Total War Playtest Report

Background

Purpose

Europa players delight in all kinds of "fixes" to cure problems in the game system, both real and imagined, but how many, if any, are appropriate to TW? Proposals have focused on the Eastern Front games as they currently are instead of how they will be. This is certainly understandable, but rather irrelevant to TW. It's rather a bit of a shame considering all the time and effort that go into somebody's idea, but the odds are against a fix for SE being appropriate for TW. Still some concepts might be useful.

At any rate the establishment of some sort of basis for comparison is necessary for the proper development of TW. And since I have all the necessary material...

Maps

Many cities have been rerated in size, both up and down and others added. Notable examples include Kalinin, Kherson, Shakhty, and Bryansk as dot cities, two new dot cities near Stalino and new reference cities such as Tirasopol, east of Chisinau, Belaya Tserkov, 3 hexes southeast of Kiev, and Krasny Luch, east of Stalino. A number of reference cities have been downgraded to point cities, including Dno, Luga, Millerovo, Korosten, Narva, Parnu and Ventspils. This has made airfield construction much more important than before.

The many new rail lines will greatly ease the German supply problems, but many are low-volume rail lines that will need to be upgraded. The road from Kherson to the Perekop Isthmus in the Crimea has disappeared which will greatly complicate German attempts to take the Crimea. The east-west road along the 18xx hex row in Odessa MD has been moved to the 18xx hex row and is a low-volume RR. There's another low-volume RR running from Rzhev to Bryansk through Vyazma that allows the historical Rzhev salient to survive, which it couldn't with the old map.

Soviet OB

Mainly because Sharp has specified that the Soviets deploy in two echelons and a reserve. The first must deploy within 2 hexes of the border, the second within 3 or 4 hexes and the reserves 5 or more hexes away. This creates opportunities for the Germans to penetrate the line on the border and overrun units. The first echelon in the Baltic MD is insufficient to fully cover the border and two holes must be left, one of which can be covered by border regiments, but that's hardly much of an obstacle.

Probably the biggest change is that most of the tank brigades must be built, generally from disbandment of mechanized divisions. This creates a huge incentive to conserve these units and not to squander them. Similiarly the tank corps must be assembled from existing tank and motorized brigades, rather than appearing ab inito. They're 8-5-8 from the start though. I also specified that the tank and mechanized divisions are rated as half-half-half AEC/ATEC with light tanks being half-half-neutral. Sharp hasn't endorsed this, but I feel that it better reflects the Soviet ineptitude at higher command echelons. The brigades are rated as usual. I can see no reason why any c/m divisions will survive past the winter with all these drawbacks, unlike some players's current habits.

A lot of the infantry divisions show up as forming and go to full some time later. For example 61 infantry divisions begin forming on Aug II, but start to trickle out on Dec I. However the Soviet player can try to activate them if necessary. The cavalry has also been severely downgraded and, at best, is rated 3-2-8* Cav X. The former 3-8s have been dropped to 2-1-8* and 1-8* brigades. His article in TEM 24 is a good preview of the new cavalry.

Sharp has also added volunteer replacements from certain MDs that arrive Jun II through Jul II. We're using the factories from my article in TEM 58. I've converted the naval units in A.E. Goodwin's article in TEM 54 to TFs and am only really using those rules as a guide and OB. However I was late in remembering to use these so we'll have to refit a number of units. Also Sharp and Goodwin don't agree on some stuff like the river flotillas, but we'll go with Sharp whenever they disagree.

The off-map and inactive MDs are treated much differently in Sharp's draft OB as there isn't a garrison requirement any longer, but players are only allowed to move units that are transferred to the "active Army". This fixes the problem of the worst units always forming the required garrison, but coupled with the garrison activation rules, doesn't unduly restrict the Soviet player.

The Soviet Air Force is divided into three contingents, the VVS (Frontal Aviation plus Long-Range Aviation), the PVO (air defense) and the VMF (Naval Air Force), the latter two having basing and mission restrictions. They are also divided by geographic areas with various restrictions similiar to the inactive MDs. Only VVS units in the Western MDs are subject to the suprise air attack. PVO units cannot perform anything other than CAP or interception unless enemy ground units are close. They must also base at PVO flak units, which replace static flak points. VMF units may only base at naval bases, not just every port.

Axis OB

Rules Changes

Rule 7B - Administrative Movement
In light of the severely underdeveloped nature of Russia we kept the admin move restrictions from SE, i.e. admin move on road or clear hexes only.

Rule 20G2b - Ground Support
The Soviets have a ratio of one air unit per every 5 non-artillery REs involved in a combat. This may be excessively restrictive.

Rule 20G2d - Harassment
Soviet Po-2s have one added to their tactical bombing strength when flying harassment missions during the day. They may fly harassment missions during the night, but lose their bonus if they do so.

Rule 31F2b - Suprise Attack (differences only)
German air units in the Arctic Theater do not participate in the suprise air attack.

20% (selected at random, rounding down) of the Soviet units eliminated are actually aborted, all others are eliminated. The following aircraft are out of production and are removed from the eliminated pool (if only aborted they may be repaired):

The Soviet player calculates his disrupted allowance by totalling the number of Soviet units eliminated or aborted in the suprise attack and dividing the number by 2, rounding down. This is the number of Soviet VVS air units that may be active at any one time. Aborted air units may not be repaired if the repaired air unit would be in excess of this number.

Place air units in excess of this in the disrupted box, in either the aborted or eliminated sides of the box as appropriate. 4 air units per turn may be moved from the disrupted box to the map beginning Jul I 41. Once the disruption box is empty, it is no longer in effect. The Jul I air reinforcements are transfers from the interior MDs and do not count against the disrupted allowance.

This is a bit harsher than the original, but since the PVO and VMF air units aren't affected at all, I feel that it's roughly equivalent.

Rule 32A2 - Romania
I restricted ground units in Romania from attacking or exiting until Jul I which reflects history better, but ZOCs for both sides do cross the border on Jun II. So 11th Army is stuck there and can't pin down or destroy any Soviet units during June.

