Campaign 41, Manstein (SPOILERS)

[deducter]

Do not read if you don't want to be spoiled for DLC 41.

Mission 1: Belgrade

It is good to be back at the front. After our great victory in Western Europe, my men and I got some much needed rest. We can’t stay idle forever, however, because our mastery or Europe is not quite complete. The British continue to resist, despite their hopeless position. While they have fended off the Luftwaffe in 1940 and have been spared a seaborne invasion, they are in no position to challenge our power on the continent. Instead, High Command has already been preparing for war against the Soviet Union. This titanic struggle will determine the fate of Europe, but before this final campaign, there is some unfinished business in the Balkans to take care of.

First off, the Yugoslavians have reneged on the Pact of Steel and have decided to side with the losing British. This constitutes an unacceptable risk for our eventual war with the Russians, for we cannot allow the Allies to threaten our flanks. Furthermore, our Italian allies have been bungling their war in Greece and are in danger of being completely defeated. The British have unwisely decided to help the Greeks. Their forces could potentially even threaten the Romanian oil fields!

Our corps has been tasked with a lightning attack on the Yugoslavian capital Belgrade. We will force the Yugoslavians to capitulate within days, then flank the main Greek defensive line and drive into Athens and complete the second defeat of the Allies on the continent.

This campaign is also a good time for us to demonstrate to our Romanian allies the techniques of the modern method of waging war. Two Romanian officers had come as observers, and we are to escort them around the battlefield and ultimately into Belgrade.

After examining the forces in our corps, I decided to upgrade a battalion of the sturmpanzers to a StuG IIIB, taking advantage of a hero of war who inspires stronger defenses. The StuG IIIB is a new, short-ranged self-propelled assault gun with fantastic firepower. It is also well-armored and able to take hits from enemy tanks. We also upgraded two squadrons of Bf-109Es to Bf-109Fs, which while supremely maneuverable have fewer guns than their retrograde counterparts. They are better against opposing fighters, while the Bf-109Es should be more than adequate to handle any opposing bombers. New models of the PzIIIs and PzIVs were also available, and upgrades were made across the board. These new models have significantly improved armor, an adaption from the lesson we learned from 1940.

The Yugoslavian military is equipped with antiquated weapons and their tactical doctrine is lacking. They are not likely to resist our efforts for long.

The opening hours of the invasion saw a quick advance by our corps. The Yugoslavians seemed to have placed a significant portion of their army near the borders. These forces, consisting of infantry, cavalry, and a few obsolete tanks launched some localized counterattacks, but were easily swept aside. The advance continued and one by one the objective cities fell without issue. So successful was our advance that many heroes distinguished themselves in battle, although it is impossible to list them all.


A second hero of war distinguished in the 30th Fallschirmjäger.


Captured Char B1-s leading the assault. They are sent ahead because of their thick armor.

The Yugoslavians fielded some T-26S tanks, and while they were formidable in 1939, they are no match for our panzers today. Intelligence indicates that these tanks form the bulk of the Russian armored forces, so this campaign is providing us valuable data for our upcoming campaign.

The Yugoslavians also scrambled some of the Bf-109Ds we sold to them previously! Of course the German fighters were tough, and it took the combined firepower of all available fighter squadrons to shoot them down. It was a shame we couldn’t have recaptured our own equipment on the ground.


Yugoslavian Bf-109s.

The Yugoslavians placed another significant army outside of Belgrade, but this too was destroyed without issue. At this point, one of our Bf-109s spotted the last Yugoslavian reserves, numerous cavalry brigades led by Colonel Mihailovic near Obrenovac. While part of our forces set up siege north of the Danube River, the armored components crossed the Danube at Smederevo and flanked Belgrade from the south. The forces inside the city were well-entrenched, but ultimately they were bombarded into submission by the Luftwaffe and by our artillery. Colonel Mihailovic led a futile cavalry charge against our panzers, which crushed them without trouble. Obrenovac was taken shortly thereafter, the Romanian officers escorted into Belgrade, and our victory complete. Yet another successful Blitzkrieg! But there is no time to rest, for Greece awaits.


