Good thing I'm not Napoleon - a DNO RUS AAR

[Axe27]

I know it's not really relevant to the AAR (wait, I'll make it relevant by saying how relieved I am to now assuredly have an update tomorrow)... Anyway, kudos to the developers for being that responsive. Makes me even happier I bought the game (so far, the main reason for buying the game seems to have been so that I can better understand the AARs ) - I feel like I supported some nice folks by buying the game.

Anyhow, onwards to tomorrow! If you're in a punning mood (I know loki would approve), I expect a 'St. Valentine's Day Massacre' style chapter heading.

We'll see an update today, because the turn after the next update is going to be somewhat of a blood bath, to which I plan to make a pretty sappy update. We'll see.

Also, the bug has not been fixed. Though I did get a developer response, France is on the other side of the world from me (I'm in California), so I won't see a solution until they get up over there, and even then, probably not for a while.

In the short term, the campaign is still playable but I need someone to either figure out a fix, lest I have to suspend the AAR.

[Axe27]

I've got 99 problems, but stacks ain't one, Early May 1921

I'm not in a creative mood tonight. I'm watching a TF2 stream and writing an AAR at the same time, and that can do a lot to sap my creativity. Don't worry, tomorrow will be a lot better.

So, with that hump cleaned out, let's begin. First, the news:

Money and Blockade. With this, the Reds will need to direct blockade runners ( I believe) to the shipping box, meaning if I keep some forces in the Naval box, I can capture or sink their Blockade runners to prevent them from gaining money/supplies/National Morale.

Roughly equal casualties are inflicted, but now we know there's a pretty large army sitting in Chernigov.

As the III. Armee advances north of Konotop, it runs into the Don Front. Despite losing three thousand more men, we have more stacks, meaning the initiative lies with us, and the encirclement of Chernigov continues. I don't want these two forces linking up, since combined they'll be a very strong force. However, the forces hiding in Chernigov have a strong defensive position and a good supply base. It's going to take a lot of troops to dislodge them.

The situation:

Keeping these two forces separate is the key to destroying them with less dead guys. If I can destroy both of these forces, the the final battle for control of the Ukraine will be a lot easier, since I'll be able to direct Army Group Galicia* south to assist at Rostov.

To further this end, I direct a very strong Army Group Sud northward toward Belogorod to try to annihilate the Red force to their north. If the Reds move out of the way or stand and fight, Kursk will be the next objective to force the enemy into battle by cutting his supply. The Don Corp stays at Kharkov and entrenches to hold the shiny new level 4 depot. I also order the long-suffering Ukrainians to destroy the Partisan army hanging out in Sumy.

To the southeast, forces begin to muster:

The Romanians, fresh from a month of R&R in Odessa, move to both crush Red partisans, lift the siege of Makeieka, and threaten Donetsk. I'd like to move Army Group Centrum to try and force an engagement near Rostov on favorable terms, but it's unlikely. Secondary objectives in this area is to annihilate the Anarchists, whose cavalry keep blowing the railway between Sevastopol and Kharkov.

Further north at Minsk,

I decide, with Austrians moving north, to be very aggressive. Army Group Center is ordered to attack southward toward Gomel. With Gomel captured, we can link up Army Group Galicia, opening up rapid reinforcement between Minsk (and by extension, the Baltic States) and Kiev.I'll deal with Brubisk later - if Chernigov falls, the Red Dnieper Fleet will hide there.

Even further North in Estonia,

My Lithuanians clean out the Reds at Daugavpils. Unfortunately, the garrison decided to surrender the day before reinforcements showed up, meaning that we lost 6 VPs and 1 NM, and one of my very few Baltic generals catches a flying poultry which snaps his neck in two. Unfortunate, but whatever. I expect that they'll retreat next turn back into Russia. They're a small force and I don't have a stack to chase them with ,so I'll let them go. As for the dead guys division, I combine them with the other division in the stack.Hopefully, no more Baltic generals meet their end.

The situation:

With the weather now clear, the flank march begins. In one turn, Army Group B will be in position to attack toward Pskov and open up the way to Novgorod. We also see the ever dangerous Trotsky appear in the south - His army isn't very strong, but its a scary thought, that he might hook up with a larger front and became the Trotsky wrecking machine that I know him to be.

