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My Stalingrad campiagn - 10/6/2004 11:11:43 AM

pappasmurf

Posts: 55
Joined: 9/27/2004
Status: offline

To keep from hijacking the other thread.

After accidentally over writing my old save I am back to the first assault on the city itself (the big hill). I guess thats one advantage of being disabled as I have plenty of time.

My core force as it exist right now.

Ger-HQ, 1x opel command vieh, 8x stug IIIG, 2 x stug 33B, 4 engineer squads, 2x FT engineer sqauds, 2x SS MG squads, 2 x 251/10 HT, 6x 251/1 HT (I just can't not have organic transport), 6 x recon teams, 3x 250 Recon HT 37mm version, 4x 6/2 SPAA HT, 4x Lorraine SPA, 2x ammo trucks, 3x motorcycle sqauds, 2 x flak 88 AA Guns, 2 x sdkfz 7 prime movers, 2x Wurfrheman. Most are veteran by now with a few having reached elite.

AUX foprces I picked for this battle ( having played it once before it almost feels like cheating) 4 x wurfraheman, 3x engineer sqauds, 1x FT engineer sqauds, 6x rifle sqauds, 2x mg-34 squads, 2x 50 mm mortar teams,2x stug 33B, 2x Sig 33 PzII, 1x Sig 33 Pz I.

having played this once before I know what to expect. 6 Wurfrahem supported by ammo trucks are gonna be used to reduce the whole area to slag. I have yet to find a better way to bust a bunker before I even see it. They are also the bomb at suppressing and incinerating Ivans ground pounders, just don't get to close tot he target area (yikes)

So far I have learned to absolutely detest the KV series of tanks ther are flippin energizer bunnies they just keep goign and going and going. I am a noob so i may be right or wrong but it seems the Russian morale is getign stroinger as the crews are bailign less and less.

I have also become wary of hidden 45mm ATG's those things have a better track record agaisnt me than the 76mm Zis ATG's. gettign scared to go outside for fear that a rusisan with an AT gun will be waiting

On a side note 1= I use the provided HT's as a world war II version of medevac. I rush in and try and scoop up and armor crew survivors when a tank gets knocked out. I don't know it it does anythign but my XP levels don't seem to drop if I rescue survivors.

On a side note 2= Heer Speer needs to step up prodcution of the 250 series of scout half tracks. My natural inclination is to run full out so I am burning em up so fast my scout vieh crews have a life span measured in seconds. Atleast my engineer stug combo has kept losses down of the expensive stuff.

On a side note 3= For a force nearly wiped out a year earlier the Red Airforce has been a perssitant pain in my side. I try and keep my artiller next to ammo carriers so i know I have to shoot and scoot. But the bunched up Hv targets just scream to be bombed. Although I have shot down severla aircraft I am esperate to find a way to stop Rusisan fighers from gettign a shot at multiple units in a single pass and keep my artillery supplied.

Brief AAR's ( of the battles I remember)

Senerio 1= the supply convoy. Armored cars purchased as AUX forces. The motorcycle Armored car concept worked perfectly. They rushed out finding pinning and eliminating the partisans while my stugs and infantry set up a corridor. Fights got desperate along the road but all my amo trucks got through. After the last ammo truck passed I began rolling up behind them and left only a skelton force to guard the VH's got most of my force off board for a DV

Senerio 2= The long sweep again made use of the motorcycle armored car concept. except this time once an enemy was found I moved my stugs up to dela with Ivan (viehicle) or engineers (infantry). The russian light tanks and T-28's were no match for the stugs lost a couple of armored cars and some motorcycles but all in all lsses light DV

Senerio 3= First Russian counter attack. bought some 88's and sent them north with some stugs and 1 of the engineer paltoons. The rest went to area B. Group A pushed down and out in a wedge to open a path for the infantry to get into the town. The rusisan light tanks didn't last long. First use of the Wurfrahmen on the clump of trees jsut above the town where the staurts pop out of. deadly and a perfect use of this wonderful weapon. VH taken with out a shot being fired. The lorraines and OB artillery kept the town under fire so the infantry could move up. having fought it before I I had heavy flank guards out that just ate the Rusisan counter attack for lunch. Enigeers ambushing T-34's and KV's with satchel charges seems to be the fastest surest way of killing the Russian armor.

