The Rumble in the Tundra, a Vet (Sov) JB (Axis) rematch

[jasonbroomer]

T16 AGC

In the centre, we pound away at the Soviet defences, I have abandoned the march to Moscow and aim to reduce the Bryansk salient as much as I can

As usual, I would rather over commit on attacks than under commit

T16 AGC massive over committment to gain casualities.png (2.41 MiB) Viewed 3673 times

I also want to cause as many casualties as possible

Thankfully the 'northern' rail line to Rzhev is close to completion

T16 AGC securing VL Rzhev rail line.png (2.1 MiB) Viewed 3673 times

This rail line will be far more secure come winter. I expect Rzhev to fall in the winter but Vet will have to take it frontally. Upon reflection, my early thrust here on T11(?) was an error as it collapsed my logistical system as my trucks got trashed supplying advanced units through the difficult terrain and my spearhead units lost their potency as a result. Deploying powerful SUs would have been good, since they can be teleported back to Berlin for immediate resupply.

Around Kharkov I grab as much land as I safely can with the rubbish that I have in this sector. This ground will act as the best defence against the Soviet winter offensive. These units are difficult to supply, with the major river intercepting the routes to their depots. When the ground is muddy the lack of roads tells. So I keep the corps on the extremities on supply priority 1 ready for when the real mud arrives next turn and set up a programme to switch them with replenished divisions arriving from reserve when I can.

I do not intend to take Rostov but plan to set up pickets near the city to delay any Soviet drive on Stalino.

T16 AGS securing VP areas with space.png (3.18 MiB) Viewed 3673 times

[jasonbroomer]

T16 Crimea


Thankfully my bridgehead in the Crimea was not attacked last turn (my scramble for SUs just paid off judging from Vets account). So I can continue to attack.

T16 AGS Blasting way through Crimea defences.png (1.51 MiB) Viewed 3672 times

At this stage I'm not sure if it is worth trying to take the isthmus or whether just to set up a defensive line an seal off the sector over the winter. However, I attack freely on the firm ground just to inflict as many casualties as I can

Indeed, multiple attacks across the front results in a further tidy haul for the turn

T16 EoT happy losses .png (284.87 KiB) Viewed 3672 times

So far I am keeping the lid on the Soviet OOB and my losses have been very light.

T16 EoT Doing our best to keep lid on .png (419.88 KiB) Viewed 3672 times

I have not given Vet any opportunities for counterattacks this game and very few units have made any progress towards guards status. There will be a lot of WAGs in Romania who will be very thankful for the way that I've handled the Roms in this game. When combined with the territorial gains that I have made I feel that I am comfortably ahead of where I was in my first match with Vet.


But with 3 or 4 turns of R&R during the heavy mud period this will soon swell.

[Veterin]

T16 Soviet

1.png (226.08 KiB) Viewed 3616 times

Rain covering the map this turn with light mud everywhere with heavy rains for next turn (t16) which is the default timeline for heavy rain. Heavy mud would likely cover most of the map except for Crimea so it will give me some respite until the mud turns to snow around the end of October. At this point Axis can still campaign for Nov if they really want to push it but most likely they’ll be preparing defences for the soviet winter offensive.

2.png (1.83 MiB) Viewed 3616 times

I’m stretched really thin up north so looking forward to the heavy mud to replenish my frontline. Axis forces continue to advance on Novgorod so I shift some more forces south. I made 2 counterattacks this turn, one on a panzer regiment and the other on a moto division, both of which I’m fairly confident JB was expecting but he was happy to make the trade with me (weakening my defence next turn).

3.png (2.29 MiB) Viewed 3616 times

Not much action on the northern section of the Moscow line. His mobile forces continue to advance north west of Rzhev. I don’t have many units here so I pull back slightly to minimise risk of pockets.