I did not take any decisions this turn - I don't have a need for more stacks yet, and most options aside from partial mobilization (which doesn't work) increase NM, which I also don't need.

Also this is a complete first for me:

A large airfield that I captured from the Reds earlier in the game is now located at Kiev, where it somehow assisted in the battle at Chernigov. Air combat in this game doesn't really mean a whole lot - this era is post-WW1. Dropping bombs from planes basically means flying over an enemy formation and chucking artillery rounds out the side, so bombing doesn't produce a whole lot of damage. The only real use aircraft have is Reconnaissance, but since I don't utilize them in my forces, they're really only good at spotting Red and Greens partisans.

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*Yes, the Austrians have their own army group. Later in the game, I can pay 30 EP for Army Group Donau to spawn.

[loki100]

remains epic, presume once the Austrians reach the front in numbers you can concentrate the Germans for attacks and let them hold the line and generally keep up the pressure?

[Stuyvesant]

Overall, seems like a good turn for you. Shame about Gen. Zukauskas meeting such an unfortunate end, but them's the breaks. Looks like the situation in the Ukraine is favorable to you.

I like your description of the 'Trotsky Wrecking Machine' - hope it doesn't prove too apt in this AAR.

[Axe27]

Overall, seems like a good turn for you. Shame about Gen. Zukauskas meeting such an unfortunate end, but them's the breaks. Looks like the situation in the Ukraine is favorable to you.

I like your description of the 'Trotsky Wrecking Machine' - hope it doesn't prove too apt in this AAR.

Damned Communist chickens.

And yes, Trotsky is a monster. He's 6-2-4 (IE, very scary on the defense, halfway decent on the attack) in the DNO campaign. His sweet train gives him a lot of extra benefits that even Stalin can't match, not to mention his personal charisma makes him an effective leader (he's essentially his own Political Commissar leader). Not a man to be messed with lightly.

remains epic, presume once the Austrians reach the front in numbers you can concentrate the Germans for attacks and let them hold the line and generally keep up the pressure?

I plan to use my stacks liberally to apply pressure all the time. As Grant learned in American Civil War, even great generals such as Robert E. Lee are no match for continuous battles.

[Axe27]

Día de San Valentin, Or how I survived the Great Eastern War and all I got was this stupid T-shirt, Late May 1921

Happy Single awareness day everybody. As we all browse the AGEOD forum late at night, bags in our eyes, a small fluffy animal named 'Mittens' purring in our collective laps, and a mug of hot tea in our hands, let us remember that somewhere, right now, someone is having a great night .

The first battle of this turn:

One thing I do not understand: Despite superior training, leadership, and good looks, the Germans consistently suffer more casualties than the enemy. Here it's understandable: The enemy is hiding like cowards in the trees (and Tukhachevsky is no slacker), but even on normal terrian, Germans soldiers simply don't do too well on the offensive.

Despite winning this battle, the Reds stick around for another round next turn. Further south, at Gomel, we find an old friend enjoying a cup of borscht* at the local cafe-turned-food dispensary:

Ovseenko is either wounded or survives the battle unscathed unfortunately, meaning we'll see him again - the Red AI is not one to squander useful generals.

The situation in the Center:

We have the superiority in the center. I intend to use it to move on Minsk and Vitebesk. Unless the enemy is hiding an actual army in the Fog of War, the way seems mostly clear.

Further north, in Estonia, my Baltic allies prove themselves useful:

Not too impressive, as Tonisson choose a horrible time to not get out of bed. Thankfully, he acquits himself better on the next battle:

And this is why you do not attack across a river ever. Even a completely unprepared and poorly-equipped force can and will inflict an expensive defeat on you - in this case, Tonisson inflicts 3:1 casualties on a Red force twice his own size with tank support. Overall, 7500 dead Reds for 3500 dead Balts.

The situation in Estonia:

I'm not silly enough to think the Estonians will do it twice. The Njemen army moves north to reinforce him, whils the II.Armee lands at Riga to take his place. I intend to out number and out power my enemy on every front - this front being no exception.

