The STAVKA War Diaries II - No Mehring please

[Mehring]

That's one weird looking front line

[Mehring]

Relative strengths, July 42

[Mehring]

Destroyed

[Mehring]

With yet another pocket formed from the defenders of Stalingrad and mech infantry heading south towards the Caucasus, I'm not sure if M60 was an incredibly cool customer or slow in reacting. This attack demonstrated what his gathering forces in the centre were capable of, but it started with just several attacks. If you're reading, can you recall why you didn't attack more?

[jwolf]

Mehring, I don't understand how your flank held in the section about midway between Kiev and Kursk. Couldn't M60 attack you there?

[Mehring]

ORIGINAL: jwolf

Mehring, I don't understand how your flank held in the section about midway between Kiev and Kursk. Couldn't M60 attack you there?

In the mostly Italian section? Yes, it's one of a number of places where I feel I could have got in serious trouble if M60 had been more aggressive and concentrated his offensive capacity where I was weak rather than attriting me where I was stronger. That said, I'm thinking from the perspective of having most recently played Axis which has considerable flexibility a 1942 Russian player doesn't enjoy. I know even late war Russians can get stung badly if they try getting fancy with panzers.

By August 42, 2nd tank army was split in three groups. Its infantry was still around Chernigov, some mech elements were streaming south into the Caucasus, while a few divisions were fire brigading the Italian and other sectors. Using these German elements I was trying my hardest to appear strong where I was weak, attacking too. From below you'll see considerable attack and counter attack, but I suspect too, that M60 could have done more to hurt me.

Hopefully he'll tell us what his reasoning was.

[M60A3TTS]

Fortunately, I still have the saves.

There was a battle going on around Kharkov at the time, and I didn't feel it was safe to pull too many divisions in the Italian sector. Kharkov had to be held. At the time, Mehring had stretched the frontline well beyond what I though possible by breaking a fair number of divisions into regiments. A good move on his part. My APs were down to zero, so replacement divisions came sparingly. My rifle corps count was 4 at this stage.

[Mehring]

Yes, there was a lot of fighting around Kharkov, shifting between a direct approach and either flank. To show just how flexible and threatening even a dispersed tank army can be at this point in the war, the very next turn I was able to regroup sufficient local elements to embark on a fort wiping expedition west of the city. A week later 2nd tank army was still probing and fort wiping. Though there was never sufficient muscle behind these attacks to make significant encirclements, this German ability to quickly switch attack direction and appear threatening, looks to have tied down a large number of Russian forces.

[Mehring]

By mid September, mech units were overrunning the northern Caucasus and the southern steppes.

[Mehring]

...but if that didn't stretch the front long enough, like the the policeman plodding inexorably after Raskolnikov in Crime and Punishment, M60 was pushing 9th army back slowly and steadily in Belarus, at this point, to the Berezina.

[Mehring]

... while 2nd tank army, reinforced by elements of the rested and somewhat refitted 1st tank pull back and change attack direction again, this time closer to Kharkov.

[Mehring]

17th and half of 1st tank army are stretched thin in the Don area. Elements of numerous armies, including 3rd shock and 1st guards, attack at the junction between my 17th and 9th armies. Nevertheless, though mud has struck the area this week, elements of 1st tank army have 25 Yak 1 factory points in their sights at Tatischevo, just west of Saratov.

[Mehring]

M60's attack in the west continues cautiously. As the weather turns, the factory raid is accomplished.

[Mehring]

9th panzer is routed following the Yak raid, but with few tanks on its books to lose, I think it a worthwhile exchange.

2nd tank, reinforced by a corps of 1st tank army change direction again to counter the threat to 6th and 17th armies. This is complemented by a 1st tank army attack north of the Don. Hitting the weak parts of the front, a deep penetration is achieved along with several, fragile encirclements.

[Mehring]

Advances in the south now leave me with Guriev as well as Astrakhan...

[Mehring]

.. and Maikop, Mozdok and Grozny. Next objective on the way to Baku is Makhachkala but my forces are as yet too weak and dispersed to deal with the Russian defences on either west or east edge of the Caucasus range.

[Peltonx]

Wow very fun read.

My take on it and personal out look on 42.

Great job picking the right spot to attack from a tactical and strategic point.

Very good tactical opening before summer picking apart SHC and weaken the lines in several areas,
Then you follow it up with a good strategic blow and punch a nice hole in the lines giving you 2 options and SHC 2.

Option 1. At this point you desided to hit the oil fields, which was your plan from the beginning.
You stated the up sides, but the down side is that your lines are very weak and the hex to turn ratio to Berlin is bad. Front length has to be 150+ hexes.
SHC at this point did the right thing an is pounding away at the land bridge. I think M60 knows that at some pt in early 43 he can close this southern run off fairly quickly.
I am still interested in seeing if the lose of oil cripples SHC.

Option 2. Once you punched a hole in the lines you could have headed north and rolled up the hole SHC line by striking towards Tula. then hooking back towards land bridge
forcing M60 to with draw. At this point you would have gained allot of land/manpower centers and shorten your lines from Ilmen to Rostov to the standard 90 hexes.
Plus drove up the hexs to turns ratio to Berlin.

I love the fact that your tring something different and Historical, but from past AAR like history it ends badly.

But your having fun and the readers like different AAR's so play on [:D]

[Mehring]

By the end of September 1942, it's worth noting that in spite of great advances and the destruction of numerous Russian units, my efforts to raise morale, particularly in the 80s, have entirely failed. But equally, that low morale hasn't prevented my achieving numerous successes.

M60 is increasingly putting me on the defensive now. 4th tank army achieved its goal south of Ilmen, gaining a wooded river line extending south, largely through swamp and woods through 16th army sector. It can go no further.

[Mehring]

9th Army is for the most part now digging in behind the Berezina, though it takes the oportunity for a harassing jab at the Russian flank as M60 turns his attention to the adjacent 2nd Army. I hate to abandon a level 3 fort.

[Mehring]

South flank of 2nd army hung on to Gomel for now but the infantry corps of 3rd and 2nd tank armies surrendered the line of the Desna and Chernigov.

Under substantial pressure from the Russians and broken down entirely into regiments, bar a division in east bank Kiev, 2nd tank army infantry withdrew into prepared positions behind the Dnepr. Spread so thin, without reserves and with Italians on their right, this didn't feel too good.