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Week 49- 21.5.42

Pelton has either had a change of heart or his deception plan was quite effective. Having advanced northeast in earlier clear weather, his panzer armies abruptly change direction and charge south. In doing so he has not only pocketed another 100,000 men of the luckless Southwestern Front but he has also severed rail connections in the Tambov-Lipetsk-Voronezh area. This in turn imperils 2nd and 3rd Shock Armies. Fortunately there are two weeks of mud following, so a withdrawal from the potential pocket will commence immediately. At the same time the manpower losses will be made good once again, although these weather pauses will be coming to an end soon enough.



In the Kharkov region, the Red Army takes solace in kicking around what few vulnerable Axis units can be found. The new tank corps receive their baptism of fire as 4th and 7th assist in driving back the German 56th Infantry Division. Most other German and Axis units to the south have withdrawn to their fortification line. Apparently there is some discomfort at OKH, knowing Soviet forces are less than 100 miles from the Dnepr.

I was pretty sure he was going to go for Tambov and try to to get around your line on the Don and roll that up; it's very obviously the path of least resistance from where his panzer mass was located. He cannot just push due east. He could in the alternative turn north and roll up your lines there, but the terrain is ugly.

That panzer blob is hard to deal with, dont get yourself cut off and get a lot of units killed.

Week 50 - 28.5.42

The first of two consecutive weeks of mud. In the area of Voronezh-Tambov, the pull out begins.

3rd Shock Army redeploys from the Voronezh area to the southern bank of the Don. 4th Shock Army arrives by train and takes up positions to the west of 3rd Shock. Both will be assigned to the Voronezh Front next week.



Farther north, the Volkhov Front has reformed. 16th, 20th and 38th Armies are prepared to be the first reorganized under a new rifle corps-based structure to be implemented in the next week.

Week 51- 4.6.42

June arrives and our intelligence arm indicates that many new Axis formations have arrived as well in an apparent attempt to finish the war which the fascists started.

This week marks another gradual step in the transition of the Red Army. With 500 admin points saved up, 18 guards rifle corps are formed. Each of the three armies under Zhukov's Volkhov Front receive five guards rifle corps. The 18th Army in the south receives the remaining three.


In the Voronezh-Tambov region, Red Army troops execute a slow but painful withdrawal as more of our cities are being given up.


South of the Don, two shock armies are put under the new Voronezh Front. As part of this move, General Novoselsky is dismissed as commander of 3rd Shock Army. This army receives as a replacement, a young commander, 35-year old Ivan Chernyakhovsky.

ORIGINAL: M60A3TTS

Week 51- 4.6.42

June arrives and our intelligence arm indicates that many new Axis formations have arrived as well in an apparent attempt to finish the war which the fascists started.

This week marks another gradual step in the transition of the Red Army. With 500 admin points saved up, 18 guards rifle corps are formed. Each of the three armies under Zhukov's Volkhov Front receive five guards rifle corps. The 18th Army in the south receives the remaining three.

This should be a really powerful force [X(] In theory they could fight toe-to-toe with Pelton's most dangerous units! [:)] And then in july you can create Tank Armies... Imagine these rifle corps backed by let's say two or three Tank Armies (let's say with 4 tank corps each). 1943! Pelton would not like that at all.

ORIGINAL: TulliusDetritus

This should be a really powerful force [X(] In theory they could fight toe-to-toe with Pelton's most dangerous units! [:)] And then in july you can create Tank Armies... Imagine these rifle corps backed by let's say two or three Tank Armies (let's say with 4 tank corps each). 1943! Pelton would not like that at all.

I can't wait to read all the flying pig peltonizing if that happens !![:D]

I found that I became very ultra conservative with my corps in 42 because a panzer blob was able to get in amongst them and get surrenders. I did not manage my AP's as well as you are however so you might have enough mass to protect them.

ORIGINAL: Baelfiin
I found that I became very ultra conservative with my corps in 42 because a panzer blob was able to get in amongst them and get surrenders. I did not manage my AP's as well as you are however so you might have enough mass to protect them.

On my other game I did not risk the rifle/tank/cavarly corps. They were well behind the frontline, behind a thick screen of rifle divisions. I was using a "hit & run" tactic. It worked like a charm. I will be doing the same, I guess. They are relatively powerful, ok, but they are fragile as well (and expensive to rebuild)) [:)]

It's time for a little "stradgedy" as Bugs Bunny once said. [:)]

One more week of mud, and then Pelton will be running free in whatever direction he chooses...sort of.

The '41 portion of the campaign and through blizzard for my part was trying to harvest guards rifle divisions and now can be seen the first fruits of that labor.
The guards rifle corps all received roundout divisions with good morale levels so as to keep the corps solid. The parent guards divisions by the way, were all kept as close to full strength as possible to keep experience levels high once the corps were formed.