Rule 33B - Occupation Territory
Germans must garrison each major city with 8 REs and each dot city with 2 REs. Security, police, and SS-Police units count double their size for purposes of this rule. This is designed to force players to use these units for their true purpose rather than mobile infantry in the Pripet Marshes.

Rule 35 - Lend-Lease
Lend-Lease reinforcement arriving via the northern route may only be attacked if every Code S air unit in the Arctic Theater flys a naval patrol mission anywhere in the Arctic Ocean. This mission doesn't expend any resource points. For each Code S air unit doesn't fly this mission one is added from the die roll.

Rule 38C2 - Railroad Upgrading
Any low-volume railroad hex may be upgraded to a high-volume railroad except for a low-volume railroad in a mountain hex. Only a railroad engineer unit may upgrade low-volume railroad to a high-volume railroad. The upgrade costs one resource point.
Certain roads may be upgraded to a low-volume railroad by a railroad engineer (only). These are specified in the orders of battle.

Road Construction

Some roads are printed on the map, but actually haven't be built yet. These are specified in the orders of battle. Any construction unit may build a road in the same manner as a fort is built, except that a resource point is not required. Keep track of newly-constructed road by use of any mutually agreeable marker, such as a railroad upgrade marker.

Rule 39D3 - Winterization
Grossdeutschland and the Lehr units aren't winterized, but the German infantry divisions with the following IDs are winterized: 1, 11, 21, 61 (all in 16th Army), 163 (Jun II reinforcement), 169 (Army Norway), and 198 (11th Army).

The Game

The Sides:

The Suprise Turn

The Brandenburgers drop at Tartu, Jelgava, Siauliai, Tarnopol and on a unknown fort. The fort turns out to have a defense factor and the sky gangster is eliminated. (We used Sharp's treatment of the Stalin Line rather than JMA's because I presumed that they were much the same. However, they are not and we'll follow JMA's next time. I don't believe that they've had much impact on play and I'm going to change the surving Stalin Line markers to forts or fortified areas as appropriate.

Army Norway
We placed a 7-6 and a Cons Eng in Petsamo and massed the rest near Salla along with the maximum of 10 REs of Finns. I've never believed that an offensive along the Arctic coast is worthwhile because of the supply difficulties. Even with the ability to build a road, it's just too much too trouble.

AGN
Overran a pair of border guards and exploited another hole in the defenses to ZOC most of the first echelon. The entire first echelon and portions of the second echelon were destroyed in Baltic MD.

AGC
Overran 6 points of stuff and vaporized most of the first echelon, although scattered units managed to survive. Brzesc-nad-Bugiem crushed by massed siege artillery.

AGS
Overran 4 points including a cavalry brigade, but density of Soviet forces limited any advance. About half of the first echelon was killed in Poland.

Jun II

German

AGC
Polished off most of the Bialystok Pocket, including one 8-5-8 Tank XX, but scattered Soviet units prevented much exploitation. However a weak panzerkorps did overrun the Pinsk river flotilla. A 6-10 and a truck moved a hex east of the RR intersection east of Pinsk while the rest of the corps moved north along the RR. Overran 14 strength points during the turn.

AGS
Airlifted 2 jager regiments to Tarnopol. Captured Lvov and exploited to relieve the units in Tarnopol. Overran 5 strength points during the turn.

Soviet

Northwestern TVD
Riga declared a Hero City. The Task Force based at Hango flees to Kronshtadt only suffering a single hit to the danger zone, but abandons the garrison to an ignoble fate. Panzerkorps across the Dvina is isolated as are a few other advance elements. Scorched earth policy only partially implemented.

Western TVD
Divisions moved to the best defensive terrain to inconvience the German advance. Most units withdraw to the Minsk area. 6-10 in the Pripet Marshes isolated, although trucks present. (Forgot that the Germans are automatically in supply during June, but this had no real effect.) Scorched earth policy begun in earnest.

Southwestern TVD
Major withdrawal to defensive terrain or the Dnepr and Dnestr River lines, Kiev and Odessa declared Hero City. Scorched earth begun with great effect.

Jul I

German

AGN
Riga surrounded, panzerkorps relieved and weak spearheads reach the 1939 border due to necessity to clear up Soviet rear guards, which are mostly isolated. Daugvapils overrun.

AGC
Bialystok Pocket polished off, general advance to the 1939 border and Minsk isolated. 6-10 in the Pripet relieved.

AGS
Cross the Prut River with the Romanians, and the main body approaches Berdichev, slowed by Soviet rear guards.

Soviet

Northwestern TVD
Luga line manned, serious fort constuction near Leningrad and 1939 border area heavily reinforced. Axis rail harassment on the RR lines covering the border area serious annoyance. Most armor pulled back behind the lines. Spearheads isolated, but trucks are present.

Western TVD
Contact restored with Minsk, but premature airfield demolition prevented a NKVD regiment from being flown in. Panzers near Minsk isolated although trucks are present. 1939 border area reinforced. Most armor pulled back behind the lines.

Southwestern TVD
4th Panzer Group isolated, but a truck is present. General withdrawal to the Dnepr River line. Bessarabia abandoned, Dnestr River line reinforced. More than extensive devastation!

Jul II

German

AGN
Holes are punched in the Pskov-Polotsk line, but the crappy terrain prevents much in the way of exploitation, although a 3 hex-wide corridor is blown open right into a couple of wooded intermittent lake hexes that will be very useful next turn. Tartu reinforced, at last, with a 6-10 and a bunch of motorized non-divs. Big gap between units near Pskov and Tartu.

AGC
Minsk falls and the infantry is almost up to the Soviet lines. Infantry manages a single overrun to unisolate the Panzer spearheads and a truck is also expended. Infantry does attack Soviets in the Pripet, continuing that slow process.

Most of the panzers head for the Polotsk area during the exploitation phase to blow a very large hole in the Soviet defenses the next turn. AGS
Seized Vinnitsa and exploited forward to the vicinity of Kiev. Bessarabia reoccupied and the Dnestr is crossed. 33 points of Soviets destroyed isolated.