Belgrade flanked.


Belgrade and Obrenovac captured.

DV 16/18.

[deducter]

Mission 2: Metaxas Line

Our Italian allies had entered into an unprofitable venture the previous winter against the Greeks. It is shocking how poorly the Italians performed, first being nearly evicted from Africa by the British, then being beaten by the second-rate military of Greece! Germany would have otherwise ignored this war but for the fact that the British have landed troops in Athens and rushing them north to oppose us in the Balkans. We cannot allow them to regain a foothold on the continent, and so High Command has approved Operation Marita, the conquest of Greece.

The Greeks had constructed a significant line of fortifications along their borders with our Bulgarian allies. Our conquest of Yugoslavia has opened an opportunity to bypass these defenses. The Greeks and the British will likely rush what forces they have in the region to block our advance, but we are not too concerned about losing our momentum.

I deployed our entire corps near Strumica. The bulk of our corps will make straight for Thessalonika and Apollonia, while a secondary force will be split off and sent towards Serrai. The fortifications of the Metaxas Line can be ignored for the most part. Our Bulgarian allies have supplied us with some troops, whom I ordered to launch limited holding attacks.


German deployment.

The initial advance of our corps went well, encountering only scattered Greek resistance. The British apparently have supplied the Greeks with some Valentine II tanks, which would be formidable in 1940 but are now obsolete. Greek resistance stiffened near Polykastro and Strymoniko, with their forces supplemented by several British infantry brigades. The fighting in the close terrain was bitter, bur our corps prevailed. Yet another line of resistance, this time in the form of several Greek and British tank brigades, blocked our path to Thessalonika. A combined arms assault of Ju-87Bs, StuG IIIBs, and panzers took care of these Allied tanks. The British continue to field Matilda Is, which are still better armored than our panzers! Unfortunately for them, their machine guns armament were not a threat, and the Matilda Is were eventually taken down.


Panzer IVE vs. Greek cavalry.


Greek defensive lines breached, panzers near Thessalonika and Apollonia.

Our Bulgarian allies tried to attack the outskirts of the Metaxas Line but were easily driven back. The Greeks even launched a small counterattack into Bulgaria, which resulted in the complete rout of the easternmost Bulgarian army. Fortunately these successes did not impact our Schwerpunkt.


Robert Lang of the 19th Ju-87R squadron received the Oak Leaves to his Knight’s Cross. This is first time our corps has been distinguished with this honor.

Thessalonika itself was well-defended and protected from the south and the west by the Ionian Sea. Apollonia likewise was protected in its northern approach by a lake. The siege of these two cities took time, and I directed our panzers east. Our Bulgarian allies had informed us of rumors that the British had unloaded a number of Matilda II tanks at Keramoti, but they were yet unmanned and potentially available for captured. Our panzers raced east and found a large concentration of Greek troops manning the Metaxas Line. A fierce battle took place, and eventually we overwhelmed the Greek defenders and breached these defenses. By the time our panzers entered Keramoti, however, we were too late and the British had already evacuated their Matilda IIs. Nevertheless, our operation can be considered a complete success. Is there nothing that can stop our Blitzkrieg?


Thessalonika cleared.


Raced towards Keramoti.


Keramoti captured, but too late.

DV 14/14.

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Mission 3: Crete Airborne

I didn’t play this scenario in Closed Beta, though I heard it was pretty easy. Apparently it is also pretty easy on Manstein, mostly because I deployed panzers/StuG IIIBs near the airfield. The result was a rout of the AI forces with no losses. The Royal Navy was easy to take care of with 3 strategic bombers. I won’t do a full report on this, because this is probably my least favorite scenario of the DLCs, although I guess I have only myself to blame for deploying panzers on the airfields.


German deployment.


Naval battle. Three squadrons of strategic bombers sunk the Royal Navy without trouble.


Eastern airfield.


Western airfield.


Heraklion.


Heraklion captured.

DV 13/15.

