The Iron Dream : An Impossible AAR

[horza66]

The weather is on the turn. All along the line we deliver our last attacks, attacking and retreating sometimes with Cavalry Corps in order to maintain a strong line.

[horza66]

German casualties reach 1.5m by this point. We have destroyed over 20 assorted enemy divisions. It seems a reasonable number, but is it sufficient to reduce the enemy power for March, let alone the summmer campaign season?

[horza66]

With our 5 million men facing barely 2 million we hope to have the defence in depth, local and strategic reserves to stifle any enemy offensive. Our Cavalry Corps will be our fire brigades locally, and 2 Reserve Armies and 1 Shock Army will respond initially to any determined offensive.

[76mm]

Impossible indeed! Hang in there!

[horza66]

There is no immediate return to 1941. Much of the South and Central fronts remain completely quiet. Our aggressive maneuvers out of the swamps of Cherepovets are hammered back. We are moved ten miles back across the entire line in front of Stalingrad. The most serious assault is in front of Saratov. A 30 mile penetration is made, with an occasional appalling result by our forces - we had thought the days of exchanging a few hundred German casualties for several thousand Soviet men were over.

Yet the enemy offensives are inconclusive and limited. Containable. They have suffered much through the winter.

[horza66]

Disaster threatens in the North. In response to a remaining pocket of a single German division from the deep winter, the Fascists throw a surprising weight of forces across the Volga, scattering our defences badly. We begin thinking fervently about the mud once again.

[horza66]

Cherepovets becomes the only danger point. There are limited attacks elsewhere, but the Fascists seem determined to drive us back to our lines of December '41. Since those lines remain heavily fortified, our concern is limited. We hold reserves ready in case the retreat turns into a rout, but out men are much more steady in this new year.

[horza66]

The ice is melting, and soon we will be inundated. It is not before time, though we remain in control across the front.

The North holds on its old fortified line. We are forced back across much of the South by ten miles, but find opportunities to counter-attack weak units regularly.

The attempted breakout from the Crimea is over. It has drawn in enemy reserves, and that must be considered a success.

[horza66]

The mud arrives, and the fascists pull back from our main defence lines. We pull out our tank brigades for reorganisation into Corps, and consider probing forward despite the mud.

The VVS scores its first notable victory. The Luftwaffe flies an airfield raid straight into the teeth of our finest formations and pilots and pays the price.

[horza66]

Our probes manage to isolate a German division in the North, and we shall continue them.

The Luftwaffe strikes again, to our continued advantage. Could it be that they believe in their own invulnerability to such a degree that they cannot recognise when they are sure to lose a battle?

[horza66]

Our Tank Corps prove to be weak and ineffective formations in their early form. They have potentialities, but we do not expect to make significant use of them until the late summer. Unless of course we are forced to throw them in against a German breakthrough.

[horza66]

We isolate a Finnish division in the North by simply probing forward.

In the South the Fascists appear unconcerned about revealing their intentions. A Panzer Army stands in front of our deep defensive lines. We continue building up our reserves.

[horza66]

Our typical defence line at this point in the war. A base 30-40 mile thickness of fortifications, the carpet of troops will concentrate into a rifle brigade picket in front of corps strength main lines. Cavalry and Tank Corps are available locally to cover a breach, which will allow reserve armies to arrive.

[horza66]

The Fascists launch their Summer offensive early. Our forces in front of Rostov are forced back 30 miles in places. In the Saratov-Stalingrad region the enemy threaten a breakthrough. If they reach Stalingrad we could be compelled to surrender.

However there are two critical reasons for optimism.

1. The enemy have revealed their strategic direction for the summer while the weather is still very changeable. The rains will return next week, stopping them exploiting their successes and giving us plenty of time to place Reserve armies in position to swamp their spearheads.

2. The Fascists have launched major offensives only in the Rostov and Saratov-Stalingrad areas, and a minor offensive in the Crimea. In 1941 we would have seen this kind of hammering across every front. If we do not see other offensives opening up we'll be able to pull at least three Armies into the Reserve.

[Tarhunnas]

I am keeping my fingers crossed for you! Death to the fascist invaders!

BTW, have you identified their leader in the front? IIRC Feric Jaggar had a habit of leading from the front, wielding a great truncheon.

[horza66]

The 18th, 54th and 3rd Shock Armies board their trains to the threatened breakthroughs in the South. One of the consequences of the loss of Moscow is that it takes two weeks to transfer reserves between our many fronts. 31st, 39th and 1st Shock Army extricate from the front lines ready to be assigned to any further threatened sector.

During the week of mud the Luftwaffe once again suffers heavy losses in airfield attacks, performing these suicidal attacks on every front. Our pilots begin to rack up significant numbers of kills.

[horza66]

As expected our weak lines are breached at Stalingrad. The 3rd Shock and 54th Armies will fill the breach, and will have a week of mud to establish their defences.

[horza66]

The other successful German offensive is in the Crimea. The 46th Army is pushed aside, threatening to isolate it and the 47th and Coastal Armies. We begin evacuating the armies by sea, but intend to hold Sevastopol.

[horza66]

Another week of mud, another disaster for the Luftwaffe. We begin to see the weakness of our enemies. They truly believe themselves invulnerable even when they are repeatedly shown otherwise.

[horza66]

The reinforced defences of Stalingrad prove too much for the fascists. They redirect their assaults to the North and South. We will have one more week of mud to swamp these spearheads with fresh troops.