PROKHOROVKA

[MaxF]

One of the most epic scenario of the game!

As I already played it some years ago, in this new campaign I was more confident with my improved skills: It ended up disastrously as I tried to get a DV, which I failed, plus having too many losses.
Replayed from - turn 23/27, I stopped the advance and settled a defensive line to gain a Marginal Victory. This brought me to the next scenario Kremenchug with a sane army and plenty of gold.
But I wanted to see if I could respect the orders and gain a DV in Prokhorovka... So I planned a different strategy.
I placed more units off the Donets in the SouthEast.
Placed less in the mountainous NorthWest.
And now I placed a mayhem armor force in the middle, which had the task to wipe out all the soviet armor in the field, in a wide counterclockwise maneuver, to evenutally approach Prohkorovka from the East with already all the soviet armor divisions eliminated; and finally join the NW forces in attacking the Hill in the middle; while a small group reformed after joining of the Donets sector would have taken Beleninko in the middle.
Doing so I ignored the Mountaneer units in the hills in the center-south-west. Ignored the soviet forces in the middle and NE of Prohkorovka, which eventually were faced in the end of the scenario.
Decisive Victory surprised me 2 turns in advance, in turn 25, as I forgot the scenario would end suddenly after keeping all the victory hexes, so I might reload from there and skip the useless elite replacements I made in that turn.

I will link the replay soon.

[TSPC37730]

This is one of my favorite scenarios. There's a lot of ways to approach it and a lot of good units available. The extra unit slots are fun too.

[MaxF]

The Order of Battle:
in this full grand campaign I wanted to rely more on a historical army, so I deployed also in Prohkorovka some units that with 42000 credits you would usually replace, getting only the ultimate armor available, especially I used in the whole Kursk battles 1 Marder III, 1 PzIII and 3 PzIV. Maybe 3 Tigers, plus the bonus 4th one are too much non historical ( ?)
I kept one KV1-C and 1 KV-85, using them as disposable frontschwein units.
(Strenght in the first column)

13 7,5cm Pak40 3* Mov+1
11 Marder III-H 2*
12 StuGIII-G 4* Ini+1 Spot+1
12 StuGIII-G 3* D+1
11 Nashorn 3* A+1 Spot+1
11 Elefant 3* Mov+1 D+1

12 PzIII-M 4* D+2 A+1 Mov+1
12 PzIV-H 4* A+1 D+1
12 PzIV-H 4* (Kerscher D+2 A+1)
11 Panther-D 3* D+3
12 Tiger 4* (Rondorf D+1)
11 KV-1-C 3* D+1
11 KV-85
12 SE PzIV-H 3* D+1 Spot+1
12 SE Panther-D 4* D+2 Spot+1
13 SE Tiger 4* D+1 Ini+1
12 SE Tiger 2*

12 Bruckpioniere+251/1 3* D+2
10 W.Inf (new recruit)
13 W.Inf 4* A+1 D+1
14 Grenadier 4* A+1 D+1
13 Grenadier 3* (Pein A+1)
14 Grenadier 4* (Oleh Dir Mov+1 D+2)
11 GebirsJaeger+250/1 2* (Allerberger)
13 Kradschutzen 3* A+2
14 SE W.Inf 4* A+1 A+2 D+1
14 SE Grenadier+251/1 4* Ini+1 D+2 D+1

10 10,5cm
13 10,5cm 4*
14 15cm+Truck 4* Range+1 Range+1
12 21cm+Transport 4* D+1
14 15cm Nblwf+Truck 4* A+1

12 StuH 4* A+2
14 Wespe 4* D+1
13 Hummel 4* D+1
12 Panzerwerfer 4* A+1 D+2
12 Panzerwerfer 4* A+1
13 Su-122 4*
13 Su-122 3*

13 Flak-88+Transport 3* Mov+1 D+2
12 Flak-88 2*
13 Flak-88+Transport 3* D+1 D+1
13 SdKfz 7/2 3* Mov+1
11 SdKfz 7/1 1*

11 Bf109-G 4* A+2
11 Bf109-G 3* (Kittel)
11 FW190 3* (Nowotny)
12 FW190 4* A+1 A+2
13 FW190 4* (H.Bar D+1)
12 Stuka 87-G Mov+1 A+1
12 Me410 4* A+2 Spot+1 D+1

Plus bonus sacenario units.

I didnt use the Recon Rudel (Me410), and I cannot deploy the real Rudel, since I didnt got him.
No Recon units, yet I liked to have ein motofarrad.

[Ursulet]

Nice job.

[MaxF]

.

[Ursulet]

You don't have any strategic bomber?

[MaxF]

You don't have any strategic bomber?