Soviet

Northwestern TVD
Riga evacuated, but only the best elements of the garrison are taken with the Red Fleet. No damage is sustained in the run to Tallinn. The first Soviet attack of the game! The Soviets debouch in strength from the Tallinn and Pskov positions, the latter using the new road west from Pskov. The long ignored spearhead in Tartu is killed on a HX, 11 points of isolated losses!. Four bombers are aborted and a I-152 is shot down from 5 pts of flak in the attack. The SF -1 flak modifier against Type B air units flying GS or harassment makes itself well known. This may be a problem for the Soviets as they don't have many type A aircraft yet. 3 Il-4s fly harassment missions over clear terrain hexes southeast of Pskov to hinder any German advance northwards.

A NKVD motor rifle and a 4-3-8 mech division move south to isolate all of the heavily reinforced Panzer Groups 3 and 4 in combination with infantry divisions oozing forward. Trucks are present which will limit the problems that isolation will cause. This is the third consecutive turn that the panzers have been isolated.

Continued heavy rail harassment on the lines seriously compromise any movement of reinforcements forward to the Pskov-Polotsk area. The isolation of the panzers is only likely to slow down the Germans, not seriouly hamper their combat operations so units occupy positions in Dno, swamps near Velikie Luki and the leading wooded swamp hex of the Valdai is occupied by the second strongest mechanized corps in the Red Army (included an 8-5-8 tank XX).

Western TVD
The whole front between Polotsk and Pskov is likely to implode next turn. To prevent being rolled up from the north, the river north of Vitebsk is occupied in some strength as are swamp and forest hexes connecting that line to the edge of the Valdai. Rear guards are left behind between Minsk and Orscha to delay the Germans although few are likely to survive long since the German infantry is finally going to be able to engage in large scale combat next turn.

Southwestern TVD
Virtually all units fall back behind the Dnepr. Much the same in Odessa MD although some troops remain behind to man the now worthwhile Stalin Line forts along the Prut.

Aug I

German

AGN
I really wasn't expecting the attack at Tartu and wonder if my reinforcement focused John's attention on the opportunity. C'est la guerre du papier! The follow on infantry manages to overrun the 2 divisions isolating the panzers which spread out to ZOC everything from two hexes south of Pskov to the river north of Vitebsk. The remaining infantry is able to engage the leading Soviet forces so that an 11 hex gap is blown in the Soviet defenses. They've prepared for this with ZOCs covering the approaches to the Luga line, but the terrain doesn't favor a similiar tactic further to the east after the intermittent lake hex on the Vitebsk-Dno RR is cleared during combat. A gap between the occupied bad terrain permits unimpeded movement all the way to the mechanized corps barring the way to Vishny Volochek (it ain't San Jose, but I'd be more than happy to go there at this point!).

After serious debate the decision is made to "Go East, Young Man!" Enough movement remains to move a hex into the woods on either side of the mech stack and threaten to turn south to take Smolensk from the North, continue East and clear much of the Valdai, or turn Northeast and begin a deep envelopment of Leningrad on the Eastern side of the Volkov River. The panzer corps are broken down into single divisions to guard the flanks of this huge salient. And one corps is pulled south from the Pskov area to isolate the 9 point stack in the corner of the swamps next to Velikie Luki. This time the terrain works for me to secure my flanks, but a continuous line of divisions runs along the Velikie Luki-Vishy Volochek RR to ensure that I'm in supply even though the trucks are well forward. There's a four hex gap wide open between the panzers in the swamps 2 hexes south of Pskov and the stack isolating the fellows holding the corner of the swamp. I'd be more concerned if there were more Soviet mech forces available to exploit the gap, but I don't really expect the mech stack in Staraya Russa, just south of Lake Ilmen to take advantage of the opportunity.

Massive levels of harassment on the rail lines leading from Vishy Volochek (mostly) and Rzhev to the Valdai should inhibit any massive response to my thrust. I captured the airbases at Velikie Luki and Polotsk intact and can stage an unlimited number of bombers through them to fly harassment at normal strength, rather than extended-range strength. I think this is an abuse, but since our opponents do much the same around Kiev, we'll continue to play RAW. I just need to remember to build some airfields so they won't stack up at a pair of one capacity airbases.

AGC
The Soviet defenses between Polotsk and Minsk are vaporized as the infantry has finally closed up with the front line. Only two panzer corps are left in the clear terrain between Minsk and Orscha; all the others have gone northwest to screen the flanks of the Velikie Luki bulge. Only a few hexes north of the Pinsk-Gomel RR in the Pripet are occupied by the Soviets, but it will take two or three turns more to clear out completely. Soviet defenses in the Orscha landbridge are week and are oriented north. Orscha, Gomel, Mogilev and Vinnitsa are firmly defended, but there's not much else there until Vyazma. However, Roslavl is held by a 21 point mech corps and 2x 3-6 Rifle XXs as flankers. The potential exists to pocket the 60-odd points in the Vinnitsa-Orscha area depending on my opponent's decisions this next turn. I'm starting to wonder if we're finally beginning to wear the Soviets down. 700+ plus points of losses ought to be good for something!

AGS
1st Panzer Group masses for an attack across the Dnepr just south of Kiev and the Soviets stage in CAP over the threatened hexes. The bombers, escorted by a single Me 110E, bore in regardless. Three are aborted, but the rest survive unscathed, despite 7 defending fighters! A hole is successfully punched when 3 of the 4 panzer stacks mass on one 9 point defender and get a DE! The Dnepr River line is breached. A couple of infantry corps are finally in position to attack Kiev itself next turn. What will the Soviets do now?

Further south Odessa is moved adjacent to, but most of the Axis are still barely east of the Dnestr.

Replacement Situation
The German dead include an Aslt Gun II, a SS-Pol III, a Sec III, 2 commandos, a mot AT II and a Luftwaffe 0-1-10 mot AA II. The Romanians have a 2-1-8 Art III and a MG X.
Unused replacement points include 15 inf and 11.5 arm of Germans, 3 Finnish and 2 Romanian infantry RPs.

