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Stalingrad area... hot spot. I loose my 2 first units and there is an obvious pressure on the salliant. Numerous powerfull russian units on the western bank of the Volga..



Usual counterattacks...



In eastern caucasus, our troops are in full retreat. No russian NKPS in sight ...



Bad news in Sebastopol, a russian attack is surprisingly successfull.

Awesome AAR!

The decision to abandon the Caucasus has finally came. Still, you where able to hold on all the way to middle of September! Impressive! Ideally holding on until a few weeks from mud, then pull back leaving the Russians to catch up, even still I think you will be in a good position for next year compered to other AAR.

one question leaves me scratching my head. why hasn't stelteck use his Mountain Divisions on the Black see coast offensive? they could have out flank what was at one time, just 2 Romanian Mountain divisions. In previous months, 2 Ger. Inf. Divisions and 2 Romanian where holding out like 9 Corps units? that is like 65 000 Axis blocking over 250 000!? Soviet troops, fit for legends.

Of course also of note, you are still in control Stalingrad... in late 1943! sure that is rare in most ARR right?

a comment to Stelteck, I remember you regretting saving the entire Kharkov T-34 factory complex, but seeing about 1000 AFV losses every single week! and how many Tank corps you have, did it not made it worth it now looking back? [:)]

One thing that is special to me about this game, how your only truly know the consequences of your actions several turns in the future.

ORIGINAL: Mamluke

Awesome AAR!

Thanks!

The decision to abandon the Caucasus has finally came. Still, you where able to hold on all the way to middle of September! Impressive! Ideally holding on until a few weeks from mud, then pull back leaving the Russians to catch up, even still I think you will be in a good position for next year compered to other AAR.

I will let Stelteck answer to the western Caucasus and T34 questions.

WITE is a snowball game where the richer get richer. Holding a large part or USSR slow down the recovery of red army and thus allow to hold more territorry for a longer time. as german you need a high momentum in 1941, a decent defence during blizzard and a very dynamic 1942 summer campaign. And coming 1943, organize a good defence and trade ground against time but not too fast.

1944 is much more difficult to handle and I've never played past february 1945. I cannot even figure summer 1945...

Of course also of note, you are still in control Stalingrad... in late 1943! sure that is rare in most ARR right?

Sillyflower did it against BrianG, but there not that much AAR still alive late 1943. Axis has won or already given up at this stage.

One thing that is special to me about this game, how your only truly know the consequences of your actions several turns in the future.

I do my best but cannot tell I know the consequences of all my actions. Just to illustrate, since august 1943, I'm stressed while opening my turns. Is there a breakthrough? No breakthrough? YESSS!

ORIGINAL: Mamluke
one question leaves me scratching my head. why hasn't stelteck use his Mountain Divisions on the Black see coast offensive? they could have out flank what was at one time, just 2 Romanian Mountain divisions. In previous months, 2 Ger. Inf. Divisions and 2 Romanian where holding out like 9 Corps units? that is like 65 000 Axis blocking over 250 000!? Soviet troops, fit for legends.

My mountain divisions were never available, they were needed to face the german mountain divisions in the mountain in front of baku. The Black see coast was a secondary front with reserve troops, with main purpose of causing german looses.

ORIGINAL: Mamluke
a comment to Stelteck, I remember you regretting saving the entire Kharkov T-34 factory complex, but seeing about 1000 AFV losses every single week! and how many Tank corps you have, did it not made it worth it now looking back? [:)]

One thing that is special to me about this game, how your only truly know the consequences of your actions several turns in the future.

Medium tanks stocks are still Large !! We will see in 1944. [8D]

Light tank stocks are empty [:@]

I have 4000 Rocket launcher trucks unused.

Mud season is very close so i can speak of my strategy this year.

At the start of the year, i was not yet sure that the German player would not send another offensive, but i was determined to try to attack, at least to distract him for doing the same and isolating more soviet troops.

