Slitherine

SCENARIO 3 - CHAOS

The conquest of Vidin and the surrounding area has panicked the enemy: with the Lifeline cut, the entire Lower Bulgaria and the Budapest Delta are in danger since we were quick to follow with pushes against the swamps and Burgas. The Yugoslavians have immediately amassed troops from Stara Zagora for a counterattack; on our part, Southern Command reinforced our bridgehead.




20/7/1942
The Yugoslavian initial onslaught mostly bounces against our riverline defenses; while a couple Infantry Regiments are decimated and forced to disband or retreat, the line holds. The 36th Motorized Division moves north just in case, but our positions seem solid enough.

Our positions around Kardzhali seem the least threatened, so I send the 40th Armored Division southwest.

The 113th Infantry Division has been assigned to our forces thanks to the conquest of Kazanlak last battle, and I decide to move it toward Vidin.






21/7/1942
Remember when I said the front seemed solid? Haha, good times. The Yugoslavian 66th Tenkovske Division charges through an Ironsides Brigade’s ranks like a hot knife into butter and crushes it. Yugoslavian new ZMT-42 tanks rip through the “Demolishers” with their high-velocity guns after a preparatory bombardment from dedicated artillery regiments. The front shatters and 13th Huszàr Brigade charges through the gap separating 13th Mechanized from the rest of the VII Infantry Corps.

The same happens at Tirgoviste: the reconstituted 20th Tenkovske Division uses its modern tanks to crush my defenses and allows 3rd Mehanizovane to break through my lines. The 12th Mechanized is separated from 112th Infantry Division.

My reaction is immediate: 13th Mechanized pulls back and links with 36th Motorized to form a new defensive line away from the river, countering a possible flanking move. The rest of VII Corps similarly shifts to cover the gap. Montan is still in our hands.

Same move at Tirgoviste: the town is held, all my Divisions reorganize to face the mounting threat. Enemy CAS Wings are attacked by my Fighters, while Bombers hit the enemy armored formations. 40th Armored Division is en route.

Near Kardzhali, enemy 68th Tenkovske Division showed up, but 84th Infantry Division holds thanks to a Support Regiment mixed in its ranks.

ZMT-40(p) Tank

In 1940, the main Yugoslavian tank fought its Commonwealth opponent at a disvantage: the “Dukes” were better armored and had a bigger gun, forcing the Yugoslavian tankers to rely on maneuvers and exploit the target's slow turret rotating speed. This however wasn't optimal for a casemate tank, leading to lots of losses against enemy armor.

Talks about switching to a turreted chassis already started during the fight for Bucarest, but the Zastava design bureau insisted on the necessity to keep the design complexity down to maintain a certain production capacity. The high losses sustained in the 1940 campaign were cited as the main problem: with thousands of tanks lost or in need of repairs, it was of paramount importance that the war industry would be able to quickly replace losses and re-equip the Tenkovske divisions.Several innovative designs were proposed nonetheless, but gradually rejected under pressure from Zastava. It is rumored that Zastava also used bribes and political pressure to achieve this result.

Enter the ZMT-40(p): essentially just an improved (poboljšan) version of its predecessor. The chassis was unchanged, but was fitted with a more powerful engine and better air flow. The main armament switched to a 50mm High velocity gun and additional armored skirts were added to the sides. These changes allowed the tank to be able to take British tanks head on, but also be able to better pull off and survive flanking maneuvers.

22/7/1942
The situation around Montan is dire, but not desperate: our infantry lines are holding, and the aviation has helped stem the tide.

Tirogoviste, however, has fallen: 111th Infantry Division has been reduced to a single understrength regiment, and 112th Infantry Division didn’t fare much better. Thanks to the concerted effort of 32° and 38° Ironsides, however, one of 20th Tenkovske Division’s dreadful Regiments has been wiped out. Our forces are pulling back from the riverline, keeping their Support Regiments close against the enemy’s armored threat. 40th Armored Division is arriving, I hope it will help stabilize the front.

Kardzhali is holding thanks to extensive minefields in front of it, but further north the sheer number of enemy troops has forced 84th Infantry Division to pull back, threatening the entire sector. Nearby 40° Ironsides is ready to help, thankfully.




