topeverest
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Joined: 10/17/2007
From: Houston, TX - USA
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Agreed.
For some time I have felt disappointed by my deployment decisions and offensive intentions for 43 summer offensive.
1. the initial blitz was poorly designed and attacked in an area that has no exploitable supply.
2. I was grossly optimistic in the Russian abilities to push the enemy
3. I tried a number of bad tactics within a broader strategy for broad front attacks. The latter is a good idea, but how I did it was pretty poor
4. I hadn't used my newly equal air force to full effect
5. My plan to get to Lake Ladoga was a poor use of troops
And the list goes on.
I certainly can say that I am learning by doing things I hope never to repeat.
quote:
ORIGINAL: M60A3TTS
Everything in this AAR is pretty darn good except for one thing, the execution.
The Lake Ladoga offensive. I assume that Leningrad is a part of this, otherwise one can only guess what strategic objective is. You sent your cavalry corps off to support an attack where you don't have much in the way of rifle corps. If you intend to take Leningrad, you will want to have at least one rifle army of guards corps just for that task.
The failure at Orel was a given. Tank corps left unsupported by infantry, cavalry or mechanized formations are easy wins for the Germans. Historically, Soviet tank corps were often hammered by the Germans because of the lack of supporting units in these corps. They were effectively just a blob of tanks, and tanks without infantry support do not fare well. It goes towards the whole concept of combined arms action. If those cavalry corps you sent off to the Ladoga action had been in the same hexes as the tank corps, you would have been better off. It also demonstrates why you want to focus heavily on getting those cavalry corps to guards. They get better movement rates in enemy territory and ergo can better support your tank corps as they exploit the gaps that are created by rifle corps assaults. Now in November the tank corps finally get the upgrade they so badly need and become less reliant on cavalry and mechanized support, but you're not quite there yet.
The Boguchar-Belgorod Offensive will be somewhat hampered buy the fact that you will not have good supply there as you do not have a functional rail line in the immediate vicinity. It too appears to have a tank corps component but again no cavalry.
The Don-Donets sector is a depressing sight. Guards rifle corps near Rostov just wasting away, apparent assaults across major rivers with no real strategic goal, no exploitation forces slightly behind the lines so as not to suffer from fatigue are the more obvious shortcomings.
You are certainly still in a position to win the game, but the clock is now ticking. You can't afford to see these breakthrough attempts thrown back at this stage. Focus on the basics.
Identify where you need to get to.
Identify what you need to get you there.
To push along your important routes, you need guards rifle corps with sappers for the initial attack. Here is where the artillery and rocket on map units are the biggest help.
When the enemy retreats, send in the IL-2s for additional losses. Hit them again with another infantry or cavalry-tank attack, force them to retreat again.
When the enemy retreats again, bomb them again. The German rifle division cannot stand up to this sort of treatment indefinitely. Push in your cavalry-tank forces and hit them again if you can...and so on.
Once all this seems logical, you'll be solid in any future games.
_____________________________
Andy M
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Turn 119, Sept 23, 1943 - 
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