Another '42 tale - Albert.N vs Deaniks

[AlbertN]

T58 - Airfield Strikes!

The recon served to some extents, my application of logics was quite good - another reason to spam airfields about on the map.
Since there is the awful design of 'recon and attacks' planned together.

I decided to even extend the recon - and attacks to Chernigov.

Poltava was found empty, and I just got shot by the flak for nothing.
Chernigov was found empty too but the attacks there and at Nezhin were also relatively small (20 planes, don't want too small to avoid interception in gamey way) - Nezhin has some fighters.
Kremenchug had Fw190s and Konotop 2 squadrons of Bf109s.

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43 German fighters are reported destroyed on the ground.

I think the numbers here include the previous Axis turn though!

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Now the grand idea is that I assume my ground support have a more free skylane, for Il2 and company to shank the German guns!

I may see to bring more bombers in the region, to bomb the Luftwaffe better.
I admit the German ground forces proved to be more resilient than I thought and keep depriving me of combat power by pocketing quality formations...

Ultimately the 'Pocket Battle' was deemed a lost cause - after having suicided 2 Tank corps in a rush behind (westward) of the pocket, only to find divisions sealing at the other end.
Some Axis depots were destroyed on the go, and well 3 German generals killed as their HQs were displaced but alas the pocket endured.

Said that a defensive posture was achieved around Kharkov and Kursk, more reserves shifted to the warzone.

A large chunk of the guard force is about to disappear... but I am intimately happy for the German player, the game seemed written, and instead the massed panzerarmees seem to be a wrecking ball.

[Stamb]

i was not playing wite 1 but i read some great AARs and if i recall then there was such thing as panzerball

It is possible to do in wite 2?
How he is planning to supply all of this?

[AlbertN]

Deaniks lamented truck issues and that his resource stock is also plummetting down.
After all in the Winter even Krivoy Rog was seized back by the Soviets. We'll have to see IF reached some lower end they just stabilize or so; or if his production suffers from a shortage of materials.

I am not sure of his logistics but he is fighting quite fiercely.
Then again we've not exactly 'moved' from the spot so his logistics should be sorted and established by Kharkov distance.
I assume the trucks in good weather can travel a long, long distance to fetch freight.

[AlbertN]

T59 - Sumy Falls

The Germans triumphed in the end of the day, clearing the pocket and still having some of the relief forces 'captured'.
The most relevant part it is about the lot that surrendered being among the finest troops Russia had on the map!

A lot of Guard troops - and new promotions hardly matched what was lost. The Guard infantry % is 14% (Maybe I've misread and it raises to 15% instead of -increasing by 15%-). 15% is more in line - and I still had a bucket of Guard formations.

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Horrid losses - the MNT Guard and one of the Guardi Divisions was motorized even.
And the Brigades too...

Ah well!
Complaints aside I am factually happy that the Axis achieved this victory. But it's early august and they're pratically where they were at the start of July.
Worth it from Soviet end? Time shall tell!

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That was the whole of the German operations of offensive nature across the turn...
With the new patch, the VVS took a new approach.

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All Fighter.Bombers are set to be working as bombers.
I'll see if it pays off in time. The idea is to obliterate the Axis artillery. If it will work out I do not know.

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If I'm to do the math this turn does not seem to have had particular cost for the Axis, but in perspective they're operating in just one sector, with minimal attrition across the board everywhere else.
So I think the planes are doing their business.

[AlbertN]

T59 - Stalin orders counterattack

Sumy did the dirty job at least to be a magnet for a bucket of Axis forces.
I feel the new Urban Combat way better than the previous one that was far too bloody.

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Nonetheless - the Soviets, lavishly supplied, better than the Western Allies before than the D-Day I assume (please do not watch the movie 'Enemy at the Gates' that for how romanced and anti-Germans it depicts how supply and equipment starved the Russians were in Summer '42 to quite some degrees of a soldier having a rifle and a cartridge - with 5 bullets - and another soldier with another cartridge having to pick up the gun of the other, once they were to fall...) received 10 times the freight needed.

So here a collage of info.

The Soviets have plenty of Freight. Way more than what they need.
The Soviets have plenty of Trucks. Units have 25.000 more trucks than what they need. Over 70.000 trucks in depots that ensure units need not to use their own trucks. And some more in the pool at the read. -- It is true I hardly have Tank Corps around, but they're very CV weak and they're harrassers and hex flippers pretty much; for now at least. I cultivate some for Wins for the future.
The Soviets, despite the pocket cleared, have a very sizeable OOB in terms of manpower.
The Axis has a nifty OOB too though!

