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gradenko_2000
Oct 5, 2010

HELL SERPENT
Lipstick Apathy
The Panzer General scenario was one of the first exposures I had to Barbarossa as a historical event and I always grew up with the impression that it was a tough and difficult slog rather than this mass encirclement, mobile battle because of the particular way it turns out in the PG engine.

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wiegieman
Apr 22, 2010

Royalty is a continuous cutting motion


As much as it is a dagger in my heart to say that War in the East is good at anything, it shows the power of maneuver and encirclement in this campaign really well.

Kangra
May 7, 2012



This summer we'll drive all the way through Byelorussia to the heart of the Soviet Union.



The plan's been proceeding without any difficulty. We've nearly cleared the front zone, and from there we can push to take the next several objectives. There's enough open space between the cities that we can shift our troops as needed to hit the cities, but we'll probably keep most of them in the south.

Axis Turn 6: July 2, 1941
Clear(dry)


The latest version of the Panzer III is an excellent tank, with boosts in offensive power that will help us deal with the Soviet tanks.


Brest is captured. Volkovsyk isn't quite in our hands, and while the road isn't yet cleared, it's still a pretty good situation as the month of July begins.


Fighting has been intense at Vilna. Neither side has any artillery to speak of, and our planes have had to deal with constant flak fire.

Allied Turn 6: July 2, 1941


The AT guns covering the highway thought they had an easy target when they went for our armored cars.


But the combination of defensive artillery and quality drivers repels the assault.

Axis Turn 7: July 4, 1941
Clear(dry)


We've scouted ahead nearly as far as the airbase at Borisov. Every sizable town is well-defended, although resistance is non-existant in the open areas between them.


Clearing the road past Volkovysk will not require much effort, and we've already pushed some tanks forward to Baranovichi.

Allied Turn 7: July 4, 1941


Using their air defense guns for protection, bombers strike at Volkovysk. The buildings of the town provide pretty decent cover, however, and the raids have little effect.

Axis Turn 8: July 6, 1941
Clear(dry)


Attacking the guns on the ground is easy enough for us to do, so our fighters have no reservations about knocking down the bombers.


We need to spend a bit of time refueling and resupplying, but the tanks already at Baranovichi are doing an admirable job attacking.

Allied Turn 8: July 6, 1941


The only activity on the enemy side is a barrage of suppressing artillery fire followed by anti-tank gun attacks. It's surprisingly effective.

Axis Turn 9: July 8, 1941
Clear(dry)


Vilna's defenders dig in, and fend off the paratroops one more time. It proves to be their final gasp, as the city surrenders once the next unit approaches.


The armored spearhead approach seems to be working, as we poke holes in the defenses of Minsk and Postavy.


Baranovichi will be taken soon enough, and we can already start looking at moving forces past it.

Allied Turn 9: July 8, 1941


Attacks come at our tanks again, but they fail to have any effect.


The T-34 is better suited for defense than attack; this unit failed to score a single kill against our tanks (though they didn't lose any strength either).

Axis Turn 10: July 10, 1941
Clear (dry)


The tanks at Postavy aren't able to make any progress. They are ordered to hold the line until more troops arrive.


The 11th has already upgraded to the Pz IIIj, and the new tanks prove their effectiveness against the T-34's at Minsk.

Allied Turn 10: July 10, 1941


The enemy's artillery is the best thing they have going for them. The heavy 15.2cm gun can even put a hurt on our tanks (this one is only firing at 7 strength).

Axis Turn 11: July 12, 1941
Overcast(dry)


Noticing that the Soviet guns are too far off to respond to a quick strike, the 9th chances an assault directly on Postavy. It pays off handsomely.


We are in position to take down Minsk within a day or two.

Allied Turn 11: July 12, 1941


The Nebelwerfers that were brought in to support the fight at Postavy are caught out by a group of AT guns, and get pounded. A fighter from the enemy's rear airbase also shows up to strike at our bombers. We've gotten sloppy with fighter protection.

Axis Turn 12: July 14, 1941
Overcast(Dry)


The first probe into Minsk proves promising. We'll capture the city tomorrow.


Despite the cloud cover, our fighters quickly intercept the Soviet planes over Postavy, and we start to look ahead at our next target. Taking Borisov would provide us with a good forward airbase.

Allied Turn 12: July 14, 1941


The artillery continues to prove effective against our thin armor, but then it makes the mistake of trying to move out of the path of our bombers. Now exposed to our ground forces, it will be easily eliminated.

Axis Turn 13: July 16, 1941
Overcast(Dry)


Repeated assaults wear down Minsk and we capture the city.

Allied Turn 13: July 16, 1941


No response. Defenses are probably being prepared farther back.

So far it's been smooth sailing into Russia. If the rest of the objectives are taken as easily as these were, we ought to cruise straight to Moscow.

Kangra
May 7, 2012



Operation Barbarossa proceeds into the Soviet heartland.



While we still have a few forces on the north side, they'll mostly be responsible for cutting off the northern exits from Vitebsk or mopping up. The primary thrust to Smolensk will come from the southern group; the other objectives will be captured by splitting off units as required.

Axis Turn 14: July 18, 1941
Raining(Dry)
A trend toward worse weather eventually gives way to enough rain to disrupt air operations.


We scout Mogilev. A decision will need to be made as to how much of our force will be split off to take Smolensk.


Vitebsk is heavily fortified, but the guns positioned on the riverside are easy to spot and destroy.

Allied Turn 14: July 18, 1941


The enemy takes advantage of the poor weather to deploy even more air defense guns.

Axis Turn 15: July 20, 1941
Clear(Dry)


Back in the marshland, the Stahl Jaeger run into a problem: They don't have enough ammunition to mount an attack against the Soviet soldiers, but if they move away to resupply, it will allow additional forces to move up the road and threaten Baranovichi.


ADAC Vogel is sent to come to their rescue.


As the rest of our troops roll forward, we make a bid to capture at least the airfield at Barisov.

Allied Turn 15: July 20, 1941


The Panzer IV seems to be a favorite target for the enemy's 57mm guns.

Axis Turn 16: July 22, 1941
Clear(Dry)


Mogilev will not take long to fall.


Barisov falls, and our forces are converging on the final two objectives. It should only be a matter of days, but our supplies are running low and we can't move with as much speed as we'd like.

Allied Turn 16: July 22, 1941


Those pesky AT guns continue to pelt the Panzers.

Axis Turn 17: July 24, 1941
Clear(Dry)


Smolensk is in view. Although we won't quite make the timetable the OKH wished for, we're keeping up a pretty good pace.


We keep blasting away at the guns of Vitebsk almost as soon as the enemy deploys them. We'll need support from the other side to eventually take the town.

Allied Turn 17: July 24, 1941


Scout cars are sent down from the north to harass our troops on this side of the Dvina.

Axis Turn 18: July 26, 1941
Clear(Dry)


We already know we've slipped the desired date, so we take an extra day to prepare for the attack.

Allied Turn 18: July 26, 1941


More BA-10's show up, and there are partisan forces moving on us from the countryside now.

Axis Turn 19: July 28, 1941
Clear(Dry)


We need to be a little wary of the powerful KV-2 at Vitebsk, so we hold off on the attack there. The initial skirmishing at Smolensk goes well for us, thanks to an airdrop south of the river.

Allied Turn 19: July 28, 1941


The BA-10 proves to be fairly effective massed against the rather outdated Panzer Ib. The inexperienced AT unit is lost.


The KV-2 ends up making a mistake first. A botched attempt to knock back our infantry leaves them sitting ducks in the Dvina.

Axis Turn 20: July 30, 1941
Clear(Dry)


Potatomanjack finally earns a bit of respect from the other tank units when he leads a charge against the KV-2 and wipes it out.


Smolensk will need a bit more softening up.

Allied Turn 20: July 30, 1941


The Soviets are finally out of forces to really fight with.

Axis Turn 21: August 1, 1941
Clear(Dry)


Smolensk is cleared out. Before we take Vitebsk, we cut off the road to the north first.


Also, the five-star SdKfz 10/4 can one-shot Partisan units.

Allied Turn 21: August 1, 1941


Not much happening on the Soviet side of things.

Axis Turn 22/23


We spend an extra day fortifying our troops, and then claim the victory.

Our success means that there's still a good chance of making it to Moscow this year, even if we won't be getting there tomorrow.

This could have gone a bit better, but it's not a terrible result. Getting a major here was unlikely unless we wanted to really wear out our best troops. Holding back a bit allowed the units newer to the core to get a little more experience. Unfortunately the loss of another bomber and a couple other units, means we'll definitely be a few hundred prestige under what I'd like to have. Next mission should give us a chance to improve on that.

Result: Minor Victory
Final Prestige: 1724

Kangra fucked around with this message at 20:52 on Oct 13, 2015

Kangra
May 7, 2012



Caucasus, take 2.

Caucasus
June 30, 1942
30 Turns


See the previous attempt for full details on this scenario.

I'm still using the self-imposed rule on reinforcements for the southern group. Only one ground unit per turn in that area can get replacements, and no new units can be added there.



It's clear that a better plan is needed for the southern core. The aim here will be to use as much of our naval forces as we can commit to support an attack into the coastal area. No offensive moves will be made in the mountains. Once we gain access to the road, we can move up along the river and take out the rest of the Soviet line. It is believed that they don't have much in the way of forces behind the mountains, so we can afford to take bit more time with the battle and make up ground later on.

Axis Turn 1: June 30, 1942
Clear(dry)


Since we're focusing our attacks in the south on one spot, we want to commit all our air resources there. The first step is reducing the flak on the ground.


Bombers strike the ground, although the enemy's defenses hold up. Few attacks are made as we mostly reposition our units.


We start a push south of the Donetz. No need to rush here either.


Attacks in the north get underway as well.

Allied Turn 1: June 30, 1942


The Soviet planes avoid our fighters and instead bomb targets near the Sea of Azov.


Our artillery successfully defends against the heavy tanks.

Axis Turn 2: July 5, 1942
Clear(dry)


It is slow going in the south.


Movement toward Rostov is a bit easier.


In the air, we weaken as many enemy squadrons as we can.

Allied Turn 2: July 5, 1942


The Soviet ships in the Black Sea discover our fleet.


An attempt is made to defend ??, but even with KV-1 tanks, the Soviets are outnumbered.


The Sig proves useful once again in holding of the KV-2 attacks.

Axis Turn 3: July 10, 1942
Clear(dry)


The KV-2, now severely weakened, is eliminated by our Panzers.


One enemy cruiser is eliminated, allowing our battleships to focus on bombarding the shore. This gives them a chance to break through east of Poti.


We don't attempt to fight the KV-1 directly, but focus on pushing back the weaker units on the line.

Allied Turn 3: July 10, 1942


The Soviet tanks begin to fight their way out of the pocket we had made around them.


Additional attempts to attack proves that while their vehicles are strong, the Soviet crews really lack combat experience.

Axis Turn 4: July 15, 1942
Clear(dry)


We start to pull our own weakened units back to preserve them and focus attacks on Poti.


With well-placed air attacks, we all but eliminate Soviet resistance between the rivers. We can likely advance for quite a long distance before we meet more enemy units.

Allied Turn 4: July 15, 1942


Lack of supplies in the south is taking its toll on our forces. Although we've largely mitigated the threat of their tanks, they still are able to push us back with other units.

Axis Turn 5: July 20, 1942
Clear(Dry)


With continued help from the navy, we are finally able to capture Poti. The delay has allowed the enemy to reinforce with AT guns at Kislovolsk to the north.


Hungarian troops fail in their first go at Voronezh.


Some of our tanks circled around the enemy lines to attack Rostov, and break down several units in their rear.

Allied Turn 5: July 20, 1942


Moving along the Don does expose our tanks to air attacks. The Soviets have a lot of aircraft and we just haven't been able to deal with all of them.

Axis Turn 6: July 25, 1942
Clear(Dry)


With one side of the front line cleared, we can now shift our lines to move around toward Grozny.


It was a Light Cruiser that finally knocked out the last Soviet tank down here.


Combat in the air is still fierce over Rostov. On the ground the troops are reorganizing.


The main northern force rolls forward and is nearly in sight of Kletskavka.

Allied Turn 6: July 25, 1942


The Soviet artillery at Tiblisi fires on our infantry.


Infantry at Voroshilovgrad try to mount a counterattack, but it fails badly.

Axis Turn 7: July 30, 1942
Clear(Dry)


We're making steady progress at Rostov as the infantry start attacking.


The bombers run into problems over Tiblisi when they try to attack into heavy flak.


OUr troops have found a clear road to the Caspian Sea, and we will shortly cut off Grozny from the rest of the country.

Allied Turn 7: July 30, 1942


The lead tank unit at Kletskavka is repulsed in a combined attack from air units, artillery, and AT guns.


The Soviet infantry come from the hills to attempt to attack our soldiers. Their artillery is unable to support them properly, however, and we end up completely beating back the attack.

Even though we haven't yet captured any required objectives, we still managed to make some gains. The force coming from the south has established room for itself, while in the north we're making huge gains in territory.

Kangra
May 7, 2012



The summer drags on in 1942 as we make our way into southern Russia.



