Slitherine

That is a very large prestige increase at Prokhorovka! I think you could have captured the ahistorical objective but then choose to follow the historical path. I'm impressed with how well you do with such a sub-optimal group. Mutually supporting formations is the key.

As for Kiev, lets just say that Panzer Gruppe 1 suffered heavy losses when it tried to retake the city. No units were destroyed, but there were heavy casualties... That said, I was able to sneak in one fully intact recon unit to the city center in the last turn. Sometimes snow storms work in our favor too .

AO 1943 - Operation Roland

Starting Prestige (after purchases and replacements): 146307

Hero:


Heroes continue to carry this run, it's really raining amazing ones recently compared to the horde of River Assault ones I got in the first AAR. Assigned to Artillerie Abt 4, it's the Double Attack Artillery Run after all, can't break the tradition now.

New Equipment Provided:

Fallschirmjäger Reg 1 - Fallschirmjäger 43
AufkAbt 4 - SdKfz 233 8Rad
FlaK Abt 2 - SdKfz 10/5

I'm still waiting for those Panthers, so given the chance I again get some better support units.

Starting Army Composition:

Infantry

Gebirgsjäger Reg 1 - Gebirgsjäger 43 - **** - First Aid, Survivor, Oleh Dir
Grenadier Reg 1 - Grenadier 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - OS20, Flag Killer, No Retaliation, Gero von Manstein
Infanterie Reg 1 - Wehr Infanterie (Opel Blitz) - **** - First Aid

Tank

PzAbt 1 - Panzer IIIJ/1 - **** - Butcher, Ignores ZOC, Superior Maneuver, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 2 - Tiger I - ***** - Ignores ZOC, Steamroller, Survivor, Albert Kerscher
PzAbt 3 - Panzer IIIL - **** - Steamroller, Ignores ZOC
PzAbt 7 - Tiger I - *** - Artillery Support, AT Support, Steamroller, Survivor, Rikugun Tai-I Akiyama

Recon

AufkAbt 1 - SdKfz 222 - **** - Envelopment, Overwhelming Attack

Anti-Tank

Sturmgeschütz Abt 2 - StuG IIIF - **** - Ferocious Defense, Karl Ullmann
Sturmgeschütz Abt 3 - StuG IIIF/8 - **** - Hit and Run, Legendary
Panzerjäger Abt 1 - Marder IIA - **** - Envelopment, Overwhelming Attack, Hit and Run, Skilled Support, Survivor
Panzerjäger Abt 3 - Marder IIIH - ** - Overwhelming Attack

Artillery

Artillerie Abt 1 - 21 cm Mrs (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Zero Slots, Skilled Support, Elsa Kloss
Artillerie Abt 2 - 17 cm K 18 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Legendary, Zero Slots, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 3 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 4 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - **** - Double Attack, Skilled Support, Reduced Slots
Artillerie Abt 5 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - **** - Skilled Support
Panzer Artillerie Abt 1 - Sturmpanzer I - **** - Field Repairs, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support
Sturmgeschütz Abt 1 - StuH 42 - **** - Double Support, Skilled Support

Anti-Aircraft

FlaK Abt 1 - 8.8 cm Flak 36 (SdKfz 7) - *** - Skilled Support, Survivor, Karla Wuhrer
FlaK Abt 4 - SdKfz 7/2 - *** - Famous

Fighter

I./JG 1 - Bf 109G - **** - Fast Rebase, Survivor, Erich Hartmann
II./JG 1 - Bf 109G - ***** - Fast Rebase, Survivor, Heinrich Bar
III./JG 1 - Fw 190A - *** - Fast Rebase, Thorough Preparation, Survivor
IV./JG 1 - Fw 190A - *** - Distraction, Fast Rebase, Survivor
I./JG 2 - Bf 109F - *** - Thorough Preparation, Survivor

Tactical Bomber

II./ZG 1 - Bf 110G - *** - Exterminator, Survivor
I./SG 1 - Ju 87D - ***** - Tank Killer, Survivor, Hans-Ulrich Rudel
II./SG 1 - Ju 87D - **** - Entrenchment Killer 4x, Survivor
III./SG 1 - Ju 87D - *** - Entrenchment Killer 4x, Survivor

Reserve

Infanterie Reg 4 (span.) - Azul Infanterie 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - Flag Killer, Unyielding, Helmut Wirnsberger
Infanterie Reg 7 (span.) - Azul Infanterie 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - Survivor
Pionier Bataillon 1 - Pioniere 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - River Assault, First Aid
Pionier Brücken Bataillon 1 - Brückenpioniere (SdKfz 250/1) - * - OS16, River Assault, No Surrender
Fallschirmjäger Reg 1 - Fallschirmjäger 43 - *** - Flag Killer, Unyielding
Kavallerie Reg 1 - Kavallerie - ***** - OS25, Consolidator, Prudent
Infanterie Reg 2 - Wehr Infanterie (Opel Blitz) - ***** - OS25, Consolidator, Survivor
Infanterie Reg 3 - Wehr Infanterie (Opel Blitz) - **
Infanterie Reg 5 - Wehr Infanterie (Opel Blitz) - ** - Liberator
Infanterie Reg 6 - Wehr Infanterie (Opel Blitz) - ** - Learns from Mistakes
PzAbt 4 - Flammpanzer II - ***** - Ignores ZOC, Tenacious Defender, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 5 - Panzer IIIN - ***** - Artillery Support, Butcher, Vigilant, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 6 - Panzer IVG - ***** - Ignores ZOC, Steamroller, Survivor
Pionier Brücken Bataillon 2 - SdKfz 251/7 Brücken - **
Kradschützen Batallion 1 - Kradschützen - ***** - Tenacious Defender
AufkAbt 2 - SdKfz 234/1 8Rad - ***** - Leadership
AufkAbt 3 - Panzer IIF - ***** - Butcher, Combat Luck, Overrun, Steamroller
AufkAbt 4 - SdKfz 233 8Rad - ***** - Distraction, Superior Maneuver
Panzerjäger Abt 2 - 5 cm PaK 38 (SdKfz 11) - *** - Ferocious Defense
Artillerie Abt 6 - 10.5 cm leFH 18 (SdKfz 11) - **** - Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 7 - 10.5 cm leFH 18 (SdKfz 11) - *** - Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 8 - 7.5 cm FK 16 nA
Werfer Abt 1 - Wurfrahmen 40 - ***
FlaK Abt 2 - SdKfz 10/5 - **** - Fast Learner
FlaK Abt 3 - 2 cm Flakvierling 38 (SdKfz 10) - **** - Double Support
FlaK Abt 5 - SdKfz 7/1 - **** - Combat Luck
II./JG 2 - Bf 109F - ** - Survivor
III./JG 2 - Bf 109F - ** - Survivor
IV./JG 2 - Bf 109G - ** - Survivor
I./JG 3 - Bf 109G - ** - Survivor
I./NJG 1 - He 219 - *
I./ZG 1 - Bf 110G - **** - Readiness, Survivor
III./ZG 1 - Bf 110G - *** - Survivor
I./AG 1 - He 70 Rayo - *** - Resilient
II./AG 1 - Fw 189 - *** - Resilient, Sixth Sense
III./AG 1 - Fw 189 - *
IV./AG 1 - Fi 156 Storch
I./AG 2 - Fi 156 Storch
II./AG 2 - Fi 156 Storch
IV./SG 1 - Ju 87D - **** - Survivor
I./KG 1 - He 177A - *** - OS11, Shock Tactics, Survivor
II./KG 1 - He 177A - *** - OS11, Shock Tactics, Survivor
III./KG 1 - Do 217E - *** - OS13, Survivor
IV./KG 1 - He 111H2 - **
I./KG 2 - Ju 88A - **
II./KG 2 - Ju 88A - **
Panzerzug Bismarck - Armoured Train - ***
Panzerzug Hindenburg - Armoured Train - *

Summary:


No help from the 6th Army this time. I'm on my own with just 85 core slots to use.


SU-76 takes a dive to strike at my AA gun, but will pay dearly for this.


Artillery really helps getting through this puzzle with minimal losses, but even then the defenses make the brain go into overdrive to plan all the moves. I honestly think this is one of the best thought off defensive formations, on par with Streets of Stalingrad and Thermopylae.


Smaller battle group clears the main objectives. I do not have to rush things, there is really a lot of time for it.


Thanks for 12 KV-85 tanks!

Final Prestige: 159253 (up 12946)

Overall:

While lack of the units assigned to 6th Army really limited my options to cover ground and do not allow me to use them as vanguards taking the heavy hits, I did manage to get through the massive Soviet line with tons of artillery fire. I also noticed that with just two Tigers my tank situation has really stabilized, but the air force could use some modifications, as the current iteration of the Bf 109, the G variant, is not that ahead of what the Soviets have to offer. That said, I hope that the historical path will allow me to use the AA veteran trait more and focus on that instead.

AO 1943 - Orel

Starting Prestige (after purchases and replacements): 160336

Hero:


Added to Infanterie Reg 3. Would be funny if I got more of these than I have infantry and have to recruit some extra troops to utilize the option.

New Equipment Provided:

Infanterie Reg 1 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz)
III./ZG 1 - Me 410A
IV./KG 1 - Ju 188A

The air force starts coming in with more advanced models of bombers. Also regular infantry starts its upgrade series. Yes, I need more Fw 190A fighters as well, but I'm dealing these changes for later when it really becomes critical.

Starting Army Composition:

Infantry

Gebirgsjäger Reg 1 - Gebirgsjäger 43 - **** - First Aid, Survivor, Oleh Dir
Infanterie Reg 1 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - **** - First Aid

Tank

PzAbt 1 - Panzer IIIJ/1 - ***** - Butcher, Ignores ZOC, Superior Maneuver, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 2 - Tiger I - ***** - Ignores ZOC, Steamroller, Survivor, Albert Kerscher
PzAbt 3 - Panzer IIIL - **** - Steamroller, Ignores ZOC
PzAbt 4 - Flammpanzer II - ***** - Ignores ZOC, Tenacious Defender, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 5 - Panzer IIIN - ***** - Artillery Support, Butcher, Vigilant, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 6 - Panzer IVG - ***** - Ignores ZOC, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 7 - Tiger I - **** - Artillery Support, AT Support, Steamroller, Survivor, Rikugun Tai-I Akiyama

Recon

AufkAbt 1 - SdKfz 222 - ***** - Envelopment, Overwhelming Attack
AufkAbt 3 - Panzer IIF - ***** - Butcher, Combat Luck, Overrun, Steamroller

Anti-Tank

Sturmgeschütz Abt 2 - StuG IIIF - **** - Ferocious Defense, Karl Ullmann
Sturmgeschütz Abt 3 - StuG IIIF/8 - **** - Hit and Run, Legendary
Panzerjäger Abt 1 - Marder IIA - **** - Envelopment, Overwhelming Attack, Hit and Run, Skilled Support, Survivor
Panzerjäger Abt 3 - Marder IIIH - ** - Overwhelming Attack

Artillery

Artillerie Abt 1 - 21 cm Mrs (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Zero Slots, Skilled Support, Elsa Kloss
Artillerie Abt 2 - 17 cm K 18 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Legendary, Zero Slots, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 3 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 4 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - **** - Double Attack, Skilled Support, Reduced Slots
Sturmgeschütz Abt 1 - StuH 42 - **** - Double Support, Skilled Support

Anti-Aircraft

FlaK Abt 1 - 8.8 cm Flak 36 (SdKfz 7) - *** - Skilled Support, Survivor, Karla Wuhrer
FlaK Abt 3 - 2 cm Flakvierling 38 (SdKfz 10) - **** - Double Support
FlaK Abt 5 - SdKfz 7/1 - **** - Combat Luck

Armored Train

Panzerzug Bismarck - Armoured Train - ***
Panzerzug Hindenburg - Armoured Train - *

Reserve

Infanterie Reg 4 (span.) - Azul Infanterie 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - Flag Killer, Unyielding, Helmut Wirnsberger
Infanterie Reg 7 (span.) - Azul Infanterie 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - Survivor
Pionier Bataillon 1 - Pioniere 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - River Assault, First Aid, Joseph Allerberger
Pionier Brücken Bataillon 1 - Brückenpioniere (SdKfz 250/1) - * - OS16, River Assault, No Surrender
Fallschirmjäger Reg 1 - Fallschirmjäger 43 - *** - Flag Killer, Unyielding
Grenadier Reg 1 - Grenadier 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - OS20, Flag Killer, No Retaliation, Gero von Manstein
Kavallerie Reg 1 - Kavallerie - ***** - OS25, Consolidator, Prudent
Infanterie Reg 2 - Wehr Infanterie (Opel Blitz) - ***** - OS25, Consolidator, Survivor
Infanterie Reg 3 - Wehr Infanterie (Opel Blitz) - ** - First Aid
Infanterie Reg 5 - Wehr Infanterie (Opel Blitz) - ** - Liberator
Infanterie Reg 6 - Wehr Infanterie (Opel Blitz) - ** - Learns from Mistakes
Pionier Brücken Bataillon 2 - SdKfz 251/7 Brücken - **
Kradschützen Batallion 1 - Kradschützen - ***** - Tenacious Defender
AufkAbt 2 - SdKfz 234/1 8Rad - ***** - Leadership
AufkAbt 4 - SdKfz 233 8Rad - ***** - Distraction, Superior Maneuver
Panzerjäger Abt 2 - 5 cm PaK 38 (SdKfz 11) - *** - Ferocious Defense
Artillerie Abt 5 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - **** - Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 6 - 10.5 cm leFH 18 (SdKfz 11) - **** - Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 7 - 10.5 cm leFH 18 (SdKfz 11) - *** - Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 8 - 7.5 cm FK 16 nA
Panzer Artillerie Abt 1 - Sturmpanzer I - **** - Field Repairs, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support
Werfer Abt 1 - Wurfrahmen 40 - ***
FlaK Abt 2 - SdKfz 10/5 - **** - Fast Learner
FlaK Abt 4 - SdKfz 7/2 - **** - Famous
I./JG 1 - Bf 109G - **** - Fast Rebase, Survivor, Erich Hartmann
II./JG 1 - Bf 109G - ***** - Fast Rebase, Survivor, Heinrich Bar
III./JG 1 - Fw 190A - *** - Fast Rebase, Thorough Preparation, Survivor
IV./JG 1 - Fw 190A - *** - Distraction, Fast Rebase, Survivor
I./JG 2 - Bf 109F - **** - Thorough Preparation, Survivor
II./JG 2 - Bf 109F - ** - Survivor
III./JG 2 - Bf 109F - ** - Survivor
IV./JG 2 - Bf 109G - ** - Survivor
I./JG 3 - Bf 109G - ** - Survivor
I./NJG 1 - He 219 - *
I./ZG 1 - Bf 110G - **** - Readiness, Survivor
II./ZG 1 - Bf 110G - *** - Exterminator, Survivor
III./ZG 1 - Me 410A - *** - Survivor
I./AG 1 - He 70 Rayo - *** - Resilient
II./AG 1 - Fw 189 - *** - Resilient, Sixth Sense
III./AG 1 - Fw 189 - *
IV./AG 1 - Fi 156 Storch
I./AG 2 - Fi 156 Storch
II./AG 2 - Fi 156 Storch
I./SG 1 - Ju 87D - ***** - Tank Killer, Survivor, Hans-Ulrich Rudel
II./SG 1 - Ju 87D - **** - Entrenchment Killer 4x, Survivor
III./SG 1 - Ju 87D - **** - Entrenchment Killer 4x, Survivor
IV./SG 1 - Ju 87D - **** - Survivor
I./KG 1 - He 177A - *** - OS11, Shock Tactics, Survivor
II./KG 1 - He 177A - *** - OS11, Shock Tactics, Survivor
III./KG 1 - Do 217E - *** - OS13, Survivor
IV./KG 1 - Ju 188A - **
I./KG 2 - Ju 88A - **
II./KG 2 - Ju 88A - **

Summary:


Escort ready. Trying to keep the more mobile units mostly, but also some of the less experienced ones that are just so close to 5 stars.


Armored trains are brought from reserve to help escort the convoy.


Bravely facing the onslaught as the transport evacuates.


Wait, so that was not the main force? Whoops! Time to evacuate quickly and gracefully.

Final Prestige: 163341 (up 3005)

Overall:

Being on the defensive in Panzer Corps 2 is always worse than being the attacker and this showed it well. Even with really good units the potential risk of getting completely surrounded was real, so I split my forces into two groups. First with the more elite troops was holding the river pass for as long as possible and then made a fighting retreat, while the second, much lighter in terms of armor, was deployed as a escort for the HQ half-track and clearing partisans. The only viable routes were narrow and full of enemies, so it was not an easy task getting though them, but once again the fact I can solve all problems with enough artillery was proven in action.

AO 1943 - Panther Line

Starting Prestige (after purchases and replacements): 166157

Hero:


Added to Werfer Abt 1. I already have AA veteran and on the defensive historical path it's not going to be a very useful trait on strategic bombers. Heavy artillery was also a tempting option, but it was fully occupied with other heroes already.

New Equipment Provided:

Infanterie Reg 2 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz)
Panzerjäger Abt 2 - 7.5 cm Pak 41 (SdKfz 11)
I./JG 2 - Fw 190A

Aside from infantry and some minor support upgrades it is time to think about my fighter squadrons again. I'll give Fw 190A to weaker units, the best aces can still manage well on the Bf 109.

Starting Army Composition:

Infantry

Infanterie Reg 4 (span.) - Azul Infanterie 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - Flag Killer, Unyielding, Helmut Wirnsberger
Infanterie Reg 7 (span.) - Azul Infanterie 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - Survivor
Pionier Bataillon 1 - Pioniere 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - River Assault, First Aid, Joseph Allerberger
Kavallerie Reg 1 - Kavallerie - ***** - OS25, Consolidator, Prudent
Infanterie Reg 2 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - ***** - OS25, Consolidator, Survivor

Tank

PzAbt 2 - Tiger I - ***** - Ignores ZOC, Steamroller, Survivor, Albert Kerscher
PzAbt 3 - Panzer IIIL - **** - Steamroller, Ignores ZOC
PzAbt 5 - Panzer IIIN - ***** - Artillery Support, Butcher, Vigilant, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 7 - Tiger I - **** - Artillery Support, AT Support, Steamroller, Survivor, Rikugun Tai-I Akiyama

Recon

Kradschützen Batallion 1 - Kradschützen - ***** - Tenacious Defender
AufkAbt 4 - SdKfz 233 8Rad - ***** - Distraction, Superior Maneuver

Anti-Tank

Sturmgeschütz Abt 2 - StuG IIIF - **** - Ferocious Defense, Karl Ullmann
Panzerjäger Abt 1 - Marder IIA - **** - Envelopment, Overwhelming Attack, Hit and Run, Skilled Support, Survivor

Artillery

Artillerie Abt 1 - 21 cm Mrs (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Zero Slots, Skilled Support, Elsa Kloss
Artillerie Abt 2 - 17 cm K 18 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Legendary, Zero Slots, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 3 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 4 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - **** - Double Attack, Skilled Support, Reduced Slots

Anti-Aircraft

FlaK Abt 1 - 8.8 cm Flak 36 (SdKfz 7) - *** - Skilled Support, Survivor, Karla Wuhrer
FlaK Abt 5 - SdKfz 7/1 - **** - Combat Luck

Fighter

I./JG 1 - Bf 109G - **** - Fast Rebase, Survivor, Erich Hartmann
II./JG 1 - Bf 109G - ***** - Fast Rebase, Survivor, Heinrich Bar
III./JG 1 - Fw 190A - *** - Fast Rebase, Thorough Preparation, Survivor
I./JG 2 - Fw 190A - **** - Thorough Preparation, Survivor

Tactical Bomber

III./ZG 1 - Me 410A - *** - Survivor
I./SG 1 - Ju 87D - ***** - Tank Killer, Survivor, Hans-Ulrich Rudel

Reserve

Pionier Brücken Bataillon 1 - Brückenpioniere (SdKfz 250/1) - * - OS16, River Assault, No Surrender
Fallschirmjäger Reg 1 - Fallschirmjäger 43 - *** - Flag Killer, Unyielding
Grenadier Reg 1 - Grenadier 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - OS20, Flag Killer, No Retaliation, Gero von Manstein
Gebirgsjäger Reg 1 - Gebirgsjäger 43 - ***** - First Aid, Survivor, Oleh Dir
Infanterie Reg 1 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - **** - First Aid
Infanterie Reg 3 - Wehr Infanterie (Opel Blitz) - ** - First Aid
Infanterie Reg 5 - Wehr Infanterie (Opel Blitz) - ** - Liberator
Infanterie Reg 6 - Wehr Infanterie (Opel Blitz) - ** - Learns from Mistakes
PzAbt 1 - Panzer IIIJ/1 - ***** - Butcher, Ignores ZOC, Superior Maneuver, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 4 - Flammpanzer II - ***** - Ignores ZOC, Tenacious Defender, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 6 - Panzer IVG - ***** - Ignores ZOC, Steamroller, Survivor
Pionier Brücken Bataillon 2 - SdKfz 251/7 Brücken - **
AufkAbt 1 - SdKfz 222 - ***** - Envelopment, Overwhelming Attack
AufkAbt 2 - SdKfz 234/1 8Rad - ***** - Leadership
AufkAbt 3 - Panzer IIF - ***** - Butcher, Combat Luck, Overrun, Steamroller
Sturmgeschütz Abt 3 - StuG IIIF/8 - **** - Hit and Run, Legendary
Panzerjäger Abt 2 - 7.5 cm Pak 41 (SdKfz 11) - *** - Ferocious Defense
Panzerjäger Abt 3 - Marder IIIH - ** - Overwhelming Attack
Artillerie Abt 5 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - **** - Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 6 - 10.5 cm leFH 18 (SdKfz 11) - **** - Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 7 - 10.5 cm leFH 18 (SdKfz 11) - *** - Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 8 - 7.5 cm FK 16 nA
Sturmgeschütz Abt 1 - StuH 42 - **** - Double Support, Skilled Support
Panzer Artillerie Abt 1 - Sturmpanzer I - **** - Field Repairs, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support
Werfer Abt 1 - Wurfrahmen 40 - *** - Lethal Attack
FlaK Abt 2 - SdKfz 10/5 - **** - Fast Learner
FlaK Abt 3 - 2 cm Flakvierling 38 (SdKfz 10) - **** - Double Support
FlaK Abt 4 - SdKfz 7/2 - **** - Famous
IV./JG 1 - Fw 190A - *** - Distraction, Fast Rebase, Survivor
I./JG 2 - Fw 190A - **** - Thorough Preparation, Survivor
II./JG 2 - Bf 109F - ** - Survivor
III./JG 2 - Bf 109F - ** - Survivor
IV./JG 2 - Bf 109G - ** - Survivor
I./JG 3 - Bf 109G - ** - Survivor
I./NJG 1 - He 219 - *
I./ZG 1 - Bf 110G - **** - Readiness, Survivor
II./ZG 1 - Bf 110G - *** - Exterminator, Survivor
I./AG 1 - He 70 Rayo - *** - Resilient
II./AG 1 - Fw 189 - *** - Resilient, Sixth Sense
III./AG 1 - Fw 189 - *
IV./AG 1 - Fi 156 Storch
I./AG 2 - Fi 156 Storch
II./AG 2 - Fi 156 Storch
II./SG 1 - Ju 87D - **** - Entrenchment Killer 4x, Survivor
III./SG 1 - Ju 87D - **** - Entrenchment Killer 4x, Survivor
IV./SG 1 - Ju 87D - **** - Survivor
I./KG 1 - He 177A - *** - OS11, Shock Tactics, Survivor
II./KG 1 - He 177A - *** - OS11, Shock Tactics, Survivor
III./KG 1 - Do 217E - *** - OS13, Survivor
IV./KG 1 - Ju 188A - **
I./KG 2 - Ju 88A - **
II./KG 2 - Ju 88A - **
Panzerzug Bismarck - Armoured Train - ***
Panzerzug Hindenburg - Armoured Train - *

Summary:


Forget trying to defend against main enemy forces, we're breaking through the paratroopers and making a run for it!


These defenses will not hold long, so I need to make most of the time they give me and increase the distance.


The chase caught up, but I've left just enough men to buy more time and slow the advance down.

Final Prestige: 168122 (up 1965)

Overall:

I expected this scenario to be as difficult, if not more than Orel, but in the end it was relatively straightforward and only my own careful approach caused the situation to be as passive as it was. The paratroopers' defenses took some time to dismantle, but afterwards it was not that complicated to push through them. The attack from the southeast was also not that large, so I could have easily engaged these forces as well, especially since the northern defenses held much longer than I expected. That said, enemy air force was massive and if I ever want to be more aggressive in this mission, I need to take it into consideration. Panzermon run will for sure want to be counterattacking here, as these hordes of tanks are a welcome source of various supplies.

You are doing well. For Taman, the key is to realize that the SW force is simply defensive and the SE force will stop at the city the Romanians are defending. So you can bust the stationary T-34s and infantry, and quickly and extract the Romanians without any losses to them. The main land threat is from the NE. Still, the Tiger I, 2 StugIIIs, a recon unit and an infantry were sufficient to hold the river line for me.

The real challenge will be the air battle. Now that you are getting FW190As, that should help a lot.

AO 1943 - Taman Peninsula

Starting Prestige (after purchases and replacements): 173105

Hero:


How timely! I already have a solid amount of Fast Rebase for my fighters, but one more will always be useful. Adding to I./JG 2 which is next awaiting in order.

New Equipment Provided:

II./JG 2 - Fw 190A
III./JG 2 - Bf 109G
I./AG 1 - Bf 109 PR

A few interesting new ground vehicles appeared. That said, since it is an air only mission, I need to take a pause and focus on planes as much as I can. As such the Bf 109F is now officially out of service in favor of the G variant and the Fw 190A.

Starting Army Composition:

Fighter

I./JG 1 - Bf 109G - **** - Fast Rebase, Survivor, Erich Hartmann
II./JG 1 - Bf 109G - ***** - Fast Rebase, Survivor, Heinrich Bar
III./JG 1 - Fw 190A - *** - Fast Rebase, Thorough Preparation, Survivor
IV./JG 1 - Fw 190A - *** - Distraction, Fast Rebase, Survivor
I./JG 2 - Fw 190A - **** - Fast Rebase, Thorough Preparation, Survivor
II./JG 2 - Fw 190A - ** - Survivor
III./JG 2 - Bf 109G - ** - Survivor
IV./JG 2 - Bf 109G - ** - Survivor
I./JG 3 - Bf 109G - ** - Survivor
I./NJG 1 - He 219 - *

Tactical Bomber

I./ZG 1 - Bf 110G - **** - Readiness, Survivor
II./ZG 1 - Bf 110G - *** - Exterminator, Survivor
III./ZG 1 - Me 410A - *** - Survivor
I./AG 1 - Bf 109 PR - *** - Resilient
II./AG 1 - Fw 189 - *** - Resilient, Sixth Sense
I./SG 1 - Ju 87D - ***** - Tank Killer, Survivor, Hans-Ulrich Rudel
II./SG 1 - Ju 87D - **** - Entrenchment Killer 4x, Survivor
III./SG 1 - Ju 87D - **** - Entrenchment Killer 4x, Survivor
IV./SG 1 - Ju 87D - **** - Survivor

Strategic Bomber

I./KG 1 - He 177A - *** - OS11, Shock Tactics, Survivor
II./KG 1 - He 177A - *** - OS11, Shock Tactics, Survivor

Reserve

Infanterie Reg 4 (span.) - Azul Infanterie 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - Flag Killer, Unyielding, Helmut Wirnsberger
Infanterie Reg 7 (span.) - Azul Infanterie 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - Survivor
Pionier Brücken Bataillon 1 - Brückenpioniere (SdKfz 250/1) - * - OS16, River Assault, No Surrender
Fallschirmjäger Reg 1 - Fallschirmjäger 43 - *** - Flag Killer, Unyielding
Gebirgsjäger Reg 1 - Gebirgsjäger 43 - ***** - First Aid, Survivor, Oleh Dir
Grenadier Reg 1 - Grenadier 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - OS20, Flag Killer, No Retaliation, Gero von Manstein
Kavallerie Reg 1 - Kavallerie - ***** - OS25, Consolidator, Prudent
Pionier Bataillon 1 - Pioniere 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - River Assault, First Aid, Joseph Allerberger
Infanterie Reg 1 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - **** - First Aid
Infanterie Reg 2 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - ***** - OS25, Consolidator, Survivor
Infanterie Reg 3 - Wehr Infanterie (Opel Blitz) - ** - First Aid
Infanterie Reg 5 - Wehr Infanterie (Opel Blitz) - ** - Liberator
Infanterie Reg 6 - Wehr Infanterie (Opel Blitz) - ** - Learns from Mistakes
PzAbt 1 - Panzer IIIJ/1 - ***** - Butcher, Ignores ZOC, Superior Maneuver, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 2 - Tiger I - ***** - Ignores ZOC, Steamroller, Survivor, Albert Kerscher
PzAbt 3 - Panzer IIIL - **** - Steamroller, Ignores ZOC
PzAbt 4 - Flammpanzer II - ***** - Ignores ZOC, Tenacious Defender, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 5 - Panzer IIIN - ***** - Artillery Support, Butcher, Vigilant, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 6 - Panzer IVG - ***** - Ignores ZOC, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 7 - Tiger I - **** - Artillery Support, AT Support, Steamroller, Survivor, Rikugun Tai-I Akiyama
Pionier Brücken Bataillon 2 - SdKfz 251/7 Brücken - **
Kradschützen Batallion 1 - Kradschützen - ***** - Tenacious Defender
AufkAbt 1 - SdKfz 222 - ***** - Envelopment, Overwhelming Attack
AufkAbt 2 - SdKfz 234/1 8Rad - ***** - Leadership
AufkAbt 3 - Panzer IIF - ***** - Butcher, Combat Luck, Overrun, Steamroller
AufkAbt 4 - SdKfz 233 8Rad - ***** - Distraction, Superior Maneuver
Sturmgeschütz Abt 2 - StuG IIIF - **** - Ferocious Defense, Karl Ullmann
Sturmgeschütz Abt 3 - StuG IIIF/8 - **** - Hit and Run, Legendary
Panzerjäger Abt 1 - Marder IIA - **** - Envelopment, Overwhelming Attack, Hit and Run, Skilled Support, Survivor
Panzerjäger Abt 2 - 7.5 cm Pak 41 (SdKfz 11) - *** - Ferocious Defense
Panzerjäger Abt 3 - Marder IIIH - ** - Overwhelming Attack
Artillerie Abt 1 - 21 cm Mrs (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Zero Slots, Skilled Support, Elsa Kloss
Artillerie Abt 2 - 17 cm K 18 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Legendary, Zero Slots, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 3 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 4 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - **** - Double Attack, Skilled Support, Reduced Slots
Artillerie Abt 5 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - **** - Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 6 - 10.5 cm leFH 18 (SdKfz 11) - **** - Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 7 - 10.5 cm leFH 18 (SdKfz 11) - *** - Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 8 - 7.5 cm FK 16 nA
Sturmgeschütz Abt 1 - StuH 42 - **** - Double Support, Skilled Support
Panzer Artillerie Abt 1 - Sturmpanzer I - **** - Field Repairs, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support
Werfer Abt 1 - Wurfrahmen 40 - *** - Lethal Attack
FlaK Abt 1 - 8.8 cm Flak 36 (SdKfz 7) - **** - Skilled Support, Survivor, Karla Wuhrer
FlaK Abt 2 - SdKfz 10/5 - **** - Fast Learner
FlaK Abt 3 - 2 cm Flakvierling 38 (SdKfz 10) - **** - Double Support
FlaK Abt 4 - SdKfz 7/2 - **** - Famous
FlaK Abt 5 - SdKfz 7/1 - **** - Combat Luck
III./AG 1 - Fw 189 - *
IV./AG 1 - Fi 156 Storch
I./AG 2 - Fi 156 Storch
II./AG 2 - Fi 156 Storch
III./KG 1 - Do 217E - *** - OS13, Survivor
IV./KG 1 - Ju 188A - **
I./KG 2 - Ju 88A - **
II./KG 2 - Ju 88A - **
Panzerzug Bismarck - Armoured Train - ***
Panzerzug Hindenburg - Armoured Train - *

Summary:


First escort dispatches are heavily hit...


