Rundstedt's Plan Martin (graphics heavy)

[Captain Cruft]

Rundstedt's Plan Martin, by Daniel McBride

This will not be a detailed AAR, I really just wanted to post to say how utterly superb this scenario is.

I am currently playing as the Allies vs. Terminus as the Germans and we are on turn 14 (of 100).

The scenario is a "what-if" Battle of the Bulge variant, which puts the famous Battle into its wider context. Units are at regiment/battalion scale and turns are half-days. I have played quite a few Bulge games before (with Decisive Battles and Panzer Campaigns) but this outshines them all IMHO. The designer has created a superlative large map and really used the TOAW event editor to its fullest extent.

I can heartily recommend this scenario to any budding TOAW PBEM players. Terminus and I are far from experts but we are having a blast, with neither side yet having a significant advantage. While it is definitely a large scenario I am not finding it unmanageable, and am even remembering what all my divisions are called and what they are supposed to be doing ... [;)]

To give a small flavour of the scenario here is the overview map as of end turn 14.

[Industrial]

I second that, I am also playing a game of Plan Martin at the moment (as the germans, righ now busy doing my turn 6) and it is indeed a superb scenario. But I have to warn you, the german turns do consume quite a bit of time to do, if you are serious about maximizing your efficiency, as bad terrain, bridge crossing (house rule limited) and hefty stacking penealties make even the moving phase a challenge [:D]
Hey, Captain Cruft, why isn't your opponent attacking from the north of Aachen, which would be the second pronged attack for the operational Plan Martin and encircelment of the US forces? He's giving you far too much breathing space that way, he should push a bit harder to really get the US boys sweating [8D]

[Terminus]

Oh, his opponent is attacking north of Aachen every turn[:D]... Unfortunately, there's been no clean breakthrough, just inching forward. Best I can hope for is to tie down troops that might otherwise go to the fighting near Liege and Spa...

[Industrial]

Hmmm, in my game at the beginning of turn 6 I am only 7,5 km from Aachen, and the city is still a sudden death victory location But I doubt that I'll get it before my opponent can go with Monty, but at least I have him in a situation where it would be suicidal to choose Bradley, so my northern attack has already achieved something (besides mauling the 43rd Wessex ID and the 84th ID ofc )

I can already feel the defence stiffening as more and more US divisions are released, and I think turn 15+ will be really miserable for the german, when the alied JaBos finally appear.... better grab some land fast me thinks

[Terminus]

Unfortunately, I just haven't been fast enough to get out of the Roermond salient. Elsewhere, the Grossdeutschland Corps is on the Meuse facing a counterattacking XXX Corps, and Cruft's air force is beginning to appear. Much unpleasantness awaits, I fear...

[Captain Cruft]

Update

We have just played turn 16 (I think).

Terminus may be worried about my airforce but I am, err, disappointed. Virtually all of the tac squadrons have gone on strike (re-org) and the air briefing is even showing that the Luftwaffe has a slight superiority! This is even before Operation Boden Platz, which occurs later (see the scenario doc for details).

On the plus side, I did use the temporary vast HE delivery power of the 8th USAF to blow up virtually all the bridges over the Moselle super river. That should have a supply impact on the southern half of the front, which is where I am having most problems.

Ground-wise, I am still just digging in and trying to form a coherent line in most places. This is going relatively well in the north and, to be honest, badly in the south. Bastogne fell a few turns ago and I have been retreating the 82nd/10st Airborne and the 10th Armoured Divs ever since. Quite a lot of stuff being lost in the process ...

Luxembourg and Arlon are both under siege. These are both EEV increasing objectives and a higher EEV has good effects for the Germans (again see the docs).

The only place where I am attacking is south of the Meuse with XXX Corps. Terminus had just crossed the river here when the Brits showed up (via a scheduled event), and due to his proximity they all got activated out of Garrison status. They are now doing quite well, with the help of the US 5th Armoured Div, which I manually activated via a Theatre Option at a cost of 400 VPs. The intention is to push the Germans back to the next super river to the east.

[Terminus]

I'm starting to feel some of the supply woes that Cruft was hoping to cause. More than a few units THAT I REALLY NEED RIGHT NOW are either in single-digit Supply and Organisation, or have gone into Re-Org. Neither is terribly useful to me...

In the Roermond salient, the Verdammte Engländer are showing their characteristic resilience in defence. I've been pounding one particular battalion for a couple of turns now, this turn causing 44% casualties in the assault. Did it break and run? Nooooo...

