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Uriah, any plans on extracting the forces from Baltic army once the pocket is mopped up? The marines and their infantry friends surely have more opportunities than just this one landing.
But it feels so good when you stop!
But seriously, it does sometimes feel like that. The Soviets are consistently able to find a few divs with org above 0% to slow me down. What is encouraging is that I have identified several divs that are still below 50% org and they have not been involved in a battle for weeks: the Red Army is either unbale to get suppy to them and/or they are constantly fleeing and have not had a chance to recover.
I am feeling the losses: MP is down about 100 (but I have started a few more divs) and I am spending 30-50 IC on reinforcements.
I was aware of Slan's thread on this issue and actually looked at enabling his hotfix. I am not sure, however, that it might impact in strange ways: all the balancing has been done on current (flawed) mechanics. It is probalby the cuase of many of my casualties as I am in the position of being outnumbered most of the time, but having superior def and toughness. So I probably would have been able to take hits as misses.
I don't want to screw up the whole AAR by making a change, even if it would help me. If someone who understands the code better than me could advise that would be good. To be quite clear: if I implemented the correct (80 and 60) miss chances rather than .8 and .6, and then adjusted combat damage modifiers by 5x (Slan) or 4x (Mordred) to compensate for much longer battles, would that destroy the AAR or is a reasonable thing to do to lower my combat losses?
Any comments otherwise?
PS I really don't like to "forget" techs that are tough or def based = too gamey. But I also don't like waiting more than 10% of my research.
I think it is in the balance and the next month or so will determine it - I am about 6 days ahead and my losses are much lower but that may be a blip - it depends on how many battles are recorded as complerted (the last update had lots). That's why I was concerend about def and tough not having any influence - Ihave spent a lot of Leadership researching related techs.
I haven't added it up, but a lot more than 10K I would say. The south is going well - Imay take Kiev before Kaunas!
All the points you make are valid and so are the questions you raise. From 1936 I approached this on the basis that with an AI controlled attack MP would be the critical issue for the Germans. That is why the Luftwaffe is so big. (Don't forget that with AI control I need many more troops for garrisons too - manually I could control France with 3-4 cavalry). That covered my army - but to defeat Russia I tried to get away from an attritional war. I want to force them to repair existing units and resupply their whol army over and over again. That way they cqan't build new units and every unit Itrap or overrun is gone for good. I think that is what is happening, but can't be sure.
That is one reason I am tracking individual units: I can tell if a new one appears or whether the Red Army is being foreced to recycle old battered divs.
We will know soon enough.
Well, the "pockets" haven't managed to close yet. I have had a few instances where 100K Red troops are squeezing through the one province left open. Marvellous for bombers (when they are flying) but these have led to some of my most costly defeats. If I attack with one or two divs, I take horrendous losses, possibly because of the bug mentioned above.
I am trusting the air, but may agree with you on the supply issue. I have had up to 75% grounded out of supply, and yet I have plenty around and infra is good. It may be that the "draw" to the front is too strong. (Usually I have heaps of fuel which woul dsupport this argument.) But intensity of fighting fluctuates and the base do get supply inthe end. You just have 2-3 days of no bombing.
See above re pockets - there have been a couple of small ones but they didn't close intime. They did force the Russians to abandon provinces that they could have held for some time.
And am I right that fleeing units lose a lot of org/supply independent of cobat losses?
More battle casualties this time than the russians - not a nice thing to see.
Any chance we can get a little update about the other theatres in your next post?
Yes, I took much heavier ground less that time. It was distorted by a few big losses like Tukums, but stillnot good. It gets (slightly) better.
I intend to do two "Other Axis theatres" per month, unless somehting insane happens. So yes, one at the end of the next update (31/5).
Once that pocket is reduced I will be heading north - the Marines have been ordered to Riga to recover and prepare.
Intell is Ok but all my Russian agents are dead. I have cut back a lot on intell as I don;t need so much any more. (I don't care about most of the world). Diplomacy I have stopped - most countries are either too much to shift (Finland) or too neutral (Turkey). The USA is too expensive. I mainly keep a small amount for diplo actions (call to arms etc)
I have (from memory), 1 Pz, 2 schwere Pz, 4 Pzgr and maybe 2 mot in production. Not much , but they cost a fortune and I must spend a lot on infra before winter hits me. Upgrades to inf etc are essential, as is repair/reinforcements. I have five IC nearing completing but could do with 50! (Well, maybe 20 - rare materials are a problem, but I have 75K stockpile.)