Now that the Afrika Corps has gained a bit of space for itself, the attack on Grozny can proceed. We'll be able to cut it off from the rear, which should help us deal with the difficult terrain. Of course Tiblisi still needs to be captured, but it should not take long.

The forces coming from the northwest are having no problems, and can continue with the original goal of attacking straight through to Stalingrad, while taking Rostov with another group.


As a side note, the Rumanians (and Hungarians) only have access to a couple of units in addition to their side's infantry.

Axis Turn 8: August 4, 1942
Clear(Dry)


Our tanks make a direct attack on the guns of Tiblisi to try and give our infantry a chance at taking the city. But the guns are situated !! high on a mountainside, and our only approach is up a narrow road exposed to enemy fire. Little success is reported.


With the coast clear, our ships search the Black Sea for any additional enemy presence. On land, we claim unoccupied towns in a part of the country nearly untouched by the war.


Voroshilovgrad's guns are finally captured. This pocket of resistance will be cleared out presently.


The advance on Kletskavka is maneuvering to attack from the south. Anti-aircraft guns keep our fighters away from attacking the enemy bombers, of which a few more are seen in reserve at Stalingrad.

Allied Turn 8: August 4, 1942


The Soviet fleet reveals its position. Unfortunately when it happens they sink one of our cruisers.


An attack comes out of Kletskava a bit fiercer than we expected. Luckily our preperations to shift around the city will make it even easier to pocket these troops now. The KV-1 will be a good prize.


Somewhat surprisingly, the infantry are spared bombardment at Tiblisi when the enemy artillery goes for our anti-air unit instead. Our tank attack also seems to have some positive effect in disrupting the enemy, as many of the guns do not participate in the barrage.

Axis Turn 9: August 9, 1942
Clear(Dry)


Scout planes search the last known position of the enemy fleet. Once they're discovered, our capital sheeps pound them.


A second attack up the road yields the same result for our tanks - no effect. They must have spent the time shoring up their defenses. We withdraw the tanks and send them toward Grozny.


Instead we use air power to suppress the guns, and this lets us take the city. Flak losses were moderate; it was definitely worth it to clear our path.

I've realized that I keep playing these one-offs a bit more as if it were a campaign, where we'd want to preserve our air power. It's less important here, although I don't want to use them suicidally.


Rostov finally cracks. We'll have the port secured within a week.


Forces operating north of the Don head south toward Kletskava as we move around the east side.

Allied Turn 9: August 9, 1942


A depleted Panzer IV survives its contact with the KV-1, and even knocks out a number of the opposing tanks.


Fear of the SdKfz is strong enough that their horse infantry abandon the defenses and attack across the river to eliminate it.


The Black Sea Fleet attempts to disengage by first sinking our destroyers.

Axis Turn 10: August 14, 1942
Clear(Dry)


We finally call off the battle near Novorossik after sinking another cruiser and crippling their battleship.


We're behind schedule at Grozny, but the tanks make a breakthrough in their initial assault.


Rostov is secured.


The Russian attack out of Kletskava spread their forces thin. As our armor pushes through from the south, we discover the city is undefended.

Allied Turn 10: August 14, 1942


The Soviet fleet slips away through the Kerch Strait, but not without sending a final salvo in the direction of our troops on the shore.


The KV-1 pulls back to hold Kletskava. Panzer III's lack the offensive power to deal with them.


Infantry guarding the roads are surprised to see a T-34 rolling down the river to attack them from the flank.

Axis Turn 11: August 19, 1942
Clear(Dry)


Grozny should be cleared by the end of the month, and the forces are nearly up to normal fighting levels. We should be out of the mountains before the cold weather comes.


With Rostov in our hands, we see that much of the land south of it is wide open for the taking. However, it's about as useful to us as it is to the Soviets.


Orders from above are that we need to move on Stalingrad post-haste. Armored forces are withdrawn from Kletskava (perhaps a bit too quickly) and the infantry are left to deal with it on their own.


Allied Turn 11: August 19, 1942


Our initial push toward the coast may have the Russians thinking we're attacking over the Kuban. This may work in our favor, as once we take Grozny we're going straight to the north and bypassing these towns.


One infantry unit is pushed back on the west side of Kletskava, but the other side holds.

Axis Turn 12: August 24, 1942
Clear(Dry)


The Rumanians secure our right flank for the attack on Stalingrad.


The big Soviet tanks prove to be terrible at city fighting. The foot soldiers inflict heavy losses and rout them from the city.


We also secure the area north of the Don up to the Volga. No reinforcements for Stalingrad will come from up here.

Allied Turn 12: August 24, 1942


The combination of heavy guns and favorable terrain around Grozny gives the edge to the Soviet infantry. Our tanks are taking more losses than we can afford.


The T-34 unit moved away from Armavir. This could be ominous.

Axis Turn 13: August 29, 1942
Clear(Dry)


The attack on Stalingrad commences as we cross the Don. We make the first use of our own new heavy tank, the Tiger.


Even though we've done some damage at Grozny, we aren't able to keep up the pressure. Our best chance of success is to keep up the air raids and hope that the enemy isn't able to deploy enough anti-air guns to counter the bombers.

Allied Turn 13: August 29, 1942


The Soviets give up their entrenched position in the city to construct more defenses on the perimeter. This may prove to be a foolish move. We also discover where the T-34 was headed.


While the enemy doesn't know what to do about the new Tiger, their many guns make short work of the Panzer IIIj.

This month saw a big slowdown in the operation. In the south, we've only just started the battle for Grozny. The northern group did manage to take a few objectives, but the main fight there is only warming up.

gradenko_2000
Oct 5, 2010

HELL SERPENT
Lipstick Apathy
I think the objective spread for the Caucasus scenario is more reflective of actual objectives of Fall Blau: you have to get as far south as Grozny and you only need one hex of Stalingrad rather than the whole thing.

It'd be interesting to see if this would be possible to pull off even in the normal Stalingrad scenario where you're only coming from the east.

Kangra
May 7, 2012



In this reality, Stalingrad will fall in 1942 as the Afrika Korps enters Russia from the south.



At this point, both of our groups have two objectives to take. In the north, Stalingrad will be the major battle. Once we capture it, then we'll move the whole force southward. On the other side, we're attacking Grozny but also want to shift some units north to start scouting Blagdernoe. This should ensure that the Soviets cannot retreat to hold the offensive up any further.

Axis Turn 14: September 3, 1942
Clear(Dry)


We make a probing attack at Blagdernoe to test the enemy defenses. We've also sent paratroops in to cut the roads to the north.


But we shouldn't get to far ahead of ourselves, as we still need to take care of Grozny. Our bombers go in despite the flak and manage to silence the air defenses, but in so doing take considerable losses.


Stalingrad is at the moment an artillery duel. We have more guns, although theirs are stronger.

Allied Turn 14: September 3, 1942


The T-34 knocks back our Panzers, but its attempt to rush for the coast is halted by an ambush. Our infantry lack real anti-tank capability, and even with the suprise our soldiers only are able to take out a handful of the tanks before they pull back.

Axis Turn 15: September 8, 1942
Overcast(Dry)


Progress at Grozny is slow but steady. Yet we need to work faster as the summer will be over soon. The mountains are getting chilly.


Scouts in the north indicate increasing enemy troop levels in the region.


There's a line of AT guns blocking the exit from Stalingrad. The Rumanians are sent to begin breaking it up.

Allied Turn 15: September 8, 1942


All the guns that can be brought to bear at Blagdernoe rain shells down on our Marders. They'll need to pull back from the city.


Fighting proceeds from street to street in Stalingrad. The Soviets take back a few city blocks, but it is bloody for both sides.

Axis Turn 16: September 13, 1942
Overcast(Dry)


Grozny finally surrenders. The worst of the mountain fighting is over.


Our bombers are freed up to strike at the concentration of forces near Kislovosk.


We've practically got Stalingrad surrounded, but this is the trickiest part of the operation: Getting our guns across the Don and in range of the city before the enemy artillery destroys them.

Allied Turn 16: September 13, 1942


The enemy tank commander pulls off a brilliant maneuver: They race to the crossing of the Kuban and then drive hard up the river to hit us from the rear. Or it would have been brilliant, but our own armor is quick to respond. We fight them to a draw.


The tide turns permanently against the Soviets at Stalingrad when an all-out attack ends in disaster.

Axis Turn 17: September 18, 1942
Raining(Dry)
The first of the autumn rains threatens to ruin our offensive.


The patrolling forces encounter stiffening resistance. Although we are reducing that wall of guns south of Stalingrad.


An armored push captures the north part of Stalingrad.

Allied Turn 17: September 18, 1942


There are still plenty of guns remaining in the Soviet army. They fail to find their targets in the rain.

Axis Turn 18: September 23, 1942
Raining(Dry)


We make up for lost time and the tanks get to work blasting entrenched Soviet positions at Blagdernoe. After weeks of mountain fighting, the tanks are happy to finally have room to maneuver.


Stalingrad falls, and we are already gearing up to head south.


We don't need to push the line any farther south from Rostov, but we can't allow the Soviets to break through either.

Allied Turn 18: September 23, 1942


Some of the Russian soldiers seem to think their compatriots in the mountains just weren't up to the task of fighting us. We make them pay for their arrogance.


Although their concentration of dug-in AT guns and artillery are able to nearly eliminate our attacking tank unit.

Axis Turn 19: September 28, 1942
Raining(Muddy)
A campaign season of excellent weather comes to a close.


The hastily-assembled defense force may not have known how to deal with an 88mm flak gun, but they are ferocious in close combat with even our best infantry.


Mud paralyzes the move out of Stalingrad.

Allied Turn 19: September 28, 1942


It is fairly quiet on the Soviet side of things, with only the guns at Blagdernoe making any noise.

Axis Turn 20: October 3, 1942
Clear(Dry)
The weather cools as October arrives, the mud hardens a bit and we can move once more.


The route to Elista is clear. We split off some tanks to handle the remaining Soviet presence east of the Volga.


Our line forms up in the south. The assault on Blagdernoe will begin in earnest very soon.

Allied Turn 20: October 3, 1942


The Soviets opt not to throw their best tanks into the fight to hold the key cities, but keep them around to make raids into our thinner lines to the west.


It is a policy that has worked out very well for them in many respects.


Even at Blagdernoe, they continue the practice of hitting us where we're weakest; instead of doing anything to counter the build-up to the south, they push back on the north.

Axis Turn 21: October 8, 1942
Clear(Dry)


The assault on Blagdernoe begins in earnest. We lack artillery, but use our tanks to strike quickly and make a good advance.


The battle for Erista starts up more gradually, with the edges of our army engaging forces well outside the city.

Allied Turn 21: October 8, 1942


The Soviets ensure that the northern and southern groups will not link up yet as they reduce some of the Axis forces.

Axis Turn 22: October 13, 1942
Clear(Dry)


After a successful start at Blagdernoe, we have to spend a bit more time softening up the heart of the city before we can take it.


We peel back the outer defenses of Erista. We ought to take this spot within a week.

Allied Turn 22: October 13, 1942


We still take casualties at Erista, but we greatly outnumber the enemy.


Once again, the T-34 picks exactly the right moment to move. As soon as we thought it was only focusing on the western forces, they hit our mobile artillery guns in the midst of resupply. Losses are heavy.

Axis Turn 23: October 18, 1942
Clear(Dry)


The first assault on Erista ends in failure.


We can still be fairly sure of an eventual victory before the year's end. For now, we focus on finally getting rid of that thorn in our side, the T-34.

Allied Turn 23: October 18, 1942


With our attention diverted to the west, the T-70 tanks get a chance to run around and hit our infantry.


At Erista, the light tanks are fighting merely to escape destruction.


The battle along the Volga continues to rage, and a unit of tanks defending our line is lost.

Axis Turn 24: October 23, 1942
Clear(Dry)


The T-34 is finally taken care of, and we also mop up a few forces down south.


The Soviet troops holding Erista take a bit longer to wear down than we'd expected, but they eventually do give up.

Allied Turn 24: October 23, 1942


About the only place the enemy has seen success recently is along the Volga, but their advance has no real momentum to it.


An attempt is made by the Soviets to broaden the gap between our northern and southern forces, but it does not work.

Axis Turn 25: October 28, 1942
Clear(Dry)


A last stand is made by the enemy at Blagdernoe. The lack of artillery is really hurting us, especially since heavy air defenses and shortening daylight hours is making air attacks unfeasible.


More desperate attacks are made to capture the city, more to preserve the pride of the Afrika Korps than for any other reason. But all result in severe losses.

Allied Turn 25: October 28, 1942


We lose the 88 AT guns at Blagdernoe, and the mobile Mardar is also eliminated.

Axis Turn 25: November 2, 1942
Snowing(Dry)


As the first snows begin to fall, we send our tanks to drive out the tired enemy soldiers from Blagdernoe. The Russians have been broken in the south, and Germany gains access to as much oil as it needs.

Ending Prestige: 1827

Kangra
May 7, 2012

gradenko_2000 posted:

I think the objective spread for the Caucasus scenario is more reflective of actual objectives of Fall Blau: you have to get as far south as Grozny and you only need one hex of Stalingrad rather than the whole thing.

It'd be interesting to see if this would be possible to pull off even in the normal Stalingrad scenario where you're only coming from the east.