I have a Dornier 217E, with 4 stars, A+1 D+2 , overstrenghted to 14.
But I rarely deploy it. I used it very often until 1943, that's why he got 4 stars.
It's the first time I do the Dornier path. Firstly you do very little damage, but as you get more experience and OS, the Do17 becomes useful.
Then the Do217E comes very earlier than the other advanced bombers: when it appears on the field it's the best attacking plane you can get, in beginning of 1941.

[goose_2]

Ah the monster to beat all Monster battles of 1943, at least in number of units you field and the number of units you face.

This was my layout on Manstein:

(Keep in mind this was a layout comparison I did compared to Night Phoenix's original channel, I do not think this playthrough is around anymore, but he should be getting close to playing this battle again, and he is playing with a more historical core.)

I have no ide how I will face this battle on Ultimate Difficulty, I watched Richard Martin's but I will be playing very differently as I want to at least get a Marginal Victory. (I will soon be posting my playthrough of Streets of Moscow, and that is a thing of beauty/pain.)

Layout comparison between my layout and Night Phoenix’s for Prohkorovka:

(This is an incredibly difficult scenario and the layout needs to be very well thought out and approach extremely focused)

I held back 3 units to maximize starting prestige, and brought out 3 units I saw as needed to help fill out gaps in my initial layout. (Night Phoenix does not play like this instead he lays out a force that consists of units that still garner 100% Softcap)


On the Right South East portion of Rzhavets:

Night Phoenix has 2 Fighter’s, 2 Infantry, 3 tanks, 1 recon, 3 artillery, and 1 88.

I had: 6th SE Tiger +2 Def; 2nd KV-1B; +1 Range StuG3B; +1 Range/+3 Attack 88; +2 Att 17cm artillery; Bruckenpioniere; +1 Movement/+1 Range Nebelwerfer; Helmut Weinsberger; Albert Kerscher in Panzer 4G; Walter Nowatny Fighter.



On the Left North West near Pselets:

Night Phoenix has 4 Infantry; 3 artillery; 2 tanks; 1 AA; and 2 Fighter’s.

I had: +3 Att/+3 Def 17cm arty; +2 Movement/+2 Att 88; Josef Allenberger; Heinz Rondorf in Flamm’s; 1st SE Tiger +2 Att/+1 Initiative; +3 Def StuG3B; 3rd SU-122; +2 Att Nebelwerfer; +2 Att Gebirsjaeger; +1 Initiative Gebirsjaeger; 2 +2 Def Fighters.



In the Center:

Night Phoenix brought 2 Mobil AA’s; 4 Infantry; 3 AT’s; 7 arty’s; 5 tanks; 4 Fighter’s; 3 Tac Bombers.

I had: Uber Rudel in an Me-410A; +3 Def Bf109G; Otto Kittel, +3 Att, Heinrich Bar all in FW-190A’s; +3 Att/+1 Movement Nebelwerfer; +1 Spot Kradschutzen; Freidrich Pein; +1 Movement SdKfz 7/1 and +3 Def SdKfz 7/1; +3 Def/+1 Range Wurfrahmen; +3 Att StuG3G; 2nd-5th SE Tiger’s; +2 Att Elephant; Elephant; Oleh Dir; +1 Def StuG3B; +3 Att KV-1C; 105mm Polish arty; +2Att/+2Def sIG 38(t)m; +1 Range/+1 Att Wurfrahmen; +1 Spot Recon.


I had a very similar layout to Night Phoenix’s and was holding back some of my airforce as they are a lot more crippling towards softcap. Please watch Night Phoenix to see how he handled this difficult map, and certainly download my playthrough that I sent to hurly before my computer pooped on me.
It is found on page 5 of this AAR, towards the bottom.

(I hope this helps any player feel like they can handle this tough battle)

[MaxF]

I started the campaign with this custom difficulty:
Player Prestige 100% ; AI Prestige 150%
Player Experience 50% ; AI Exp 100%
Number of turns: +5 (I like longer scenario; it can be more difficult when you have to defend)
AI strenght +2 (+1 from Barbarossa)
Combat: Dice/Chess

The more difficulty is in the different core units: the new challenge was not to rely solely on armor; I used only 3 panzers until 1942. I always deployed the AT 37mm, then 50mm, finally the 7,5cm Pak40. Because I wanted skilled crews for the bigger TDs of 1943 44 and 45.
The goal is to have some skilled AT88, and defend Heimat mit them.

[Ursulet]

I kinda play with similar settings:
Ai + 2 strength 150% prestige
Me 75% prestige
But i didnt modify the number of tours. Thats a tad more challenging to finish off units compared to FM or rommel as i dont overstrength front lines units like fighters and tanks and most infanterie except for paratroopers.
I am at smolensk at the moment and managed all DV except for Lodz and canal albert, a MV and spoils of war ending in a loss.