Panzer rollen in Ukrainen vor!
Nearly...
My German is still a work in progress and no dictionary handy - vorrollen = roll forward?
If so, then the open fields are beckoning.
I ordered the 3 marine divs to Riga and the trnsports are already there. Problem is 3rd? marines got hammered recently and will need a week at least before they can leave. They'll be going north.
With all the changes I get confused but I thought the latest chages let retreating units gain organization.
What concerns me is the defense toughness bug. I need to read up more on this one to see how it impacts the game.
What concerns me is the defense toughness bug. I need to read up more on this one to see how it impacts the game.
Another thing to consider is that the infrastructure in in the provinces is damaged from the fighting. That will improve over time as well.
Note, one thing with the Army AI---hard to gauge from the AAR---does it stop attacking for any length of time? I've found that when running into supply issues it is often helpful to slow down the pace of the advance.
Just be glad the russians don't have rockets to logistically bomb you with--I've never seen the AI use them.
A quick apology - someone sent me a private message last night which I opened and meant to reply to this morning. Now it has vanished!
I can't remember who soent it, other than it was a new name to me.
So I am not being rude or ignoring you - either I deleted your message by mistake or it has somehow ended up in the bit-bin.
Also, slight dleay in update - I am trying out the "hot-fix" for the def/tough issue. Looks as though it works ok, but it does weaken air attacks
I can't remember who soent it, other than it was a new name to me.
So I am not being rude or ignoring you - either I deleted your message by mistake or it has somehow ended up in the bit-bin.
Also, slight dleay in update - I am trying out the "hot-fix" for the def/tough issue. Looks as though it works ok, but it does weaken air attacks
I'm looking at Narva (the port just SW of Leningrad). Marines there and a drive to Pskov to catch another pocket.
They do, but I think that units that retreat from a province lose a lot of org as they go - they can pick up org while moving back. It is attackers that can't get any as they advance (but can capture supply).
Another thing to consider is that the infrastructure in in the provinces is damaged from the fighting. That will improve over time as well.
Note, one thing with the Army AI---hard to gauge from the AAR---does it stop attacking for any length of time? I've found that when running into supply issues it is often helpful to slow down the pace of the advance.
Just be glad the russians don't have rockets to logistically bomb you with--I've never seen the AI use them.
Most infraq is opnly oen or two levels dmage after fighting and it recovers fairly fast. But lots of Russia is level 4 and I need better to keep rolling. Most of the pauses Ihave had are because units just need to recover - if the AI can find a unit with org it will attack while on that stance.
Well, I have played about 10 days on "normal" (with 100% chance of hit regardless of defence or toughness) and 10 days on Slan's hotfix (80% chance (with defence left) and 60% chance (no defence left) to miss chance rather than .8 and .6) with modified to 4 x combat damage modifiers (Mordred).
As far as I can judge on a small period with many variables, my gut feel is that combat damage is markedly lower but bombing damage is about halved. To implement this now will make my job harder, as my biggest asset (th eLuftwaffe) will be less valuable. On the other hand, as my technical edge gets better and the length of battles gets less, I should start to get the edge in land battles.
Not being one to flinch from a challenge, and also wanting to see how the game will support someone who has gone for tech rahter than muscle, I will change over. You probably won't notice when it happens, jsut that the bombing totals are much less. Otherwise it will be much the same for a while - battles that have been going for awhile have similar results. It is only when a battle has been going for a while under the modified values that you can see the differnece.
I want to stress this is mainly becuae I see this as the way it is supposed to work - I hate the thought that all my infanry artillery tech is useless. And if it had made it a walkover for me then I would definitley not have done so. But I will take a hit with the possiblity of a long term gain.
Anyway - time for bed - today I had to prepare for an exam, do these trials, watch a spring training baseball match on TV and try to discover why one of my other computers won't work . Tomorrow if I get time I'll update until end of May.
I finally got caught up on all the posts regarding the def/toughness bug. To be honest I would ignore it for the rest of this AAR. I read some very conflicting things on how it might impact game balance if you use Slan's suggessted numbers. And Slan also had posted two different sets of numbers. One where all damage was 5 times higher and the other where only the land damage was raised 5 times with air and naval much less.
I agree that the bug needs to be fixed but I worry about the unknowns. Not enough testing and data have been presented yet. Slan even proposed some massive changes to unit stats. And of course there were a number of posts concerning the impact to MP, which isn't really known at this time.