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Mission 4: Minsk41

Operation Barbarossa has begun! Poland, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Holland, France, the British Expeditionary Force, Yugoslavia, Greece, the British again, thus far no nation has stood up to our Blitzkrieg. The Soviet Union is expected to be no different. From the Baltic to the Black Sea, millions of Wehrmacht soldiers in more than a hundred divisions are on the march, supplemented by our Romanian, Bulgarian, Hungarian, and Italian allies. Victory will surely be swift and not likely to take more than a few months at most. This is it, our final campaign, for when we win here, Germany will become the master of Europe.

Our corps has been assigned to Army Group Center for the primary thrust on Moscow. Our first objectives include the Belorussian metropolis of Minsk and the fortress of Brest-Litovsk. Intelligence indicates that the Russians are completely unprepared for war, with many of their border units not even given basic supplies and ammunition. We need to defeat these forces and advance quickly, before the Russians can mobilize additional defenses.

Intelligence also informed us that the Red Air Force has thousands of fighters and bombers in their forward airbases. Fortunately, they too are still in peace time mobilization and need time to get into fighting shape. No Russian planes are expected to oppose us in the initial stage of the invasion. If we can capture the forward Russian airbases quickly, we can cripple the Red Air Force, giving us air superiority for the rest of the campaign.

High Command has supplied us with various AA battalions along with some specially modified Do-217E recon planes. The AA battalions are available in case the Russians scramble any fighter or bomber squadrons. The recon planes will be invaluable as scouts to help plan our advance, for Russia is a massive country with poor roads. To assist in the reduction of Brest Fortress, a Karl Gerät will be placed at our command, although the great gun is still in transit and will not be available immediately.

Our corps is split into three groups. The southernmost group is sent to encircle and invest Brest Fortress, although its capture will require the arrival of our giant siege mortar. The northernmost group is sent towards Minsk via Navahrudak. The central group is sent to Ivacevicy and Baranavicy, with orders to assist either the northern or southern group upon capturing its objectives.

The southern force made first contact with the unprepared Russian border guards and defeated them without trouble. Yet as we advanced upon Brest, the Russians counterattacked with a brigade of KV1 tanks, destroying an auxiliary truck-mounted FlaK battalion instantly. This monstrosity was even better armored than the Char B1s and Matilda IIs, although fortunately its main gun was not too powerful. We also encountered the Russian T34, a tank superior to that of our Panzer IIIs and IVs in firepower, armor, and speed. These came as a complete shock, for prewar intelligence indicated the Soviets had nothing better than the T26S and the BT series of tank, and any other advanced tanks should have still be in the prototype stage. Fortunately for us, the Russian deployment of armor was lackluster, and their tank crews woefully short of training or any tactical sense. We brought up the 88 gun and Stukas to destroy the T34 and the KV1 in succession. Reconnaissance indicates that Brest itself is heavily defended, so we started a methodical advance from the north to clear out the garrison.


Dirk Klein inspires our 88 gun battalion.

The central force encountered the least resistance but had to traverse the worse terrain, wholly devoid of suitable roads. The going was slow, although the opposition was weak and disorganized. After capturing its objectives, the force split in half, some sent north towards Minsk, and others back south towards Brest.

Within several days of the start of our campaign, the Karl Gerät mortar promised by High Command had arrived. It was very helpful in destroying the fortification of the Russian fortress, but I was too impatient for a long siege. I ordered our strategic bombers to pound the central structure repeatedly, depriving the defenders of ammunition. Then our forces assaulted the building directly, and even so progress was slow. The Russians even launched a second counterattack, consisting of more tanks from south of the Bug River. After defeating the counterattack and finally overcoming the garrison, our troops were delighted to find some intact Russian T-34 tanks, which we quickly incorporated into our corps.


Captured T-34s.

The northern force quickly advanced past the Nyoman River and brushed aside unprepared Russian forces. It encountered no serious opposition at Navahrudak, except for the lack of paved roads! Apparently the “roads” on our prewar planning maps are little more than dirt paths wholly unsuited for rapid travel. Our half-tracks and tracked vehicles made their way through the countryside without problems, but our trucks, which carried our artillery and even some infantry, struggled to keep pace. Besides the border guards, no serious resistance was encountered until this force arrived north of Minsk.


