Yelnaya Operation AAR Max Difficulty

[prestidigitation]

I had previously considered this scenario hard and super unpleasant. The enemy has a lot of artillery and dug in infantry and casualties for me are usually high. I realize now that this is because I didn't conduct a thorough map review before starting it which, uh, stupid.

The solution to this mission is really easy if you count up the enemy supply dumps.



Over half the enemy supply is located in this one easily cut off region! Not to mention there are plenty of unbroken bridges, excellent cover and good roads! Holy cow! How did I not see this before!

Another large chunk of enemy supply is in the southern quadrant of the map, but the roads here are terrible in that none of them connect to our staging area. An attack could move through here, but it would be heavily delayed and sap forces from our efforts in the north. Therefore, spend little time/effort/resources in this region.



So obviously the solution is clear.

• Attack along the good roads in the north using light tanks and infantry along the line Yartzevo-Kardymovo, rapidly cutting off enemy lines of communication to the main territory.
• Simultaneously conduct a major attack toward the secondary objective using an infantry heavy force through the large forested region.
• As our primary attack routes are along heavily forested regions, minimal medium tank presence is advised
• In the south, conduct a tactical defense and prevent enemy capture of the key point

[prestidigitation]

I've included an attachment with the replay so others can follow along with how I fought this scenario precisely, and I'll give a short highlights reel account. I just felt it was worth explaining exactly how to play through it.

Here's the start of turn 2. Note that the enemy is _already_ low on supply! Unfortunately my OT-130 was driven off in shambles by a hidden ATG counterattacking it, but the initial objective of capturing the town on turn 1 was still achieved regardless.



I use heavy infantry in the open because unlike standard infantry they lose only a little of their mech attack value in the open. This allows them to defend adequately against tanks while attempting to breach a forest line. Naturally they are supported by their ATG. The AI tends to prioritize ATGs when selecting artillery targets (a good plan if you're going to go for a tank attack at some point), so I can use them to soak artillery fire for other units. It helps that these little 47mm guns are extremely cheap to reinforce and don't really benefit much from vet.

I suspect an enemy ATG in the isolated forest (I'd put one in exactly the same place and I know the designers like to do the same) so I'm wary of approaching it with my tanks on future turns. I also suspect that any guns on the map are probably sighted to fire on units that approach it. Also, I really just don't need to go over there to achieve my initial objectives!

The bridge my naval infantry is crossing is actually a forest bridge, which should help if there are any enemy infantry in the woods. Not so much thankfully!

My BT-7As are in artillery mode, but their short range prevents them providing effective artillery support right now. Doesn't matter, they'll prove extremely helpful later.

I have my recon car out in front because they're able to absorb enemy attacks in an extremely CP efficient way. Ever notice how many attacks it takes you to kill a recon car and how they never seem to take much damage from your units in any one attack? That's why I love using them as a screening unit like this. Plus it's an aux unit so super CP efficient.

[prestidigitation]

Here's the start of turn 3:



As can be seen here, I made a mistake with my engineers and moved them to the wrong tile. There's a forest on this tile, so it isn't ideal for artillery crossing in their motorized transports. I opted to build it anyway because it would have meant an extra three turns lost to the engineer futzing around with getting a better bridge built and it simply wasn't worth the time.

Because of the presence of the ATG northwest of the bridge and the suspected presence of more enemy infantry in the forest along the good road to Kardymovo, I opted to head for the southern dirt road instead. My primary objective here is to move fast and cut off the primary enemy position from supply, not to defeat enemy forces in the area. Hence I am being opportunistic in how I seek out routes of advance. I also spent some time suppressing and attacking the enemy artillery as I didn't want it messing with my troops any more than the absolute minimum necessary. Finally I'm working to get my OT-130 into condition as it is a key piece of how I'll drive the enemy out of cities/forests. Unlike other armored units this thing doesn't lose any infantry attack when in high cover! It also (like a standard infantry unit) performs _better_ with mech attack in high cover situations. So basically if you need to fight through a bunch of dense terrain you want flame tanks and you want them now.

My other big turn 2 focus was on getting my heavy infantry into the forest line which I managed to accomplish with artillery support and a helpful push from a T-34. The displaced enemy infantry was pursued by my recon which remained out in front screening for the main body.

I left my ATG in position as I wanted a fallback point if a large enemy armored attack emerged for whatever reason and I wanted to block my new bridge. I also stuck my infantry unit in the eastern crossing point to prevent enemy units haring off into the rear line and to block the road. This turned out to be a good call later!

[prestidigitation]

Start of Turn 5.

As you can see here, the overall plan is now taking shape. I've used my T-38 (an amphibious tank) to skip past Kardymovo which has a defending infantry unit and am already harassing the enemy artillery. I don't feel my little tankette can handle it given the entrenchment and cover, so obviously I'm going to skirt around its flanks and continue my maneuver attack. I also am about to use my infantry near Kardymovo to secure the 1 forest tile adjacent to the city that is connecting my tankette to my line. That tile is crucial to the overall plan and can't be allowed to fall!