I agree that the bug needs to be fixed but I worry about the unknowns. Not enough testing and data have been presented yet. Slan even proposed some massive changes to unit stats. And of course there were a number of posts concerning the impact to MP, which isn't really known at this time.
I'd concur, there is also a view that the bug only affects certain types of combat, all the more reason to keep with the current set of parameters, my fear is if you apply this fix, you could find in 6-8 game weeks all sorts of unintended impacts. I did some simple tests of attacking a 1918 teched division with one with 1946 techs & then closing the gap & then playing around with just setting HA/SA values. There is something wrong, but for the most part I was seeing the spread of losses I'd expect intuitively (which I guess is why this bug has gone unspotted for so long)
OK - I'll stick with the traditional. Both of you have far more experience than me with Paradox engines: I did have worries about long term issues. I had seen the comments about the impact long term on shorter battles, longer recovery times = increasing death rates and it did concern me. As well as the whole "balance" issue - would this change have a subtle impact that would not be seen until higher levels reached.
Thanks for replying
Edit And the main reason for staying "normal" - I want people to see that this is not some mod, it is just a normal game with AI running it.
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Rank and File
A Clerk’s War
A Clerk’s War
Thursday 29th to Saturday 31st May 1941
With casualties so high over the past few days so high, anything that even hinted at helping our ground troops was welcome. So there was a bit of fanfare for the announcement that our standard infantry rifle was to be the Gewehr 43. Upgrading has started but it will be an enormous task to produce and distribute so many weapons, and to organise training in use and maintenance. The next project, when completed, will not be so difficult to implement, as it is to develop new carriage and sights for our mobile anti-air guns.
New rifles stacked ready for a training class: a picture to be repeated thousands of times across Europe.
It was the Red Army that set the pace for Thursday with a predawn attack on Pervomays’k. Förster’s 7th Gebirgsjäger Division was roused to be told to prepare for an armoured attack. Russian tanks backed by motorised infantry had been detected heading their way. It will not be easy to hold off the 19,000 Russians if they press their attack hard: although Förster’s division has received supply deliveries, it is still 800 men short after recent fighting. It takes some time to get reinforcements to Österreich Army – they must pass through Yugoslavia, Romania and now occupied Russia.
Battle of Pervomays’k
Barely an hour later, at the northern edge of the Front, Kreß von Kressenstein started the process of closing the pocket of trapped Russian troops. It seems from his early messages that they had quite large stockpiles of ammunition – and Jurmala will be quite a task for a single division, even one led by the veteran general.
Battle of Jurmala
The rest of the morning was just routine work, punctuated by announcements of battles decided. Szczuczyin is ours, Zvenyhorodka is ours, Dubno has surrendered. It was like a background rhythm. Then a dose of reality: a severe defeat in Hlusza. General Ernakov’s reinforcements were too much for Schlörmer, even though he had help on the way. An attempt to seize Zhermerynka was repulsed, and Starokostantyniv was secured. A good morning’s work.
First report after lunch gave me a start, when I saw 3rd leichte Panzer mentioned. My brother Heinz was moving back into action. General Felber has overall command of his own infantry division and Harpe’s panzers and is to capture Radun’ from Lobachev’s 209 Motorizavannaya. The only other enemy are a few thousand HQ troops. Ordinarily it would be a walk-over, but the Memel River, the death of so many men in the past month, is again assisting the defenders. I told myself that Heinz would be safe sitting in his tank until the pontoon bridges are in place and a bridgehead cleared, but I can’t help worrying that he might decide to help out the pionieres.
Battle of Radun’
Even after been through the nightmare of extricating his men from the swamps of Daugai once before, it seems Nehring has not been able to persuade von Manstein that the province is a death trap. General von Sodenstern has been told to take 60.Infanterie into the marshes and 1st Panzer is to assist. Vatutin now has three divisions ensconced in the nearly impenetrable terrain, all fully supplied. He has the Memel in front of him, and has had plenty of time to prepare his position. Nobody here thinks that we have a chance.
2nd Battle of Daugai
In Shepetivka 45.Infanterie must defeat nearly 80,000 men, but that seems far more likely than victory in Daugai. At least most of Kriuchenkin’s men are tired and hungry. General Warlimont may be able to hit them hard enough to break the last vestiges of self-control and start a panic stricken rush to the rear. If they don’t, it may turn into another battle of attrition.
Battle of Shepetivka
Desperate to keep pushing towards Kyiv, Guderian authorised a night assault on Izyaslav, though we knew that the Red Army had 25,000 men in the area. General Dippold had 386.Infanterie as ready as it would ever be, but already there are warning signs: captured soldiers of 97 Strelkovaya are well armed and fresh. An early collapse seems unlikely.