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Graciously supplied by the most fervid will of Stalin, the pulsing heart of Moscow that is just right behind the corner, the moltitude of the Bolsheviks launched their attacks.
Cavalry (sacrificable) divisions sweps around sleeping slumbers of German divisions trying to holding a semblance of line - and once isolated them from their HQ the hammer fell. And the 3 divisions retreated all together first and routed next.
Tank corps swept in empty hexes, pushing and shoving the routed divisions further ... and a small attack from the north. There, the pocket at the west of Bryansk.

Having seen the calm in front of Moscow, the 'Western' Front (the other Assault one) made its descent in the sector.
Vyazma front still have a double belt of quality divisions in case the Germans try an infantry assault there. In fact all the rest of the Soviet line has a double belt except some really swampy and foresty place. Leningrad has even a triple belt.
But I am digressing.

The VVS here operated but suffered some losses, the enemy has airbases somewhere that were not bombed (yes I've bombed the Luftwaffe on the ground -again- but the Germans pulled air units further off. Damage was minimal this turn, like 10 planes). VVS bombers arrived non interceted, in daylight, over the airfields. The Luftwaffe must be sleeping ... it's not set to rest as they intercepted -some- ground support.

The other Assault Front that kept Kharkov pounced out, pounded here and there, and bited the southern edge of the German armoured spearhead.
In the north the mix of other armies did the same.
Another pocket was made.

None will hold, of them both. But enough Germans were mauled and hammered!

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Soviet units still need to move, and half about still can move -and- attack. While others are just there and need to retreat behind the safety of fresh troops.

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Here the non intercepted Airfield Strikes... Chernigov has a bucket of Luftwaffe planes parked there. But it's possible they're all set to be bombers too? Like my own fighter bombers.
I've tried an attack in the Vyazma sector and go swarmed by Fighter-Bombers in bomber mode.

[AlbertN]

T60 - German pullback

The Germans settle the pockets with ease but it was quite a strong message.

Soviet mobility is impressive and Soviets pack a punch still despite the loss of quality forces and assets.

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There is a general pullback in the only sector of their '42 offensive.

I feel the game has snowballed to favor the Soviets deeply - but if we go on we can see how the 'good logistics' '43 Wermacht pull on defense, and if 'Supply 4' priority screws over Soviet trucks or so for late war.

This turn the new trickle of Guards continue, as there are many other Soviet assets with enough victories to get promoted.

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Last but not least the LW keeps not intercepting.
Given... the airfield bombing now shrunk to be almost non effective for a bucket of losses of OPs and Flak... it is a worry so in deep the Germans do not even fly. They should have plenty of time to get alerted and up in the sky (That's exctly how they gained air superiority over Kursk battle for the first days. The Soviets were sending waves of bombers to bomb the Germans as they knew the plan of the Germans, but frontline troops detected with aerophones the Soviets, alerted the LW that scrambled up and decimated the Soviets - that in that case had bombers ahead unescorted, fighters were to 'catch up' as they're faster, and be there about over the German airfields).

The bottom right 2 type of bombing are raids of 50 bombers each.
The other 3 are raids of 20 bombers each.

I refuse to do smaller raids in general except as Axis during T1.

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Nonetheless - the turn is not that intense, some Axis unit sniping to gain victories and morale and forming some Tank Corps I believe.

[Leumas06]

As a newie, very helpful aar. Thanks!

[AlbertN]

As a newie, very helpful aar. Thanks!

You're welcome - but I want to underline I am not the best player around as I've a rather casual approach to the game.

T64 arrived in the while...

We had a 'Sitzkrieg' couple of turns. The Germans pulled back after the last pointe was mauled; and nimbly liberated their rearlines from pesky intruders.

As a consideration with good chances this time of situation warrants to avoid 'No Early End' stuff in the future. I may argue about the VP distribution and what qualities as VP and what does not (I already broadly advocated for a more granular distribution of VP in more locations).
The Germans have been pratically unable to push in '42 adequately - which in a normal game means game over pratically.
On the other hand if we get in '43+ there is also the tableflip. The inflated Soviets will be facing a German army that was never overextended and never suffered dramatic defeats as Stalingrad.

But conceptually a 'Sitzkrieg' game can turn quite boring if turns flow in a standoff.

Graciously my opponent is not to sit more than needed. The handful of turns were needed to rebuild CCP and I assume have some freight into replacements. Then a grand return was made.

The poor German panzers, massed and everything, got stalled in their advance already in the single combat they made. But the blob whole of the Germans marched forward.