...but with AA veteran it is revenge time!


Ouch! Even support fire did not negate that.

Final Prestige: 174519 (up 1414)

Overall:

That was quite the battle, unlike any other air only mission so far. They were all manageable with less things to worry about at once and just very basic objectives. It also helped that there was time to achieve these goals and ground troops were, if present, quite significant. Taman Peninsula is nothing of the sort. The 30 turn limit is misleading, as Soviets will git in force from the very start and get reinforcement waves including AA guns, making bombing raids more and more difficult. This, combined with heavy artillery shelling means that bunkers will not hold long and the air bases are a ris of getting overrun. Even more of an issue in a situation I was in without enough airfields on the other side of the strait to fit all aircraft. On top of all that, Luftwaffe is busy escorting the transports, as they should start evacuation at least some men early, and covering retreating units, although if one were to forsake Romanian forces the mission becomes a lot more manageable. I succeeded ultimately in both the main and bonus goal, but I won't be surprised if Panzermon, with its significantly weaker air force will be forced to skip this bonus mission, or at least only focus on the main goal. That might be the first time a mission goal proves impossible.

AO 1943 - Kremenchung

Starting Prestige (after purchases and replacements): 195737

Hero:


New pilot for III./ZG 1. As it was shown, my fighters can't be everywhere, so some tactical bombers reall need to be able to operate escort free at all times.

New Equipment Provided:

Infanterie Reg 3 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz)
Panzerjäger Abt 1 - Nashorn
Former Artillerie Abt 7 (Artillerie Abt 8 also renamed to Artillerie Abt 7), now Panzer Artillerie Abt 2 - Wespe - OS13

Still no Panthers? I guess with one more mission to go I might not get any in 1943 at all at this rate. Still, Wespe with 13 OS should be a handy tool for small, mobile support forces and anti-partisan duty (but could use an extra Zero or Reduced Slots hero for sure!). The Nashorn on the other hand will help Panzerjäger Abt 1 further benefit from Hit and Run. It does mean it will deal more damage and thus less likely to give more prestige from surrenders, but prestige is not the problem, it's those dangerous enemy tanks or AT guns that will get better initiative and be able to shoot back at one point. I also reviewed my overstrength status with the table, as I seems to have forgotten a few freebies I should be using - for example I should be giving the 21 cm Mrs 14 OS, but somehow forgot about that entirely all the way until now, probably because I did not review the possibility from the sheet after getting Zero and Reduced Slot heroes!

Starting Army Composition:

Infantry

Infanterie Reg 4 (span.) - Azul Infanterie 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - Flag Killer, Unyielding, Helmut Wirnsberger
Infanterie Reg 7 (span.) - Azul Infanterie 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - Survivor
Gebirgsjäger Reg 1 - Gebirgsjäger 43 - ***** - First Aid, Survivor, Oleh Dir
Grenadier Reg 1 - Grenadier 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - OS20, Flag Killer, No Retaliation, Gero von Manstein
Infanterie Reg 1 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - **** - First Aid
Infanterie Reg 2 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - ***** - OS25, Consolidator, Survivor
Infanterie Reg 3 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - ** - First Aid

Tank

PzAbt 1 - Panzer IIIJ/1 - ***** - Butcher, Ignores ZOC, Superior Maneuver, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 2 - Tiger I - ***** - Ignores ZOC, Steamroller, Survivor, Albert Kerscher
PzAbt 3 - Panzer IIIL - **** - Steamroller, Ignores ZOC
PzAbt 4 - Flammpanzer II - ***** - Ignores ZOC, Tenacious Defender, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 5 - Panzer IIIN - ***** - OS12, Artillery Support, Butcher, Vigilant, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 7 - Tiger I - **** - Artillery Support, AT Support, Steamroller, Survivor, Rikugun Tai-I Akiyama

Recon

Kradschützen Batallion 1 - Kradschützen - ***** - OS11, Tenacious Defender
AufkAbt 1 - SdKfz 222 - ***** - Envelopment, Overwhelming Attack

Anti-Tank

Sturmgeschütz Abt 2 - StuG IIIF - **** - Ferocious Defense, Karl Ullmann
Panzerjäger Abt 1 - Nashorn - **** - Envelopment, Overwhelming Attack, Hit and Run, Skilled Support, Survivor
Panzerjäger Abt 3 - Marder IIIH - ** - Overwhelming Attack

Artillery

Artillerie Abt 1 - 21 cm Mrs (SdKfz 7) - ***** - OS14, Double Attack, Zero Slots, Skilled Support, Elsa Kloss
Artillerie Abt 2 - 17 cm K 18 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Legendary, Zero Slots, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 3 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 4 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - **** - Double Attack, Skilled Support, Reduced Slots
Artillerie Abt 5 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - **** - Skilled Support
Sturmgeschütz Abt 1 - StuH 42 - **** - Double Support, Skilled Support
Panzer Artillerie Abt 2 - Wespe - *** - OS13, Skilled Support
Panzer Artillerie Abt 1 - Sturmpanzer I - **** - Field Repairs, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support
Werfer Abt 1 - Wurfrahmen 40 - *** - Lethal Attack

Anti-Aircraft

FlaK Abt 1 - 8.8 cm Flak 36 (SdKfz 7) - **** - Skilled Support, Survivor, Karla Wuhrer
FlaK Abt 2 - SdKfz 10/5 - **** - Fast Learner
FlaK Abt 3 - 2 cm Flakvierling 38 (SdKfz 10) - **** - Double Support
FlaK Abt 4 - SdKfz 7/2 - **** - Famous
FlaK Abt 5 - SdKfz 7/1 - **** - Combat Luck

Reserve

Pionier Brücken Bataillon 1 - Brückenpioniere (SdKfz 250/1) - * - OS16, River Assault, No Surrender
Fallschirmjäger Reg 1 - Fallschirmjäger 43 - *** - Flag Killer, Unyielding
Kavallerie Reg 1 - Kavallerie - ***** - OS25, Consolidator, Prudent
Pionier Bataillon 1 - Pioniere 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - River Assault, First Aid, Joseph Allerberger
Infanterie Reg 5 - Wehr Infanterie (Opel Blitz) - ** - Liberator
Infanterie Reg 6 - Wehr Infanterie (Opel Blitz) - ** - Learns from Mistakes
PzAbt 6 - Panzer IVG - ***** - Ignores ZOC, Steamroller, Survivor
Pionier Brücken Bataillon 2 - SdKfz 251/7 Brücken - ** - OS11
AufkAbt 2 - SdKfz 234/1 8Rad - ***** - Leadership
AufkAbt 3 - Panzer IIF - ***** - Butcher, Combat Luck, Overrun, Steamroller
AufkAbt 4 - SdKfz 233 8Rad - ***** - Distraction, Superior Maneuver
Sturmgeschütz Abt 3 - StuG IIIF/8 - **** - Hit and Run, Legendary
Panzerjäger Abt 2 - 7.5 cm Pak 41 (SdKfz 11) - *** - Ferocious Defense
Artillerie Abt 6 - 10.5 cm leFH 18 (SdKfz 11) - **** - Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 7 - 7.5 cm FK 16 nA
I./JG 1 - Bf 109G - ***** - Fast Rebase, Survivor, Erich Hartmann
II./JG 1 - Bf 109G - ***** - Fast Rebase, Survivor, Heinrich Bar
III./JG 1 - Fw 190A - *** - Fast Rebase, Thorough Preparation, Survivor
IV./JG 1 - Fw 190A - *** - Distraction, Fast Rebase, Survivor
I./JG 2 - Fw 190A - **** - Fast Rebase, Thorough Preparation, Survivor
II./JG 2 - Fw 190A - ** - Survivor
III./JG 2 - Bf 109G - ** - Survivor
IV./JG 2 - Bf 109G - ** - Survivor
I./JG 3 - Bf 109G - ** - Survivor
I./NJG 1 - He 219 - *
I./ZG 1 - Bf 110G - **** - Readiness, Survivor
II./ZG 1 - Bf 110G - *** - Exterminator, Survivor
III./ZG 1 - Me 410A - *** - Evasive, Survivor
I./AG 1 - Bf 109 PR - *** - Resilient
II./AG 1 - Fw 189 - *** - Resilient, Sixth Sense
III./AG 1 - Fw 189 - *
IV./AG 1 - Fi 156 Storch
I./AG 2 - Fi 156 Storch
II./AG 2 - Fi 156 Storch
I./SG 1 - Ju 87D - ***** - Tank Killer, Survivor, Hans-Ulrich Rudel
II./SG 1 - Ju 87D - **** - Entrenchment Killer 4x, Survivor
III./SG 1 - Ju 87D - **** - Entrenchment Killer 4x, Survivor
IV./SG 1 - Ju 87D - **** - Survivor
I./KG 1 - He 177A - *** - OS11, Shock Tactics, Survivor
II./KG 1 - He 177A - *** - OS11, Shock Tactics, Survivor
III./KG 1 - Do 217E - *** - OS13, Survivor
IV./KG 1 - Ju 188A - **
I./KG 2 - Ju 88A - **
II./KG 2 - Ju 88A - **
Panzerzug Bismarck - Armoured Train - ***
Panzerzug Hindenburg - Armoured Train - *

Summary:


First fight for Infanterie Reg 2 is always costly, but this unit can be in action for a long while even after several encounters.


Even Azul Infanterie can have issues with the sheer amount of partisans if it does not have direct artillery support.


Getting to those bridgeheads will not be easy!

Final Prestige: 200243 (up 4506)

Overall:

Total prestige gain does not reflect this vicious scenario's intensity. I really am happy that I took AA veteran now, as I could rely on ground forces entirely and not worry about planes. This provided ample cover and also allowed me to deploy more infantry. Soviets were pushed back on all bridgeheads and control was established in the end, but as suggested by the debriefing, it is only the beginning of an uphill battle against overwhelming odds.

AO 1943 - Zhitomir

Starting Prestige (after purchases and replacements): 199375

Hero:


Added to II./ZG 1. Ironically I have little room for air force now, but might still come in handy at one point.

New Equipment Provided:

Pionier Brücken Bataillon 1 - Brückenpioniere (Opel Blitz) - downgraded the transport to truck to keep 1 core slot cost
PzAbt 1 - Panzer IVH
PzAbt 4 - Flammpanzer III
Panzer Artillerie Abt 1 - Hummel - OS14

Seeing the Panzer IVH and the Hummel is a quite welcome sight, as it does put some of my older units up to much better standards. As for the Flammpanzer III, it will be quite useful in dealing with partisans, as the II variant had a bit too thin armor to reliably fight them.

Starting Army Composition:

Infantry

Pionier Brücken Bataillon 1 - Brückenpioniere (Opel Blitz) - * - No Surrender, River Assault
Infanterie Reg 4 (span.) - Azul Infanterie 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - Flag Killer, Unyielding, Helmut Wirnsberger
Infanterie Reg 7 (span.) - Azul Infanterie 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - Survivor
Gebirgsjäger Reg 1 - Gebirgsjäger 43 - ***** - First Aid, Survivor, Oleh Dir
Grenadier Reg 1 - Grenadier 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - OS20, Flag Killer, No Retaliation, Gero von Manstein
Kavallerie Reg 1 - Kavallerie - ***** - OS25, Consolidator, Prudent
Pionier Bataillon 1 - Pioniere 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - River Assault, First Aid, Joseph Allerberger
Infanterie Reg 1 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - **** - First Aid
Infanterie Reg 2 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - ***** - OS25, Consolidator, Survivor
Infanterie Reg 3 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - *** - First Aid

Tank

PzAbt 1 - Panzer IVH - ***** - Butcher, Ignores ZOC, Superior Maneuver, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 2 - Tiger I - ***** - Ignores ZOC, Steamroller, Survivor, Albert Kerscher
PzAbt 3 - Panzer IIIL - **** - Steamroller, Ignores ZOC
PzAbt 4 - Flammpanzer III - ***** - Ignores ZOC, Tenacious Defender, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 5 - Panzer IIIN - ***** - OS12, Artillery Support, Butcher, Vigilant, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 6 - Panzer IVG - ***** - Ignores ZOC, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 7 - Tiger I - **** - Artillery Support, AT Support, Steamroller, Survivor, Rikugun Tai-I Akiyama

Recon

Kradschützen Batallion 1 - Kradschützen - ***** - OS11, Tenacious Defender
AufkAbt 1 - SdKfz 222 - ***** - Envelopment, Overwhelming Attack
AufkAbt 2 - SdKfz 234/1 8Rad - ***** - Leadership
AufkAbt 3 - Panzer IIF - ***** - Butcher, Combat Luck, Overrun, Steamroller
AufkAbt 4 - SdKfz 233 8Rad - ***** - Distraction, Superior Maneuver

Anti-Tank

Sturmgeschütz Abt 2 - StuG IIIF - **** - Ferocious Defense, Karl Ullmann
Sturmgeschütz Abt 3 - StuG IIIF/8 - **** - Hit and Run, Legendary
Panzerjäger Abt 1 - Nashorn - **** - Envelopment, Overwhelming Attack, Hit and Run, Skilled Support, Survivor
Panzerjäger Abt 3 - Marder IIIH - ** - Overwhelming Attack

Artillery

Artillerie Abt 1 - 21 cm Mrs (SdKfz 7) - ***** - OS14, Double Attack, Zero Slots, Skilled Support, Elsa Kloss
Artillerie Abt 2 - 17 cm K 18 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Legendary, Zero Slots, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 3 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 4 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - **** - Double Attack, Skilled Support, Reduced Slots
Artillerie Abt 5 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - **** - Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 6 - 10.5 cm leFH 18 (SdKfz 11) - **** - Skilled Support
Sturmgeschütz Abt 1 - StuH 42 - **** - Double Support, Skilled Support
Panzer Artillerie Abt 1 - Hummel - **** - OS14, Field Repairs, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support
Panzer Artillerie Abt 2 - Wespe - *** - OS13, Skilled Support
Werfer Abt 1 - Wurfrahmen 40 - **** - Lethal Attack

Anti-Aircraft

FlaK Abt 1 - 8.8 cm Flak 36 (SdKfz 7) - **** - Skilled Support, Survivor, Karla Wuhrer
FlaK Abt 2 - SdKfz 10/5 - **** - Fast Learner, Skilled Support
FlaK Abt 3 - 2 cm Flakvierling 38 (SdKfz 10) - **** - Double Support
FlaK Abt 4 - SdKfz 7/2 - **** - Famous, Skilled Support
FlaK Abt 5 - SdKfz 7/1 - **** - Combat Luck

Reserve

Fallschirmjäger Reg 1 - Fallschirmjäger 43 - *** - Flag Killer, Unyielding
Infanterie Reg 5 - Wehr Infanterie (Opel Blitz) - ** - Liberator
Infanterie Reg 6 - Wehr Infanterie (Opel Blitz) - ** - Learns from Mistakes
Pionier Brücken Bataillon 2 - SdKfz 251/7 Brücken - ** - OS11
Panzerjäger Abt 2 - 7.5 cm Pak 41 (SdKfz 11) - *** - Ferocious Defense
Artillerie Abt 7 - 7.5 cm FK 16 nA
I./JG 1 - Bf 109G - ***** - Fast Rebase, Survivor, Erich Hartmann
II./JG 1 - Bf 109G - ***** - Fast Rebase, Survivor, Heinrich Bar
III./JG 1 - Fw 190A - *** - Fast Rebase, Thorough Preparation, Survivor
IV./JG 1 - Fw 190A - *** - Distraction, Fast Rebase, Survivor
I./JG 2 - Fw 190A - **** - Fast Rebase, Thorough Preparation, Survivor
II./JG 2 - Fw 190A - ** - Survivor
III./JG 2 - Bf 109G - ** - Survivor
IV./JG 2 - Bf 109G - ** - Survivor
I./JG 3 - Bf 109G - ** - Survivor
I./NJG 1 - He 219 - *
I./ZG 1 - Bf 110G - **** - Readiness, Survivor
II./ZG 1 - Bf 110G - *** - Exterminator, Readiness, Survivor
III./ZG 1 - Me 410A - *** - Evasive, Survivor
I./AG 1 - Bf 109 PR - *** - Resilient
II./AG 1 - Fw 189 - *** - Resilient, Sixth Sense
III./AG 1 - Fw 189 - *
IV./AG 1 - Fi 156 Storch
I./AG 2 - Fi 156 Storch
II./AG 2 - Fi 156 Storch
I./SG 1 - Ju 87D - ***** - Tank Killer, Survivor, Hans-Ulrich Rudel
II./SG 1 - Ju 87D - **** - Entrenchment Killer 4x, Survivor
III./SG 1 - Ju 87D - **** - Entrenchment Killer 4x, Survivor
IV./SG 1 - Ju 87D - **** - Survivor
I./KG 1 - He 177A - *** - OS11, Shock Tactics, Survivor
II./KG 1 - He 177A - *** - OS11, Shock Tactics, Survivor
III./KG 1 - Do 217E - *** - OS13, Survivor
IV./KG 1 - Ju 188A - **
I./KG 2 - Ju 88A - **
II./KG 2 - Ju 88A - **
Panzerzug Bismarck - Armoured Train - ***
Panzerzug Hindenburg - Armoured Train - *

Summary:


Light battle group is on anti-partisan duty.


Attacking the flank of the advancing force and trapping it in an encirclement seems like a good idea, at least on paper.


Not fair! Even I do not have Panthers yet!


Leaving someone behind was a good idea.


This took me forever, but the trap is sprung.


Probably the best way to ensure control of all those victory hexes at the end of the mission.


Scout cars sneak past the defenses on the very last turn, just for the sake of it.

Final Prestige: 202883 (up 3508)

Overall:

Comapred to three previous scenarios this one felt easier despite the overwhelming odds and masses of Soviet units pouring in from the east. That's probably since finally I had more control over the area and could choose my own battles instead of having to chaotically try to make best of a terrible starting situation. Stuhna river is an excellent defensive position that allows to slow down the enemy progress and constantly shell them with artillery from the other shore, while being very difficult to cross for them. This allows a small battle group to secure Zhitomir and elite tanks to patrol between Korostyshiv and the swamps where Stuhna river starts. Not employing aircraft was also a good call, as the AA guns were perfectly able to provide cover and only strategic bombers were a bit of a nuisance due to having just one heavy AA gun on my end. This allowed me to deploy much more ground troops and secure ground I would not be able to otherwise. I might resort to this strategy more in the future as the air superiority will probably remain on the enemy side most of the time in 1944 and 1945.

AO 1943 - Summary

Starting Prestige: 88818
Final Prestige: 202883 (up 114065)

Final Army Composition:

Infantry

Pionier Brücken Bataillon 1 - Brückenpioniere (Opel Blitz) - * - No Surrender, River Assault
Infanterie Reg 4 (span.) - Azul Infanterie 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - Flag Killer, Unyielding, Helmut Wirnsberger
Infanterie Reg 7 (span.) - Azul Infanterie 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - Survivor
Gebirgsjäger Reg 1 - Gebirgsjäger 43 - ***** - First Aid, Survivor, Oleh Dir
Grenadier Reg 1 - Grenadier 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - OS20, Flag Killer, No Retaliation, Gero von Manstein
Kavallerie Reg 1 - Kavallerie - ***** - OS25, Consolidator, Prudent
Pionier Bataillon 1 - Pioniere 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - River Assault, First Aid, Joseph Allerberger
Fallschirmjäger Reg 1 - Fallschirmjäger 43 - *** - Flag Killer, Unyielding
Infanterie Reg 1 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - **** - First Aid
Infanterie Reg 2 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - ***** - OS25, Consolidator, Survivor
Infanterie Reg 3 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - *** - First Aid
Infanterie Reg 5 - Wehr Infanterie (Opel Blitz) - ** - Liberator
Infanterie Reg 6 - Wehr Infanterie (Opel Blitz) - ** - Learns from Mistakes

Tank

PzAbt 1 - Panzer IVH - ***** - Butcher, Ignores ZOC, Superior Maneuver, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 2 - Tiger I - ***** - Ignores ZOC, Steamroller, Survivor, Albert Kerscher
PzAbt 3 - Panzer IIIL - **** - Steamroller, Ignores ZOC
PzAbt 4 - Flammpanzer III - ***** - Ignores ZOC, Tenacious Defender, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 5 - Panzer IIIN - ***** - OS12, Artillery Support, Butcher, Vigilant, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 6 - Panzer IVG - ***** - Ignores ZOC, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 7 - Tiger I - **** - Artillery Support, AT Support, Steamroller, Survivor, Rikugun Tai-I Akiyama
Pionier Brücken Bataillon 2 - SdKfz 251/7 Brücken - ** - OS11

Recon

Kradschützen Batallion 1 - Kradschützen - ***** - OS11, Tenacious Defender
AufkAbt 1 - SdKfz 222 - ***** - Envelopment, Overwhelming Attack
AufkAbt 2 - SdKfz 234/1 8Rad - ***** - Leadership
AufkAbt 3 - Panzer IIF - ***** - Butcher, Combat Luck, Overrun, Steamroller
AufkAbt 4 - SdKfz 233 8Rad - ***** - Distraction, Superior Maneuver

Anti-Tank

Sturmgeschütz Abt 2 - StuG IIIF - **** - Ferocious Defense, Karl Ullmann
Sturmgeschütz Abt 3 - StuG IIIF/8 - **** - Hit and Run, Legendary, Skilled Support
Panzerjäger Abt 1 - Nashorn - **** - Envelopment, Overwhelming Attack, Hit and Run, Skilled Support, Survivor
Panzerjäger Abt 2 - 7.5 cm Pak 41 (SdKfz 11) - *** - Ferocious Defense
Panzerjäger Abt 3 - Marder IIIH - ** - Overwhelming Attack

Artillery

Artillerie Abt 1 - 21 cm Mrs (SdKfz 7) - ***** - OS14, Double Attack, Zero Slots, Skilled Support, Elsa Kloss
Artillerie Abt 2 - 17 cm K 18 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Legendary, Zero Slots, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 3 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 4 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 5 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - **** - Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 6 - 10.5 cm leFH 18 (SdKfz 11) - **** - Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 7 - 7.5 cm FK 16 nA
Sturmgeschütz Abt 1 - StuH 42 - **** - Double Support, Skilled Support
Panzer Artillerie Abt 1 - Hummel - **** - OS14, Field Repairs, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support
Panzer Artillerie Abt 2 - Wespe - *** - OS13, Skilled Support
Werfer Abt 1 - Wurfrahmen 40 - **** - Lethal Attack

Anti-Aircraft

FlaK Abt 1 - 8.8 cm Flak 36 (SdKfz 7) - **** - Skilled Support, Survivor, Karla Wuhrer
FlaK Abt 2 - SdKfz 10/5 - **** - Fast Learner, Skilled Support
FlaK Abt 3 - 2 cm Flakvierling 38 (SdKfz 10) - **** - Double Support, Skilled Support
FlaK Abt 4 - SdKfz 7/2 - **** - Famous, Skilled Support
FlaK Abt 5 - SdKfz 7/1 - **** - Combat Luck, Skilled Support

Fighter

I./JG 1 - Bf 109G - ***** - Fast Rebase, Survivor, Erich Hartmann
II./JG 1 - Bf 109G - ***** - Fast Rebase, Survivor, Heinrich Bar
III./JG 1 - Fw 190A - *** - Fast Rebase, Thorough Preparation, Survivor
IV./JG 1 - Fw 190A - *** - Distraction, Fast Rebase, Survivor
I./JG 2 - Fw 190A - **** - Fast Rebase, Thorough Preparation, Survivor
II./JG 2 - Fw 190A - ** - Survivor
III./JG 2 - Bf 109G - ** - Survivor
IV./JG 2 - Bf 109G - ** - Survivor
I./JG 3 - Bf 109G - ** - Survivor
I./NJG 1 - He 219 - *

Tactical Bomber

I./ZG 1 - Bf 110G - **** - Readiness, Survivor
II./ZG 1 - Bf 110G - *** - Exterminator, Readiness, Survivor
III./ZG 1 - Me 410A - *** - Evasive, Survivor
I./AG 1 - Bf 109 PR - *** - Resilient
II./AG 1 - Fw 189 - *** - Resilient, Sixth Sense
III./AG 1 - Fw 189 - *
IV./AG 1 - Fi 156 Storch
I./AG 2 - Fi 156 Storch
II./AG 2 - Fi 156 Storch
I./SG 1 - Ju 87D - ***** - Tank Killer, Survivor, Hans-Ulrich Rudel
II./SG 1 - Ju 87D - **** - Entrenchment Killer 4x, Survivor
III./SG 1 - Ju 87D - **** - Entrenchment Killer 4x, Survivor
IV./SG 1 - Ju 87D - **** - Survivor

Strategic Bomber

I./KG 1 - He 177A - *** - OS11, Shock Tactics, Survivor
II./KG 1 - He 177A - *** - OS11, Shock Tactics, Survivor
III./KG 1 - Do 217E - *** - OS13, Survivor
IV./KG 1 - Ju 188A - **
I./KG 2 - Ju 88A - **
II./KG 2 - Ju 88A - **

Armored Train

Panzerzug Bismarck - Armoured Train - ***
Panzerzug Hindenburg - Armoured Train - *

Thoughts:

Retrograde or not, artillery is still the best and continues to be king, From the times in Spain where I deployed eight 10.5 cm leFH 18 on the hills of Gijon, all the way until now in 1943 this continues to be my best formation, not affected by the negative traits much and allowing even weaker units to do their job. Of course this is not an omnipotent power. It limits speed of my forces, cannot defend well over a large, flat area, is vulnerable to flanking and certain heroes and also air attacks. The best units are also quite limited, so I will stay towed for the majority of it, but it won me the 1943 DLC and I have high hopes for it in 1944 and onward. How different this is from my first run where tanks did mostly of the work. It just show ho different traits, heroes and available tools add to the replay value.

I certainly wouldn't want to be the general trying to break out of Kiev against that force! I'm surprised you didn't bring any Luftwaffe support to the last two scenarios, but AA veteran seems to be worth it.

Artillerie Abt 1 looks scary. OS and double attack with Elsa Kloss!!!

AO 1944 - Shanderovka


Starting of with the ever-growing availability chart. We will see how things progress, but some more bizarre units will be limited for sure.

Starting Prestige (after purchases and replacements): 200986

Hero:

None, as per the way this now works in the first mission.

New Equipment Provided:

PzAbt 6 - Panzer IVH
Sturmgeschütz Abt 2 - StuG IIIG
I./ZG 1 - Fw 190F

Part of the Slow Modernization trait issue is that I not always can upgrade the best units with best heroes, sometimes I have to upgrade the weaker equipped units first, so that they can be of more use as the stats difference is just too great. Given that there is a snowstorm in this scenario, I could probably do without the I./ZG 1 upgrade, but I would prefer to have it ready sooner rather than later.