Battle of Izyaslav
For the second time in two days, the Red Army surprised us by launching a counter-attack. Again it was in the southern part of the Front, but this time it was von Förster in Vinnytsya. Stavka has provided General Remezov with four infantry divisions, all in relatively good condition, and 25.Infanteire is under heavy attack. Guderian and Balkans Army HQ are desperately looking for units to assist von Förster, but there is nothing nearby. (Perhaps understandably, von Förster did not file a battle map. In the circumstances, I will not lodge a formal complaint about poor administrative practices which would lead to a permanent notice on his file. We filing officers can be human. Maybe my compassion was affected by my earlier discovery that for some time the Heer has had two 14.Infanterie (mot) Divisions. A quiet alteration to the name of General Jodl’s unit (to 100.ID (mot) fixed that up).
An abortive attempt by the VVS to bomb Dietl’s Fallschirmjägers in Bauska gave Christiansen’spilots some target practice. Although still waiting for replacement aircraft, particularly for JG 10 “Wotan”, the Luftwaffe could still send 460 Messerschmitts to oppose Smuschkevich’s 275 fighters and 195 dive bombers. Dietl’s attack on Panevezys was not affected in any way.
General von Kluge has decided to become a little more active, probably becoming aware that comparisons are being made to the number of battles that von Manstien, Rommel and Guderian are controlling. To be fair to von Kluge, while he has not been so flamboyant, his casualty figures are a fraction of theirs. Regardless of that, General Brand is taking 3rd Gebrigsjäger north east into Katerynopil’. The defenders are one decent division (90 Strelkovaya) and one division that is still recovering from the battle of Chisinau (129 Strlekovaya). Does von Kluge believe that such attacks will distract reinforcements from Odessa?
Battle of Katerynopil’
Von Manstein is not the only army commander to think tanks can operate on boggy ground: though one would have thought Rommel would know better. Maybe he is unaware of conditions, or General von Hubicki is showing misplaced initiative. It doesn’t alter the fact that the Panzer IIs of 7th PzD are moving into Bereznica. The opposition is not as strong as at Daugai, and there is no river to cross, but it will still be tough. He has had immediate help from the Luftwaffe in the form of several mission flown by the Henschels of 4th Schlachtfliegerkorps, but even that has been costly. Hoffmann von Waldau reported that on the last flight his aircraft were caught by Kutakhov’s 54th, 47th and 39th IAD. We lost nearly 50 dive-bombers and the mission was nearly ineffectual. It could be some time before the unit can fly again.
Battle of Bereznica
If von Kluge is trying to draw reinforcements from Odessa, General Guderian and the Balkans Army are helping. By starting a night attack, General Herzog’s 36.Infanterie will tie up nearly 70,000 enemy troops in Novoakhanhel’s’k. Eight infantry and a tank division are in the province, presumably confident that their sheer numbers would protect them and allow them to receive much needed supplies. Herzog is not satisfied with just preventing them from resting: he wants to defeat them and intends to push hard to achieve that.
Battle of Novoarkhanhel’s’k
Focus moved back to Polen Army Sud as the month drew to an end. General Bremer is another of our commanders who has no fear of being outnumbered, even if by nearly four to one. 23.Infanterie is opposed in Styr by no less than five Soviet infantry divisions.
Battle of Styr
There was some more air activity, with Russian bombers killing 43 of Hännicke’s men in Alytus, most of them as they were trying to assemble a pontoon bridge to allow them to cross to Kaunas. Novikov’s planes will not return for a while: Klepke’s interceptors caught them on their flight home and the unescorted Ar-2s were east prey. As were Hoffman von Waldau’s Hs 129s over Bereznica, until 500 of our Messerschmitts arrived to teach Kutakhov’s MiG 1s a lesson. It was effective, but 4th Schlachtfliegerkorps is now down to 135 effective aircraft.
At 7AM General Kesselring advised OKW that Russian forces had reoccupied Alsunga. He had made a decision that he could not afford a division to hold the province. The occupying forces cannot escape and as soon as he can repel some attacks from the east he will detail units to mop up the pocket. Not long after von Manstein took the opportunity to call of the attack in Daugai: another 465 men dead for no real purpose.