The core will be going through this map, but as it's the last stop on the way to Moscow, we'll probably need the time to get as much overstrength as possible. But I can probably do a quick run to try it out -- our units should be about as good as one could hope to have by then.


Voting Time

It's time to pick the next one-off scenario. It'll be coming sooner since Caucasus was a restart.

Choices are:

a. Torch

This is one of the first 'punishment' battles, designed to chew up your core if you haven't done well in the campaign. It's the tail-end of Operation Torch, set as the Germans retreat to Tunisia before leaving North Africa for good. The Allies are coming at you with a ton of units and especially a ton of air power. I actually haven't ever played this -- it looks like what makes it really hard is how long the scenario lasts.

b. Kharkov

Set in 1943, I believe this is the historical Third Battle of Kharkov. It was one of the more successful German efforts in 1943, it's a counterattack from the south straight into the Russian lines. Another one I don't recall trying; it looks like an offensive battle that is more typical of early-war scenarios, just with bigger tanks to play with.


Also, everyone should check out Jobbo Fett's Panzer Corps LP if they haven't seen it yet.

zetamind2000
Nov 6, 2007

I'm an alien.

b. Kharkov

Evil Imperial
Sep 4, 2014
a. Torch

I want to to see how much of a grind it is.

gradenko_2000
Oct 5, 2010

HELL SERPENT
Lipstick Apathy
A. Torch

The design of this scenario is very unique and I'd like to see it played out.

Kangra
May 7, 2012



Operation Barbarossa, our campaign against Russia. is proceeding rather well in the center. Now we get to take a little detour in order to capture a big prize.



Our army is all about moving fast. If we can go fast enough, we'll be able to capture a massive Soviet force around Kiev. Moscow is still in our sights, and this should give us a good chance to build up the core to be even stronger.

Kiev
August 23, 1941
28 Turns


Objectives: (Gomel), (Boguslav), (Zhitomir), Kiev, Priluki, Konotop, Lokhvitsa, Mirgorod
Major: 20 turns.



Of note: This is one of the few maps that doesn't have north more or less at the top. Here, the top of the map is the eastern edge.

While it is a pretty big map, it covers an area slightly larger than it needs to. Almost all of the action is going to occur in the area between the two rivers -- the Seym on the north (left) side and the Dnepr below Kiev (to the south/right). Flooded areas along those rivers make it all but impossible to advance in the west except along the roads.
There's enough clear terrain in that central triangle to allow our forces to advance easily, but each objective presents its own problems. Kiev is clear terrain-wise but well protected by enemy forces. The approach to Konotop is clear enough, but a bend in the river makes direct attacks a problem. The remaining points have enough rough terrain around them to aid the defenders and also keep us from making quick movements around them.

OOB
pre:
Unit Name                Unit Type [Transport]    Exp  
 
Land Units                    
1.3rd 39 Wehr Inf      39 Wehr Inf [Opel]               -            
2.5th Pioniere Inf     Pioniere Inf[Opel]             ***
3.15th Pioniere Inf    Pioniere Inf[Opel]           *****
4.17th Bridge Eng      Bridge Eng [SPW]               ***
5.48th 39 Wehr Inf     39 Wehr Inf                      *
6.75th Wehr HW Inf     40 Wehr HW [SPW]                 *
7.19th 40 LuftW FJ     40 LuftW FJ                    ***
8.16th PSW 222/4r      PSW 222/4r                    **** 
9.9th Pz IId           Pz IId                       *****
10.10th Pz IIIh        Pz IIIh                      *****
11.11th Pz IIIj        Pz IIIj                      ***** 
12.PotatoManJack       Pz IIIg                       ****
13.13th Pz 38(t)A      Pz 38(t)A                    *****
14.23rd Pz IVD         Pz IVd                        ****
15.26th Pz IVD         Pz IVd                        ****
16.Stahl Jaeger        PzJager Ib                    ****
17.24th StuGIIIb       StuGIIIb                         -   
18.Die kleinen Stichel 10.5 leFH[Opel]                 **  
19.12th Nebelwerfer    Nebelwerfer                      -  
20.18th 15 sFH 18      15 sFH 18[SPW]                   -
21.25th SdKfz 10/4     SdKfz 10/4                   *****
22.22nd 8.8 FlaK 18    8.8 FlaK 18 [Opel]               *

Aux (by qty)
7                      39 Wehr Inf                     **
1                      39 Wehr Inf [Opel]              **
2                      39 Wehr Inf [SPW]               **
1                      40 Wehr HW [SPW]                **
1                      IT Bersglri                     **
1                      Pz IIa                          **
1                      Pz 38(t)F                       **
2                      Pz IIIg                         **
1                      Pz IVd                          **
1                      IT M13/40                       **
1                      PSW 222/4r                      **
1                      IT AB-41                        **
1                      PzJager Ib                      **
1                      7.5 leFk [Opel]                 **
2                      10.5 leFk [Opel]                **
1                      8.8 FlaK 18                     **

Air Units
 
1.6th Bf109e          Bf109e                        *****
2.14th Bf109e         Bf109e                        *****
3.28th FW 190a        FW 190a                           -
4.74th FW 190a        FW 190a                           *
5.20th Bf 110c        Bf 110c                       ***** 
6.ADAC Vogel          Ju87d                         *****
7.27th Ju87d          Ju87d                          ****
8.21st Ju88A          Ju88A                          ****
9.3rd Do 217e         Do 217e                           *

Aux (by qty)

2                     Bf109e                           **
2                     Bf109f                           **
2                     FW190a                           **
1                     Bf110c                           **
3                     Ju87d                            **

Core/aux slots: 2/1 One core slot left open from last battle
Starting Prestige: 2963 (no pre-battle upgrades; some units were upgraded during the previous battle.)

No changes to the core this time, as there's nothing that really needs it yet. Our tanks are a bit outdated compared to the Soviets, but the experience of our crews will manage to make them survive until better, stronger models become available.

There's a pretty large auxiliary force, and while they don't have the same quality as our core, they are at least all veterans of combat. Even the small Italian force consists of some of their better units. A good-sized air wing means we shouldn't be too concerned about the Soviet squadrons either.

The core is deployed in three areas, and while it will be split into three groups, they won't all be assigned from the same area.



Most of the units deployed in the north will advance together as a group. Once they've dealt with the enemy front-line troops north of the river, they're going to cross and head straight to the Dnepr to close the pocket. These units are likely to see the most combat, as they'll be responsible for taking all of the eastern objectives.



Panzer Group Two will consist of units that will move south with all speed toward Kiev. Their aim is to reinforce and assist the forces there with the capture of Kiev.

A few units from the deployment area will be assigned the task of clearing out the 'middle' section from our deployment zone up to the Seym. Most areas around it are blocked by the watery ground, and once this region is cleared, we expect it to be quiet; some units from here may be reassigned to the other groups.



The plan is to keep the enemy army contained between the rivers while Group One cuts across to seal off their escape (and block any potential units that could come from the north). In order for this to work, the auxiliary simply needs to hold position for most of the battle. They can even afford to give up a little ground at Kiev -- we'd actually love to goad the Soviets into using their armor there because if they move away from the city's air defenses, we'll be able to pound them with bombs. Once our reinforcements come down the road, the assault on Kiev can proceed. We have at least a month to conclude this operation, so we don't have to push all that hard on the south side.

Axis Turn 1: August 23, 1941
Clear(dry)


We begin to weaken the center by attacking at Gorodnya. Our armored cars are actually capable of taking out some of the Soviet light tanks.


To avoid losses, the fighters have been ordered to leave none of the weaker planes unescorted. This still gives them the occasional opportunity to strike at ground targets.


Potatomanjack continues to impress by wiping out a T-34. The unit almost seems proud that it can do so much with the older Panzer IIIg's.


On the south side of the Dnepr, we shift forces around to form a better defense.

Allied Turn 1: August 23, 1941


Our forces ambush the Soviet tanks as they attempt to push towards the Dnepr.


The Soviet forces swing to try and hold us back at Gorodnya. We also spot fighter planes patrolling in the area.

Axis Turn 2: August 24, 1941
Clear(dry)


As we push into Gorodnya, we observe that almost all the enemy planes have been committed there.


There are a lot of enemy tanks at Kiev. We're content to strike at the few that move away from the city, but it could be worrisome if they all move at once.


Our primary attack group has cleared its area north of the Seym, and now needs to move on Konotop.

Allied Turn 2: August 24, 1941


Desperate to hold off our attacking group, the enemy planes raid our forces whereever possible.


The Soviet anti-tank guns are the strongest we've seen so far. The older tanks can't stand up to them, and we lose a unit at Kiev.

Axis Turn 3: August 25, 1941
Clear(dry)


Spotters have indicated that Kiev has almost no air defense. We spend the day sending all our bombers in to hit their tanks before they move out.


Our bombers return to base to free up the fighters. The Soviets don't seem ot have that many bombers, so we work on eliminating their fighters first.

Allied Turn 3: August 25, 1941


The Soviets move their tanks out to attack before they are all destroyed by our bombers.


The KV-2 tanks feel confident that they can stand up to our Panzer III's. But their attack is stopped almost before it can start.

Axis Turn 4: August 26, 1941
Clear(dry)


Our paratroops executed a perfect drop and were undetected in the woods near Konotop. In the early morning they storm out of the trees toward the enemy guns. Even thought the artillery position is well-entrenched, they do not stand a chance against the determined FJ's.


At the same time, the 17th lays down a secondary bridge to get more soldiers across the river. With their fire support knocked out from the rear, the city's defense begins to rapidly crumble. We are across the Seym in force now.


Down at Kiev, the line is barely holding. But the rest of our core has almost arrived!

Allied Turn 4: August 26, 1941


Enemy guns move to cover the bridge at Chernigov.


Harassing air raids disrupt traffic on the bridges, but casualties are light.

Axis Turn 5: August 27, 1941
Clear(dry)


Konotop surrenders in a matter of hours.


We pull back to regroup at Gorodnya. It's time to let the Luftwaffe soften them up for a few days.


With Kiev beefing up its air defenses, we send the planes northward. The KV-2 that was up at the northern crossing is finally eliminated.

Allied Turn 5: August 27, 1941


In what can only be described as a bizarre incident, some gun crews in a decimated artillery unit mount up and charge our tanks. The defending artillery obliterates the rest of the unit. To the south, the Soviet artillery makes the wiser choice to fire their guns from a distance; the result there is to knock out half of a unit of Panzer IV's.

Axis Turn 6: August 28, 1941
Clear(dry)


Combined air strikes and tank attacks eliminate any units not entrenched in the city zones as we begin to move southward.


We've nearly got the reinforcing group assembled and ready to assault Kiev.

Allied Turn 6: August 28, 1941


Nothing pushes west out of Kiev, but they do inflict some casualties on the southeast side. Their few remaining squadrons show up here to strafe our units.


We made the mistake of putting the SdKfz too far forward on the line. Enemy artillery knocks off a bit of its overstrength.


A nice start to the operation. Group One has made their way over the Seym and secured Konotop easily enough. Back at Kiev, we've held off the enemy attacks and are about to start an attack of our own.




Voting for the next one-off has decided for Torch.

Kangra
May 7, 2012



The primary attack is making its way over the Seym and will now start to close the pocket by taking key points on the way to the Dnepr. At Kiev, we've held the line and our core reinforcements have arrived. It is time to go on the offensive there.



Axis Turn 7: August 29, 1941
Clear(dry)


We make the attack at Chernigov. Infantry take the town and we push the Soviets back to the river.


We have a clear path open along the Dnepr, but for now we're happy to let that section remain quiet and shift forces to Kiev.


The Stahl Jaeger confidently drive at the artillery on the northwest side of the city, but they are unprepared for how many guns there actually are over there.


As our veteran tankers engage the enemy they and nearly take out the KV-2's. But the big guns still remain around the city.

Allied Turn 7: August 29, 1941


Many of the smaller Russian tanks make a move around to our right flank. The Stugs manage to hold them off with only moderate losses.


The few tanks at Kiev make another odd choice by trying another direct attack against the Panzer II's.


The little anti-tank units survive when the Soviets focus fire on the Nebelwerfers and infantry instead.

The Nebelwerfer was first knocked to nearly half-strength by a squadron of fighter planes — La-3's at that — and I've suddenly remembered why I don't purchase Nebelwerfers.

Axis Turn 8: August 30, 1941
Clear(dry)


Even if the small enemy tanks have an easier time moving through the woods, it still makes them quite vulnerable to our infantry.


The weaker attack on the north flank of Kiev did not go so well, but we have succeeded in driving our tanks to the gates on the western side. We're also beginning to overwhelm the air defenses with our own great numbers of planes. A Stug will replace the Nebelwerfer.

Allied Turn 8: August 30, 1941


The untested 36th Panzers was positioned to guard our flank as we made our way southward. We've been bombing this Kv-2 for a few days and it finally makes its move. The Panzers hold up rather well, knocking out as many tanks as they lose.


The Stug is not nearly as vulnerable as the Nebelwerfer, but concentrated enemy ground fire destroys the one we had in the assault group.


At Kiev, the first wave of infantry is chewed up. Our towed guns take heavy losses as well. We'll need to redouble our bombing efforts.

Axis Turn 9: August 31, 1941
Clear(dry)


Chalk up another T-34 for Potatomanjack.