In the south, the Ukrainians finally win a battle, albeit at a high cost.

I originally tasked them to destroy the Partisans. Well,the Finland Front moved directly west from Belgorod, whilst the partisans evaded combat. As a result, when they entered the province, the German-led Ukrainians attacked into them. While an ok win, this gives a strategic opportunity-

The opportunity exists here to destroy three Red armies. The first at Chernigov, the second near Kursk, and the final one near Kharkov. The problem is, the Finland Front will probably get away. Which is ok - With Army Group Centrum mostly recovered, I can transfer Army Group Sud south for Rostov whilst Army Group Centrum takes up the campaign in the center.

Chernigov on the other hand will fall this turn. I fear it will be at the price of most of Army Group Galicia, but the destruction of one large Red Front is a high enough price for me.

In the Eastern Ukraine, no battles have occurred (of import anyhow), but that doesn't mean I'm not planning for more:

Army Group A will eventually make the initial assault on Rostov, followed later by Army Group Centrum. This will likely result in the deaths of at least 40-60.000 thousand Germans meaning the end of one of these Army Groups. However, this won't be for another couple turns, so I guess my Germans can enjoy the month and half respite.

Finally:

As some of you are aware, Partial mobilization does not work. One of the developers gave me a fixed version of the Partial mobilization file, which unfortunately itself, does not work. It doesn't mean the war stops, but it will if I can't get a fix for this.

Aside from that, another army stack for whatever use that may come in handy (I'm using my NM while I have it), and an air base to Finland because why not?

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*What is a common Russian drink that isn't delicious Vodka? I'm fairly certain no one wants to consume beet soup on a hot summers day.

[Pat Cleburne]

What's your objective screen look like? This AAR inspired me to burn through a game. I'm up to Aug I think. I've hit the reinforcement wall though. Without any new conscripts I'll have to start rotating stacks. I think I can win before I fall apart though. I'm close to Moscow.

[loki100]

do hope you can continue. At the moment the loss ratio is so even, but obviously you're trying to build a strategic position off the sequence of battles, so it'll be fascinating to see if you can convert all these (mostly) narrow wins into an overall win

[Fadi_Efendi]

*What is a common Russian drink that isn't delicious Vodka? I'm fairly certain no one wants to consume beet soup on a hot summers day.

If it has any resemblance to Turkish şalgam, you'd be amazed how effective fermented beat juice is for your body and soul after consuming the said vodka

[Axe27]

What's your objective screen look like? This AAR inspired me to burn through a game. I'm up to Aug I think. I've hit the reinforcement wall though. Without any new conscripts I'll have to start rotating stacks. I think I can win before I fall apart though. I'm close to Moscow.

Ask and you shall recieve.

As the Reds declared War on the Baltic States, the NM cost per turn falls on their heads every turn- if the balancing mechanism wasn't in place, they'd run out NM.

do hope you can continue. At the moment the loss ratio is so even, but obviously you're trying to build a strategic position off the sequence of battles, so it'll be fascinating to see if you can convert all these (mostly) narrow wins into an overall win

Yeah, my hope is that I can inflict enough large-scale defeats to force open the way to Moscow.

If it has any resemblance to Turkish şalgam, you'd be amazed how effective fermented beat juice is for your body and soul after consuming the said vodka

Well, fermented beet alcohol isn't really that unusual (alcohol really has been made from stranger things), it doesn't sound very good. Sounds like Chicha, which is corn alcohol. How it's made is a little different - Grandma chews up the corn and spits it back into a bucket to ferment.

[Stuyvesant]

In the south, the Ukrainians finally win a battle, albeit at a high cost.

...

*What is a common Russian drink that isn't delicious Vodka? I'm fairly certain no one wants to consume beet soup on a hot summers day.

To the first, it seems that Sixt von Armin, despite having an awesome name and a fearsome goatee, simply does not have the 'tache power to properly compete with Budyenny. Sheer numbers carried the day, though.

As far as the second question goes, don't Russians drink tea (besides the obvious vodka)? Isn't that what a samovar is for?