General Petersen always has a purpose: to drive the enemy back until he is utterly destroyed. He drove 22.Infanterie (mot) through the wreckage of Dubno, chasing after the routed Red Army divisions. Now has caught up with nearly 90,000 of them in Równe. Determined to give them no rest, he ah ordered his trucks to keep advancing, mixing his Sturmpanzers with the infantry to allow continuous attacks. He promises that soon the Russians will be on the move again.
Battle of Równe
Maybe it is an omen of things to come, but the last battle of the month was another attack by the Russians. Having driven far north of the rest of the Balkans Army, Cochenhausen is every exposed in Zhashkiv. Under attack from the north and east, he has informed General Guderian he can hold out for some time, but that his supply lines could be under threat. Stavka has organised three attacks in the south in the past three days: could this be a sign of things to come?
Battle of Zhashkiv
Baltic Army
Panevezys: Cherevichenko has given 33 Belorusskaya Strelkovaya, doubling his defence. At the same time, 1 Infanterie has joined 1st Fallschirmjäger, attacking from Siaulia. (72% complete)
Jurmala: no change, but 319 Strelkovaya has been provided as a reserve for Lavrinovich. (63% complete)
Polen Army Nord
Seduva: von Wietersheim has managed a local breakthrough, but otherwise no change. (57% complete)
6th Kaunas: the lastest information is promising. Two more divisions have linked up with Strecker’s 86.Infanterie and Hänicke’s 56.Infanterie (31, and 72.Infanterie) and the capital is now under attack from four different directions. Karmarov is desperately awaiting the arrival of 160 Strelkovaya from his rear areas, but this is a second line unit that is still weakened by previous fighting. (77% complete)
Orany: General Gallenkamp and 87.Infanterie have crossed from Druskiennie to force Muzich to cover his flank. Von Salmuth has been told that 73.ID and 3rd PzD are on their way. General Muzich has been forced to bring 209 Motorizavannaya back to the front line, despite its lack of supply. He now has 7 Tankovaya in reserve, but this unit, like 209 Motor., was badly shaken by the defeat in Sopockinie and cannot be seen as a threat. (73% complete)
Radun’: the HQ troops have fled and Felber has broken through in at least one area. (42% complete)
Polen Army Sud
Styr: Despite outnumbering Bremer’s 23.ID by five to one, Vishnevskij’s troops are reeling from the shock of the attack. (64% complete)
Janów Poleski: Even with the men of 14.ID attacking from Iwacewicze, Ott’s advance is slowing as the survivors of Drohicyn Poleski clog the roads. 317, 159 and 197 Kievskaya are marching east at full speed and the roadsides are covered with discarded equipment. The tens of thousands of defeated troops might offset the loss of 151 Strelkovaya which has been withdrawn, but they won’t affect the outcome of this battle. (75% complete)
Bereznica: 13 Tankovaya is moving into Propvalov’s rear areas, ready to move to the front if necessary. While von Hubicki has managed to encircle some of Soviet troops, progress is slow in the marshy terrain. (46% complete)
Równe: Petersen’s 10,000 men have shocked Lukin’s 80,000 Russians and the battle is a foregone conclusion. (92% complete)
Balkans Army
Vinnytsa: Faced with a three pronged assault, von Förster has attempted to counter-attack. Unless he is helped soon, he will be forced to retreat. (67% complete)
Shepetivka: Warlimont has ordered 45.ID to assault the 80,000 Russians who stand between them and victory. Signs are the Russians are cracking. (71% complete)
Novoarkhanhel’s’k: While in von Kluge’s area of operations (and with the Österreich Army’s 7th SS Freiwilligen Gebrigsjäger Division moving to attack from Tal’ne) Guderian has claimed this as his battle. It is not really material as Herzog should finish of the 70,000 demoralised Soviets soon. (75% complete)
Zhashkiv: no change. (37% complete)
Izyaslav: Ony 227 Strelkovaya remains, hoping to allow the other units to escape. (61% complete)
Österreich Army
Katerynopil’: 129 Strelkovaya has been forced to pull out, but 53 Strelkovaya is moving up as a reserve. Brand, however, has been told that 2nd leichte PzD is moving up to assist. (84% complete)
Odessa: no change. (61% complete)