Gruop B quickly cut the Rusisan convoy to ribbons and dispached it's infantry and some armor to hit the town from the bottom side. The rest set up to intercept the Rusisan T-34, infantry force from the bottom of the map. Again a DV practice amkes perfect :P

Senerio 4= Splitting the 62 and 64th armies. Explitive, curse word, vulgar statement. Those KV's are a nightmare to knock out. I would have 4 or more stugs firing on a single one and it took well over 15 hits a piece on average to knock them out. heavy Rusisan AA kept me from deploying my air past turn one until I could shift my artillery to supress the AA guns. Eventually I got up to the town and pas tthe external KV's and took it with a spirited assualt by the engineers after a hellish bombardment. I hate 45mm ATG's in clumps of trees just waiting to ambush me. add in thier infantry guard and those little hormnets nests cost me quite a bit. At leas tthe KV's weak gun and weaker gunnery saved me from being crippled by thier near invulnerable armor. Ivan will learn that I hate urban combat and rahter than use smoke to mask my movmeents I will simply bomb it flat with 150m howitzer sand flame rockets

Senerio 5= attack on the fortified steppe town. Wurfrahem and bombers amde this almost to easy the flame rockets flattened the towna dn destroyed or supressed the bunkers. I also found out the Russian have no flank guards tot he north(top of the map) and my recon forces got in behind Ivan lossing a couple of viewhs but taking the far side realtively quickly. My experimental mineram is not fire proof it strayed to close to a wurfrahemen bombardment and got turned into a flammen panzer. The light armor counter attack got mobbed by a couple of stugs and my motorcycle squads. In the town it self the Rusisans were shell shocked and it was a cake walk. DV for this one as well.

Senerio 6= Don River break out, Grrrr the rusisan infantry just kept comming began to wonder if I had been transplaneted east about 4000 miles and 8 years intot he future. My troops ralled quickly when forced backa dn the stugs kept the Rusisans supressed. the 88's and lorraines dealt with the sudden appearanc eof ivan in my back feild backed by my motorcycle sqauds (I am falling in love with thier durability and rapid reaction capabilites) overall DV

Senerio 7= the flak chiks grrrr Those 37mm AA guns gutted my recon forces and motorcycles. 45mm ATG's also took thier toll. I over estimated the results of my opening bombardment. i recovered slowed down and pounded the little town flat with artillery and flame rockets. Overall a MV as I suffered to many losses for a DV.

Senerio 8= the armored counter attack, I have heard the tankdeski are suppose dot be elite. They might be by they are not inflammable. The Russian light tanks gave away the rusisan line of march and the T-34's and Lee's wandered right into my 2 wurfrahmens bombardments. I really really like those flame rockets). As usal the KV's didn't want to die. the rear attack ran into my 88mm AA guns, engineers and Stug 33B's ( yes I knew they were coming so set up an ambush to conserve my core force for the big hill battle coming up next). Russian fighers tore the hell out of my lorraines costing me 2 of them and forcing me to scatter my SPA/ammo truck cluster. the red airforce also cost me an 88 and several sqauds or troops. The main rusisan force never got back on it's feet from the artillery and was picked off as one by one as they came out of the smoke.

Post #: 1

RE: My Stalingrad campiagn - 10/6/2004 7:40:02 PM

pappasmurf

Posts: 55
Joined: 9/27/2004
Status: offline

Ok I have finished Mamayev hill. Decisive victory Woot! The total of 6 wurfrahemn proved decisive. A total of of between 16 and 20 volleys (combined) plastered Ivans defences on the hill. Even his counter attack ran into the tail end of the last bombardment and either was destroyed or routed and easy pickings for my engineers. I did take some losses including a stug III to a mine but over all very light fighting.

