Fire fighting the Red Hordes - Uranus vs Olivier

[jonny211]

Hi Bonners,

Keep the AAR's up, I like your writing style... if I were to attempt an AAR I feel that I'd sound like Alan Partridge or similar.

Jon

[Bonners]

ORIGINAL: jonny211

Hi Bonners,

Keep the AAR's up, I like your writing style... if I were to attempt an AAR I feel that I'd sound like Alan Partridge or similar.

Jon

Cheers Jon, appreciated, although I have to say I quite like the ideal of an AAR written in the style of Alan Partridge[:D]

[Bonners]

10th December - Taman invasion

Not much actually happens. Although I am not certain I begin to suspect that Olivier is suffering with supply problems here from my airforce. Although he has made two landings they launch an unsuccessful assault on the Romanian infantry and freshly arrived cavalry regiment. I suspect that next turn I will be able to throw the invasion back into the sea. The motorized and panzer units stay on the rail lines in case they are not needed, ready to do their fire-fighting duties elsewhere on the front.

[Bonners]

10th December - Stalingrad


...and yes, the last pockets of resistance still hold out. I play my last defensive cards, so it wont be long now until the end. I also note that mopping up operations are mainly being undertaken by infantry units. Most of the rest of the units are no doubt being railed to threaten other parts of the front.

[Bonners]

10th December - Italian Front

The first of many small breakthroughs happen on the northern front. The Soviets are feeling along committing reconnaissance in force to try and find the weak points. Again a desperate counter-attack by 11th panzer takes on 17th tank corps. More desperate battles in the snow mean the Soviet forces are flung back to their starting points. The message is clear, look for another weak point.

[Bonners]

10th December - offensive on the Don

The Russians breakthrough more weakened Romanians on the Don River front, the Germans are gathered in strength though and freedom is given from high command to launch a full out counter offensive - 4th Panzer Army goes on the attack!

There are two objectives, push back the Soviet breakthrough and annihilate 4th Mechanized Corps once and for all. The panzers charge into the attack across the snow covered Steppe trying once more to surround the spearheads and knock out 4th Mech. But these are hardier Russian troops well dug in and they retreat back before the mini pocket slams shut. All remaining units attack 4th Mech but again these elite Russian troops are not like the average infantry division and they hold their ground to stop any possibility of a German breakthrough.

Again German plans fall far short of their strategic objectives. However the losses the Soviets have sustained will hopefully blunt their southern attack for a while. Overall (remembering FOW is on) I inflict 18,000 Soviet casualties and 80 T34s and 15KV heavy tanks are left blazing on the battlefield.

[Bonners]

12th December

Firstly the Soviet invasion of the Taman Peninsula. Olivier calls this off, he had an objective that he thought he would have a go at. Amphibious landings obviously need careful planning to make sure you have enough air support. I think we have both learnt from this and I intend to have a bit of an experiment to see how much air power is needed to stop the interdiction of supply, at least to the level that a small invasion is feasible. One unit is left for me to destroy but the rest of the Soviet forces disembark without being harried by the Germans. Although the invasion was a failure it was still worthwhile Olivier undertaking it When I first moved my airforce down to bomb his invasion force I was immediately intercepted by Soviet fighters. Not knowing how many fighters he had committed I immediately transferred the majority of my level bombers down to meet the invasion. I also railed in two decent divisions, which although they didnt end up fighting, they were lost for about four turns whilst they were using their railcards to potter up and down the map and regain readiness. All in all a tactical defeat for Olivier, but probably gained him a little more than he lost strategically as I have now been scrapping together more garrison troops for the coastal areas.

Just a quick update on Stalingrad. Although the defenders have been abandoned by OKH they still fight on. I had to include this screenshot as there will certainly be some medals handed out to these troops:

[Bonners]

12th December

Despite the best efforts of 4th Panzer Army last turn it would appear that there are more Soviet reserves available between the Don and the Chir. OKH had assured us that with the Soviet troops surrounding Stalingrad there would only be a thin crust of troops.