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There might be an opportunity to hit this panzer division twice and safely retreat afterwards. My units in the area have good MPs and the orange army is led by Tolbukhin with several tank/mech divisions. My plan here is to attack from the 2 green hexes forcing a retreat north west as that is the only hex it can retreat to. This will then expose the panzer division to a follow up attack from the rest of Tolbukins army.

[Veterin]

T16 Soviet

5.png (1.38 MiB) Viewed 3615 times

Step 1 was a success with higher AFV kills than I was expecting. I flew a lot of air but there was no axis fighters on this battle so for the next one I’m going to rest my fighters and just have bombers fly. Before attacking I was sure to change an additional rifle division from the brown army to the orange as I wanted to make sure Tolbukin was leading this battle.

6.png (1 MiB) Viewed 3615 times

Follow up hit on the panzer also had a good amount of kills. The first battle would have resulted in damaged ground elements so the following battle increases the attrition losses from retreating (as there are more damaged elements)

7.png (1.17 MiB) Viewed 3615 times

This axis division had 5=5 CV on map so looked extremely weak. Turns out initial def CV was closer to 9 so it ended up being an axis hold. Despite it being a hold there were a surprising amount of damage to the defenders with 500 killed, ~1.2k damaged and a further 5k disrupted (with increased fatigue added at the end of battle).

8.png (1.21 MiB) Viewed 3615 times

I followed up with a second attack using fresh units and im glad I did. Ended up being a high CV win so axis losses were high with ~50% loss of the guns in the division.

[Veterin]

T16 Soviet

9.png (1.31 MiB) Viewed 3614 times

I was hoping to hold Crimea but now that he’s got a firm bridgehead I don’t think I can hold it. I don’t have enough offensive power in the area to push him back nor enough units to stack defence sufficiently. Whilst most of the map should have heavy mud next turn, unfortunately that won’t be the case for Crimea so he’ll have plenty of time to keep pushing. I’ll try and reinforce this area but will take me time to build up strength.

10.png (212.57 KiB) Viewed 3614 times

11.png (189.25 KiB) Viewed 3614 times

This is the first turn I’ve felt I could make a few attacks. With 550 axis guns and 230 AFVs lost this turn I’m happy with the result however this sort of explosive counterattacks cannot be sustained every turn. The second turn shows the Soviet action phase only with the rest of the losses being from axis logistic phase (16 AFVs lost) and axis ground phase (109 AFVs lost)

[jasonbroomer]

T17

Well there's good news and bad news. The good news is that heavy mud hasn't arrived yet, the bad is that Vet took advantage of my extended dispositions to counter attack me in 8 places

T17 weather surpirse allows 8 Soviet attacks.png (2.56 MiB) Viewed 3554 times

Not of the attacks were too brutal and as mentioned previously Vet has had few chances to make any progress towards guard creation, so no great shakes. An extra turn to bludgeon him further is a pleasant thought.

In the north, one of the 3 defenders left one of the 2 rough hexes in front of Leningrad. No doubt it joined Vet's mini offensive. Even so, attacking 2 divisions in a fort in rough terrain through light mud is daunting but I think the prize (for winter quarters) will be worth it

T17 AGN Fortunate attack for a useful hex.png (1.71 MiB) Viewed 3554 times

An expensive battle that just goes in our favour despite the defensive activation. Nice!

[jasonbroomer]

T17 AGC

Once again we resort to attacking where we can, rather than thinking about a coherent plan. Some battles are so expensive that I question whether they are worthwhile

T17 AGC bloody attacks for not much point.png (2.06 MiB) Viewed 3552 times

However, the Soviet retreat line opens up the opportunity for a follow up attack

T17 AGC but allows a half decent follow up attack.png (1.93 MiB) Viewed 3552 times

which of course was a lot more rewarding. This gets our blood up and we press on where we shouldn't have trying to hit retreated troops once again

T17 AGC getting greedy doesnt pay.png (1.98 MiB) Viewed 3552 times

the double reserve activation meant that this attack was never going anywhere

[jasonbroomer]

