Taking back Mother Russia: 1917-1920 (Completed, Won)

[Rysyonok]

Summer 1918 Land Reforms:

A gold train has just too much money to let it sit in my coffers with little to no use, so land reforms are back on the table. Except this time I am going for regions with virtually no loyalty to the White Movement, rather than spend it in areas where I have support.

[Rysyonok]

1918, Early August:

A major Green uprising near Ufa! Fortunately, supply lines have already been established all the way through Kazan, Simbirsk, and Samara through another rail link, but this is still going to slow my advance.

[Rysyonok]

1918, Late August:

Green uprising near Birsk is brutally crushed, but there is no denying that it did slow White advance down by an entire month.

White propagandists work overtime to advocate land reforms all the way from Perm to Turkmenistan; sometimes population listens and sometimes it does not.

[Rysyonok]

Inertness of Komuch:

Main Komuch forces fail third activation roll in a row, allowing Socialist troops an unprecedented freedom of movement, and there are opinions that Komuch may need to be disbanded, its unit distributed among more skilled Czech commanders.

[Rysyonok]

1918, Early September:

Fall starts off with numerous unsuccessful chases after Communist troops. There are some hiding by Blagoveshchensk, Kazan, Simbirsk, Orsk, but my troops keep failing to intercept them.

A Red artillery battery shows up by Ekaterinburg, only to get mauled down.

A tiny skirmish by Penza is the only worthwhile battle to mention.

[Rysyonok]

East meets South:

A Southern White division arrives at Pensa, probably the same unit that earlier severed a rail link to Tsaritsyn. Surprisingly, there is but cold neutrality between the two enemies of the Red Russia.

[Rysyonok]

Objectives roster (September 16, 1918):

[Rysyonok]

First unit in production:

Excess of field artillery replacement points (2 purchased whereas only 1, i.e ~1/8th was needed) resulted in my first unit in the production queue.

I will attempt to repeat that with supply units (can't ever have too many of those...)

[Rysyonok]

1918, Late September:

Penza gets assaulted by major Red forces (latvian division alone had more firepower than any of my armies) led by Trotsky, Frunze, Vatsetis - the creme de la creme of RSFSR. Southern Whites don't stay for this - they quickly run off northeast.

I have to give it to the Czech legion - they absorbed the entire brunt of Communist assault. I wonder how would 4 trashed armored trains look like all in the same region?

In other news, Red force sulking around Simbirsk has been found and chased across the river with heavy losses - which I expected, and had my gunboats arrived on time, this would have been a repeat of Chapaev movie (major Red unit gets pushed against a river bank and devastated).

[Rysyonok]

Penza front (October 1, 1918):

I am expecting a major Communist push eastward; it is very unfortunate that my best unit in the area, Kappel's shock division, failed the activation roll this turn.

[Rysyonok]

1918, Early October:

The massive Red stack turned south instead, dislodging Kappel's shock troops. Communists must really want Penza depot; either that, or they spotted the busted rail track just north of their position.

During this campaign I've been using my S-R rebel forces as static defenders, and it's paying off: Reds are having to attack entrenched, supplied enemy, and they are not always successful at that.

A major Czech corps has been stuck for 4 turns now in Ural mountains, chasing ghosts. This strict activation rule mixed with high randomization of stats is making me truly careful: at the end of every move I have to place each unit in a defensible, supplied position.

[Rysyonok]

Penza front (October 16, 1918):

Sheer amount of Red firepower does scare me here: they have 9 batteries to my 2 - 4, if I throw the Volga division back into action. Ouch.

[Rysyonok]

1918, Late October:

Penza is quickly becoming the Verdun of the East; close to 50% of the entire Siberian White Army is committed to fighting for it.

While Trotsky's huge stack moves north, secondary Kamenev's group has decimated. I was truly hoping to expend my Czechs this turn, but it wasn't to be; now they are locked in Penza, and gone next week.

In the south, Blucher's partisans are caught and annihilated.

[Rysyonok]

Penza - Simbirsk front (November 1, 1918):

Known Red forces: 667 + a division of unknown strength
Available White forces: 1,043

Still, wish me luck: Reds are in one cluster, and Whites are in 5.

[Rysyonok]

Samarkand front (November 1, 1918):

All the forces have finally combined in Bukhara - save for slower British. It's promising to be a slow campaign - there are Reds, Greens, busted rail tracks...

[Rysyonok]

1918, Early November:

The grand battle I expected does not take place; Reds move back to Penza. Now they are truly down to one stack - 700+ strong. I suspect it is due to lack of supplies in the secondary stack.

Whites sneak up between the Reds to take Saransk back; I would be very curious to see just how can supplies still flow to the Reds in the area.

In far east, Red group near Blagoveshchensk is finally apprehended and partially destroyed.

[Rysyonok]

Penza - Simbirsk front (November 16, 1918):

- Penza area is mostly inactive; I can realistically count on about 323 elements there
- there is at least one Red division unaccounted for northwest of Saransk (last seen taking Murom from me)
- there is at least one Red corps unaccounted for south of Penza (last seen hovering east of Penza and moving south)
- there is at least one Red corps unaccounted for southwest of Penza (something had to decimate the Don Cossack detachment in Penza - it's down to 5 elements, as well as reestablish control over rail link to Tsaritsyn - at least Southern Whites have already taken the city).

[Rysyonok]

1918, Late November:

It's a quiet turn. Red stack by Penza does not move; Red stack by Saransk is hurt. 2 months ago that stack numbered almost 10,000 men; now it's a quarter of that.

Czechs demobilize en masse. I wonder if that's why Trotsky decided to wait a month and he will come after Penza once again.

[Rysyonok]

Objectives roster (December 1, 1918):

[Rysyonok]

Due to save game file corruption, the AAR was rolled back 2 turns - I love this AGE feature!

The first turn was very similar to the original, the second one came out different - to be posted in a moment.