This is very much not the case and there is further bloody fighting this turn. Although Soviet fighter losses are high, enough damage is done to allow the Sturmoviks to break up my panzers. Again the Soviet bombers take high losses but the tank losses inflicted on me although relatively smaller are a precious resource that I need to keep intact.

Finally the Soviets attack with artillery in force as well, break through my lines and threaten the line all the way along. Although there are a couple of tempting targets I have a feeling that the Soviet forces desperately want to drag me into a battle of attrition and wear down my tanks. With a heavy heart we continue our journey westwards and again give up towns to the Soviets.

A quick update on casualties with the battle for Stalingrad itself nearly over.

At the end of my turn there were approximately 3,500 Germans left in Stalingrad. Now have a look at my overall casualties. I would say approximately 75% of these were suffered by the units actually in the Stalingrad pocket, certainly with regard to guns and tanks.

Total German casualties:

Overall - 195,000
Tanks (light and medium) - 425
Fighters - 250
Guns - 2230

Total Soviet casualties (figures from casualties inflicted by me - FOW on):

Overall - 88,000
Medium tanks (T34) - 440
Heavy tanks (KVs) - 135
Light tanks - 315
Fighters - 390
Guns - 785

So my overall strategy of targeting his fighters and tanks appears to be paying off. I'm also going to try and keep a count of motorized units lost. My basic aim in this game is to have Olivier following me on foot through the snow. It probably wont work, but it is nice to dream[8D]

Screenshot showing the Soviet counter-attack between the Don and Chir:

[Bonners]

14th December

It is noticeable that the game seems to settling into a pace of its own, we seem to have a couple of frantic turns followed by a couple of turns of quiet. I think this is beginning to change though. As more Soviet forces are released from Stalingrad I keep having to remind myself that I am now facing 1 million Soviets on the front line. Although I create large Soviet losses on each attack I think Olivier is starting to get a real feel for managing the attacks. The subtlety is not in the actual attack with the Soviets, but with large forces it is keep on moving the point of the attack so my meagre reserves have to keep shifting from front to front. I may win a lot of tactical battles, but each one wears down my panzers. I have already noticed that one of my panzer divisions has to move at walking pace due to the lack of trucks. Again I play a truck card to keep them mobile, but I would rather be saving my cards for fighters and tanks. I have to keep up the hit and run attacks though, so it is a little bit of a vicious circle.

In reality I dont think we can be calling the battles around Stalingrad the Don Bend or Stalingrad any more, that is in the Furhrer's fantasy land; let us be realistic and say what they are, these are the battles for Rostov long term and keeping communications open to Army Group A on their withdrawal from the Caucasus. In the Caucasus there continues to be sparring but at the moment I am still managing to not fight a pitched battle. Heinrici's panzers again give the pursuing Soviets a little nudge, just to let them know that we still have teeth. Again the care card comes in handy to recover readiness and prepare for the next action.

North of the Rostov front Olivier reminds me that my attentions need to start shifting to all parts of the front. There is another breakthrough on the Italians and Romanians. Again I have to start rushing up troops to try and plug the gap. I retain a flimsy frontline and counter attack with the Luftwaffe which will hopefully slow him down. Due to a lack of reconnaissance I am not too sure if this is another probing thrust or the beginnings of his second offensive.

The Soviet breakthrough:

[Bonners]

14th December

Again the Soviet breakthrough means I have to make decisions on the Rostov front. As I am not sure which panzers I will need I make the decision to break contact and give Olivier a lot of free territory.

We are dancing to the tune of the Soviet Bear!

[Bonners]

16th & 18th December

A very quiet run this turn. I think Olivier's tanks are suffering with readiness issues as I am able to plug the gap before he resumes his offensive. There are strong Soviet forces there though, could this be a northern thrust down to Rostov? But, although I have strong forces covering he could also still be going for the straight route to Rostov?

But, on the very northern front around Voronezh Soviet forces are gathering and I'm sure some of those artillery units look familiar from Stalingrad. Olivier now has his rail net up and running behind the lines and with good north to south connections the next blow could fall anywhere, I really am guessing.

On the Rostov front I do some little attacks on his mech units again but there is a disturbing trend, more and more of my bombers are being intercepted by Soviet fighters despite the best efforts of my fighter pilots. If the Soviets wrestle control of the skies as well we are in real trouble.