Starting Army Composition:

Infantry

Grenadier Reg 1 - Grenadier 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - OS20, Flag Killer, No Retaliation, Gero von Manstein
Kavallerie Reg 1 - Kavallerie - ***** - OS25, Consolidator, Prudent

Tank

PzAbt 1 - Panzer IVH - ***** - Butcher, Ignores ZOC, Superior Maneuver, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 2 - Tiger I - ***** - Ignores ZOC, Steamroller, Survivor, Albert Kerscher
PzAbt 6 - Panzer IVH - ***** - Ignores ZOC, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 7 - Tiger I - **** - Artillery Support, AT Support, Steamroller, Survivor, Rikugun Tai-I Akiyama

Recon

AufkAbt 2 - SdKfz 234/1 8Rad - ***** - Leadership
AufkAbt 3 - Panzer IIF - ***** - Butcher, Combat Luck, Overrun, Steamroller

Anti-Tank

Sturmgeschütz Abt 2 - StuG IIIG - **** - Ferocious Defense, Karl Ullmann
Sturmgeschütz Abt 3 - StuG IIIF/8 - **** - Hit and Run, Legendary, Skilled Support
Panzerjäger Abt 1 - Nashorn - **** - Envelopment, Overwhelming Attack, Hit and Run, Skilled Support, Survivor

Artillery

Artillerie Abt 1 - 21 cm Mrs (SdKfz 7) - ***** - OS14, Double Attack, Zero Slots, Skilled Support, Elsa Kloss
Artillerie Abt 2 - 17 cm K 18 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Legendary, Zero Slots, Skilled Support
Panzer Artillerie Abt 1 - Hummel - **** - OS14, Field Repairs, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support

Reserve

Pionier Brücken Bataillon 1 - Brückenpioniere (Opel Blitz) - * - OS16, No Surrender, River Assault
Infanterie Reg 4 (span.) - Azul Infanterie 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - Flag Killer, Unyielding, Helmut Wirnsberger
Infanterie Reg 7 (span.) - Azul Infanterie 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - Survivor
Gebirgsjäger Reg 1 - Gebirgsjäger 43 - ***** - First Aid, Survivor, Oleh Dir
Pionier Bataillon 1 - Pioniere 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - River Assault, First Aid, Joseph Allerberger
Fallschirmjäger Reg 1 - Fallschirmjäger 43 - *** - Flag Killer, Unyielding
Infanterie Reg 1 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - **** - First Aid
Infanterie Reg 2 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - ***** - OS25, Consolidator, Survivor
Infanterie Reg 3 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - *** - First Aid
Infanterie Reg 5 - Wehr Infanterie (Opel Blitz) - ** - Liberator
Infanterie Reg 6 - Wehr Infanterie (Opel Blitz) - ** - Learns from Mistakes
PzAbt 3 - Panzer IIIL - **** - Steamroller, Ignores ZOC
PzAbt 4 - Flammpanzer III - ***** - Ignores ZOC, Tenacious Defender, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 5 - Panzer IIIN - ***** - OS12, Artillery Support, Butcher, Vigilant, Steamroller, Survivor
Pionier Brücken Bataillon 2 - SdKfz 251/7 Brücken - ** - OS11
Kradschützen Batallion 1 - Kradschützen - ***** - OS11, Tenacious Defender
AufkAbt 1 - SdKfz 222 - ***** - Envelopment, Overwhelming Attack
AufkAbt 4 - SdKfz 233 8Rad - ***** - Distraction, Superior Maneuver
Panzerjäger Abt 2 - 7.5 cm Pak 41 (SdKfz 11) - *** - Ferocious Defense
Panzerjäger Abt 3 - Marder IIIH - ** - Overwhelming Attack
Artillerie Abt 3 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 4 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 5 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - **** - Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 6 - 10.5 cm leFH 18 (SdKfz 11) - **** - Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 7 - 7.5 cm FK 16 nA
Sturmgeschütz Abt 1 - StuH 42 - **** - Double Support, Skilled Support
Panzer Artillerie Abt 2 - Wespe - *** - OS13, Skilled Support
Werfer Abt 1 - Wurfrahmen 40 - **** - Lethal Attack
FlaK Abt 1 - 8.8 cm Flak 36 (SdKfz 7) - **** - Skilled Support, Survivor, Karla Wuhrer
FlaK Abt 2 - SdKfz 10/5 - **** - Fast Learner, Skilled Support
FlaK Abt 3 - 2 cm Flakvierling 38 (SdKfz 10) - **** - Double Support, Skilled Support
FlaK Abt 4 - SdKfz 7/2 - **** - Famous, Skilled Support
FlaK Abt 5 - SdKfz 7/1 - **** - Combat Luck, Skilled Support
I./JG 1 - Bf 109G - ***** - Fast Rebase, Survivor, Erich Hartmann
II./JG 1 - Bf 109G - ***** - Fast Rebase, Survivor, Heinrich Bar
III./JG 1 - Fw 190A - *** - Fast Rebase, Thorough Preparation, Survivor
IV./JG 1 - Fw 190A - *** - Distraction, Fast Rebase, Survivor
I./JG 2 - Fw 190A - **** - Fast Rebase, Thorough Preparation, Survivor
II./JG 2 - Fw 190A - ** - Survivor
III./JG 2 - Bf 109G - ** - Survivor
IV./JG 2 - Bf 109G - ** - Survivor
I./JG 3 - Bf 109G - ** - Survivor
I./NJG 1 - He 219 - *
I./ZG 1 - Fw 190F - **** - Readiness, Survivor
II./ZG 1 - Bf 110G - *** - Exterminator, Readiness, Survivor
III./ZG 1 - Me 410A - *** - Evasive, Survivor
I./AG 1 - Bf 109 PR - *** - Resilient
II./AG 1 - Fw 189 - *** - Resilient, Sixth Sense
III./AG 1 - Fw 189 - *
IV./AG 1 - Fi 156 Storch
I./AG 2 - Fi 156 Storch
II./AG 2 - Fi 156 Storch
I./SG 1 - Ju 87D - ***** - Tank Killer, Survivor, Hans-Ulrich Rudel
II./SG 1 - Ju 87D - **** - Entrenchment Killer 4x, Survivor
III./SG 1 - Ju 87D - **** - Entrenchment Killer 4x, Survivor
IV./SG 1 - Ju 87D - **** - Survivor
I./KG 1 - He 177A - *** - OS11, Shock Tactics, Survivor
II./KG 1 - He 177A - *** - OS11, Shock Tactics, Survivor
III./KG 1 - Do 217E - *** - OS13, Survivor
IV./KG 1 - Ju 188A - **
I./KG 2 - Ju 88A - **
II./KG 2 - Ju 88A - **
Panzerzug Bismarck - Armoured Train - ***
Panzerzug Hindenburg - Armoured Train - *

Summary:


Due to all the slot cost heroes, the army uses uses just 51 of 65 core slots this mission, there's just no more room to deploy more troops.


First groups found in this massive snowstorm, but things look dire here.


Moving on again, things look really grim.


And yet again, no time and options to help, we must go further.


Another miss, where is the main group of defenders?


It would not feel like a dire, loosing war if I had all the prestige in the world. I accept this exchange.

Final Prestige: 8919 (down 192067)

Overall:

Quite a departure from the tone of the fictional path. The tone is really depressing, and the scenario while simple, feels the idea of being on the losing side really well. It utilizes a very similar mechanic to 1941 Zagreb with good effect, as it makes the battlefield feel more cramped and dangerous than it in reality is, especially when playing this mission the first time. If that's how the historic path will look like most of the time then it will be quite atmospheric, befitting the situation on the Eastern Front.

AO 1944 - Lysyanka

Starting Prestige (after purchases and replacements): 10548

Hero:


Adding this hero to Pionier Brücken Bataillon 2, so that the unit has some extra utility when not helping cross rivers. However, this will probably not change much as I assume that I'll be on defense most of the time, so with no room to deploy such units.

New Equipment Provided:

Infanterie Reg 5 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz)
PzAbt 3 - Panther D
Sturmgeschütz Abt 3 - StuG IIIG

First Panther tanks join my core, helping to put it more up to the standards of the modern battlefield. The extra StuG IIIG is also welcome and I guess I need to finish working on my infantry given an occasion.

Starting Army Composition:

Infantry

Infanterie Reg 4 (span.) - Azul Infanterie 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - Flag Killer, Unyielding, Helmut Wirnsberger
Infanterie Reg 7 (span.) - Azul Infanterie 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - Survivor
Grenadier Reg 1 - Grenadier 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - OS20, Flag Killer, No Retaliation, Gero von Manstein

Tank

PzAbt 1 - Panzer IVH - ***** - Butcher, Ignores ZOC, Superior Maneuver, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 2 - Tiger I - ***** - Ignores ZOC, Steamroller, Survivor, Albert Kerscher
PzAbt 3 - Panther D - **** - Steamroller, Ignores ZOC
PzAbt 5 - Panzer IIIN - ***** - OS12, Artillery Support, Butcher, Vigilant, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 6 - Panzer IVH - ***** - Ignores ZOC, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 7 - Tiger I - **** - Artillery Support, AT Support, Steamroller, Survivor, Rikugun Tai-I Akiyama

Recon

AufkAbt 2 - SdKfz 234/1 8Rad - ***** - Leadership
AufkAbt 3 - Panzer IIF - ***** - Butcher, Combat Luck, Overrun, Steamroller
AufkAbt 4 - SdKfz 233 8Rad - ***** - Distraction, Superior Maneuver

Anti-Tank

Sturmgeschütz Abt 2 - StuG IIIG - **** - Ferocious Defense, Karl Ullmann
Sturmgeschütz Abt 3 - StuG IIIG - **** - Hit and Run, Legendary, Skilled Support
Panzerjäger Abt 1 - Nashorn - **** - Envelopment, Overwhelming Attack, Hit and Run, Skilled Support, Survivor
Panzerjäger Abt 3 - Marder IIIH - ** - Overwhelming Attack

Artillery

Artillerie Abt 1 - 21 cm Mrs (SdKfz 7) - ***** - OS14, Double Attack, Zero Slots, Skilled Support, Elsa Kloss
Artillerie Abt 2 - 17 cm K 18 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Legendary, Zero Slots, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 3 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 4 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support
Panzer Artillerie Abt 1 - Hummel - ***** - OS14, Field Repairs, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support
Sturmgeschütz Abt 1 - StuH 42 - **** - Double Support, Skilled Support
Panzer Artillerie Abt 2 - Wespe - *** - OS13, Skilled Support
Werfer Abt 1 - Wurfrahmen 40 - **** - Lethal Attack

Reserve

Pionier Brücken Bataillon 1 - Brückenpioniere (Opel Blitz) - * - OS16, No Surrender, River Assault
Gebirgsjäger Reg 1 - Gebirgsjäger 43 - ***** - First Aid, Survivor, Oleh Dir
Kavallerie Reg 1 - Kavallerie - ***** - OS25, Consolidator, Prudent
Pionier Bataillon 1 - Pioniere 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - River Assault, First Aid, Joseph Allerberger
Fallschirmjäger Reg 1 - Fallschirmjäger 43 - *** - Flag Killer, Unyielding
Infanterie Reg 1 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - **** - First Aid
Infanterie Reg 2 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - ***** - OS25, Consolidator, Survivor
Infanterie Reg 3 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - *** - First Aid
Infanterie Reg 5 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - ** - Liberator
Infanterie Reg 6 - Wehr Infanterie (Opel Blitz) - ** - Learns from Mistakes
PzAbt 4 - Flammpanzer III - ***** - Ignores ZOC, Tenacious Defender, Steamroller, Survivor
Pionier Brücken Bataillon 2 - SdKfz 251/7 Brücken - ** - OS11, Aiming Assitance
Kradschützen Batallion 1 - Kradschützen - ***** - OS11, Tenacious Defender
AufkAbt 1 - SdKfz 222 - ***** - Envelopment, Overwhelming Attack
Panzerjäger Abt 2 - 7.5 cm Pak 41 (SdKfz 11) - *** - Ferocious Defense
Artillerie Abt 5 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - **** - Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 6 - 10.5 cm leFH 18 (SdKfz 11) - **** - Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 7 - 7.5 cm FK 16 nA
FlaK Abt 1 - 8.8 cm Flak 36 (SdKfz 7) - **** - Skilled Support, Survivor, Karla Wuhrer
FlaK Abt 2 - SdKfz 10/5 - **** - Fast Learner, Skilled Support
FlaK Abt 3 - 2 cm Flakvierling 38 (SdKfz 10) - **** - Double Support, Skilled Support
FlaK Abt 4 - SdKfz 7/2 - **** - Famous, Skilled Support
FlaK Abt 5 - SdKfz 7/1 - **** - Combat Luck, Skilled Support
I./JG 1 - Bf 109G - ***** - Fast Rebase, Survivor, Erich Hartmann
II./JG 1 - Bf 109G - ***** - Fast Rebase, Survivor, Heinrich Bar
III./JG 1 - Fw 190A - *** - Fast Rebase, Thorough Preparation, Survivor
IV./JG 1 - Fw 190A - *** - Distraction, Fast Rebase, Survivor
I./JG 2 - Fw 190A - **** - Fast Rebase, Thorough Preparation, Survivor
II./JG 2 - Fw 190A - ** - Survivor
III./JG 2 - Bf 109G - ** - Survivor
IV./JG 2 - Bf 109G - ** - Survivor
I./JG 3 - Bf 109G - ** - Survivor
I./NJG 1 - He 219 - *
I./ZG 1 - Fw 190F - **** - Readiness, Survivor
II./ZG 1 - Bf 110G - *** - Exterminator, Readiness, Survivor
III./ZG 1 - Me 410A - *** - Evasive, Survivor
I./AG 1 - Bf 109 PR - *** - Resilient
II./AG 1 - Fw 189 - *** - Resilient, Sixth Sense
III./AG 1 - Fw 189 - *
IV./AG 1 - Fi 156 Storch
I./AG 2 - Fi 156 Storch
II./AG 2 - Fi 156 Storch
I./SG 1 - Ju 87D - ***** - Tank Killer, Survivor, Hans-Ulrich Rudel
II./SG 1 - Ju 87D - **** - Entrenchment Killer 4x, Survivor
III./SG 1 - Ju 87D - **** - Entrenchment Killer 4x, Survivor
IV./SG 1 - Ju 87D - **** - Survivor
I./KG 1 - He 177A - *** - OS11, Shock Tactics, Survivor
II./KG 1 - He 177A - *** - OS11, Shock Tactics, Survivor
III./KG 1 - Do 217E - *** - OS13, Survivor
IV./KG 1 - Ju 188A - **
I./KG 2 - Ju 88A - **
II./KG 2 - Ju 88A - **
Panzerzug Bismarck - Armoured Train - ***
Panzerzug Hindenburg - Armoured Train - *

Summary:


Unexpected side effect of Retrograde? Old equipment is appearing as "new". Now that I think of it, that's probably to make sure infantry is available in the old variant if Retrograde is on once 1943 comes in.


That's a really nasty sight to behold, but I plan to have my revenge on behalf of the fallen and smash through the center with the help of my artillery.


Big guns make the crossing easier, but one of my Tiger units did get hit quite hard.


You are not sneaking by, not on my watch!


The direct route was the best after all. I knew we can do this despite the odds being against us.


Revenge completed.

Final Prestige: 13003 (up 2455)

Overall:

The grim tone continues, but with a chance to take out the enemy in return for their deeds. Enemy forces are powerful, but since they do not have air force and are vulnerable to artillery fire, it is possible to deal with the center group relatively well if proper support formations are always maintained. Ironically it's the flanks that a re more of an issue. In the snow and by commenting a large forces in the middle, it is possible to get surprised by sneaky scouts or tanks.

AO 1944 - Operation Margarethe

Starting Prestige (after purchases and replacements): 16561


The same hero as in the fictional path, I will certainly not mind.


The problem is, while I can overstrength, this is tied to productions figures and there is no fighter plane type that allows it for now.

Hero:


I guess I got all the good heroes earlier already. Added to III./AG 1 for some extra utility.

New Equipment Provided:

Infanterie Reg 6 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz)
Werfer Abt 1 - Panzerwerfer 42
II./ZG 1 - Fw 190F

Nothing too exciting on the upgrade list, so I can focus on some of the less priority improvements that will later not get upgraded too soon or even not at all.

Starting Army Composition:

Infantry

Pionier Brücken Bataillon 1 - Brückenpioniere (Opel Blitz) - * - OS16, No Surrender, River Assault
Infanterie Reg 4 (span.) - Azul Infanterie 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - Flag Killer, Unyielding, Helmut Wirnsberger
Infanterie Reg 7 (span.) - Azul Infanterie 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - Survivor
Gebirgsjäger Reg 1 - Gebirgsjäger 43 - ***** - First Aid, Survivor, Oleh Dir
Pionier Bataillon 1 - Pioniere 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - River Assault, First Aid, Joseph Allerberger
Infanterie Reg 1 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - **** - First Aid
Grenadier Reg 1 - Grenadier 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - OS20, Flag Killer, No Retaliation, Gero von Manstein
Infanterie Reg 3 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - *** - First Aid
Infanterie Reg 5 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - ** - Liberator
Infanterie Reg 6 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - ** - Learns from Mistakes

Tank

PzAbt 4 - Flammpanzer III - ***** - Ignores ZOC, Tenacious Defender, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 5 - Panzer IIIN - ***** - OS12, Artillery Support, Butcher, Vigilant, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 7 - Tiger I - **** - Artillery Support, AT Support, Steamroller, Survivor, Rikugun Tai-I Akiyama

Recon

Kradschützen Batallion 1 - Kradschützen - ***** - OS11, Tenacious Defender

Anti-Tank

Panzerjäger Abt 1 - Nashorn - **** - Envelopment, Overwhelming Attack, Hit and Run, Skilled Support, Survivor
Panzerjäger Abt 3 - Marder IIIH - ** - Overwhelming Attack

Artillery

Artillerie Abt 1 - 21 cm Mrs (SdKfz 7) - ***** - OS14, Double Attack, Zero Slots, Skilled Support, Elsa Kloss
Artillerie Abt 2 - 17 cm K 18 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Legendary, Zero Slots, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 3 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 4 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 5 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - **** - Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 6 - 10.5 cm leFH 18 (SdKfz 11) - **** - Skilled Support
Panzer Artillerie Abt 1 - Hummel - ***** - OS14, Field Repairs, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support
Sturmgeschütz Abt 1 - StuH 42 - **** - Double Support, Skilled Support
Panzer Artillerie Abt 2 - Wespe - *** - OS13, Skilled Support
Werfer Abt 1 - Panzerwerfer 42 - **** - Lethal Attack

Reserve

Kavallerie Reg 1 - Kavallerie - ***** - OS25, Consolidator, Prudent
Infanterie Reg 2 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - ***** - OS25, Consolidator, Survivor
Fallschirmjäger Reg 1 - Fallschirmjäger 43 - *** - Flag Killer, Unyielding
Pionier Brücken Bataillon 2 - SdKfz 251/7 Brücken - ** - OS11, Aiming Assitance
PzAbt 1 - Panzer IVH - ***** - Butcher, Ignores ZOC, Superior Maneuver, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 2 - Tiger I - ***** - Ignores ZOC, Steamroller, Survivor, Albert Kerscher
PzAbt 3 - Panther D - **** - Steamroller, Ignores ZOC
PzAbt 6 - Panzer IVH - ***** - Ignores ZOC, Steamroller, Survivor
AufkAbt 1 - SdKfz 222 - ***** - Envelopment, Overwhelming Attack
AufkAbt 2 - SdKfz 234/1 8Rad - ***** - Leadership
AufkAbt 3 - Panzer IIF - ***** - Butcher, Combat Luck, Overrun, Steamroller
AufkAbt 4 - SdKfz 233 8Rad - ***** - Distraction, Superior Maneuver
Panzerjäger Abt 2 - 7.5 cm Pak 41 (SdKfz 11) - *** - Ferocious Defense
Sturmgeschütz Abt 2 - StuG IIIG - **** - Ferocious Defense, Karl Ullmann
Sturmgeschütz Abt 3 - StuG IIIG - **** - Hit and Run, Legendary, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 7 - 7.5 cm FK 16 nA
FlaK Abt 1 - 8.8 cm Flak 36 (SdKfz 7) - **** - Skilled Support, Survivor, Karla Wuhrer
FlaK Abt 2 - SdKfz 10/5 - **** - Fast Learner, Skilled Support
FlaK Abt 3 - 2 cm Flakvierling 38 (SdKfz 10) - **** - Double Support, Skilled Support
FlaK Abt 4 - SdKfz 7/2 - **** - Famous, Skilled Support
FlaK Abt 5 - SdKfz 7/1 - **** - Combat Luck, Skilled Support
I./JG 1 - Bf 109G - ***** - Fast Rebase, Survivor, Erich Hartmann
II./JG 1 - Bf 109G - ***** - Fast Rebase, Survivor, Heinrich Bar
III./JG 1 - Fw 190A - *** - Fast Rebase, Thorough Preparation, Survivor
IV./JG 1 - Fw 190A - *** - Distraction, Fast Rebase, Survivor
I./JG 2 - Fw 190A - **** - Fast Rebase, Thorough Preparation, Survivor
II./JG 2 - Fw 190A - ** - Survivor, Gerhard Barkhorn
III./JG 2 - Bf 109G - ** - Survivor
IV./JG 2 - Bf 109G - ** - Survivor
I./JG 3 - Bf 109G - ** - Survivor
I./NJG 1 - He 219 - *
I./ZG 1 - Fw 190F - **** - Readiness, Survivor
II./ZG 1 - Fw 190F - *** - Exterminator, Readiness, Survivor
III./ZG 1 - Me 410A - *** - Evasive, Survivor
I./AG 1 - Bf 109 PR - *** - Resilient
II./AG 1 - Fw 189 - *** - Resilient, Sixth Sense
III./AG 1 - Fw 189 - * - Entrenchment Killer 3x
IV./AG 1 - Fi 156 Storch
I./AG 2 - Fi 156 Storch
II./AG 2 - Fi 156 Storch
I./SG 1 - Ju 87D - ***** - Tank Killer, Survivor, Hans-Ulrich Rudel
II./SG 1 - Ju 87D - **** - Entrenchment Killer 4x, Survivor
III./SG 1 - Ju 87D - **** - Entrenchment Killer 4x, Survivor
IV./SG 1 - Ju 87D - **** - Survivor
I./KG 1 - He 177A - *** - OS11, Shock Tactics, Survivor
II./KG 1 - He 177A - *** - OS11, Shock Tactics, Survivor
III./KG 1 - Do 217E - *** - OS13, Survivor
IV./KG 1 - Ju 188A - **
I./KG 2 - Ju 88A - **
II./KG 2 - Ju 88A - **
Panzerzug Bismarck - Armoured Train - ***
Panzerzug Hindenburg - Armoured Train - *

Summary:


My best forces are task with detaining the admiral as soon as possible.


I encircle the barracks immediately, as the briefing by Wagner suggested.


Bridges are secure, now time for the railway crossing and the rail stations, in this order.

Final Prestige: 21047 (up 4486)

Overall:

City fighting can be some nasty business, but luckily both experience and equipment quality are on my side. Defenders of the train were a tough bunch and some of the other units were surprisingly aggressive, but overall I almost never felt threatened by the opposing units. Advancing from both sides gave me the chance to encircle the tougher bridge defenders and the Flexible Command trait proved very useful in surrounding garrisons with fewer men, leaving more troops to advance. Overall an interesting mission, especially given the historical context, it gives a lot of feedback regarding the situation in this part of Europe at the time and the fact that most German "allies" were not that eager to support them.

AO 1944 - Targu Frumos

Starting Prestige (after purchases and replacements): 23417

Hero:


Finally, the hero to complete the set of needs for PzAbt 4. Not the best I could have gotten, but useful for the purposes I plan for it.

New Equipment Provided:

PzAbt 3 - Panther A
AufkAbt 3 - Panzer II Luchs
I./JG 1 - Fw 190A

Upgrades available again are mostly on the cosmetic side. I guess the biggest change is giving the experienced I./JG 1 the Fw 190A fighters, needed especially for this mission where I need to provide cover for destroyers.

Starting Army Composition:

Infantry

Infanterie Reg 4 (span.) - Azul Infanterie 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - Flag Killer, Unyielding, Helmut Wirnsberger
Infanterie Reg 7 (span.) - Azul Infanterie 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - Survivor
Grenadier Reg 1 - Grenadier 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - OS20, Flag Killer, No Retaliation, Gero von Manstein
Infanterie Reg 1 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - **** - First Aid

Tank

PzAbt 1 - Panzer IVH - ***** - Butcher, Ignores ZOC, Superior Maneuver, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 2 - Tiger I - ***** - Ignores ZOC, Steamroller, Survivor, Albert Kerscher
PzAbt 3 - Panther A - **** - Steamroller, Ignores ZOC
PzAbt 6 - Panzer IVH - ***** - Ignores ZOC, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 7 - Tiger I - **** - Artillery Support, AT Support, Steamroller, Survivor, Rikugun Tai-I Akiyama

Anti-Tank

Panzerjäger Abt 1 - Nashorn - **** - Envelopment, Overwhelming Attack, Hit and Run, Skilled Support, Survivor
Panzerjäger Abt 3 - Marder IIIH - ** - Overwhelming Attack
Sturmgeschütz Abt 2 - StuG IIIG - **** - Ferocious Defense, Karl Ullmann
Sturmgeschütz Abt 3 - StuG IIIG - **** - Hit and Run, Legendary, Skilled Support

Artillery

Artillerie Abt 1 - 21 cm Mrs (SdKfz 7) - ***** - OS14, Double Attack, Zero Slots, Skilled Support, Elsa Kloss
Artillerie Abt 2 - 17 cm K 18 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Legendary, Zero Slots, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 3 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 4 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 5 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - **** - Skilled Support
Panzer Artillerie Abt 1 - Hummel - ***** - OS14, Field Repairs, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support
Sturmgeschütz Abt 1 - StuH 42 - **** - Double Support, Skilled Support
Panzer Artillerie Abt 2 - Wespe - *** - OS13, Skilled Support

Anti-Aircraft

FlaK Abt 1 - 8.8 cm Flak 36 (SdKfz 7) - **** - Skilled Support, Survivor, Karla Wuhrer
FlaK Abt 2 - SdKfz 10/5 - **** - Fast Learner, Skilled Support
FlaK Abt 3 - 2 cm Flakvierling 38 (SdKfz 10) - **** - Double Support, Skilled Support
FlaK Abt 5 - SdKfz 7/1 - **** - Combat Luck, Skilled Support

Fighter

I./JG 1 - Fw 190A - ***** - Fast Rebase, Survivor, Erich Hartmann
II./JG 1 - Bf 109G - ***** - Fast Rebase, Survivor, Heinrich Bar
III./JG 1 - Fw 190A - *** - Fast Rebase, Thorough Preparation, Survivor
IV./JG 1 - Fw 190A - *** - Distraction, Fast Rebase, Survivor
I./JG 2 - Fw 190A - **** - Fast Rebase, Thorough Preparation, Survivor
II./JG 2 - Fw 190A - ** - Survivor, Gerhard Barkhorn

Tactical Bomber

II./ZG 1 - Fw 190F - *** - Exterminator, Readiness, Survivor
I./SG 1 - Ju 87D - ***** - Tank Killer, Survivor, Hans-Ulrich Rudel
II./SG 1 - Ju 87D - **** - Entrenchment Killer 4x, Survivor

Reserve

Pionier Brücken Bataillon 1 - Brückenpioniere (Opel Blitz) - * - OS16, No Surrender, River Assault
Kavallerie Reg 1 - Kavallerie - ***** - OS25, Consolidator, Prudent
Pionier Bataillon 1 - Pioniere 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - River Assault, First Aid, Joseph Allerberger
Gebirgsjäger Reg 1 - Gebirgsjäger 43 - ***** - First Aid, Survivor, Oleh Dir
Infanterie Reg 2 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - ***** - OS25, Consolidator, Survivor
Infanterie Reg 3 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - *** - First Aid
Infanterie Reg 5 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - ** - Liberator
Infanterie Reg 6 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - ** - Learns from Mistakes
Fallschirmjäger Reg 1 - Fallschirmjäger 43 - *** - Flag Killer, Unyielding
Pionier Brücken Bataillon 2 - SdKfz 251/7 Brücken - ** - OS11, Aiming Assitance
PzAbt 4 - Flammpanzer III - ***** - Fierce Fighter, Ignores ZOC, Tenacious Defender, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 5 - Panzer IIIN - ***** - OS12, Artillery Support, Butcher, Vigilant, Steamroller, Survivor
Kradschützen Batallion 1 - Kradschützen - ***** - OS11, Tenacious Defender
AufkAbt 1 - SdKfz 222 - ***** - Envelopment, Overwhelming Attack
AufkAbt 2 - SdKfz 234/1 8Rad - ***** - Leadership
AufkAbt 3 - Panzer II Luchs - ***** - Butcher, Combat Luck, Overrun, Steamroller
AufkAbt 4 - SdKfz 233 8Rad - ***** - Distraction, Superior Maneuver
Panzerjäger Abt 2 - 7.5 cm Pak 41 (SdKfz 11) - *** - Ferocious Defense
Artillerie Abt 6 - 10.5 cm leFH 18 (SdKfz 11) - **** - Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 7 - 7.5 cm FK 16 nA
Werfer Abt 1 - Panzerwerfer 42 - **** - Lethal Attack
FlaK Abt 4 - SdKfz 7/2 - **** - Famous, Skilled Support
III./JG 2 - Bf 109G - ** - Survivor
IV./JG 2 - Bf 109G - ** - Survivor
I./JG 3 - Bf 109G - ** - Survivor
I./NJG 1 - He 219 - *
I./ZG 1 - Fw 190F - **** - Readiness, Survivor
III./ZG 1 - Me 410A - *** - Evasive, Survivor
I./AG 1 - Bf 109 PR - *** - Resilient
II./AG 1 - Fw 189 - *** - Resilient, Sixth Sense
III./AG 1 - Fw 189 - * - Entrenchment Killer 3x
IV./AG 1 - Fi 156 Storch
I./AG 2 - Fi 156 Storch
II./AG 2 - Fi 156 Storch
III./SG 1 - Ju 87D - **** - Entrenchment Killer 4x, Survivor
IV./SG 1 - Ju 87D - **** - Survivor
I./KG 1 - He 177A - *** - OS11, Shock Tactics, Survivor
II./KG 1 - He 177A - *** - OS11, Shock Tactics, Survivor
III./KG 1 - Do 217E - *** - OS13, Survivor
IV./KG 1 - Ju 188A - **
I./KG 2 - Ju 88A - **
II./KG 2 - Ju 88A - **
Panzerzug Bismarck - Armoured Train - ***
Panzerzug Hindenburg - Armoured Train - *

Summary:


That is quite the attack, but as long as the formation is solid, the Soviets have little chance of breaching it.


