Slitherine

I decided to make a brief AAR for my playthrough of McGuba’s BFE mod, now that he has updated it to 1.06.

I decided to play on Field Marshall difficulty this time round and take a very different approach to my last playthrough – specifically, I would like to experience both Operation Husky (the Allied invasion of Italy) and D-Day (the landings in Normandy). You can see my old AAR here: http://slitherine.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=145&t=63878

This AAR will be much briefer than that, as i don't have the time to do a long one.

The plan
A conservative approach will be taken by consolidating our forces and prioritizing Army Group South’s advance on the Caucuses. Army Group Center will advance on Moscow, but will not aim for a quick capture. Rather, we will try to occupy the outer fortifications and other strategic positions in anticipation of the strong Russian counterattack. We will also prioritise the encircling of the Kiev pocket before winter closes.

After an initial advance, Army Group North will mostly be depleted of troops to support Army Group Center and Army Group South. We have convinced our Finnish allies to directly assault Leningrad from the North and have allocated some air support and artillery to assist them in this effort.

The Kriegsmarine, together with naval landing troops, will participate in the liberation of Iceland from the Americans, which will then be used as an air base to support our effort in disrupting the Atlantic shipping lanes.

Our forces in the Med will be used to assault and eventually take Malta, so as to remove the Allied air threat and provide us with equipment and resources which are stored there. In the Eastern Med, we will invade Cyprus with the use of airborn troops, supported by naval and air assets. Cyprus can then be used as a springboard to advance on the oilfields of the middle east by bypassing the strong defences around Egypt.

After advancing almost to El Alamein, we will conduct a fighting retreat in the face of the expected Operation Crusader, in order to allow our troops to entrench around Benghazi and El Agheila. These positions will then be held for as long as possible with existing troops, however no additional troops will be transferred to this front. If the Allies ever invade Vicky French Africa, we will then withdraw most of Afrika Corps to mainland Italy, leaving a small fighting force to hold out as long as possible around Tunis.

Hello JimmyC
I look forward to read about your approach to stop the Allies in Sicily and in the Normandy.

I played through the opening scenarios and generated quite a bit of prestige. So i start Barbarossa with about 6,000 prestige and am bringing a force of 3 Bf 109's, 4 Panzer IV's and 2 artillery (1x 15" and the other being the self propelled one).

Eastern Europe
With the commencement of Operation Barbarossa in late June 1942, our troops advanced along the entire Eastern front. Success was met along the entire front, with our forces pushing towards 3 main points - Moscow to the North, Kiev in the center/south and Odessa in the extreme South. A chance at encircling a large army in the area around Kiev led to us diverting the majority of our mechanized forces to Kiev from the drive on Moscow. As a result, we were able to either destroy of capture approximately 700,000 Soviet troops when the Kiev pocket was closed in November.

The remainder of our forces in the north reached a line along Orel->Briansk->Viasma, where we have occupied the cities and trenches formerly held by the Russians. With Christmas only days away, we are rushing further troops up (mostly infantry and AT) to reinforce the front line against the counterattacking Russian forces.

Further North, the Finnish troops have eliminated all resistance in the forests to the North of Lenningrad and are now concentrating on attacking the city itself. They are supported in this effort by elements of the Luftwaffe, as well as Germany artillery and the Spanish Blue division. No effort has been made to approach Leningrad from the South as intelligence that the southern approaches are heavily defended. Therefore our troops have only advanced to as far as Narva and no further.

In the South, our forces have taken Odessa and have bypassed the Crimean peninsula in order to push further east. Our heavy artillery and pioneers are being brought up in preparation for an assault on the peninsula and Sevastopol itself, scheduled for early 1943.

As noted above, with the approach of Christmas, the Russian counterattacks have increased in ferocity. The new T34 tank has proven more than a match for our armour and several of our Panzer II and Panzer 38(t) were annihilated. They have concentrated their counterattacks along the Stalino->Izyum->Kharkov line and have caught several infantry units in open terrain. Our lines are holding, but we are suffering significant casualties to these and other counterattacks.