T17 AGS

In the Crimea, we broaden out our bridgehead to improve our supply lines

T17 AGS clearing this hex to improve supply across river.png (1.45 MiB) Viewed 3551 times

A useful haul from our 'bonus' turn

T16 EoT happy losses .png (284.87 KiB) Viewed 3551 times

Throughout this game I have kept my foot on the Soviet throat to prevent him the luxury of any down time

T17 EoT Losses consistent.png (585.7 KiB) Viewed 3551 times

However, there is little I can do when the mud thickens to keep the pressure up. However, the following 3 turns gives me the chance to catch up on admin stuff as well as extend my rail network. While little happens on the front during turns 18 to 20, there is plenty of activity behind the scenes improving the lot of the Axis.

[jasonbroomer]

T21

The rain finally abates and rather ominously switches to blizzards over a large segment of the front

T21 Blizzards already.png (3.58 MiB) Viewed 3452 times

I have advanced a long way in this game and I could be heading for a tough winter. However, unlike in my first game against Vet I will not be locking down operations but instead continue to keep up the pressure on the Soviet OoB.

I am considering which fronts Vet may be launching his winter offensives on. The obvious choices are the Rzhev, Kursk and Rostov/Stalino regions. Strong defences must be prepared to meet these threats. Elsewhere I will pound away.

In the north, I secure the other patch of rough terrain outside of Leningrad

T21 AGN securing second patch or rough outside Leningrad.png (1.69 MiB) Viewed 3452 times

A tough and expensive battle but it provides a bastion for my winter defences which if Vet does not dislodge me from, will be a launch pad for taking Leningrad in 1942. To the west of this battle site, this just leaves a small salient, again of rough terrain. This is now firmly on the winter preparation shopping list.

A little further south, we make an effective attack to gain a nice marsh hex to bed down in.

T21 AGN nice result to gain marsh.png (2.32 MiB) Viewed 3452 times

Doubtless the Soviets will be able to evict us from here in December, however, it will oblige considerable resources to do so.

[jasonbroomer]

T21 AGC

We have committed our reserves to the area SE of Vyazma. We aim to batter the Soviets in this sector as they have not yet had the chance to dig in.

T21 AGC Reserves being committed here.png (2.2 MiB) Viewed 3448 times

Gaining land here also protects the newly functions single rail line running SE through Bryansk, which I intend to extend to connect with Vyazma in the top left of this picture.


A little a long the line, we continue in our plan to fortify Kursk. The best defence in winter is space, which we have a little. We plan to push out eastwards around Kharkov but around Kursk we are planning a spaced fort defence. Already, regiments (light blue) have sneaked up to the front line (hat tip for Vet for this tactic!) reformed as a division and started to build up fortifications since they remain on the front line.

T21 AGS Preparing spaced fort defence.png (1.88 MiB) Viewed 3448 times

Elsewhere, in dark blue, we expend valuable APs to place FZ in mutually supporting hexes. It's taken me some time to finally work out how to use FZs, you need to be very careful in their positioning as a Soviet raid could wipe them out if they are not garrisoned. Hopefully these forts will reach level 3 by the time winter arrives.

These lines won't hold forever if Vet is going to focus in this sector, but they will gain time before we finally fall back to Kursk. Ultimately, I doubt that I can retain the city over winter but we got the full time bonus of 6 VPs, so if we lose it (and subsequently take it back) it is still a wash.

Vet has also employed a new tactic to improve his air marshals

T21 AGS Vet changing leaders the Soviet way.png (242.81 KiB) Viewed 3448 times

Stick them on the front line and wait for them to be displaced. I did kill one but was delighted to see that its replacement general suffered skill downgrades, including his air rating

[jasonbroomer]

T21 AGS


We are planning to deploy a similar fort network as Kursk to protect Stalino. We are determined to hold this city through winter. To this ends, we take the patch of marshes near Rostov to anchor our defences

T21 AGS Thinking about the winter line.png (1.96 MiB) Viewed 3444 times

In the Crimea, there is still a significant soviet presence. I'm not quite sure what to do in this sector. I may just have enough time to take Sevastopol and lock up Kerch, or I will pull back to place winter lines on the land bridge to the main land. Note Vet's crafty move with the Cavalry division. This greatly impeded the supplies to may easterly divisions and cost me trucks as well.