Even more enemy units appear and they chip away at my defensive line, but are unable to make a dent in it. I have to react to possible attempts at encirclement, but overall manage to hold without major difficulties.


Meanwhile, the team sent towards Odessa encounters first serious enemy forces, mostly mobile artillery.


That's an absurd amount of tanks, getting to Odessa will not be easy.


Trying to crack these defenses will take some time, but is not impossible now that the thread of a tanks counterattack is dealt with.


Raid ends up successful, with some extra benefits that I will of course not make use of in the Retrograde run.

Final Prestige: 29099 (up 5682)

Overall:

The defensive nature of the western part of the map means that it is all about setting up the right units quickly. Once this is established, especially with the AA veteran trait, the enemy has very little chance doing any serious harm to the units stationed there. This also frees up the air force to be able to operate elsewhere and cover the flotilla. Attacking Odessa is a different story entirely. The route is long and requires constant anti-aircraft coverage, while the tanks group positioned west of the city can pack some serious punch and is also aided by mobile cavalry units. It means that progress needs to be slow and careful, to avoid getting caught in the open unprepared. Even the most powerful defensive fire will not help if the enemy manages to avoid it and fined a gap in the formation.

AO 1944 - Cernauti

Starting Prestige (after purchases and replacements): 33661


Good to see the hero on this path as well, as he's really useful overall.


Added to Infanterie Reg 2 to make extra use of consolidator. With all the accuracy bonuses this unit will be extremely deadly.

Hero:


Trying out this hero on Panzerjäger Abt 2 - this way it can potentially hold defensive lines better next to infantry and suppress attackers trying to get into position.

New Equipment Provided:

AufkAbt 1 - SdKfz 234/2 8Rad
FlaK Abt 4 - Gepard
II./JG 1 - Fw 190A

Time for some small support upgrades yet again, and I guess the beginning of the Jägernotprogramm.

Starting Army Composition:

Infantry

Pionier Brücken Bataillon 1 - Brückenpioniere (Opel Blitz) - * - OS16, No Surrender, River Assault
Infanterie Reg 4 (span.) - Azul Infanterie 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - Flag Killer, Unyielding, Helmut Wirnsberger
Infanterie Reg 7 (span.) - Azul Infanterie 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - Survivor
Grenadier Reg 1 - Grenadier 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - OS20, Flag Killer, No Retaliation, Gero von Manstein
Gebirgsjäger Reg 1 - Gebirgsjäger 43 - ***** - First Aid, Survivor, Oleh Dir
Pionier Bataillon 1 - Pioniere 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - River Assault, First Aid, Joseph Allerberger
Infanterie Reg 1 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - ***** - First Aid
Infanterie Reg 2 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - ***** - OS25, Consolidator, Survivor, Matthaus Hetzenauer

Tank

PzAbt 1 - Panzer IVH - ***** - Butcher, Ignores ZOC, Superior Maneuver, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 2 - Tiger I - ***** - Ignores ZOC, Steamroller, Survivor, Albert Kerscher
PzAbt 3 - Panther A - ***** - Steamroller, Ignores ZOC
PzAbt 4 - Flammpanzer III - ***** - Fierce Fighter, Ignores ZOC, Tenacious Defender, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 5 - Panzer IIIN - ***** - OS12, Artillery Support, Butcher, Vigilant, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 6 - Panzer IVH - ***** - Ignores ZOC, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 7 - Tiger I - **** - Artillery Support, AT Support, Steamroller, Survivor, Rikugun Tai-I Akiyama

Recon

Kradschützen Batallion 1 - Kradschützen - ***** - OS11, Tenacious Defender
AufkAbt 1 - SdKfz 234/2 8Rad - ***** - Envelopment, Overwhelming Attack
AufkAbt 3 - Panzer II Luchs - ***** - Butcher, Combat Luck, Overrun, Steamroller

Anti-Tank

Panzerjäger Abt 1 - Nashorn - ***** - Envelopment, Overwhelming Attack, Hit and Run, Skilled Support, Survivor
Panzerjäger Abt 2 - 7.5 cm Pak 41 (SdKfz 11) - *** - Fearsome Reputation, Ferocious Defense
Panzerjäger Abt 3 - Marder IIIH - ** - Overwhelming Attack
Sturmgeschütz Abt 2 - StuG IIIG - **** - Ferocious Defense, Karl Ullmann
Sturmgeschütz Abt 3 - StuG IIIG - **** - Hit and Run, Legendary, Skilled Support

Artillery

Artillerie Abt 1 - 21 cm Mrs (SdKfz 7) - ***** - OS14, Double Attack, Zero Slots, Skilled Support, Elsa Kloss
Artillerie Abt 2 - 17 cm K 18 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Legendary, Zero Slots, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 3 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 4 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 5 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - **** - Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 6 - 10.5 cm leFH 18 (SdKfz 11) - **** - Skilled Support
Panzer Artillerie Abt 1 - Hummel - ***** - OS14, Field Repairs, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support
Sturmgeschütz Abt 1 - StuH 42 - **** - Double Support, Skilled Support
Panzer Artillerie Abt 2 - Wespe - *** - OS13, Skilled Support
Werfer Abt 1 - Panzerwerfer 42 - **** - Lethal Attack

Anti-Aircraft

FlaK Abt 1 - 8.8 cm Flak 36 (SdKfz 7) - **** - Skilled Support, Survivor, Karla Wuhrer
FlaK Abt 2 - SdKfz 10/5 - **** - Fast Learner, Skilled Support
FlaK Abt 3 - 2 cm Flakvierling 38 (SdKfz 10) - **** - Double Support, Skilled Support
FlaK Abt 4 - Gepard - **** - Famous, Skilled Support
FlaK Abt 5 - SdKfz 7/1 - **** - Combat Luck, Skilled Support

Fighter

I./JG 1 - Fw 190A - ***** - Fast Rebase, Survivor, Erich Hartmann
II./JG 1 - Fw 190A - ***** - Fast Rebase, Survivor, Heinrich Bar
III./JG 1 - Fw 190A - **** - Fast Rebase, Thorough Preparation, Survivor
IV./JG 1 - Fw 190A - *** - Distraction, Fast Rebase, Survivor
I./JG 2 - Fw 190A - **** - Fast Rebase, Thorough Preparation, Survivor
II./JG 2 - Fw 190A - *** - Survivor, Gerhard Barkhorn

Tactical Bomber

I./ZG 1 - Fw 190F - **** - Readiness, Survivor
II./ZG 1 - Fw 190F - *** - Exterminator, Readiness, Survivor
I./SG 1 - Ju 87D - ***** - Tank Killer, Survivor, Hans-Ulrich Rudel

Reserve

Kavallerie Reg 1 - Kavallerie - ***** - OS25, Consolidator, Prudent
Infanterie Reg 3 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - *** - First Aid
Infanterie Reg 5 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - ** - Liberator
Infanterie Reg 6 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - ** - Learns from Mistakes
Fallschirmjäger Reg 1 - Fallschirmjäger 43 - *** - Flag Killer, Unyielding
Pionier Brücken Bataillon 2 - SdKfz 251/7 Brücken - ** - OS11, Aiming Assitance
AufkAbt 2 - SdKfz 234/1 8Rad - ***** - Leadership
AufkAbt 4 - SdKfz 233 8Rad - ***** - Distraction, Superior Maneuver
Artillerie Abt 7 - 7.5 cm FK 16 nA
III./JG 2 - Bf 109G - ** - Survivor
IV./JG 2 - Bf 109G - ** - Survivor
I./JG 3 - Bf 109G - ** - Survivor
I./NJG 1 - He 219 - *
III./ZG 1 - Me 410A - *** - Evasive, Survivor
I./AG 1 - Bf 109 PR - *** - Resilient
II./AG 1 - Fw 189 - *** - Resilient, Sixth Sense
III./AG 1 - Fw 189 - * - Entrenchment Killer 3x
IV./AG 1 - Fi 156 Storch
I./AG 2 - Fi 156 Storch
II./AG 2 - Fi 156 Storch
II./SG 1 - Ju 87D - **** - Entrenchment Killer 4x, Survivor
III./SG 1 - Ju 87D - **** - Entrenchment Killer 4x, Survivor
IV./SG 1 - Ju 87D - **** - Survivor
I./KG 1 - He 177A - *** - OS11, Shock Tactics, Survivor
II./KG 1 - He 177A - *** - OS11, Shock Tactics, Survivor
III./KG 1 - Do 217E - *** - OS13, Survivor
IV./KG 1 - Ju 188A - **
I./KG 2 - Ju 88A - **
II./KG 2 - Ju 88A - **
Panzerzug Bismarck - Armoured Train - ***
Panzerzug Hindenburg - Armoured Train - *

Summary:


Soviet air force appears in swarms.


The situation on the ground is strangely silent, we are moving up, but remain wary of potential paratroopers acting as a surprise attack.


We moved up all the way to Cernauti, still nor real Soviet attack incoming, just light groups probing our defenses.


Agreed, I am already moving to scout the area.


Here is the Guards Army, but it turns out to be... wooden?

Final Prestige: 39904 (up 6243)

Overall:

The sudden plot twist was well built up towards. The constant feel of something just about to happen makes the scenario interesting, but of course historical knowledge of the areas the Soviets attacked in can make this less of a surprise. Still, it uses the fact that briefings cannot be fully trusted quite well and is something I think could be expanded upon in future scenarios, either by dynamically changing objectives, or by other factors affecting the initial goals.

AO 1944 - Minsk Offensive

Starting Prestige (after purchases and replacements): 40488

Hero:

None as it is a special scenario.

New Equipment Provided:

None. I initially made some upgrades, but forgot to save in the evening, reloaded the scenario the next day to play it and then realized at the start of the next mission that I missed the chance. I'm not going to replay this all over again just for three very minor upgrades, as it would break the lesson learned later.

Starting Army Composition:

Infantry

Pionier Brücken Bataillon 1 - Brückenpioniere (Opel Blitz) - * - OS16, No Surrender, River Assault
Infanterie Reg 4 (span.) - Azul Infanterie 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - Flag Killer, Unyielding, Helmut Wirnsberger
Infanterie Reg 7 (span.) - Azul Infanterie 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - Survivor
Grenadier Reg 1 - Grenadier 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - OS20, Flag Killer, No Retaliation, Gero von Manstein
Gebirgsjäger Reg 1 - Gebirgsjäger 43 - ***** - First Aid, Survivor, Oleh Dir
Pionier Bataillon 1 - Pioniere 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - River Assault, First Aid, Joseph Allerberger
Infanterie Reg 1 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - ***** - First Aid
Infanterie Reg 2 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - ***** - OS25, Consolidator, Survivor, Matthaus Hetzenauer

Tank

PzAbt 1 - Panzer IVH - ***** - Butcher, Ignores ZOC, Superior Maneuver, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 2 - Tiger I - ***** - Ignores ZOC, Steamroller, Survivor, Albert Kerscher
PzAbt 3 - Panther A - ***** - Steamroller, Ignores ZOC
PzAbt 4 - Flammpanzer III - ***** - Fierce Fighter, Ignores ZOC, Tenacious Defender, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 5 - Panzer IIIN - ***** - OS12, Artillery Support, Butcher, Vigilant, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 6 - Panzer IVH - ***** - Ignores ZOC, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 7 - Tiger I - **** - Artillery Support, AT Support, Steamroller, Survivor, Rikugun Tai-I Akiyama

Recon

Kradschützen Batallion 1 - Kradschützen - ***** - OS11, Tenacious Defender
AufkAbt 1 - SdKfz 234/2 8Rad - ***** - Envelopment, Overwhelming Attack
AufkAbt 3 - Panzer II Luchs - ***** - Butcher, Combat Luck, Overrun, Steamroller

Anti-Tank

Panzerjäger Abt 1 - Nashorn - ***** - Envelopment, Overwhelming Attack, Hit and Run, Skilled Support, Survivor
Panzerjäger Abt 2 - 7.5 cm Pak 41 (SdKfz 11) - *** - Fearsome Reputation, Ferocious Defense
Panzerjäger Abt 3 - Marder IIIH - ** - Overwhelming Attack
Sturmgeschütz Abt 2 - StuG IIIG- **** - Ferocious Defense, Karl Ullmann
Sturmgeschütz Abt 3 - StuG IIIG - **** - Hit and Run, Legendary, Skilled Support

Artillery

Artillerie Abt 1 - 21 cm Mrs (SdKfz 7) - ***** - OS14, Double Attack, Zero Slots, Skilled Support, Elsa Kloss
Artillerie Abt 2 - 17 cm K 18 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Legendary, Zero Slots, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 3 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 4 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 5 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 6 - 10.5 cm leFH 18 (SdKfz 11) - **** - Skilled Support
Panzer Artillerie Abt 1 - Hummel - ***** - OS14, Field Repairs, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support
Sturmgeschütz Abt 1 - StuH 42 - **** - Double Support, Skilled Support
Panzer Artillerie Abt 2 - Wespe - **** - OS13, Skilled Support
Werfer Abt 1 - Panzerwerfer 42 - **** - Lethal Attack

Anti-Aircraft

FlaK Abt 1 - 8.8 cm Flak 36 (SdKfz 7) - **** - Skilled Support, Survivor, Karla Wuhrer
FlaK Abt 2 - SdKfz 10/5 - ***** - Fast Learner, Skilled Support
FlaK Abt 3 - 2 cm Flakvierling 38 (SdKfz 10) - **** - Double Support, Skilled Support
FlaK Abt 4 - Gepard - **** - Famous, Skilled Support
FlaK Abt 5 - SdKfz 7/1 - **** - Combat Luck, Skilled Support

Fighter

I./JG 1 - Fw 190A - ***** - Fast Rebase, Survivor, Erich Hartmann
II./JG 1 - Fw 190A - ***** - Fast Rebase, Survivor, Heinrich Bar
III./JG 1 - Fw 190A - **** - Fast Rebase, Thorough Preparation, Survivor
IV./JG 1 - Fw 190A - *** - Distraction, Fast Rebase, Survivor
I./JG 2 - Fw 190A - **** - Fast Rebase, Thorough Preparation, Survivor
II./JG 2 - Fw 190A - *** - Survivor, Gerhard Barkhorn

Tactical Bomber

I./ZG 1 - Fw 190F - **** - Readiness, Survivor
II./ZG 1 - Fw 190F - *** - Exterminator, Readiness, Survivor
I./SG 1 - Ju 87D - ***** - Tank Killer, Survivor, Hans-Ulrich Rudel

Reserve

Kavallerie Reg 1 - Kavallerie - ***** - OS25, Consolidator, Prudent
Infanterie Reg 3 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - *** - First Aid
Infanterie Reg 5 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - ** - Liberator
Infanterie Reg 6 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - ** - Learns from Mistakes
Fallschirmjäger Reg 1 - Fallschirmjäger 43 - *** - Flag Killer, Unyielding
Pionier Brücken Bataillon 2 - SdKfz 251/7 Brücken - ** - OS11, Aiming Assitance
AufkAbt 2 - SdKfz 234/1 8Rad - ***** - Leadership
AufkAbt 4 - SdKfz 233 8Rad - ***** - Distraction, Superior Maneuver
Artillerie Abt 7 - 7.5 cm FK 16 nA
III./JG 2 - Bf 109G - ** - Survivor
IV./JG 2 - Bf 109G - ** - Survivor
I./JG 3 - Bf 109G - ** - Survivor
I./NJG 1 - He 219 - *
III./ZG 1 - Me 410A - *** - Evasive, Survivor
I./AG 1 - Bf 109 PR - *** - Resilient
II./AG 1 - Fw 189 - *** - Resilient, Sixth Sense
III./AG 1 - Fw 189 - * - Entrenchment Killer 3x
IV./AG 1 - Fi 156 Storch
I./AG 2 - Fi 156 Storch
II./AG 2 - Fi 156 Storch
II./SG 1 - Ju 87D - **** - Entrenchment Killer 4x, Survivor
III./SG 1 - Ju 87D - **** - Entrenchment Killer 4x, Survivor
IV./SG 1 - Ju 87D - **** - Survivor
I./KG 1 - He 177A - *** - OS11, Shock Tactics, Survivor
II./KG 1 - He 177A - *** - OS11, Shock Tactics, Survivor
III./KG 1 - Do 217E - *** - OS13, Survivor
IV./KG 1 - Ju 188A - **
I./KG 2 - Ju 88A - **
II./KG 2 - Ju 88A - **
Panzerzug Bismarck - Armoured Train - ***
Panzerzug Hindenburg - Armoured Train - *

Summary:


A small predicament, but I should soon have it under control, at least I hope so.


Any lonely defenders get overwhelmed by rocket fire quickly.


There is no such thing as "in position", my forces need to be everywhere at the same time really...


All the partisans in the world make their way towards Minsk.


I did not know the commander-in-chief was just a captain. Captain Obvious.


We're actually doing quite well despite this enemy presence.

Final Prestige: 34494 (down 5994)

Overall:

The prestige loss here is massive and is a result of a few factors that added up together. One is me spamming elite replacements to repair any chip damage the auxiliary units suffered, even if I knew they will get wiped out soon. This is because the scenario looked difficult, so I did not want to make mistakes early that would impact later turns. I've reinforced even the potentially defenseless positions just to stall for time, which I would not do again knowing how the mission goes later. The second was the fact that my defenses were actually too good. Since I fortified the river positions well, the Soviet tanks I was supposed to wipe out could not easily cross at their intended passages and ended up going great lengths to other bridges, making them hard to reach. Since the objective is to defeat these units, I suddenly realized the timer is not lenient at all, and had to make a very aggressive, costly push to reach those tanks, that were now hidden on the other bank behind a swarm of opposing forces. As it turns out, it might be a much better idea to allow the Soviets set up small beach heads and just whittle them down there to avoid running into the same problem.

AO 1944 - Lublin

Starting Prestige (after purchases and replacements): 37499

Hero:


It is only fitting I get a No Surrender hero on the defensive campaign and truth be told, there might just be some use for him yet seeing how things tend to unfold. Added to Infanterie Reg 6, as I might need units to block key passages.

New Equipment Provided:

Sturmgeschütz Abt 2 - StuG IV
Panzerjäger Abt 3 - Marder IIIM
IV./SG 1 - Hs 129B2

Time for those missed upgrades from the last mission. Luckily, none were really critical. A shame, but too bad, I'll need to be more careful next time.

Starting Army Composition:

Infantry

Infanterie Reg 4 (span.) - Azul Infanterie 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - Flag Killer, Unyielding, Helmut Wirnsberger
Infanterie Reg 7 (span.) - Azul Infanterie 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - Survivor
Grenadier Reg 1 - Grenadier 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - OS20, Flag Killer, No Retaliation, Gero von Manstein
Infanterie Reg 3 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - *** - First Aid
Infanterie Reg 5 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - ** - Liberator
Infanterie Reg 6 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - ** - Learns from Mistakes, No Surrender

Tank

PzAbt 1 - Panzer IVH - ***** - Butcher, Ignores ZOC, Superior Maneuver, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 2 - Tiger I - ***** - Ignores ZOC, Steamroller, Survivor, Albert Kerscher
PzAbt 3 - Panther A - ***** - Steamroller, Ignores ZOC
PzAbt 4 - Flammpanzer III - ***** - Fierce Fighter, Ignores ZOC, Tenacious Defender, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 5 - Panzer IIIN - ***** - OS12, Artillery Support, Butcher, Vigilant, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 6 - Panzer IVH - ***** - Ignores ZOC, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 7 - Tiger I - **** - Artillery Support, AT Support, Steamroller, Survivor, Rikugun Tai-I Akiyama

Recon

Kradschützen Batallion 1 - Kradschützen - ***** - OS11, Tenacious Defender
AufkAbt 1 - SdKfz 234/2 8Rad - ***** - Envelopment, Overwhelming Attack
AufkAbt 3 - Panzer II Luchs - ***** - Butcher, Combat Luck, Overrun, Steamroller

Anti-Tank

Panzerjäger Abt 1 - Nashorn - ***** - Envelopment, Overwhelming Attack, Hit and Run, Skilled Support, Survivor
Panzerjäger Abt 3 - Marder IIIM - ** - Overwhelming Attack
Sturmgeschütz Abt 2 - StuG IV - **** - Ferocious Defense, Karl Ullmann
Sturmgeschütz Abt 3 - StuG IIIG - **** - Hit and Run, Legendary, Skilled Support

Artillery

Artillerie Abt 1 - 21 cm Mrs (SdKfz 7) - ***** - OS14, Double Attack, Zero Slots, Skilled Support, Elsa Kloss
Artillerie Abt 2 - 17 cm K 18 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Legendary, Zero Slots, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 3 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 4 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support
Panzer Artillerie Abt 1 - Hummel - ***** - OS14, Field Repairs, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support

Anti-Aircraft

FlaK Abt 1 - 8.8 cm Flak 36 (SdKfz 7) - **** - Skilled Support, Survivor, Karla Wuhrer
FlaK Abt 2 - SdKfz 10/5 - ***** - Fast Learner, Skilled Support
FlaK Abt 3 - 2 cm Flakvierling 38 (SdKfz 10) - **** - Double Support, Skilled Support
FlaK Abt 4 - Gepard - **** - Famous, Skilled Support
FlaK Abt 5 - SdKfz 7/1 - **** - Combat Luck, Skilled Support

Fighter

I./JG 1 - Fw 190A - ***** - Fast Rebase, Survivor, Erich Hartmann
II./JG 1 - Fw 190A - ***** - Fast Rebase, Survivor, Heinrich Bar
III./JG 1 - Fw 190A - **** - Fast Rebase, Thorough Preparation, Survivor
IV./JG 1 - Fw 190A - *** - Distraction, Fast Rebase, Survivor
II./JG 2 - Fw 190A - *** - Survivor, Gerhard Barkhorn

Tactical Bomber

II./ZG 1 - Fw 190F - *** - Exterminator, Readiness, Survivor
I./SG 1 - Ju 87D - ***** - Tank Killer, Survivor, Hans-Ulrich Rudel
II./SG 1 - Ju 87D - **** - Entrenchment Killer 4x, Survivor

Reserve

Pionier Brücken Bataillon 1 - Brückenpioniere (Opel Blitz) - * - OS16, No Surrender, River Assault
Kavallerie Reg 1 - Kavallerie - ***** - OS25, Consolidator, Prudent
Fallschirmjäger Reg 1 - Fallschirmjäger 43 - *** - Flag Killer, Unyielding
Gebirgsjäger Reg 1 - Gebirgsjäger 43 - ***** - First Aid, Survivor, Oleh Dir
Pionier Bataillon 1 - Pioniere 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - River Assault, First Aid, Joseph Allerberger
Infanterie Reg 1 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - ***** - First Aid
Infanterie Reg 2 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - ***** - OS25, Consolidator, Survivor, Matthaus Hetzenauer
Pionier Brücken Bataillon 2 - SdKfz 251/7 Brücken - ** - OS11, Aiming Assitance
AufkAbt 2 - SdKfz 234/1 8Rad - ***** - Leadership
AufkAbt 4 - SdKfz 233 8Rad - ***** - Distraction, Superior Maneuver
Panzerjäger Abt 2 - 7.5 cm Pak 41 (SdKfz 11) - *** - Fearsome Reputation, Ferocious Defense
Artillerie Abt 5 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 6 - 10.5 cm leFH 18 (SdKfz 11) - **** - Skilled Support
Sturmgeschütz Abt 1 - StuH 42 - **** - Double Support, Skilled Support
Panzer Artillerie Abt 2 - Wespe - **** - OS13, Skilled Support
Werfer Abt 1 - Panzerwerfer 42 - **** - Lethal Attack
Artillerie Abt 7 - 7.5 cm FK 16 nA
I./JG 2 - Fw 190A - **** - Fast Rebase, Thorough Preparation, Survivor
III./JG 2 - Bf 109G - ** - Survivor
IV./JG 2 - Bf 109G - ** - Survivor
I./JG 3 - Bf 109G - ** - Survivor
I./NJG 1 - He 219 - *
I./ZG 1 - Fw 190F - **** - Readiness, Survivor
III./ZG 1 - Me 410A - *** - Evasive, Survivor
I./AG 1 - Bf 109 PR - *** - Resilient
II./AG 1 - Fw 189 - *** - Resilient, Sixth Sense
III./AG 1 - Fw 189 - * - Entrenchment Killer 3x
IV./AG 1 - Fi 156 Storch
I./AG 2 - Fi 156 Storch
II./AG 2 - Fi 156 Storch
III./SG 1 - Ju 87D - **** - Entrenchment Killer 4x, Survivor
IV./SG 1 - Hs 129B2 - **** - Survivor
I./KG 1 - He 177A - *** - OS11, Shock Tactics, Survivor
II./KG 1 - He 177A - *** - OS11, Shock Tactics, Survivor
III./KG 1 - Do 217E - *** - OS13, Survivor
IV./KG 1 - Ju 188A - **
I./KG 2 - Ju 88A - **
II./KG 2 - Ju 88A - **
Panzerzug Bismarck - Armoured Train - ***
Panzerzug Hindenburg - Armoured Train - *

Summary:


These minor defenses are impossible for the AI to breach. Elsa's Artillerie Abt 1 blocks any attempts by enemy to fire, at the same time clearing any units that is close to the end of the bridge. There's this long Soviet conga line of suicidal attacks...


On the other hand, the Polish 1st Armored Brigade will be a huge pain to deal with.


Did the Polish army dig up wrecks of the armored cars dating back to the war in 1939 and put them into service agin? Looks like an oversight unless there's a reference I'm not seeing, as for other vehicles the Poles use correct Soviet equipment.


Now I see old Polish artillery instead of Soviet howitzers? Does not feel right as well.


Getting the besieged forces out was not an easy task! There's no obvious route to break the encirclement and every single turn counts. Any delay could easily be fatal as there's literally four, maybe five turns to do so, before the evacuation becomes impossible.


The award for the elite objective is well worth the trouble!


I establish this formation and keep it until the end of the scenario. It is impossible to push through with what the Soviets have and allows me to slowly regain prestige so casually lost last mission by spamming elite replacements.


Lublin retaken!

Final Prestige: 43480 (up 5981)

Overall:

This was one of the tougher missions when it comes to the elite objective, but at the same time relatively straightforward if we consider just the main objective. The main issue is that the army starts in a very unfavorable position, has little time to reach the encircled forces before they get wiped out entirely. What is more, the overpowered Polish 1st Armored Brigade will not make things easy and can one-shot units that do note hide behind support fire or do not have Survivor. This means that there is a careful balance between going for the rescue quickly and being careful not to get hit too hard. Once the siege is broken however, it becomes increasingly easier to manage the situation, as time is no longer a factor. As for controlling the crossings, the screens prove well enough that a simple setup and absolutely block the AI in its tracks, but this requires powerful artillery, otherwise the intended approach is probably to attack from the south and secure all main points.

AO 1944 - Warsaw Rising

Starting Prestige (after purchases and replacements): 41532

Hero:


Added to I./NJG 1 as it's one of my least experienced units and while I might not really use it often, it might bring hope of a 2 star fighter in 1945. When I think about it, probably not, who am I kidding...

New Equipment Provided:

PzAbt 4 - Flammpanzer 38(t)
Sturmgeschütz Abt 3 - StuG IV
I./SG 1 - Ju 87G

The Flammpanzer 38(t) arrival is very timely. I also upgrade my second StuG to the newer standard and finally give Rudel his tank buster for those special overstrength heroes.