Pervomays’k: no change (82% complete)
East Front
Finalised East Front Battles for the period 29th to 31st May 1941
Szczuczyn: 25/10,000: 75/9,559
Zvenyhorodka: 198/10,000: 249/15,628
Dubno: 53/11,922: 176/119,000
Hlusza: 992/19,958: 344/36,661
Starokostynantyniv: 84/9,995: 89/24,480
Daugai: 465/21,996: 132/26,929
Total Battle Casualties for 29th to 31st May 1941
German: 1,817
Russian: 1,065
Prior Battle Casualties
German: 104,600
Russian: 118,740
Total Battle Casualties to date
German: 1,817 + 104,600 = 106,417
Russian: 1,065 + 118,740 = 119,805
Bombing Summary
Luftwaffe
Zvenyhorodka: Schwartzkopff with 4th Kampffliegerkorps: 99 (99)
Janów Poleski: Sperrle with 1st Kampffliegerkorps: 218, 256, 385, 166 (1025)
Illintsi: Schwartzkopff with 4th Kampffliegerkorps: 234, 317, 163, 280, 322 (1316)
Daugai: Weise with 5th Schlachtfliegerkorps: 112, 189 (301)
Bereznica: Hoffmann von Waldau with 4th Kampffleigerkorps: 197, 107, 30, 33 (367)
Zhovten: Dörstling with 6th Kampffliegerkorps: 151, 225, 199, 88 (663)
VVS
Alytus: Novikov with 9th and 1st ShAD: 43 (43)
Total Bombing Casualties for 29th to 31st May 1941
German: 43
Russian: 3,771
Prior Bombing Casualties
German: 1,221
Russian: 79,236
Total Bombing Casualties to date
German: 43 + 1,221 = 1,264
Russian: 3,771 + 79,236 = 83,007
Total East Front Casualties for 29th to 31st May 1941
German: 1,817 + 43 = 1,860
Russian: 1,065 + 3,771 = 4,836
Prior East Front Casualties
German: 105,821
Russian: 197,976
Total East Front Casualties to date
German: 1,860 + 105,821 = 107,681
Russian: 4,836 + 197,976 = 202,812
Unterseebootsflotte Activity Report for May 1941
42 transports and 4 escorts sunk: all British. (Only one transport in the Mittelmeer).
Axis Military Situation Maps for end of May 1941
North Africa: British armour is trying to stem the tide on the east bank of the Suez Canal
Greece: No change.
China: Japanese troops have captured the important port of Qingdao, and are steadily moving south along the whole front.
Indo-China: supply is still the issue, and Guangxi attacks are slowly decreasing the size of the Japanese enclave.
North Africa: British armour is trying to stem the tide on the east bank of the Suez Canal
Greece: No change.
China: Japanese troops have captured the important port of Qingdao, and are steadily moving south along the whole front.
Indo-China: supply is still the issue, and Guangxi attacks are slowly decreasing the size of the Japanese enclave.
Damn Indochina!
The eastern front looks more like its WW1 counterpart, no armoured breakthroughs.
The eastern front looks more like its WW1 counterpart, no armoured breakthroughs.
Rank and File
A Clerk’s War
A Clerk’s War
Sunday 1st to Friday 6th June (Part I)
As befitted a day of rest (but not for filing clerks!), the frantic pace of the last few days was relaxed. The Luftwaffe in particular had the day off, with only Udet’s dive-bombers turning up for work. General Buhle also was not going to waste an opportunity, and although Hlusza is held by two of the red Army’s better units, he and General Völcker have a pincer attack underway. (Ermakov must have thought he no longer needed the extra troops he used when he was attacked earlier by Schlömer’s 105.ID (mot)). It may have been a better idea to let their men rest too, as the Russians are proving stubborn.
Battle of Hlusza
Balkans Army HQ send the good news that Cochenhausen had beaten off General Cheremisov’s attackin Zhashkiv, with only light casualties, and Osterreich Army added to the optimistic mood by passing on Brand’s report from Katerynopil’: 3rd Gebirgsjäger Division has seized the province (with a little help from 2nd leichte PzD).
That was all before I had had my morning cup of coffee. (It didn’t take Gisela long to find a source of decent coffee in our new building – it is amazing what can be achieved with a smile from a pretty young woman). By 9AM there was even better news, as von Förster repulsed the three pronged attack on Vinnytsya. It was not cheap however, as his losses were nearly three to one.
Von Brockdorff-Ahlefeldt made quick work of the 23,000 Russians holding Polonne. Attacking early in the morning, by dark he had won the battle. Considering he faced three divisions, the numbers of Russians present may indicate that losses are impacting the Red Army.