T21 AGS Crimea defended.png (1.48 MiB) Viewed 3444 times

Anyway for the moment, I will move on down and see how far I can get. Supply was horrid during the rainy period and remains a problem until I can get the local port working. The picture details the extent of the RAD repairs.

[EwaldvonKleist]

Good AAR.

The Soviets have defended their clay well, especially at Leningrad. How are the OOBs and manpower pools? Game will probably be tough for the Axis from now on.

[M60A3TTS]

Good AAR.

The Soviets have defended their clay well, especially at Leningrad. How are the OOBs and manpower pools? Game will probably be tough for the Axis from now on.

I was under the impression this game ended next turn with Vet's surrender.

[jasonbroomer]

Good AAR.

The Soviets have defended their clay well, especially at Leningrad. How are the OOBs and manpower pools? Game will probably be tough for the Axis from now on.

Thank you. After an almost a 2 month hiatus I am back in the fold.

Leningrad was never a priority for me and much more about attracting Russian resources in its defence. Throughout this game, apart from the heavy mud, I have being consistently causing the Soviets 100k+ per turn losses while using Axis agility to prevent counterattacking opportunities.

After the following turn Vet, threw in the towel.

His OoB was c.3m in the field and no doubt the TBs thoroughly ransacked of anything useful. The Axis had made substantial territorial gains and the troops were in good shape. The lack of counter attacking opportunities, coupled with only a handful of failed attacks by the Axis, meant though no Soviet division was anywhere near guard status. I may have had a tricky winter, but 1942 was poised to be a blood bath for the Soviets. They just don't have the manpower.

I think that the strength of 'modern' openings and the devastating wrought by panzers hitting retreated Soviets results in the game balance favouring the Axis (assuming both players know what they is doing). Open TBs only enhances the strength of the Axis's hand.

My thanks to Vet for valiantly standing up to the Axis onslaught for as long as he did and his gracious play.

[EwaldvonKleist]

Interesting, the situation re captured terrain looked quite good for the Soviets.

My WitE2 knowledge is from many versions ago+AARs, so probably not worth much. But I am not sure I would have thrown in the towel at this point.

[Zemke]

I hated to see this end. I dearly wanted to see what winter brought.

[Veterin]

I think that the strength of 'modern' openings and the devastating wrought by panzers hitting retreated Soviets results in the game balance favouring the Axis (assuming both players know what they is doing)

I would agree with this statement. I try and verse strong opponents and in the last ~10 or so games i've played as either Axis or Soviet, Soviets have only won one of those game. At the more experienced levels, PvP is heavily skewed towards Axis in my opinion whereas at the less experienced levels Soviets are a lot stronger (axis is less forgiving of mistakes!).

A lot of games seem to end in 41 but if it gets to 42, that’s where the true power of Axis becomes evident. In my Axis game vs Todger, my 41 was ok but nothing special (didn’t capture Stalino or Vyzama for example) however the Soviet OOB has continually been ground down over a long campaigning season in 42 and a VP win is close. Soviet OOB was above 6m at the start of the offensive and its been ground down to 4.5m despite the Soviet manpower events.

JB and I have another game going at the moment but this time with me as Axis and JB as Soviets. It's only turn 11 so it’s still early days but I “feel” like I’m in a reasonably good position. I don’t have the game open but Soviet OOB is down to something like 2.85m (2.65m ready) and I’ve only lost ~400 AFVs so far.

[coolts]

Another AAR fails to make it past winter. Mud in this case. A real shame for us in the audience looking to pick up blizzard and mid & late game tips.

This was a balanced game and should have continued.

How many turn 1's do we need to see?

Moan over.