First , i acknowledged the fact that Steph is a very good player and that he was very unlikely to leave holes or obvious weakness in German lines. Also that multiple players of defenses were already in place everywhere, with excellent reserves and fortified zones in the rear. My chances of surprise him were also very thin.

Second, i also noticed that while a line of solo German infantry division was breachable, once panzer divisions were inserted in the line, it was other, whatever massive amount of forces i could gather.

So i concluded that my only chance of a successful offensive was to attack (and even if not attacking, to be a threat) everywhere, expecting the German to be out of reserve somewhere and force him to leave some points with not enough defenses.

For that, i designed a self sufficient, well rounded front model, base on the following design :

3 Armies with 4 rifle corps each.
1 Army with 4 cavalry corps.
1 tank army with 3 tank corps.
A good number of airfield, around 3 artillery divisions, some spare additional brigades and divisions.

The purpose of this front is to be able to attack alone.

During the entire 1943 year, i converted more and more front to this "offensive" mode. I started from the south to the north.

In July, i did a new evaluation of my strategy, because i noticed that still with infantry corps, cavalry, tanks and artillery, it was still really, really hard to break the german infantry divisions line.

I especially hate fortifications level 3. In fact fortifications level 3.01 are so much better that 2.99, because starting from level 3, the ground is considered as dense and tanks efficiency is halved.
And reserves of course. I hate reserves.

So i decided to create breach groups, with independant armies, composed of mostly guard rifle corps, to help my fronts to breach the enemy line in critical spots. (Using shock armies HQ that were available since cavalry corps are inserted in regular front armies).

I also concluded that i will never be able to progress without exhausting ennemy troops, so i decided not to matter much of my looses and the moral gain my ennemy could get by successful attacks and counter attacks.
I decided to attack more and more and kill enemy soldiers. My goal was 30K each turn minimum. Whatever my own looses.

ORIGINAL: Stelteck
So i decided to create breach groups, with independant armies, composed of mostly guard rifle corps, to help my fronts to breach the enemy line in critical spots. (Using shock armies HQ that were available since cavalry corps are inserted in regular front armies).

One of the things I really loce is the way players (including myself) often end up copying the strategies from WWII - in this case Steltecks strategy sounds very much like Soviet "Deep Operations".

Still, even with 6 guard rifle corps and 2/3 artillery divisions, if there is some panzer divisions in the line the attack may not succeed.

Also sometimes you go for an easy win, then you have the message "SS panzer teutokong thing join the defender" as reserve and the attack fail big time too.

So this year i attacked all other the front, from north of moscow to sebastopol. Looking for weakness to exploit.

Most attack were not a success, with really little ground gain at huge cost (fortunately, the huge looses were for both side, we will see if i will be able to exhaust the grey army someday).

My tactic to extend the front was not wrong. Unfortunately, converting a front from defensive to offensive mode with rifle corps instead of divisions take time, and so the german army hold me with no problem while i was able to attack only in a few southern front.

It is only in late summer and autumn when i was able to engage serious offensives north and south of moscow and in other distant places. With these new offensives, the german army began to lack reserve panzerdivisions and had to give ground somewhere. (As you can see, in the south in front of baku and around stalingrad).

ORIGINAL: Stelteck
My tactic to extend the front was not wrong. Unfortunately, converting a front from defensive to offensive mode with rifle corps instead of divisions take time, and so the german army hold me with no problem while i was able to attack only in a few southern front.

It is only in late summer and autumn when i was able to engage serious offensives north and south of moscow and in other distant places. With these new offensives, the german army began to lack reserve panzerdivisions and had to give ground somewhere. (As you can see, in the south in front of baku and around stalingrad).

Your tactic is the right one. You must spread the german mobile units as much as possible. A single axis of attack doesn't work in 1943. In 1944, it can be done.

From my point of view, you have the advantages and inconvenients of your army. lots of mobility and it explains your success South of Stalingrad but lack of raw force and it prevented you from earning ground past the seizure of Tambov.