The forces at Ichnaya are handled with ease, and our tanks get started on the guns at Priluki.


When they're having a good day, the Stukas can simply fly in and knock out the enemy anti-air guns without any losses.


While the bombers work overhead, we shift our armor at Kiev to focus on eliminating the support units.

Allied Turn 9: August 31, 1941


Even without their guns to help out, the Soviets still inflict a fair number of casualties in a day of heavy fighting.

Axis Turn 10: September 1, 1941
Clear (dry)


The dawn of the third year of the war brings us a new troop transport. The SPW 250 can move a bit faster and gives slightly better defense than the 251. But it also runs out of fuel faster, so over long distances the speed advantage isn't as useful.


We finally overwhelm the defenses of Kiev. The Pioniere move in to clear out the western half of the city.


A successful day at Priluki as well. We surprise the artillery guns which had been preparing for attacks from the southwest, and capture or destroy all of them.

Allied Turn 10: September 1, 1941


The forces up along the Dnepr take some hits, but as Kiev falls the Soviets are forced to shift down and try to hold us from crossing down there.


Some of the flak guns are able to shoot at our planes, but we've mostly been able to avoid their fire. Our ground troops are doing well enough on their own that they don't need the support.

Axis Turn 11: September 2, 1941
Overcast(dry)


An armored spearhead takes out most of the enemy forces at Priluki. The remaining objectives look to be more heavily defended, however.


The capture of Kiev came a bit sooner than expected. We're in no rush to get across the Dnepr.


The bridge over the Seym at Chernigov is well-defended on both sides. We only need to ensure the pocket holds.

Allied Turn 11: September 2, 1941


With the KV-2 taken care of, the 36th Panzers had settled in to hold what they expected to be a quiet sector. But they are surprised when a unit of powerful 76mm anti-tank guns sneaks into range and blasts them.

Another good week for us. Kiev has nearly in our hands, and the Soviets have almost all their units pushed behind the rivers. The assault group is doing a good job closing the pocket, although we suspect the toughest part is yet to come.

Kangra
May 7, 2012



The summer is coming to a close, and we need to keep up the pace to get to Moscow this year. At the moment we've eliminated resistance at Kiev and are about to close the pocket east of the city.



Cutting off the last roads to the east will be difficult; many Russian reinforcements have been shipped in here to keep it open. But we have our best troops on the job. An armored punch will cut off the road while we apply pressure from the north. Elsewhere, all that's needed to be done is to hold the pocket.

Axis Turn 12: September 3, 1941
Overcast(Dry)


Priluki is mopped up, and we prepare to go for Lokhvitsa and Movgorod. There are a lot of forces that are pouring in from the east trying to keep us from sealing the pocket, but they're mostly only of the defensive kind.


The last few units near Kiev don't put up much of a fight, and we get across the Dnepr without difficulty.

Allied Turn 12: September 3, 1941


The enemy guns continue to fire on our Stugs. Back at Priluki, another light tank probes to see what we have holding the town.

Axis Turn 13: September 4, 1941
Overcast(Dry)


The first line of enemy forces don't have any sort of air defenses, so we're able to use our aircraft to weaken them before attacking on the ground.


We've had the Italians holding the line farther down the Dnepr. As the forces inside weaken, we start to send troops across the river.

Allied Turn 13: September 4, 1941


Our infantry takes the heaviest losses in the fight.

Axis Turn 14: September 5, 1941
Overcast(Dry)


Fighting through all the guns is simply a matter of grinding it out on the ground. We have more than enough planes in the area, but there are also quite a lot of air defense guns.

Allied Turn 14: September 5, 1941


The Soviet artillery seems to focus especially on the Stugs, who have the least experience of any of our units.

Axis Turn 15: September 6, 1941
Overcast(Dry)


With the road clear, we're shifting our tanks to weaken the rear of the enemy. We are risking the SdKfz again, but we expect the enemy AT guns to stay in their defensive positions.


An attempt is made to bomb the air defense guns, but it doesn't work.

Allied Turn 15: September 6, 1941


While no direct attacks come, the artillery is still able to do a number on our anti-air vehicles.

Axis Turn 16: September 7, 1941
Overcast(Dry)


At least the guns near Lokhvitsa are the smaller 12.2 cm ones, which the tanks can handle without too many losses.


With the infantry preparing the assault from the north, we send our tanks around to hit Khoro.

Allied Turn 16: September 7, 1941


The Russians move whatever units they can to block us from gaining ground.

Axis Turn 17: September 8, 1941
Overcast(Dry)


We make a slow push forward past Kiev.


Our tanks break through to the artillery positions and force them to surrender.


With the guns gone, Lokhvitsa is swiftly reduced.

Allied Turn 17: September 8, 1941


Our tanks captured the Khoro airbase, but they have a hard time holding against the big anti-tank guns.

Axis Turn 18: September 9, 1941
Overcast(Dry)


We push through Lokhvitsa and start to knock out the air defense guns.


With the path clear, the paratroopers infiltrate Movgorod and knock out key defensive positions.


An attempt is made to attack inside the pocket at Nezhin, but the units there are heavily entrenched.

Allied Turn 18: September 9, 1941


The Soviet tanks try to chase down our Panzers. They tire them out, but do not inflict any losses.

Axis Turn 19: September 10, 1941
Overcast(Dry)


The 48th requisitioned bridging equipment and set up a crossing for our anti-tank units. We destroy the artillery guns and trap the anti-tank guns at the river.


Improbably the Panzer IIIg remains one of our most effective tanks.


We close off the pocket. Onward to Moscow!


Another successful result and we're back about where we'd like to be prestige-wise. Making the move up from Kiev was pretty much unnecessary. At this point, few of our units need any additional experience, and it only ended costing us in overstrength lost.

Kangra
May 7, 2012



Once the Americans officially entered the war, their first offensive in the European theater was actually in North Africa. Operation Torch was a naval invasion that started in Morocco and Algeria, and then spread eastward. This would squeeze the Germans out of North Africa with the British already in Egypt and then Libya fighting on the other side. By the time of this battle in Tunisia, the Afrika Korps was on its last legs, and merely doing its best to allow as many of its units to escape as possible.


Torch
November 8, 1942
24 Turns



Objectives (defensive scenario): Algiers, (Phillippeville), (Bone), (Bizerta), (Tunis), (Sfax), (Gabes), (Tebessa)



This is a fairly small map, which definitely works against us. Allied planes will be able to hit us anywhere they like. We can't retreat, and we're in no position to advance. The only terrain that really matters is the area we can defend. The Medjerda River will present the biggest challenge to the Allies. From there south the uneven terrain makes for pretty decent defense as well. If they do break through, they can use roads to get around and the objectives are in mostly open terrain; if that happens those towns will be hard to defend. The coastal towns like Bizerta can probably hold out for a few days, but only if we can get troops in them.


OOB
pre:
Unit Name                Unit Type [Transport]    Exp  
 
Land Units                                  
2                      39 Wehr Inf [SPW 251]           **
2                      39 Wehr Inf                     **
9                      39 Wehr Inf [SPW 251]          ***
1                      40 Wehr HW [SPW 251]            **
2                      40 Wehr HW [SPW 251]           ***
1                      40 LuftW FJ                    ***
2                      Pz IIIj                         **
1                      Pz IVd                         ***
1                      Pz IVf2                         **
1                      Pz IVf2                        ***
1                      Pz IVg                          **
2                      Tiger I                         **
1                      PSW 222/4r                     ***
1                      PSW 232/8r                      **
1                      StuG IIIf/8                    ***
1                      Marder IIIh                     **
1                      StuH 42                         **
2                      sIG  II                        ***
1                      10.5 lefH [SPW 251              **
1                      SdkfZ 7/1                      ***
1                      SdkfZ 6/2                      ***

Air Units
 
1                      Bf109g                          **
3                      FW190a                          **
2                      Ju87D                           **

Core + Aux slots: 1
Starting Prestige: 835

The biggest advantage our forces have is that they have a fair bit of combat experience. Most of the Americans coming at us have never been in combat at all, and the British contingent is fairly small and also inexperienced. Our tanks can easily beat anything the Allies can offer, on the ground at least. But I don't think we should get too attached to these units.

We're somewhat lacking in the artillery and flak guns that would be better for defending. While we have a few quality planes, we'll need to be very careful with them since the Allies have a near-endless supply of planes to fight us with.

As this is a standalone, newly purchased units also come with experience, which will be pretty nice for us.



The plan is to make our defensive line along the river from Tebessa to Tunis. The coastal towns on the north can't really be defended effectively, but we might try to put some roadblocks there if the Allies don't advance quickly. A tough thing for us is that we can't afford to bring in new units, and we'll need to race to the line and get entrenched as fast as we can.

The river only goes so far; while we expect the main offensive to hit us there, they could always try and head around the south. But that's where our tanks can do their job well. On that side they'll be in a mobile formation, and if the Allies expose themselves, we can make some attacks.


Axis Turn 1: November 8, 1942
Clear(dry)


We put our plan into action. An 88mm flak gun will be the anchor of the line at Tebessa. They'll be good to shoot down enemy aircraft, and will hold off the ground troops (until they bring their artillery in range).

Allied Turn 1: November 8, 1942


The enemy bombers do halt when they see our fighters, but there sure are a lot of them heading our way.


Fighters show up and overwhelm our Messerschmidts.


Then the rest of the fighters show up. Then the boats to shell the ground troops.

Axis Turn 2: November 14 1942
Clear(dry)


We have to focus on the enemy fighters first. The Americans have the P-38, and the British have the Spitfire IX; both of them are roughly equivalent to the Bf109g. But that doesn't matter, since we just lost the only one we had. The Focke-Wulf 190a can handle either one with relative ease.


The enemy did not advance with even their weak armor in front, so we put our tanks out there to knock out their transports. And also, mistakenly, a mobile air defense unit that won't get a chance to fire.

The unusual feature of this battle: Although this is a defensive scenario, we don't actually earn any prestige per turn. The only way to earn it is by eliminating enemy units, which actually nets us a fair amount, especially if the units are valuable.

Allied Turn 2: November 14, 1942


The enemy bombers note our lack of adequate air defense and simply fly over to bomb at will. The FW190 can handle one squadron of planes, but not four at once, especially when it includes a veteran British unit.


The American armor does come forward to attack Bone. Before the scout cars are destroyed, they report that there is a very large fleet in the Mediterranean prepared to support the offensive. That fleet's going to be a bit of a problem... we have nothing that can deal with it.


Bizerta, too, is lost much sooner than we'd hoped for.

Axis Turn 3: November 20, 1942
Clear(dry)


Our air defenses face more planes than we can deal with. We focus on the fighters, because it's the only way for our planes to survive. We're down to two Fw 190a's and one bomber.


Our Tiger in the south is able to devastate the American tanks when they draw close.


Tebessa looks like it will hold back the first wave. We bring in towed artillery, which may survive bombing if it can be moved closer to the big flak guns.

Allied Turn 3: November 20, 1942


Allied bombers try to weaken our tanks. They're hitting us harder than their ground units, but still don't inflict many casualties.


The Allied fleet nears Tunis. This is not going to be easy to survive.


The Panzer III's in the south were doing well against the first line of tanks, but they are quickly outnumbered and take heavy losses.

Axis Turn 4: November 26, 1942
Clear(dry)


Anywhere the enemy planes choose to fly, there are just too many of them for our guns to have much effect. But we have been chipping away at a squadron or two.


The first enemy assault across the river is pushed back, with two units of their infantry lost.

Allied Turn 4: November 26, 1942


Most of the time we can retreat our units to get reinforcements. With the Allied bombers having free rein in the region, nowhere is safe.


The enemy ships have blockaded Tunis now, and they have destroyed both our anti-air guns and the ground artillery.

Axis Turn 5: December 2, 1942
Clear(dry)


While we've held off the attacks at Tebessa rather well, our tanks over the river near Tunis are surrounded with no way to retreat. Even if they could, they'd probably just get bombed anyway.

Allied Turn 5: December 2, 1942


The Allies shift strategy to attacking our weaker infantry. We're not able to replace all our units, and if they thin us out enough there will be gaps in our line they can exploit.


We scramble to field whatever guns we can find at Tunis, but even their fighters can do serious damage to them.


As many tanks as we've already eliminated, the Americans can always bring more.

Axis Turn 6: December 8, 1942
Clear(dry)


Oddly enough, the fast-moving British scout cars are able to survive an attack from our Tigers better than the American armored units.

Allied Turn 6: December 8, 1942


Air raids and naval bombardment have reduced Tunis to only a handful of infantry units and some mobile AT guns.


Once the infantry thins out, the sheer number of tanks facing us allows the Americans to capture Tunis. The line along the river is pushed back as well.


I don't need to say that this is not going well for us.

Nuramor
Dec 13, 2012

Most Amewsing Prinny Ever!
Thats a lot of planes. And tanks. And everything else.

Kangra
May 7, 2012

It's the 'everything else' (read: botes) that we really need to worry about.

Kangra
May 7, 2012



The battle for Tunis has gone very poorly so far. Half the core has been destroyed, and Tunis is currently in Allied hands. There's not really a need to show our plan, since it's going to be basically, "try to avoid bombs/shells".

