Nach Moskau und zurück - Gunnulf (A) AtAtack (S) GC-No early end

[xhoel]

@Gunnulf: I would advise you sit them in the NSS for 1 turn so they fill up on trucks. They usually come on map with few trucks and that has big negative effects on mobility and CV.

I know the AAR is behind the game but just something to keep in mind for next time! Keep up the good posting, the AAR is very interesting.

[Gunnulf]

Yes, good advice, also you will see in the screenshot I keep a luftwaffe field corps in Berlin on priority 4. Any new arrivals attach to this HQ and move into the city on arrival turn. That way on the next turn they are as good as guaranteed to have full supplies before they head to the front and not draw on local sources. Because they entain on the railyard they don't arrive too much slower than if they kicked off in the open on turn one, and certainly better prepared with supplies and vehicles like you say. The Corps HQ might well be unnecessary but I have it spare so been putting it to use to make sure.

[xhoel]

I think its always good to have a Corps back exactly for that purpose. If you attach units to the OKH they usually fail a bunch of rolls and have a lot less MPs next turn. Plus it helps with supply like you said.

[Gunnulf]

T92 Fall Regenbogen

Ill advised? Yes
Unclear objectives? Yes
Probably unnecessary? Yes
Incomplete intelligence picture? Tick
Doomed to fail? Almost certainly
Going to do it anyway? Natürlich

Bit of a strategic shifting of the deckchairs. Army Det Kempf takes over eastern Stalingrad sector allowing 4 Panzer Army under Von Manstein to move south and assume control of assorted previously independent Corps while Guderian takes control of 3 Panzer Army on the southern half of the line, both assigned to be Assault HQs. Von Kluge leads the Army Group South dream team. 36 Divisions on the starting block. What can possibly go worng?

[Gunnulf]

Fall Regenbogen

Not sure how much of a surprise it was, time will tell, but certainly there has proved to be depth to the Soviet defences with multiple mech and tank corps in the second line. It can't be that our codes have been broken, they are foolproof. Its possible that we caught a planned offensive building up behind its start line in which case if nothing else our assault will have caused mischief and disruption to the Red schedule down here. Tough fighting for sure, although in the highlighted case 5 anti-tank regiments account for less than 1 tank each... In our most optimistic dreams the infantry might have smashed the front line and massed panzers poured through just like the good old days but the reality was the panzergrenadiers forced to bludgeon through the second line. We have done some damage, still have reserves with full CPP and will have momentum but it will certainly be a slog. Losses well in our favour for the start of the offensive and we destroy 10% of the Soviet on map armour, but its taken a large commitment to achieve this. Army Group South deploys over half the armour on the eastern front, even discounting that 600 are with Kempf outside Stalingrad. But we will try to put them to good use in the coming weeks. Nice to see we also still control the skies down here though.

[Jango32]

Those are some pitifully small losses inflicted on the Soviets, despite having twice the amount of men and presumably overwhelming artillery support if most of those Soviet guns are AT weapons.

[AlbertN]

I will be astonished if you can keep up the offensive down there! Logistics for me were a nightmare.

[Stamb]

But Soviets had lvl 2 fortification.

[Gunnulf]

As per my mission statement, its almost certainly a bad idea. The Reds are not exactly weak, they were dug in fairly well, its still snow rather than clear which I balanced as adding to surprise, but making both combat and logistics sub-optimal. But despite all in the name of science we decreed to push forward and the pixel-truppen followed out of a morbid sense of curiosity. We can afford to ultimately stall down here and inflict damage and time delays that will work to our advantage at least I think. Balanced against a long drive on Saratov, an all consuming task to take Moscow at this late stage, or a futile attempt to dig multiple rifle corps out of the cellars of Stalingrad (at the end of an even more tenuous supply chain there) it was the option that offered the most advantages and least disadvantages. Of course pure defence, and local fire brigades across the front was also probably a valid option but the other half of the panzerwaffe is doing that and holding ok for now. Highly likely this pulls in more Soviet reserves and at minimum dilutes planned counter-offensives up north.
I might have waited for clear weather but the Western Allies are not standing still and this sector also gives us more viable campaigning time to make a difference before divisions need to redeploy. I keep back a few Italian mostly alpine divisions so far on the rationale that the same disaster that historically evaporated them did not befall but a few have gone to the west already. All the western TBs are healthily stacked already so if they had gone they would just be swapped for extra Germans right now. We have a good 3 months campaigning before we need to think hard about this and no doubt much will change in this time, but I certainly don't expect either a killer blow, or too much of a disaster, but hopefully interesting to explore. Once the idea formed it was impossible to not find out what might happen...

[Gunnulf]

ORIGINAL: AlbertN

I will be astonished if you can keep up the offensive down there! Logistics for me were a nightmare.

Without taking the Ordzhonikidze railyard late in 42 and taking time to repair and create a super-depot here, none of my units would have been able to dig in properly let alone receive full replacements and supplies. It took months especially all the while having to fight to avoid a breakthrough. It will be a stretch still I'm sure when ammo need to flow down mostly a sole double-track (and then not even fully all the way to the end). Airlift from around Rostov helps a little but barely at the range they need to operate to actually bring in extra rather than just moving supplies from further east of Rostov that doesn't really add anything if they were based closer. There are also supplies coming by sea to feed the mixed Romanian/German force at Maikop to at least add some extra, but yes logistics I fully expect to be a limiting factor that will only get worse.