North Africa/Middle East
After advancing almost to El Alamein, our troops have fallen back in the face of Operation Crusader to form strong defensive pockets around Benghazi and El Agheila. Here our troops are fending off the armoured forces that are pushing across the desert.

In the Mediterranean, the Regia Marina, after undergoing various repairs, concentrated North of Sicily, before sallying out to take on the British navy located around Tobruk. Supported in this effort by the Luftwaffe, the seas have mostly been cleared, allowing us to send forces further east for an assault on Cyprus, led by our Paratroopers. This is currently ongoing and is expected to conclude successfully early in the new year.

Concurrently with this effort, we have been concentrating our air forces for an assault on Malta. This has mostly manifested itself in a battle for the skies as the German and Italian fighters take on those of the British. However bad weather has intervened and seen our air force grounded. Once the weather improves, we will renew the battle.

Atlantic
In the Atlantic, our u boats have been sent to harass the sea lanes, whilst our surface fleet, after significant repairs and refit, have sallied out to support an invasion force to liberate Iceland. Our forces will set foot on Iceland early in the new year and after destroying the American invaders will then hold it for use as an air base, where our 2 Condor units will harass the shipping lanes.

1. Holding the line along Orel->Briansk->Viasma against the Russian counterattack.
2. The Finnish forces, with some German reinforcements are assaulting Leningrad from the North.
3. Our surface fleet bombards the US troops in Iceland prior to the landing of our invasion forces.
4. The Regia Marina, supported by long-range bombers, bombard Cyprus prior to launching a joint airborne and seaborne invasion.
5. Our troops fall back in the face of Operation Crusader, to form 2 strong defensive pockets around the cities of Benghazi and El Agheila.
6. A battle for the skies rages between the German, Italian and Allied air forces. Whilst we intend to eventually abandon North Africa, taking Malta will provide us with vital resources and could be useful as a staging base in the future.
7. A fierce Russian counterattack spearheaded by T34's hits our forces in the area of Stalino, Izyum and Kharkov.

Its been a long time since my last update, but I finally found some time to play a few more turns.

I will post an update shortly from the Northern/Central part of the front.

Leningrad


In late ’41 Our Finnish allies pushed on Leningrad from the North, but were unable to break the strong defences of the city itself. Therefore during the winter months we transferred some artillery and troops to assist in the effort. After laying siege to the North of the city for several months, we were able to enact a stunningly swift coup - after destroying the fort in late April and before the Russian troops to the South were able to react we attacked the heavily entrenched Russian troops in the North of the city from 2 sides and were able to rout them. We were assisted in this effort by the supporting Russian artillery running low on ammunition. This allowed the gallant Spanish Blue to capture the Northern half of the city and raise the Spanish flag over Leningrad.

Given the strong Russian armoured presence on the Southern approaches and our lack of armour and anti-tank weapons, our troops have been ordered to fortify themselves in preparation for the expected massive counterattack.

Approaches to Moscow


Our forces have been trying to establish a strong defensive position along the approaches to Moscow. This is in accordance with High Command’s directive to prioritize Army Group South’s drive on the Caucuses. We have also been conducting counter intelligence to give the Russian’s the impression that we are planning a final thrust towards Moscow. All indications are that Stavka have fallen for our ruse and have concentrated their forces around Moscow at the expense of their Southern front.

Probing forces have been pushed forward to gauge the enemies strength and attempt to strengthen our Northern flank with the capture of Rzhev (circled). This would allow us to present a united frontline (blue), protected from the North by the Volga river. Once Rzhev is taken and mopping up operations are conducted for the remaining Russian infantry South of this area of the Volga, it would allow us to shorten our front and redeploy some of our troops elsewhere.

Meanwhile, in the Mediterranean, we have gained control of the seas apart from some roving allied submarines and fortress Malta, which still holds out against our air assaults. Whilst the capture of Cyprus went smoothly, the landings near the coast of Aleppo have proven very costly, with Allied air supremacy inflicting significant damage on our invasion forces. In fact, the invasion forces are at risk of being driven back into the sea unless they can secure the beachhead.