The southern housing area did not go so good I lost a Stug 33B (aux), a Sig 33 PzI, and a recon halftrack and had my engineers, recon teams and motorcycle squads pounded on. I ended up giving up trying to secrure the base of my central attack and with combat in the center so light just shifted infantry sqauds down to build a shoulder along the base of the hill. here the encountered some of Ivans infantry and took some losses but a PZ IV in support was able to route them up out of the rough terrain and into the open where the infantry's sqauds organic MG's went to work.

The northern housing project went like clock work quickly advancing to the end of the houses lossing only a few men and a Pz Iv imobalized due to a mine. That is until Ivan cut loose with a rocket barrage that quickly opened a gap in my line as several sqauds simply were not there anymore. Luckily Ivan didn't have the troops to exploit that fact.

I noticed some problems withthe AI in this battle. even though I began by shoot and scoot it soon became appraent that the AI was not interested in on board CB fire so I just stopped and planted my self. This was an AI mistake as those flame rockets gutted the hill and the Russian counter-attack. Also as effective as Ivan's rocket barrage was it was in the wrong place the Northern housing area was just a flank with no VH's. If the AI had unleashed that barrage on my engineers and stugs on the hill his counter-attack may have been able to regroup and make a fight of it as both sides tried to rally after being decimented by artillery.

I HATE MINES! They were scattered about no rhym or reason just hey time to lose a track gift of the senerio. I quickly started having my viehs follow in the foot prints of the engineers and infantry hex by hex (the AI seems to route your viehs to a mine if you just click on a target hex) but even this didn't work 100% of the time.

The next senerio is for the down town area eek all built u and no place to go. for Aux forces I took 2 engineer platoons and 2 rifle platoons. I hope the senerio gives me some tube artillery support. I could have probably used the flame rocket aproach again but the idea is to capture the city after all not burn it down. So in the itnerest of realism I wil only use my organic flame rockets ( it's okay to burn it down a little right? :P )

< Message edited by pappasmurf -- 10/6/2004 5:44:06 PM >

(in reply to pappasmurf)

Post #: 2

RE: My Stalingrad campiagn - 10/6/2004 11:25:48 PM

Hunpecked

Posts: 66
Joined: 2/26/2001
From: Sunnyvale, CA USA
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: pappasmurf

On a side note 1= I use the provided HT's as a world war II version of medevac. I rush in and try and scoop up and armor crew survivors when a tank gets knocked out. I don't know it it does anythign but my XP levels don't seem to drop if I rescue survivors.

At first glance I thought it was a good idea to have infantry transport provided. I changed my mind as soon as I saw the setup for the first scenario. The transports were insufficient for my two infantry companies AND they were mostly TRUCKS! I edited the campaign to remove all pre-set German transports (and FOs) from the scenarios, added enough points to the starting core to equip a mech infantry company, and adjusted each scenario's AUX points accordingly (ADD the points for deleted transport and FO, SUBTRACT the points added to the core). My halftracks are no longer expendable AUX units, but they do gain kills and experience.

BTW, surviving crews DO retain kills and XP when "repaired". The only exception I've found is in SPWAW 7.1 when I upgrade a destroyed vehicle without repairing first: I always get a new crew.

quote:

On a side note 2= Heer Speer needs to step up prodcution of the 250 series of scout half tracks. My natural inclination is to run full out so I am burning em up so fast my scout vieh crews have a life span measured in seconds.

Which is why I never put recon units in my core. They don't live long enough to gain XP, and I can't afford to replace 'em after every scenario.

quote:

On a side note 3= For a force nearly wiped out a year earlier the Red Airforce has been a perssitant pain in my side. I try and keep my artiller next to ammo carriers so i know I have to shoot and scoot. But the bunched up Hv targets just scream to be bombed. Although I have shot down severla aircraft I am esperate to find a way to stop Rusisan fighers from gettign a shot at multiple units in a single pass and keep my artillery supplied.