The only Combat:

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Post Air Recon:

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The Soviets received 450.000 extra manpower this turn. Bringing the sum of Map + Reserve forces over 8 Millions. Plus TBs going over 9M.

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I was not sure the Germans were coming for another round and sent the bulk of the VVS to the reserve to refit and retrain after having bled them massively in the Summer fight.

This turn for the first time I had an absolute 0 Guard Promotions.
Infantry % is at 17.

[Stamb]

Axis were lucky not to be under il2 fire

and that hold is just amazing
clear hex with lvl 3 fortification and all of the plans that Axis player had - gone
i know that feeling, i was on a wrong side some time ago

[AlbertN]

Axis were lucky not to be under il2 fire

and that hold is just amazing
clear hex with lvl 3 fortification and all of the plans that Axis player had - gone
i know that feeling, i was on a wrong side some time ago

VVS in reserve - but that is spottable I assume via the graphs if one checks each turn.
Yes it may have well gone into tragedy I feel since the VVS is massive as well.

I believe there is a HUGE problem as I can pull forts from lvl 1 to lvl 3 in one single turn as long as I put in the hex 2 Rifle Corps and if needed the Fortified Zone. At least in good weather and clear / light woods.

There - 120 Construction value per Guard Corp (bit less for mundane Corps); plus eventual digger bridage from HQ ... you can do the math.

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Said that this combat to me underlines tenfold how the Germans are weak.

Fair weather, clear terrain with lvl 3 forts.

The Soviets are pounced by what seems like Kursk alike type of penetrating power and they do not even budge.
I do not know the specifics but I can see a bucket of Pionere troops were used too and the fort was not scratched but I'd have expected to see some inland advance from rested and CCP loaded German troops. (Given Soviets are CCP loaded too).

Said that the Russians return the favor with a single battle in turn.
The Germans crashed their panzers out of forts and in the clear. Soviets can simply attack, and then dance away with whatever attacked behind the Major River and in lvl 3 forts, and cycle in fresh troops from there to man spot...

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Despite the sky covered by the Luftwaffe (quite useless) level bombers the Soviet forces crashed into the Germans - a mix of fresh troops and what was already victorious (but with an amount of damaged elements).

There is no expectation for the Germans to insist about Kharkov - it's one of the two spots where the Soviets are the strongest. The other is Kursk.
But by now Soviets are quite strong anywhere there.

Armoured reserves were poured on the map from previous turn in foresight of an enemy advance to the sea to create a large 'pocket' connected via just the Kerch Istmus.

But by now I feel in '42 the strategic initiative ... has not gone in Soviet hands yet but has slipped away from the Germans.

[AlbertN]

T71 - Deep Mud

Turns moved quite fast after the German's last offensive was shattered with 9 of their mobile formations routed by the mighty Soviet forces.

The front has not changed much in Summer '42. The grand total of the German offensive netted Poltava, Sumy and Krivoy Rog - all lost during the first Soviet winter.

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Now that the heavy mud has came - after turns of Sitzkrieg where the Germans licked their wounds - the Soviets begin very shily to advance.
The idea is to exploid the 'shield' offered by the mud to advance in open plains and go hug the Germans - sooner or later I'll have to advance.

Soviets have a truck problem - but not for the reasons you'd mundanely think.
Soviet army is simply bloated. I overproduced units - to inflate %, to have more guards. That is 'backfiring' ?
Not truly. Simply I have already units, in the reserve, that have no trucks or limited trucks, and they're training up.
And on need I can still send them to a quiet sector of the map. They can defend as good or almost by the looks, just do not move ... Infantry on map moves 8 if they're almost devoid of trucks.

I am spawning, and training. Spawning and training. By now I've reached the max in most of the interesting things.

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Besides that 'issue' I am breezing through. But it seems there is consensus a German player must know the game well in order to do well.

Both I and my opponent have a theory though that is about how easily troops tire and expose themselves.
I'll have to see how it will be to be on the offensive. Get out of my own forts and expose the Soviets to the sweeping strikes of the Panzers.

On the other hand the Soviet army here is massive. Well beyond the historical reaches for the end of '42.

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[Sammy5IsAlive]

With this being a no early end game - do you have any 'gentlemen's agreement' as to when to wrap this up? Situation looks pretty hopeless for your opponent I think.

[AlbertN]

We're in touch via Discord.

I believe presently there is the idea to see how the Germans fare at fighting a defensive war.