I sent some aux infantry on a probing attack into enemy territory up northwest of the bridge, but this didn't end well as there was a hidden enemy HW team! Yikes!

I made another mistake in this picture which ought to be pretty obvious. Cavalry has poor stats in high cover terrain, but I've sent it into the dense woodlands. Meanwhile my naval infantry is sitting out in the open. Kind of a bonehead move, but my idea was that I needed something that could dig in to defend my cutoff. Finally you can see my OT-130 moving into position to attack the enemy infantry and Kardymovo. I can't really afford to spare artillery for that mission so I need the units to take the town by storm rather than by siege. This means we're gonna need our little flamey boi!

The southern attack is proceeding mostly according to plan. I cut off and destroyed an enemy infantry that was entrenched on the crossroads, and also had to smash a Pz1 that came to its rescue. My T-34 is in the woods which isn't ideal, but I needed it for the mission so that's where it went. My recon slipped around the enemy town and went after some low HP support weapons. As you can see in this picture I've actually killed too many units and the enemy is back under their supply limit for now!

You can see I'm still studiously ignoring all those infantry (now lost to the fog) and that suspicious clump of trees to my southeast. Open terrain is my enemy in this map due to all the heavy artillery so I'm going to do my best to avoid it. Moving through forest inflicts a mild efficiency penalty on units so we're suffering on that front. But because the enemy can't find targets for their guns due to the line of sight impact of forests we're not getting shelled. Plus open terrain in general makes you much more vulnerable to attacks by enemy units due to the full damage allowed the attacker. In forests, the attacker only gets 65% of their stats while the defender gets 85%!

Because I have some fortified defenders protecting my bridges now I'm able to slip my beat up BT-7A behind them and get it fixed up. I'm also able to protect my artillery which is key given how dependent I am on it here.

[prestidigitation]

Start of Turn 6

This turn saw two very important events kick off. First, the enemy launched their counterattack and it was painful. You can see heavy enemy infantry forces moving through the open from the southeast toward my positions in the dense forest, and more enemy infantry pouring out of the woods near the bridge in the northwest. Second, I completed my cutoff maneuver and the enemy are back out of supply.

I also made three key mistakes in my part of Turn 5. First, I put my heavy infantry into deep forest after it crossed a river. This total blunder removed the unit from action for several turns due to efficiency issues and how long it would take to get back into action. Second, because of the first mistake I moved a standard infantry unit into the open adjacent to the objective town. The enemy retaliated by pounding it with artillery. Oof! A second unit that is pretty much out of combat for a couple turns. Third even though I knew that NW bridge was open river rather than city river I left my infantry in place even though I was no accomplishing any objectives by holding that supply node. Lots of failure on this turn!

Despite how ugly things look in the southeast I'm actually far more concerned about the northwest. I can easily move over armored assets and swap my BT-7As into tank mode to envelop and destroy the attacking enemy units without issue. And I can afford to leave the infantry in the forest where they are as they've got plenty of cover and can hold out for a long time. Enemy in the area are also low on supply, so any attack they make will quickly peter out and any losses they take cannot be easily replaced. Finally I have artillery for days and expect the rain to let up soon, giving me access to much needed air support.

Meanwhile in the northwest I have virtually zero reserves, battered units, bad defensive terrain and worse yet am outnumbered. This is ugly!

Overall my plan remains the same, but with some new elements

• The enemy supply disruption must be maintained at any cost. To secure this mines will need to be cleared and the bridge seized in the west.
• The bridge tile in the southeast cannot fall as if we lose both bridges we will be over our supply limit.
• The enemy must be prevented from reaching Suyetovo
• The secondary objective in the big forest must be captured
• At least a few infantry units need to move across the river onto the western bank to enable our attack on Yelnaya.

[prestidigitation]

At the start of turn 7 I become a very happy man!



Here's the overall operational picture



And here's the tactical picture



My mistake with my heavy infantry is compounded, and now the unit is cut off, at low efficiency and out of supply who could have predicted that?? Similarly my infantry in the northwest (one of two critical bridges for supply, both are worth 20) is badly smashed when even more enemy infantry emerges from the fog. The German Army's clown car continues to amaze...

In the southeast I'm engaged in a fierce battle in the open. My artillery and supply superiority allow me to win out and guarantees my bridge is safe. As a result I can afford to concede the northwest bridge but being stubborn of course I don't . This particular bit of the scenario is an object lesson in the importance of re-evaluating decisions to determine whether they still make sense as the battle moves forward. I didn't, and I spent a great deal of blood and treasure fruitlessly as a result.

Thankfully I am able to get my OB-25 into position and the little infantry support gun is gleefully lighting up the enemy now, freeing up my heavy artillery for other missions.

One of my T-34s is also down to 7 strength and has low efficiency, so ideally I need to get it to safety.

I plopped down 1x Yak, 1x IL-2 and 1x IL-4 as well as 2x recon planes for a total of 11 air CP. I felt the enemy was unlikely to have much of an air presence, and that it was more important I have substantial strike capability and especially strike capability able to knock out beaten up enemy tanks before they can flee as one secondary objective is to destroy 3x mechanized units before a fast approaching turn 12.