23/7/1942
I planned to withdraw 110th Infantry Division from the riverline west of Montan, but enemy 14th Pesadija Division is attempting to ford the river, so it’s blocked there. More Yugoslavian troops pour over the bridge, wearing down my defenses. My artillery regiments try to slow down the enemy, but 13th Mechanized is under intense pressure.

Enemy forces further expand the breach at Tirgoviste: 32° Ironsides is wiped out after several armored clashes, forcing the rest of V Assault Corps back. The 40th Armored Division takes position to cover its retreat.

In the northeast, 84th Infantry Division is forced back from the riverline.






24/7/1942
The enemy pressure is at critical level: I’m forced to abandon Montan and manage to link up VII Infantry Corps and V Assault Corps in a chevron-like formation to try and stop the mounting tide. This has left Svishtov wide open to an armored push, but I have few options.

Yugoslavian 13th Huszàr Brigade tries to flank my whole front and head toward Vidin, but is cut off and I hope I can destroy it next turn.

Unfortunately, my air forces have to go back to the airfields to resupply, leaving clear skies to the enemy planes, which waste no time attacking my ground forces. My AA cover, however, is strong and exacts a heavy toll on them.

Enemy 68th Tenkovske engages my defenses at Kardzhali, but the forced marches through the swamps have dropped its combat readiness, and thanks to artillery support the town’s defenses hold. Enemy 31st and 32nd Pesadija are fording the river up north, but 37th Motorized and 40° Ironsides are holding the riverline.






25/7/1942
VII Infantry Corps is slowly retreating toward Vidin, but I’m trying to inflict as much damage as I can. An armored regiment from 66th Tenkovske and the remains of 13th Huszàr Brigade have been isolated in a forest behind my main line and hopefully I’ll destroy them next turn.

The battered 12th Mechanized has launched a counterattack north of Svishtov with the help of 40th Armored Division, hitting hard against enemy 3rd Mehanizovane and 20th Tenkovske. I hope this forces enemy units in the area to face the threat instead of gunning for Svishtov. I already see a Mehanizovane Regiment and 18th Huszàr Brigade advancing toward the key town and I have nothing to stop them; I decide to withdraw 10th Army’s HQ from the town and send it to Kazanlak. Since Kazanlak itself is not defended, I have to redeploy 113th Infantry Division there in case the enemy goes after Svishtov.

The 80th Infantry Division has beaten back 68th Tenkovske’s attack on Kardzhali, but further north enemy pressure is increasing. 40° Ironsides is helping the local Infantry Division hold the line.

26/7/1942
As I feared, my entire line is folding backwards toward Vidin. I have been able to break contact with the enemy, or maybe they left me because their units were too exhausted to keep up. Anyway, I’m withdrawing and trying to conserve my strength.

I’m still able to strike some counterattacks north of Svishtov, but the enemy Huszàrs have occupied the city and are firing at the airfields. One Motostrelci Regiment tried to flank my position in the twin villages, but was encircled and decimated.

The Kirkwall Corps is still holding the riverline.

An enemy Mehanizovane Regiment is spotted moving toward the battlefield. Bad news.






27/7/1942
Yugoslavian 40th and 44th Motostrelci Divisions are trying to flank the retreating VII Infantry Corps. If they succeed, it will be a disaster and probably lose us the battle. 101st Infantry Division moves from Vidin to close the flank and the whole Corps withdraws further. The whole formation is starting to collapse.

Meanwhile, V Assault Corps has been cut off by a wide flanking move. Fortunately, it was an overly ambitious move that led to the destruction of an enemy Tenkovske Regiment. Close call, though, and even a single day of supplies disruption lowers our combat effectiveness. The whole Corps has to resume its retreat, now threatened by Yugoslavian 6th Mehanizovane Division and 16th Huszàr Brigade on his western flank.

The Kirkwall Corps holds the line. Now it’s 103rd Pesadija trying to advance against Kardzhali, with little success. So far, the Artillery Regiment behind the town has been decisive for its defense.

The 30th Armored Division arrives on the battlefield, I hope it can turn the tide.






28/7/1942
The situation at Vidin is critical: the enemy Motostrelci divisions keep advancing on my western flank, and Yugoslavian 6th Mehanizovane has now wedged itself between VII Infantry Corps and V Assault Corps. The pincer movement forced the former to retreat further south, with two Support Regiments too slow to keep up and now finding themselves in range of the pursuing enemy forces. 13th Mechanized is trying to protect the Corps’ right flank.