I've been using my 4 SP AA (quad 20mm) units against ground targets whenever possible to give them kills and experience. They're effective against infantry and VERY effective against crews. Each had several (non-aircraft) kills by the time I got to Stalingrad. The 26 HTs of my two mech infantry companies have also been very helpful against planes.

[skip first 6 scenario descriptions]

My hat's off to pappasmurf. No way could I have done as well with his core force, wurfrahmen or no!

quote:

Senerio 7= the flak chiks grrrr Those 37mm AA guns gutted my recon forces and motorcycles. 45mm ATG's also took thier toll. I over estimated the results of my opening bombardment. i recovered slowed down and pounded the little town flat with artillery and flame rockets. Overall a MV as I suffered to many losses for a DV.

I used lines of smoke plus terrain to slice the battlefield into sectors which I then suppressed with arty/mortars. I also kept to the southern half of the map, avoiding several entrenched infantry squads (later killed when they counterattacked) and 4+ flak guns. About two dozen Russian grandmothers owe me their lives, but they never call, they never write...

(in reply to pappasmurf)

Post #: 3

RE: My Stalingrad campiagn - 10/7/2004 12:07:40 AM

pappasmurf

Posts: 55
Joined: 9/27/2004
Status: offline

Thanks hunpecked.

Oi! The battle for the town sqaure is a nightmare. I am really glad I bought all that extra infantry. I have been shedding troops at every VH I capture to await the inevitable coutner assault. I think i would be inseriuos trouble in my back feild except Ivan keeps dropping his mortars on top of my VH's and his assault sqauds. I rally faster so have been able to hold on.

In the center the fight for Gorky theater is a blood bath, I need to convert my engineers to spec ops squads they rock. Outnumbered 5-1 at some points they just kept on ticking until I was able to work some regular infantry and engineers around the sides of the theater to set up a cross fire. I think i fianllyh ave that situation under cotnrol. At the top of the map I have begun my advance across 9th of January Square. This has been the only real place my Stugs have been usefull. They just rock at bunker busting and long range supressive fire.

To the bottom I am stuck at Red Square whilea PZ-IV deals with a bunker and infantry inflitration moves in behind the other two.

If my artilelry has ahd any effect I can't tell. The Rusisans just keep comign and coming. I tried dropping my arty behind where i thought Ivans MLR was ot cut him off from re-infocements. The only problem seems to be that the entire map is his MLR. Mines continue to plague me and I ahve lost at least 4 stugs to them even when follwing the engineers.

I am seriously begining to wonder if I can pull this one off. counting known victory hexes agaisnt what I think each should have as a guard force and the numbers start to get thin. If Ivan has a big counter attack planned late in the game I could be in trouble. Of my remaining viehs I have taken to driving through buildings as it allows me pop out in LOS to rusisan infantry busily ambushing my own infantry. Imoblization is becoming a problem but thats cheaper than losing whole sqauds to tot he suddenly appearing red hoards.

I am seriously thinking about stalling my advanc ein the center as too epxensive and instead trying to use my group crossing 9th of january squre to wheel down behind Ivan. it's a long way to march but might be easier than stopping commie bullets with feld grau shirts like I am doing now. My only reserves at this point are my motorcycle squads, Halftracks, recon viehs and teams. Not a very satisfactory reserve so I hope I can press on with out needing to call on them.

(in reply to Hunpecked)

Post #: 4

RE: My Stalingrad campiagn - 10/7/2004 2:49:23 AM

Hunpecked

Posts: 66
Joined: 2/26/2001
From: Sunnyvale, CA USA
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: pappasmurf

Ok I have finished Mamayev hill. Decisive victory Woot! The total of 6 wurfrahemn proved decisive.

I bought an on-board battery of Nebelwerfers for this scenario. They inflicted maybe 50-60 casualties and tons of suppression, but were apparently less effective than pappasmurf's wurfrahmen.

quote:

The southern housing area did not go so good

I counted more victory hexes in the north, so I concentrated my efforts there. I managed a DV without capturing the southernmost VH or even moving any units south of the southeastern VH. Most of the southern SO infantry units were killed anyway when they left their trenches to counterattack my VHs.

quote:

The northern housing project went like clock work quickly advancing to the end of the houses lossing only a few men and a Pz Iv imobalized due to a mine. That is until Ivan cut loose with a rocket barrage that quickly opened a gap in my line as several sqauds simply were not there anymore.

