timmyab (Sov) v Smokingdave (Axis)

[timmyab]

Axis 42 campaign summary.

Overall I'd say that Summer 42 has been a success. Moscow was never threatened and the Axis advance in the South has been contained behind the Don.
Losses were accceptable at 48 inf divs, 15 inf brigades, 10 armor brigades, 2 armor corps, 2 cav div, 1 cav corps and 1 airborne brigade.

Dave did a good job with the difficult position he had in Spring 42 and strategically I think he made the right decisions. The early Summer turns in particular required very precise play from me to avoid a disaster.

The Axis OOB is very strong and breaking it down is not going to be an easy task. The German armor is still and will remain powerfull and dangerous.

[timmyab]

Turn 73

Stalin's pursue and destroy order for the Transcaucasus Front is recinded after Zhukov urges caution. There is now a giant no-man's land between Rostov and Krasnodar.

[timmyab]

Vasilevsky is promoted General Polkovnik and replaces Pavlov as commander of Western Front.

[timmyab]

Turn 74

3rd Shock Army makes a show of strength in the Valdai hills.
This attack is mainly for psychological purposes. Large scale offensives are still well beyond the capabilities of the Red Army.

[timmyab]

Turn 76

The Crimea defenses get an upgrade.
Some German units have shown up here recently and I want to strengthen the bottlenecks before the rivers freeze.

I'm not sure why Dave defends the hex circled [&:]

[timmyab]

Turn 80

This game has entered a kind of Mexican standoff phase. Dave is preserving his force and I haven't built enough rifle corps yet to take the fight to the enemy.

This week though there is a strong attack South of Tula. The line holds and the newly formed 5th Shock Army (Tolbukhin) is brought in to reinforce the area.

6th airborne corps is also brought in. I usually have these airborne corps in deep defense near rail lines and they are often first on the scene when reinforcements are needed.

[timmyab]

Turn 81

The panzer spearhead swings North to trap four divisions from Western front. There will be no attempt made to save them.

[timmyab]

Turn 83

1943 is here and our rifle corps conversion program is in full swing. Three or four rifle corps are being formed every week starting with the guards. Where these corps are concentrated they can gain local superiority and push the Germans out of their fortifications.

Here two rifle corps and a mech corps are supported by 1st tank army.

[timmyab]

Turn 84

German infantry reoccupy the ground and we throw them out again. This time 1st tank army conducts a follow up attack and Rotmistrov is keen to push even further North, but Zhukov, aware of the strong German armored divisions in the area, orders him to withdraw East of the Don (not shown in this screenshot)

The first attack succeeds (barely) in spite of the intervention of 16th motorized division.

[timmyab]

Turn 85

Overview of the whole front highlighting areas of no man's land.

These areas have no defensive terrain or fortifications so neither side feels the need to risk occupying them and I wonder if this is a game design fault or whether in fact this sort of thing happened in the real war?

[EwaldvonKleist]

Its caused by hindsight Imo.
Had Soviets known about German capabilities at Charkov 1943 they would not have pushed further.
But they did not know....

[timmyab]

Turn 90

Not much to report still.

Red army 2.0 is slowly starting to take shape, but is nothing like a steamroller yet.

I've started to apply pressure West of Moscow. The Germans are likely to fight fiercely for this area and it could turn into a meat-grinder.

[timmyab]

Reserves foil two out of three attacks in the South.

[timmyab]

Turn 91

3rd Shock army is added to the concentration of force West of Moscow and punches a small hole in the German front North of Vyasma.

[timmyab]

The attack South of Bogochar is foiled for the second week running by German mobile reserves.

We have more luck further North. I would like to form a defendable bridgehead across the Don here before the river thaws.

[timmyab]

Turn 92

Heavy fighting for the Oka bridgehead South of Kaluga.

[timmyab]

The Don battles intensify with five out of six attacks succeeding. Two of them are close calls.

[timmyab]

Turn 93
This is the last turn of the Winter campaign season which has been very quiet.
I have finished converting my guards rifle corps and will now start converting ordinary rifle corps. There are three tank armies with another one currently forming.
Hopefully the steamroller will be built and ready to roll Westwards sometime this year.


The bridgehead South of Kaluga is heavily assaulted by German armor and cannot be held.
5th Shock army is ordered instead to turn it's attack to the West of Kaluga with 3rd Tank army exploiting the breach to a depth of 20 miles.

The offensive North of Vyasma makes slow but steady progress.

[timmyab]

Heavy fighting along the Don. I want a Summer bridgehead here and the Germans are determined to prevent it.
With several mud turns for the Red Army to build forts the outcome is uncertain, but I'm not too optimistic to be honest.

[timmyab]

Turn 99 (mud)

Situation at the beginning of May 1943.
The arrows indicate where the main efforts will be made during the Spring campaign.

3rd and 5th Shock armies will continue pushing towards Vyasma.

1st and 2nd SA will attempt to recapture Tula.

4th SA will relocate North and advance towards the Volkhov river with assistance from 3rd Tank army. This area has been static since Autumn 1941 so there's some potential for a surprise attack here.

6th and 61st armies will expand their Don bridgehead.

Southern Front plus 1st and 4th Tank armies will clear the Southern bank of the lower Don river.