Enemy 16th Huszàr is trying to cut off the V Assault Corps, but has overextended and I manage to encircle it. After three hours of aerial bombardment, I launch a concentric attack and destroy it.

Air recon spots enemy forces spreading out from Svishtov to Kyustendil. With the imminent arrival of 30th Armored Division in the area, this is my chance to crush this penetration.

113th Infantry Division has reached Kazanlak and it’s forming a defensive line NE of the city.




29/7/1942
More reinforcements pour in for both armies. VII Infantry Corps’ retreat reaches Vidin; enemy Motostrelci unit arrive at the airfields, so I have to send my Wings to Kirkwall or Kyustendil to resupply safely. All enemy forces in the area converged toward the town, but this leaves the V Assault corps free to maneuver.

It can be a big mistake for the Yugoslavians: V Assault Corps immediately moves west and traps 6th Mehanizovane against Vidin. 11th Bomber Wing hits the surrounded units before a general assault almost annihilates an enemy Mehanizovane Regiment. 40th Armored Division’s surviving regiments also lash out, one of them destroys one of 3rd Mehanizovane Division’s regiments that was reorganizing in the plains north of Svishtov. In the fighting near Vidin, we manage to destroy II Konjica Korpus’ HQ.

The enemy drive for Kyustendil is pushed back by 30th Armored Division, which cripples a Motostrelci Regiment and III Oklopni Korpus’ HQ.

At Kardzhali, 80th Infantry Division is starting to suffer from considerable losses and exhaustion. One of its Regiments is repositioned west of the town to deal with an enemy infiltration across the swamps. 40° Ironsides keep pushing back any enemy unit that tries to cross the river north of the town. Yugoslavian artillery shells our positions.




30/7/1942
The battle at Vidin sees several of our units getting overwhelmed by the mass of Yugoslavian infantry advancing from the north. A Motostrelci Regiment tries to flank the town and threaten our heavy artillery, but a counterattack pushes it back. I concentrate most of my efforts in the elimination of the 6th Mehanizovane Regiments encircled yesterday, with great success. V Assault Corps launches a full scale counterattack against the weak enemy’s left flank, crippling several units. It seems the Yugoslavian are lacking armored units, and both their Artillery and Support Regiments lag behind the main line. This is exploitable.

At Kyustendil, the enemy is still trying to outflank and infiltrate my lines, but the 10th Motorized Division has arrived and establishes defensive positions west of the town. 30th Armored finishes off one regiment of 47th Motostrelci Division and prepares to fight a strong Tenkovkse regiment from 20th Tenkovske Division.

The Kirkwall Corps is under heavy pressure and starting to buckle. The Yugoslavian 104th Pesadija Regiment gains a foothold behind the river before being pushed back, but after a few hours 31st Pesadija establishes another bridgehead. The crippled 37th Motorized Division receives plenty of reinforcements so it will be able to counterattack tomorrow. 80th Infantry Division is losing the attrition battle at Kardzhali, especially now that a regiment from 68th Tenkovske Division has started attacking the town. 40° Ironsides Brigade joins the struggle and inflicts serious losses to the enemy tanks as they try to ford the river.

oooooooooooff it seems I have forgotten to complete the AAR...

Rolls Royce R-42 “Baron”

In 1941, hundreds of “Duke” heavy tanks were being replaced or were coming back from the 1940 Winter War in need of repairs; scrapping all of them would have been a waste. Enter Rolls Royce, which buys all the working vehicles and intact hulls for cheap and starts working on their redesign. Once again, old tanks would be converted into modern, efficient assault guns for the Ironsides Brigades.

Removed the slow and complicated turret, Rolls Royce’s engineers mount a massive, heavily armored, open-top superstructure. The engine is replaced with a more powerful one, and the old guns are replaced with a modified version of the SOG-25p artillery gun. Machineguns could be placed through an armored port in the frontal superstructure, or on top of it.

The heavy frontal armor and the spacious superstructure allowed the Baron to get close to the target and keep a high rate of fire against it. A definite upgrade over the old “Bison”. The replacement program was in full gear by early 1942, just in time for the new phase of the war.