[Industrial]

ORIGINAL: Captain Cruft
Terminus may be worried about my airforce but I am, err, disappointed. Virtually all of the tac squadrons have gone on strike (re-org) and the air briefing is even showing that the Luftwaffe has a slight superiority! This is even before Operation Boden Platz, which occurs later (see the scenario doc for details).

Remember that your (and the german) airforce often operate ander pretty bad air shock penalties because of the bad weather, thats why you see such a low pwerformance and many ReOrgs.

Luxembourg and Arlon are both under siege. These are both EEV increasing objectives and a higher EEV has good effects for the Germans (again see the docs).

Nope, higher EEV is actually good for the allies, everything below EEV 100 only allowes the Allies to bring in more divisions or keep theese additional reinforcements past their withdrawal date, only a EEV of 100 finally gives the german a bonus because it means that his 6th SS Panzer Army won't withdraw. So a EEV of 95 would do nothing for the germans but quite a lot (positive) for the allies [;)]

[Industrial]

I don't want to post a map screenshot as to not give my opponent too much intel, but here is a rough description of what happened so far (just send off my turn 6):

In the north:
43rd Wessex ID - about 80% destroyed, the survivors are in a bad shape and probably combat unready
84th Inf D - took a heavy beating in the opening phase, current status unknown, surviving units are believed to retreated behind the Wurm River to protect the Aachen bulge and rest + resupply.

Center:
106th ID - eliminated
28th ID - eliminated

South:
9th ArmD - eliminated
4th ID - 80% eliminated, the survivors are surrounded or routed


Currently US forces opposing me:
North:
1st ID
7th ArmD

Center:
3rd ArmD

South:
10th ArmD
82nd AB D

(excluded here are the still static fronts)

Northern situation: german spearheads 7,5km from Aachen, 7,5km from Maastricht

Center: most resistance collapsed, I could probably drive straight to Paris now. Bastogne and St.Vith captured, I am 10km from Spa and 25km from Liege, on the western approach the Meuse river is almost reached

South: german forces are outside Arlon and Luxembourg, both still defended by strong, but outnumbered US forces.

[Speedysteve]

Go on Cruft. Smack T.
 
We are having a bash at the 40-43 North African Campaign. Any opponent of T is a friend of mine[;)]

[Menschenfresser]

Playing as the Allies, I know that the northern front can be hell for the Germans, unless the Allies don't reinforce it with US units from around Aachen. The Allied player starts with a LOT of units in and around Aachen that activate over, say, the first 10 turns. The difficult question is whether to send some of them north or all south. I think I sent 7th Arm to shore up the line north. And later stripped off excess units along Aachen's eastern flank.

[Terminus]

ORIGINAL: Speedy

Go on Cruft. Smack T.

We are having a bash at the 40-43 North African Campaign. Any opponent of T is a friend of mine[;)]

Shaddup Tiny, and send me the next turn so I can continue to smack YOU around...

[Captain Cruft]

Turn 20

Turn 20 has come and gone and the situation is as below. There are still 80 turns to go!

Other than the brave Brits of XXX Corps (south of the Meuse) I am not in a position to go on the offensive anywhere yet. In fact in the south I am struggling quite badly. The Germans have taken Luxembourg and I am still striving to form a cohesive line across most of the front. I have been forced to use all kinds of stuff as "hole-pluggers", including some AA units and even some French paratroopers from 3rd Army reserve.

[Terminus]

In the north, 15th Army is still slugging it out with only very limited results against the American and British forces in the Roermond salient. I'm not optimistic at all.

In the centre, the whole thing is a big fat mess; the Grossdeutschland corps has been very comprehensively stopped by British and American forces. The Führer Begleit Brigade has been cut off and surrounded for a few turns, but hopefully the enveloping British units are too weak to finish them off before I can extract them, having broken the cordon this last turn. Remains to be seen whether I can keep the hole open.

In the southern sector, Cruft is slowly withdrawing a few of his units from around Luxembourg, presumably in order to build a more effective defence. I'll see if I can't bounce them further back before they can entrench.

[Captain Cruft]

Turn 25

Well things are now getting a little silly. I provide the map below without comment ... [;)]

[Terminus]

Silly? I thought you said it was a thoroughly planned, very serious counter attack?[:'(]

[Captain Cruft]

Well my little sally over the Ruhr is going much better than I thought it would. Here is a detailed picture.



Two bridges are now in US hands.

[Captain Cruft]

EDIT: Superfluous post, sorry.

[Captain Cruft]

Over in the US 1st Army sector, we are gradually pushing the Germans back to the river line. One hex at a time ... [;)]

[Captain Cruft]

The southern front between Arlon and Luxembourg finally seems to be stabilising.