Both of us have the impression that units on the attack lose stem very quickly (maybe far too quickly).
But at this stage if Deaniks wishes to sign the unconditional surrender I'll take it - the Soviets are simply far too large and bloated in general.

[AlbertN]

T74 - Soviet Grand Plans

With the thick and heavy mud there was the desire to go hug the Germans and dig in to have close positions for when the snow came.

But the very next turn I moved out of the forts the snow came. The German attacked on the spot with mixed results.

The VVS started to be deployed again on the map.

The Soviets loom and inche forward. Slowly. The Soviet formations are good for hit and run tactics but their mobile stuff lack the staying power to hold the line. Thus I am playing with the doctrine of 'Infantry hammers and dislodge out of forts, and cavalry and tanks attack a 2nd time the same unit' where possible.

The Don Front reached a riverline where it stops - that is where they wanted to dig in in the mud. The Axis consumes itself in attacks across the minor river.
For round 2 the VVS intervenes vehemently and vigorously.
Il-2 are broken but that's a broken record from my end.

My pilots with like 45-50 experience blast away the Germans, impede their attacks and even where the Germans score a win the losses are almost even.
The LW is absent.

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Supply levels are bright green for most of the Russian troops, except what was just brought by the reserves or what inched forward to meet the enemy.
Without sweeping operations and power projections at distance I keep my logistics healthy and at Supply Level 4.

Soviets have insane truck repair which makes the Supply Level 4 cheaply affordable.
The Soviets have a truck problem - only in virtue of their 9M men (And guns and tanks) on map.

[AlbertN]

The Soviet (Insane) Logistics

I decided to dedicate some more writings about the Trucks - which is only a -portion- of the supply issues the game introduces in its being severely favoring the Soviets.

More difficult to see is that Soviets need less freight to operate. But I am not even sure IF I will make a writing about it. The -only- way a player has is to perform air supply and see roughly the same amount of freight, in which amount of supply converts to units, and in turn to check what that amount of supply adds to the % needed of the relevant units.
I simply had the -whiff- of it as I've done my Soviet and my Axis turn consecutively, and I've air supplied 25 Soviet divisions that came out from the Strategic Reserve and they were all yellows and red and orange in supply. And 2 airlifts for a total of 250 freight, and kaboom, all bright green they went! 25 damn divisions, 99-100% TOE coming fresh out of the Reserve!
I've airlifted roughly the same amount of freight (~250) to 5 German divisions that were red-orange and they turned orange-yellow...
I was 'WTF'?
Some things are not realized til one plays the other side. To play Soviets it is like to drive a Ferrari or a Lamborghini, while to play Axis you are driving a Fiat Panda. Of the old type.
If people feel for, setup your own single player situation with some starving divisions and do air supply runs, and note down the freight you carry, and how much supply is provided, and how the % of supply needs are filled.

But back on track of trucks!



Let us begin with this. It's part of the Logistic Report.

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The relevant bits are in more visible in the yellow.


We know we have got repaired ~1500 trucks this turn (We know this is the 25% of the Repair Pool - it's an insane percentage, German mechanics and machine-shops repair 5% per turn and 10% from '43 onward. So much for vaunted diversification, vs having to deal with imported trucks.).
We know that 800 arrived, as gracious gift of Uncle Sam and the British Empire.
And that our Traktor-Factories churned out 660 trucks, brand new!

Til here all is good. We rack up roughly 3000 trucks a turn then!

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Here we see that we produced the nice amount of 120k trucks (I assume this is from our own factories - I started the math now and cba to divide turns per year, apply multiplier per turn and doublecheck if there were more Veichle factories the Germans stomped in '41).
What I do not know is IF the Lend Lease is inserted in here.
So I'll do a simple test.
I'll use the '41 multiplier for trucks (1 while in '42 onward is 0.55). Pretty much IF these were the same factories I'd have got 1350 new trucks a turn. We're at T74. It comes less than 100.000. I do not believe the Germans stomped that many factories to make up for the difference and inflated numbers.
The Lend Lease trucks are computed into Produced Trucks. It's my only logical conclusion here.

The next bit of info - that is perfectly coherent - is that the Repair Pool is 4600~ trucks. I got ~1500 back. 25% of 6000 is 1500. Squares nice and smooth.
I remember in my AAR with MSAG as Axis I had over 100.000 trucks in repairs at this stage. I do not even know where they were parking 100.000 trucks in repair shops...

We can also see that units have 50.000 more trucks than what they need (somehow some units get more generous allocation of trucks and new ones starve).
70.000 trucks are in depots, providing supply or being ready to.