Axis Turn 7: December 14, 1942
Clear(dry)


We push back with our anti-tank units and recapture Tunis. But there are more tanks still coming over the river.


Tebessa is coming under heavy pressure, though, and we are forced to send the defenders to attack the British scout cars.

Allied Turn 7: December 14, 1942


The city of Tunis is still coming under heavy shelling from the British navy.


While the city holds, the Allies are coming in force over the river.

Axis Turn 8: December 20, 1942
Clear(dry)


We've finally eliminated enough enemy planes to make them only a minor threat to the ground troops.

A lot of this is actually the AI's own doing -- for some reason it's allowed a lot of the fighters to run out of ammo while still in our territory. Maybe due to overloaded airfields?


We throw whatever we can in the way of the enemy's advance. Luckily we are still able to muster a few more infantry troops.

Allied Turn 8: December 20, 1942


Despite our ability to deploy infantry, the enemy ships and planes are still able to destroy them at will.


The flak guns we rolled to block the enemy armor do end up holding the line.

Axis Turn 9: December 26, 1942
Clear(dry)


The Tiger tanks continue to devastate the American armor, but eventually enemy artillery takes its toll.


Several enemy units are eliminated. We take fairly high casualties ourselves, but may have managed to stop the enemy advance.

Allied Turn 9: December 26, 1942


The towed artillery we hoped to redeploy at Tunis ends up destroyed by enemy ships.


The Americans do not stop coming. Tunis is lost, and many of our units are in a pretty sorry state.

Axis Turn 10: January 1, 1943
Clear(dry)


All our efforts are focused on Tunis. The close quarters of the city makes the American tanks easy pickings for our infantry.


Tebessa is still holding on, but the enemy has now brought more artillery into range.


Allied bombers haven't learned to stay away from our one good flak gun there.

Allied Turn 10: January 1, 1943


All the infantry in range of the shoreline is targeted by the enemy navy. We have to do something about those ships or we're going to lose.


The Allies finally make a big hole in our defense by eliminating our flak guns and using their bombers to weaken the units in our rear area.

Axis Turn 11: January 7, 1943
Clear(dry)


Finally, the enemy Daimler car is eliminated. They don't have too many experienced troops left.


Tebessa is still maintaining a good defense. The tanks in the south (especially the Tiger) have to call off their attacks due to a lack of supplies.

Allied Turn 11: January 7, 1943


Rather than try to go for Tunis again, the enemy keeps reducing our infantry. At this point, we're running out of prestige to replace them.

Axis Turn 12: January 13, 1943
Clear(dry)


Even though the enemy broke through over the Medjerda there appear to be no units following behind the push. We work on containing them. Tebessa is barely hanging on, but should hold if we're lucky.

Allied Turn 12: January 13, 1943


The interior is quiet for once. The enemy navy continues to pound us, but if there are no ground troops building up behind their lines, we can survive this.


Sure, we might survive this. But as of now, the battle is only half over.

Kangra
May 7, 2012



We've made it into 1943 with a small hold on Africa still. If we can only hold out for another month or two, we'll have seriously stalled the Western Allies.

Axis Turn 13: January 19, 1943
Clear(dry)


We've mostly taken care of the enemy units on our side of the river, and now make some cautious advances out of Tunis. We also get the chance to bomb the enemy light cruiser.

The Ju87 started out on the cruiser, and then moved off to give the FW 190 a chance to strafe.


A continued lack of supplies forces us to pull back in the south. Our Panzer IV was nearly destroyed.

Allied Turn 13: January 19, 1943


Even as we're hitting their light cruiser, the rest of the British ships head south to bombard the hell out of Sfax.

Axis Turn 14: January 25, 1943
Clear(dry)


Confident after the battle with the Panzer IV's, the Americans advance closer to our Tigers in the south. We still blast them, but they end up doing enough damage to our heavy tanks to keep us from making any attacks in to their rear lines.


It seems all enemy power is concentrating on Tebessa. Tunis is safe from any more direct attacks.

Allied Turn 14: January 25, 1943


In fact, we discover that there's been a broad shift of their attack to the right. They also have enough artillery at Tebessa to seriously hurt us.

Axis Turn 15: January 31, 1943
Clear(dry)


We array our remaining forces in a defensive line. If this should break, we will be forced to quit the continent. There is no prestige left for calling in more units.

Allied Turn 15: January 31, 1943


Fortunately for us the Allied ships can't fire as far inland as Tebessa. But they can still rain shells on anything near Tunis. Every loss hurts more when we can't replace them.


The latest assault from the Allies has no teeth in it. They lack armor, and can no longer rely on air power to weaken our tanks. This looks like a stalemate, or as far we're concerend, a victory.

Axis Turn 16: February 6, 1943
Clear(dry)


The anti-air capabilities of the larger British ships are more than the Ju87 can deal with, so we send them to scout the coast instead.


The Allies still outnumber us, but as long as we have our Tigers, they cannot break us.

Allied Turn 16: February 6, 1943


Nonetheless casualties in the infantry are heavy. Artillery in the interior and battleship guns along the coast claim a total of three units.

Axis Turn 17: February 12, 1943
Clear(dry)


Seeing that the Allies don't have any real troops in the south, we tighten up the defense of Tebessa, and pull a few tanks back as a reserve.

Allied Turn 17: February 12, 1943


Again the enemy guns blast any infantry that hasn't had a chance to dig in.

Axis Turn 18: February 18, 1943
Clear(dry)


With the ability to conduct air attacks of our own, we might be able to retake ground on the northern coast.

Allied Turn 18: February 18, 1943


The American guns have nothing weaker to shoot at, so they try to see if they can do anything to our tanks. They cannot.


Their only remaining tanks are far too weak to conduct an attack. We may have this one won.

Axis Turn 19: February 24, 1943
Clear(dry)


The tide of the battle has definitely turned. We retake Bizerta and knock out a few enemy units near Tebessa.

Allied Turn 19: February 24, 1943


Clearly sensing a fiasco in the making, the American commanders order an all-out attack on Tebessa. Losses are heavy, but we hold it off.


Even the naval shelling doesn't seem to be coming in as strongly.

Axis Turn 20: March 2, 1943
Clear(dry)


The last Allied attack seriously depleted our artillery ammunition. Tebessa will need to hold on just a bit longer on its own.

Allied Turn 20: March 2, 1943


As our supplies grow thin, the enemy senses its one chance to weaken our tanks, including the Tigers. They take losses, but are not eliminated. On the coast, however, the naval support (and a lack of German troops) allows Bizerta to be recaptured.

Axis Turn 21: March 8, 1943
Clear(dry)


But now the Luftwaffe gets its chance to shine, and we use air attacks to get rid of the ground units before they get a chance to recover from the battle.


We've built up enough supplies to start moving again through the hills.

Allied Turn 21: March 8, 1943


The Royal Navy is as annoying as ever, but that's about the only good thing remaining for the Allies.

Axis Turn 22: March 14, 1943
Clear(dry)


The attack at Tebessa is officially a failure for the Americans. We start to mop up as our tanks swing in from the south.


We also are able to get our units up to reclaim the coast. The enemy ships are stuck in the Mediterranean.

Allied Turn 22: March 14, 1943


One retreating enemy unit must have got its orders mixed up, and heads their trucks straight into our surprised anti-tank guns.

Axis Turn 23: March 20, 1943
Clear(dry)


We even start a small offensive of our own as we push the Allies back into Algeria.


Finally, our success has gained enough notice that a squadron of level bombers is flown into Tunis.

Allied Turn 23: March 20, 1943


Naval bombardment can still disrupt our units, but not for long!

Axis Turn 24: March 26, 1943
Clear(dry)


Philippeville puts up a good fight, but we are able to take it with our tanks.

Allied Turn 24: March 26, 1943


The Allies manage to put a few planes up, but they seem more like scouts than attack squadrons. We have survived, and won.

Yet it did come at a terrible cost. Less than a third of our initial strength remains. If this had been our core, we would almost be unable to continue.

I really wasn't sure if I'd make it through that. One benefit of playing this as a stand-alone is that all new units come with experience. That biggest effect of that is the anti-tank units, who were able to hold Tunis and fight off the American tanks on their own.

gradenko_2000
Oct 5, 2010

HELL SERPENT
Lipstick Apathy
That was a hell of a fight. Looks like they didn't have anything to kill your tanks with, and it turned into a fiasco worse than Kasserine.

Kangra
May 7, 2012

Yeah, if they'd focused on destroying the Tigers right off, they'd have had a pretty good chance of victory there. The AI seems to prefer being efficient in eliminating units (i.e. knock out valuable units that die quickly) instead of realizing that it has no good way to deal with some units.

I'd like to do another one-off in the 1941-42 break, so it's time to vote. Here are the next three battles, now well ahead of where the core action will take place.

a. Kursk - A tank battle on a surprisingly small map, which looks to make for a bloody fight in which the Germans are trying to break through with superior armored power while the Soviets rely on their artillery and use their tanks wisely to repel the Axis assault.

b. Husky - This covers the Allied campaign into Italy all the way from Sicily onward. My limited experience with the scenario suggests that the Allies will need to rely on air/naval power, and as we just saw that isn't something it's especially good at. Still, it's an interesting map (large, with quite a lot of water) and it's certainly no cake walk for the Axis.

c. Moscow 43 - Again, we will fight on the Moscow map with the core (twice), although not with these units. This is the last chance to take down the Soviets if this were in a campaign. It also has them at their most prepared. It could be interesting to see if the 'stock' core is strong enough to win this one.


Make your votes; the next battle will probably be posted Saturday or Sunday.

zetamind2000
Nov 6, 2007

I'm an alien.

B. Husky, it would be a good follow-up to the last battle given that they are linked on the campaign tree.

Jobbo_Fett
Mar 7, 2014

Slava Ukrayini

Clapping Larry
b. Husky

gradenko_2000
Oct 5, 2010

HELL SERPENT
Lipstick Apathy
b. Husky

In my experience this is one of the more difficult jump-off points for a PG Forever campaign*, but if you can preserve your core force with a bunch of heavy tanks, you're in a good position to fend off the Allies at Normandy.

* someone should really point out to the PGF guy that he's missing a 1940 Benelux start point for the campaigns, which was in the original PG

Evil Imperial
Sep 4, 2014
B. Husky

Let's see the follow up to the Afrika Korps being driven out of Afrika

Kangra
May 7, 2012



After a successful run to destroy an army at Kiev, we're now tasked with the direct attack on Moscow. A win here ought to knock the Soviet Union out of the war.



Our battle on this front started in June, and as we near the goal the time grows short. If we don't take the capital now, we won't get another chance for quite some time.

Moscow '41
October 3, 1941
22 Turns


Objectives: (Smolensk), Rzhev, Vyazma, Mozhaysk, Obninsk, Moscow, Karachev, Kaluga, Tula
Major: 18 turns.



This is a really big, wide open map, but the main objective of Moscow means that most of the action will take place in the north half. However, the Oka River and Tula to the south are important parts of the battle, and so they are present as well.

The Soviets are able to put up a multi-layered defense, or at least they would be if there wasn't so much ground to cover and too few units on their side. That said, to capture the objectives, we'll still need to fight our way through the line at some strongpoints. A few forested areas and the general lack of roads will keep our travel constrained somewhat, but we will do as much as we can with our tanks to put the enemy on the back foot.

One big problem I can foresee with a map this size is the weather. If it rains or snows, we are going to struggle to get anywhere. And it is already October, so foul weather is just around the corner.

OOB
pre:
Unit Name                Unit Type [Transport]    Exp  
 
Land Units                    
1.3rd 39 Wehr Inf      39 Wehr Inf [Opel]               *            
2.5th Pioniere Inf     Pioniere Inf[Opel]             ***
3.15th Pioniere Inf    Pioniere Inf[Opel]           *****
4.17th Bridge Eng      Bridge Eng [SPW 251]           ***
5.48th Bridge Eng      Bridge Eng [SPW 250]            **
6.75th Wehr HW Inf     40 Wehr HW [SPW 251]            **
7.19th 40 LuftW FJ     40 LuftW FJ [SPW 251]           ****
8.16th PSW 222/4r      PSW 222/4r                   ***** 
9.9th Pz IId           Pz IId                       *****
10.10th Pz IIIh        Pz IIIh                      *****
11.11th Pz IIIj        Pz IIIj                      ***** 
12.36th Pz IIIj        Pz IIIj                          *
13.PotatoManJack       Pz IIIg                      *****
14.13th Pz 38(t)A      Pz 38(t)A                    *****
15.23rd Pz IVD         Pz IVd                       *****
16.26th Pz IVD         Pz IVd                       *****
17.Stahl Jaeger        PzJager Ib                   *****
18.35th PzJager Ib     PzJager Ib                       *     
19.Die kleinen Stichel 10.5 leFH[Opel]                  *  
20.37th Stug IIIb      Stug IIIb                        -
21.38th Stug IIIb      Stug IIIb                        -
22.18th 15 sFH 18      15 sFH 18[SPW]                   -
23.25th SdKfz 10/4     SdKfz 10/4                   *****
24.22nd 8.8 FlaK 18    8.8 FlaK 18 [Opel]               *

Aux (by qty)
1                      Pioniere Inf [SPW 251]          **
1                      Pioniere Inf [Opel]            ***
6                      39 Wehr Inf [Opel]              **
2                      39 Wehr Inf [SPW 251]           **
3                      40 Wehr HW [SPW 251]            **
4                      Pz IIIj                         **
5                      Pz IVd                          **
1                      PSW 231/6r                      **
2                      sIG Ib                          **
1                      10.5 leFk [Opel]                **


Air Units
 
1.6th Bf109e          Bf109e                        *****
2.14th Bf109e         Bf109e                        *****
3.28th FW 190a        FW 190a                           *
4.74th FW 190a        FW 190a                          **
5.20th Bf 110c        Bf 110c                       ***** 
6.ADAC Vogel          Ju87d                         *****
7.27th Ju87d          Ju87d                          ****
8.21st Ju88A          Ju88A                         *****
9.3rd Do 217e         Do 217e                          **


Core/aux slots: 1/3
Starting Prestige: 3687 (3737 before upgrades)


No big upgrades this time. We could stand to improve a few of our troop transports but that'll come next year. The paratroops are given transport, since we're going to keep them on the ground for a bit. There are just too many wandering Soviet planes, and too much poor weather coming, to give them a useful opportunity to jump.

