Bersaglieri and the Bear: ByeoHazard Vs. Xerkis

[Xerkis]

03Jan1943 (Turn 12):
Indeed his troops came back to protect his supporting units… And they came back with a vengeance. They curled around us like the ribbons on our Christmas gifts from a few days ago.
Still no sign of his southern group. But we know he is out there; waiting for the right moment to slam down on us. HQ thinks our ruse of weakness followed by the right mix of force has made our enemy cautious.


This might be all that is left of his air force. If that is true, we will be more aggressive in the skies.

[Xerkis]

05Jan1943 (Turn 13):
The snow is back again. It is affecting the morale of the men.
Our right flank was hit hard by the enemy’s southern group.
The only thing that now stands in their way is our final line of defense. HQ has pinned all on this; it had better work or we will become frozen like the ground we stand on.


Our pilots are becoming restless. They now know they can best the enemy planes, if only they could get the chance.

[Xerkis]

07Jan1943 (Turn 14):
It would seem that the northern group is taking a rest after our small counterattack. We might have lost some units, but we crippled the Russian’s strength. It should be a few days (2 turns) until they proceed westward. Perhaps they are waiting for the river to once again freeze for them?
In the south the enemy has been slowed to a crawl by a single infantry unit that was well entrenched in the city there. He now flees for safer ground while the Russians lick their wounds.
HQ gave the order for the Tiger tank to move more to the center of the line. This will give him the option to counterstrike either north or south; wherever he is needed.
Also, once again a recon unit is about to be caught behind enemy lines. Often when doing ones duty can be costly.


Glorious day (turn) for our Flyboys! They were able to down an enemy TAC. It would be fortunate if the enemy’s last fighter came to try and chase us away.

[Xerkis]

09Jan1943 (Turn 15):
The winter days are hard and the nights long and cold, but standing here waiting for your enemy to come to you is the most treacherous of all facets of war.


The enemy becomes bold – far too bold. First clear day and he will wish to have never taken to the skies but to have hidden in the earth below.



War should never be entered if one is not willing to pay the price.

[Xerkis]

11Jan1943 (Turn 16):
There is sure to be no more rest until we have either vanquished our foe or have died trying.
On our left flank, a point unit tried to cross the river to no avail. It was easily hammered in to nothingness. All that is left is the crimson current of the river.
We will sit here and pick them off one at a time.
Thanks to some recon by our air force, we have been able to get a look at what is coming to meet us on our right.
The weather must stay warm and the river flowing for us to survive. HQ is sure that the Russians are waiting for just the opposite. They have time to wait for a frozen – and passable – river.



We were surprised to find two enemy fighters came straight at us. HQ must have had some misinformation on the enemy’s number of planes.
But we were able to send one of them crashing in to the ground below. That should make the second one reconsider what he is doing so far in front of the line.

[Xerkis]

13Jan1943 (Turn 17):
The weather is indeed against us. Always has been, and perhaps always will be.
His forces seem to be focusing to our center. So far we have been able to keep him at bay.
When the time comes, in a few more days (2 turns) HQ wants our left flank to push forward and swing in behind his line. Conditions must be very favorable to attempt this. Maybe then the frozen river will benefit us for a change.


More times than not, our air force is used solely for recon.
If only the weather could clear, then those obstinate fighter pilots will regret they ever learned to fly.

[Xerkis]

15Jan1943 (Turn 18 ):
Our counter attack was able to push his center backwards and once again some of the enemy’s artillery units have taken heavy losses and are in jeopardy of being eliminated.
Surprisingly very light contact on our extreme right. If the weather would only break so we can get some decent intel. Our last report is 4 days (2 turns) old.
HQ now believes that they are concentrating on our center as more of a diversionary tactic. The real attacks are waiting to strike our flanks.


Our fighters have discovered a small paratrooper force attempting to strike our left flank and rear. If the weather clears, they will give air support to help counter the enemy’s deep penetration of our line.