Battle of Polonne
General von Lützow was even more efficient, and he faced much tougher opposition. (Though they were already committed to another battle: attacking Pervomays’k). Zhmachenko had an armour and a motorised division with which to defend Zhovten, but that did not deter 4th Gebirgsjäger and 163.ID. Seven hours of precisely planned attacks and manoeuvres had the Soviets in full retreat. At least that is the report from Österreich Army – there are some here in Berlin who think that Stavka may be trying to conserve its mobile units for a counter-attack.
Battle of Zhovten
As a direct result of von Lützow’s attack, after three days General Popov has withdrawn his tanks from Pervomays’k. Förster’s 7th Gebirgsjäger will be relieved as they were on the brink of surrendering the province.
What the Gebirgsjägers faced: waves of BT-5s backed by mobile troops and supported by the VVS
The fight for Illintsi should also be quick, despite some of Rösener’s men foolishly getting ambushed as the battle began. General Kreizer’s 315 Strelkovaya has been severely weakened, down to 6,600 men, while 35 and 26.ID have 20,000 men between them.
Battle of Illintsi
Although Monday saw the Luftwaffe swing back into action, the Heer must thought that its men need a longer break. Not one attack started that day, nor were any completed. It was as if calm had descended over the whole East Front, broken only by the regular delivery of plane-loads of bombs.
The only matter of importance was information from some prisoners that factories in some Soviet cities were being dismantled and loaded onto trains for shipment east. This seemed extreme to our interrogators, but Minister Schacht, who has also been provided with long range reconnaissance photographs, believes it to be accurate. Stalin is preparing for a long war.
Long-tem planning: Soviet industry moved east
By the time we capture the factories, they are empty shells, with all the equipment having been stripped and sent eastwards
Tuesday saw ground movements start to pick up, but it started badly with defeat in Seduva. Once again the number of enemy troops was too much for our soldiers. Von Wietersheim’s men tried valiantly, but 63,000 Russians taking full advantage of the forest for cover were able to inflict devastating damage. On the other hand, General Herzog won in Novoarkhanhel’s’k where he was opposed by Kurasov with 93,000 men.
Yet again we are sending our soldiers in the swamps of Daugai. This third attack is again by von Sodenstern, backed by 1st Panzer, but the enemy leader is now General Pavlov, Vatutin having been transferred out with 88 Strlekovaya.
3rd Battle of Daugai
Guderian was right to expect a quick win in Illintsi. Rösener crushed 315 Strelkovaya, losing less then a third of the casualties inflicted. General Felber also had success in Radun’. As is normal for Polen Army Nord, however, casualties were relatively high. The calibre of the opposition in the north seems much better, or perhaps they are better led.
One general who has been uncharacteristically quiet recently is Geyr von Schweppenburg. He should achieve his normal level of fame with his current battle. 2nd leichte Panzer Division is storming into Valutine, hoping perhaps to disrupt any future attacks on the Balkans Army. The broad wheatfields stretching to the horizon will be perfect terrain for his PzKpfw 38(t)Gs. The fact that Ratnikov can call on 6 divisions did not concern him at all, and his first radio messages from his command half-track speak only of passing columns of prisoners marching south.
Battle of Valutine
The really important news came in the mid-afternoon. A victory in Izyslav was the introduction, but it was followed soon after by General von Kluge’s announcement that Friedrich-Willich has sent a message from the centre of Odessa: 2nd Gebirgsägers have taken the city. This tremendous news has been broadcast continuously, and for some reason it is our best and brightest who are most affected. Officer colleges and military research institutes are being flooded with enquiries and Minister Goebbels claims a 10% increase in applications.
News of the capture of Odessa was flashed across the Reich
It may coincidental, but as Odessa fell into our hands, there was a half-hearted attempt to recapture Zhovten. If the hope was to compensate for the loss of Odessa with a counter-attack it failed hopelessly: well before dark von Lützow had the attackers on the run.
2nd Battle of Zhovten
With just one division holding Odessa, von Kluge was anxious to ensure that it was not subjected to a flank attack from Berezivka. Behlendorff volunteered his 6th SS Freiwilligen Gebirgsjäger Division “Nord” to clear any potential threat, and gave the order to attack immediately. It was a wise move: a Soviet armoured division backed by infantry was in position to move on the city. Now they have more pressing problems, as they were caught from the rear.