Technically, poor weather actually makes it *safer* for paratroops in the game, since it stops the fighters but not the unloading of transports.

Our auxiliary force is generally pretty decent. We'll be relying on them to take the southern objectives. Given the size of the map we won't be able to send additional ground forces in that direction for quite some time if things go poorly. Even air support is unlikely unless they can capture an airfield in the area and if we also don't require the planes in our sector.



The plan of attack for our core is to clear out resistance on the front line and break through the fortified position near Vyazma. Once we make the break, an armored force will swing south and east into the gap between Kaluga and Obninsk. We do not expect them to have fortified this line. The push ought to force the Russians to respond, and possibly even pull back as we'll be threatening Moscow much sooner than they expected.

Elsewhere, we'll want to work on eliminating enemy forces and keep them from escaping eastward. The auxiliary will be tasked with capturing Tula and Kaluga. We do want to ensure that the enemy doesn't counterattack, so securing a bridgehead over the Oka will also be a top priority.

In short, we want to make our move where we know the enemy is weak, and use the rest of our forces to engage them so they can't maneuver to block our path.

Axis Turn 1: October 2, 1941
Clear(dry)


The southern group gets off to a pretty good start.


Our core gets underway in the center. They are moving kind of slowly, but maintaing cohesion.


Those T-34's can be dangerous, so north of the Dnieper we move with the same caution.

Allied Turn 1: October 2, 1941


The aging Panzerjaeger Ib is having a harder and harder time doing its ostensible job of halting enemy armor.


Fighting around Karachev is fierce. Heavy Soviet tanks break through our lines and weaken our artillery. Their lighter ones are unable to reproduce the feat to the east.

Axis Turn 2: October 5, 1941
Clear(dry)


It's a bloody day for the infantry, but we're doing a good job clearing out the woods to give our tanks a clear route to Vyazma. We have enough fighters to keep our bombers escorted while also going after enemy planes.


Farther north, we break the back of the enemy resistance when our tanks wipe out a unit of artillery in the woods.


In the south, the enemy KV-2 will be tough to take down. But we make progress nonetheless -- some units are over the Oka, and we're weakening resistance at Kalachev.

Allied Turn 2: October 5, 1941


In the very center of the Soviet front line, at Kirov, more enemy tanks arrive. This is an unfortunate development, as we don't want to divert our core forces in that direction, and we'll need to shift auxiliary units to spend time keeping them from hitting our advance.


Kalachev pushes us back for a day, but there may be some gaps in their line we can exploit.

Axis Turn 3: October 8, 1941
Clear(dry)


The grounded paratroops knock out a tough group of Soviet flak guns. These cheap 7.6 cm units are going to be the bane of our existence - they're just strong enough to be dangerous to our planes, and also pretty decent at fighting off ground units.


A T-34 is slowing down the advance north of the Dnieper, but at least the rest of the core has nearly made it to the first fortification line.

Allied Turn 3: October 8, 1941


All those tanks at Kirov gang up to destroy one of our armored units.


Tanks come over the line near Vyazma to beat up on the weakly-armored anti-air trucks.

Axis Turn 4: October 11, 1941
Clear(dry)


Our own fighters have done a good job clearing out the enemy aircraft. This means our bombers are able to soften up those enemy tanks and give our ground units a chance to eliminate them.


With the battle seemingly going well at Karachev, we send more troops to begin the battle for Tula.

Allied Turn 4: October 11, 1941


However, the enemy aircraft are unopposed in the south, and they hit our mobile artillery hard.

Axis Turn 5: October 14, 1941
Clear(dry)


The enemy tanks at Kirov have thrown our forces into disarray. The remaining tanks pull back to regroup. We're in danger of losing the artillery if we're not careful.


We're still getting the occasional chance to shoot at planes with our AA guns.


The line is crossed at Vyazma, and we're gearing up some of the tanks to make the thrust on the right.


After the delays in the north, we've decided to push a few units straight through in this direction. (We'll be using bridging units to get some of them over the Dnieper).

Allied Turn 5: October 14, 1941


In what may be a worrying sign, Karachev is fighting off our infantry, and the KV-2 is no longer having trouble stopping our tanks.


There is a bit of good news for the auxiliary, though, when the advance out of Kirov is halted. The Soviets unwisely ventured into the woods to try and hit our artillery from the flank, but the terrain proves to slow them down too much.

While the core is getting off to a good start, the auxiliary could be in a bit of trouble. It's not so much that they are weaker then the main army, but that the enemy has focused its resistance in that sector.

Kangra
May 7, 2012

With the battle in Moscow underway, voting is closed for the next one-off battle.

We'll go with Husky (and the mention of the campaign makes me realize I can run it as a campaign start to avoid getting free experienced units).

Kangra
May 7, 2012

Just dropping a note to say this hasn't died. I had intended to repair the laptop that most of the data is on over the holidays, but forgot a few necessary parts, so it was in in inaccessible state for a while.

But nothing is wrong or lost, and updates will resume this week.

Groly
Nov 4, 2009
Glad to hear you're still on this.

Kangra
May 7, 2012



The battle for Moscow has begun, and we're ready to keep pushing our plan of attack.



The armored thrust is poised to move into the center. Hopefully the expected light resistance will prove to be true. Units in the north will be coming in behind to secure the objectives.
The auxiliary will simply need to do its best to keep the Soviets occupied. That might allow us to get to Moscow that much sooner.

Axis Turn 6: October 17, 1941
Snowing(dry)
The first snows of the season start to fall.


It does not take long to break through on the road to Moscow for our tanks. Just behind them, the infantry prepares to assault Vyazma.


We move our units on the perimeter of Karachev to reduce enemy forces some more. We're further from capturing the city, but we want to make sure we keep the enemy bottled up down here.

Allied Turn 6: October 17, 1941


The advance in the north is still being held up by a unit of heavy tanks.


At Tula, the Soviet infantry arrives and knocks back our first infantry probe.

Axis Turn 7: October 20, 1941
Overcast(dry)
The snow lets up for a little while, but doesn't clear up entirely.


There is a mixed result at Kirov: Our bombers weaken the enemy tanks allowing us hold them off on the ground, while the infantry struggle against the Soviet soldiers in the woods.


There is indeed a big gap in the line between Obninsk and Kaluga, and our tanks start to move through. They also get some potshots on the exposed flank of Obninsk.


Back at the first fortification line, we're making good progress as well.

Allied Turn 7: October 20, 1941


The enemy tanks still outnumber us at Kirov, and they make their presence known.

Axis Turn 8: October 23, 1941
Snowing(frozen)


We've moved forces around Tula to take out the guns, but with the turn in the weather we're having a hard time keeping the troops supplied.

Allied Turn 8: October 23, 1941


Rzhev has a unit of heavy KV-2 tanks, and they have no problem tearing up our Panzer IV tanks.

Axis Turn 9: October 26, 1941
Overcast(Frozen)


As more tanks arrive from the south, we're finally getting things under control at Kirov.


The poor weather put a quick end to our thrust into the open space south of Moscow, but we do manage to capture a key airfield.


The snow will help us a bit at Rzhev. The KV-2 will have a hard time reaching us while we attack the unprotected infantry with our superior units.

Allied Turn 9: October 26, 1941


Our bombers take some hard hits from the flak at Obninsk, and the remaining Soviet fighters also show up to ruin their day.


Not all is going smoothly at Kirov -- we lose an infantry unit in a battle with the quality of the Soviet infantry, their engineers.

Axis Turn 10: October 29, 1941
Snowing (frozen)


The snow picks up again, and at Tula our troops are nearly out of supplies.


Rzhev is likely to fall soon, at which point we'll need to head on to Mozhaysk.

Allied Turn 10: October 29, 1941


There are engineer units at Tula too, and they come after our forces there. We hold them off for now thanks to defensive artillery.

This snow has nearly dashed our hopes for a quick victory, but there is still a chance. Although in addition to the weather, we are starting to see somewhat tougher opposition.

gradenko_2000
Oct 5, 2010

HELL SERPENT
Lipstick Apathy
That seems like an awfully small force to try and take Tula with.

Also, something I've always wondered: does overcast affect the effectiveness of air units relative to clear weather?

Kangra
May 7, 2012

At Tula, that was meant to just be the advance containment force, but the backup has failed to show up (since it ended up engaged at Kirov). This is a result of me pushing the core northward early on, since I wanted to make sure the hole could be opened up south of Vyazma. I likely could have held a few units back, given the extra auxiliary units on the north side that could have been pulled in.

As for air units, I've never seen a combat modifier for overcast weather. I think it might have an effect on strategic bombing, but other than that the only immediate effect is the reduced spotting range.

Kangra
May 7, 2012



It's late in the year and the weather is turning, but we still need to put the pressure on Moscow if we want to beat Russia this year.



The snow has severely slowed the pace of battle. Not much has changed in our plan, although at this point we are a bit behind. It still looks like we can push our way to Moscow from the south, and if Obninsk falls soon, we'll attack from the front. Everywhere else we need to finish off the current targets and move on to the rest of the map.

Axis Turn 11: November 1, 1941
Overcast(frozen)
Poor weather continues, but we are able to put some planes in the air.


Tula has ground to a stalemate. The Pioniere are nearly out of supply. We've been able to knock out a few of the anti-air guns, but can neither advance nor retreat given our current position.


Resistance at Rzhev is all but eliminated. Our tanks team up to finish off the KV-2.

Allied Turn 11: November 1, 1941


The breaks in the weather also allow the Soviets to fly sorties. At Tula we have no air cover, and they reduce our supply levels even further.


A sharp tank attack comes out of Kirov.

Axis Turn 12: November 4, 1941
Overcast(Frozen)


It's taken longer than planned, but the area around Karachev is finally starting to come under control. We take some heavy losses. Some of our planes have been rebased here to assist.


The turn in the weather allowed the enemy to reinforce at Podolsk, putting a stop to the armored push. Although now we've finally broken down Obninsk, and more forces can move on toward Moscow.


The northern units are moving up along the Volga, and we start the attack at Mozhaysk.

Allied Turn 12: November 4, 1941


The Kirov counterattack is over as the Russians pull their tanks back on the defensive.

Axis Turn 13: November 7, 1941
Overcast(Dry)


Despite the snow, we push ahead and get the first reconnaissance of the capital city. The good news for us is that the fortified line on this side of the river appears unmanned.


Tula's defenses are only getting stronger. We desperately need to get more forces down here.

Allied Turn 13: November 7, 1941


The supply lines in the north are stretched as well. When we pulled back the tanks to refuel, we ended up leaving only a small force guarding Mozhaysk, and the Soviet troops repel them with ease.

Axis Turn 14: November 10, 1941
Clear(Frozen)


Clear skies give us our first full glimpse of the enemy position at Moscow.


We're doing a good job closing in on Moscow, but Mozhaysk is proving to be a hard spot to take.


The battle for Kirov has turned in our favor, but it's not yet over.

Allied Turn 14: November 10, 1941


The defenders of the Russian capital are in a panic. They have very little that can fight our tanks in the open. They try to push them back anyway.


At Mozhaysk, the Soviet engineers create even more space for the defense as they eliminate an entire infantry unit.

This is an auxiliary 17th, not our own 17th Bridge Eng.

Axis Turn 15: November 13, 1941
Clear(Dry)
Improving weather gives us a chance to get our supply trucks rolling again.


Kirov's defenders break up our tank assault, so we'll send in infantry instead.


Down at Tula, we get a better view of what's in the area.


A slight crack in the defense is found at Mozhaysk. We eliminate some AT guns, but cannot break through.

Allied Turn 15: November 13, 1941


Our front-line infantry at Kirov take heavy casualties, but in the fight, the Russians have mostly given up their defensive positions.


The tanks and recon vehicles at Tula come under fire.


The recon unit expends the last of its ammunition to hold off the attack.

We have reached Moscow, but the battle is not yet over. If we cannot capture Tula as well, the Soviets will still present a big threat to our position. And right now, the troops sent to contain Tula are out of supplies, stuck in the cold, and with their reinforcements still far behind them.