I bought an entire AUX engineer company and had them lead the way up north. When they found a mine hex I piled more engineers on and usually cleared it in one go. They were preceded by a rolling barrage; the shellshocked survivors offered little resistance to my foot troops and flame tanks. My guys were hidden by buildings and used smoke liberally, so Ivan's spotters couldn't call in the Katyushas until they had already expended their ammo elsewhere.

quote:

I noticed some problems withthe AI in this battle. even though I began by shoot and scoot it soon became appraent that the AI was not interested in on board CB fire so I just stopped and planted my self. This was an AI mistake as those flame rockets gutted the hill and the Russian counter-attack.

Except for turn 0 barrages, the AI apparently can't target what it can't see during its turn, nor does it see smoke/dust from firing. Knowing the history of the battle, I suspected Katyushas were present and kept most of my units hidden (terrain or smoke) while dangling a few Kuebelwagens in plain view. Sure enough, the Kuebels were plastered several times by Katyushas and mortars (82mm and 120mm). I lost a Kuebel (big deal) but ran the Katys out of ammo.

quote:

I HATE MINES! They were scattered about no rhym or reason just hey time to lose a track gift of the senerio. I quickly started having my viehs follow in the foot prints of the engineers and infantry hex by hex (the AI seems to route your viehs to a mine if you just click on a target hex) but even this didn't work 100% of the time.

Yup. I led with engineers wherever possible. Late in the battle, when Ivan's Katys were empty, I sent the southern German AUX company against the two southeastern VHs. Unfortunately I had waited too long and had no time to put the accompanying engineer platoon in the lead. This company suffered the highest casualties of any German unit from mines and 120mm mortars. The tanks followed infantry, but one still ended a turn on a mine hex and had to wait for the engineers. Every time I heard the

of a mine explosion, I nearly jumped out of my skin!

quote:

The next senerio is for the down town area eek all built u and no place to go. for Aux forces I took 2 engineer platoons and 2 rifle platoons. I hope the senerio gives me some tube artillery support. I could have probably used the flame rocket aproach again but the idea is to capture the city after all not burn it down. So in the itnerest of realism I wil only use my organic flame rockets ( it's okay to burn it down a little right? :P )

Actually the Germans DID try to burn down the city, e.g. the Luftwaffe's fire raid on Aug 23. So as far as I'm concerned, flame rockets are back on the menu!

(in reply to pappasmurf)

Post #: 5

RE: My Stalingrad campiagn - 10/7/2004 3:51:32 AM

pappasmurf

Posts: 55
Joined: 9/27/2004
Status: offline

I maanged tog et all the VH in mamayev hill. The flame rockets so gutted his center that I had a classic breakthrough there. The few survivoring gurds sqauds of Ivans counter attack, 2 bunkers and 1 ATG was all I faced on the hill it self. I ran into some dug in infantry at the southern base of the hill but a Mk-IV wa sable to rout them up and out of the rough and into the open where massed infantry fire mowed em down.

part of the reason i ddin't go withte flame rocket approach again was it made mamayev hill almost to easy. Since I had em teemed with an ammo carrier the barrages were essentially endless. I wanted the town center fight to be tougher and I got what I was after in spades.