[xhoel]

Seems like the Soviets were setting up their own offensive in the sector. You striking first will put those plans on hold and as you said the Soviets might rush in a lot more reserves to the area if they panic because of what is happening.

This game just as in real life rewards taking the initiative. No need to start playing defense when your troops can still pack a healthy punch. Just be careful to not overdo it and end up being encircled yourself. Keep up the good work!

[Gunnulf]

T94 Caucasus

AtAtack forms a screen of Motorised brigades to stall a bit, especially in the north end of the line but we have enough CPP and blunt force to break through these and a few more substantial strongpoints for a general advance of 20miles for the most part. Losses 5-1 troops, 4-1 afvs in the Axis favour, but still a long way to go and a chance of rain next week might well slow things down. But at least a good start and as above I feel like if nothing else we broke up an attack brewing for spring. Rest of the Eastern Front pretty quiet, presumably as we maybe are drawing units away to re-deploy...

[Gunnulf]

T95 Passchendaele

So, we rolled the dice on the timing of the start of the offensive, with light snow and water levels at 3 I hoped any mud that came might be transition to light mud rather than heavy. I refer to Loki's comment about optimism. No matter, we are 50 miles closer to the Caspian. We have mauled a troop concentration, probably stalled offensives up north and sucked in reserves and we have a chance to consolidate and consider our next moves. Everywhere else on the front is using horses for supplies so the workload on trucks down here should be manageable for a few turns. Its all good.
Probably.

[Gunnulf]

T98 Fall Regenbogen resumes

After 3 weeks of rest and recuperation almost everybody is back to 100CPP and close to full supply so while idle the pixeltruppen make good use of the time. However out of the gates the Soviets are the first to strike, which of course could be a bad sign of the confidence born of big reserves behind the line. For sure there are plenty of Rifle, Cavalry and Tank corps milling around. The Red strike pushes back our most exposed infantry pickets, and Mech bdes try to inflitrate.
However overall our rested main body retakes lost terrain and pushes a further 20 miles reaching the riverline and threatening to cut the North/South railline. Not more than an inconvenience for the Soviets at this stage probably. We inflict a solid 70k losses on the Soviets and ruin 1.1k AFVs. Not going to run out, but certainly might get tough to get tanks back into the Tank Corps at least.

Overall the supply-net is working reasonably well and no Army is particularly suffering for supplies or replacements I think.

However the bad news is despite messages in previous turns that our overcommitment to North Africa events had been pushed back, in fact Tunis surrenders 2 weeks earlier than historical which catches us a little of-guard and might have implications for meeting Italian TB requirements in the short term and troops scramble from France, Axis reserves, Soviet garrison and the map itself. We just gained a VP for Western Europe overgarrison but good chance we will lose 2-3 Vps at least before the Italy levels are met. C'est la vie.

[loki100]

ORIGINAL: Gunnulf

... Everywhere else on the front is using horses for supplies so the workload on trucks down here should be manageable for a few turns. ...

be a bit cautious on this assumption .. the 3 hex rule only applies for the share of freight a unit pulls from within 3 hexes, so if its having to go further it uses horses + trucks in whatever ratio

sounds like you have things well set it but I'd still suspect a few longer supply lines than just to the immediate depot?

[Gunnulf]

Oh yes for sure, there are a few cases where units have a depot close but are pulling from further away. I guess my point was the system doesn't currently feel overstretched on the rest of the front so I'm able to have just 3 & 4 panzer armies on priority 4, units fighting defensively on 3, quiet sectors on 2 and even AGN on 1. Correspondingly only a few key frontline depots near fighting are set to 4, the rest are 2 or 3 and overall this is working well to ensure supply goes to the caucasus, but that nobody else is going hungry.

[Stamb]

Can you post your supply map with depot priorities?

[Gunnulf]

Never!!! I'll take that secret to the grave!!!




OK, I'll try and remember next turn. I just returned turn 100 so two behind at the moment but good chance Atatack gets one over this evening, he's been a great frequent oppenent to play against.

[Gunnulf]

T99 Caucasus

Soviet counterattacks continue to come in on the northern flank picking at weaker spots, but once again 4 Panzer Armee retains good CPP and beats back these thrusts and gains further ground into the bargain. I'm sure if I cross-referenced units here have previously been observed in the Stalingrad sector so this part of the plan is maybe working too (so long as his counter-attacks are not TOO effective of course....!).
Meanwhile, Guderian's 3 Panzer Armee make further advances and reach the outskirts of Grozny again and prepare to cross the riverline to the east. A further 1.4k Soviet AFVs torched as the Tigers, other Panzers and Pak40s do their grizzly work.

Elsewhere reserves rush to bring the Italian TB up to spec but we suffer a VP loss, and likely will another next turn too.

[Gunnulf]

T100 Caucasus

A few more successful Soviet counterattacks but again ground retaken and we cross the river and cut the north-south railline. Again not critical but all good disruption to Soviet supplies flowing freely. Not yet in a position to take Grozny though which should prove a tough nut with rivers on so many angles.