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 We've had a good break since the tough campaigning of last year. Our core is now ready to get into the battle as we prepare to knock the Soviet Union out of the war.  The target this time is the tough fortress of Sevastopol. Despite the defensive forts, this should be a relatively easy battle for us to win. But we want to do it with style, and win early. Finishing the siege quickly will emphatically send a message to the enemy that we aren't going to back off next time we take Moscow. Sevastopol June 7, 1942 17 Turns  Objectives: (Kamyshly), (Cherkez Kermen), Merkenziery, Bartanevka, Inkerman, Noryi Shuli, Komary, Sevastopol, Nikoaevka, Balaklava Major: 14 turns.  This is the smallest scale map to date (and maybe in the whole game). This is going to be a tough fight, since we don't have much room to maneuver here. The city is heavily fortified on all sides, and even once we make it past the outer defensive line, we'll be heading straight into dense urban terrain. This doesn't exactly favor our armor, and the Soviet guns are quite likely to be our worst nightmare. Certainly we'll be able to gain an advantage in the air, but it's a certainty the enemy will have air defenses at the ready for whatever we can bring. The last concern is that there is a coastline here, and we can expect some naval presence to support the defenders once we draw closer to the final objectives. OOB pre:Unit Name Unit Type [Transport] Exp Land Units 1.3rd 39 Wehr Inf 39 Wehr Inf [SPW 250] *** 2.5th Pioniere Inf Pioniere Inf[SPW 250] **** 3.15th Pioniere Inf Pioniere Inf[SPW 250] ***** 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 IVf2 Pz IVf2 ***** 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 Stug IIIb ***** 18.35th Stug IIIb Stug IIIb ** 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 251] - 23.25th SdKfz 7/1 SdKfz 7/1 ***** 24.22nd 8.8 FlaK 18 8.8 FlaK 18 [Opel] * Aux (by qty) 2 Rumanian Inf [Opel] ** 2 Pz IVd ** 2 SdKfz 6/2 ** 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 Ju 87d ***** 7.27th Ju 87d Ju 87d **** 8.21st Ju 88A Ju 88A ***** 9.3rd He 177a He 177a *** Starting Prestige: 4399 (5419 before upgrades) It was high time for a number of upgrades for our troops. All the infantry have decent transport now (even if they won't be needing it much for this battle). The really obsolete armor (Panzer II) got upgraded as well, and we'll get a chance to see what the Panzer IVF can do with its new gun. With all the prestige we're enjoying, it was also worth it to change out the slightly fragile Do 217 bombers for Heinkels 177a, a much better model. The auxiliary force is practically not worth mentioning. A few extra tanks are always welcome, but these units will only be used to fill the line out away from a main points of attack.  This city is certain to fall. We have it surrounded. The only question is how quickly we can accomplish the task. The goal will be to break through at points in the outer defenses to put pressure on the city center before they have time to set up better defenses there. We know there will be a lot of urban combat in the days to come, and we want to be able to move the infantry into position without them being under fire from Soviet artillery. To do that, we'll likely need to establish our own line of guns, since air power is going to be restricted by enemy flak. One group on the east is intending to make a swing southward with the tanks to prevent any possibility of a counterattack. But once we get past the initial line, the fighting will likely be fierce everywhere as the noose simply tightens. Axis Turn 1: June 7, 1942 Clear(dry)  The new model of the Panzer IV sees its first action and blasts some weak T-70 tanks.  We break the fortified line north of the Chernaya river by knocking out all the artillery. In this outer sector our bombers can be put to great use.  Farther west, we meet with lighter resistance. Merkenziery is captured and we make a breakthrough all the way to the enemy airfields at Bartanevka. Allied Turn 1: June 7, 1942  A surprisingly large number of enemy bombers show up to strike at our initial assault.  The T-34 is a formidable tank, although it's hardly a fair fight for it to go after our weak anti-air units.  A quick assault from anti-air vehicles and concentrated counter-battery fire knocks out a unit of our big guns. Axis Turn 2: June 8, 1942 Clear(dry)  The paratroops and recon cars clear out our right flank in the north.  The fact that the Soviets pushed some of their best tanks straight into the weak part of our line isn't a real concern, because we can use our planes to suppress them.  Sometimes the Soviet fighters are actually able to score a few FW 190 kills.  We make a push down toward Noryi Shuli and force the Soviets to pull out. Allied Turn 2: June 8, 1942  A big mistake in planning leaves ADAC Vogel unescorted. It turns out they're able to escape with half the squadron alive against the already-weakened Yak fighters.  Fears of shelling from offshore prove true as the FJ's are bombarded by a light cruiser.  The Soviet T-34's break west and threaten Kamyshyly. Die kleinen Stichel barely survive the attack. Axis Turn 3: June 9, 1942 Clear(dry)  We find out the hard way that the Pz38(t) is not the best tank for assaulting fortified gun positions.  After taking Noryi Shuli, we quickly seize the roads and start to surround Komary.  Our quality tanks can also pick unfair fights gainst the enemy Air Defense units.  We isolate the enemy tanks while setting up for an assault on Bartanevka. Allied Turn 3: June 9, 1942  Another tank assault inflicts heavy casualties on the troops that just filled out the ranks of die kleinen Stichel.  Aside from that, it's only the auxiliary units that see any real losses (mostly from the remaining pocket of artillery). Axis Turn 4: June 10, 1942 Clear(dry)  The 7.6 cm Soviet air defense guns can be difficult to dislodge; they can sometimes do serious damage to our armor, and the infantry struggle to eliminate them. We'll need to roll in new artillery guns to be effective in this battle.  We make progress along the river and capture Inkerman.  We are wearing down the Soviet tanks that broke through, and make progress through Bartanevka. Resistance here seems lighter than expected. Allied Turn 4: June 10, 1942  Enemy ships continue to make their presence known as they defend the city against our tanks.  In the center, where the Soviets kept their largest concentration of troops north of the Chernaya, they finally start to pull back. The battle hasn't been going on for very long, but our progress so far is encouraging. We've effectively contained the counterattack in the center, and at the same time stand to capture the north part of the city much sooner than expected. 
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| ← # ? Feb 27, 2016 06:36 |
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