Bulletins from the Front - Fire in the East 2 (no loveman1 please)

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Soviet air losses analysis 6-7-41

It is a common feature of many Barbarossa and Ost Front scenarios to see immense losses being suffered by the PVO and VVS regiments of the Red Air Force in the opening salvos; as indeed happened historically. The surprise the Germans achieved in their attack meant most aircraft based in European Russia were caught on the ground by bombers or totally outclassed and decimated if they were able to get into the air.

The game mirrors this by allocating extremely low proficiency rates to Red Air Force units, high shock value in favour of the Axis and have a lot of airfield strikes precoded for turn 1. All these simulate several historical factors. Firstly the qualitative advantage enjoyed by the Luftwaffe, especially the Jagdflieger, over their Red Air Force opponents. This gap was only closed gradually by the costly price paid in blood. Secondly, the high Axis shock causes a lot of reorg for the Russians (Air Shock starts at 150 for the Germans and remains above 100 until December '41) this in turn means a lot of planes are caught on the ground in the initial air strikes on 22nd June. Indeed (reading direct from scenario notes here) the Soviet air shock value for the first three turns is set at 5! Hence the importance to fly everything as far East as soon as they come out of reorg, even if there is only one plane left as the unit can rebuild from that cadre.

As such at the end of turn 5 the combined losses of Soviet aircraft stands at 3166 planes. The pic below shows the main losses and you will note the the fighter arm in Western Russia ceased to exist after the first two days of battle. The bomber arm and strike aircraft came out of it realtively lightly but what use are bombers without escort. The husbanding of air resources is a very important matter for the Soviet player in the first few turns and its re-entry into combat must be carfeully managed.

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9th July 1941

Two main events this last turn. The urban centre of Riga has fallen at great cost to the 254th Infantry Division. Soviet forces still hold on to the eastern part of the city but are being outflanked by elements of the 6th Panzer Division. A valuable heavy artillery unit was railed out but STAVKA has ordered the 22nd Corps to fight to the last man. The Ogre position holds, barely, and the Germans should push out into Northern Latvia this coming turn. Rearguards are carrying out a scorched earth policy as they retreat denying the enemy crossing points and railway bridges.

In Belarus substantial elements of Army Group Centre approach Minsk from the North and South. Two motorised and one Panzer Division have advanced to the city in the North via Molodechino while in the South further mobile elements have moved through Dzerzhinsk to hit the fortified region SW of the city.

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Western Front has amassed a substantial amount of artillery in defence of Minsk. The Soviet God of War made its presence felt across the battlefield as the defenders of Minsk delivered the first blow of the coming battle. Artillery regiments and batteries opened up across the defensive perimeter visiting death on the Fascists. SS Das Reich was a choice target for many of the gunners and the SS troopers suffered substantial losses under the weight of shell being delivered on them. Though less effective against armoured formations, the barrage served to disrupt and destroy the efforts the Germans were making to prepare for the forthcoming assault. Observers in the high ground ahead of the main artillery emplacements kept on sending fire reports and this aided the guns in delivering an accurate shelling.

In game turns I carried out 5 rounds of bombardments on an over crowded stack that had largely infantry in them. Artillery units now have a 'weight of shell' value and I have found that heavy shells on over crowded stacks (yellow and red yield better results), that are largely composed of soft targets in open emplacements can deliver some telling blows. The effect dug in and fortified and armoured units is less, though artillery helps to 'soften' up a target by lowering the level of fortification

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13th July 1941

German forces make their first assault against the Minsk defensive line targetting the Northern and Southern Flanks of the first defensive belt. It has not all gone their way!

The northern pincer was the most successful one with both 14th and 20th Motorised Infantry Divisions making a small dent in the first defensive line as they were able to dislodge the 168th Rifle Division from its positions. The attack however lacked impetus in the face of the defenisve supporting artillery and though some ground was gained the German position was not strong enough to prevent a reshuffle of units and fresh regiments reinforced the line.