Starting Army Composition:

Infantry

Infanterie Reg 4 (span.) - Azul Infanterie 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - Flag Killer, Unyielding, Helmut Wirnsberger
Infanterie Reg 7 (span.) - Azul Infanterie 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - Survivor
Grenadier Reg 1 - Grenadier 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - OS20, Flag Killer, No Retaliation, Gero von Manstein
Gebirgsjäger Reg 1 - Gebirgsjäger 43 - ***** - First Aid, Survivor, Oleh Dir
Pionier Bataillon 1 - Pioniere 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - River Assault, First Aid, Joseph Allerberger
Infanterie Reg 1 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - ***** - First Aid
Infanterie Reg 2 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - ***** - OS25, Consolidator, Survivor, Matthaus Hetzenauer
Infanterie Reg 3 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - *** - First Aid
Infanterie Reg 5 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - ** - Liberator
Infanterie Reg 6 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - ** - Learns from Mistakes, No Surrender

Tank

PzAbt 1 - Panzer IVH - ***** - Butcher, Ignores ZOC, Superior Maneuver, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 2 - Tiger I - ***** - Ignores ZOC, Steamroller, Survivor, Albert Kerscher, Ulrich Hoffman
PzAbt 4 - Flammpanzer 38(t) - ***** - Fierce Fighter, Ignores ZOC, Tenacious Defender, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 5 - Panzer IIIN - ***** - OS12, Artillery Support, Butcher, Vigilant, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 7 - Tiger I - **** - Artillery Support, AT Support, Steamroller, Survivor, Rikugun Tai-I Akiyama

Recon

Kradschützen Batallion 1 - Kradschützen - ***** - OS11, Tenacious Defender
AufkAbt 3 - Panzer II Luchs - ***** - Butcher, Combat Luck, Overrun, Steamroller

Artillery

Artillerie Abt 1 - 21 cm Mrs (SdKfz 7) - ***** - OS14, Double Attack, Zero Slots, Skilled Support, Elsa Kloss
Artillerie Abt 2 - 17 cm K 18 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Legendary, Zero Slots, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 3 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 4 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 5 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 6 - 10.5 cm leFH 18 (SdKfz 11) - **** - Skilled Support
Panzer Artillerie Abt 1 - Hummel - ***** - OS14, Field Repairs, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support
Sturmgeschütz Abt 1 - StuH 42 - **** - Double Support, Skilled Support
Panzer Artillerie Abt 2 - Wespe - **** - OS13, Skilled Support
Werfer Abt 1 - Panzerwerfer 42 - **** - Lethal Attack

Anti-Aircraft

FlaK Abt 3 - 2 cm Flakvierling 38 (SdKfz 10) - **** - Double Support, Skilled Support

Fighter

I./JG 1 - Fw 190A - ***** - Fast Rebase, Survivor, Erich Hartmann
IV./JG 1 - Fw 190A - *** - Distraction, Fast Rebase, Survivor
II./JG 2 - Fw 190A - *** - Survivor, Gerhard Barkhorn
I./NJG 1 - He 219 - * - Learns from Mistakes

Tactical Bomber

III./AG 1 - Fw 189 - * - Entrenchment Killer 3x

Strategic Bomber

I./KG 1 - He 177A - *** - OS11, Shock Tactics, Survivor
II./KG 1 - He 177A - *** - OS11, Shock Tactics, Survivor
III./KG 1 - Do 217E - *** - OS13, Survivor

Armored Train

Panzerzug Bismarck - Armoured Train - ***
Panzerzug Hindenburg - Armoured Train - *

Reserve

Pionier Brücken Bataillon 1 - Brückenpioniere (Opel Blitz) - * - OS16, No Surrender, River Assault
Kavallerie Reg 1 - Kavallerie - ***** - OS25, Consolidator, Prudent
Fallschirmjäger Reg 1 - Fallschirmjäger 43 - *** - Flag Killer, Unyielding
PzAbt 3 - Panther A - ***** - Steamroller, Ignores ZOC
PzAbt 6 - Panzer IVH - ***** - Ignores ZOC, Steamroller, Survivor
Pionier Brücken Bataillon 2 - SdKfz 251/7 Brücken - ** - OS11, Aiming Assitance
AufkAbt 1 - SdKfz 234/2 8Rad - ***** - Envelopment, Overwhelming Attack
AufkAbt 2 - SdKfz 234/1 8Rad - ***** - Leadership
AufkAbt 4 - SdKfz 233 8Rad - ***** - Distraction, Superior Maneuver
Panzerjäger Abt 1 - Nashorn - ***** - Envelopment, Overwhelming Attack, Hit and Run, Skilled Support, Survivor
Panzerjäger Abt 2 - 7.5 cm Pak 41 (SdKfz 11) - *** - Fearsome Reputation, Ferocious Defense
Panzerjäger Abt 3 - Marder IIIM - ** - Overwhelming Attack, Skilled Support
Sturmgeschütz Abt 2 - StuG IV - **** - Ferocious Defense, Karl Ullmann
Sturmgeschütz Abt 3 - StuG IV - **** - Hit and Run, Legendary, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 7 - 7.5 cm FK 16 nA
FlaK Abt 1 - 8.8 cm Flak 36 (SdKfz 7) - **** - Skilled Support, Survivor, Karla Wuhrer
FlaK Abt 2 - SdKfz 10/5 - ***** - Fast Learner, Skilled Support
FlaK Abt 4 - Gepard - **** - Famous, Skilled Support
FlaK Abt 5 - SdKfz 7/1 - ***** - Combat Luck, Skilled Support
II./JG 1 - Fw 190A - ***** - Fast Rebase, Survivor, Heinrich Bar
III./JG 1 - Fw 190A - **** - Fast Rebase, Thorough Preparation, Survivor
I./JG 2 - Fw 190A - **** - Fast Rebase, Thorough Preparation, Survivor
III./JG 2 - Bf 109G - ** - Survivor
IV./JG 2 - Bf 109G - ** - Survivor
I./JG 3 - Bf 109G - ** - Survivor
I./ZG 1 - Fw 190F - **** - Readiness, Survivor
II./ZG 1 - Fw 190F - *** - Exterminator, Readiness, Survivor
III./ZG 1 - Me 410A - *** - Evasive, Survivor
I./AG 1 - Bf 109 PR - *** - Resilient
II./AG 1 - Fw 189 - *** - Resilient, Sixth Sense
IV./AG 1 - Fi 156 Storch
I./AG 2 - Fi 156 Storch
II./AG 2 - Fi 156 Storch
I./SG 1 - Ju 87G - ***** - Tank Killer, Survivor, Hans-Ulrich Rudel
II./SG 1 - Ju 87D - ***** - Entrenchment Killer 4x, Survivor
III./SG 1 - Ju 87D - **** - Entrenchment Killer 4x, Survivor
IV./SG 1 - Hs 129B2 - **** - Survivor
IV./KG 1 - Ju 188A - **
I./KG 2 - Ju 88A - **
II./KG 2 - Ju 88A - **

Summary:


Manstein's grenadiers are great fortification busters.


Despite my inadequate AA cover, this hardly can be considered a battle. It's a desperate stand against overwhelming odds for the Poles.


Encirclement tactics of individual districts worked well in 1939 and work well now again.


Critical bunkers are surrounded, the defenses cannot hold isolated like this.

Final Prestige: 58154 (up 16622)

Overall:

Good scenario from a historical standpoint, but it could have used a few more extra bits of lore in the debriefing and in the mission itself, especially to why to Soviet pause was argued by many historians as a deliberate attempt to destroy the Polish resistance movement in order to prepare ground for the new pro-Soviet government. I also get why the word "deported" in relation what was done to a lot of the civilian population is an understatement for gaming purposes, as well as some other less powerful descriptions of this event that was one of the bloodiest retaliations to an uprising in modern history. Polish hero units could have been named (I miss the Panther being called Pudel for example) and there's a distinct lack of a certain captured Hetzer, but that is a bit of nitpicking on my end. One thing also comes to mind here as far as scenario set up goes. To make this more of a challenge, I would swap the idea behind the core set up with Minsk Offensive - having the player deploy a very small custom core there instead of the pre-built one and have the pre-build core be deployed here instead. It would make the combat much more challenging - in this attempt for me most of the difficulty came from seriously underestimating the allied bombers as I suspected them to be mostly flying supply carriers and not taking part in the fighting.

AO 1944 - Operation Panzerfaust

Starting Prestige (after purchases and replacements): 56306

Hero:


I already have one Distraction recon, but this type of hero is still best on such unit type, so gets added to Kradschützen Batallion 1.

New Equipment Provided:

PzAbt 3 - Panther G
Panzerjäger Abt 3 - JagdPz IV/48
III./JG 2 - Bf 109K

The new Panther is a tiny boost, but the JagdPz IV/48 is much better than the increasingly obsolete Marder and the Bf 109 brought up to the K model might be needed later down the line, especially in desperate 1945 scenarios.

Starting Army Composition:

Infantry

Infanterie Reg 4 (span.) - Azul Infanterie 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - Flag Killer, Unyielding, Helmut Wirnsberger
Infanterie Reg 7 (span.) - Azul Infanterie 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - Survivor
Grenadier Reg 1 - Grenadier 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - OS20, Flag Killer, No Retaliation, Gero von Manstein
Infanterie Reg 2 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - ***** - OS25, Consolidator, Survivor, Matthaus Hetzenauer
Infanterie Reg 3 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - *** - First Aid
Infanterie Reg 5 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - ** - Liberator
Infanterie Reg 6 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - ** - Learns from Mistakes, No Surrender

Tank

PzAbt 2 - Tiger I - ***** - Ignores ZOC, Steamroller, Survivor, Albert Kerscher, Ulrich Hoffman
PzAbt 4 - Flammpanzer 38(t) - ***** - Fierce Fighter, Ignores ZOC, Tenacious Defender, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 5 - Panzer IIIN - ***** - OS12, Artillery Support, Butcher, Vigilant, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 7 - Tiger I - **** - Artillery Support, AT Support, Steamroller, Survivor, Rikugun Tai-I Akiyama

Recon

Kradschützen Batallion 1 - Kradschützen - ***** - OS11, Distraction, Tenacious Defender, Survivor

Anti-Tank

Panzerjäger Abt 3 - JagdPz IV/48 - ** - Overwhelming Attack, Skilled Support
Sturmgeschütz Abt 2 - StuG IV - **** - Ferocious Defense, Karl Ullmann

Artillery

Artillerie Abt 1 - 21 cm Mrs (SdKfz 7) - ***** - OS14, Double Attack, Zero Slots, Skilled Support, Elsa Kloss
Artillerie Abt 2 - 17 cm K 18 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Legendary, Zero Slots, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 3 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 4 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support
Panzer Artillerie Abt 1 - Hummel - ***** - OS14, Field Repairs, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support
Sturmgeschütz Abt 1 - StuH 42 - **** - Double Support, Skilled Support
Panzer Artillerie Abt 2 - Wespe - **** - OS13, Skilled Support
Werfer Abt 1 - Panzerwerfer 42 - **** - Lethal Attack

Anti-Aircraft

FlaK Abt 1 - 8.8 cm Flak 36 (SdKfz 7) - **** - Skilled Support, Survivor, Karla Wuhrer
FlaK Abt 3 - 2 cm Flakvierling 38 (SdKfz 10) - **** - Double Support, Skilled Support

Fighter

IV./JG 1 - Fw 190A - *** - Distraction, Fast Rebase, Survivor

Tactical Bomber

II./ZG 1 - Fw 190F - *** - Exterminator, Readiness, Survivor
II./AG 1 - Fw 189 - *** - Resilient, Sixth Sense
III./AG 1 - Fw 189 - * - Entrenchment Killer 3x

Strategic Bomber

I./KG 1 - He 177A - *** - OS11, Shock Tactics, Survivor
II./KG 1 - He 177A - *** - OS11, Shock Tactics, Survivor
III./KG 1 - Do 217E - *** - OS13, Survivor

Armored Train

Panzerzug Hindenburg - Armoured Train - *

Reserve

Pionier Brücken Bataillon 1 - Brückenpioniere (Opel Blitz) - * - OS16, No Surrender, River Assault
Kavallerie Reg 1 - Kavallerie - ***** - OS25, Consolidator, Prudent
Fallschirmjäger Reg 1 - Fallschirmjäger 43 - *** - Flag Killer, Unyielding
Gebirgsjäger Reg 1 - Gebirgsjäger 43 - ***** - First Aid, Survivor, Oleh Dir
Pionier Bataillon 1 - Pioniere 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - River Assault, First Aid, Joseph Allerberger
Infanterie Reg 1 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - ***** - First Aid
PzAbt 1 - Panzer IVH - ***** - Butcher, Ignores ZOC, Superior Maneuver, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 3 - Panther G - ***** - Steamroller, Ignores ZOC
PzAbt 6 - Panzer IVH - ***** - Ignores ZOC, Steamroller, Survivor
Pionier Brücken Bataillon 2 - SdKfz 251/7 Brücken - ** - OS11, Aiming Assitance
AufkAbt 1 - SdKfz 234/2 8Rad - ***** - Envelopment, Overwhelming Attack
AufkAbt 2 - SdKfz 234/1 8Rad - ***** - Leadership
AufkAbt 3 - Panzer II Luchs - ***** - Butcher, Combat Luck, Overrun, Steamroller
AufkAbt 4 - SdKfz 233 8Rad - ***** - Distraction, Superior Maneuver
Panzerjäger Abt 1 - Nashorn - ***** - Envelopment, Overwhelming Attack, Hit and Run, Skilled Support, Survivor
Panzerjäger Abt 2 - 7.5 cm Pak 41 (SdKfz 11) - *** - Fearsome Reputation, Ferocious Defense
Sturmgeschütz Abt 3 - StuG IV - **** - Hit and Run, Legendary, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 5 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 6 - 10.5 cm leFH 18 (SdKfz 11) - **** - Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 7 - 7.5 cm FK 16 nA
FlaK Abt 2 - SdKfz 10/5 - ***** - Fast Learner, Skilled Support
FlaK Abt 4 - Gepard - **** - Famous, Skilled Support
FlaK Abt 5 - SdKfz 7/1 - ***** - Combat Luck, Skilled Support
I./JG 1 - Fw 190A - ***** - Fast Rebase, Survivor, Erich Hartmann
II./JG 1 - Fw 190A - ***** - Fast Rebase, Survivor, Heinrich Bar
III./JG 1 - Fw 190A - **** - Fast Rebase, Thorough Preparation, Survivor
I./JG 2 - Fw 190A - **** - Fast Rebase, Thorough Preparation, Survivor
II./JG 2 - Fw 190A - *** - Survivor, Gerhard Barkhorn
III./JG 2 - Bf 109K - ** - Survivor
IV./JG 2 - Bf 109G - ** - Survivor
I./JG 3 - Bf 109G - ** - Survivor
I./NJG 1 - He 219 - * - Learns from Mistakes
I./ZG 1 - Fw 190F - **** - Readiness, Survivor
III./ZG 1 - Me 410A - *** - Evasive, Survivor
I./AG 1 - Bf 109 PR - *** - Resilient
IV./AG 1 - Fi 156 Storch
I./AG 2 - Fi 156 Storch
II./AG 2 - Fi 156 Storch
I./SG 1 - Ju 87G - ***** - Tank Killer, Survivor, Hans-Ulrich Rudel
II./SG 1 - Ju 87D - ***** - Entrenchment Killer 4x, Survivor
III./SG 1 - Ju 87D - **** - Entrenchment Killer 4x, Survivor
IV./SG 1 - Hs 129B2 - **** - Survivor
IV./KG 1 - Ju 188A - **
I./KG 2 - Ju 88A - **
II./KG 2 - Ju 88A - **
Panzerzug Bismarck - Armoured Train - ***

Summary:


Limiting air deployment does not mean no air deployment, that's a lesson I learned in Warsaw. Also adding solid AA cover for the special unit I need to escort.


For a moment I thought it was the Envelopment/Overwhelming Attack combo due to the similarity of icons. That would have been scary!


Hungarian fighter squadron rebased to the worst possible airfield.


With the castle encircled, the rest is just formality. At least I hope so.

Final Prestige: 58086 (up 1780)

Overall:

Another city scenario, this time different than the last due to the opposition being much better equipped, having planes, multiple tanks and a lot of artillery. It does not change the fact that at this point it is not that difficult to achieve victory, but it does pose a certain degree of challenge, if only due to having limited resources, attack from two directions and guarding the escorted tank unit that only has 4 strength. This makes the mission rich in events and the added historical educational value is something I really appreciated. Not all missions need to be extremely hard to complete and after Minsk Offensive and Lublin, it is good that the pace slowed down at least for a brief moment.

AO 1944 - Battle of Carei

Starting Prestige (after purchases and replacements): 58407

Hero:


Wow, my hero luck in 1944 has been absolutely horrible! Added to Infanterie Reg 3 for some extra defensive strength, but otherwise nothing exciting.

New Equipment Provided:

Panzerjäger Abt 2 - 8.8 cm Pak 43/41 (SdKfz 7)
FlaK Abt 2 - Möbelwagen
IV./JG 2 - Bf 109K

No major upgrades again, I could add more Panthers, but I want to keep my core as cost effective as it can be so focusing on supporting units again and on some extra air power. I did not use much of it in 1944, but for 1945 it might end up critical.

Starting Army Composition:

Infantry

Infanterie Reg 4 (span.) - Azul Infanterie 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - Flag Killer, Unyielding, Helmut Wirnsberger
Grenadier Reg 1 - Grenadier 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - OS20, Flag Killer, No Retaliation, Gero von Manstein
Infanterie Reg 2 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - ***** - OS25, Consolidator, Survivor, Matthaus Hetzenauer
Infanterie Reg 6 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - ** - Learns from Mistakes, No Surrender

Tank

PzAbt 1 - Panzer IVH - ***** - Butcher, Ignores ZOC, Superior Maneuver, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 2 - Tiger I - ***** - Ignores ZOC, Steamroller, Survivor, Albert Kerscher, Ulrich Hoffman
PzAbt 3 - Panther G - ***** - Steamroller, Ignores ZOC
PzAbt 5 - Panzer IIIN - ***** - OS12, Artillery Support, Butcher, Vigilant, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 6 - Panzer IVH - ***** - Ignores ZOC, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 7 - Tiger I - ***** - Artillery Support, AT Support, Steamroller, Survivor, Rikugun Tai-I Akiyama

Recon

AufkAbt 1 - SdKfz 234/2 8Rad - ***** - Envelopment, Overwhelming Attack
AufkAbt 2 - SdKfz 234/1 8Rad - ***** - Leadership
AufkAbt 3 - Panzer II Luchs - ***** - Butcher, Combat Luck, Overrun, Steamroller

Anti-Tank

Panzerjäger Abt 1 - Nashorn - ***** - Envelopment, Overwhelming Attack, Hit and Run, Skilled Support, Survivor
Panzerjäger Abt 3 - JagdPz IV/48 - ** - Overwhelming Attack, Skilled Support
Sturmgeschütz Abt 2 - StuG IV - **** - Ferocious Defense, Karl Ullmann
Sturmgeschütz Abt 3 - StuG IV - **** - Hit and Run, Legendary, Skilled Support

Artillery

Artillerie Abt 1 - 21 cm Mrs (SdKfz 7) - ***** - OS14, Double Attack, Zero Slots, Skilled Support, Elsa Kloss
Artillerie Abt 2 - 17 cm K 18 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Legendary, Zero Slots, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 3 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 4 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 5 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Skilled Support
Panzer Artillerie Abt 1 - Hummel - ***** - OS14, Field Repairs, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support
Sturmgeschütz Abt 1 - StuH 42 - **** - Double Support, Skilled Support
Panzer Artillerie Abt 2 - Wespe - **** - OS13, Skilled Support
Werfer Abt 1 - Panzerwerfer 42 - **** - Lethal Attack

Anti-Aircraft

FlaK Abt 1 - 8.8 cm Flak 36 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Skilled Support, Survivor, Karla Wuhrer
FlaK Abt 2 - Möbelwagen - ***** - Fast Learner, Skilled Support
FlaK Abt 3 - 2 cm Flakvierling 38 (SdKfz 10) - **** - Double Support, Skilled Support
FlaK Abt 4 - Gepard - **** - Famous, Skilled Support
FlaK Abt 5 - SdKfz 7/1 - ***** - Combat Luck, Skilled Support

Fighter

I./JG 1 - Fw 190A - ***** - Fast Rebase, Survivor, Erich Hartmann
II./JG 1 - Fw 190A - ***** - Fast Rebase, Survivor, Heinrich Bar
IV./JG 1 - Fw 190A - *** - Distraction, Fast Rebase, Survivor
II./JG 2 - Fw 190A - *** - Survivor, Gerhard Barkhorn

Tactical Bomber

I./ZG 1 - Fw 190F - **** - Readiness, Survivor
II./ZG 1 - Fw 190F - *** - Exterminator, Readiness, Survivor
I./SG 1 - Ju 87G - ***** - Tank Killer, Survivor, Hans-Ulrich Rudel
IV./SG 1 - Hs 129B2 - **** - Survivor

Reserve

Infanterie Reg 7 (span.) - Azul Infanterie 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - Survivor
Pionier Brücken Bataillon 1 - Brückenpioniere (Opel Blitz) - * - OS16, No Surrender, River Assault
Kavallerie Reg 1 - Kavallerie - ***** - OS25, Consolidator, Prudent
Fallschirmjäger Reg 1 - Fallschirmjäger 43 - *** - Flag Killer, Unyielding
Gebirgsjäger Reg 1 - Gebirgsjäger 43 - ***** - First Aid, Survivor, Oleh Dir
Pionier Bataillon 1 - Pioniere 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - River Assault, First Aid, Joseph Allerberger
Infanterie Reg 1 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - ***** - First Aid
Infanterie Reg 3 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - *** - Ferocious Defense, First Aid
Infanterie Reg 5 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - *** - Liberator
PzAbt 4 - Flammpanzer 38(t) - ***** - Fierce Fighter, Ignores ZOC, Tenacious Defender, Steamroller, Survivor
Pionier Brücken Bataillon 2 - SdKfz 251/7 Brücken - ** - OS11, Aiming Assitance
Kradschützen Batallion 1 - Kradschützen - ***** - OS11, Distraction, Tenacious Defender, Survivor
AufkAbt 4 - SdKfz 233 8Rad - ***** - Distraction, Superior Maneuver
Panzerjäger Abt 2 - 8.8 cm Pak 43/41 (SdKfz 7) - *** - Fearsome Reputation, Ferocious Defense
Artillerie Abt 6 - 10.5 cm leFH 18 (SdKfz 11) - **** - Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 7 - 7.5 cm FK 16 nA
III./JG 1 - Fw 190A - **** - Fast Rebase, Thorough Preparation, Survivor
I./JG 2 - Fw 190A - **** - Fast Rebase, Thorough Preparation, Survivor
III./JG 2 - Bf 109K - ** - Survivor
IV./JG 2 - Bf 109K - ** - Survivor
I./JG 3 - Bf 109G - ** - Survivor
I./NJG 1 - He 219 - * - Learns from Mistakes
III./ZG 1 - Me 410A - *** - Evasive, Survivor
I./AG 1 - Bf 109 PR - *** - Resilient
II./AG 1 - Fw 189 - **** - Resilient, Sixth Sense
III./AG 1 - Fw 189 - * - Entrenchment Killer 3x
IV./AG 1 - Fi 156 Storch
I./AG 2 - Fi 156 Storch
II./AG 2 - Fi 156 Storch
II./SG 1 - Ju 87D - ***** - Entrenchment Killer 4x, Survivor
III./SG 1 - Ju 87D - **** - Entrenchment Killer 4x, Survivor
I./KG 1 - He 177A - *** - OS11, Shock Tactics, Survivor
II./KG 1 - He 177A - *** - OS11, Shock Tactics, Survivor
III./KG 1 - Do 217E - *** - OS13, Survivor
IV./KG 1 - Ju 188A - **
I./KG 2 - Ju 88A - **
II./KG 2 - Ju 88A - **
Panzerzug Bismarck - Armoured Train - ***
Panzerzug Hindenburg - Armoured Train - **

Summary:


Romanians, now equipped with Soviet tanks, are quite a dangerous enemy.


Reinforcements on the way up north...


...and down south.


Not the proper way to use Panther tanks, that's for sure!


Elsa Kloss pops the first command vehicle.


Second command vehicle spotted, time to call in Rudel.


A small bonus for the final moments of this DLC.

Final Prestige: 66984 (up 8577)

Overall:

There was hope, but ultimately broken, a solid narrative reason for explaining having to retreat yet again and going against the "I won the battle, why am I losing the war?" dilemma that the historical path always struggled with. The extra briefing information shared in missions helps deal with that well compared to the Grand Campaign. As for the scenario itself, it is relatively straightforward after two very different city battles that preceded it, in a way it is almost easier than many of the initial deployments in this DLC. The player has a a solid amount of core slots to use, starts in a position that allows to form a proper line when advancing and does not have to rush the attack, and the AI allies further slow down the enemy. Factoring the experienced and well developed core that exists by this point and not that many powerful heroes on the opposing side, there is little the opposing forces can do most of the time.

AO 1944 - Summary

Starting Prestige: 200986
Final Prestige: 66984 (down 134002)

Final Army Composition:

Infantry

Pionier Brücken Bataillon 1 - Brückenpioniere (Opel Blitz) - * - OS16, No Surrender, River Assault
Infanterie Reg 4 (span.) - Azul Infanterie 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - Flag Killer, Unyielding, Helmut Wirnsberger
Infanterie Reg 7 (span.) - Azul Infanterie 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - Survivor
Kavallerie Reg 1 - Kavallerie - ***** - OS25, Consolidator, Prudent
Fallschirmjäger Reg 1 - Fallschirmjäger 43 - *** - Flag Killer, Unyielding
Gebirgsjäger Reg 1 - Gebirgsjäger 43 - ***** - First Aid, Survivor, Oleh Dir
Grenadier Reg 1 - Grenadier 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - OS20, Flag Killer, No Retaliation, Gero von Manstein
Pionier Bataillon 1 - Pioniere 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - River Assault, First Aid, Joseph Allerberger
Infanterie Reg 1 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - ***** - First Aid
Infanterie Reg 2 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - ***** - OS25, Consolidator, Survivor, Matthaus Hetzenauer
Infanterie Reg 3 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - *** - Ferocious Defense, First Aid
Infanterie Reg 5 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - *** - Liberator
Infanterie Reg 6 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - *** - Learns from Mistakes, No Surrender

Tank

PzAbt 1 - Panzer IVH - ***** - Butcher, Ignores ZOC, Superior Maneuver, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 2 - Tiger I - ***** - Ignores ZOC, Steamroller, Survivor, Albert Kerscher, Ulrich Hoffman
PzAbt 3 - Panther G - ***** - Steamroller, Ignores ZOC
PzAbt 4 - Flammpanzer 38(t) - ***** - Fierce Fighter, Ignores ZOC, Tenacious Defender, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 5 - Panzer IIIN - ***** - OS12, Artillery Support, Butcher, Vigilant, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 6 - Panzer IVH - ***** - Ignores ZOC, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 7 - Tiger I - ***** - Artillery Support, AT Support, Steamroller, Survivor, Rikugun Tai-I Akiyama
Pionier Brücken Bataillon 2 - SdKfz 251/7 Brücken - ** - OS11, Aiming Assitance

Recon

Kradschützen Batallion 1 - Kradschützen - ***** - OS11, Distraction, Tenacious Defender, Survivor
AufkAbt 1 - SdKfz 234/2 8Rad - ***** - Envelopment, Overwhelming Attack
AufkAbt 2 - SdKfz 234/1 8Rad - ***** - Leadership
AufkAbt 3 - Panzer II Luchs - ***** - Butcher, Combat Luck, Overrun, Steamroller
AufkAbt 4 - SdKfz 233 8Rad - ***** - Distraction, Superior Maneuver

Anti-Tank

Panzerjäger Abt 1 - Nashorn - ***** - Envelopment, Overwhelming Attack, Hit and Run, Skilled Support, Survivor
Panzerjäger Abt 2 - 8.8 cm Pak 43/41 (SdKfz 7) - *** - Fearsome Reputation, Ferocious Defense
Panzerjäger Abt 3 - JagdPz IV/48 - *** - Overwhelming Attack, Skilled Support
Sturmgeschütz Abt 2 - StuG IV - **** - Ferocious Defense, Karl Ullmann
Sturmgeschütz Abt 3 - StuG IV - **** - Hit and Run, Legendary, Skilled Support

Artillery

Artillerie Abt 1 - 21 cm Mrs (SdKfz 7) - ***** - OS14, Double Attack, Zero Slots, Skilled Support, Elsa Kloss
Artillerie Abt 2 - 17 cm K 18 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Legendary, Zero Slots, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 3 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 4 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 5 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 6 - 10.5 cm leFH 18 (SdKfz 11) - **** - Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 7 - 7.5 cm FK 16 nA
Panzer Artillerie Abt 1 - Hummel - ***** - OS14, Field Repairs, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support
Sturmgeschütz Abt 1 - StuH 42 - ***** - Double Support, Skilled Support
Panzer Artillerie Abt 2 - Wespe - **** - OS13, Skilled Support
Werfer Abt 1 - Panzerwerfer 42 - **** - Lethal Attack

Anti-Aircraft

FlaK Abt 1 - 8.8 cm Flak 36 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Skilled Support, Survivor, Karla Wuhrer
FlaK Abt 2 - Möbelwagen - ***** - Fast Learner, Skilled Support
FlaK Abt 3 - 2 cm Flakvierling 38 (SdKfz 10) - **** - Double Support, Skilled Support
FlaK Abt 4 - Gepard - **** - Famous, Skilled Support
FlaK Abt 5 - SdKfz 7/1 - ***** - Combat Luck, Skilled Support

Fighter

I./JG 1 - Fw 190A - ***** - Fast Rebase, Survivor, Erich Hartmann
II./JG 1 - Fw 190A - ***** - Fast Rebase, Survivor, Heinrich Bar
IV./JG 1 - Fw 190A - **** - Distraction, Fast Rebase, Survivor
III./JG 1 - Fw 190A - **** - Fast Rebase, Thorough Preparation, Survivor
I./JG 2 - Fw 190A - **** - Fast Rebase, Thorough Preparation, Survivor
II./JG 2 - Fw 190A - *** - Survivor, Gerhard Barkhorn
III./JG 2 - Bf 109K - ** - Survivor
IV./JG 2 - Bf 109K - ** - Survivor
I./JG 3 - Bf 109G - ** - Survivor
I./NJG 1 - He 219 - * - Learns from Mistakes

Tactical Bomber

I./ZG 1 - Fw 190F - **** - Readiness, Survivor
II./ZG 1 - Fw 190F - **** - Exterminator, Readiness, Survivor
III./ZG 1 - Me 410A - *** - Evasive, Survivor
I./AG 1 - Bf 109 PR - *** - Resilient
II./AG 1 - Fw 189 - **** - Resilient, Sixth Sense
III./AG 1 - Fw 189 - * - Entrenchment Killer 3x
IV./AG 1 - Fi 156 Storch
I./AG 2 - Fi 156 Storch
II./AG 2 - Fi 156 Storch
I./SG 1 - Ju 87G - ***** - Tank Killer, Survivor, Hans-Ulrich Rudel
II./SG 1 - Ju 87D - ***** - Entrenchment Killer 4x, Survivor
III./SG 1 - Ju 87D - **** - Entrenchment Killer 4x, Survivor
IV./SG 1 - Hs 129B2 - **** - Survivor

Strategic Bomber

I./KG 1 - He 177A - *** - OS11, Shock Tactics, Survivor
II./KG 1 - He 177A - *** - OS11, Shock Tactics, Survivor
III./KG 1 - Do 217E - *** - OS13, Survivor
IV./KG 1 - Ju 188A - **
I./KG 2 - Ju 88A - **
II./KG 2 - Ju 88A - **

Armored Train

Panzerzug Bismarck - Armoured Train - ***
Panzerzug Hindenburg - Armoured Train - **

Thoughts:

The historical part of the AO 1944 DCL started strong, with good narrative in missions and interesting scenario conditions up to Lublin. The last three missions remain strong in terms of story, but mechanically and difficulty wise are a bit lacking compared to these earlier ones. They could for sure benefit from adjusting the enemy forces and possibly some of the other minor details. Still, it was worth playing and not even the shorter length changes my mind. Over the two alternatives, I enjoyed individual missions in the historical path more, but overall preferred the fictional one as a whole. Now awaiting the 1945 DLC I wonder if I will ever get to use some of the newer machines, as even if they manage to appear in the unit pool, Slow Modernization will now be a critical limiting factor.

