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

[M60A3TTS]

Week 57 19 July 1942

VVS ground attacks generate Axis losses of 8,290 men, 119 guns and 1 AFV. 231 FFBs and 228 IL-2s are lost. 6,787 bomber sorties were launched accompanied by 3,899 fighter sorties. 50 IL-2 regiments participated in ground attacks this week.

1st Night Attack Corps with 200 U-2VS aircraft attack the 6th Rumanian Cavalry Division and alone inflicts 1,600 casualties.



100 DB-3Bs from Long Range Air Command’s 17th DBAD at Voronezh attack front line units in the Kursk sector but suffer heavy casualties, losing 2/3 of the force. This is the first time LRAC has been involved in supporting the air offensive. It will be back.



In the Grozny sector, 5th Air Army of North Caucasus Front is not idle. No enemy air opposition is present as A-20B's and IL-2s sweep in.




Elsewhere Luftwaffe Air Superiority missions are appearing for the first time and are achieving some success against our bombing raids.

Alekseevka-Valuyki




Stalingrad




40 Luftwaffe air combat missions are conducted this week involving 541 aircraft against 603 Soviet fighters and 640 bombers. They destroy 80 Soviet fighters and 208 bombers at a cost of 6 fighters. 8 VVS air combat missions in response send up 352 aircraft against 400 Luftwaffe fighters. Another 160 Soviet aircraft are lost to 8 Luftwaffe fighters. Total air combat losses 380 Soviet to 12 German.

Despite lopsided losses, reserve pools of IL-2 aircraft remain plentiful. Some fighter reserves are run down, particularly MiG-3 that ceased production with the new year and Hurricane IIB that are just poor low-level escorts. Being only in mid-July, we will continue to keep a close watch on how the fighter pool holds up.

[M60A3TTS]

Week 58 26 July 1942

Relatively quiet week on the ground. 28th Army in the Astrakhan Region moves to secure the Sarda River.


In the air, our losses are 485 total aircraft. Ground attack casualties inflicted were only 1,962 as Axis Air Superiority missions prove effective against the IL-2s and their escorts. Axis fighters freed from the Leningrad fighting are lending their weight now further south.

Stalingrad



Chernaya Kalitva River, northeast of Kharkov.

[M60A3TTS]

Week 59 2 August 1942

Three air attacks this week generate Axis casualties of 3,453 men and 62 guns. 15 FFBs and 110 bombers are lost.
4,950 bombers were launched and accompanied by 1,215 fighter sorties.

The first five La-5 fighter regiments are on the map. Production is 48 per week.

The GD division near Orel is in the habit of popping out each week with friends to trash Soviet defenses in the area. With the high NM and low prep point loss they can afford an active lifestyle.




Back and forth fighting east of Belgorod. Soviet attacks are largely confined to front line Axis allies.



With the Caspian Sea to the east, Maxim Purkaev's 28th Army creeps south with two Rumanian cavalry units lurking.

[M60A3TTS]

Week 60 9 August 1942

Time for a ground update. Some numbers.

[M60A3TTS]

Some maps.

[M60A3TTS]

This week, a special conference took place in Moscow. During this conference, the Chief of Staff Marshal Budyonny briefed members of the National Defense Committee and several front commanders on Operation Borodino. Prior to the fall of Leningrad, an anticipated need for new combined arms armies led to this plan for the raising of eighty new rifle divisions in addition to augmenting front line forces from other theaters. This would allow for the introduction of approximately nine to ten new field armies. At the time of the conference, seventy rifle divisions had been called up, with ten more to be raised in the next and final week. This would conclude Phase One.



A second phase would call on the fresh mobilization of 450,000 conscripts in early September. This would likely be the last large scale mobilization of troops that could be called up without risking the assigned industrial output quotas. With these measures, the means to a path forward to victory becomes clear.

[tm1]

This week, a special conference took place in Moscow. During this conference, the Chief of Staff Marshal Budyonny briefed members of the National Defense Committee and several front commanders on Operation Borodino. Prior to the fall of Leningrad, an anticipated need for new combined arms armies led to this plan for the raising of eighty new rifle divisions in addition to augmenting front line forces from other theaters. This would allow for the introduction of approximately nine to ten new field armies. At the time of the conference, seventy rifle divisions had been called up, with ten more to be raised in the next and final week. This would conclude Phase One.