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The Southern pincer, however has not been so lucky and the 34th Infantry Division has been severely mauled by the 100th Rifle Division holding positions around Slabada.

The 34th Infantry Division attacked into the face of the massed artillery of the Western Front. German infantry were mowed down by accurate and well placed barrages while the riflemen of the 100th fought back from well prepared positions. A long morning of fighting ebbed out around midday as the Germans were seen to retreat under the cover of smoke shells. Bodies in feldgrey covered the field infront of the Russian lines as the acrid smell of cordite, blood and death drfited on the midsummer breeze. The 100th had also suffered but it was clear from the lack of a second attack later in the day that the Germans had received a bloody nose!

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The new combat chart paints a very accurate picture of the action and it is clear that the support the artillery was able to provide was a key factor in the battle. It is clear that a well dug in unit with ample artillery support can overcome its disadvantages in proficiency vis a vis its enemy. Perhaps Willie underestimated the strength he will need and I am sure he will rectify next turn.

The battle chart however is clear. A loss rate of 56% and over 150 infantry squads destroyed. It will be seen how long the Minsk speedbump can hold and how long I can keep Willie thinking that this is the MLR. There is a small scree on units North and South to give the impression of a longer line. I hope to gain at least gain two turns to able to further strengthen the line to the East.

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Indeed it was not the only action in which the Axis suffered. Heavy fighting aroung Ogre in the North (which still holds!), further attacks on the Minsk perimeter and a forcing of the Daugavpils position has bled the Axis as the Red Army begins to bare its teeth for the first time. Here you can see the major battles of turn 7 and there effects.

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As a general overview here is the state of play at the end of turn 7 with my MLR shaping up nicely. The red blobs to the East of Moscow are Gorki and Kazan where the Red Air Force is replenishing. As units come online in the Urals I let them replenish for a few turns then fly them to Gorki, Kazan or the the Moscow area to keep them close to possible deployment areas.

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Soviet counters have once again been a further bombardment of German positions to the South of Minsk. Red or yellow stacks are the targets of priority to maximise the possible number of casualties from shelling. Willie, however has been very careful to spread his units out. Das Reich was once again pumelled and the battered 34th Infantry was also given some special attention!

The Dvina line is all but given up. Riga's defenders are holed up in a pocket in the East of the city and the Daugavpils crossing has gone, though two airborne regiments stubbornly hold out. Several engineer and pontoon units are retreating through Latvia and Estonia blowing up as many river crossings as possible as the terrain turns marshier as it approaches Lake Peipus. Bessarabia has been given up and advanced Romanian units are on the West bank of the River Dniester though they are yet to cross; the spearheads of Army Group South are still 100km away and this has permitted the bulk of the South West Front to retreat East via Vinnitsa and entrench on the Dnepr Line. Odessa has been fortified and strengthened and will be the southern speed bump. There is enough strength on show to give Willie food for thought if he wants to leave it to wither on the vine as he rolls eastwards. Kiev is also fortified though it stands as a bastion in forward of the MLR. 6 full strength Infantry Divisions, 2 Cavalry Divisions, 1 Naval Brigade and 3 regiments of artillery have all been railed West to reinforce the line. The Soviet player is well advised to make use of his excellent internal lines of communication!

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Readaars,

I need some adivce please. It is the start of turn 8 and I have a couple of theatre options. One is to disband the 1941 mechanised formations and the other is to centralise the artillery. Can some one shed some light on the effects of each please? If I disband the 41 Mech formations there will be gaps in my MLR. As to the artillery; i have painstakingly re positioned the artillery to support the defence and do not want to lose a lot of the work. However if there is a long term gain then I can take the short term hit.

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16th July 1941

The attention on the Front is squarely fixed on Minsk. Battle has well and truly been drawn with the majority of AGC's mobile divisions identified on the Minsk battlefront. Once again the Germans are pressing both flanks of the position. In the North 14th Motorised Infantry and 12th Panzer Divisions destroy one of the forts anchoring the line and push 5kms closer to the city. A swift reshuffle of units means that once again a solid Soviet line will meet the third German attack in this sector.