Russian border guards caught unprepared.


The Russian KV2 tanks are powerful, but not after forcing them into forests for infantry to mop up.

The complete air superiority we enjoyed was due in no small part to the lightning-fast advance of our forward reconnaissance battalions and a brigade of veteran Fallschirmjäger mounted in our transport planes. These forward elements dashed ahead to seize unguarded airfields and empty Russian cities in the rear, although they did sustain heavy losses and needed constant replacement. Most serious among the losses was the destruction of the brigade of Fallschirmjäger near Pinsk by counterattacking Russian BT tanks. The responsibility rests with me, for I had underestimated the Russians and did not think they could respond. I did not even reinforce the brigade prior to sending it on another mission. This is a mistake I shall not make again. Despite the losses, our quick actions were very successful, and the Russians were unable to deploy even a single fighter squadron. Thousands of Red Air Force planes were destroyed on the ground.

With the lack of Russian air opposition, our Stukas had a free reign to attack Russian ground targets at will. They were particularly valuable in helping in destroying KV and T34 tanks, of which several more brigades were found near Minsk. The city itself was heavily fortified and the defenders required significant artillery bombardment to subdue. Our northern task force was plenty capable. Their fighting skills completely outclassed that of the Russians. Our men entered the city just half a day after our southern force captured Brest Fortress. We are already ahead of schedule, an excellent start to our campaign.


Siege of Minsk.

DV 14/20.

[drjeff21]

Great in-depth report. Thank you very much.

[deducter]

Back from vacation, I shall endeavor to finish DLC 41before the release of DLC 42. No promises though.

Mission 5: Smolensk41

Our corps captured Minsk within a week of starting Barbarossa, an impressive accomplishment indeed. The Soviet Union is vast, however, and we must maintain our momentum and continue the advance. Our new orders are to take Smolensk, the gateway to Moscow, along with several other objectives in the region. Intelligence indicates that the Soviets have started general mobilization and have deployed at least one large army in the vicinity of Smolensk. There are also significant Soviet forces opposite the Berezina River.

I requested from High Command two Wurfrahmen battalions. These salvo guns are absolutely devastating against infantry and other soft targets, although they have paper-thin defenses and require constant resupply. I also deploy two battalions of the StuG IIIB, which have thus far proven invaluable in fighting Russian tanks.

Most of our corps will force a crossing of the Berezina River. A small part of our corps will be diverted north to seize some outlying Soviet cities and to secure our northern flank. The Luftwaffe will provide air support as needed. The Red Air Force is still recovering from the destruction of the bulk of their planes in the opening days of Barbarossa and is not expected to be available in force.


German advance by July 3.

By July 3, most of our forces are in the process of crossing the Berezina. They are covered by artillery on the western shore in order to soften any potential Soviet counterattacks. The Soviets did indeed have an impressive number of troops deployed to stop our advance, but their counterattacks proved futile in the face of the overwhelming superiority of German artillery. Nevertheless, the going was slow, and it took many days to clear the eastern bank of the Berezina of Soviet formations.


Crossing the Berezina.

The northern task force met very little resistance and took one Soviet city after another, some of which were not even garrisoned. The real challenge was again the poor state of the roads in Russia and the horrible terrain in the region, although fortunately all units up north were at least equipped with tracked and half-tracked vehicles.

After crossing the Berezina, our corps had little trouble taking Mogilev and Orsha. Part of our corps was diverted to cross the Dnieper at Mogilev, while our northern force reunited with the bulk of our corps just outside of Orsha. We encountered various Soviet formations east of the Dneiper, although fortunately the Soviets did not deploy them in a forward position and our crossing was unopposed. With plenty of air support, we had little trouble clearing the area of Soviets and advancing all the way to

Reconnaissance then spotted a massive concentration of Soviet troops north of the Dneiper and west of Smolensk. A fierce battle took place east of Orsha, and it is impossible to describe all the details. In the end, superior German tactical doctrine resulted in the destruction of the entire Russian army with no German losses.