Soviet

Northwestern Front
John did the unexpected and built a 5-hex wall of armor right where my leading elements were. He even counter-attacked twice there at 4:1-2 odds! One even worked! With an HX against one of my 14 point panzer stacks; the other was an DR. Meanwhile I had the usual problem of interdicted supply lines along with ZOCs everywhere along the rail lines running through the Valdai
Further north, he set up defense lines in the swamps near Dno, along the Luga and Lovat Rivers while still holding Pskov and Tartu in strength. Curiously he left a small gap just north of Dno uncovered which offers interesting possibilities. Losing the 12-10 is no big deal as I have plenty of RPs, and can replace it in Velikie Luki, but dealing with the wall of armor is going to be frustrating as I can't maneuver to completely ZOC all of it next turn. One hex too far to travel, I guess.

Western Front
Not much going on in the center as demolitions began east of Orscha. The infantry near Vitebsk arranges itself to delay the Germans as much as possible. The swamp rats fall back a hex row or so.

Southwestern Front
I think this is the turn where Greg mans the last of the Stalin Line forts along the Dnestr for some reason. The Dnepr river line begins to get troops.

Aug II

German

Army Group North
I manage to work my way partially around the ends of the wall, but was one hex short of isolating the entire group. Still I manage to crunch two stacks during combat and isolate the rest in exploitation. Further north I take another hex in front of Pskov and move some panzers north to threaten the Luga Line.

Army Group Center
Minor pincers close behind Orscha and clear out most of the defenders in the Vitebsk-Orscha-Mogilev area, except at Vitebsk itself.

Army Group South
I think this is when Mark surrounds and eliminates most of the forces along the Stalin Line. Panzer Group 1 charges forward to get as close to Kiev as possible. Odessa is surrounded, but no attempt is made to attack it.

Soviet

Northwestern Front

Counterattacks made in the Valdai and near Pskov also at 2/1 -1 without significant success. Valdai heavily reinforced. Victorious troops from battle of Tartu move north into Estonia. Western Front
Rzhev-Vyazma-Serpukhov line is partially manned and construction on fort line continues.

Southwestern Front
Panzer Group One is isolated, but trucks stationed with it make it mostly irrelevant. Dnepr line reinforced.

Sep I

German

Army Group North
Starya Russa at the southern tip of Lake Ilmen is seized, much to the suprise of the Soviets. This pockets a couple of Soviet stacks in the swamps including one with a NKVD regiment. One isolated stack of armor is eliminated, but attention is devoted mostly to seizing key terrain in the Valdai before the Soviets can occupy it in force.

Army Group Center
Vitebsk is isolated and taken, but not much progess is made in this sector as the panzers are one hex short of Smolensk due to ZOCs.

Army Group South
Panzer Group 1 breaches the Dnepr line just south of Kiev and Kiev itself is taken at 5/1 -2 with an EX. No armor is lost in the exchange.

Soviet

Northwestern Front
Massive reinforcements to the Valdai where the surviving isolated armor regains contact with the front lines.

Western Front
Demolitions completed back to Vyazma and Bryansk. Hexes of bad terrain occupied to exert ZOCs across the front.

Southwestern Front
Odessa is evacuated to the maximum extent possible and the Dnepr line is evacuated back to the river line at Kremenchug.

Sep II

German

Army Group North
Pskov finally captured, one isolated stack eliminated in the swamps. Panzers at Staraya Russa move to cross the Lovat River and also capture Novgorod. Remaining Soviet armor in my rear proving to be major annoyance, but again attention is focused on key terrain, although I did manage to reisolate them.

Army Group Center
Smolensk finally captured. Major advances only within mud supply lines lengths of roads.

Army Group South
Odessa occupied against minor resistance. Again advances limited to possible mud weather next turn.

Soviet

Northwestern Front
Evacuation of Estonia begun, Tallinn abandoned. Luga Line heavily reinforced

Western Front
Valdai held in force, especially hexes with transportation lines. Fortified line from Valdai to Bryansk heavily manned by abandonment of everything forward. Isolated armor stacks are maneuvered to cut supply lines in the Valdai.

Southwestern Front
Not counting on mud to slow up the Soviets the retreat continues to Kursk-Kharkov-Dnepropetrovsk-Zaporozhe line and into the crappy terrain north and north west of Kiev.

Oct I

German

Army Group North
Mud in this theater cripples German logistics and attacks. Even still a number of attacks are made at no less than 7:1. An corps is eliminated north of Tartu, and another in the swamps south of Lake Ilmen that included a NKVD unit. The hex southeast of Lake Ilmen is taken and the 1-8* Cav X in the back line due east of the lake is overrun during exploitation by the participating panzers. Unfortunately a river will inhibit any advance next turn as will the close proximity of the Moscow Leningrad RR and a 7-6 Siberian division. The panzers in Novgorod are surrounded on five sides, but 17 flak points and the rivers should deter any adventurism by the Soviets.

Army Group Center
My lead elements in the Valdai are out of supply, due to those pesky mech units roaming my rear, but I order them to defend in place and do not expend a truck. I eliminate one stack with infantry, but only attack a clear hex near Rzhev and DH it, eliminating a 4-3-8 Mech XX. Operations in the clear terrain south of the Valdai are greatly hampered by the RR engineers still two hexes short of Smolensk. In the Valdai proper they have regauged up to the front line.

Army Group South
Still clear, but mud is expected shortly. With that caveat in mind Kursk is taken by two panzer corps, supported by a couple of trucks to threaten the Soviet flank southwest of Moscow. The rest of the panzers focus on a grouping near Gomel, but fail to completely elimate it. The Pripet Marshes are officially declared clear of Soviet forces. Nikolaev and Cherson are occupied only slightly outside the mud supply line length of the RR Engineers advancing from Odessa.

Unfortunately I lost the detailed casualty records for this turn, but I've reconstructed them as best possible.