The Der Fuhrer Regiment of SS Das Reich once again suffered very heavy casualties against the 100th Rifle Division. Despite gaining ground and eventually dislodging the defenders, the SS troopers could not press their advantage such was the scale of their losses. Further East, mobile units seek to turn the flank near the village of Pukhovichi. Minsk still holds after 9 days of battle. The time being bought with its blood is being put to good use further to the rear.

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The destroyers of the Northern Fleet were once again up to no good. Recon had spotted a unit of German fighter planes at Pestamo in support of the 2 Gebirgsjager Division that were manning a line on the Lista River. A nightime attack on the 17th July brought no retaliation and a further daylight raid on a unit of ME-110s at Kirkenes also went in unoppsoed. This made Northern Fleet confident of a combined arms attack on the fighter unit as the destroyers returned home on the 18th July.

Destroyer Squadrons 1 and 2 trained their guns on the airfield while over head 1-16s and 1-153s of the 13th IAP escorted SB2's of the 80th BAP to deliver a devasting attack on the Luftwaffe unit. Death rained down on the hapless Germans for 45 minutes as naval shells and then aerial bombs obliterated the gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 77. Early morning recon on the 19th July confirmed that 13 burnt out ME-109 shells dotted the aerodrome and no meaningful activiry could be discerned by the Pe-2 flying recon. Morale surged among the ranks of the airman as some small measure of revenge for the 22nd June was exacted.

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The frontlines currently look like this with all of the MLR being garrisoned by at least one line of defence. I expect contact to be made in the North in two turns and three in the Ukraine. The Romanians are advancing slowly with only the terrain to beat. Fortress Odessa awaits them and all the main crossings on the Dniester River have been blown and are defended by fixed fortifications or last stand units.

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I decided against activating either TO on offer this turn. This is as they read in the scenario briefing:

Turn 8 Theatre option available until turn 405
Option: Disband Mech Corps 41
Disband all Tank, Mech and motorised divisions in 1941 type Mech Corps and included in this event (See
OOB for details)
Text: Soviets disband Mech forces
Add the units they reformed into (Se OOB for details)
Soviet supply: +1 for the rest of the war.
Description: The Mech Corps proved to be too big and cumbersome to handle. They disbanded and were
split up to support the infantry, or started forming the much smaller Tank Brigades.
There is a 4 turn delay on the TO, so when taken the units disappear 4 turns later.

Turn 8 Theatre option available until taken
Option: Reorganize Artillery
Text: Soviets centralize Artillery to RVGK and Army control
Disband all corps artillery units, and AA units included in this event (See OOB for details)
Add the units they reformed into (Se OOB for details)
Soviet supply: +1 for the rest of the war.

I expect to be fully engaged in 4 turns and the loss of those mechanised formations will leave massive gaps in certain areas of the line in the South and will leave me with no tactical reserve in the Centre and North. Tank brigades will eventually come on line and these Mech formations can be used either as sacrificial units or indeed line units to defend to the end.

Likewise the Corps artillery has been saved, at great expense and work, and at Minsk for example their extraction would mean the removal of the bulk of artillery support. If anyone has activated them I would appreciate a brief on what happens but I envisaged a nightmare scenario of a MLR punctured by the holes left by the withdrawal of these units and Willie pushing his Panzers through those gaps. The needs of the Front come first!

On another matter I came across this overstrength bomber unit. Is this a bug or is it meant to be like this? If so can someone please explain why it is over strengthed? Thanks

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20th July 1941

The Rodina has been under attack for almost a month. Germany, Romania and Hungary assail the Soviet Union on a front from the Baltic to the Black Sea. Yet depsite the debacle on the frontier, the virtual destruction of the air force and the headlong flight East employed by the Red Army Minsk is heorically holding fast against a massive assault by the German army.