AO 1945 - Tata


All that new equipment available and I am not allowed to use almost any of it, even if I do get to the point at which it can be obtained.

Starting Prestige (after purchases and replacements): 76149

Hero:


Adding the hero to FlaK Abt 4, as I expect later scenarios to be swarming with enemy planes with little chance to safely deploy my own.

New Equipment Provided:

PzAbt 1 - Panzer IVJ
PzAbt 2 - Tiger II
Panzerjäger Abt 1 - Jagdpanther

Since we are mostly running away... I mean retreating... in this scenario, I first focus on getting some better tanks and anti-tank weapons.

Starting Army Composition:

Infantry

Infanterie Reg 4 (span.) - Azul Infanterie 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - Flag Killer, Unyielding, Helmut Wirnsberger
Infanterie Reg 7 (span.) - Azul Infanterie 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - Survivor
Kavallerie Reg 1 - Kavallerie - ***** - OS25, Consolidator, Prudent
Grenadier Reg 1 - Grenadier 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - OS20, Flag Killer, No Retaliation, Gero von Manstein
Infanterie Reg 2 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - ***** - OS25, Consolidator, Survivor, Matthaus Hetzenauer
Infanterie Reg 6 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - *** - Learns from Mistakes, No Surrender

Tank

PzAbt 1 - Panzer IVJ - ***** - Butcher, Ignores ZOC, Superior Maneuver, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 2 - Tiger II - ***** - Ignores ZOC, Steamroller, Survivor, Albert Kerscher, Ulrich Hoffman
PzAbt 3 - Panther G - ***** - Steamroller, Ignores ZOC
PzAbt 5 - Panzer IIIN - ***** - OS12, Artillery Support, Butcher, Vigilant, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 6 - Panzer IVH - ***** - Ignores ZOC, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 7 - Tiger I - ***** - Artillery Support, AT Support, Steamroller, Survivor, Rikugun Tai-I Akiyama

Recon

AufkAbt 1 - SdKfz 234/2 8Rad - ***** - Envelopment, Overwhelming Attack
AufkAbt 3 - Panzer II Luchs - ***** - Butcher, Combat Luck, Overrun, Steamroller

Anti-Tank

Panzerjäger Abt 1 - Jagdpanther - ***** - Envelopment, Overwhelming Attack, Hit and Run, Skilled Support, Survivor
Panzerjäger Abt 3 - JagdPz IV/48 - *** - Overwhelming Attack, Skilled Support
Sturmgeschütz Abt 2 - StuG IV - **** - Ferocious Defense, Karl Ullmann
Sturmgeschütz Abt 3 - StuG IV - **** - Hit and Run, Legendary, Skilled Support

Artillery

Artillerie Abt 1 - 21 cm Mrs (SdKfz 7) - ***** - OS14, Double Attack, Zero Slots, Skilled Support, Elsa Kloss
Artillerie Abt 2 - 17 cm K 18 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Legendary, Zero Slots, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 3 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 4 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support
Panzer Artillerie Abt 1 - Hummel - ***** - OS14, Field Repairs, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support
Sturmgeschütz Abt 1 - StuH 42 - ***** - Double Support, Skilled Support
Panzer Artillerie Abt 2 - Wespe - **** - OS13, Skilled Support
Werfer Abt 1 - Panzerwerfer 42 - **** - Lethal Attack

Anti-Aircraft

FlaK Abt 1 - 8.8 cm Flak 36 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Skilled Support, Survivor, Karla Wuhrer
FlaK Abt 2 - Möbelwagen - ***** - Fast Learner, Skilled Support
FlaK Abt 3 - 2 cm Flakvierling 38 (SdKfz 10) - **** - Double Support, Skilled Support
FlaK Abt 4 - Gepard - **** - Double Support, Famous, Skilled Support
FlaK Abt 5 - SdKfz 7/1 - ***** - Combat Luck, Skilled Support

Reserve

Pionier Brücken Bataillon 1 - Brückenpioniere (Opel Blitz) - * - OS16, No Surrender, River Assault
Fallschirmjäger Reg 1 - Fallschirmjäger 43 - *** - Flag Killer, Unyielding
Gebirgsjäger Reg 1 - Gebirgsjäger 43 - ***** - First Aid, Survivor, Oleh Dir
Pionier Bataillon 1 - Pioniere 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - River Assault, First Aid, Joseph Allerberger
Infanterie Reg 1 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - ***** - First Aid
Infanterie Reg 3 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - *** - Ferocious Defense, First Aid
Infanterie Reg 5 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - *** - Liberator
PzAbt 4 - Flammpanzer 38(t) - ***** - Fierce Fighter, Ignores ZOC, Tenacious Defender, Steamroller, Survivor
Pionier Brücken Bataillon 2 - SdKfz 251/7 Brücken - ** - OS11, Aiming Assitance
Kradschützen Batallion 1 - Kradschützen - ***** - OS11, Distraction, Tenacious Defender, Survivor
AufkAbt 2 - SdKfz 234/1 8Rad - ***** - Leadership
AufkAbt 4 - SdKfz 233 8Rad - ***** - Distraction, Superior Maneuver
Panzerjäger Abt 2 - 8.8 cm Pak 43/41 (SdKfz 7) - *** - Fearsome Reputation, Ferocious Defense
Artillerie Abt 5 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 6 - 10.5 cm leFH 18 (SdKfz 11) - **** - Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 7 - 7.5 cm FK 16 nA
I./JG 1 - Fw 190A - ***** - Fast Rebase, Survivor, Erich Hartmann
II./JG 1 - Fw 190A - ***** - Fast Rebase, Survivor, Heinrich Bar
III./JG 1 - Fw 190A - **** - Fast Rebase, Thorough Preparation, Survivor
IV./JG 1 - Fw 190A - **** - Distraction, Fast Rebase, Survivor
I./JG 2 - Fw 190A - **** - Fast Rebase, Thorough Preparation, Survivor
II./JG 2 - Fw 190A - *** - Survivor, Gerhard Barkhorn
III./JG 2 - Bf 109K - ** - Survivor
IV./JG 2 - Bf 109K - ** - Survivor
I./JG 3 - Bf 109G - ** - Survivor
I./NJG 1 - He 219 - * - Learns from Mistakes
I./ZG 1 - Fw 190F - **** - Readiness, Survivor
II./ZG 1 - Fw 190F - **** - Exterminator, Readiness, Survivor
III./ZG 1 - Me 410A - *** - Evasive, Survivor
I./AG 1 - Bf 109 PR - *** - Resilient
II./AG 1 - Fw 189 - **** - Resilient, Sixth Sense
III./AG 1 - Fw 189 - * - Entrenchment Killer 3x
IV./AG 1 - Fi 156 Storch
I./AG 2 - Fi 156 Storch
II./AG 2 - Fi 156 Storch
I./SG 1 - Ju 87G - ***** - Tank Killer, Survivor, Hans-Ulrich Rudel
II./SG 1 - Ju 87D - ***** - Entrenchment Killer 4x, Survivor
III./SG 1 - Ju 87D - **** - Entrenchment Killer 4x, Survivor
IV./SG 1 - Hs 129B2 - **** - Survivor
I./KG 1 - He 177A - *** - OS11, Shock Tactics, Survivor
II./KG 1 - He 177A - *** - OS11, Shock Tactics, Survivor
III./KG 1 - Do 217E - *** - OS13, Survivor
IV./KG 1 - Ju 188A - **
I./KG 2 - Ju 88A - **
II./KG 2 - Ju 88A - **
Panzerzug Bismarck - Armoured Train - ***
Panzerzug Hindenburg - Armoured Train - **

Summary:


I am not using planes in this mission, they could get stuck in the snow and end up being destroyed.


Aside from the moral issues, I am quite concerned the roads will get blocked.


Snow covered the start of my advance, allowing me to ambush some of the advancing Soviets.


So far Budapest is attacked by conscripts mostly, but still, it is best not got get trapped in the area.


As expected, this is not going to be easy.


Finders keepers.


Snowfall is my ally once again. Time to take out some dangerous planes easily.


Some more downed planes and captured equipment to help as well. Sadly, I won't be using it this run.

Final Prestige: 78917 (up 2768)

Overall:

First mission of AO 1945 historical path starts on a familiar note, with a planned retreat. As usual, this types of scenarios are more tense whenever weather conditions come into the equation, so it is good that this was taken into consideration while designing. It is not as intense of a snowstorm as in some past instances, but good enough to add some extra tension. There is also the extra narrative element by showing the civilian population fleeing the frontline and advancing Soviet forces, something that was not commonly seen in the game before, maybe aside from the 1939 Lvov mission. As for the difficulty, it is not that challenging yet, but I am sure taking out a few planes extra with very little effort helped a lot, as well as AA Veteran, which on the historic path proves to be a great trait to use.

AO 1945 - Operation Bodenplatte

Starting Prestige (after purchases and replacements): 79749

Hero:


I am not even surprised at this point. This whole run is heavily carried by Double Attack heros, mostly on artillery so far. Added to Artillerie Abt 5 to keep the tradition going. Once we get to the siege of Berlin, I will have as much dakka as Warhammer 40k fans.

New Equipment Provided:

I./JG 2 - Me 163B
II./JG 2 - Fw 190D-9
I./JG 3 - Bf 109K

I sadly do not have jet fighters yet due to Retrograde and the rocket-powered Me 163B has the problem of limited range, but might work somehow with Fast Rebase. This mean it will not be a mission easy to pull of. As such, I will rely on support by pilots fresh from the academy.

New Units Commissioned:

II./JG 3 - Fw 190A
III./JG 3 - Fw 190A
IV./JG 3 - Fw 190A
I./JG 4 - Fw 190A
II./JG 4 - Fw 190A

All of these are new squadrons. It's indeed all the reserve the Luftwaffe has left.

Starting Army Composition:

Fighter

I./JG 1 - Fw 190A - ***** - Fast Rebase, Survivor, Erich Hartmann
II./JG 1 - Fw 190A - ***** - Fast Rebase, Survivor, Heinrich Bar
III./JG 1 - Fw 190A - **** - Fast Rebase, Thorough Preparation, Survivor
IV./JG 1 - Fw 190A - **** - Distraction, Fast Rebase, Survivor
I./JG 2 - Me 163B - **** - Fast Rebase, Thorough Preparation, Survivor
II./JG 2 - Fw 190D-9 - *** - Survivor, Gerhard Barkhorn
III./JG 2 - Bf 109K - ** - Survivor
IV./JG 2 - Bf 109K - ** - Survivor
I./JG 3 - Bf 109K - ** - Survivor
I./NJG 1 - He 219 - * - Learns from Mistakes

Tactical Bomber

I./ZG 1 - Fw 190F - **** - Readiness, Survivor
II./ZG 1 - Fw 190F - **** - Exterminator, Readiness, Survivor
III./ZG 1 - Me 410A - *** - Evasive, Survivor
I./AG 1 - Bf 109 PR - *** - Resilient
II./AG 1 - Fw 189 - **** - Resilient, Sixth Sense
III./AG 1 - Fw 189 - * - Entrenchment Killer 3x
IV./AG 1 - Fi 156 Storch
I./AG 2 - Fi 156 Storch
II./AG 2 - Fi 156 Storch
I./SG 1 - Ju 87G - ***** - Tank Killer, Survivor, Hans-Ulrich Rudel
II./SG 1 - Ju 87D - ***** - Entrenchment Killer 4x, Survivor
III./SG 1 - Ju 87D - **** - Entrenchment Killer 4x, Survivor
IV./SG 1 - Hs 129B2 - **** - Survivor

Strategic Bomber

I./KG 1 - He 177A - *** - OS11, Shock Tactics, Survivor
II./KG 1 - He 177A - *** - OS11, Shock Tactics, Survivor
III./KG 1 - Do 217E - *** - OS13, Survivor
IV./KG 1 - Ju 188A - **
I./KG 2 - Ju 88A - **
II./KG 2 - Ju 88A - **

Reserve

Infanterie Reg 4 (span.) - Azul Infanterie 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - Flag Killer, Unyielding, Helmut Wirnsberger
Infanterie Reg 7 (span.) - Azul Infanterie 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - Survivor
Pionier Brücken Bataillon 1 - Brückenpioniere (Opel Blitz) - * - OS16, No Surrender, River Assault
Fallschirmjäger Reg 1 - Fallschirmjäger 43 - *** - Flag Killer, Unyielding
Gebirgsjäger Reg 1 - Gebirgsjäger 43 - ***** - First Aid, Survivor, Oleh Dir
Grenadier Reg 1 - Grenadier 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - OS20, Flag Killer, No Retaliation, Gero von Manstein
Kavallerie Reg 1 - Kavallerie - ***** - OS25, Consolidator, Prudent
Pionier Bataillon 1 - Pioniere 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - River Assault, First Aid, Joseph Allerberger
Infanterie Reg 2 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - ***** - OS25, Consolidator, Survivor, Matthaus Hetzenauer
Infanterie Reg 1 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - ***** - First Aid
Infanterie Reg 3 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - *** - Ferocious Defense, First Aid
Infanterie Reg 5 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - *** - Liberator
Infanterie Reg 6 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - *** - Learns from Mistakes, No Surrender
PzAbt 1 - Panzer IVJ - ***** - Butcher, Ignores ZOC, Superior Maneuver, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 2 - Tiger II - ***** - Ignores ZOC, Steamroller, Survivor, Albert Kerscher, Ulrich Hoffman
PzAbt 3 - Panther G - ***** - Steamroller, Ignores ZOC
PzAbt 4 - Flammpanzer 38(t) - ***** - Fierce Fighter, Ignores ZOC, Tenacious Defender, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 5 - Panzer IIIN - ***** - OS12, Artillery Support, Butcher, Vigilant, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 6 - Panzer IVH - ***** - Ignores ZOC, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 7 - Tiger I - ***** - Artillery Support, AT Support, Steamroller, Survivor, Rikugun Tai-I Akiyama
Pionier Brücken Bataillon 2 - SdKfz 251/7 Brücken - ** - OS11, Aiming Assitance
Kradschützen Batallion 1 - Kradschützen - ***** - OS11, Distraction, Tenacious Defender, Survivor
AufkAbt 1 - SdKfz 234/2 8Rad - ***** - Envelopment, Overwhelming Attack
AufkAbt 2 - SdKfz 234/1 8Rad - ***** - Leadership
AufkAbt 3 - Panzer II Luchs - ***** - Butcher, Combat Luck, Overrun, Steamroller
AufkAbt 4 - SdKfz 233 8Rad - ***** - Distraction, Superior Maneuver
Panzerjäger Abt 1 - Jagdpanther - ***** - Envelopment, Overwhelming Attack, Hit and Run, Skilled Support, Survivor
Panzerjäger Abt 2 - 8.8 cm Pak 43/41 (SdKfz 7) - *** - Fearsome Reputation, Ferocious Defense
Panzerjäger Abt 3 - JagdPz IV/48 - *** - Overwhelming Attack, Skilled Support
Sturmgeschütz Abt 2 - StuG IV - ***** - Ferocious Defense, Karl Ullmann
Sturmgeschütz Abt 3 - StuG IV - **** - Hit and Run, Legendary, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 1 - 21 cm Mrs (SdKfz 7) - ***** - OS14, Double Attack, Zero Slots, Skilled Support, Elsa Kloss
Artillerie Abt 2 - 17 cm K 18 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Legendary, Zero Slots, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 3 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 4 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 5 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 6 - 10.5 cm leFH 18 (SdKfz 11) - **** - Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 7 - 7.5 cm FK 16 nA
Panzer Artillerie Abt 1 - Hummel - ***** - OS14, Field Repairs, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support
Sturmgeschütz Abt 1 - StuH 42 - ***** - Double Support, Skilled Support
Panzer Artillerie Abt 2 - Wespe - **** - OS13, Skilled Support
Werfer Abt 1 - Panzerwerfer 42 - **** - Lethal Attack
FlaK Abt 1 - 8.8 cm Flak 36 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Skilled Support, Survivor, Karla Wuhrer
FlaK Abt 2 - Möbelwagen - ***** - Fast Learner, Skilled Support
FlaK Abt 3 - 2 cm Flakvierling 38 (SdKfz 10) - **** - Double Support, Skilled Support
FlaK Abt 4 - Gepard - **** - Double Support, Famous, Skilled Support
FlaK Abt 5 - SdKfz 7/1 - ***** - Combat Luck, Skilled Support
Panzerzug Bismarck - Armoured Train - ***
Panzerzug Hindenburg - Armoured Train - **

Summary:


The first encounter with elite allied pilots does not end well for my forces, I am quickly discouraged from being too aggressive...


...but thanks to AA Veteran, revenge will be sweet.


This whole fleet is about to come crashing down, or at least be forced to rebase.


Finally! Breaking through here was a real pain.


Last airfield is now taken and the mission is a success, at least in gaming terms.

Final Prestige: 67591 (down 12158)

Overall:

Without the Me 262, this scenario is quite the challenge! Elite enemy planes can mow down even the experienced units with ease and straying too far west is an easy way of getting even best units heavily damaged, perhaps even shot down if unlucky. Once again an optional mission shows that despite things going well when it comes to objectives, the allies have much more forces at their disposal, especially in the West. Red Air Forces was mostly annoying, RAF and USAAF was deadly... Let the absurd prestige loss incurred by desperately using elite replacements each time be the best flavor proof of how Luftwaffe is bleeding resources and men faster than it can replace them.

AO 1945 - Operation Konrad III


I will accept the offer since the units start with some experience. I cannot use them if they have captured equipment, but I can spend some random upgrades to get them some German kit if I have no more interesting spare upgrades. Too bad I still can only do 3 per mission. I could start this process, but older units have priority, so for now it will not happen and I might just sell these units later.

Starting Prestige (after purchases and replacements): 65599

Hero:


Well... what can I say? Why oh why does Panzermon not get these hero rolls! Added to Panzerjäger Abt 3 for the combo, as I am getting ready for the inevitable Berlin siege (yes, I know of the branching path, but I'm leaving the alternative route for Panzermon).

New Units Commissioned:

PzAbt 8 - Churchill Mk.VI
PzAbt 9 - KV-1/42
PzAbt 10 - KV-2
PzAbt 11 - M4A3
PzAbt 12 - M4 Crocodile
PzAbt 13 - T-34/43
PzAbt 14 - T-34-85
Panzerjäger Abt 6 - M10 Wolverine
Werfer Abt 2 - Calliope
Panzer Artillerie Abt 3 - SU-152

New Equipment Provided:

Former Sturmgeschütz Abt 3, now Panzerjäger Abt 4 - Hetzer
IV./JG 1 - Fw 190D-9
I./ZG 1 - Fw 190G

Upgrading my air force while I still can, plus investing in some anti-tank options.

Starting Army Composition:

Infantry

Infanterie Reg 4 (span.) - Azul Infanterie 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - Flag Killer, Unyielding, Helmut Wirnsberger
Infanterie Reg 7 (span.) - Azul Infanterie 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - Survivor
Fallschirmjäger Reg 1 - Fallschirmjäger 43 - *** - Flag Killer, Unyielding
Gebirgsjäger Reg 1 - Gebirgsjäger 43 - ***** - First Aid, Survivor, Oleh Dir
Grenadier Reg 1 - Grenadier 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - OS20, Flag Killer, No Retaliation, Gero von Manstein
Kavallerie Reg 1 - Kavallerie - ***** - OS25, Consolidator, Prudent
Pionier Bataillon 1 - Pioniere 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - River Assault, First Aid, Joseph Allerberger
Infanterie Reg 3 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - *** - Ferocious Defense, First Aid
Infanterie Reg 5 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - *** - Liberator
Infanterie Reg 6 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - *** - Learns from Mistakes, No Surrender

Tank

PzAbt 1 - Panzer IVJ - ***** - Butcher, Ignores ZOC, Superior Maneuver, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 2 - Tiger II - ***** - Ignores ZOC, Steamroller, Survivor, Albert Kerscher, Ulrich Hoffman
PzAbt 3 - Panther G - ***** - Steamroller, Ignores ZOC
PzAbt 4 - Flammpanzer 38(t) - ***** - Fierce Fighter, Ignores ZOC, Tenacious Defender, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 5 - Panzer IIIN - ***** - OS12, Artillery Support, Butcher, Vigilant, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 6 - Panzer IVH - ***** - Ignores ZOC, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 7 - Tiger I - ***** - Artillery Support, AT Support, Steamroller, Survivor, Rikugun Tai-I Akiyama

Recon

Kradschützen Batallion 1 - Kradschützen - ***** - OS11, Distraction, Tenacious Defender, Survivor
AufkAbt 1 - SdKfz 234/2 8Rad - ***** - Envelopment, Overwhelming Attack
AufkAbt 2 - SdKfz 234/1 8Rad - ***** - Leadership
AufkAbt 3 - Panzer II Luchs - ***** - Butcher, Combat Luck, Overrun, Steamroller
AufkAbt 4 - SdKfz 233 8Rad - ***** - Distraction, Superior Maneuver

Anti-Tank

Panzerjäger Abt 1 - Jagdpanther - ***** - Envelopment, Overwhelming Attack, Hit and Run, Skilled Support, Survivor
Panzerjäger Abt 3 - JagdPz IV/48 - *** - Envelopment, Overwhelming Attack, Skilled Support
Panzerjäger Abt 4 - Hetzer - **** - Hit and Run, Legendary, Skilled Support
Sturmgeschütz Abt 2 - StuG IV - ***** - Ferocious Defense, Karl Ullmann

Artillery

Artillerie Abt 1 - 21 cm Mrs (SdKfz 7) - ***** - OS14, Double Attack, Zero Slots, Skilled Support, Elsa Kloss
Artillerie Abt 2 - 17 cm K 18 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Legendary, Zero Slots, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 3 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 4 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 5 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 6 - 10.5 cm leFH 18 (SdKfz 11) - **** - Skilled Support
Panzer Artillerie Abt 1 - Hummel - ***** - OS14, Field Repairs, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support
Panzer Artillerie Abt 2 - Wespe - **** - OS13, Skilled Support
Sturmgeschütz Abt 1 - StuH 42 - ***** - Double Support, Skilled Support
Werfer Abt 1 - Panzerwerfer 42 - **** - Lethal Attack

Anti-Aircraft

FlaK Abt 1 - 8.8 cm Flak 36 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Skilled Support, Survivor, Karla Wuhrer
FlaK Abt 2 - Möbelwagen - ***** - Fast Learner, Skilled Support
FlaK Abt 3 - 2 cm Flakvierling 38 (SdKfz 10) - **** - Double Support, Skilled Support
FlaK Abt 4 - Gepard - **** - Double Support, Famous, Skilled Support
FlaK Abt 5 - SdKfz 7/1 - ***** - Combat Luck, Skilled Support

Fighter

III./JG 1 - Fw 190A - **** - Fast Rebase, Thorough Preparation, Survivor
IV./JG 1 - Fw 190D-9 - **** - Distraction, Fast Rebase, Survivor
I./JG 2 - Me 163B - **** - Fast Rebase, Thorough Preparation, Survivor
II./JG 2 - Fw 190D-9 - *** - Survivor, Gerhard Barkhorn

Tactical Bomber

I./ZG 1 - Fw 190G - **** - Readiness, Survivor
II./ZG 1 - Fw 190F - **** - Exterminator, Readiness, Survivor
I./SG 1 - Ju 87G - ***** - Tank Killer, Survivor, Hans-Ulrich Rudel

Reserve

Pionier Brücken Bataillon 1 - Brückenpioniere (Opel Blitz) - * - OS16, No Surrender, River Assault
Infanterie Reg 1 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - ***** - First Aid
Infanterie Reg 2 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - ***** - OS25, Consolidator, Survivor, Matthaus Hetzenauer
PzAbt 8 - Churchill Mk.VI - **
PzAbt 9 - KV-1/42 - **
PzAbt 10 - KV-2 - **
PzAbt 11 - M4A3 - **
PzAbt 12 - M4 Crocodile - **
PzAbt 13 - T-34/43 - **
PzAbt 14 - T-34-85 - **
Pionier Brücken Bataillon 2 - SdKfz 251/7 Brücken - ** - OS11, Aiming Assitance
Panzerjäger Abt 2 - 8.8 cm Pak 43/41 (SdKfz 7) - *** - Fearsome Reputation, Ferocious Defense
Panzerjäger Abt 6 - M10 Wolverine - **
Artillerie Abt 7 - 7.5 cm FK 16 nA
Werfer Abt 2 - Calliope - **
Panzer Artillerie Abt 3 - SU-152 - **
I./JG 1 - Fw 190A - ***** - Fast Rebase, Survivor, Erich Hartmann
II./JG 1 - Fw 190A - ***** - Fast Rebase, Survivor, Heinrich Bar
III./JG 2 - Bf 109K - ** - Survivor
IV./JG 2 - Bf 109K - ** - Survivor
I./JG 3 - Bf 109K - ** - Survivor
I./NJG 1 - He 219 - * - Learns from Mistakes
III./ZG 1 - Me 410A - *** - Evasive, Survivor
I./AG 1 - Bf 109 PR - *** - Resilient
II./AG 1 - Fw 189 - **** - Resilient, Sixth Sense
III./AG 1 - Fw 189 - * - Entrenchment Killer 3x
IV./AG 1 - Fi 156 Storch
I./AG 2 - Fi 156 Storch
II./AG 2 - Fi 156 Storch
II./SG 1 - Ju 87D - ***** - Entrenchment Killer 4x, Survivor
III./SG 1 - Ju 87D - **** - Entrenchment Killer 4x, Survivor
IV./SG 1 - Hs 129B2 - **** - Survivor
I./KG 1 - He 177A - *** - OS11, Shock Tactics, Survivor
II./KG 1 - He 177A - *** - OS11, Shock Tactics, Survivor
III./KG 1 - Do 217E - **** - OS13, Survivor
IV./KG 1 - Ju 188A - **
I./KG 2 - Ju 88A - **
II./KG 2 - Ju 88A - ***
Panzerzug Bismarck - Armoured Train - ***
Panzerzug Hindenburg - Armoured Train - **

Summary:


Let's admire the fact that this is a unit guarding a secondary, not important hex...


This lone Hetzer unit blocks the Soviet attack well for several turns.


I see, this was no ordinary hex after all!


Do NOT mess with my horsemen. They will make you regret it.


Supplies secured...


...and elite vanguard already checks the river crossing.


The crossing is now under my control and I take advantage of the snowstorm to set up ambushes.


I approach Budapest, but the same snowstorm that helped, now stops me from progressing at a faster pace.

Final Prestige: 69668 (up 4069)

Overall:

With a few more turns, I could probably reach Budapest, but that just shows that the mission timer is well balanced towards even a very experienced core, as the player is not supposed to aid the city, following historical events. I like how the difficulty of the missions seems to now be concentrated on more and more unachievable goals, that I am either just a bit short of, or that do not offer any actual gains looking at the strategic situation. I might be smiting 15 strength tanks with decent results, but I'm not contributing to changing the course of the war and I expect this feeling to only intensify with each next mission as the resources are getting more and more difficult to obtain.