Soviet

Northwestern Front
A huge counterattack is mustered against the weak panzer corps in Novogorod. A few VVS bombers manage to survive the 17 points of AA, but for naught as the final odds ratio is 4:1 -2 and a 1 is rolled. AR! German ZOCs eliminate the stack across the river NE of Lake Ilmen and everyone falls back except the most southerly stack which stands pat after looking behind them and observing the NKVD. Valor is the better part of discretion!

The withdrawal from Estonia continues, but only as forced by the Germans.

Western Front
The area near Orel is reinforced in case the panzer corps in Kursk gets frisky and the Moscow defenses are reinforced.

Southwestern Front
Kharkov and Zaporozhe are designated as Hero Cities while most everyone else falls back to the Mius River.

Oct II

German

Army Norway
The turn of impotence begins as the attack at 6:1 -3 along the Allakurtti axis rolls an AS. A few more divisions shipped to Oulu to replace the losses suffered over the last several turns.

Army Group North
Attacked the stem hex behind the steadfast Soviets west of Novgorod and DR'd it at 7:1 -3. The advance isolated it totally. The only losses inflicted in the muddy areas came on a HX at 6:1 -3 west of Lake Ilmen, but I didn't advance into the hex because of a severe shortage of troops. I attacked the last surviving mech XX (U-4) from the wall of armor at with two divisions at 6:1 -4 and rolled the AS! Now the little bastard will probably try to maneuver to put somebody out of supply.

My attempt to relieve my out of supply panzer corps fails as an AS is rolled at 6:1 -4. I would have been happy to accept the DR turned into an EX from the NKVD present as the Soviets are sitting on the rail hex I need to get my supplies forward. But the wooded intermittent lake hex and a lake hexside prevented me from trouncing them as I should despite rail gun support and the wholesale intervention of the Luftwaffe.

Army Group Center
The breach is widened on the Veliki Luki-Rzhev RR, but only with a DR. The regauged RR reaches Smolensk. Otherwise little action as forces are transferred north.

Army Group South
The panzers from Kursk raid the northern end of the Mius River line and fall back on their supply base in anticipation of mud next turn. The Luftwaffe attempts to bomb the Black Sea Fleet without success. The Gomel Operational Grouping is eliminated.

Soviet

Northwestern Front
The lonesome mech XX does indeed move to interdict the supply line running through Staraya Russa, but his continued survival cannot be anticipated, especially once cold weather hits.

A counterattack is mustered against the tip of the German spear in the Valdai. They are U-2 with mud, but AS is rolled despite mass committment of the VVS.

Western Front
Not much to report as the Moscow defense lines are improved and reinforced despite enemy antipathy in the sector. Construction proceeds on an inner fort line only 3 hexes from Moscow and to extend the outer fort line to to Tula.

Southwestern Front
The Voronezh area is reinforced to discourage adventurism.

Nov I

German

Army Group North
Attacked NW of Novogorod with a DR and strengthened the forces between the pocketed corps and the front lines to prevent a successful break out. DE'd a weak stack in front of the Luga River and DR'd my way next to Narva. Massive Luftwaffe intervention was necessary to force my way west on the Dno-Vishny Volochek low-cap RR, but it was successful with a HX on a 7:1 -3. Finally killed off the pesky Mech XX in the swamps south of Lake Ilmen with the newly-formed 7th Flieger Division and others.

Army Group Center
Pounded in the front line with a pair of DRs. Occupied Vyazma with its airfield intact (overlooked by Greg, I think, since he's devastated every thing else in sight). Little else to report.

Army Group South
Panzer Corps Kursk headed north to Orel, being careful to stay in range of the airhead at Kursk, but failed to reach the city itself. The RR regauging has been successful enough so that the infantry can threaten Kharkov if frost occurs next turn while remaining in supply this turn.

Soviet

Northwestern Front
Virtually every hex in the front line now has 1/7 ATEC and some of them have 1/7 AECD in anticipation of frost weather next turn. Average strength is around 16 except for the forces between Luga and Narva. Formation of a third line begins in the Valdai and areas along the Moscow-Leningrad RR.

Western Front
Defenses of Orel are reinforced as well as the those of the Tula area in light of the threat from Kursk. A double line is in place from Vyazma to the Valdai, but only a single line from Vyazma to Tula, mostly in forts, but only with strengths between 7 and 9 points.

Southwestern Front
The Perekop Isthmus leading to the Crimea is strongly held with an NKVD regiment. The deletion of the RR between Nikolaev and Simferopol aids the defense greatly. Only certain areas are held in strength. Kharkov is a hero city and Zaporozhye is held in some strength, but the bulk of the Front's forces are held back along the Mius River north to Stalino and around Voronezh.

Nov II

German

Army Group North
Just south of Narva a single 3-6 is attacked at 6:1 -1 and DR is rolled. A couple hexes southeast an 8 point stack is attacked at 5:1-2 and the 1 is rolled to stop the Germans in their tracks. The U-2 isolated stack west of Novgorod is attacked at 5:1 -2 and the 1 is rolled for an AS! Success doesn't happen until the attack on Luga itself when my engineers negate the Soviet fort and a DE is rolled on the 5:1 column. East of the Volkhov, a DR is rolled on 3:1+1 to move the Germans adjacent to the Moscow-Leningrad RR. More DRs are rolled on two attacks at 5:1 or better just north of the Valdai. So much for pre-emptively destroying any Guards divisions before snow hits. However the Nazis are more successful on the Veliki Luki-Vishny Volochek RR as the lakes in the Valdai are frozen on the first turn of cold weather, unlike intermittent lakes, and more artillery is massed against the 20 points of defenders. We muster 88.5 points on the ground and call upon the Luftwaffe for aid. No Soviet fighters rise to challenge the Luftwaffe after the heavy losses incurred over the fighting north of the Valdai which saw 4 Soviet fighters killed for the loss of 1 Me 109E. We get the 5:1 +3 and DE is rolled.

During exploitation 4th Panzer Group scrambles to cover all the territory taken, but manages to send one division to overrun a single tank brigade just behind the Luga, but lack of movement prevents any deeper exploitation.