Only 2300 trucks are sitting in the pool, not distributed (Which is optimal - the less sit in pool, the more efficient a side is).

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Now this is what I got - I have not made any ground operation yet.

Poor Germans somehow lost 800 trucks. I did some minor attacks earlier but I suspect it's due to their logistic phase for the most.
Soviets despite their 9 million men on the map only lost 226 trucks.
Confident that includes the combats of the previous turn - that are shown above plus a Cavalry that got shanked.
16 Soviet Trucks were lost due to enemy action. 210 to go.

Note also that the -total- truck losses are double for Germans. They do not only repair less, they must also be worse at driving trucks, or have poor manifacturers as well causing more breakdowns! (Or simply they have logistics nerfed into oblivion)

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I assume ... these 210 trucks got smashed by my own drivers to deliver supplies due to the lvl 4 Supply priority?
No way!

I've lost 2275 trucks across the campaign (T1 to T74) ... if I divide that number by 74 it comes 30.
It means averagely in the logistic phase 30 trucks are lost for good and some more are damaged (probably roughly 1500 right now, because as I explained in the first posts, the repair pool of trucks reaches a 0 sum status at some point. I've 4500 sitting in the repair pool, 1500 gets damaged, it goes up to 6000, 25% of that is repaired, I get 1500 trucks back. That's a 0 sum mechanic).

To make sure - that is not a per turn number. Not only it's 10 times superior to the trucks lost that turn in the casualty page; but if one begins a campaign fresh fresh and new new they'll beging from 0 and these numbers ramp up.

So ... there are 180 trucks lost somewhere, not sure where ... it's not specified nor I cannot find it. I assume it's part of the 'attrition losses' that take place across the board during the logistic phases.

Other things to note:

• In '43 the Lend Lease of trucks climb up to 4500 trucks a turn.
  The 25% repair rate remains unchanged through the course of the game.
  Presently the Soviet Army is 9M and has almost the full component of mechanized forces (Missing 6 Tank Corps and 30 Tank BAttallions from the max)
  Presently the bulk of the Soviet Army is in horse-distance from Depots. (Which means trucks are not used BUT each freight counts the half as it includes horse food and equipment)
  On map depots are mostly full to the brim of freight, to reinforce my belief the Soviets need really low freight to supply adequately units.

[Stamb]

very well written, as always

that is why i absolutely love to play as a Soviets (even if i am losing)
invincible logistics!
its just a pleasure to watch
especially after playing as an Axis

[EwaldvonKleist]

You have done really well. Imo you can be more aggressive already. Since you are close to depots/railheads and have such numerical superiority, I think you can be more aggressive in hugging German units, bringing out everything from the reserve and launching attacks. Lack of unit trucks is not that much of a problem if all you do is set piece attacks. If the Germans counterattack and even encircle small stacks, that is to your advantage since it raises fighting intensity, that is losses.Which you can replace easily, while they can't.

[AlbertN]

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Turn is in progress -BUT- Soviets have not an easy time attacking despite the sheer number superiority.

That is positive, from my perspective. Given the game would normally be over already due to a lack of German VPs where their high watermark is 550ish.

The Soviets can inflict losses to the Axis, yes - can shove a single division off, and then pummel it with mobile assets (CAVs or Tanks. CAVs are better especially IF I've to enter the vacated hex, that has a bucket of delay).

But each fight is a gamble, Soviet troops do not perform well and rely on mass (which is good). It's the end of '42, and there is a reason if the successful Russian operations were against veil of troops of overstretched Axis minors in history.
Here I am facing Germans that are even dug in - and I'd expect better supplied than what the coloured labels suggest; or German logistics are somehow very bad to be at this stage of the game (Where they should have fixed their rail network, and have a more than adequate network of depots).

Both in victories, and defeats, the Russian casualties are very high and that sets the Soviets also to be ripe for cherry-pick counterattacks.

Finally some real difficulties for the Red Army here.
I feel this situation will be diffusedly common though in '41 campaigns getting to '42. No German player will sin of overextending for the sake of a handful of VPs unless they risk the defeat. It's way worse to lose an army (that then cripples your fighting capability and thus to hold more VPs around...).

Right now the only issue I've with the Soviets is that their tanks are too brittle - at least the 'modern tanks'. They're akin to the panzers pre patch; they should not be as the panzers now - far from, BUT right now they attack and they just auto explode. It is simply less noticeable in general as the Soviets produce a ton and replace on map easily.

[Stamb]

was saying the same about Soviet tanks
they are even worse than panzers before a fix
in any serious battle its almost full wipe for a Soviet tanks