Sitting astride the Minsk-Smolensk-Moscow highway the city was given special priorty in pre-war plans and it was to anchor a defensive line. The quick and devastating assault on the 22nd June meant those plans were quickly shelved and the MLR placed further to the East. Stavka were, however, reluctant to give up the prepared positions in and around the city to the enemy without a fight. As such Minsk was to act as a forward bulwark and to seal off any German advance up Russia's most modern network of roads.

So far it has been under assault for a week and it still holds fast. German moves, however, on the 21st and 22nd July have changed the situation. Infantry Regiment Grossdeutschland and the Aufklarer Abteilung of the 20th Panzer Division have crept in through the flanks of the defensive perimeter. That said however the Germans are being bled dry in the immediate environs of the city and a though ground was again lost, enemy dead fill the fields and burning villages. The defenders of Minsk know that their position is a forlorn one and as such fight as condemned men and with the fury that brings!

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I finally activated the TO authorising the reorganisation of the 1941 Mechanised Corps. Though I lose them in 4 turns there is a massive reinforcement of 19 infantry divisions, 28 Tank Brigades, 7 recon units, 1 Cavalry Div, 1 Heavy Tank Div. and 1 Tank Div. and 1 Guards motoried diviison to fill and plug any gaps. In preparation for this eventuality a lot of forming and reserve divisions have been railed to the Front to relieve the mechanised divisions currently on the line. I have opted against reorganising the artillery for the time being.

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July 23rd 1941

Minsk has finally been surrounded but it will take some more hard fighting before the defenders finally give in. They have bought the Red Army nine days worth of time to build and fortify the main defensive line as ordered by STAVKA. Advanced elements of the 8th Panzer Division have made contact with it at Opochka in the North. The battle will now begin in earnest as the Red Army will no longer run but fight!

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July 29th 1941

Minsk fell on the 28th July and its remaining defenders have been split into three pockets to the West, South West and North of the city itself. Elsewhere Army Group North makes solid contact with the MLR as it probe Soviet defences with some exploratory bombardments of the frontline near Opochka. Reinforcements are still being railed in with STAVKA releasing the strategic artillery reserve for deployment. The Red Air Force has also made its reappearance at the Front with several VVS and PVO squadrons engaging enemy planes over the Pskov and Opochka regions. According to intel the losses have been fairly equal with roughly 50 planes lost by either side in the last engagments. Though the Polikarpov and I-153 and I-16 models are still the most common Soviet fighter in the skies, more modern Yak-1's, Mig-3's and Lagg-3's are filling out squadron rosters as replenished units return to action. In the South most units have already reached their main defensive positions as recon detects the first Romanian approaches to the Odessa defensive perimeter.

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August 1st - August 6th 1941

Finland has now entered the war as a full Axis partner and she is hell bent in regaining the land lost during the Winter War of 1939. Her divisions have streamed across the border to the North West of Leningrad in one massive assault. Small parties of Jager however are infiltrating through the lines using the abundant forests as cover to surround and cut off the border forces. It is a deadly game of cat and mouse with a lot of ebb and flow as encircled Russian units are cut off and then fight their way out only to come across more Jager strewn among the trees.

Further North in Karelia the fighting is more conventional. SS Division Nord has led the Finnish 6th Division in storming Salla and almost destorying the 122nd Rifle Division. The 420th and 715th Infantry Regiments have fled to the mountains above Sallatunturi and have dug in. Their high vantage point has allowed them to spot Finnish units bypassing the mountains to the South and East and heading towards Allakurrti.

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Army Group North has made its first tentative attempts to break through our main line of resistance. The 426th Infantry Regiment was able to rout the militia units screening the line and push itself 5kms into the main defensive line. A swift counter attack by the 900th Rifle Regiment, 242nd Rifle Division was able to restore the line and rout the Germans westwards. The massive artillery support given was assessed as crucial to the outcome of the battle.