Army Group Center
3rd Panzer Group forces a DR in the clear terrain west of Rzhev and another north of Vyazma, but most of the major activity is further south. 2nd Panzer Group is transferred to the Kaluga area for a major operation against the weak defenses between Kaluga and Vyazma in conjunction with 2nd Army. From north to south the assault gets a DR, HX, DE, EX and DR, mostly at 4:1 -1, which cadres a panzer and an infantry division, but opens a three hex wide gap which 2nd Panzer Group promptly proceeds to exploit, overrunning two forts with their 1 point defenders along the Moscow-Bryansk RR. They fall back one hex from their maximum advance to minimize the possibility of being cut-off from 2nd Army, despite their two trucks.

Army Group South
1st Panzer Group takes Orel while 6th, 11th and 17th Armies take Dnepropetrovsk, Nikopol and Dneprozerdinsk. All units staying in mud supply range in case mud occurs again. The Crimea cut off from supply by a Romanian ZOC SW of Zaporozhye.

Soviet

Northwestern Front
1st Guards Army successfully attacks a security XX stacked with a flak regiment in Novgorod and destroys the airfield with the NKVD regiment after 4 REs of supply is flown in. 40th Panzer Corps is attacked at 3:1 +1 and an DR is rolled rather than any of the many possibilities that inflict losses. 43 Corps is attacked south of Leningrad at 3:1 and AS is rolled.

The Luftwaffe invents the air-to-air missile a few years early as 12 Soviet fighters are killed, mostly, or aborted while 3 German Stukas are aborted. One enterprising dive-bomber unit even managed to hang the missiles on their Ju 87s and shot down a MiG-3!

Western Front
A marauding motorcycle regiment overruns a RR Eng regiment SE of Smolensk, but that's about the only success for the turn. One of the stem hexes in the breakthrough area is attacked at 4:1 -2 and AS is rolled.

Southwestern Front
A cavalry brigade volunteers to reestablish the Crimea's rail communications and is awarded the Order of Lenin for their imminent sacrifice.

Dec I

German

Army Group North
Little of note as the slow process of forcing the Soviets back continues. The impudent 10th Army at Novgorod is wiped out isolated with heavy losses (7:1 -3, DR becomes EX due to NKVD). More losses are incurred when the stubborn 1st Guards Army in the Valdai is wiped out by a panzer assault over the frozen intermittent lakes (4:1 -1 DR becames EX due to NKVD). The VVS pays a severe price against the newly deployed X-4 anti-aircraft missiles as a dozen fighters are shot down for only three aborted Stukas.

Army Group Center
Losses mount as another EX is rolled at 5:1 -3 and 2 HX's are rolled at 7:1 -2 and 5:1 -3 as 2nd Panzer Group attempts to expand its salient's shoulders with some success.

Army Group South
The overrun RR Eng III is replaced at Kursk and begins to regauge back toward the rail head east of Konotop. A couple of Soviet units are overrun, placing Zaporozhye out of supply again and clearing the vicinity of Dnepropetrotsk.

Soviet

Northwestern Front
Disaster near Leningrad! A 4:1 -2 attack results in a AR which forces the abandonment of the jump-off positions, except for the heroic 10th Army. Two river flotillas are destroyed by their fleeing crews. Marshall Timoshenko is recalled to Moscow to 'discuss' this second failure.

Western Front
The Winter counter-offensive has begun! 22nd Army attacks near Vyzama at 4:1 +1 and destroys a weak German corps and a truck holding the shoulder of 2nd Panzer Group's salient. The rebuilt 1st Guards Army counterattacks at 3:1 and DHs a German corps. However the strength of the Germans precludes any other offensive efforts.

Southwestern Front
Despite attempts at German interference the Black Sea resupplies the Crimea without losses.

Dec II

German

Army Group North
Bolstered by a NKVD regiment, 10th Army succumbs to a German assault at 8:1-4 with a DR, modified to EX. AS is rolled against 3rd Guards Army at 5:1-3 on the northern outskirts of the Valdai. The Germans slowly advance in the Valdai and west of the Luga River.

Army Group Center
2nd Panzer Group destroys 24th Army at 7:1 -3, but cannot advance any closer to Moscow due to the weight of Soviet reinforcements in the area.

Army Group South
The attack on Zaporozhye stalls due to Romanian incompetence (5:1 -4, AS)

Soviet

Northwestern Front
Minor adjustments are made to bolster the front-line forces.

Western Front
Vyazma is successfully attacked at 3:1 +1, but is too exposed to be retained. Several tank brigades advance to destroy the airfield and rail line, and regain friendly lines successfully.

Southwestern Front
Zaporozhye is awarded the Order of Lenin for its heroic defense. Kharkov is reinforced and designated as a Hero City.

Jan I

German

Army Group North
Narva finally falls on an exchange, but, north of Luga, the Germans triumphantly advance over the bodies of the defenders. Some losses are taken in the Valdai (HX), but the attack on 3rd Guards Army was repulsed (4:1 -3, AR).

Army Group Center
Despite major intervention by the remains of the VVS, 4th Army and 2nd Panzer Group grind forward with only a few losses east of Vyazma (DH and HX). 2nd Army heavily damages 38th Army which is forced to retreat (8:1 -3, DH).

Army Group South
The approaches to Kharkov are cleared in two brisk attacks and Zaporozhye falls to an exchange.

Soviet

Northwestern Front
The loss of Narva forces 28th and 29th Armies to retreat back across the Luga River. The NKVD regiment assigned to 12th Army dissuades any attacks at the point where the front line bends SE along the Leningrad-Moscow RR.

Western Front
Most reinforcements are directed to the Tula and Voronezh areas. Little other action.

Southwestern Front
The forgotten front! It will take a month or so before the fascists can even reach the front lines near Stalino after taking Kharkov.

Jan II

German

Army Group North
The advance continues, hex by hex, except 3rd Guards Army repulses another thrust at the usual 5:1 -3. Near Narva 34th Corps is bloodied, but triumphant (5:1-4, EX)! Ever so slowly, 3rd Panzer Group begins to put the Valdai behind it.