Soviet army west of Smolensk.


Fighting near Orsha.


More fighting near Orsha.

We continued our advance on Vitebsk and Smolensk, but the Russians surprised us by counterattacking with tanks they held in reserve. Smolensk in particular was difficult to assault, for it was protected on the south by the Dneiper and on the north by forests. The auxiliary bridge engineer battalion we were provided with allowed us to divert some forces south of the Dneiper. Smolensk was eventually taken by using the bridge engineer battalion to construct pontoon bridges southeast of Smolensk, whereupon our troops south of the Dnieper could finally flank the city. During this operation, we captured Krasny, whereupon we found some Soviet KV-1B tanks. This is truly an excellent armored vehicle, with astonishingly thick armor and an incredible main gun. It significantly outclasses our panzer IIIs and IVs and will likely see much use by us on the front line.


Smolensk defenses.


Smolensk taken.

In just two months, our panzers have advanced two-thirds of the way to Moscow. The Kremlin beckons! Wait, what is this? Orders from High Command to divert our forces to the south to help close the Kiev pocket? It seems Moscow will have to wait for now...

DV 20/21.

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Mission 6: Zhitomir

Kiev, the capital of Ukraine and one of the largest cities in the Soviet Union. It is currently defended by half a million men, perhaps even more. Army Group South has made good progress thus far, but is unable to complete the encirclement of the Soviet Ukraine Front. Our corps has been diverted from the drive on Moscow to assist in destroying this concentration of Soviet troops, which admittedly if left unchecked poses a serious threat on our flanks.

Our initial objectives are to seize control of the Zhitomir region along the western approach to Kiev. The city itself will be ignored, for there are simply too many Soviet troops defending it for a successful assault. Our corps was deployed in two large groups, although the plan is to advance along a more-or-less continuous front.


German deployment.

Almost immediately we made contact with the enemy, who deployed many infantry and armor brigades to block our advance. The shock of our Stukas and artillery quickly broke this first line of Soviet defenses, and our panzers rolled on. Ivankiv was captured quickly, although periodically the Soviets launched counterattacks to retake the city from south of the Teteriv River. We were forced to garrison some troops in the city to hold it.

South of Malyn, a significant Soviet force of tanks and infantry was spotted by reconnaissance. The Soviets unwisely decided to blunder some of their excellent T-34 and KV tanks into forests. Our infantry were then able to inflict significant damage upon them, allowing for our panzers to mop up the weakened Soviet tank brigades. The Soviets launched another counterattack in the hills north of Zhitomir, but this too was defeated. While part of our corps laid siege to Zhitomir, the bulk of our corps crossed the Teteriv. The crossing was made along a broad front and covered by artillery to deter Soviet counterattacks, of which none materialized anyway. Hard fighting was required to take Zhitomir, Korostyshiv, and Kocheriv. Phase one of our operations near Kiev had been a complete success.


Soviet forces near Malyn.


Crossing the Teteriv.


All objectives taken.

DV 12/18.

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Mission 7: Zhuvirka

After taking Zhitomir, our forces crossed the Dnieper River more or less unopposed. Our new objectives were to focus on closing off the eastern approaches to Kiev. Intelligence indicated that the Soviets were aware of our plans to encircle their troops in the city. The Soviets had sent a relief force from the east, and part of their garrison was undoubtedly planning on breaking out concurrently.

Our corps was deployed along the northeastern approach to Kiev, but planned to split into two groups, one headed east to deal with the Soviet relief column, and one headed south to deal with the breakout attempt.


German deployment.

Almost immediately our corps encountered a fierce Soviet attack from the east. Bitter fighting raged near Shapovalivka, where we made contact with numerous Soviet tank and infantry brigades, backed up by more of their Katayusha rocket launchers. However, fighting in clear terrain massively favors the German tactical doctrine of mobility and concentration of firepower. The Soviet infantry were helpless against our panzers, while their tanks were destroyed by air attacks. After taking Shapovalivka, this force continued south, periodically encountering fresh Soviet troops, presumably part of their relief force. It is impossible to describe all the battles in detail, but suffice to say, our troops eventually made it to Priluki, having taken all the towns along the way and defeated the entire Soviet relief army.