AO 1945 - Operation Southwind


Every new hero is welcome...


...especially universally good ones.

Starting Prestige (after purchases and replacements): 68205

Hero:


Perfect hero for Kradschützen Batallion 1, I have been waiting for this option to complete the set.

New Equipment Provided:

Former Sturmgeschütz Abt 2, now Panzerjäger Abt 5 - Jagdtiger
Panzerjäger Abt 6 - Hetzer
II./ZG 1 - Fw 190G

Time to invest in anti-tank weapons based on the previous mission. This also means I get to use on of a commendation point unit if I convert it into a Hetzer and benefit form Helga's Skilled Support on a fresh stack that normally does not have it yet. Finally, Aiming Assistance has a chance to bring it up to 3 stars faster.

Starting Army Composition:

Infantry

Infanterie Reg 4 (span.) - Azul Infanterie 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - Flag Killer, Unyielding, Helmut Wirnsberger
Infanterie Reg 7 (span.) - Azul Infanterie 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - Survivor
Gebirgsjäger Reg 1 - Gebirgsjäger 43 - ***** - First Aid, Survivor, Oleh Dir
Grenadier Reg 1 - Grenadier 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - OS20, Flag Killer, No Retaliation, Gero von Manstein
Pionier Bataillon 1 - Pioniere 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - River Assault, First Aid, Joseph Allerberger
Infanterie Reg 2 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - ***** - OS25, Consolidator, Survivor, Matthaus Hetzenauer

Tank

PzAbt 1 - Panzer IVJ - ***** - Butcher, Ignores ZOC, Superior Maneuver, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 2 - Tiger II - ***** - Ignores ZOC, Steamroller, Survivor, Albert Kerscher, Ulrich Hoffman
PzAbt 3 - Panther G - ***** - Steamroller, Ignores ZOC
PzAbt 4 - Flammpanzer 38(t) - ***** - Fierce Fighter, Ignores ZOC, Tenacious Defender, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 5 - Panzer IIIN - ***** - OS12, Artillery Support, Butcher, Vigilant, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 6 - Panzer IVH - ***** - Ignores ZOC, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 7 - Tiger I - ***** - Artillery Support, AT Support, Steamroller, Survivor, Rikugun Tai-I Akiyama

Recon

AufkAbt 1 - SdKfz 234/2 8Rad - ***** - Envelopment, Overwhelming Attack

Anti-Tank

Panzerjäger Abt 1 - Jagdpanther - ***** - Envelopment, Overwhelming Attack, Hit and Run, Skilled Support, Survivor
Panzerjäger Abt 3 - JagdPz IV/48 - *** - Envelopment, Overwhelming Attack, Skilled Support
Panzerjäger Abt 4 - Hetzer - **** - Hit and Run, Legendary, Skilled Support
Panzerjäger Abt 5 - Jagdtiger - ***** - Ferocious Defense, Karl Ullmann
Panzerjäger Abt 6 - Hetzer - ** - Helga Grese

Artillery

Artillerie Abt 1 - 21 cm Mrs (SdKfz 7) - ***** - OS14, Double Attack, Zero Slots, Skilled Support, Elsa Kloss
Artillerie Abt 2 - 17 cm K 18 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Legendary, Zero Slots, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 3 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 4 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 5 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Skilled Support
Panzer Artillerie Abt 1 - Hummel - ***** - OS14, Field Repairs, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support
Panzer Artillerie Abt 2 - Wespe - **** - OS13, Skilled Support
Sturmgeschütz Abt 1 - StuH 42 - ***** - Double Support, Skilled Support
Werfer Abt 1 - Panzerwerfer 42 - **** - Lethal Attack

Anti-Aircraft

FlaK Abt 1 - 8.8 cm Flak 36 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Skilled Support, Survivor, Karla Wuhrer
FlaK Abt 2 - Möbelwagen - ***** - Fast Learner, Skilled Support
FlaK Abt 3 - 2 cm Flakvierling 38 (SdKfz 10) - **** - Double Support, Skilled Support
FlaK Abt 4 - Gepard - **** - Double Support, Famous, Skilled Support
FlaK Abt 5 - SdKfz 7/1 - ***** - Combat Luck, Skilled Support

Fighter

I./JG 1 - Fw 190A - ***** - Fast Rebase, Survivor, Erich Hartmann
II./JG 1 - Fw 190A - ***** - Fast Rebase, Survivor, Heinrich Bar
III./JG 1 - Fw 190A - **** - Fast Rebase, Thorough Preparation, Survivor
IV./JG 1 - Fw 190D-9 - **** - Distraction, Fast Rebase, Survivor
I./JG 2 - Me 163B - **** - Fast Rebase, Thorough Preparation, Survivor
II./JG 2 - Fw 190D-9 - *** - Survivor, Gerhard Barkhorn

Tactical Bomber

I./ZG 1 - Fw 190G - **** - Readiness, Survivor
II./ZG 1 - Fw 190G - **** - Exterminator, Readiness, Survivor
III./ZG 1 - Me 410A - *** - Evasive, Survivor
I./SG 1 - Ju 87G - ***** - Tank Killer, Survivor, Hans-Ulrich Rudel
II./SG 1 - Ju 87D - ***** - Entrenchment Killer 4x, Survivor
III./SG 1 - Ju 87D - **** - Entrenchment Killer 4x, Survivor
IV./SG 1 - Hs 129B2 - **** - Survivor

Reserve

Pionier Brücken Bataillon 1 - Brückenpioniere (Opel Blitz) - * - OS16, No Surrender, River Assault
Fallschirmjäger Reg 1 - Fallschirmjäger 43 - *** - Flag Killer, Unyielding
Kavallerie Reg 1 - Kavallerie - ***** - OS25, Consolidator, Prudent
Infanterie Reg 1 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - ***** - First Aid
Infanterie Reg 3 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - *** - Ferocious Defense, First Aid
Infanterie Reg 5 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - *** - Liberator
Infanterie Reg 6 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - *** - Learns from Mistakes, No Surrender
PzAbt 8 - Churchill Mk.VI - **
PzAbt 9 - KV-1/42 - **
PzAbt 10 - KV-2 - **
PzAbt 11 - M4A3 - **
PzAbt 12 - M4 Crocodile - **
PzAbt 13 - T-34/43 - **
PzAbt 14 - T-34-85 - **
Pionier Brücken Bataillon 2 - SdKfz 251/7 Brücken - ** - OS11, Aiming Assitance
Kradschützen Batallion 1 - Kradschützen - ***** - OS11, Distraction, Fierce Fighter, Tenacious Defender, Survivor
AufkAbt 2 - SdKfz 234/1 8Rad - ***** - Leadership
AufkAbt 3 - Panzer II Luchs - ***** - Butcher, Combat Luck, Overrun, Steamroller
AufkAbt 4 - SdKfz 233 8Rad - ***** - Distraction, Superior Maneuver
Panzerjäger Abt 2 - 8.8 cm Pak 43/41 (SdKfz 7) - *** - Fearsome Reputation, Ferocious Defense
Artillerie Abt 6 - 10.5 cm leFH 18 (SdKfz 11) - **** - Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 7 - 7.5 cm FK 16 nA
Werfer Abt 2 - Calliope - **
Panzer Artillerie Abt 3 - SU-152 - **
III./JG 2 - Bf 109K - ** - Survivor
IV./JG 2 - Bf 109K - ** - Survivor
I./JG 3 - Bf 109K - ** - Survivor
I./NJG 1 - He 219 - * - Learns from Mistakes
I./AG 1 - Bf 109 PR - *** - Resilient
II./AG 1 - Fw 189 - **** - Resilient, Sixth Sense
III./AG 1 - Fw 189 - * - Entrenchment Killer 3x
IV./AG 1 - Fi 156 Storch
I./AG 2 - Fi 156 Storch
II./AG 2 - Fi 156 Storch
I./KG 1 - He 177A - *** - OS11, Shock Tactics, Survivor
II./KG 1 - He 177A - *** - OS11, Shock Tactics, Survivor
III./KG 1 - Do 217E - **** - OS13, Survivor
IV./KG 1 - Ju 188A - **
I./KG 2 - Ju 88A - **
II./KG 2 - Ju 88A - ***
Panzerzug Bismarck - Armoured Train - ***
Panzerzug Hindenburg - Armoured Train - **

Summary:


Hungarians are barely slowing down the Soviet advance. Alone, they will last a few turns at most.


Some quick support deals with that and buys me the time I need.


The situation up north is quite stable so far.


Getting to the side objective is going to be a tough challenge! The enemy has some great hero combinations on his side as well.


Still, big guns clear the way as usual. Slowly, but steadily. Time to wrap up other targets.

Final Prestige: 74423 (up 6218)

Overall:

This scenario is an interesting and welcome alternative to all the unsuccessful attempts at offensive actions. Finally there is a small victory, even if the only result it has is delaying the inevitable. The scale of this battle is small and the meager remaining Hungarian forces only emphasize the fact that this is not going to change the course of the war as there is nobody left to support Germany. Reading the difficulty and map design, patience is the key here. Rushing too fast to claim the objectives will only cause encountering fierce Soviet resistance, which is why it seems best to move the units at a careful pace, aside from the relief force that needs to cut off the advance in the south. Opposing units will eventually spread themselves over a larger area and break formation, becoming much easier prey.

AO 1945 - Operation Spring Awakening


I agree to get some units I might upgrade later to German equipment, or simply sell.

Starting Prestige (after purchases and replacements): 77213

Hero:


Defensive hero for a defensive campaign. Added to Infanterie Reg 1.

New Units Commissioned:

PzAbt 15 - Char B1
PzAbt 16 - Crusader Mk.III
PzAbt 17 - M15/42
PzAbt 18 - M3 Lee
PzAbt 19 - Matilda II
PzAbt 20 - T-26
PzAbt 21 - T-28
Panzerjäger Abt 7 - Achilles
Panzerjäger Abt 8 - M18 Hellcat
Panzerjäger Abt 9 - SU-100Y

New Equipment Provided:

PzAbt 8 - Panther G
PzAbt 9 - Panzer IVJ
FlaK Abt 5 - Wirbelwind

Aside from improving my AA power, I start to invest in that previously "captured" units, to give their crews a chance to be deployed. I invest in tanks first. They will not have the time to get Steamroller, but they should at least provide better mobility for my army, perfect for this operation.

Starting Army Composition:

Infantry

Infanterie Reg 4 (span.) - Azul Infanterie 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - Flag Killer, Unyielding, Helmut Wirnsberger
Infanterie Reg 7 (span.) - Azul Infanterie 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - Survivor
Kavallerie Reg 1 - Kavallerie - ***** - OS25, Consolidator, Prudent
Gebirgsjäger Reg 1 - Gebirgsjäger 43 - ***** - First Aid, Survivor, Oleh Dir
Grenadier Reg 1 - Grenadier 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - OS20, Flag Killer, No Retaliation, Gero von Manstein
Pionier Bataillon 1 - Pioniere 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - River Assault, First Aid, Joseph Allerberger
Infanterie Reg 6 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - *** - Learns from Mistakes, No Surrender

Tank

PzAbt 1 - Panzer IVJ - ***** - Butcher, Ignores ZOC, Superior Maneuver, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 2 - Tiger II - ***** - Ignores ZOC, Steamroller, Survivor, Albert Kerscher, Ulrich Hoffman
PzAbt 3 - Panther G - ***** - Steamroller, Ignores ZOC
PzAbt 4 - Flammpanzer 38(t) - ***** - Fierce Fighter, Ignores ZOC, Tenacious Defender, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 5 - Panzer IIIN - ***** - OS12, Artillery Support, Butcher, Vigilant, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 6 - Panzer IVH - ***** - Ignores ZOC, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 7 - Tiger I - ***** - Artillery Support, AT Support, Skilled Support, Steamroller, Survivor, Rikugun Tai-I Akiyama
PzAbt 8 - Panther G - **
PzAbt 9 - Panzer IVJ - **

Recon

AufkAbt 1 - SdKfz 234/2 8Rad - ***** - Envelopment, Overwhelming Attack
AufkAbt 3 - Panzer II Luchs - ***** - Butcher, Combat Luck, Overrun, Steamroller

Anti-Tank

Panzerjäger Abt 1 - Jagdpanther - ***** - Envelopment, Overwhelming Attack, Hit and Run, Skilled Support, Survivor
Panzerjäger Abt 3 - JagdPz IV/48 - *** - Envelopment, Overwhelming Attack, Skilled Support
Panzerjäger Abt 4 - Hetzer - **** - Hit and Run, Legendary, Skilled Support
Panzerjäger Abt 5 - Jagdtiger - ***** - Ferocious Defense, Karl Ullmann
Panzerjäger Abt 6 - Hetzer - ** - Helga Grese

Artillery

Artillerie Abt 1 - 21 cm Mrs (SdKfz 7) - ***** - OS14, Double Attack, Zero Slots, Skilled Support, Elsa Kloss
Artillerie Abt 2 - 17 cm K 18 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Legendary, Zero Slots, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 3 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 4 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 5 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 6 - 10.5 cm leFH 18 (SdKfz 11) - **** - Skilled Support
Panzer Artillerie Abt 1 - Hummel - ***** - OS14, Field Repairs, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support
Panzer Artillerie Abt 2 - Wespe - **** - OS13, Skilled Support
Sturmgeschütz Abt 1 - StuH 42 - ***** - Double Support, Skilled Support
Werfer Abt 1 - Panzerwerfer 42 - ***** - Lethal Attack

Anti-Aircraft

FlaK Abt 1 - 8.8 cm Flak 36 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Skilled Support, Survivor, Karla Wuhrer
FlaK Abt 2 - Möbelwagen - ***** - Fast Learner, Skilled Support
FlaK Abt 3 - 2 cm Flakvierling 38 (SdKfz 10) - **** - Double Support, Skilled Support
FlaK Abt 4 - Gepard - **** - Double Support, Famous, Skilled Support
FlaK Abt 5 - Wirbelwind - ***** - Combat Luck, Skilled Support

Fighter

I./JG 1 - Fw 190A - ***** - Fast Rebase, Survivor, Erich Hartmann
II./JG 1 - Fw 190A - ***** - Fast Rebase, Survivor, Heinrich Bar
III./JG 1 - Fw 190A - **** - Fast Rebase, Thorough Preparation, Survivor
IV./JG 1 - Fw 190D-9 - **** - Distraction, Fast Rebase, Survivor
I./JG 2 - Me 163B - **** - Fast Rebase, Thorough Preparation, Survivor
II./JG 2 - Fw 190D-9 - *** - Survivor, Gerhard Barkhorn
III./JG 2 - Bf 109K - ** - Survivor
IV./JG 2 - Bf 109K - ** - Survivor
I./JG 3 - Bf 109K - ** - Survivor
I./NJG 1 - He 219 - * - Learns from Mistakes

Tactical Bomber

I./ZG 1 - Fw 190G - **** - Readiness, Survivor
II./ZG 1 - Fw 190G - **** - Exterminator, Readiness, Survivor
III./ZG 1 - Me 410A - *** - Evasive, Survivor
I./SG 1 - Ju 87G - ***** - Tank Killer, Survivor, Hans-Ulrich Rudel
II./SG 1 - Ju 87D - ***** - Entrenchment Killer 4x, Survivor
III./SG 1 - Ju 87D - **** - Entrenchment Killer 4x, Survivor
IV./SG 1 - Hs 129B2 - **** - Survivor

Strategic Bomber

I./KG 1 - He 177A - *** - OS11, Shock Tactics, Survivor
II./KG 1 - He 177A - *** - OS11, Shock Tactics, Survivor
IV./KG 1 - Ju 188A - **
I./KG 2 - Ju 88A - **

Reserve

Pionier Brücken Bataillon 1 - Brückenpioniere (Opel Blitz) - * - OS16, No Surrender, River Assault
Fallschirmjäger Reg 1 - Fallschirmjäger 43 - *** - Flag Killer, Unyielding
Infanterie Reg 1 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - ***** - First Aid, Tenacious Defender
Infanterie Reg 2 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - ***** - OS25, Consolidator, Survivor, Matthaus Hetzenauer
Infanterie Reg 3 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - *** - Ferocious Defense, First Aid
Infanterie Reg 5 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - *** - Liberator
PzAbt 10 - KV-2 - **
PzAbt 11 - M4A3 - **
PzAbt 12 - M4 Crocodile - **
PzAbt 13 - T-34/43 - **
PzAbt 14 - T-34-85 - **
PzAbt 15 - Char B1 - **
PzAbt 16 - Crusader Mk.III - **
PzAbt 17 - M15/42 - **
PzAbt 18 - M3 Lee - **
PzAbt 19 - Matilda II - **
PzAbt 20 - T-26 - **
PzAbt 21 - T-28 - **
Pionier Brücken Bataillon 2 - SdKfz 251/7 Brücken - ** - OS11, Aiming Assitance
Kradschützen Batallion 1 - Kradschützen - ***** - OS11, Distraction, Fierce Fighter, Tenacious Defender, Survivor
AufkAbt 2 - SdKfz 234/1 8Rad - ***** - Leadership
AufkAbt 4 - SdKfz 233 8Rad - ***** - Distraction, Superior Maneuver
Panzerjäger Abt 2 - 8.8 cm Pak 43/41 (SdKfz 7) - *** - Fearsome Reputation, Ferocious Defense
Panzerjäger Abt 7 - Achilles - **
Panzerjäger Abt 8 - M18 Hellcat - **
Panzerjäger Abt 9 - SU-100Y - **
Artillerie Abt 7 - 7.5 cm FK 16 nA
Werfer Abt 2 - Calliope - **
Panzer Artillerie Abt 3 - SU-152 - **
I./AG 1 - Bf 109 PR - *** - Resilient
II./AG 1 - Fw 189 - **** - Resilient, Sixth Sense
III./AG 1 - Fw 189 - * - Entrenchment Killer 3x
IV./AG 1 - Fi 156 Storch
I./AG 2 - Fi 156 Storch
II./AG 2 - Fi 156 Storch
III./KG 1 - Do 217E - **** - OS13, Survivor
II./KG 2 - Ju 88A - ***
Panzerzug Bismarck - Armoured Train - ***
Panzerzug Hindenburg - Armoured Train - **

Summary:


It has been a while since I fielded such a huge army.


I can even spare planes to help the 6th Panzer Army.


Sudden appearance of the Independent Artillery Brigade means things are not going to go as smoothly as I hoped for. These guys are no joke!


Luckily, they are prone to ambushes if set them up right.


6th Panzer Army makes a great move, utilizing the sudden rain and instantly taking out six planes!


Sensing an opportunity for air superiority, I add 3 more downed planes the same way.


Time to support the 6th Panzer Army, as their left flank is fully exposed.


As it turns out, that's the least of my problems! I try to relink with my other allies who are taking a beating.


I also need to evacuate my air force, as it is about to rain again and airfields are going to get overtaken.


If I make a breakthrough here, I might still dream of trying to complete the High Command directive.


Nice! Now let's see if I can go all the way.


I expected this much. Armored support is on the way.


Revenge on the Independent Artillery Brigade!


All objectives captured, but it's a pyrrhic victory.

Final Prestige: 90521 (up 13308)

Overall:

The scale of this battle is absolutely massive, not perhaps in terms of how big it is, but how intense the fighting can get. 15 power Independent Artillery Brigade vehicles are beasts that punch though the 6th Panzer Army with ease. After a slow start, when I thought this might be a solid offensive scenario cooperating with the AI partner, it quickly became a struggle to survive for my allies and partially, for my own assets as well. This not a reskinned version of the Battle of Ploesti, not even close. It quickly became obvious that I need to carefully observe the weather, as ground forces I wanted to support will not hold and cannot protect the airfields. Rushing the attack from the west as much as possible to prepare ground for a safe evacuations of what remained of the Luftwaffe became my top priority. It was a very close call, too close for comfort. There is one airfield further northwest that saved me here, as it gave one more turn for those aircraft that could not rebase initially due to their limited range. Ironically, a smaller, more powerful and overstrength air core would do much better, but even then deploying it at all is a huge risk.

AO 1945 - Vienna Offensive

Starting Prestige (after purchases and replacements): 89778

Hero:


For Infanterie Reg to aid in upcoming city battles.

New Equipment Provided:

Panzerjäger Abt 7 - Hetzer
Panzer Artillerie Abt 3 - sIG 38(t) M
I./JG 1 - Me 262A

Finally, jet fighters! Might be too late to use them reliably, but still. The rest is support for urban combat, but since I do not know how many slots I will have, it's potentially wasted.

Starting Army Composition:

Infantry

Infanterie Reg 4 (span.) - Azul Infanterie 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - Flag Killer, Unyielding, Helmut Wirnsberger
Infanterie Reg 7 (span.) - Azul Infanterie 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - Survivor
Grenadier Reg 1 - Grenadier 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - OS20, Flag Killer, No Retaliation, Gero von Manstein
Kavallerie Reg 1 - Kavallerie - ***** - OS25, Consolidator, Prudent

Tank

PzAbt 1 - Panzer IVJ - ***** - Butcher, Ignores ZOC, Superior Maneuver, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 2 - Tiger II - ***** - Ignores ZOC, Steamroller, Survivor, Albert Kerscher, Ulrich Hoffman
PzAbt 3 - Panther G - ***** - Steamroller, Ignores ZOC
PzAbt 6 - Panzer IVH - ***** - Ignores ZOC, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 7 - Tiger I - ***** - Artillery Support, AT Support, Skilled Support, Steamroller, Survivor, Rikugun Tai-I Akiyama
PzAbt 8 - Panther G - **
PzAbt 9 - Panzer IVJ - **

Recon

AufkAbt 1 - SdKfz 234/2 8Rad - ***** - Envelopment, Overwhelming Attack

Anti-Tank

Panzerjäger Abt 1 - Jagdpanther - ***** - Envelopment, Overwhelming Attack, Hit and Run, Skilled Support, Survivor
Panzerjäger Abt 3 - JagdPz IV/48 - *** - Envelopment, Overwhelming Attack, Skilled Support
Panzerjäger Abt 4 - Hetzer - **** - Hit and Run, Legendary, Skilled Support
Panzerjäger Abt 5 - Jagdtiger - ***** - Ferocious Defense, Karl Ullmann
Panzerjäger Abt 6 - Hetzer - *** - Helga Grese
Panzerjäger Abt 7 - Hetzer - **

Artillery

Artillerie Abt 1 - 21 cm Mrs (SdKfz 7) - ***** - OS14, Double Attack, Zero Slots, Skilled Support, Elsa Kloss
Artillerie Abt 2 - 17 cm K 18 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Legendary, Zero Slots, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 3 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 4 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 5 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Skilled Support
Panzer Artillerie Abt 1 - Hummel - ***** - OS14, Field Repairs, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support

Anti-Aircraft

FlaK Abt 1 - 8.8 cm Flak 36 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Skilled Support, Survivor, Karla Wuhrer
FlaK Abt 5 - Wirbelwind - ***** - Combat Luck, Skilled Support

Fighter

I./JG 1 - Me 262A- ***** - Fast Rebase, Survivor, Erich Hartmann
II./JG 1 - Fw 190A - ***** - Fast Rebase, Survivor, Heinrich Bar
III./JG 1 - Fw 190A - **** - Fast Rebase, Thorough Preparation, Survivor
IV./JG 1 - Fw 190D-9 - **** - Distraction, Fast Rebase, Skilled Support, Survivor
I./JG 2 - Me 163B - **** - Fast Rebase, Thorough Preparation, Survivor
II./JG 2 - Fw 190D-9 - *** - Survivor, Gerhard Barkhorn
III./JG 2 - Bf 109K - ** - Survivor
I./JG 3 - Bf 109K - ** - Survivor

Tactical Bomber

I./AG 1 - Bf 109 PR - *** - Resilient
III./AG 1 - Fw 189 - * - Entrenchment Killer 3x
I./ZG 1 - Fw 190G - **** - Readiness, Survivor
II./ZG 1 - Fw 190G - **** - Exterminator, Readiness, Survivor
I./SG 1 - Ju 87G - ***** - Tank Killer, Survivor, Hans-Ulrich Rudel
II./SG 1 - Ju 87D - ***** - Entrenchment Killer 4x, Survivor
III./SG 1 - Ju 87D - **** - Entrenchment Killer 4x, Survivor
IV./SG 1 - Hs 129B2 - **** - Survivor

Strategic Bomber

I./KG 1 - He 177A - **** - OS11, Shock Tactics, Survivor
II./KG 1 - He 177A - *** - OS11, Shock Tactics, Survivor

Reserve

Pionier Brücken Bataillon 1 - Brückenpioniere (Opel Blitz) - * - OS16, No Surrender, River Assault
Fallschirmjäger Reg 1 - Fallschirmjäger 43 - *** - Flag Killer, Unyielding
Gebirgsjäger Reg 1 - Gebirgsjäger 43 - ***** - First Aid, Survivor, Oleh Dir
Pionier Bataillon 1 - Pioniere 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - River Assault, First Aid, Joseph Allerberger
Infanterie Reg 1 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - ***** - First Aid, Tenacious Defender
Infanterie Reg 2 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - ***** - OS25, Consolidator, Ignores Entrenchment, Survivor, Matthaus Hetzenauer
Infanterie Reg 3 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - *** - Ferocious Defense, First Aid
Infanterie Reg 5 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - *** - Liberator
Infanterie Reg 6 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - *** - Learns from Mistakes, No Surrender
PzAbt 4 - Flammpanzer 38(t) - ***** - Fierce Fighter, Ignores ZOC, Tenacious Defender, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 5 - Panzer IIIN - ***** - OS12, Artillery Support, Butcher, Vigilant, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 10 - KV-2 - **
PzAbt 11 - M4A3 - **
PzAbt 12 - M4 Crocodile - **
PzAbt 13 - T-34/43 - **
PzAbt 14 - T-34-85 - **
PzAbt 15 - Char B1 - **
PzAbt 16 - Crusader Mk.III - **
PzAbt 17 - M15/42 - **
PzAbt 18 - M3 Lee - **
PzAbt 19 - Matilda II - **
PzAbt 20 - T-26 - **
PzAbt 21 - T-28 - **
Pionier Brücken Bataillon 2 - SdKfz 251/7 Brücken - ** - OS11, Aiming Assitance
Kradschützen Batallion 1 - Kradschützen - ***** - OS11, Distraction, Fierce Fighter, Tenacious Defender, Survivor
AufkAbt 2 - SdKfz 234/1 8Rad - ***** - Leadership
AufkAbt 3 - Panzer II Luchs - ***** - Butcher, Combat Luck, Overrun, Steamroller
AufkAbt 4 - SdKfz 233 8Rad - ***** - Distraction, Superior Maneuver
Panzerjäger Abt 2 - 8.8 cm Pak 43/41 (SdKfz 7) - *** - Fearsome Reputation, Ferocious Defense
Panzerjäger Abt 8 - M18 Hellcat - **
Panzerjäger Abt 9 - SU-100Y - **
Artillerie Abt 6 - 10.5 cm leFH 18 (SdKfz 11) - **** - Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 7 - 7.5 cm FK 16 nA
Panzer Artillerie Abt 2 - Wespe - **** - OS13, Skilled Support
Panzer Artillerie Abt 3 - sIG 38(t) M - **
Sturmgeschütz Abt 1 - StuH 42 - ***** - Double Support, Skilled Support
Werfer Abt 1 - Panzerwerfer 42 - ***** - Lethal Attack
Werfer Abt 2 - Calliope - **
FlaK Abt 2 - Möbelwagen - ***** - Fast Learner, Skilled Support
FlaK Abt 3 - 2 cm Flakvierling 38 (SdKfz 10) - ***** - Double Support, Skilled Support
FlaK Abt 4 - Gepard - **** - Double Support, Famous, Skilled Support
IV./JG 2 - Bf 109K - *** - Survivor
I./NJG 1 - He 219 - * - Learns from Mistakes
II./AG 1 - Fw 189 - **** - Resilient, Sixth Sense
IV./AG 1 - Fi 156 Storch
I./AG 2 - Fi 156 Storch
II./AG 2 - Fi 156 Storch
III./ZG 1 - Me 410A - *** - Evasive, Survivor
III./KG 1 - Do 217E - **** - OS13, Survivor
IV./KG 1 - Ju 188A - **
I./KG 2 - Ju 88A - **
II./KG 2 - Ju 88A - ***
Panzerzug Bismarck - Armoured Train - ***
Panzerzug Hindenburg - Armoured Train - **

Summary:


The best units are sent as the rescue team. I initially assume I have at most two turns to break the encirclement and three to evacuate, but this soon proves to be a naïve idea.


The threat behind my lines is mostly pacified.


Getting though south will be tough, even for the best and most powerful units.


Same for the north path, the rescue team will need some further help.


Bombing the Soviet advance along the Danube helps slow it down significantly.


Look who's trapped now! Getting to the abandoned HQ will be much easier.


There's even an unexpected hidden cache.


Unfortunately despite all of these efforts, it is too late.

Final Prestige: 99172 (up 9394)

Overall:

The narrative of this scenario hits hard, but it shows how things deteriorated for Germany after previous series of victories and that certain feeling of invincibility that might have existed until 1941. It also contrasts significantly with the fictional path and delivers on the darker sides of any armed conflict. There has already been an intense discussion on the forums that maybe the earlier missions should have mentioned such things more in the context of German war crimes, but first of all, the DLC shows events from this particular perspective and secondly, there have been many such events and mentions in the game already, just not told in such a direct fashion. War is a horrible thing, regardless of circumstances and there are terrible atrocities committed by all sides. Mechanically, it's the inverse of Gomel and saving Wagner, where the initial rescue was fast and remaining fighting easy, but the tension continued to the end of the mission, waiting for what would be the result. Here the player needs to defeat a seriously dangerous group of elite Soviet troops not knowing how will it end, or rather, hoping that the result will be different than what he already knows. The map is crowded with 30 strength tanks and other dangerous foes, making each move count as it never did before, but at the same time, just running away is quite easy...