Army Group Center
6th Corps moves adjacent to Rzhev on a HX at 5:1 -2. 2nd Panzer Group is only successful near Vyazma (HX) as the attack on 24th Army fails to budge the defenders.

Army Group South
Kharkov surrounded by 17th Army, while 6th Army marches on to Voronezh. 1st Panzer Group is split between supporting 6th Army and attacking along the Orel-Tula axis. 2nd Army and 1st Panzer Group force the Soviets to retreat closer to Tula on a pair of DRs.

Soviet

Northwestern Front
Little to report as the frontline hexes are optimized. 3rd Guards Army awarded the Order of the Red Banner for defeating continuous attacks by the fascists.

Western Front
The Tula and Voronezh areas are reinforced as 6th Army will be able to attack north of Voronezh next turn.

Southwestern Front
The heroic defenders of Kharkov gird their loins for what they are about to receive. The Stalino fortified line is filled out. The Black Sea Fleet has yet to suffer any casualties running supplies to the Crimea.

Feb I

German

Army Group North
3rd Guards Army evinces a stubborness most uncharacteristic of the mass of the Soviet Army as the typical 5:1 -3 attack again fails to move them one step backwards. Other attacks are more successful as the Germans advance north of Luga (DR), west of Vishny Volochek (DH) and west of Rzhev (DH)

Army Group Center
The shoulders of 2nd Panzer Group's salient are broadened by 4th Army's successful attack near Vyazma (5:1 -3, DR), but the massed panzers are replused by 1st Guards Army (4:1 -4, AR). However good leadership allows them to recover their starting positions.

Army Group South
The emaciated defenders of Kharkov cannot prevail against the Master Race (9:1 -5, DH). At the upper reaches of the Don the Soviets give a better account of themselves as 6th Army bloodies itself crossing the frozen river (5:1 -2, EX). 2nd Army also gains a bloody victory near Belev (5:1 -2, EX)

Soviet

Northwestern Front
Little to report as the destroyed defenders are replaced by new forces.

Western Front
The yawning gap between the Voronezh operational grouping and the Tula forces is filled in somewhat, but still a 5 hex gap exists. The Upper Oka River fortified line is not much longer for this world and fortifications are begun behind the current positions.

Southwestern Front
34th Army along the upper Don falls back to better defend 37th Army's flank. Contact is imminent north of Stalino, but 11th Army mostly controls Romanian and Hungarian troops which pose little threat. Still the victorious 17th Army is likely to head SE towards Stalino. 60th and 62nd Armies are heavily reinforced.

Feb II

German

Army Group North
3rd Guards Army finally falls to a HX! Hitler dances a jig, or is it the Funky Chicken? Body blows are exchanged NE of Luga as the Soviets are thrown out of a forest hex (5:1 -4, EX). An attack at the southernmost hex of the Luga River line fails (5:1 -3). 14th and 57th Panzer Corps continue their winning ways on the southern fringe of the Valdai with another DR that will force the Soviets to abandon a fortified position lest they inflict a ZOC kill.

Army Group Center
Another hex of the Vyazma-Moscow RR is cleared with a DH (5:1 -2). 11th Panzer Division is cadred as 1st Guards Army is forced to retreat (4:1 -2, HX). 2nd Army exchanges against 6th Guards Army (5:1 -3) which will force 2nd Guards Army to retreat from its fortified positions (ZOC kill).

Army Group South
11th Army closes up to the Stalino Fortified Line, but is too weak to attack without considerable support, which is not forthcoming. 37th Army stops 6th Army in its tracks north of Voronezh. 17th Army moves SE towards Stalino.

Soviet

Northwestern Front
The Luga River sector is reinforced due to intelligence reports of imminent German attacks.

Western Front
The gap between the Tula and Voronezh sectors is reduced to only 3 hexes as most of the reinforcements bolster both sectors.

Southwestern Front
17th Army will attack 60th or 62nd Armies next turn, but should have little success.

Mar I

German

Army Group North
The reinforced Luga River positions rebuff two attacks by 18th Army, but, east of Novgorod, 19th Army is forced back onto the Moscow-Leningrad RR on a DR (5:1 -3). 4th Guards Army is also forced to retreat in the Valdai on a 6:1 -4. 14th and 57th Panzer Corps are rebuffed for the first time by 4th Shock Army at 5:1 -3.

Army Group Center
3rd Army extracts a heavy toll from 3rd Panzer Group NW of Rzhev (5:1 -3, EX) wthout benefit of NKVD. This will allow Rzhev to be attacked from three sides next turn. The Soviet defenses are too tough for 4th Army and 2nd Panzer Group to attack on the northern flank of the salient north of Moscow (only 4:1 -3 can be achieved with NKVD present), so 2nd Panzer Group's attention turns south with mixed success. 6th Tank Army is destroyed at heavy cost to the attackers (5:1 -2, EX), but 5th Guards Tank Army stubbornly remains in place (5:1 -3, AS).

Army Group South
38th Army again refuses to yield ground to the attacking 6th Army (5:1 -3). The 6th Army commander expresses some concern about his flanks and the 9 hex gap between it and AGC's 2nd Army. However 65th Army adjacent to Stalino readily yields ground to 11th Army.

Soviet

Northwestern Front
Minor optimization of hexes that are expected to be attacked next turn.

Western Front
Tula area reinforced to withstand the forthcoming attacks. Only a single hex separates the southern wing of the front from the northernmost hex of Southwestern Front.

Southwestern Front
1st Corps is successfully attacked from 4 hexes at 5:1 even up. Unfortunately most of the defenders were German c/m, but an 8-6 is cadred and the Slovak armor reg't is destroyed on the DR result. Stalino area somewhat reinforced, but most forces are fed into the Tula-Voronezh area where 6th Army's open flank offers opportunities for ZOC kills, or at least decent attacks since the Soviets struggle to assemble more than 25 points per hex in an attack. The imminent assembly of 8 tank corps (8-5-8) on Apr I has great potential if they are deployed in this area in mass.

