TTS]

Random things.

In our war against tanks, two weeks out of the last ten were particularly brutal.



The losses seem to be made good in a very short time for both sides. German industry is now turning out a goodly number of tanks, assault guns, and self propelled anti-tank guns.



Soviet air losses are high as well with much fewer casualties with the Luftwaffe due to the experience disparity.





Loss ratios

[M60A3TTS]

Week 102 30 May 1943

Marshal Zhukov's Central Front attacked this week with assistance from Voronezh and Southwestern Fronts between the Vorskla and Psel Rivers. Caught up in the fighting included four divisions of the German II Corps of Lothar Rendulic. Berlin had no doubt as to the willingness of Rendulic to hold his ground when ordered and this likewise was counted on by the Stavka. By week's end the following Ostheer divisions found themselves cut off:

XLVI Panzer Corps Krebs
---14th Infantry Division
---345th Motorized Division

LV Corps Meindl
--24th Infantry Division
--383rd Infantry Division

II Corps Rendulic
---95th Infantry Division
---215th Infantry Division
---321st Infantry Division
---370th Infantry Division

XLI Panzer Corps Vietinghoff
---78th Sturm Division




Central and Voronezh HQs reported the following:

Enemy tank units engaged include 7th, 8th, 12th, 19th and 20th Panzer Divisions. AFVs that remained in these units were estimated as 8th Panzer and 10th Motorized combined 142, 19th with 136, 7th and 12th each with 56, 20th with 54.

Southwestern Front found the city of Poltava to be unoccupied and was thus taken on the march.

Debut of the Panther

20th Panzer Division started the week with 24 new Panther Tanks. The Panthers lost 21 of their own while destroying 9 Soviet tanks. Of the 21 lost, 12 were due to combat. A further 9 were lost during the retreat. The commander of the 1st Company of the Panther Battalion reported an incident that did not reflect a favorable opinion of the new tank:

One of the tank drivers while attempting to navigate a significant incline called to his commander over the intercom system that a loud grinding noise was coming from the left hand side of the vehicle and he was quickly losing control of the steering mechanism. The commander, Sergeant Haff, ordered an immediate halt and both he and driver emerged from the vehicle to investigate the cause. It was found that inexplicably, several outer teeth of the Panther’s front left sprocket had torn away. The vehicle was in no condition to travel further and the commander requested the assistance of another Panther within his platoon to assist with their evacuation. Towing cables were rigged and the two Panthers resumed their movement to the rear. After approximately 1 ½ kilometers of travel, the towing Panther began to emit thick black smoke from the engine compartment. It became quickly evident that a fire had broken out in the engine compartment as the towing vehicle came to an abrupt halt. The two crews were quick to respond and were successful in limiting the fire to the engine compartment, but this vehicle too was now immobilized. The platoon leader, Lieutenant Heilwig, was unwilling to risk any further loss of his tanks by further towing and ordered demolition charges set off in the turrets of the two disabled vehicles to prevent their capture intact with the enemy in close proximity. The withdrawal then resumed.

It was not an auspicious start for Germany’s newest medium tank.

[Sammy5IsAlive]

Bang!!! I can't see him being able to get through to the cut off units?

Is that Panther anecdote a historical one?

[Q-Ball]

That is quite an encirclement for May 1943....really strong work. It looks hopeless for those 9 units; that's a half-Stalingrad right there

[M60A3TTS]

Bang!!! I can't see him being able to get through to the cut off units?

Is that Panther anecdote a historical one?

My Panther anecdote is fictitious, but provides an accurate description of specific issues that plagued the initial "D" Version.

[Q-Ball]

Great AAR as always! Question: Can you post a screenshot showing one of your Ground Attack Air Directives? Curious on how you are setting Altitude, Days, Strikes, and A/C numbers. Thanks!

[M60A3TTS]

Great AAR as always! Question: Can you post a screenshot showing one of your Ground Attack Air Directives? Curious on how you are setting Altitude, Days, Strikes, and A/C numbers. Thanks!

Glad you are enjoying the AAR.

Here's your screenie:

[Wiedrock]

It feels weird to see this PzDiv end with 5:1 Odds, Retreat 1 Hex (in words: one) and then start the next combat with a quarter of the CV it had before.

It was not an auspicious start for Germany’s newest medium tank.

Did you have any Mot unit in the initial attack?


Is he attacking anywhere in other areas of the frontline? Or making single attacks.

[M60A3TTS]

It feels weird to see this PzDiv end with 5:1 Odds, Retreat 1 Hex (in words: one) and then start the next combat with a quarter of the CV it had before.

It was not an auspicious start for Germany’s newest medium tank.

Did you have any Mot unit in the initial attack?


Is he attacking anywhere in other areas of the frontline? Or making single attacks.

The 29th Tank Brigade was attached to the 2nd Guards Rifle Corps in the initial attack.

At the beginning of this week there were attacks on two rifle divisions of the Volkhov Front near Velikye Luki. Often Axis attacks take place where tank or cavalry corps are exposed to counterattacks by German SS and panzer divisions. They are almost always highly successful, wiping out 90%+ of the defending Soviet armor.

[M60A3TTS]

Week 103 6 June 1943

The Ostheer begins the retreat to the Dnepr and the imagined safety of the Panther-Wotan Stellung.

Stalino is liberated by the 11th and 63rd Cavalry Divisions of General-Leytenant Aleksei Kurkin's 54th Army. The 54th has been assigned by the Stavka to the North Caucasus Front of General-Polkovnik Vasilevsky.

Further offensive action is underway with Konev's Voronezh Front, Zhukov's Central Front, Vatutin's Southwestern Front and Rokossovsky's Don Front.



Meanwhile, the Bogodukhov Pocket is eliminated. Nine German divisions are erased from the Order of Battle.





Back with Voronezh Front, the advance to the Desna is underway, although that advance is now threatened not by German divisions, but political decisions being contemplated by the Soviet Supreme Commander. Still, this impact is in the future.



Meanwhile, the VVS is fully engaged in ground attacks.



Air losses remain heavy, but it is a burden the VVS must continue to bear.

[gingerbread]

What caused the Axis flak losses? T1-T102 average 5/turn and then 127 in one turn?

[M60A3TTS]

I believe the flak losses are coming from organic AA within various rifle units on the ground. I actually have a paltry AA support unit count that is not tied down in city defense.

The losses are more elevated on the Axis side now because jubjub has become more aggressive with ground support, mixing in FW-190F and Ju-87 aircraft. Covered often by 100+ fighters, they are hard to get at with my own air forces, but that does amplify the LW losses.

[Wiedrock]

Maybe he changed smth in his Altitude settings, enabling your AAMGs to perform better or so?

You could check the Aircraft Flak Losses chart to see if there is a general increase recently or the turn just being an outlier.

But as you found out, LW can lose more in the East with the losses expected to happen in the West.