[Xerkis]

17Jan1943 (Turn 19):
The enemy’s behind the lines paratrooper attack is doomed. One unit destroyed as soon as he hit the ground. Second unit is below full strength.
This is the last day (turn) to push on the counterattack. The forecast is calling for nicer weather; we could have our troops on the wrong side of the river. The plan is to bring them back and rearm ourselves for the next push by the Russians.
Our Tiger tank may have overestimated his own strength. He is in a bad location. HQ hopes the Russians recoil at the sight of it and not flock to him.


Our air force is earning their pay this month for sure. When they are able they are completely destroying all that is in their way; both in the air and on the ground.

[Xerkis]

19Jan1943 (Turn 20):
We pushed the Russians back far enough and delivered such a crushing blow that we have been able to regroup to our side of the river. It should be at least two days (1 turn) until we see any of them again, giving our men much needed time to resupply.
The Tiger was pummeled down to 40% of his original strength, but was able to disengage in time to be able to make repairs for the next assault.
None remain of the paratroopers. A valiant maneuver but ill of fate.


The air war is again at a resting point for fuel.

[Xerkis]

21Jan1943 (Turn 21):
90% of the troops are back up to full strength, and no sign of the enemy at our direct front.
The only contact on the ground in the past two days (this turn) was on the right flank. HQ has ordered a counterattack on the Russian held city there. It is mostly as a diversionary tactic. The plan is to lure some of the Russian units to the extreme right so as to relieve the pressure from our center while also strengthening our flank.
So far in this action, we were able to take out a recon unit and badly damage the sentry guarding the city.
The tank in the rear is doing a precautionary sweep for any additional paratroopers that might have snuck past on one of the snowy days.


One more – and HQ thinks the last – enemy fighter has been eliminated.
Also some bombing runs on the right flank in support of the counterattack.


HQ likes the numbers it is now seeing.
The soldier out in the field might think we are losing. All the ground the enemy has taken and the high casualty rate could be indications of just that, but HQ has the big picture in mind. Hold the west side of the river at all cost; the rest is inconsequential.

[Xerkis]

23Jan1943 (Turn 22):
For the past two days (this turn) minimal contact on the right flank. The Russians are running out of time before the hard winter sets in. We were able to heavily damage a self propelled artillery piece that ventured too far forward. They must desperately want to out flank us.
HQ is untrusting about our right rear; it has been some time since any recon in that area. The tank in the back will continue his recon through the unknown and then link up on the extreme right.
Our counterattack to the right may have over committed itself. It was able to recapture the city but now HQ wants the task force to curl back to plug the hole that is now present in the main line.


Nothing more than air recon. But although it might be a less glorious task, it is one that is most definitely needed.

[Xerkis]

25Jan1943 (Turn 23):
Our tank recon in the rear was able to eliminate an enemy unit caught on the wrong side of the river.
Air recon has exposed a thinned and weakened Russian army. Our forces are currently at full strength.
As HQ has reminded us time and time again; discipline – discipline is what wins a war.


Aerial recon and targets of opportunity was the order of the day (turn).
Able to inflict effective damage to an air transport bringing fresh troops to the front.

[Xerkis]

27Jan1943 (Turn 24):
A full attack on my center and northern flanks were beaten back with relative ease.
Time, snow and a strong Axis defense has defeated the Russians


Our air force ends this battle with once again unable to do much of anything because of the fierce winter setting in.

[Xerkis]

The final Maps:




Northern Flank:


Center:


Southern Flank:


The final losses.
May their loved ones know that they died for the greater good.

[Molve]

Great AAR.

It seems I have time to provide a few comments before Kerensky and the real masters wade in...

* First, I thought you (the Axis) were lucky in avoiding frozen conditions during the beginning, but I guess it evened out by mid-game.
* The biggest mistake the Soviets did (in my personal opinion of course) was not driving hard and fast enough towards the rear (left) of the map. Instead of swinging back to clean out the right middle victory hex the Soviet northern front should drive relentlessly towards the big battle in the very center of the map. As long as the Red Army manages to bring one unit adjacent to the enemy flag, there can't be any reinforcements. And then the mopping up can proceed at a leisurely pace, not holding up any spearheading units (like armor).
* on the other hand, as far as I could see, you didn't use the German Panzers nearly actively enough. Why hold them back - they're far superior to any Italian unit. In fact, with luck, skill and trickery, you might even use them to reconquer a Soviet-taken flag and hold it until you can start building Wehrmacht units. Thereby bypassing your greatest handicap on this map (the crap Hard Attack and Defense offered by italian units).
* In fact, I think the Axis defense was too static. Trying to defend three victory hexes doesn't work when you need all three to win. You only need to fail at one of them to lose. Drawing the line at four would be more flexible, since even if you lose one, the game can still be won.
* I especially liked the air combat. Yes, Italian ground units might be weak, but their fighters aren't that bad - especially compared to Soviet ones... One thing I might have missed though is the decisive role AA can play here. Can't remember if the Germans come with an AA unit, but one 88 can almost by itself kill a Soviet plane: Italian fighters need only rush in for the kill. So the best fighters aren't always flying units... (Of course, a good opponent knows he can't risk his fighters this way)