A bulk of 40 strong rifle corps with CV 18-25 would have allowed an heaviest pressure in the center for example, with the commitment of several german mobile units here. And a breakthrough or at least a major success somewhere else. But I recognize that it's easier to say than to do.[;)]

Turn 119, 23rd september 1943

Russians continue tor burn men, weapons, AFV with some success now

In Sevastopol, I'm not able to keep the ground lost... some reinforcemnts are on the road.



Last week on the Caspian sea...



... retreat is on. And Pzd are required South of Stalingrad.



And the OOB. Both are suffering.

Pressure is significant around Stalingrad. Tank corps are agressive near Boguchar.



Some counterattacks cleared the russian spearheads near Boguchar. Situation South of Stalingrad is now really worrying. Strong reinforcements are arriving. I will now have the equivalent of a panzer army here but I'm not sure it will be enough.



Russians need rest near VV and Model earns a new victory in front of Moscow



And of course, usual counterattacks! russian stacks (in woods) are to strong near VV

Soviet Army so far :

Armored corps : 37
Mech corps : 7
Rifle corps : 144
Cavalry corps : 43

Artillery divisions : 22
Rifle divisions : 84
Rifle brigades : 56

Guard heavy tank regiments : 65
Tank regiments : 101
Motorized regiments : 29
Artillery regiments : 156
AT regiments : 60
AA regiments : 68
Sapper regiments : 192
Rocket launcher trucks : 42
Light SU regiments : 44
Medium SU regiments : 14
Heavy SU regiments : 7
Flame tank bataillon : 21

Stocks of equipment :



As you can still, i still have 7000 medium tanks left.

But i'am lacking light tanks and only have around 2500, mostly T-70 in units. There is nearly zero T-60 survivors. Few hundreds of M3 Lee.
I have a lot of units without any light tanks at all.

End 1943 my tank and mechanized units gets a very important TOE upgrade that remove the light tanks and replace them with more medium tanks. It will be very welcomed (And the combat value of my tank corps will get a big increase). Also Light tank production end december 1943.

But here i also realize that my cavalry corps do not upgrade and will still need 30/40 light tanks each until the end the war. With zero production.
I created a lot of cavalry corps, because they are powerfull, mobile and cheap in trucks, but i will only have 2000 light tanks to fill them.
Fortunately they use also a lot of medium tanks (and will get decent support units) but they will not be as strong as possible.

The support units of the feature seem to be the light SU regiment with SU-76M and heavy tank regiments.
And i really do not know what to do with so many rocket launcher truck.

ORIGINAL: Stelteck

....
Armored corps : 37
Mech corps : 7
...

37+7=44!!! Fear the mighty red army!!!
Never got that much mobile units in my games as russian. Against Bobo, I had 35 mobile corps en 1944 and was always short of trucks....
But I also had a bigger red army.
We shall see how it works.

I think i have not the manpower to increase my red army though more rifle corps so my option is mecanization.

Turn 120, 30th september 1943

Bad news at the opening of the turn, Stelteck managed to keep momentum South of Stalingrad. Situation is really nasty, some tank corps are refiting in the rear. Rail is cut and my defence is outflanked... I'm very happy to have sent in this area 3 corps as reinforcement...



very heavy battles South of Stalingrad and despite e-adolf orders, I give up the landbridge between Don and Volga. I set 2 romanians divs and a HQ in Stalingrad to block russian rail repair. I hope they will hold next week.

Some infos from others areas...

Full retreat in Caucasus...



Some ground lost near Sevastopol



And usual fights around Moscow

10 days before mud season. A view of the evolution of both OOB during summer 1943.

Stelteck had no other option than attacking intensively. He did it and paid the price for it. Some territories were lost in September and the red army will get some extra manpower.

Despite AFV losses red army has more tanks than early june...

I'm only surprised with artillery evolution. Usually russian artillery is getting stronger whatever happens. Maybe Stelteck has the clue.