Axis fighters are being diverted from Malta and the Eastern front to assist in regaining air superiority, whilst additional landing forces in the form of medium armour are being transported towards the landing sites. Whilst this will weaken our other fronts, it is hoped that it will provide the required impetus to recommence our drive on the oil fields of the Middle East.

Middle East
After transferring significant air assets to the coast of Aleppo we have managed to regain air superiority. This allowed us to use our Fallschirmjäger – dropping them behind the allied lines to disable the enemy’s artillery. Combined with the surface fleet of the Regia Marina bombarding the Allied defenders, it allowed our landing forces to both secure several beachheads and then push out to capture both Aleppo and Homs.



Before making the long drive out to the oil fields, our forces will head down the coast to capture the city of Beirut and its adjacent airfield, from which we will station some fighter support. Infantry are on route to garrison the recently captured cities and on arrival, we will then push out with an armour heavy force to attempt to capture the oilfields.

The great success of our landings has come at a cost, however. Allied fighter support increased around Malta and forced a temporary halt to our bombing efforts. Even worse, an Allied aircraft carrier and supporting destroyer have transferred vital supplies to the defenders. It is now looking increasingly unlikely that we will be able to capture the island before the bad weather of winter forces a halt to the operations, although further fighter support and a part of the surface fleet is in the process of being transferred from the Eastern Mediterranean to assist in the effort.

Army Group South
After being reinforced with additional armour and artillery from Army Group Centre, Army Group South has pushed to the Eastern bend of the River Don and the approaches to Stalingrad. We have also managed to capture Rostov and break through south of the River Don. Rather than assault Stalingrad directly, we have decided to exploit the capture of Rostov and attack south-east towards the Russian oilfields, which is the main objective. A small force will be left at the Eastern bend of the River Don to fend off any counterattacks from the direction of Stalingrad.



Further to the rear, our auxiliary forces have almost succeeded in capturing Sevastopol after a long and bloody fight. This will allow us to redeploy our heavy artillery to either sure up the defences along the River Don or alternatively to assist in the drive on the Caucuses.

The defence of Army Group South
Considerable thought has been put into defending the long and exposed flank of Army Group South. As seen in the above map, our forces hold all land to the West of the Don, with the Russian forces occupying the Eastern side. Rather than station our forces directly on the western bank of the Don, we have decided to station them further back. Infantry occupy major towns and other close terrain, such as woods, which will act as strongpoints. To the rear of these strongpoints we have mobile battle groups, consisting of armour (mostly panzer III’s) and some support infantry. We have deployed armoured cars within site of the main crossing points to provide early warning of any Russian incursions. Some tactical bombers with fighter support have also been allocated to this front to provide support to our troops. This should allow us enough time to concentrate our troops to repel any attacks.

There has been considerable opposition amongst the senior generals regarding this defensive strategy, with the majority preferring to maintain strong defensive forces directly opposite the main river crossings. This would allow our forces to hit the Russians when they are at their weakest (whilst crossing the Don). They also fear that our strong points and mobile battle groups could get overwhelmed if significant Russian forces are able to cross the Don unopposed.

However, High Command has overruled the generals, as such a plan would require a significantly larger defensive force – troops that are instead being used to spearhead the advance on the Caucuses. It would also put our defensive forces within range of the Russian artillery on the Eastern side of the Don, which would result in a protracted and bloody artillery duel unless we were to commit even more forces to crossing the Don and destroying the artillery.

Army Group Center occupies defensive positions in a line from Viasma in the North down to Orel in the South (green defensive line). Infantry and AT occupy these 3 cities and the extensive bunker network connecting them. These are supported by artillery, approximately half of which is self-propelled to allow for rapid reaction. And further to the rear are medium armour formations (circled blue), ready to respond to any pressing threats. There are limited air assets allocated to this front, with the majority of our forces assisting Army Group South’s advance to the Caucuses. Moscow remains within striking distance, requiring the Russians to maintain significant forces in the area and hopefully drawing their reserves away from the somewhat exposed flank of Army Group South.