As a final point on this turn I thought I would look at the total losses that my transports suffered in the Stalingrad airlift. The staggering losses prove that it wasnt for lack of trying that enough supply didnt reach the ground troops.

I didnt do a screenshot for 18th December as it really was the quiet before the storm; there were only a couple of minor skirmishes whilst Olivier moved up and prepared his forces for the next assault and I tried to second guess him and move my panzers into the right positions to counter-attack. The screen shot is an overall view of 16th December:

[Bonners]

20th December -calm before the storm

Again it is another turn where Olivier does not launch the full forces against me. I am beginning to worry as there is a lot of movement going on behind the lines and some of his tank units seem to be disappearing, but where are they going to attack? I am beginning to think I am wrong with my earlier foreboding about Voronezh. Although artillery is building up in the north I think that the main attack will fall elsewhere first, it is just that I dont quite know where?

Meanwhile the retreat carries on in the Caucasus, again the Germans are just managing to keep ahead of the Soviets and not giving them enough time to build up their offensive forces. It is still a long way to Rostov though and more than a few heads are looking uneasily over their shoulders.

Because of this my main panzer forces are still covering the shortest route to Rostov and there seems to be some of the Soviet mechanized units still in place. Again they break through my weaker units on the Don and again I push the spearheads back with the panzers. Each little attack and breakthrough leads to a further whittling down of my weaker units to hold the line and my German panzer units ability to cut off the breakthroughs. Also I am noticing stronger units are pushed into the breakthrough gaps now and the panzers are more than not having to deal with bespoke anti tank units.

Again we retreat a little nearer to Rostov. But this turn really did feel like the calm before the storm........

[Bonners]

22nd December - Voronezh - Olivier wont attack at Voronezh

.....er wrong actually, so much for German intelligence, are they really working for the Soviets? Despite their assurances that the next offensive would no doubt be central, despite the lack of tank or mechanized corps the Soviets breakthrough either side of Voronezh in a totally surprise attack. I have to be honest and realised Olivier was building troops up in the north, but I thought it would be an attack taht would take place after his main efforts on the central front. Therefore for once I have no mobile reinforcements to hand apart from the Hungarian panzer division.

The Soviet troops are really building up their offensive capability and Olivier very skilfully manages the weaker infantry units by shoring them up with tank brigades, what they may lack in divisional integrity is really made up be the added offensive punch the tanks bring them.

On a wide front the night sky fills with flares and katushyas that signal the start of the Soviet offensive. The bombardment that follows litter grinds several Hungarian units into the dust and the Soviet tanks and infantry pour through the gap. Although the tougher German units do better to the north the 385th division is caught doing exercises and not in their defensive positions, it is a scramble to get back and defend and the Soviets push a gap through the lines. Voronezh is threatened with encirclement along with the whole of VII Corps which represents the best German infantry corps left to the army group.

In these circumstances there is only one choice really, we have to stand and fight, if the northern part of the lines goes so does the rest of the front.

SS Wiking is rapidly entrained for the north and the reserve army - 12th Army - that had slowly been building up is rushed to the front. 12th Army was really supposed to be used to build up the central part of the front, but I am presuming that Olivier is about to launch his tank corps through the gap. Air units, tanks and infantry, the same old story, everybody that can carry a gun is farmed out from the rear areas to build a counter-attack force that will push this thrust back.

In the mean time the Hungarian panzers along with support from infantry, engineers and rockets from VII corps desperately fight to fling the spearheads back, although their losses are heavy their heroic efforts help to push back the southern thrust. Similarly XIII corps manage to push back the northern thrust.

The front line is now just about stable, but will it be enough to hold on before the inevitable Soviet tanks push through the gaps. I still cant see any tank corps, but I am sure they will soon be pushing through the gap, it is now a race to see who can get their reinforcements in place in time.

Total Axis troops has dropped to 482,000 - down from 605,000 at the start of Uranus.