Again, great AAR!

[Xerkis]

* First, I thought you (the Axis) were lucky in avoiding frozen conditions during the beginning, but I guess it evened out by mid-game.

Yeah, I thought the same thing. I wasn’t going to do much with my air force because I thought I wouldn’t get the chance. But then it was clear for so long I thought why not go flying… then it turned on me again.

* The biggest mistake the Soviets did (in my personal opinion of course) was not driving hard and fast enough towards the rear (left) of the map. Instead of swinging back to clean out the right middle victory hex the Soviet northern front should drive relentlessly towards the big battle in the very center of the map. As long as the Red Army manages to bring one unit adjacent to the enemy flag, there can't be any reinforcements. And then the mopping up can proceed at a leisurely pace, not holding up any spearheading units (like armor).

ByeoHazard and I have played a couple of times before. So in his defense, I think he was going off of those past experiences and believed if he plowed ahead as you suggests, he would have paid dearly for it. I was somewhat counting on him being cautious and that helped to formulate the plan I had from turn one.

* on the other hand, as far as I could see, you didn't use the German Panzers nearly actively enough. Why hold them back - they're far superior to any Italian unit. In fact, with luck, skill and trickery, you might even use them to reconquer a Soviet-taken flag and hold it until you can start building Wehrmacht units. Thereby bypassing your greatest handicap on this map (the crap Hard Attack and Defense offered by italian units).

To win I needed to defend. And what better units at my disposal than those very ones you speak of? And as you put it, the not so great Italian forces were used as cannon fodder and to slow the Russian advance.

* In fact, I think the Axis defense was too static. Trying to defend three victory hexes doesn't work when you need all three to win. You only need to fail at one of them to lose. Drawing the line at four would be more flexible, since even if you lose one, the game can still be won.

Obviously you are mistaken. It does work and did work – I just proved that.


Will it work 100% of the time? Certainly not. But there was no need to move those units – the enemy had a long way to travel and there were enough forces at strategic points to slow him down even more. There was no need to push my forces forward thus having them dispersed across the snowy countryside. A tight, well organized phalanx was the tactic of choice. And it worked quite well.

* I especially liked the air combat. Yes, Italian ground units might be weak, but their fighters aren't that bad - especially compared to Soviet ones... One thing I might have missed though is the decisive role AA can play here. Can't remember if the Germans come with an AA unit, but one 88 can almost by itself kill a Soviet plane: Italian fighters need only rush in for the kill. So the best fighters aren't always flying units... (Of course, a good opponent knows he can't risk his fighters this way)

Again, great AAR!

I think I only had one AA unit and it did see some action too. Actually I think it might have shot down one of the Russian planes.

Thank you kindly for your comments and I’m very glad you like the report.

[Kerensky]

Now that this is done, I'll weigh in.

It's pretty clear what happened and why, at least to me. Xerkis went for the Final Stand defense, that is he only put up token resistance for most of the map, and focused nearly all his assets on the absolute last line of defense. That is, the final river line and the last three victory hexes. This seems like a smart idea, but there are a lot of holes in this strategy. Namely, his back is really to the wall. The loss of any one of the final three hexes would have cost him the game. Russians don't need 100% of VH to win, they just need to take the Italians and Germans down to two or less victory hexes. When there's no room to retreat or fall back, supply becomes critical. A sustained assault by the Russians would have broken the Italians and Germans ability to maintain the line because their supply would run out and bad weather would further make resupply more difficult. Forcing them to give up or die on at least one of the final three victory hexes, giving the win to the Russians.