A second phase would call on the fresh mobilization of 450,000 conscripts in early September. This would likely be the last large scale mobilization of troops that could be called up without risking the assigned industrial output quotas. With these measures, the means to a path forward to victory becomes clear.

It appears Stalin's " no retreat " order has had the desired effect as the Red Army seems to have weathered the storm at Stalingrad from the looks of the screen shot, at least for now.

[gingerbread]

Week 60 9 August 1942

Time for a ground update. Some numbers.

You forgot vehicles.


Also:
What is the target number for total RD, after adding 80 new?

[M60A3TTS]

On Map Infantry and Mountain Units

38 corps (114 RDE/rifle division equivalents)
314 divisions
86 brigades (43 RDE)
471 RDE total

10 in SR and to be built next week

66 RDE in Northern, TC and FE boxes. 23 brigades and 55 divisions

This totals 547 RDE, and will increase to 557 next week.

[M60A3TTS]

Week 61 16 August 1942

This week marks the eighth and final week of rifle division builds, culminating in the creation of eighty new rifle divisions raised. The last rifle division raised was the 299th Division. In another three weeks we will mobilize 450,000 men, bringing Operation Borodino to a conclusion .

Air results this week involved substantial air losses in exchange for one of the most successful air operations of the war thus far. The 7th and 8th Rumanian Cavalry divisions are annihilated by air attacks in Kalmykia. An increased use of air superiority missions by the Luftwaffe have proven a real deterrence to flying some missions.

Axis air combat resulted in the loss of 66 defending Soviet fighters and 266 bomber losses at the cost of 15 German fighters.

Soviet Air Combat resulted in the loss of 147 Soviet fighters to 6 German.

Soviet Ground Bombing and Interdiction cost the VVS 85 fighters and 214 bombers at a cost of 6 German aircraft.

Soviet Observation missions resulted in the loss of 2 aircraft.

Total bomber losses
343 IL-2
37 IL-4 and DB-3B
30 B-25D

Orel-Kursk Ops



Ops along the Don-Volga Rivers



Ops in Kalmykia

[M60A3TTS]

Week 62 23 August 1942

VVS ground attacks this week generate Axis losses of 4,081 men and 72 guns. 28 FFBs, 18 Su-2s, and 10 IL-2s are lost along with 97 various level bombers. Long Range Air Command strikes at Staraya Russa while 5th Air Army lends it's support northeast of Grozny. Red Army units sweeping down from the north are threatening to envelop the Axis units currently holding the oilfields.

[M60A3TTS]

Week 63 30 August 1942

Soviet air activity this week generates 3,300 troop losses for the Axis in addition to the loss of 48 guns. Air losses consisted of 252 aircraft of which 129 were operational. 103 pilots were killed, representing a survival rate of over 50%.

A major turning point in the war may have taken place as the threat of being cut off by Soviet armor of Ivan Bogdanov's 3rd Tank Army has compelled the Germans to abandon Grozny. They held the oilfields there for 10 weeks.



At the same time German troops southwest of Stalingrad have fallen back. Eremenko's 32nd Army moves up to occupy Chir Station. Troops of the Don Front advance south of the Chir River.



The operational plan for the first major Soviet offensive since last winter is completed under the authorship of Generals Zhukov and Vasilevsky. Stalin and Budyonny are briefed on the details and another meeting is planned at the Kremlin for all relevant front commanders.

[M60A3TTS]

One important detail omitted from the Week 62 report was a breakthough by the Red Army southwest of Stalingrad.

Rumanian troops here were pushed aside, allowing motorized-tank troops of Pavel Rotmistrov's 60th Army to conduct a successful raid into the Axis rear areas. This raid succeeded in damaging 100 miles of Axis railroad track while eliminating their depots at Kalach, Chir Station, Surovikino and Chernyshkov. Luftwaffe fighters were compelled to abandon their bases here.

[tm1]

One important detail omitted from the Week 62 report was a breakthough by the Red Army southwest of Stalingrad.

Rumanian troops here were pushed aside, allowing motorized-tank troops of Pavel Rotmistrov's 60th Army to conduct a successful raid into the Axis rear areas. This raid succeeded in damaging 100 miles of Axis railroad track while eliminating their depots at Kalach, Chir Station, Surovikino and Chernyshkov. Luftwaffe fighters were compelled to abandon their bases here.