[Bonners]

22nd December - Rostov Front - counter-attack by 4th Panzer

Meanwhile on the Rostov Front 4th Panzer has been slowly gathering itself for another counter offensive against the Soviet mechanized troops. Despite the threat to the northern flank it is decided by OKH that the offensive potential in the south must be blunted now or never so authorisation is given for all the panzers to launch their assault.

Lemensen's 48th Corps is given complete freedom by 4th Panzer. Although there is not the opportunity to encircle them, this means that 4th mechanized corps meets three fully fresh and supplied panzer divisions head on. There can only be one outcome and they are pushed back and for once it is the Soviets taking the heavy losses.

Similarly, Mackerson's corps employ a tank drive and with the help from 6th panzer and some Romanian troops another Soviet mechanized corps is given a bloody nose. These attacks should hopefully give me a bit of breathing space in the race to Rostov, especially if more troops are needed around Voronezh. The tally comes in from the counter-ttack in the north and 4th Panzer's attack and German intelligence reckons that the Soviet's have suffered 1600 motorized casualties in the last two days.

[Bonners]

24th December - time to put up the decorations

It would appear that the Soviet offensives are running out of steam. I am now happy that the decision to stand and fight at Voronezh was the right one. I have some strong German infantry forces in place with attacking abilities.

12th Army is almost in position and will be shoring up the lines from next turn and SS Wiking will finish off the Soviet spearheads. The only surprise is that I was expecting to see more Soviet tank units in play, could he have given up on Voronezh and want to use them elsewhere on the front? I dont think it is a problem if that is the case as I am fairly confident that I will have the time to clear up the breakthrough here and the re-position my mobile units for the nest assault. The only place where Olivier does look strong is around the straight route to Rostov and I welcome an attack there as my fresh panzers are ready to meet him.

In the Caucasus the withdrawal continues , again no major scares to report and I am still fairly confident that I will reach Rostov intact.

Safe in the knowledge that Olivier is at least a couple of turns away from his next offensive, the troops are given orders to rotate troops off the frontlines and rebuild their strength. The troops all prepare for a quiet and peaceful Christmas knowing it will be a calm and peaceful night......................

[Bonners]

26th December - Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht, Alles schläft..............

....and the front explodes...in the north, in the south, in the centre. This is no longer fire fighting, this is a raging inferno blazing down on my troops.

So Christmas was not so quiet after all. That is the very last time that I listen to an Italian.

Olivier is doing exactly the right thing, keeping me guessing as to where the next blow is going to fall and then once my reserves have been drawn away letting the main blow fall. It is now patently obvious that the pre Christmas attacks at Voronezh were just to try to get me to divert my mobile troops and he has succeeded all too well.

Starting from the north the Hungarians south of Voronezh and smashed aside by tank brigades and infantry. By itself this is not too much of a problem, but I still need to plug the holes. Last turn there were two German infantry divisions in place with one available to counter-attack..where has he gone? Oh just cleared off in the direction of Voronezh...and they will soon be marching back having achieved nothing.

The next in line is the Italian 8th Army (remember them? The ones who wanted to sit in their bunkers at Christmas eating turkey) a huge hole is blasted through the lines with what looks like two tank corps and accompanying cavalry. Not only this but Soviet guard divisions follow through to make sure any counter-attack is going to be a bloody affair.

Further south it is the turn of XXIX corps to feel the blow. The weaker Soviet units are swept aside, although the Soviets get a nasty surprise when they realise just how good Tiger tanks are on the defensive. They keep getting pushed back yet do not break. More worrying is that due to the fragile nature of my lines 11th panzer was on the front lines. Well it is on the front lines no more, in fact it is sitting behind them watching two Soviet tank corps motor past. The situation is fairly catastrophic. Behind the Italians there is just a big open gap with nothing but the Steppe in front of the Soviet tanks.

Further south, although not quite as successful the Soviet also punch through my lines where my tank forces are the strongest. If I counter-attack here then I could push them back but without covering the northern flank the whole of the Eastern Front could be about to come crashing down.

When I opened this turn my first comment back to Olivier was along the lines of ...this is madness and great fun! Full hats off to Olivier, the size and the areas of this offensive caught me totally off guard.

Time to break the troops out of their Christmas slumber and work out if there is anything I can do to halt the advance.