Mar II

German

Army Group North
The remains of the Luga River Line are finally breached in two spots which will force 29th Army to retreat lest it get ZOC'd. The attacks resulted in a HX (5:1 -4) and a DR (5:1 -3). 4th Panzer Group's attempt to sever the Moscow-Leningrad RR failed to budge the defenders from their fortified positions (4:1 -2, AS). However the attack on 20th Army east of Novgorod is successful (5:1 -4, DR). The attack on 7th Guards Army is rebuffed (5:1 -3, AS). However 3rd Panzer Group is more successful in forcing 4th Shock Army to retreat (5:1 -3) on the southern fringes of the Valdai.

Army Group Center
Rzhev falls to 9th Army reinforced by 40th Panzer Corps from 3rd Panzer Group at 6:1 -2, DH. This leaves 4th Shock Army very exposed and it is expected to retreat lest it get cut off. 4th Army attacks 22nd Army east of Vyazma at 5:1 -3 and the DR is turned into an EX by the resident NKVD regiment. West of Serpukhov 3rd Guards Tank Army is forced to retreat by 2nd Panzer Group at 6:1 -2. 2nd Army destroys 5th Guards Tank Army west of Tula at small cost to itself (4:1 -3, HX [lucky die roll!]).

Army Group South
6th Army is again rebuffed by the staunch defenders of 38th Army (5:1 -3, AS). An impromptu c/m force is gathered to protect the northern flank of 6th Army north of Voronezh. The mud is deemed enough protection for 3rd Panzer Corps on the southern flank.
11th Army and the CSIR are more successful against 62nd Army NW of Stalino as it is forced to fall back (5:1 -3). This exposes 60th Army's flank and it is likely to retreat as well lest it get ZOC'ed.

Soviet

Northwestern Front
Ski brigades are positioned to be disbanded while tank and motor rifle brigades congregrate in Vishy Volocheck and Leningrad to form tank corps next turn.

Western Front
The components of tank corps are positioned in Moscow, Tula, Gorkii and Ryazan in anticipation of the eight corps that form next turn. The gap between the Voronezh and Tula sectors is eliminated.

Southwestern Front
60th Army does indeed fall back NW of Stalino to avoid the ZOC kill. Little else to report.

Situation at Apr I

Click on the thumbnails below to view the front lines south of the Arctic. The whiteout makes for a handy comparison with the historical front lines. Unfortunately most of the area between Tula and Voronzeh isn't shown because the Germans were quickly evicted in December '41. In the north the front lines run along the Litsa, but the Germans own territory adjacent to the Murmansk-Leningrad RR near Kandalaska.

Early Commentary by John Madison:

With such a inability to setup for a NOL (non-overrunable line) the Germans plowed through the first echelon with little impunity. The second echelon was more or less a smaller speed bump than the first and the 3rd echelon (5 hexes or more behind the border) was about all that did not get completely wiped out. There was the Bialystok pocket where the Soviet 10th Army faced the German 4th Army which became a supply hinderance for 2nd Panzer Group.

Progress was slow for the Germans, due mainly to the multitude of defensible hexes on the new maps. The panzers had some supply problems due to some sneaky mech units creaping behind the forward spearheads, which also hindered forward progress.

I like how the new OB plays and low-odds overruns probably won't be necessary due to the fact the the Russian strength is so dispersed. In my opinion, exploitation combat could prove useful in maintaining the '41 momentum for the Germans. Without some mechanism to counter the damn terrain, the best German players will find it nearly impossible to keep up chronologically to what the Germans were doing from June to September/October.

Things I'd do differently

• Soviet factories. We used the factories as presented in my TEM article, but I failed to reduce the size of each factory commensurate with my doubling of their numbers. The Soviets paid this exaggerated cost in until after every factory had transferred at which time I was asked about the disparity. I could only reply, "Ooops!". This had to have adversely affected Soviet reinforcements in the late summer and fall.

  I see no need for Soviet artillery factories unless everybody gets them. Sharp has told me that they are actually unnecessary during the TW period as production goes to new units, not rebuilding old ones. The arrival of 13x 2-6 Art, 2x 2-3-6 Art, 10x 3-2-6 Art, 11x 3-2-8 Art, 5x 3-8 Art, 6x 1-2-8 AT, 19x 2-1-8 Mortar, and 28x 2-8 Lt Art (however JMA decides to treat these) through Mar I 42 tells me that there isn't a shortage of artillery in the Red Army even without any artillery RPs.

  Despite their love of artillery the fact is that they were outproduced in artillery in 1944 by the Germans and the Germans seem to get by without any special artillery factories. An alternative would be to add artillery factories for everybody. This has the virtue of eliminating unhistorical problems in replacing large artillery units, like the British 8-5-8s, but has the drawback of being fiendishly difficult to compute just how many each nation should get. Of course we could complicate the replacement system so that each supported RE requires a RP of artillery as well, but I don't really think that this extra work could be justified by greatly easing the task of calcuating artillery RPs for each country. At any rate I'm certainly unwilling to attempt any such thing; I'd rather find a convient brick wall to beat my head against.

• Soviet MD movement restrictions. Since Romania can't attack until Jul I the forces in Odessa MD should be locked down until then to prevent them from reinforcing the Lvov area against Army Group South as happened in our game.
• Romanian OB. I need to look again at the Romanian OB and replacement rate. They should probably only get one RP per month.
• Suprise turn effects. These will need to be verified by repeated playtesting to find the best fit as some or all of these may be excessive or unnecessary. As John mentioned above the Soviets can throw a monkey wrench into the German advance by moving into the plentiful swamp and forest hexes early in the game. I think that some severe movement restrictions will be necessary to allow the Germans to advance at their historical rate. These should probably include greater restrictions on rail capacity, either a greater reduction or increase in the duration of the reduction or both. The Soviets should be restricted to half-movement and lose the default one hex move for at least June and possibly part of July. ZOCs may need to be dropped to none for June and reduced for July.

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