Soviet relief force approaching from the north.


More bitter fighting in the east.

Meanwhile, a reconnaissance battalion was sent to Kozelets. Its last actions were to transmit via radio the report of a massive Soviet attack coming from the direction of Kiev, and unfortunately its men were not heard from again. Our corps did not have time to mourn their sacrifice, and our second battle group quickly took Smolyanka. Our forces approached Kozelets, where our panzers engaged Soviet T-34s in an intense tank battle. As air support was tied up in the east, the fighting here was particularly hard, but ultimately our StuG IIIB battalions proved invaluable at suppressing the Russian tanks, allowing us to force them into forests for our infantry to mop up. This force then advanced across the open countryside and took Nizhyn. We continued to encounter more Russian resistance along the way to Zhurivka and Mala Divytsya. At times the ferocity of the Russian attacks took us by surprise, but again, fighting in the clear terrain of the Ukraine placed our enemy at an overwhelming disadvantage.


Soviet breakout attempt.


Approaching Zhurivka.

After defeating all Russian field armies, the two large pincers of our corps fell upon Zhurivka, Mala Divytsya, and Priluki, encircling the defenses and taking all three cities without difficulty. Part two of the Kiev operation had also been a complete success. Now our corps was very close to closing the pocket.


Encirclement of the remnants of the Soviet relief army.

DV 13/18.

[VPaulus]

Thanks, deducter.
Nice AAR.

[deducter]

Mission 8: Zolotonosha

Our successes near Kiev had gradually reduced the Kiev pocket and trapped a huge number of Soviet troops. There was only one escape route open, a road via Zolotonosha, which the Soviets still controlled. Our corps was now to complete the encirclement of Kiev and take the city if possible.

Our corps was deployed in two groups. The eastern group was to defeat any Soviet relief force and advance upon Zolotonosha. The western group was to defeat any breakout attempt from Kiev, then take the city itself. Luftwaffe support would be provided where needed.


German battle plan.

The Soviets reacted with considerable energy. They launched their attacks almost immediately, with a simultaneous offense by the relief force and troops from Kiev. The attack from Kiev even took our western task force by surprise. Still, the only real Soviet threats were the T-34s and the KV tanks. Their infantry was of low quality and not of great concern. Of particular note was the distinguished performance of Jurgen Lange of the 9th Grenadiers. He was nominated for and received the Knight’s Cross for heroic actions.


First Soviet breakout attempt.


Eastern task force engaging the Soviet relief force.


Knight’s Cross awarded to the 9th Grenadiers.

By September 7, most of the Soviets attempting the breakout had been defeated. Significant Soviet formations still existed to bar the way to Zolonotosha, although their initial relief force had been crushed. The advance on Zolonotosha was slow but steady, as I ordered the troops to make a cautious advance instead of dashing ahead at full pace. The Soviets even launched some localized counterattacks, but these did little except to delay our advance. In conjunction with our Italian allies, Zolonotosha was captured without much trouble.


The situation on September 7.


Zolonotosha captured.

To our great surprise, the Soviets launched a second breakout attempt from Kiev. They were clearly aware of their precarious position and desperate to escape. Such vigorous action may have helped them a few weeks earlier, but by now it did not matter. Our corps defeated this force too and advanced upon the city. What Soviet troops remained put up fanatical resistance. A brigade of Soviet KV2 tanks was particularly hard to destroy, even with our infantry fighting it in the streets of Kiev itself. Still, the defenders were doomed by their hopeless position, and our troops occupied the entire city successfully. More T-34 tanks were found and captured for our use.


Second Soviet breakout attempt.


The assault on Kiev.


Kiev taken.