They are now largely concentrated on one front, the Volkhov, with other supporting STAVKA armies nearby and will look to take the offensive if Pelton swings his panzer armies south. If Pelton chooses to swing north, then the three shock armies of Voronezh Front will support attacks of several armies against weaker Axis divisions in the south. Already opportunities are springing up to attack the Axis allies which just bolsters the experience and morale, and as I mentioned earlier, the Red Army isn't all that far from the Dnepr. So I am going to try and force him to either commit to one direction or another. Either that or he splits up his panzers and weakens his offensive capability to a degree. The goal here is always attack him somewhere, and not allow him to just keep adding to his numbers.

My challenge will be to keep the troops alive in whatever direction he heads. That will be tricky as I'm relying heavily on maneuver to stay alive and that's something which he doesn't lack either.

Operation Cosmos has been rewritten a couple times now. Originally it was envisioned as an attack in the area north of Vyazma, and then later as a move towards the Dnepr. The third iteration will be something- just not quite positive what. Pelton will largely decide that when he starts his offensive.

And yes, tank armies will be coming soon to a theater near you. [:D]

goiing to be fun watching what happens come summer for sure 8)

@TD-- Thats exactly what I ended up doing after getting burnt several times 8)

Week 52- 11.6.42

Pelton has his panzers moving hard to the south in order to set up his forces for the summer campaign. Mobile troops now stretch from Tambov to the area between Kharkov and Boguchar, a frontage of 200 miles! Several Red Army units are surrounded by Voronezh.


German troop formations recently called up from the Fatherland are moving to take up positions in more quiet sectors.

ORIGINAL: Baelfiin


@TD-- Thats exactly what I ended up doing after getting burnt several times 8)

It's called 'the big girl's blouse' strategy

Week 53- 18.6.42

The final week of mud before the chains come off the Axis war machine.

Red Army forces have their attention on two areas. The first is along the Para River where the Volkhov Front prepares to see its first action under their new organization. That organization is close to being complete, with plans for three armies with six rifle corps each along with three gun brigades (thirty-six ML-20 152mm howitzers each). Six of the nine brigades are in the pipeline currently with the 1st ready for battle with 20th Army. Six tank corps are also ready to support the front.

To the south there is concern as the panzers will no doubt strike there in force. A number of units on the northwestern edge of the front are needing to be pulled back after recent combat, but cannot reach the rail line for evacuation, so they will have to hope for the best.

4th Shock Army has joined the Voronezh Front. With three shock armies, this front will be built to the same standards as the Volkhov Front and will take a little over half the summer to transition if all goes according to plan which it seldom does.

In two weeks it will be July and organizational priority will first go to the creation of four tank armies. Each tank army will receive 4 tank corps and 2 rifle corps. At present, 13 of the required 16 STAVKA tank corps are organized.

Moscow to the Volkhov Front


Southern Region

My only suggestion (if you are not already doing it) would be to keep a 'deep reserve' equivalent to a small front out of his recon range. I always keep one with no immediate plans to use it. For those unknown unknowns...which always seem to pop up.

Btw this is the most fun AAR in a while!

Here is a comparison of opposing forces at the start of Barbarossa and the opening week of the 1942 Summer campaign.



The Axis Situation

German troops have increases overall by more than 300,000 but only 80,000 more ready for combat.

Operational panzer strength is less than one half that of June ’41. Clearly a good number of the machines at the start of Barbarossa were Pz. II and Czech Pz-38T models which are now obsolete. Still, the panzer divisions will not start this summer with the same punch as at the beginning of the war.

German air and artillery growth was modest.

The Rumanian army begins with over 100,000 less men than started the war, although an Italian increase now makes up for a good portion of the Rumanian reduction. Finland and Slovakia are also reduced in strength by over 100,000. Hungary added about three divisions worth of troops since the start of the war in the east.

The Soviet Situation

The Red Army added over 3 million men to their operational forces during the past year.

Red Army artillery increased from a 4:3 advantage over Germany in June ’41 to a 2-1 advantage a year later.

Soviet tank strength dropped over 50%, but 2/3 of the equipment at the start of hostilities, over 10,00 vehicles consisted of T-26, T-38 and BT-7 models.
T-34 and KV-1 models numbered 1,361 at the start of Barbarossa, but now stand at over 3,000.

The Red Army Air Force fielded 250 air regiments in June ’41. Of those regiments, slightly more than 80 were I-153 biplanes and I-16 variants. In June ’42 there are 508 air regiments, 100 with Yak-1 and Yak-7A/B models. There were only 4 Yak-1 regiments at the start of the conflict. Similar air regiment increases:

Mig-3: 23 to 52
IL-2: 7 to 49
Pe-2: 9 to 29
IL-4: 16 to 38

More than 3,000 airframes have been added to the inventory after the losses of the first week.

