Epic Wjasma and Bryansk-Tula direction
Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2018 11:49 am
Epic Wjasma
Currently the standalone Wjasma scenario includes Rzhev - Wjasma defense line while the campaign scenario does not. AG Center operate with fast mobile units and only a few infantry divisions unlike other army groups that rely on large infantry masses and only a few panzer divisions.
Which of the two approaches is ''more historical''? The campaign scenario focuses on fast encirclement using two panzer groups and then destroying a certain number of enemy points. That is the encirclement near Wjasma and the AGC infantry divisions - most of them - are left behind as it actually happened; they will catch up with the army group later. Also, the standalone scenario is longer while the campaign scenario focuses on speed. The defense line is not needed in the campaign scenario because a panzer group can break one sector and the rest of the line becomes useless.
I will test a combined version once to see if the ''epic'' scenario with infantry divisions gives the same feeling of fast attack-encirclement as the standalone scenario.
This idea may be a cheat however, as AGC needs more infantry and the player must buy it but with the epic scenario the player gets this infantry for free. Is it a good idea? The test will show.
Bryansk - Tula
After encircling Kiev the 2nd panzer group with 4 panzer divisions and 9th panzer division from AGS fights near Bryansk. It must defeat some 6 Soviet divisions before moving forwards. 17th and 18th panzer divisions go north-east to encircle the Sovit 50th army - this can be simulated by two ''take and hold'' hexes - while the rest of the panzer group reach Mtsensk and here the situation gets interesting as they face 2 Soviet tank brigades - T-34, of course - and infantry.
Panzer group 2 reaches Tula by November 2 or so and faces a heavily fortified city. By now Russians have hired General Winter so taking the city will not be easy and the move north to Kashir can be forgotten; tanks do move in snow but ordering them to do so is economic sabotage as AGC runs out of fuel.
There is a map covering the road Dmitrovsk - Orlovskiy, Kromy, Orel, Mtsensk. That is about half the road needed. This map can be used as basis for a new one.
There could be problem with keeping the Soviet panzer brigades near Mtsensk instead of moving to Bryansk.
The battle of Tula could be done on a separate small map because the 2nd panzer group will not go any further due to lack of fuel.
The sequence of scenarios for Operation Typhoon in the 1941 campaign would then look like this - Wjasma, Bryansk, Mozhaisk, Kalinin, Tula, Moscow. There is a Kalinim map so it can be used for a small scenario with 1st panzer division, motorised divisions of AG North and some infantry divisions.
2nd panzer group and the force operating in Kalinin area would be separate armies so they do not interfere with the main attack and the player cannot cheat teleporting divisions from one sector to another.
Currently the standalone Wjasma scenario includes Rzhev - Wjasma defense line while the campaign scenario does not. AG Center operate with fast mobile units and only a few infantry divisions unlike other army groups that rely on large infantry masses and only a few panzer divisions.
Which of the two approaches is ''more historical''? The campaign scenario focuses on fast encirclement using two panzer groups and then destroying a certain number of enemy points. That is the encirclement near Wjasma and the AGC infantry divisions - most of them - are left behind as it actually happened; they will catch up with the army group later. Also, the standalone scenario is longer while the campaign scenario focuses on speed. The defense line is not needed in the campaign scenario because a panzer group can break one sector and the rest of the line becomes useless.
I will test a combined version once to see if the ''epic'' scenario with infantry divisions gives the same feeling of fast attack-encirclement as the standalone scenario.
This idea may be a cheat however, as AGC needs more infantry and the player must buy it but with the epic scenario the player gets this infantry for free. Is it a good idea? The test will show.
Bryansk - Tula
After encircling Kiev the 2nd panzer group with 4 panzer divisions and 9th panzer division from AGS fights near Bryansk. It must defeat some 6 Soviet divisions before moving forwards. 17th and 18th panzer divisions go north-east to encircle the Sovit 50th army - this can be simulated by two ''take and hold'' hexes - while the rest of the panzer group reach Mtsensk and here the situation gets interesting as they face 2 Soviet tank brigades - T-34, of course - and infantry.
Panzer group 2 reaches Tula by November 2 or so and faces a heavily fortified city. By now Russians have hired General Winter so taking the city will not be easy and the move north to Kashir can be forgotten; tanks do move in snow but ordering them to do so is economic sabotage as AGC runs out of fuel.
There is a map covering the road Dmitrovsk - Orlovskiy, Kromy, Orel, Mtsensk. That is about half the road needed. This map can be used as basis for a new one.
There could be problem with keeping the Soviet panzer brigades near Mtsensk instead of moving to Bryansk.
The battle of Tula could be done on a separate small map because the 2nd panzer group will not go any further due to lack of fuel.
The sequence of scenarios for Operation Typhoon in the 1941 campaign would then look like this - Wjasma, Bryansk, Mozhaisk, Kalinin, Tula, Moscow. There is a Kalinim map so it can be used for a small scenario with 1st panzer division, motorised divisions of AG North and some infantry divisions.
2nd panzer group and the force operating in Kalinin area would be separate armies so they do not interfere with the main attack and the player cannot cheat teleporting divisions from one sector to another.