German High Command are confident that Army Group Center will be able to withstand any attacks the Russians direct at them during the coming winter months.

Hello JimmyC,
I look forward to see your approach in the Caucasus and in the Near East.
Your AAR inspired me after a pause to go back to the battlefield and try one of McGubas savegames.

With kind regards
Werner

Glad to hear it GW. I just wish i had more time to play the game. But with work, wife, kids, etc. its so hard to find any free time.

And actually i decided to land an invasion force around Aleppo based on your previous AAR. Its worked surprisingly well so far.

Army Group South has been performing quite well and given my concentration of forces, i am confident of capturing the oilfields in the Caucuses before the winter of '43. Whether my covering forces will be able to hold the line at the River Don is another matter though...

My worst decision was to bring the German surface fleet to the Atlantic, invade Iceland, and purchase an extra Condor. Such a waste of resources!!

A brief update on the strategic situation from OKW, as the first snows of winter arrive.



Russian front
1. Leningrad – fierce fighting is ongoing, however the Finns are firmly entrenched in the city. Situation stable.

2. Army Group Center – Strongly entrenched along the line from Viasma to Orel. After a long lull in activity, the Russian’s are now sending probing forces. We have also detected large enemy infantry movements to the North of Viasma, however our troops block the roads, hindering enemy traffic. We expect the Russians to launch a major assault shortly.

Army Group South – consists of several components:
3.a Defence on the Don – no enemy activity reported west of the Don. However, intelligence expects a major Russian offensive shortly, therefore several more anti-tank battalions have been moved to the area.
3.b Advance on the Caucuses – Terek river is all that stands between us and the oil fields of Groznyy. Our engineers are currently constructing several pontoon bridges ready for an all-out assault across the river.
3.c The defences of Novorossiysk are also about to fall, which will free up additional infantry and artillery to assist in the assault on the oilfields.
3.d Large enemy forces have been detected southwest of Astrakan, which may pose a threat to our flank. However we have continued our drive on the oilfields and have not engaged these forces.

Mediterranean
4. Malta and North Africa – Intelligence reports suspicious Allied activity off the northwest coast of Africa and we have concluded that an invasion of French North Africa is imminent. This has led to an additional urgency in destroying fortress Malta before the American fleet arrives from the West. The Regia Marina and a strong tactical and strategic bombing contingent are being massed around Sicily, ready to counter the Allied surface fleet.

Near East - Intelligence reports a large concentration of enemy forces around the Suez Canal. Whilst our troops in Benghazi and El Agheila have withstood previous assaults, a decision has been made to evacuate the majority of our forces to Italy. This will allow them time to entrench in Sicily and along the mountainous west coast of the Italian peninsula, in expectation of a possible Allied invasion.

5. Middle East – After capturing Beirut and consolidating our forces, we have commenced the drive through the long desert towards the oilfields of Baghdad. Given the logistical complications of such an endeavor, combined with our infantry advancing on foot, it is expected to take a significant amount of time to reach the objective.

Atlantic/West
Western Front – A minor landing by Canadian troops at Dieppe has been driven back into the sea, although they managed to destroy one of our radar stations. The air war continues, with our flak batteries defending key cities, whilst two FW 190 squadrons target weakened fighters and any unescorted bombers. However for every Allied plan shot down, two more appear.

6. Atlantic - Our troops hold Iceland, using it as a base for our two Condor squadrons to attack the shipping lanes. Our surface fleet also lurks in the northern shipping lanes, supporting the few remaining uboats.

With the river Don having frozen over, the Russian’s launch a strong armoured attack against our forces holding the Eastern bend of the river Don. Heavily entrenched and covered by the blinding snow, we are able to inflict significant casualties on the advancing armour. However with supporting Russian infantry and artillery closing in, we are forced to abandon the airfield and pull back our forces to the southwest. The Luftwaffe are unable to lend their support to the battle, as the foul weather prevents any aerial operations.