Anyway, rambling away. Good update, the bloodshed remains massive (and potentially unsustainable for you), but you definitely have the initiative and you seem to set a breakneck pace.

[Axe27]

Oh What's up. I know it's been eight months since I last updated, but you know...AARs never die...the author just loses the save for a while.

The Somme Offensive, part deux:Early June, 1921

As we left off, I was preparing for a horrendous battle wherein I was going to sacrifice the entirety of an army group to destroy another...

We'll get to that. In the North, The Reds force a crossing at Narva. They manage to toss aside the damaged Estonian stack, but the reinforcing Germans throw the Reds back across the strait. Estonia is safe, for now.

In the center, Zukauskas runs into Trotsky with predictable results. I don't expect the big red train to go on to Riga, for reasons I will go into later. Point is, don't screw with Trotsky - he's a mean mofo.

After these battles, the situation in the NorthL

While Trotsky could continue on to Riga, first he'll have to capture Riga from a 930 pwr stack sitting in Riga + additional defenses. Secondly, most of my Baltic force is within a train ride of Riga. For these reasons, Trotsky will either retreat Southeastwards, or stay put. At Pskov, The Balts will have to hold up. The reason I don't want them attacking the fort just yet is that my troops across the river (and theirs) will reinforce, resulting in a huge battle on extremely unfavorable ground (I'm already attacking in a Marsh, no point in attacking in a marsh, across a river, towards a fort, against enormous 105mm artillery). Overall, the balance is only slightly in my favor. A huge battle at Pskov will not necessarily mean a momentum shift - I need reinforcements in this theater to force a breakthrough.

In the center,

Bothmer gets intercepted during his Recon in force but a Red stack probably shipped up river from Rostov. Despite attacking into a superior force, he gave as good as he got. Unfortunately, this means I will need to neutralize Boburisk. This leaves the situation thusly,

With Trotsky chilling out in the center, I have realized that I am suffering from an stack shortage in the North and center.This isn't suprising - most of my armies have been concentrated in the South, as a decisive victory on the Ukranian front will mean that whilst the Reds are occupied in the center, Moscow's underbelly will be ripe for open. Deniken was on to something alright.

Ovseenko's army is destroyed and no longer a threat. A devastating blow? Perhaps not. In restrospect, sacrificing nearly 50,000 mean to destroy a 60,000 man army may have been a very poor use of manpower, especially against the enormous manpower sink that is the Soviet Union. However, the outright destruction of Ovseenko's army means that a number of elements are freed to do battle toward the north, as the Austrians ate most of the manpower losses.

Also of note:

On the way to Kursk, Mackensen intercepts Budyenny's army as it flees toward Voronezh. Now with half his army wiped out, Budyenny's army is also out of the picture in the short term (and possibly the long term, if I can outrun his ability to supply his army).

The actual battle of Kursk is an anti-climax. With Kursk now in German hands, The Don Front, northeast of Chernigov is now cut off from supply. An overview of the Belarussian/ Northern Ukranian area:

Since Armee Group Sd is still mostly functional, a drive on Voronezh will occur. The Reds are lacking in armies in this theater, and as such, now is the time to press the advantage.

In the south, the doomstacks continue to marshall for the what is expected to be a long and brutal Rostov campaign,

We're probably going to see some Chernigov-like battles here as well. Depending upon my success here, The Transcauscus may enter the war, as I expect my forces will be too damaged to make a move on Tzaritsyn. Speaking of decisions, mine for this turn:

Another army, some NM to offset it. NM has remained high, but in the wake of Chernigov, I remain at 123. If things go according to plan, I will probably dip below 100 as things go on.

[loki100]

good to see this back. That was one brutal set of battles in the south. More or less 1-1, so only really worth it if you really make strategic gains. Hard to read the overall situation but at a guess it looks like the Soviets have more in the north/centre than they need for a purely defensive line, so if the AI is astute I guess it could do a shuffle and if so close down the northern flank of your Ukrainian success.

btw - I've deleted the double post of the update.

[Powloon]

Wow rivers of blood! I've just finished reading this through (when I probably should have been doing other things like working!) glad you got the chance to revive it. Again I have no experience of RUS myself so can't really comment on your actions with any real insight but I will definately be following this one.