Here are the ground losses to date. Soviet losses exceed that of the Axis by a 3-1 ratio.



Meanwhile, 320 arms factories have stockpiled close to one million arms points in the Soviet pool. Manpower is much more problematic by comparison as Soviet cities are occupied by fascist troops one by one.

ORIGINAL: governato

My only suggestion (if you are not already doing it) would be to keep a 'deep reserve' equivalent to a small front out of his recon range. I always keep one with no immediate plans to use it. For those unknown unknowns...which always seem to pop up.

Btw this is the most fun AAR in a while!

Thanks. I am trying to keep at least one or two armies ready for deployment at all times. While others will have more, I can also shift troops away from quiet sectors until my rifle division losses start to become an issue. Knowing Pelton, that won't take long. [:(]

about deep reserve:

how should one handle this the best way:

holding several high moral divisions under STAVKA command far behind the front and railing them to the sectors with german armor infront. then putting them unde rthe command of local armies?

or holding a entire front (lets call it steppe front) in reserve and throw the entire front via railtransport to endangerd sectors?

thats important for my own game as soviet so thats the reason why i hijak this great AAR with this question.

about the AAR:

the german armor number is low but in my last game vs sj which he won i made a mistake and thought that a panzerwaffe with only 1400 operational tanks (i shoot the hell out of his panzerwaffe until early 42 with 6000 german tanks lost) can not mount a good offensive in spring 42.

mistake!

he managed to throw away all my level 2 forts kill my reserves behind the front with his panzers and encircle a good number of my troops in the transition phase.

so even a low german tank number can be dangerous in he "new past 1.05 1942".

i hope you do i better then me tavaritch general.

I'm surprised at the low tank strength (especially the large amount of damaged tanks). Is that mostly because of mud? Looking at those numbers, it should be quite possible to swiftly hammer those tank divisions to uselessness with just a few retreats here and there.

Edit: As to what bigbaba wrote, just before I posted: Well, one thing that the number of tanks in a unit doesn't change is the mobility of that unit. So a weak tank division is just as capable of moving through empty ground as a good tank division. However, it should have a lot more trouble fighting itself through any troops in the way. This should make deep penetrations (out of range of infantry) a lot more difficult. Of course, in comparison to 1941, offensives in 1942 are usually much more focused on one or two points on the map, allowing the Axis player to replace the individual weakness of those tank divisions with a larger number of tank divisions attacking at the same time.

However, areas without mobile units are a lot more immobile (that sounds superfluous...), which should enable the Soviet player to focus his strength too. So, constant monitoring of Axis mobile units, and moving reserves into that area right away gains a lot more importance.

But I don't have any direct experience with 1.05xx '42, only what I've seen in AARs here.

Level two forts are entirely negated by engineers. Unfortunately, it's hard to get to level 3+. Right now, forts are just kind of a negligible factor. Terrain matters much more, since engineers can't negate that.

I'm really not very happy with the new fort rules.

ORIGINAL: DTurtle

I'm surprised at the low tank strength (especially the large amount of damaged tanks). Is that mostly because of mud? Looking at those numbers, it should be quite possible to swiftly hammer those tank divisions to uselessness with just a few retreats here and there.

Edit: As to what bigbaba wrote, just before I posted: Well, one thing that the number of tanks in a unit doesn't change is the mobility of that unit. So a weak tank division is just as capable of moving through empty ground as a good tank division. However, it should have a lot more trouble fighting itself through any troops in the way. This should make deep penetrations (out of range of infantry) a lot more difficult. Of course, in comparison to 1941, offensives in 1942 are usually much more focused on one or two points on the map, allowing the Axis player to replace the individual weakness of those tank divisions with a larger number of tank divisions attacking at the same time.

However, areas without mobile units are a lot more immobile (that sounds superfluous...), which should enable the Soviet player to focus his strength too. So, constant monitoring of Axis mobile units, and moving reserves into that area right away gains a lot more importance.

But I don't have any direct experience with 1.05xx '42, only what I've seen in AARs here.

Pelton moved his tanks north to south during some Spring turns, so I think that largely accounts for the vehicles out of action. The CVs of his panzer divisions are in the 6-8 range with the occasional 9 here and there. It is very true that regardless of the AFVs, those divisions are a threat because they still have the mobility. Maybe I will rely on punching my way through any pockets with tank corps if needed. The trick with the tank corps is that even with 3-1 or more edge in CV compared to the panzer division still appears to be a losing proposition for the Soviet player. You end up with a lot of burned out T-34 hulls and the enemy suffering losses of next to nothing. So then it's a matter of getting supporting infantry involved in the attacks- i.e. hit and run tactics to be successful.

I am not sure how feasible it is to target his panzer divisions in an attempt to wear them down and eventually strip him of the initiative. Having never played this far into the campaign, I'm still figuring a lot of this out as I go.