However from this map, it's clear to see why that didn't happen.


Maybe it's what you were saying, about you two having played before and your counter-attacks making Byeo very nervous, but he has an absolute ridiculous amount of units put on garrison duty. I count at least 10 infantry, plus multiple air defense units, and even some armor hanging back. If all of these units (and the prestige they represent) where brought to the front en masse, they would probably have overwhelmed at least one victory hex, giving the Russians victory.

There are better ways to garrison the rear that does not use up static troops. Forming a good solid front that does not allow Italian scout cars or light tanks the ability to slip through is my preferred answer to infiltration. The map is narrow enough and the Soviet core size large enough that it's possible to do this, more or less. Even so, if there happens to be an infiltrator somehow, a single recon unit is enough to tie up that enemy unit, at least long enough for other forces to arrive, crush the problem, and then go back to the front line.

In Bersaglieri and the Bear where the Soviets are purely on offensive, such large defense of victory hexes isn't necessary, and I can see it cost Byeo the game. In dual offense maps like TFN and HV, where the 'front line' can be all over the place, these kinds of defenses are much better to employ.

[Byeohazard]

Great comments! I think what I took away from this is that I needed to play a good amount more agressively and not tie up valuable units on "guard duty" To protect the rear line on this map is to form a strong front. Playing Xerkis before may have influenced me a bit but I do not think it was soley responsible for my cautious approach beyond me thinking he may launch a paratrooper raid on the rear as a "payback" I think the real reason I was cautious were my lack of experience and and no intimate familiarity with the map.....This may have been the 2nd time (maybe) playing this one. Another reason is that it was in my nature to play that way. Now that this has been identified I need to be more aware of it and look at the map objectively at all phases of how the battle is unfolding and adjust... instead of going on "what feels right" or worrying about a problem that has't occured or isnt likely to, weigh the risks to benefit ...not that listening to your gut is bad but it needs to be tempered by objectivity...I think the reasons above are what lost me the game. Ofcourse full props to Xerkis....he won because he played a better game than I.
I'd like to add Xerkis is a pleasure to play and I look foreward to our next slugfest!

[Kerensky]

Great comments! I think what I took away from this is that I needed to play a good amount more agressively and not tie up valuable units on "guard duty" To protect the rear line on this map is to form a strong front. Playing Xerkis before may have influenced me a bit but I do not think it was soley responsible for my cautious approach beyond me thinking he may launch a paratrooper raid on the rear as a "payback" I think the real reason I was cautious were my lack of experience and and no intimate familiarity with the map.....This may have been the 2nd time (maybe) playing this one. Another reason is that it was in my nature to play that way. Now that this has been identified I need to be more aware of it and look at the map objectively at all phases of how the battle is unfolding and adjust... instead of going on "what feels right" or worrying about a problem that has't occured or isnt likely to, weigh the risks to benefit ...not that listening to your gut is bad but it needs to be tempered by objectivity...I think the reasons above are what lost me the game.
I'd like to add Xerkis is a pleasure to play and I look foreward to our next slugfest!

That is an excellent out look to have. Every multiplayer map comes with it's own unique set of challenges and approaches. There is no single 'winning strategy' on any of them. Last Stand Defense on Bersaglieri and the Bear will beat a cautious Russian, as we have seen here. However a front loaded defense or even counter-attack driven approach(Using German units to counter attack to secure a German flag), which I often see on this map, will not work against a cautious Russian player.

The bottom line is that yes, map familiarity does play a role. Even on high mystery maps such as Hylan Valley, it still plays at least something of a role. However knowing and understanding your opponent plays a far more pivotal role. Either way, I'm happy to hear the game continues to delight and entertain, and I look forward to many more interesting AARs to come.

[Molve]

Obviously you are mistaken. It does work and did work – I just proved that.

Well, you certainly did win. But nothing says you can't learn something even from victories...

In this case, I do believe your strategy worked because of the over-cautiousness of your opponent (but of course Kerensky explained it better). Essentially it was your opponent that "proved" the correctness of your theories. Always a dangerous thing in warfare... Cheers