OK looking a lot like Operation Uranus and unless the Axis have some sought plan up there sleeve to counter this, I can only see two option they double time it and pull back from Stalingrad or they get a large portion of there forces cut off.
Not good either way for the Axis who were possible on the brink of victory, looks like this will a long hard fight to the bitter end.

[RKhan]

Total bomber losses
343 IL-2
37 IL-4 and DB-3B
30 B-25D

Do you not fly the Pe-2? If not, why?

RKhan

[M60A3TTS]

One important detail omitted from the Week 62 report was a breakthough by the Red Army southwest of Stalingrad.

Rumanian troops here were pushed aside, allowing motorized-tank troops of Pavel Rotmistrov's 60th Army to conduct a successful raid into the Axis rear areas. This raid succeeded in damaging 100 miles of Axis railroad track while eliminating their depots at Kalach, Chir Station, Surovikino and Chernyshkov. Luftwaffe fighters were compelled to abandon their bases here.

OK looking a lot like Operation Uranus and unless the Axis have some sought plan up there sleeve to counter this, I can only see two option they double time it and pull back from Stalingrad or they get a large portion of there forces cut off.
Not good either way for the Axis who were possible on the brink of victory, looks like this will a long hard fight to the bitter end.

Until we get into 1943, any prospect for large scale offensives are tempered by the real restrictions in the game. The Soviets only add their third assault front in 1943 which was patched in a long time ago for game balance. That means 4 more armies still suffering from the artillery malus in 1942. There is also the constraint on buildable rifle corps that doesn't end until the start of 1943. Then there are limited trucks until lend lease kicks into gear, again at the start of 1943, so we can't yet build a lot of the good stuff to push back with. So until then we largely grind away, take some wins along with a share of frustrating losses and wait.

[M60A3TTS]

Total bomber losses
343 IL-2
37 IL-4 and DB-3B
30 B-25D

Do you not fly the Pe-2? If not, why?

RKhan

Good question.

No, the Pe-2 does not figure prominently in my air operations.

By the summer of 1942, there are more than enough IL-2s available to generate good casualties on Axis ground troops. The caveat is that the IL-2 is most effective against defending units in clear or lightly wooded terrain and low fort levels, 0 or 1. If you want to take on units in locations with higher fort levels 2+, you want the larger yield bomb loads. The 100kg bombs that the Pe-2 carries just won't do the job effectively and the Pe-2 early war version can only carry a couple 250 kg bombs. The 1943 version doubles that number, but the fact remains that the DB3B and IL-4s still carry heavier bombs and have longer ranges. The same can be said for American-made A-20s and B-25s that while they carry 500lb bombs, the equivalent of the 250kg, they can carry more of them. So if I am going to use level bombers for any reason, the Pe-2 will seldom get the call. It is simply underwhelming enough when you are always concerned about how many escorts you have available for the aircraft that are going to be able to do the most damage.

[RKhan]

Thank you for the reply.

I'm still in 1941. I can't get IL-2s on the BAD airbases, only the SB-2 or the Pe-2, so I'm flying both in a 50/50 mix. The results look good (thousands of Axis casualties in the Soviet Air Phase), but I don't know how much of that is Pe-2 vs any other plane. I probably need to bump up the message level.

RKhan

[M60A3TTS]

When you say BAD airbases, I think you are referring to the AOGs and that would be correct about IL-2s not allowed in them. In 1941 they can however go in any SAD.

[M60A3TTS]

Week 64 6 September 1942

Phase 2 of Operation Borodino is implemented. 450,000 troops are mobilized and 283,025 join the map. OOB to 6,243,708.
Manpower pool 218,097 active and 83,297 transit. That would allow for roughly another 100,000 from the active pool to join the map. Disabled pool 1.861m. Manpower centers generate roughly 100k each week over the next 15 weeks. In theory this should generate about 135k replacements each week. About 2m men by 1943.

The offensive air war is starting to wind down now, with marginal weather approaching and our airbases being farther from the front lines, particularly in the south. Only 584 men and 8 guns are Axis casualties in the air phase.

German attacks take place in some areas.



In order to repair the north-south rail line along the Caspian Sea, followed by the line west of Grozny, two railroad repair corps are being sent out to expedite things.