I've tried to put some screenshots together to give a flavour of the attack I was presented with:

[Bonners]

26th December - any cooks or clerks left?

...so how do I respond to the attack? I have to admit it took me a while to work out how to cobble together a response.

Firstly, around Voronezh I counter-attack with SS Wiking and begin to push the Soviets back, they are in place so they will do their job before being sent elsewhere on the front.

Despite my inclination to attack everything the Italians make my decision for me as they would appear to be in a running race to the west. Despite my best efforts there is still a gaping hole in the lines at the end of the turn. The question is now what forces Olivier has left to push on after the offensive. I have got 16th motorized in place and they will be looking to counter-attack depending on where the next Soviet thrust falls.

Again on the main central thrust I have to withdraw. 11th panzer plays a speed card and breaks out of the pocket before the lines solidify. I have learnt my lesson, on the first turn of encirclement it is possible to break out of the trap, once the Soviet infantry come up to reinforce the ring, the units are as good as dead.

17th panzer which is still fairly fresh is moved up to cover the gap and to look for possible counter-attack opportunities. Meanwhile poor old 3rd Panzer is railed in from the Caucasus yet again to act as a reserve. I keep mentioning this, but it is worth pointing out again. At the start of the game the best thing I used my cards for was to increase the German rail capacity, the mobility of the rail net is the only thing keeping the Germans going.

Meanwhile to the South I have to also pull back with my strongest panzer corps. 48th corps again reminds the Soviets that there are still strong German forces around by blunting the spearheads yet again before withdrawing.

I now wait to see if the Soviets have enough offensive potential to keep going or whether I will have time to plug the gaps. The game has really heated up again.

Also this turn I finally get the chance to play another card; for the first time I play an infantry card and due to the crisis at the front OKH lets me have every spare man they can lay their hands on - 11,800 infantry reserves join the front line troops.

This turn also saw a turnaround in casualties for tanks. In previous turns the tank losses have generally been in my favour, but now the panzer divisions are beginning to get worn down I notice that Axis tank losses for the turn are higher than the Soviets. Infantry losses for the turn are 14,000 for the Soviets and 24,000 for the Axis. It should be pointed out that the majority of Axis losses are Italians and Hungarians which in earlier scenarios would not be a problem, but in this scenario they are now an essential part of my front line.

On the screenshot I realised at the end of the turn that Rostov is now almost showing on the front lines; the race is well and truly on!

Overview of German front at end of my turn:

[Bonners]

28th December - Voronezh

We now have strong forces around Voronezh so I continue with pushing back the bulge and getting the lines back into order. I attack and surround the Soviet spearhead and then wipe it out with SS Wiking. This is the one portion of the front that I feel happy with and will continue the attacks on the position held by Soviet 49th infantry to straighten the lines back up.

[Bonners]

28th December - central front

As units are rushed in to plug the gap where the Italian armies used to be Olivier makes a reconnaissance effort with a tank destroyer unit. Unfortunately he gets caught between 16th motorized coming in to plug the gaps and the retreating Italians. The unit is wiped out. In the context of 1 million Soviets it may not seem like much, but as the Germans every little victory has to be celebrated.

[Bonners]

28th December - Caucasus

Again it is noticeable that the Soviet offensive soon dies down. Although numerically superior it would appear that Soviet troops soon lose their offensive capability and Olivier is left with a choice of either pushing out with exposed spearheads or resting up and also letting me rebuild my lines. Strange as it may sound I'm beginning to think that the Soviet player in some ways actually has the harder task in this scenario. From messages I've received from Olivier he is still okay with prestige as there have been a couple of instances where he has taken a town needed for prestige just after I have withdrawn. Obviously the early taking of Stalingrad will also have given him some prestige. But, if Stavka are anything like OKH, then he will no doubt get some crazy objectives at some point.

Anyway, even though I am beginning to stabilize the front I realise that I need to speed up the retreat in the Caucasus as I need to shorten the lines to release troops for a reserve to be rushed to threatened sectors. I have marked where I hope to have my final lines, it is now a case of seeing if I can reach them in one piece.