Our operation at Kiev was yet another fantastic success. Conservative estimates place the number of Soviet soldiers who surrendered at over half a million, not to mention the huge quantity of guns, tanks, and other supplies captured. High Command was very pleased at this result, and with the threat to the advance on Moscow removed, our corps was now tasked with leading the charge on the Soviet capital. While I certainly agreed that our victory at Kiev had been impressive, I also wondered if we had perhaps squandered an opportunity, for now the Russians surely had reinforced the defenses of Moscow and the chance for any easy victory there was gone.

DV 14/17.

Note: I found the Kiev scenarios a bit disappointing. There never was much of a terrain obstacle like Novogorod, which is fine, but the AI needed a lot more overstrength units to fight me. Open terrain really does give the Germans a massive advantage. Giving the AI base 13/14 strength tanks/infantry (18/19 on Manstein), including maybe a base 15 strength KV1 tank or two wouldn’t hurt. This also would’ve done a great job of simulating the Kiev pocket’s monstrous number of Soviet units. I shouldn’t be able to play these scenarios on Manstein blind and not lose any units (except recon of course, but I treat those as disposable).

Note 2: To be fair, I did lose non-core units. I used the aux units provided very liberally, often mounting up a PaK into a truck just to absorb an oncoming attack. I guess this actually helped quite a bit in limiting casualties.

Note 3: I really feel recon units are much too cheap for single player, unless the player chooses actively not to send them to the front lines to scout. But then what is the point of having them? The AI always goes after them, I think because the AI has been programmed to engage targets that give them the most optimal combat results.

[deducter]

Mission 9: Vyazma

Operation Typhoon was about to begin! This was our push on Moscow, delayed by a month because of the necessity of dealing with the Kiev pocket. The Soviets had plenty of time to reinforce their defenses during our Kiev diversion. Intelligence indicated the Soviets had three lines of defenses. The first was a fresh Soviet army deployed at Vyazma, the second was the fortifications at Mozhiask, and the third was the defense ring surrounding Moscow itself. Our corps was to spearhead the assault and to reach the outskirts of the Soviet capital in a timely manner. Fortunately, we believed that these forces opposing us were fresh conscript armies, barely trained and led by inept officers. Surely Soviet armament production must have suffered from the loss of at least a third of their industry, so how many more of their tanks could they field? Still, despite these reassurances, Napoleon’s march on Moscow in 1812 loomed in the minds of every officer under my command...

The Soviet formations Vyazma were vulnerable to a pincer attack. I had no intention of ordering my troops to cross the Dneiper head-on. Instead, the corps was split into two groups, one advancing north and the other advancing south, so they can encircle and crush the Vyazma defenders. Select troops were to be diverted from this operation to dash forward to Mozhiask and Moscow itself, for the purpose of preempting the Soviets from establishing further defenses.

The initial advance proceeded rapidly, encountering only light Soviet resistance in the north and south. However, it was not long before we encountered Soviet formations protecting Vyazma’s flanks. In the north, the Soviets launched an attack spearheaded by T-34 tanks south of Sychyovka. Due to the open terrain, it was difficult to encircle and force the Soviets to surrender, so our corps had to spend considerable time to destroy the Soviet forces outright.


The first days of the advance.


Bf-109s vs Soviet MiGs. Our experienced pilots completely outclassed the hapless the pilots of the Red Air Force.


Soviet defenders north of Vyazma.

In the south, upon capturing Urga, the Russians launched a fierce counterattack via Yukhnov. Our southern force was temporarily confused, as contradictory orders were relayed and its men attempted to simultaneously attack the Vyazma pocket and defeat the Russian counterattack. Needless to say, this did not succeed. I arrived personally to take command of the situation. I ordered our troops to stop advancing in the direction of Vyazma and to focus on defeating the Russian counterattack. After accomplishing this, our southern pincer turned north towards Vyzama.


The advance on Urga, and the vanguard of the Soviet counterattack force spotted.