Ida... I created you to fulfill this terrible purpose. And for that, I am so sorry. This is a story that never gets told, but one that needed to be. May you be a voice for those who were lost, those women in danger of being forgotten.

Rest in peace, my dear.

AO 1945 - Battle of Seelow Heights

Starting Prestige (after purchases and replacements): 97851

Hero:


Somewhat fitting, let's see if he helps me survive. Assigned to Infanterie Reg 6.

New Equipment Provided:

PzAbt 10 - Panther G - **
PzAbt 11 - Panzer IVJ - **
II./JG 1 - Me 262A

Trying intensely to add more useful units for the final battle.

Starting Army Composition:

Infantry

Infanterie Reg 4 (span.) - Azul Infanterie 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - Flag Killer, Unyielding, Helmut Wirnsberger
Infanterie Reg 7 (span.) - Azul Infanterie 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - Survivor
Gebirgsjäger Reg 1 - Gebirgsjäger 43 - ***** - First Aid, Survivor, Oleh Dir
Grenadier Reg 1 - Grenadier 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - OS20, Flag Killer, No Retaliation, Gero von Manstein
Pionier Bataillon 1 - Pioniere 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - River Assault, First Aid, Joseph Allerberger
Infanterie Reg 1 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - ***** - First Aid, Tenacious Defender
Infanterie Reg 6 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - *** - Ferocious Defense, Learns from Mistakes, No Surrender

Tank

PzAbt 1 - Panzer IVJ - ***** - Butcher, Ignores ZOC, Superior Maneuver, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 2 - Tiger II - ***** - Ignores ZOC, Steamroller, Survivor, Albert Kerscher, Ulrich Hoffman
PzAbt 3 - Panther G - ***** - Steamroller, Ignores ZOC
PzAbt 5 - Panzer IIIN - ***** - OS12, Artillery Support, Butcher, Vigilant, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 6 - Panzer IVH - ***** - Ignores ZOC, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 7 - Tiger I - ***** - Artillery Support, AT Support, Skilled Support, Steamroller, Survivor, Rikugun Tai-I Akiyama
PzAbt 8 - Panther G - **
PzAbt 9 - Panzer IVJ - **
PzAbt 10 - Panther G - **
PzAbt 11 - Panzer IVJ - **

Recon

AufkAbt 1 - SdKfz 234/2 8Rad - ***** - Envelopment, Overwhelming Attack

Anti-Tank

Panzerjäger Abt 1 - Jagdpanther - ***** - Envelopment, Overwhelming Attack, Hit and Run, Skilled Support, Survivor
Panzerjäger Abt 3 - JagdPz IV/48 - *** - Envelopment, Overwhelming Attack, Skilled Support
Panzerjäger Abt 4 - Hetzer - **** - Hit and Run, Legendary, Skilled Support
Panzerjäger Abt 5 - Jagdtiger - ***** - Ferocious Defense, Karl Ullmann
Panzerjäger Abt 6 - Hetzer - *** - Helga Grese
Panzerjäger Abt 7 - Hetzer - **

Artillery

Artillerie Abt 1 - 21 cm Mrs (SdKfz 7) - ***** - OS14, Double Attack, Zero Slots, Skilled Support, Elsa Kloss
Artillerie Abt 2 - 17 cm K 18 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Legendary, Zero Slots, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 3 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 4 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 5 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Skilled Support
Panzer Artillerie Abt 1 - Hummel - ***** - OS14, Field Repairs, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support
Panzer Artillerie Abt 2 - Wespe - **** - OS13, Skilled Support
Panzer Artillerie Abt 3 - sIG 38(t) M - **
Werfer Abt 1 - Panzerwerfer 42 - ***** - Lethal Attack

Anti-Aircraft

FlaK Abt 1 - 8.8 cm Flak 36 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Skilled Support, Survivor, Karla Wuhrer
FlaK Abt 2 - Möbelwagen - ***** - Fast Learner, Skilled Support
FlaK Abt 3 - 2 cm Flakvierling 38 (SdKfz 10) - ***** - Double Support, Skilled Support
FlaK Abt 4 - Gepard - **** - Double Support, Famous, Skilled Support
FlaK Abt 5 - Wirbelwind - ***** - Combat Luck, Skilled Support

Fighter

I./JG 1 - Me 262A- ***** - Fast Rebase, Survivor, Erich Hartmann
II./JG 1 - Me 262A - ***** - Fast Rebase, Survivor, Heinrich Bar
III./JG 1 - Fw 190A - **** - Fast Rebase, Thorough Preparation, Survivor
IV./JG 1 - Fw 190D-9 - **** - Distraction, Fast Rebase, Skilled Support, Survivor
I./JG 2 - Me 163B - **** - Fast Rebase, Thorough Preparation, Skilled Support, Survivor
II./JG 2 - Fw 190D-9 - *** - Survivor, Gerhard Barkhorn

Tactical Bomber

I./ZG 1 - Fw 190G - **** - Readiness, Survivor
II./ZG 1 - Fw 190G - **** - Exterminator, Readiness, Survivor
I./SG 1 - Ju 87G - ***** - Tank Killer, Survivor, Hans-Ulrich Rudel
II./SG 1 - Ju 87D - ***** - Entrenchment Killer 4x, Survivor
IV./SG 1 - Hs 129B2 - **** - Survivor

Reserve

Pionier Brücken Bataillon 1 - Brückenpioniere (Opel Blitz) - * - OS16, No Surrender, River Assault
Fallschirmjäger Reg 1 - Fallschirmjäger 43 - *** - Flag Killer, Unyielding
Kavallerie Reg 1 - Kavallerie - ***** - OS25, Consolidator, Prudent
Infanterie Reg 2 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - ***** - OS25, Consolidator, Ignores Entrenchment, Survivor, Matthaus Hetzenauer
Infanterie Reg 3 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - *** - Ferocious Defense, First Aid
Infanterie Reg 5 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - *** - Liberator
PzAbt 4 - Flammpanzer 38(t) - ***** - Fierce Fighter, Ignores ZOC, Tenacious Defender, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 12 - M4 Crocodile - **
PzAbt 13 - T-34/43 - **
PzAbt 14 - T-34-85 - **
PzAbt 15 - Char B1 - **
PzAbt 16 - Crusader Mk.III - **
PzAbt 17 - M15/42 - **
PzAbt 18 - M3 Lee - **
PzAbt 19 - Matilda II - **
PzAbt 20 - T-26 - **
PzAbt 21 - T-28 - **
Pionier Brücken Bataillon 2 - SdKfz 251/7 Brücken - ** - OS11, Aiming Assitance
Kradschützen Batallion 1 - Kradschützen - ***** - OS11, Distraction, Fierce Fighter, Tenacious Defender, Survivor
AufkAbt 2 - SdKfz 234/1 8Rad - ***** - Leadership
AufkAbt 3 - Panzer II Luchs - ***** - Butcher, Combat Luck, Overrun, Steamroller
AufkAbt 4 - SdKfz 233 8Rad - ***** - Distraction, Superior Maneuver
Panzerjäger Abt 2 - 8.8 cm Pak 43/41 (SdKfz 7) - *** - Fearsome Reputation, Ferocious Defense
Panzerjäger Abt 8 - M18 Hellcat - **
Panzerjäger Abt 9 - SU-100Y - **
Artillerie Abt 6 - 10.5 cm leFH 18 (SdKfz 11) - **** - Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 7 - 7.5 cm FK 16 nA
Sturmgeschütz Abt 1 - StuH 42 - ***** - Double Support, Skilled Support
Werfer Abt 2 - Calliope - **
III./JG 2 - Bf 109K - ** - Survivor
I./JG 3 - Bf 109K - ** - Survivor
IV./JG 2 - Bf 109K - *** - Survivor
I./NJG 1 - He 219 - * - Learns from Mistakes
I./AG 1 - Bf 109 PR - *** - Resilient
II./AG 1 - Fw 189 - **** - Resilient, Sixth Sense
III./AG 1 - Fw 189 - ** - Entrenchment Killer 3x
IV./AG 1 - Fi 156 Storch
I./AG 2 - Fi 156 Storch
II./AG 2 - Fi 156 Storch
III./ZG 1 - Me 410A - *** - Evasive, Survivor
III./SG 1 - Ju 87D - **** - Entrenchment Killer 4x, Survivor
I./KG 1 - He 177A - **** - OS11, Shock Tactics, Survivor
II./KG 1 - He 177A - **** - OS11, Shock Tactics, Survivor
III./KG 1 - Do 217E - **** - OS13, Survivor
IV./KG 1 - Ju 188A - **
I./KG 2 - Ju 88A - **
II./KG 2 - Ju 88A - ***
Panzerzug Bismarck - Armoured Train - ***
Panzerzug Hindenburg - Armoured Train - **

Summary:


What a mess, this will not hold. I need to deal with command units as soon as possible.


First!


Second!


Third!


Fourth!


Fifth!


Sixth!


Seventh!


Eighth!

Final Prestige: 104046 (up 6195)

Overall:

I'm really glad that this scenario did not reinvent the wheel. It's a classic setup that combines elements of the old Grand Campaign from the previous game, with new elements of Panzer Corps 2. The inspiration from the past is hunting down command units, who are tough and often surrounded by swarms of other troops, making this tricky, but at this point an experience core can take the targets out easily. As seen on screens artillery and bombers did most of the job and then other units just finished the deal. The new bits is having the whole front defended by forces beyond the player's control, which does a good job of showing that is was no longer possible to holed the entire long frontline. Even if the elites can decimate the Soviet in one area, they can't be everywhere and prevent crossing of the Oder river. The narrative elements of suddenly being left without anyone to share the briefing was another element that fit well. While Wagner was a good soldier and a trusted friend, he can hardly be blamed for giving up after all he went through and deciding not to go down for a lost cause.

AO 1945 - End in Berlin

Starting Prestige (after purchases and replacements): 103387

Hero:


Ironic, I need to entrench, not remove entrenchment. As such, added to I./JG 3 just for the record.

New Equipment Provided:

FlaK Abt 2 - 8.8 cm Flak 36 (SdKfz 7)
FlaK Abt 4 - Wirbelwind
FlaK Abt 5 - 12.8 cm Flak 40 (SdKfz 7)

As I cannot deploy planes anymore, I decide to strengthen my AA defenses. Not that it will help much.

Starting Army Composition:

Infantry

Infanterie Reg 4 (span.) - Azul Infanterie 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - Flag Killer, Unyielding, Helmut Wirnsberger
Infanterie Reg 7 (span.) - Azul Infanterie 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - Survivor
Gebirgsjäger Reg 1 - Gebirgsjäger 43 - ***** - First Aid, Survivor, Oleh Dir
Grenadier Reg 1 - Grenadier 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - OS20, Flag Killer, No Retaliation, Gero von Manstein
Kavallerie Reg 1 - Kavallerie - ***** - OS25, Consolidator, Prudent
Pionier Bataillon 1 - Pioniere 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - River Assault, First Aid, Joseph Allerberger
Infanterie Reg 1 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - ***** - First Aid, Tenacious Defender
Infanterie Reg 2 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - ***** - OS25, Consolidator, Ignores Entrenchment, Survivor, Matthaus Hetzenauer
Infanterie Reg 3 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - *** - Ferocious Defense, First Aid
Infanterie Reg 5 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - *** - Liberator
Infanterie Reg 6 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - *** - Ferocious Defense, Learns from Mistakes, No Surrender

Tank

PzAbt 1 - Panzer IVJ - ***** - Butcher, Ignores ZOC, Superior Maneuver, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 2 - Tiger II - ***** - Ignores ZOC, Steamroller, Survivor, Albert Kerscher, Ulrich Hoffman
PzAbt 3 - Panther G - ***** - Steamroller, Ignores ZOC
PzAbt 4 - Flammpanzer 38(t) - ***** - Fierce Fighter, Ignores ZOC, Tenacious Defender, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 5 - Panzer IIIN - ***** - OS12, Artillery Support, Butcher, Vigilant, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 6 - Panzer IVH - ***** - Ignores ZOC, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 7 - Tiger I - ***** - Artillery Support, AT Support, Skilled Support, Steamroller, Survivor, Rikugun Tai-I Akiyama
PzAbt 8 - Panther G - **
PzAbt 9 - Panzer IVJ - **
PzAbt 10 - Panther G - **
PzAbt 11 - Panzer IVJ - **

Recon

Kradschützen Batallion 1 - Kradschützen - ***** - OS11, Distraction, Fierce Fighter, Tenacious Defender, Survivor
AufkAbt 1 - SdKfz 234/2 8Rad - ***** - Envelopment, Overwhelming Attack

Anti-Tank

Panzerjäger Abt 1 - Jagdpanther - ***** - Envelopment, Overwhelming Attack, Hit and Run, Skilled Support, Survivor
Panzerjäger Abt 2 - 8.8 cm Pak 43/41 (SdKfz 7) - *** - Fearsome Reputation, Ferocious Defense
Panzerjäger Abt 3 - JagdPz IV/48 - *** - Envelopment, Overwhelming Attack, Skilled Support
Panzerjäger Abt 4 - Hetzer - **** - Hit and Run, Legendary, Skilled Support
Panzerjäger Abt 5 - Jagdtiger - ***** - Ferocious Defense, Karl Ullmann
Panzerjäger Abt 6 - Hetzer - *** - Helga Grese
Panzerjäger Abt 7 - Hetzer - **

Artillery

Artillerie Abt 1 - 21 cm Mrs (SdKfz 7) - ***** - OS14, Double Attack, Zero Slots, Skilled Support, Elsa Kloss
Artillerie Abt 2 - 17 cm K 18 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Legendary, Zero Slots, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 3 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 4 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 5 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Skilled Support
Panzer Artillerie Abt 1 - Hummel - ***** - OS14, Field Repairs, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support
Panzer Artillerie Abt 2 - Wespe - **** - OS13, Skilled Support
Panzer Artillerie Abt 3 - sIG 38(t) M - **
Werfer Abt 1 - Panzerwerfer 42 - ***** - Lethal Attack
Sturmgeschütz Abt 1 - StuH 42 - ***** - Double Support, Skilled Support

Anti-Aircraft

FlaK Abt 1 - 8.8 cm Flak 36 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Skilled Support, Survivor, Karla Wuhrer
FlaK Abt 2 - 8.8 cm Flak 36 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Fast Learner, Skilled Support
FlaK Abt 3 - 2 cm Flakvierling 38 (SdKfz 10) - ***** - Double Support, Skilled Support
FlaK Abt 4 - Wirbelwind - **** - Double Support, Famous, Skilled Support
FlaK Abt 5 - 12.8 cm Flak 40 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Combat Luck, Skilled Support

Reserve

Pionier Brücken Bataillon 1 - Brückenpioniere (Opel Blitz) - * - OS16, No Surrender, River Assault
Fallschirmjäger Reg 1 - Fallschirmjäger 43 - *** - Flag Killer, Unyielding
PzAbt 12 - M4 Crocodile - **
PzAbt 13 - T-34/43 - **
PzAbt 14 - T-34-85 - **
PzAbt 15 - Char B1 - **
PzAbt 16 - Crusader Mk.III - **
PzAbt 17 - M15/42 - **
PzAbt 18 - M3 Lee - **
PzAbt 19 - Matilda II - **
PzAbt 20 - T-26 - **
PzAbt 21 - T-28 - **
Pionier Brücken Bataillon 2 - SdKfz 251/7 Brücken - ** - OS11, Aiming Assistance
AufkAbt 2 - SdKfz 234/1 8Rad - ***** - Leadership
AufkAbt 3 - Panzer II Luchs - ***** - Butcher, Combat Luck, Overrun, Steamroller
AufkAbt 4 - SdKfz 233 8Rad - ***** - Distraction, Superior Maneuver
Panzerjäger Abt 8 - M18 Hellcat - **
Panzerjäger Abt 9 - SU-100Y - **
Artillerie Abt 7 - 7.5 cm FK 16 nA
Werfer Abt 2 - Calliope - **
I./JG 1 - Me 262A- ***** - Fast Rebase, Survivor, Erich Hartmann
II./JG 1 - Me 262A - ***** - Fast Rebase, Survivor, Heinrich Bar
III./JG 1 - Fw 190A - **** - Fast Rebase, Thorough Preparation, Survivor
IV./JG 1 - Fw 190D-9 - **** - Distraction, Fast Rebase, Skilled Support, Survivor
I./JG 2 - Me 163B - **** - Fast Rebase, Thorough Preparation, Skilled Support, Survivor
II./JG 2 - Fw 190D-9 - *** - Survivor, Gerhard Barkhorn
III./JG 2 - Bf 109K - ** - Survivor
IV./JG 2 - Bf 109K - *** - Survivor
I./JG 3 - Bf 109K - ** - Survivor
I./NJG 1 - He 219 - * - Learns from Mistakes
I./AG 1 - Bf 109 PR - *** - Resilient
II./AG 1 - Fw 189 - **** - Resilient, Sixth Sense
III./AG 1 - Fw 189 - ** - Entrenchment Killer 3x
IV./AG 1 - Fi 156 Storch
I./AG 2 - Fi 156 Storch
II./AG 2 - Fi 156 Storch
I./ZG 1 - Fw 190G - **** - Readiness, Survivor
II./ZG 1 - Fw 190G - **** - Exterminator, Readiness, Survivor
III./ZG 1 - Me 410A - *** - Evasive, Survivor
I./SG 1 - Ju 87G - ***** - Tank Killer, Survivor, Hans-Ulrich Rudel
II./SG 1 - Ju 87D - ***** - Entrenchment Killer 4x, Survivor
III./SG 1 - Ju 87D - **** - Entrenchment Killer 4x, Survivor
IV./SG 1 - Hs 129B2 - **** - Survivor
I./KG 1 - He 177A - **** - OS11, Shock Tactics, Survivor
II./KG 1 - He 177A - **** - OS11, Shock Tactics, Survivor
III./KG 1 - Do 217E - **** - OS13, Survivor
IV./KG 1 - Ju 188A - **
I./KG 2 - Ju 88A - **
II./KG 2 - Ju 88A - ***
Panzerzug Bismarck - Armoured Train - ***
Panzerzug Hindenburg - Armoured Train - **

Summary:


Ready to fight to the bitter end. Some units are yet to be deployed, but we will stand our ground.


First casualties appear, so far not in my core force.


Wave after wave of planes are taken out, but all this does is drain my ammo quickly.


15 strength, 5 star IS-3 tanks might be a slight issue...


With a +18 defense bonus, this Prudent cavalry unit is unmovable.


Time to get some ammo back!


Halfway mark with 40 ammo and 91299 prestige. I could have had more ammo at this point, but I wasted a lot in the first turns, not really knowing the pace at which it can deplete. It's much better to be passive and not actively deal chip damage.


Instant surrender combo is a great way to gain precious ammo. It does not break the mission, but occasionally adds a few precious pieces, keeping me afloat.


Final result on turn 50 - 83123 prestige and 147 ammo.


Not that many auxiliary units lost as well and no core units lost, but the artillery in the end came really close to taking out at least a few, since I could not counterattack and each wave added more heavy howitzers on the other side up north.

Final Prestige: 83123 (down 20264)

Overall:

I actually managed to keep all my core units alive, that was surprising, yet extremely satisfying to pull of! Granted, I was close to a total catastrophe since in the beginning I did not notice how fast the ammo pool can get depleted and this led to a critical point at which I had to sell a few auxiliary FlaK guns to keep going, but once I realized what needs to be done, it was possible to keep up as long as I had prestige to spare, which fortunately was not an issue thanks to all the earlier campaigns. The key is to set up units in a way that minimizes support fire and only attack when it would lead to a capture or clearing a problematic unit. AA Veteran was a life savior, as it allowed me to clear the skies quite fast and focus on enemies on the ground alone. The fact that the mission requires a change in mindset and not firing support fire unless it will destroy the opposing units outright (weak chip damage is a horrible waste of ammo) makes it a fresh experience despite the unbelievable length of the mission, while the ammo mechanic itself is a very innovative new feature I could see being used in the future in a similar fashion. Also, the fact that planes cannot be deployed anymore add to the tension and realism of the fight. Once again the scenario does the narrative part well, but I would still give the player some extra closure, even if that would be getting captured by the Soviets. It's that one piece that was missing in my opinion, but once can make the argument that the uncertainty is part of this route and should stay as it is.

AO 1945 - Summary

Starting Prestige: 76149
Final Prestige: 83123 (up 6974)

Final Army Composition:

Infantry

Pionier Brücken Bataillon 1 - Brückenpioniere (Opel Blitz) - * - OS16, No Surrender, River Assault
Infanterie Reg 4 (span.) - Azul Infanterie 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - Flag Killer, Unyielding, Helmut Wirnsberger
Infanterie Reg 7 (span.) - Azul Infanterie 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - Survivor
Fallschirmjäger Reg 1 - Fallschirmjäger 43 - *** - Flag Killer, Unyielding
Gebirgsjäger Reg 1 - Gebirgsjäger 43 - ***** - First Aid, Survivor, Oleh Dir
Grenadier Reg 1 - Grenadier 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - OS20, Flag Killer, No Retaliation, Gero von Manstein
Kavallerie Reg 1 - Kavallerie - ***** - OS25, Consolidator, Prudent
Pionier Bataillon 1 - Pioniere 43 (SdKfz 250/1) - ***** - River Assault, First Aid, Joseph Allerberger
Infanterie Reg 1 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - ***** - First Aid, Tenacious Defender
Infanterie Reg 2 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - ***** - OS25, Consolidator, Ignores Entrenchment, Survivor, Matthaus Hetzenauer
Infanterie Reg 3 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - *** - Ferocious Defense, First Aid
Infanterie Reg 5 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - *** - Liberator
Infanterie Reg 6 - Wehr Infanterie 43 (Opel Blitz) - *** - Ferocious Defense, Learns from Mistakes, No Surrender

Tank

PzAbt 1 - Panzer IVJ - ***** - Butcher, Ignores ZOC, Superior Maneuver, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 2 - Tiger II - ***** - Ignores ZOC, Steamroller, Survivor, Albert Kerscher, Ulrich Hoffman
PzAbt 3 - Panther G - ***** - Steamroller, Ignores ZOC
PzAbt 4 - Flammpanzer 38(t) - ***** - Fierce Fighter, Ignores ZOC, Tenacious Defender, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 5 - Panzer IIIN - ***** - OS12, Artillery Support, Butcher, Vigilant, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 6 - Panzer IVH - ***** - Ignores ZOC, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 7 - Tiger I - ***** - Artillery Support, AT Support, Skilled Support, Steamroller, Survivor, Rikugun Tai-I Akiyama
PzAbt 8 - Panther G - **
PzAbt 9 - Panzer IVJ - **
PzAbt 10 - Panther G - **
PzAbt 11 - Panzer IVJ - **
PzAbt 12 - M4 Crocodile - **
PzAbt 13 - T-34/43 - **
PzAbt 14 - T-34-85 - **
PzAbt 15 - Char B1 - **
PzAbt 16 - Crusader Mk.III - **
PzAbt 17 - M15/42 - **
PzAbt 18 - M3 Lee - **
PzAbt 19 - Matilda II - **
PzAbt 20 - T-26 - **
PzAbt 21 - T-28 - **
Pionier Brücken Bataillon 2 - SdKfz 251/7 Brücken - ** - OS11, Aiming Assistance

Recon

Kradschützen Batallion 1 - Kradschützen - ***** - OS11, Distraction, Fierce Fighter, Tenacious Defender, Survivor
AufkAbt 1 - SdKfz 234/2 8Rad - ***** - Envelopment, Overwhelming Attack
AufkAbt 2 - SdKfz 234/1 8Rad - ***** - Leadership
AufkAbt 3 - Panzer II Luchs - ***** - Butcher, Combat Luck, Overrun, Steamroller
AufkAbt 4 - SdKfz 233 8Rad - ***** - Distraction, Superior Maneuver

Anti-Tank

Panzerjäger Abt 1 - Jagdpanther - ***** - Envelopment, Overwhelming Attack, Hit and Run, Skilled Support, Survivor
Panzerjäger Abt 2 - 8.8 cm Pak 43/41 (SdKfz 7) - *** - Fearsome Reputation, Ferocious Defense
Panzerjäger Abt 3 - JagdPz IV/48 - *** - Envelopment, Overwhelming Attack, Skilled Support
Panzerjäger Abt 4 - Hetzer - **** - Hit and Run, Legendary, Skilled Support
Panzerjäger Abt 5 - Jagdtiger - ***** - Ferocious Defense, Karl Ullmann
Panzerjäger Abt 6 - Hetzer - *** - Helga Grese
Panzerjäger Abt 7 - Hetzer - **
Panzerjäger Abt 8 - M18 Hellcat - **
Panzerjäger Abt 9 - SU-100Y - **

Artillery

Artillerie Abt 1 - 21 cm Mrs (SdKfz 7) - ***** - OS14, Double Attack, Zero Slots, Skilled Support, Elsa Kloss
Artillerie Abt 2 - 17 cm K 18 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Legendary, Zero Slots, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 3 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 4 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 5 - 15 cm sFH 16 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Double Attack, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 7 - 7.5 cm FK 16 nA
Panzer Artillerie Abt 1 - Hummel - ***** - OS14, Field Repairs, Reduced Slots, Skilled Support
Panzer Artillerie Abt 2 - Wespe - **** - OS13, Skilled Support
Panzer Artillerie Abt 3 - sIG 38(t) M - **
Werfer Abt 1 - Panzerwerfer 42 - ***** - Lethal Attack
Werfer Abt 2 - Calliope - **
Sturmgeschütz Abt 1 - StuH 42 - ***** - Double Support, Skilled Support

Anti-Aircraft

FlaK Abt 1 - 8.8 cm Flak 36 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Skilled Support, Survivor, Karla Wuhrer
FlaK Abt 2 - 8.8 cm Flak 36 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Fast Learner, Skilled Support
FlaK Abt 3 - 2 cm Flakvierling 38 (SdKfz 10) - ***** - Double Support, Skilled Support
FlaK Abt 4 - Wirbelwind - **** - Double Support, Famous, Skilled Support
FlaK Abt 5 - 12.8 cm Flak 40 (SdKfz 7) - ***** - Combat Luck, Skilled Support

Fighter

I./JG 1 - Me 262A- ***** - Fast Rebase, Survivor, Erich Hartmann
II./JG 1 - Me 262A - ***** - Fast Rebase, Survivor, Heinrich Bar
III./JG 1 - Fw 190A - **** - Fast Rebase, Thorough Preparation, Survivor
IV./JG 1 - Fw 190D-9 - **** - Distraction, Fast Rebase, Skilled Support, Survivor
I./JG 2 - Me 163B - **** - Fast Rebase, Thorough Preparation, Skilled Support, Survivor
II./JG 2 - Fw 190D-9 - *** - Survivor, Gerhard Barkhorn
III./JG 2 - Bf 109K - ** - Survivor
IV./JG 2 - Bf 109K - *** - Survivor
I./JG 3 - Bf 109K - ** - Survivor
I./NJG 1 - He 219 - * - Learns from Mistakes

Tactical Bomber

I./AG 1 - Bf 109 PR - *** - Resilient
II./AG 1 - Fw 189 - **** - Resilient, Sixth Sense
III./AG 1 - Fw 189 - ** - Entrenchment Killer 3x
IV./AG 1 - Fi 156 Storch
I./AG 2 - Fi 156 Storch
II./AG 2 - Fi 156 Storch
I./ZG 1 - Fw 190G - **** - Readiness, Survivor
II./ZG 1 - Fw 190G - **** - Exterminator, Readiness, Survivor
III./ZG 1 - Me 410A - *** - Evasive, Survivor
I./SG 1 - Ju 87G - ***** - Tank Killer, Survivor, Hans-Ulrich Rudel
II./SG 1 - Ju 87D - ***** - Entrenchment Killer 4x, Survivor
III./SG 1 - Ju 87D - **** - Entrenchment Killer 4x, Survivor
IV./SG 1 - Hs 129B2 - **** - Survivor

Strategic Bomber

I./KG 1 - He 177A - **** - OS11, Shock Tactics, Survivor
II./KG 1 - He 177A - **** - OS11, Shock Tactics, Survivor
III./KG 1 - Do 217E - **** - OS13, Survivor
IV./KG 1 - Ju 188A - **
I./KG 2 - Ju 88A - **
II./KG 2 - Ju 88A - ***

Armored Train

Panzerzug Bismarck - Armoured Train - ***
Panzerzug Hindenburg - Armoured Train - **

Thoughts:

Just like that, the "bad end" of the historical path is done. Things were getting increasingly difficult and drastic, but the core force hold on and managed to survive, only giving up after the unconditional surrender was signed. It was a worthy successor to the Grand Campaign that managed to portray what the previous instance could not - the slow but visible decline of the German army. The presence of the fictional path also gave the chance to do the historical one differently and I feel it was the right choice. Of course not all such long campaigns need this branching fictional route, but when appropriate, it allows to develops a more focused experience. It has been a long ride, but all stories must come to an end. There are three more AARs left and some will hopefully continue in 1946. Until then, time to focus on how a captured only army can manage the other route of the historical path that I did not choose this time around.