31/7/1942
Vidin holds on, but there’s fighting on the very outskirts of the city now, and the Airfields have been overrun. V Assault Corps’ counterattack has turned into a full counteroffensive, and with 15° Huszàr Brigade seemingly immobile at Svishtov, 113th Infantry Division has been sent north to join the battle for the city. 12th Mechanized Division together with a regiment from 40th Armored Division are rolling the entire left flank of the enemy force. Another armored regiment from the 40th is helping 38° Ironsides fighting off the enemy’s constant flanking attempts south of the city.

At Svishtov, the final regiment of 40th Armored has attacked the airfields, temporarily occupied by an enemy Wing that is mostly destroyed during the fighting. A depleted Artillery Regiment and Support Regiment are sent to help against 15° Huszàr garrisoning the key town.

The 30th Armored Division has cut off the enemy Regiments heading toward Kyustendil. The town itself is now solidly defended, with a Support Regiment guarding against enemy armored thrusts. 39th Motorized Division, just arrived on the battlefield, was sent there to help, but will probably be diverted north to Kadzhali.

Kardzhali is slowly falling into enemy’s hands: 80th Infantry Division is too exhausted and battered to hold any longer and retreats; 40th Ironsides enters the town to try and fend off the attackers. The replenished 37th Motorized launches its counterattack, pushing the enemy forces that were advancing north of the town back to the riverline. Further north, 81st Infantry Division has taken up the fighting on the frontline and repealed several enemy attacks.




1/8/1942
Vidin falls to the Yugoslavian 10th Mehanizovane Division; the poor city has already seen two brutal battles for what are now mostly ruins, its citizens fled or hiding in basements and churches. The incessant firing of the Heavy Guns Regiment placed in the town plaza stops as the guns are blown up by their crews and abandoned. The heavy AA guns are kept firing till the end thanks to their dual use against ground targets, until they are overrun by enemy infantry. The fall of the city was foreseen: my counteroffensive keeps pushing the enemy’s left flank back in what I hope will end up as a thunderous victory and the retaking of Vidin. The fighting is intense on all the frontlines, but my armored forces are superior and the enemy losses are mounting.

I’m currently trying to retake Svishtov, where 15th Huszàr Brigade is heavily bombed by my aviation and then attacked by a 40th Armored Division’s regiment. It seems the enemy wasn’t expecting a direct assault: the unit’s commander has failed miserably at its job.

My counteroffensive at Kyustendil has almost wiped out any enemy unit in the area. 39th Motorized has thus been redirected to Kardzhali, and just in time: neither 80th Infantry nor 40° Ironsides can defend the town any longer, and the arrival of the fresh Motorized Division saves the day. Further north, fighting for the bridgeheads rages on, with lots of losses and no clear victor.




2/8/1942
It’s another day of heavy fighting around Vidin. V Assault Corps’ counteroffensive slows down, but keeps inflicting high losses on the enemy units. A couple daring raids are executed against Yugoslavian Artillery Regiments behind enemy lines; those actions are costly, but important to reduce other units’ losses from the constant enemy shelling. 113th Infantry Division reaches the battlefield and immediately launches an attack that leads to a regiment of 66th Tenkovske Division to be surrounded south of the city.

The 15° Huszàr Brigade is driven out of Svishtov. Enemy resistance ceases around Kyustendil.

39th Motorized Division pushes back against the mounting enemy forces around Kardzhali. 37th Motorized and 81st Infantry Divisions do the same north of the town. Reinforcements are sent to the depleted units in the area, trying to outlast the Yugoslavian offensive.




3/8/1942
The 113th Infantry Division receives the surrender of the enemy Tenkovske Regiment surrounded south of Vidin, then proceeds to support the assault at the city proper. A daring advance by 13th Mechanized is met with a crushing defeat as Yugoslavian infantry from 45th Motostrelci Division ambushes an entire Regiment and almost annihilates it in a furious night attack. Progress is slow and costly, so I decide to stop the attacks and regroup, except in the north where I encircle an enemy Podrzavaju Regiment.

With Svishtov secure after the retreat of the 15° Huszàr Brigade, the lone regiment of 40th Armored Division is sent to help around Vidin.