Battle of Berezivka
The Luftwaffe intended to assist Behlenforff, sending 4th Kampffliegerkorps to bomb the Soviet troops, but things did not go as planned. To start with, General Rog and three fighter brigades attacked Grauert’s bombers over Berezivka. This should not have been too much of an issue, as JG 22 “Schild” still had 71 serviceable Fock-Wulfe 109A fighters to hold off the 250 or so Russian MiG 1s and I-16s. It may have been costly, but the bombers would have been able to complete their mission. As it was, the Luftwaffe overreacted. 900 interceptors congregated in the skies above Berezivka. Such huge numbers of aircraft were impossible for a single commander to control, and it was far too dangerous for our bombers to attempt to locate and attack specific targets. That would have been bad enough, but some fool in Östereich Army HQ did not realise the impact so many aircraft were having and persisted in sending in the interceptor geschwaders for the next 4 missions as well! At least 1,000 Russians were left alive as a result of administrative incompetence. Not to mention the fuel and bombs wasted in the process.
Air Berezvika: 6PM 3rd June 1941
Generalleutnant Grauert is furious that the Fw 190As of JG 22 “Schild” were not considered enough to protect the medium bombers of “Löwen” and “General Wever”
With the increase in university researchers available for military projects, the Waffenamt has authorised funds for development of new bridging equipment. It is not a minute too soon, as we lost thousands of men crossing the Memel alone. The Brückenleger IV should help, though the courage of our pioniere regiments will be the deciding factor in whether we cross a river or breach a fortification.
A prototype Bruckenleger shows how to cross anti-tank obstacles (“dragon’s teeth”)
General Veith has taken command of the latest addition to the Heer. 112 Infanterie Division (mot) has been assigned to 2nd Motorkorps, Balkans Army. It will be some time before it is ready for combat, but it is now in Berehomet and de Angelis will no doubt to be glad to now have a full complement of five divisions.
Only days after surviving a Soviet attack, Cochenhausen is looking for revenge. Under General Bader’s command, 161.ID and 6.ID are pushing into Monastyryshche. Zaev’s two divisions could be a tough obstacle, and victory will not be easy. Nevertheless, Guderian will expect that Bader maintains the reputation of the Balkans Army for keeping the Russians under immense pressure.
Battle of Monstyryshche
That was all for Wednesday, except for combat reports form Hlusza, Orany and Janów Poleski. All victories, all with casualties suffered nearly equal to casualties inflicted.
End of Part I
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Damn Indochina!
The eastern front looks more like its WW1 counterpart, no armoured breakthroughs.
I can't understand why Japan suddenly turned off the supply tap to IndoChina, there seems to be plenty around.
And I don't think the AI does armoured b/throughs: it is all I can do to try to stop it running PzDs into the Pripet. I think Imay have done that with some changes in objectives etc on 7th June.
With the AI I am seriously questioning the value of armour. As of late I have tried several routes with my British campaign and the best so far has been with regular infantry armies heavily supported from the air. An army consists of 5 corps made up of five divs with three inf bde plus one support brigade. (AT, Art, AA) the Air support is 2 groups of 3 fighters, two groups of 3 tac 1 MRF and one group of 3 CAS. In addition I have made Mountain armies (3 mtn 1 eng) with same support.
They eat anything placed before me.... As long as I dominate the sky.
The battles start off at an equal footing, but as my airpower comes into play the enemy is shattered and the advance gathers pace. This has led me to ignore Armour development until 1943. Fighting in Africa, Sicilly (and up till Rome) , India and Japan before tackling Germany.
I think I see the same signs in Uriahs campaign. The Russians are rotating their battered units futher back to reorg, but the toll in manpower is grinding them down.
I don't know how you see the additions to the armed forces Uriah, but Tac groups seem to hunt further inland if there are "surplus" tac groups. In Italy my tac units started to attack units several provinces behind the front line. (I have radar on Malta)
Victory in late 1942 (if the allies don't interfere...USA etc)
They eat anything placed before me.... As long as I dominate the sky.
The battles start off at an equal footing, but as my airpower comes into play the enemy is shattered and the advance gathers pace. This has led me to ignore Armour development until 1943. Fighting in Africa, Sicilly (and up till Rome) , India and Japan before tackling Germany.
I think I see the same signs in Uriahs campaign. The Russians are rotating their battered units futher back to reorg, but the toll in manpower is grinding them down.
I don't know how you see the additions to the armed forces Uriah, but Tac groups seem to hunt further inland if there are "surplus" tac groups. In Italy my tac units started to attack units several provinces behind the front line. (I have radar on Malta)
Victory in late 1942 (if the allies don't interfere...USA etc)
This should teach you to mess around and give the Russians a whole bunch more. It's like a slog fest.
I really, really hope, that this is not taking the same path as Eastern Empire's AAR. That slaughter went on until '47.