The Russians also launched a limited counterattack towards Smolensk, but by holding the Dnieper bridgehead at we denied the Russians an easy crossing. Reconnaissance indicated that the city was still heavily defended, so the southern pincer first advanced towards the Dnieper, wiping out all Soviet forces along the way. The bulk of the northern pincer was sent on ahead to Mozhiask, with only a few brigades to assist in the attack on Vyazma. Fortunately, after their limited counterattack, the Soviet army simply stayed idle around the vicinity of Vyazma, making our job much easier. The city was surrounded and its defenders slowly weakened then destroyed.


The flanks of Vyazma cleared. A massive concentration of Soviet forces still held the city, but our corps was ready to crush them in a Kesselschlacht.


The awesome power of our 88 gun.


Vyazma captured.

Our forward detachment reached Mozhiask so quickly that it found the city relatively lightly guarded. This force took the city without trouble, then continued onto Moscow. The outskirts were only light defended by fresh Russian conscripts and some artillery and AT guns, but they were heavily entrenched. Our vanguard lacked in heavy towed artillery, so we relied on the efforts of the Luftwaffe to disrupt the Soviet defenders. The vanguard entered the outskirts of Moscow just as our corps captured Vyazma, completing our victory. Robert Meier of the 8th Panzer IVF continued to distinguish himself in this advance, for which he received the Oak Leaves to his Knight’s Cross, an impressive accomplishment indeed.


The drive on Moscow.


The outskirts of Moscow within sight.


The outskirts of Moscow captured.


Oak Leaves added to the Knight’s Cross of the 8th Panzer IVF.

During all of this, another small detachment, which included a battalion of Wurfrahmen, were sent south towards Kaluga to capture the city, since we heard rumors that the Soviets kept some KV tanks in that city. This intelligence turned out to be accurate, and upon entering the city we found ourselves the owners of a brigade of Russian KV1-A tanks. The main gun on these tanks was not quite as good as that of the KV1-B tanks, and the armor was a bit more lacking. I kept the tanks in our reserve pool, to be deployed as needed. Unfortunately, during this action a battalion of Wurfrahmen was destroyed by a surprise attack of Soviet BT tanks. The Wurfrahmen, while incredibly potent against infantry, were very fragile and unable to survive direct Soviet attacks.


KV-1A tanks captured.

The weather did not hinder our advance much, as there were only a few days of rain. The ground did turn muddy very briefly at the onset of the campaign, but otherwise the weather was excellent throughout. No doubt this contributed significantly to our victory, for our panzers could advance at full speed where there were no Russian defenders.

After our victory, our forward detachment was busy securing our foothold in Moscow while the rest of the corps was being brought up. A sudden blizzard halted most combat action near Moscow and slowed the transport of our corps to the Soviet capital. We had no idea what defenses the Soviets may have in place, and they would surely reinforce their position with everything they have left during this snowstorm. My commanding officer ordered us to abandon our gains because of the poor weather. I could not in good conscience throw away this opportunity to win the war, even though the harsh weather caught us by complete surprise. I ordered our corps to continue to assemble in the suburbs of Moscow and be prepared to advance into the heart of the Soviet capital when the weather clears up. The battle for Moscow was about to commence.


There wasno question, we must advance into Moscow!

DV 17/20.

[Kerensky]

Wow did you really not have a single turn of mud on Vyazma after the initial rain? So lucky, heh. Much like Moscow 41 of the default campaign, I *always* hit a bad streak of mud here.

[deducter]

I may have had 1 turn of mud in the middle of the scenario, but the weather was not a big factor. Another example of blind luck. I am still of the opinion that the chance of rain should be upped to like 70%, but the scenario extended by 6-8 turns, to get the full effect of the onset of Russian winter.

Edit: Look at my screenshots. No mud...

[Aloo]

the chance of rain should be upped to like 70%

Please NO!
Ive had mud almost the whole scenario. Replayed it 4 or 5 times to get a few turns without rain and mud to have a chance to get to Moscow.

[deducter]

That's why I also said to increase the turn limit significantly, by say, 8, so you'll have 28 turns. That way, everyone will have rain all the time, and it becomes about how best to make the advance in bad weather, which is what happened historically.