Kangra fucked around with this message at 07:43 on Jan 25, 2016

Kangra
May 7, 2012



Moscow is in our grasp, but that's not the whole story here. From what we hear, Stalin has fled the capital and the Soviets refuse to give up while their army still holds the line at Tula.



The core in the north should have no difficulty taking the objectives there. Moscow lacks nothing to halt our armor, and Mozhaysk will wear down eventually. The auxiliary forces are in trouble, though. As the Battle of Kirov draws to an end, we'll be sending those forces eastward as fast as possible. To help them out, any core units that can be spared will move down to the Oka. With luck, we can drive the Russians back and hold the city through the end of the year.


Axis Turn 16: November 16, 1941
Clear(Dry)


The Russians are bravely defending their capital, but our tanks are still wearing them down. We've also captured Zagorsk to the northeast of Moscow. Rumor is that Stalin has fled the city.


Mozhaysk has shored up its defenses and guard all approaches with artillery. It's suddenly become far harder for us to capture it.

Allied Turn 16: November 16, 1941


At Tula, the vehicles come under fire. The scout cars expend the last of their fuel to flee the fortified position.

Axis Turn 17: November 19, 1941
Overcast(Dry)


At Tula, the weather has allowed the supply lines to open up. The units were nearly done for, but they held out long enough to allow the reinforcements to join the fight.


Kirov is pacified (more or less), and our tanks now need to get to Kaluga and Tula.


Moscow is nearly surrounded. We seize a key bridge into the city's center.

Allied Turn 17: November 19, 1941


The Soviet infantry at Kirov prove to be stronger than we thought, and for a day, they manage to retake the city. Elsewhere it is quiet.

Axis Turn 18: November 22, 1941
Overcast(Dry)


Kirov finally surrenders.


The noose tightens on Moscow.


Now that we're on the offensive, Tula is still going to be a tough battle. The early loss of our artillery is really hurting us here, since air power is ruled out by the insane amount of flak.

Allied Turn 18: November 22, 1941


Fighting is intense at Mozhaysk. Losses have been very heavy on both sides, but we can afford it more than the Soviets right now.

Axis Turn 19: November 25, 1941
Snowing(Dry)
The snow returns, and we receive disappointing news from higher up -- even if we take the city, we'll need to withdraw. Winter supplies are insufficient to fight it out during the cold months. It turns out Stalin has temporarily set up a government in the city that bears his name, and the Soviets have no plans to surrender.


We continue reducing enemy forces in Moscow. We can at least sack the city and lift the morale of our side.


Mozhaysk seems buoyed by the news that their leader remains in power. They've redoubled their defenses.


Kaluga is mostly defended by poorly-trained infantry, and our tanks swiftly roll through the outer defenses.


Tula is wearing down as well, if more gradually.

Allied Turn 19: November 25, 1941


The Panzer III's at Kaluga take some losses, but it's not really going to bother us. They won't be the ones fighting to capture the city, so this only wastes the enemy's ammo.


Mozhaysk's guns were not as well-manned as they looked. They try to fight off our tanks, but it has little effect.

Axis Turn 20: November 28, 1941
Snowing(Frozen)


Axis troops are running through the streets of Moscow. The Russians would flee the city, but the storm is keeping anyone from moving outside.


Mozhaysk capitulates.


Tula refuses to give up as easily. At Kaluga, the attack is called off due to the heavy snow.

Allied Turn 20: November 28, 1941


Realizing they have nowhere to escape to, the enemy soldiers at Moscow make a feeble attempt to retake the Kremlin.

Axis Turn 21: December 1, 1941
Snowing(Frozen)


The supply situation at Tula has been reversed: We've got sufficient ammo and fuel, while the Soviets have finally run out. The city surrenders.


Kaluga remains strong; our forces here outran their supply lines, and we have to spend a few days rebuilding stocks of ammo before we can attack.

Allied Turn 21: December 1, 1941


Our time in Moscow has been short. We see the first signs of a newly-arriving Russian army that is prepared for winter combat.


The Soviet engineers push back the auxiliary forces. We'll need to use the core to take Kaluga.

Axis Turn 22: December 4, 1941
Clear(Frozen)


The short break in the storm lets us send bombing raids to Kaluga. The Stukas prove to be deadly.


It also lets us use the scout cars to eliminate the remaining resistance, and the battle for Moscow is over. Sort of, since we'll likely have to retreat now. We will be back, next time for good.

I don't think a Major would have been possible here once the snow set in. Additionally I was likely off pace from the start by not committing core units to the south. That was as designed, since we're taking the path to victory that spends a little more time in Russia. Although we are getting pretty close to the endgame, as there is only one more battle that we can get merely a minor victory in.

Kangra fucked around with this message at 07:42 on Jan 25, 2016

Kangra
May 7, 2012



The year of 1941 led us from the Mediterranean into the heart of Russia. We didn't quite eliminate the Soviets in one go, but with the experience our core has gained, it should be no problem to finish them off this year.


The return of the 3rd gave them a good opportunity to prove themselves. In the Battle of Moscow they made their way up past three stars of experience.


The 40th HW unit were brought in to fill out the ranks with something a bit more powerful than the base infantry. They'll likely get upgraded eventually, but they have made it to four stars just this year.


The paratroops are grounded for now, and will probably stay that way through 1942. Their ability to march a bit faster than the other high quality troops makes them good for breakthroughs into enemy positions.



The Pioniere are sitting at just around five stars each. With all this experience, they can be held back and used only when necessary to knock out an entrenched position.



Our Bridging Engineers are doing quite well. They've closing in on four stars, and they'll probably be seeing a lot of hard combat this year.



The two light tanks made it through this year. The Panzer II will finally get upgraded, but the Pz 38(t) will stick around in a recon role.



There are two old models of Panzer III in the ranks, but with maxed out experience, it almost doesn't matter what tank they're in. It'll be better if we can keep our best units on par with the Soviet armor, so they'll probably be the first to get upgraded when we get haevier models.



The Panzer IIIj is quite respectable, and will likely be fine through this year. Although as time goes on they may be moved from the front of the lines to a back-up role.



The Panzer IVd will stay in the role of infantry-fighting tank. We don't expect to see a better tank for that purpose until next year, and with as much experience as these guys have, they should survive until then.


In the expansive battlefields of the Soviet Union, the recon units are a bit more vulnerable if they try to strike out on their own. These cars are still good at scouting any enemy units trying to sneak up on our flank.



The Panzerjaegers are still stuck in their tiny little tin cans that aren't suitable for fighting off any tanks. By surviving this long, they've earned the right to upgrades, which are definitely coming.



The mobile armored artillery ended up being a favored target of the enemy. It's a struggle to keep even one unit active, and their crews have the highest loss percentage of any unit type.



All of the artillery has been on the losing end when going up against the powerful defensive guns of the enemy. We'll need to keep the crews in good condition, and will likely be improving the training for these units.


The 25th SdKfz suprised everyone by being the first to max out their experience. They'll need to remain quick to scoot away from ground combat, because the Russian armor can probably knock them out in one shot if they catch them.


The 88mm guns are unlikely to see many more enemy aircraft, but they're a good unit to keep around for deterrence. And just in case we make a mistake and the enemy slips through on the ground, they'll be well-suited to hold their position (as long as they stay clear of enemy artillery).

Air Units



While the 109's are now relegated to an escort role as the FW 190 claims the top hunter-killer spot, these squadrons are still chock full of ace pilots. If there's a sufficient surplus of prestige, they might get an upgrade this year to longer-range models.




The Focke-Wulf simply outclasses everything the Allies have right now. These are our standard fighter now. Even though the Soviets beat us in numbers, that's just more targets to gain experience from.


The Bf110c doesn't have a great role anymore, except as reconnaissance. They are pretty low on the upgrade list, but with nearly max experience, they should make it through the year just fine.



The Stukas will be fine as long as they stick close to their escorts. They're as good as ever at smashing the ground forces.



The bomber crews are managing to keep themselves safe as well. But with the sheer number of enemy fighters, they'll need to be escorted now too.

That's the current roster done.

New units coming by the time of our next battle in 1942:

Infantry

The only big change for the infantry was the introduction of a new transport (available for any soft target, but they're the units that use them the most.)

Tanks

There is a new model of Panzer IV, and it promises to change everything about that tank. The IVF comes with a powerful new gun, and it's going to give us the edge against the heavy Soviet armor. It also gets a boost in armor, making it better than or equal to the Panzer IIIj in all aspects.

Recon

Still nothing new here.

Anti-Tank



Finally, we're seeing some decent mobile anti-tank units. The Stug IIIf direct-fire version is effectively the same as the artillery model, which makes it pretty decent but not a replacement for a tank. The Marder is actually a bit more powerful, but so thinly-armored it's not usable except as a very cheap stopgap.

Artillery


The SiG II is much less terrible than the early models (in that it has power, speed, and good defense) but still has too little ammo to really be usable.
There is a new towed gun. The only thing it adds is one more point of naval attack. It also has less ammo than the existing howitzers, but inexplicably costs more. No reason to every buy this one.


Anti-Aircraft

There's actually a new unit in this category. The SdKfz 7/1 is big boost in offensive power, and even gives one extra point of intiative. It still has the same (lack of) armor, but putting this in the hands of our crack soldiers will make this a very efficient mop-up unit.

Air Defense
Nothing added, nothing needed.

Fighter

The Bf109g is an updated fighter that doesn't compromise any of the abilities of the models we currently have. The big boost in range (and movement) makes it a fairly compelling upgrade, if it turns out we want it.

Tac Bomber

There is a new Bf110 model that's also a strict improvement over the 110c. But it's starting to get up there in prestige cost, and we really don't require a jack-of-all-trades aircraft.


The Me210c is even more of that sort of thing. This makes for a plane that could be used in a scouting role, hit ground targets decently, and likely hold its own in an even matchup with Soviet fighters. But with a prestige cost of more than a FW190, it'd make such a juicy target that it would probably not be facing equal numbers of enemy planes very often.

Level Bomber

The He177a is an excellent strategic bomber. It's not even that expensive, but it has very good armor and defensive machine guns. It also has even more naval attacking power than the Ju88.

As for where we're going in 1942, we were offered another choice :



But there's no way we're not going to take on the Soviets again. Sevastopol is next.

Kangra
May 7, 2012



In the Summer of 1943, as the Soviet Union began to really get its war machine rolling, the Western Allies wanted to make some progress against a weakening Axis. With the Germans forced out of North Africa and the increasing ability of the Allies to launch air raids into the Mediterranean, the Axis was looking particularly vulnerable in Southern Europe. The plan (especially favored by Churchill) was to strike at Italy, which was on the verge of exiting the war. Husky was the codename given to this operation.

As the Italian army was never equal to the Wehrmacht, and their government was on the brink of collapse, the Germans moved to take military control of the region, at least in Italy. The German tanks were still far superior to the Allied models, but the Allies had the advantage of controlling the air. Theoretically they had the advantage of supply and numbers, but to get to that point, they would need to expand from their landing points. The invasion began in Sicily, which would give the Allies a point to ship in those units, and give them the forward airbases they would need to conquer Italy.

Husky

July 10, 1943
21 Turns


Objectives (defensive scenario): Bizerta, Tunis, (Pachwo), (Agrigento), (Alcamo), (Petralia), (Catania), (Messina), (Reggio), (Catanzaro), (Cosenza), (Taranto), (Totenza), (Naples), (Foggia)
Major victory requires holding at least 5 objectives, Minor requires 2.



What's interesting about this map is that it represents such a large area, giving both sides a lot of area to cover. It is mostly water, though, which means that naval power (which we have none of) and air power (again something we're lacking) are of prime importance. The land objectives are largely along the coast, and so will mostly be vulnerable to naval bombardment. Although most objectives do provide rugged terrain that will make them slightly easier to defend, assuming we can dig in before the bombers arrive.


OOB
pre:
Unit Name                Unit Type [Transport]    Exp  
 
Land Units                                  
2                      Pioniere [SPW 251]              **
1                      Pioniere [SPW 250]              **
1                      43 Wehr Inf                      -
6                      43 Wehr Inf [SPW 251]           **
+1                     43 Wehr Inf [SPW 250]            -
1                      43 Wehr HW [SPW 251]            **
1                      43 Wehr HW [SPW 250]            **
3                      43 LuftW FJ [SPW 250]           **
9                      IT Inf                          **
1                      IT Inf [Fiat]                   **
9                      IT Inf                           -
1                      IT Inf [Fiat]                    -
1                      IT Bersglri                      -
3                      Pz IVg                         ***
1                      Pz IVh                          **
1                      Panther D                       **
1                      Panther D                      ***
2                      Tiger I                        ***
2                      IT M14/41                        -
1                      Jp Elefant                      **
+1                      StuG IIIg                        -
1                      Marder IIIm                     **
1                      IT Sem M-42                      -
1                      sIG 38t(M)                      **
2                      Wespe                           **
2                      Hummel                          **
1                      IT 105mm                         -
5                      SdkfZ 6/2                       **
1                      IT 75mm SPAD                    **
1                      IT 75mm SPAD                     -

Air Units
 
1                      Bf109g                          **
3                      FW190a                          **
1                      Ju87D                           **
1                      Ju87R                           **
1                      IT Ma C205/O                    **
1                      IT BA65                         **

Core + Aux slots: 2 + 0
Starting Prestige: 1532 (1232 with modifications)

As a slight challenge, I've modified my starting units for a weaker German presence in Sicily. Two of the best armored units have been eliminated and replaced with alternatives (which incidentally makes the German units in Sicily roughly equivalent to what we had left at the end of Torch). This is also being run as a campaign start, which means any new units do not get experience.