[prestidigitation]

Start of Turn 8.

I'm finally driven off the northwest bridge despite investing heavily in holding in it. Worse yet my infantry only survives through sheer dumb luck after being attacked in marshland by an 8str heavy infantry with medium efficiency at 3str. Worst of all, I didn't need to hold that bridge. If you think this means I'll come to my senses, you're very much wrong. My dander was up by now and there's no way in heck I'm simply letting a bunch of dirty no good Hitlerites steal my damn bridge! I'm commenting the replay here, so all I can do is facepalm at how dumb I was being. Taking it made sense in turn 1 when there was a decent shot it'd simply knock the enemy out of supply. Continuing to go after it when I've had the enemy cut off from it for many turns was just wildly stupid.

On the plus side the enemy StuG is enveloped, at low efficiency and half strength. With him and the Pz1 I knocked out earlier I'm at 2/3 for mech kills before turn 12. I also engaged in some brawling with the enemy at the objective and came out to the good. The enemy counterattack in the southeast is officially in shambles, my engineers are almost able to clear the mines and my OT-130 is about to do the lord's work among the Hitlerites.

Mostly things are good. My only concern is how beat up my T-34s are looking. Both of them have come under repeated enemy attack and are in desperate need of R&R. Since they're also key to holding the flanks of my counterattack I'm in something of a bind.

[prestidigitation]

Start of Turn 9.

You can see my Yak and heavy bomber coming in from the far southeast, while a German heavy fighter's wingtip is just visible in the far southwest.

I managed to seize the secondary objective finally, putting more pressure on the enemy supply network. Unfortunately the enemy retaliated by knocking the stuffing out of my naval infantry, now at 3 STR and threatened from three sides. Not ideal!

In the northwest I've retaken my beloved bridge.

You can also see I've rested some of my guns which should finally be able to provide effective support again. I tend to prefer cycling through them so that they're not all resting at once, as this allows me to ensure I've always got something available to react with.

My bloodthirsty BTs have cleared out the enemy near the southeast bridge, and my engineer is finally getting around to clearing that mine. While they were helpful clearing out the enemy in the woods, in retrospect I should have sent them to those mines more directly.

I've also brought my T-38 up to full strength and given it a good nap. I need to clear that enemy gun out, and I need that tankette to do it. Similarly my heavy infantry are finally ready to act three turns after my misplay with them.

[prestidigitation]

Start of turn 10.

Arare picture from the very bottom of the map where the enemy are finally making their move. In retrospect I allocated my forces very oddly down here. I should have oriented my defense toward the north where most of the enemy units were located and an intact bridge exists, but instead oriented myself toward the south where there's a broken bridge and a giant lake. Questionable in the extreme.



The main action:



It may not be super obvious, but I'm opting to do something pretty game-y in this scenario and not finishing off enemy units to keep them over their supply limit. This is one of those gray area actions. I decided that I'd finish them off all on the same turn when I'm finally ready to head for Yelnaya to maximize my advantage.

In the northwest I've finally decided that defending on my beloved Yartzevo is not a good idea and move 1 tile to the north, ignoring the perfectly good defensive position in the woods south of Yartzevo. The enemy counterattack is in shambles, but I'm just not ready to let go of my hate for them after daring to recapture that bridge!

The enemy was largely unable to take advantage of the weakened state of my armor, so the tanks are all ready to rejoin the fight. I've also badly smashed that AT gun hiding in the suspicious woods as I'm finding it is finally constraining my freedom of movement in the region and I can't have that. The enemy have allowed some infantry to get into a very ugly spot so I'll take advantage of it by encircling them.

I've also spotted an intensely vulnerable enemy self propelled AT. I know these things are usually open topped and lack good defense from air attack, so it is an excellent candidate for mech kill number 3. Keep in mind that one rule on this mission is that enemy mech units flee when they are at low health, so I need to get complete kills whenever possible.

My heavy guns are finally out of nearby targets and it is time to get them moving forward to a new firebase.

At Kardyshevo my OT-130 hit the entrenched enemy infantry like a ton of bricks, knocking a good bit off their entrench and efficiency while also delivering 3 kills for the cost of 1. This thing is pure unadulterated beast and I quite like it! The mines proved a tougher foe for my engineers than expected due to enemy shelling, so it'll take them two turns to clear them with their clear action. Annoying but the price we pay for delaying the attack on the gun so long.

[prestidigitation]

At this point the enemy is pretty much done. I secured the last mech kill and have overwhelming superiority on the field as well as plenty of time to finish the mission before the 18 turn bonus objective. If you're curious about the rest I strongly encourage you to pop the replay into your

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%USERPROFILE%\Documents\My Games\Order of Battle - WW2\Replays

folder and then loading it up in the Load Save Game interface (there's a small button at the bottom that says Replays) if you want to see the blow by blow. I might film some of these because this write up took no lie forever and was pretty exhausting!

[StuccoFresco]

Amazing writeup!