In the east, enemy pressure against Kardzhali is critical: the presence of numerous enemy Artillery Regiments behind enemy lines make the defense of the town extremely costly. I take the bold decision to retreat southeast and bait the enemy to advance in open field, where 30th Armored Division will try to stage a devastating counterattack on the enemy exposed flank. It’s a risky move, but it can work if the enemy is too cocky. Further north, 84th Infantry Division counterattacks once more and drives the Yugoslavian back behind the river one more time.

4/8/1942
Despite the previous setbacks, I resume the assault on Vidin. The 113th Infantry Division leads the charge on the western side of the city, pushing almost to the airfields, while the rest of my southern force pushes against the esatern side. Enemy units are still considerable in the city proper, but 12th Mechanized Division is wedging itself between them and the rest of the yugoslavian forces. In the north, several weakened Yugoslavian units, including two Artillery Regiments, are destroyed. My units are weakened by the fighting too, but crushing enemy units one by one will eventually give us the upper hand.

Svishtov is briefly retaken by 15° Huszàr Brigade, but the 40th Armored Division’s regiment that already liberated the town once is quick to reverse course and retake it once more. The enemy unit must be destroyed once for all.

Kyustendil is occupied by a lone, weakened Motostrelci Regiment; a Regiment from 38th Motorized Division is called to deal with the intrusion, and the enemy unit is promptly cut off and forced to surrender.

Kardzhali falls to the enemy, but the trap has already given us a prize: a Regiment from 68th Tenkovske Division has overextended and I can bring the entire 30th Armored Division on it. The fighting is fierce, the enemy’s ZMT-40(p) prove once more to be a dangerous enemy, but the enemy is outnumbered and outgunned and by evening the enemy unit’s remains are forced to surrender or disperse. Enemy 11th Mehanizovane, however, has taken up position around the town and it will be a tough nut to crack.

In the north, 81st and 84th Infantry Division decide to pull back and entrench themselves in the woods.




5/8/1942
Yugoslavian 40th and 44th Motostrelci Divisions are decimated; their positions west of Vidin are crumbling, and that will expose the remaining Regiment of 10th Mehanizovane that is still holding the city. In the northern part of the battle, I am forced to withdraw from part of the frontlines to regroup and reorganize. Other Yugoslavian units are dispersed or flee north.

The 15th Huszàr Brigade keeps being a thorn in my side around Svishtov, but it’s almost completely destroyed now.

At Kardzhali, enemy 11th Mehanizovane has advanced past the town, and this allows the 30th Armored Division to rush forward and cut it off. The enemy advance into the woods threatened to split the Kirkwall Corps in two, but now can spell doom for the powerful Yugoslavian unit.




6/8/1942
Vidin is finally retaken! The enemy front collapses as entire Regiments are overrun, surrender or disperse. 13th Mechanized Division takes the town hall before chasing the Yugoslavian stragglers, leaving the city to a surviving regiment of 110th Infantry Division.

A single surviving company of Yugoslavian 20th Tenkovske Division takes Svishtov, forcing the 40th Armored Division to break pursuit of the 15° Huszàr Brigade and go back once again.

At Kardzhali, the trapped 11th Mehanizovane engages the surrounding units, inflicting serious losses but suffering itself and failing to break out. 104th Pesadija Division tries to break our encirclement from the outside, managing to fragment the exhausted 30th Armored Division, but the line holds. 39th Motorized Division counterattacks and ensures a breakout is avoided.


7-8/8/1942
The enemy is in full rout at Vidin: VII Infantry Corps and V Assault Corps (what’s left of them) mop up the last pockets of resistance.

At Kardzhali, 11th Mehanizovane is still fighting in the woods, but it has already lost half its combat strength, and its combat effectiveness is falling fast. The last of its Regiment, however, is still holding the town and it’s unlikely I can dislodge it.

The battle slowly peters out: the Yugoslavian generals realize their counteroffensive has failed and the Vidin area is truly lost. The surviving units retreat north of the Tirgoviste-Kardzhali line, and the Commonwealth’s 10th Army reorganizes its lines accordingly. Losses have been very heavy, but the Yugoslavian had it worse: it’s very unlikely both will have the strength to do anything but consolidate their lines, which in fact is the favorable outcome the Southern Command sought.