AGEOD do know how to make interesting and adictive games.

[Stuyvesant]

I had forgotten about this one, but I'm glad to see it resurface. The number of casualties is just beyond comprehension (compare this to my own Grand Campaign game - admittedly really the first time I'm playing for more than 5 turns - where I'm quite pleased if I can kill a couple of thousand communists). And you're right, Trotsky is badass. He took out a stack that was five time bigger than his own, and inflicted double the casualties he received? Perhaps the Germans should find the right kind of person with an ice axe to solve this problem?

As always, it seems you have the initiative and the quality, but you're running through your manpower at an alarming rate. And that Austro-Soviet bloodbath at Chernigov? Ouch... Are there any Austrians left to carry on the fight?

[Axe27]

good to see this back. That was one brutal set of battles in the south. More or less 1-1, so only really worth it if you really make strategic gains. Hard to read the overall situation but at a guess it looks like the Soviets have more in the north/centre than they need for a purely defensive line, so if the AI is astute I guess it could do a shuffle and if so close down the northern flank of your Ukrainian success.

btw - I've deleted the double post of the update.

I expect the AI will shuffle armies it has in the interior(and out of my vision) towards Oriel, but I may them outflanked at Voronezh. I'm also finding the AI is still making silly mistakes so I may up the AI's strategic AI to more difficult levels.

Wow rivers of blood! I've just finished reading this through (when I probably should have been doing other things like working!) glad you got the chance to revive it. Again I have no experience of RUS myself so can't really comment on your actions with any real insight but I will definately be following this one.

AGEOD do know how to make interesting and adictive games.

Glad to see that there's more than just five people browsing this forum . AGEOD takes a lot of getting into but the games themselves are fantastic.

I had forgotten about this one, but I'm glad to see it resurface. The number of casualties is just beyond comprehension (compare this to my own Grand Campaign game - admittedly really the first time I'm playing for more than 5 turns - where I'm quite pleased if I can kill a couple of thousand communists). And you're right, Trotsky is badass. He took out a stack that was five time bigger than his own, and inflicted double the casualties he received? Perhaps the Germans should find the right kind of person with an ice axe to solve this problem?

As always, it seems you have the initiative and the quality, but you're running through your manpower at an alarming rate. And that Austro-Soviet bloodbath at Chernigov? Ouch... Are there any Austrians left to carry on the fight?

In terms of the bloodbath, the Austrian Army still had a fair number of chits saved up, so it mitigates the blow. Overall though, my manpower situation remains problematic - every turn, 82,000 men go and join up with somebodies army, and every turn, I eat 50,000 casualties to the face. It is likely that I will need to stop sometime in early winter 1921, consolidate my armies and front, kill some Greens, and let my chits build up (and my armies reinforce).

However, this a precarious balance - I may have the army advantage for now, but the Reds have the entirety of Russia to call on for manpower, and I don't. If the war continues on for too long, the Reds will begin to outnumber me in the field.

But we'll see. The Reds need money to call up conscripts, and the only way they'll get this is by demanding it from peasants. If the Reds get too crazy conscripting and requisitioning in their interior, Greens will start rising up (and indirectly helping me).

[Funnyman320]

I don't have the game so I have to ask, did the bug you mentioned earlier about manpower get fixed?

Nevertheless, it's a fun read so far and I'm glad to see you're back

[Axe27]

I don't have the game so I have to ask, did the bug you mentioned earlier about manpower get fixed?

Nevertheless, it's a fun read so far and I'm glad to see you're back

This patch is good news for me(thank you for reminding me). After testing it, it appears partial mobilization is fixed and some other preemptive bugs are fixed, meaning more manpower and some other cool stuff in the future.

[Searry]

Thanks for continuing this AAR.

[germanpeon]

Glad to see that you're back! I'm also glad that you got the mobilization event fix, I'm actually surprised you've made it this far without it. While I won't go so far as to say that your casualty rate is now sustainable, you're definitely in somewhat cooler water now.

Good luck, Godspeed, and show those Commies that it's better to be dead than Red.