We still have some of the best armored units available, and they totally outclass what the Americans and British can throw at us. The force is relatively mobile, which isn't all that necessary, but is good in that with their harder armor they are generally better at withstanding bombardments.

The Italians are now defending their homeland, and while they are running low on quality troops, they'll provide an auxiliary which is at least adequate.



There isn't much of a need to formulate a plan of movement at this point. We'll be gathering most of our forces in Italy into the middle, where they can be ready to hit back if the Allies make a landing. Sicily is expected to hold out for at least two months, and we want to make a fighting retreat the whole way. Some units currently in Italy may be available to be sent down there, if they are not otherwise occupied.


Axis Turn 1 : July 10, 1943
Clear (Dry)


Anticipating an onslaught of Allied air power, we throw the front-line troops in Sicily at whatever they can hit.


Back in Italy, the German forces are mustered for defense.

Allied Turn 1 : July 10, 1943


Allied air attacks mainly go after our anti-air assets. They have enough bombers to hit our tanks too. Somehow the Italian fighters survive a dogfight with the Americans.


Enemy ships bombard the Italian coast. They may be preparing a landing here as well.


American and British forces make a quick capture of some targets in Sicily.

Axis Turn 2 : July 14, 1943
Clear (Dry)


A number of the Allied units are advancing so quickly that they leave themselves vulnerable to our tanks.


In Italy, heavy armor is sent to the shore to stop the amphibious invasion before it can start.


In the air, our fighters take on the Allied fighters one at a time. But there seem to be so many more behind them.

Allied Turn 2 : July 14, 1943


Allied bombers nearly empty out Naples, but the main landing appears to be to the south.


A combination of air raids and land assaults begins to put pressure on Catania and Petralia.

Axis Turn 3 : July 18, 1943
Clear (Dry)


It appears that the Americans are planning to take Naples, while the British are landing farther down the coast, perhaps as a diversion or to cut off support from the south. The Italians are likely to lose Naples.


We did seem to be in exactly the right position to blow up the landings near our troops. We knock out a unit of tanks and artillery.


The Allied attack seems very disorganized. They may have made a quick advance through the southern part of the island, but now their lack of armor is hurting them.

Allied Turn 3 : July 18, 1943


Enemy forces make some progress around Catania, thanks to the help from their bombers and ships. But they still lack armor.


More troops land at Salerno, and they capture the airfield. This is a big problem for us, as at least one squadron of Italian planes being rebased from Sicily will now be lost.

Axis Turn 4 : July 22, 1943
Clear (Dry)


The Focke-Wulfs encounter the first enemy fighter that is roughly a match with it - the American P-51 Mustang. In the hands of good pilots, they nearly knock out our whole squadron.


We've all but eliminated the amphibious attack on the Calabrian coastline.


Salerno is lost (along with the BA65 bombers), but the Italians put up a good defense around Naples.


In Sicily the gaps in the line are filled. We should hold the line here at least until the end of the month.

Allied Turn 4 : July 22, 1943


The Italians fight the best they can, but after intense combat, Naples is lost.


With their attack stalled at Catania, the attacks in Sicily focus on the west side of the island.

Axis Turn 5 : July 26, 1943
Clear (Dry)


The Americans were attempting to flank Petralia, but we blast back their halftracks with our tanks.


A defensive line is set up as German forces stifle the invasion at Salerno and link up with the Italians.

Allied Turn 5 : July 26, 1943


We will need to get air defenses back near the front lines in Sicily if we hope to hold out for another month.


The Italians in Sicily focused their defense on holding the Belice River, but the Americans manage to capture Alcamo by going around and taking it from the northeast.

Axis Turn 6 : July 30, 1943
Clear (Dry)


Just about the same time we have anti-air units rolling in to deal with Allied air power, we encounter another headache: British ships are steaming toward the Straits of Messina, and will start bombarding the anti-air units before they can move into position on the island.


The Italians manage to regain control of Naples. We'd rather not commit too much of our force here, since we know the Allied fleet can blast us if we try to dig in.

Allied Turn 6 : July 30, 1943


Naples falls, but the American attack is blunted as soon as they try to push beyond the city.


The Allies seem determined to cut our supply lines to Sicily and then starve us out on the island.


Western Sicily is further reduced by enemy ships.


We're off to an okay start. Sicily will be lost, but the landings on the Tyrrhenian coast are not going so well for the Allies.

Kangra
May 7, 2012



The defense of the soft underbelly continues.



At this point, we are performing acceptably in Sicily. We do not consider the island vital to our plans; a slow retreat from there will take place over the next month.

Elsewhere, Italy is holding strong. The Allies hold Naples, and we aim to stop them there. The Germans will continue to monitor the coast with strong armored forces, all the while avoiding enemy air raids and naval bombardment. At the moment, there isn't much of an enemy air presence, so we have a chance to drive off the enemy navy with our own planes. If the Allied ground troops turn north, the Italians ought to be able to hold them off at Cassino; it's an easily-fortified position behind a river. Most likely, we'll have no trouble containing the invasion.

Axis Turn 7 : August 3, 1943
Clear (Dry)


More space is cleared out by our tanks at Petralia.


Our fighters are able to shoot down the weakened enemy P-51's.

Allied Turn 7 : August 3, 1943


More air defense can't arrive soon enough in Sicily.


Allied naval support appears in more places on the Italian coast, especially at the invasion spot of Naples.


Italian resistance is all but eliminated in Sicily.

Axis Turn 8 : August 7, 1943
Clear (Dry)


With the successful defense of Petralia, our defensive position in Sicily is growing stronger. We should be able to hold off the Alies until the end of the month.


Instead of retreating from the naval assault, we decide to make a big armored attack at Naples, in order to reduce the enemy forces before they can resupply. It's a gamble, but it may well put an end to the Allied invasion here.

Allied Turn 8 : August 7, 1943


The Allies are definitely not going away in Sicily, though. One of our Panzer III's is eliminated after the enemy concentrates their armored units on them.


The enemy fleet continues to punish our units along the Italian coast.

Axis Turn 9 : August 11, 1943
Clear (Dry)


We don't have the strength to push the enemy back in Sicily, and decide to concentrate our forces into the area around Messina before the Allied fleet blocks our retreat.


At Naples, too, we pull our troops back to regroup. The Italian forces are coming in from the north to help out.

Allied Turn 9 : August 11, 1943


The infantry is hit the hardest by the enemy air forces.

Axis Turn 10 : August 15, 1943
Clear (Dry)


As the Allied air units seem to all be in Sicily, we strike at their unguarded fleet with our remaining bombers.


Much of the fleet has moved down to Messina, and we're now struggling to hold open the strait. Our armored forces are performing well enough on the island, but getting cut off would be a disaster.

Allied Turn 10 : August 15, 1943


The Allies send even more ships to Sicily, and we're taking a pounding.


The Americans go after the Italians in Benvento. They perform admirably, and the attack is repulsed.

Axis Turn 11 : August 19, 1943
Clear (Dry)


We clean up in the aftermath of the failed American attack.


The Sicilians are still mounting partisan resistance on the western end of the island.

Allied Turn 11 : August 19, 1943


For three days straight, Messina comes under heavy bombardment.


Eventually, most of the city is in ruins, and as Allied ships arrive from both sides, all forces on the island are cut off.


Up until now things were going quite well for us. There's a good chance that we'll repel or seriously slow down the invasion at Naples. What will happen in Sicily, however, is an open question.

Kangra
May 7, 2012



The summer of 43 will end soon enough, and with it the chance for the Allies to defeat the Axis in the Mediterranean this year.



The Allied invasion from the Tyrrhennian has been almost totally repelled. Only Naples remains in enemy hands, and our troops are in fine condition. In Sicily, a large armored force finds itself caught between Scylla and Charybdis. They cannot retreat from the island due to the naval blockade. But such a small force is unlikely to take back the whole island without further reinforcement.

Axis Turn 12 : August 23, 1943
Clear (Dry)


We've tried to put a stop to the raids on Messina, but the air is just too thick with Allied fighters. We do manage to knock out half a flight of paratroops who got separated from their escorts.

This is actually the AI using air transports to pull a dirty trick on me: an air unit surrounded on three sides can only move one hex.


With a little more pressure, we may be able to break the American force at Naples. The enemy fleets seem to have mostly moved down to Messina, or they have put out to sea to avoid our air attacks.

Allied Turn 12 : August 23, 1943


We take heavy losses in the air as one squadron is lost and the second is reduced to half strength. On the ground, the armored units hold position but the infantry continues to take a beating.

Axis Turn 13 : August 27, 1943
Clear (Dry)


We cannot allow the Allies to start bombarding our tanks in Sicily. Going back would put them in the sights of the enemy ships, so we push forward and retake San Stefano.


With German assistance, the Italians recapture Naples.

Allied Turn 13 : August 27, 1943


We've managed to scrape together a bit of air defense in Messina to surprise the bombers. It's not expected to survive the naval attacks for very long, though.


That does turn out to be the case, but closer to the center of the island, we are in a good position. The Americans nearly destroy themselves trying to charge our armor.

Axis Turn 14 : August 31, 1943
Overcast (Dry)
The warm Italian sun fades away as the summer nears its end. Things are looking bright for the Axis, however.


The remnants of the failed invasion at Naples are wiped out by our Panzers.


The 'forced' counterattack in Sicily has brought us to the outskirts of Petralia.

Allied Turn 14 : August 31, 1943


With Messina bombed out, the enemy ships start moving along the shoreline to look for other targets.


The Sicilian resistance is still hanging on. Reports that we have not abandoned the island have bouyed their spirits.

Axis Turn 15 : September 4, 1943
Clear (Dry)


Several new armored vehicles, including the excellent Panther tank, become available in the fourth year of the war.


With ammunition levels running low on Sicily, we do little more than maneuver our tanks around.

Allied Turn 15 : September 4, 1943


Apparently we aren't moving enough, as the Allied ships are able to target and destroy two more units.

Axis Turn 16 : September 8, 1943
Clear (Dry)


At this point, it seems as if the Americans are having logistical problems of their own. We strike out on the offensive and retake two key positions in Sicily.

Allied Turn 16 : September 8, 1943


The Allies put a halt to our assault with their bombers again, but without ground forces, they aren't going to be able to take control of anything.

Axis Turn 17 : September 12, 1943
Clear (Dry)


We knock out a few more ground troops and seem to have uncontested control of northern Sicily (discounting the constant air raids).

Allied Turn 17 : September 12, 1943


The enemy continues to ensure that we cannot easily reinforce Sicily over the the strait.

Axis Turn 18 : September 16, 1943
Clear (Dry)


But we may not even need the support. We can practically retake the island on our own.

Allied Turn 18 : September 16, 1943


Aside from a few air raids, the primary Allied effort is to keep Sicily blockaded. Perhaps they are still struggling to move in reinforcement of their own, but this delay is definitely a win for our side.

Axis Turn 19 : September 20, 1943
Clear (Dry)


The enemy is decently positioned for defense, but seem to be lacking any sort of armored vehicles; they cannot push out with what they currently have.

Allied Turn 19 : September 20, 1943


The continual air attacks are finally taking their toll on our weaker tanks.

Axis Turn 20 : September 24, 1943
Clear (Dry)


A joyous meeting occurs at the far end of the island when the German forces encounter those Sicilians who never gave up.

Allied Turn 20 : September 24, 1943


We're steadily losing strength, and while it would be a nice outcome, it's doubtful that we can fully claim control of Sicily.

Axis Turn 21 : September 28, 1943
Clear (Dry)


We disrupt the Allied lines wherever we can. These forces are in a sort of limbo on the island -- they have not yet lost, but the enemy fleet still holds the strait. Surely more ground troops are coming eventually, but when?


There is actually a faint hope that we can drive off the navy with our own air units.

Allied Turn 21 : September 28, 1943


There was a long-running side battle going on to the east, at Taranto. There were never any landings here, so it was a repeated pattern of enemy ships bombarding the shore while the Italian planes tried to force them to withdraw.


The British make one final, stupid, desperate attack from Pachwo.


The Allied invasion of Southern Europe was a debacle. Although it's not really clear who will control Sicily now. Probably neither side.

Result: Major Victory
Ending Prestige: 311



Well, it does look like the AI is incompetent more forces are massing in Africa to reinforce Sicily.


What happened there is that the AI bought a whole bunch of units right at the start, but had no good location to place them. Spending prestige earlier is usually a good idea for offensive scenarios, but without any way to move them out, those locations are useless. I feel a lot of maps, this one included, would really be helped by adding just one extra port city. It's unfortunate that what could be an interesting map just isn't one that the computer can deal with.

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Jalak
Nov 23, 2013
I have to say, that counterattack at the end practically screams the desperate attacks the real Germany did near the end of the war (battle of the bulge comes to mind). This one was infinitely more successful, though, so well done on emulating that.

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