Army Group Center are unable to send reinforcements as they are pinned down by Russian attacks from Moscow. However we have recently commissioned a heavy tank unit which may be decisive in stopping the enemy. This new Tiger tank is even now being transferred by rail to help shore up Army Group South’s flank.

The new year brings no joy for Army Group South. Just as we were advancing across the Terek River for a final assault on Groznyy and its oilfields, our forces were hit from behind by strong Russian forces that had been amassing southwest of Astrakan. Scattering and destroying our support troops, the heavy Russian KV and T34 tanks proved more than a match for even our newest model Panzer IV’s. We are now bitterly regretting our decision to rush the oilfields instead of engaging this army when we first encountered it last Autumn.

With our forces at risk of being overrun and our heavy artillery exposed, we have been forced to retreat towards Voroshilovsk in the north-west, where the wooded hilly terrain limits the maneuverability of the Russian tanks. We are now rushing infantry over from Novorossiysk to lend support to our embattled units.

In the far north west of the map, Russian troops can be seen attacking the Alpini troops holding Rostov. This attack came unexpectedly from the south east and threatens to cut off all units south of Rostov.

With the assistance of the Luftwaffe and supporting infantry reinforcements, we have defeated the Russian counterattack in the caucuses and are now mopping up the remaining Russian forces in the area. Our success in defeating the counterattack was costly, however, with some of our panzer and artillery units being annihilated. In conjunction with the mopping up operations, we have recommenced our assault on Grozny and are now confident of capturing its oilfields.

Much more worrying for OKW, however, is the situation around Kursk, which is now critical. Several Russian armies converged on the area and simply overwhelmed our heavily entrenched troops in and around the city. The combined arms, quality of armour and sheer number of the Russian forces proved too much for our beleaguered forces.


The Russians proceeded to capture Kursk and quickly besieged and capture both Orel to the north and Belgrod to South, whilst sending their lighter armour far to the west to harass and delay any reinforcements coming from this direction. This has led OKW to divert a part of our amoured forces and the majority of the Luftwaffe away from the oilfields, to assist in stopping the enemy’s advance.

I suffered a lot of casualties from both the Russian counterattack in the Caucuses and the push against Kursk. The former I was able to eventually defeat, however I was unable to counter the latter as most of my armour was in the caucuses. I’m now regretting making the push on the oil fields of Baghdad, as 2 Panzer IV, 1 Panzer III, plus supporting infantry, artillery and AA are tied up in this effort, when they are dearly needed on the Eastern front.

In fact I can now purchase units for the first time in the war!

A lone German infantry division stationed on the Kasserine Pass was all that stood between the Allies and Tunis. After being engaged and mauled by superior American infantry, they retreated to Tunis, only to be destroyed by the passing American surface fleet. With the weather clearing in early ’43 and just before the American surface fleet arrived, we captured fortress Malta. This allowed us to use it as a staging area for the Luftwaffe, which mercilessly pounded the American fleet on its arrival. The Regia Marina then moved in and directly engaged and destroyed the Americans.

With the American surface fleet now lying at the bottom of the Med we are confident that even with the capture of Tunis, any American invasion of Sicily will be blocked. We are therefore relocating part of the Luftwaffe (including the famed pilot Rudel) to the Eastern Front, whilst leaving a mixed force of Italian and German air units.

Hello JimmyC,
sounds that you have an interesting time.

Holding Malta should help you a lot in the defense of Italy.

In the east your approach remembers me about my first play through. Trying to reach the oil fields of the Caucasus from the north and then hit by the Red Army winter attack in the back. Made really a lot of trouble.

But I think, your troops that are on the way to the oil fields are a long term investment. If you can capture them soon you will have a comfortable resource situation for the second half of the war. This may prevent you from ending in a Bagration scenario where the Red Army breaks through the weakened German front line while you are defending France against the invasion.

So I look forward to read about your approach.

Hi,

I wonder what is going on in the Middle East with the supposed Allied offensive stating from the Suez area to the north towards Aleppo and Beirut and the paralel Axis offensive towards Baghdad?