(in reply to Hunpecked)

Post #: 6

RE: My Stalingrad campiagn - 10/7/2004 7:15:18 AM

pappasmurf

Posts: 55
Joined: 9/27/2004
Status: offline

Ok the battle for Downtown is over,thank God. I feel lucky to have pulled a draw. I lost 501 men and 8 AFV's to the Rusisans losing 1476 men, 25 artillery pieces and 1 AFV. It was a brutal house by house fight. I was wrong in saying the Soviet counter attack was around Gorky theaer it was at the Nail Factory. Once I finally broke that counter assult I was able to make good progress except for a couple of smaller ambushes. My bototm force was able to push on past Gorky Theatrer into red square fianlly taking it and fending off a light counter attack. My top group secured 9th of Jan sqaure. Here the tank/AG infantry team proved decisive. The infantry would draw fire and the tanks would open up and just pound the snot out of Ivan. Once secured the top group then moved towards Lenin sqaure. Just for fun I also seized the NKVD HQ and of course the beer factory (October is coming and the troops need beer for Oktoberfest). To try and by pass the last of the Soviet resitance I mounted up some infatry on some AFV's and went running sown the river road and the combination of tanks supported by infantry finished off the last 4 or 5 rusisan infantry sqauds.

overall that battle was a nightmare. Infantry infinltration simply didn't work all the time. Ivan often had multiple squads sighted so that you couldn't get a LOS unles you were ajacent. wave attacks were the only thing that worked and thats an expensive way to fight a war. 501 men thats almost a battalion gone, wiped out.

Now it's on to the grain silo and I am down 2 stug III's and a stug 33B but everythign else is in good shape. I plan on burning it and the surruonding area to the ground if at all possible.

I know assult engineering units existed but can anyone tell me if Tigers were used at stalingrad? If I can get one or two I plan to.

< Message edited by pappasmurf -- 10/7/2004 5:17:24 AM >

(in reply to pappasmurf)

Post #: 7

RE: My Stalingrad campiagn - 10/7/2004 9:40:25 PM

pappasmurf

Posts: 55
Joined: 9/27/2004
Status: offline

The battle for the grain silo is over. I think I encountered a points glitch cause it only gave me a draw. My losses were 43 men and 1 AFV ( via mine as usal) vs 458 men and 4 artillery pieces. As i said I was going to I simply burned the center of the map into a fine ash and then walked in. Ivan launched some counter attacks but nothing difficult. overall a nice break from down toen.

Second battle for the hill is over as well. Once again I bought 2 more seconds of wurfrahemen to deal with the hill but none of them would fire for the entire game (Glitch?). It would show them as having fired but no flame bombardments woudl appear. i had to grind through this one. I caught a lucky break i din't move out fore the objectives right away and Ivan did my second and third artillery bombarments caught him in the open giving me easy pickings on his stunned troops as i finally moved out. he rallied quickly but to late to stop my advance. His KV's went know where i simply backed up back into the smoke and he followed losing 2 to infantry ambush and the rest to my stugs.

To the north things were looking hairy for a while but I finally got the mines at the very top of the map cleared and was able to move a stug up to blast his mG bunker. Once I had a path cleared it was simply a mater of time till I rolled up his flank. I ran into a persintant counter attack here but they came in in dribles 1 or two sqauds at a time vs 5 or 6 german squads. he forced me off the VH once but his attmept to take it back. went no where.

On the bottom I got stopped cold for several turns and was losing men rapidly. I finally forced a breech and was able to roll up the bottom. I was also able to **** a PZ-IV down frommthe hill and use it to knock out the MG bunker since I lost the stug I placed there to mines as usaul.

Once I had passed the top of the hill I remounted my engineers onto the stugs and with great elan went running into the area where his mortars had been firinge ffecting a great slaughter. After that it was a period reminesnet of July- Agust 41 as my stugs with engineers hanging on for dear life dashed with great flair onto the last objective. The last few Soviet sqauds lacked any AT cpaabiltiy so ranged fire quickly put them down and out.

I attempted to rush some PZ-IV's there as well but they ran into an AT pillbox but luckily it missed and they manuvered behind it and started a steady pounding on it till it finally succumbed to the fury it was subjected to.

My forces are now rebuilt and ready for the tractor factory. I made some chages to my core force. My new core force is as follows.

GE-HQ, Opel Command, 8x Stug IIIG, 2x Stug 33B, 4x engineer sqds, 4x FT engineer sqds, 8x 251/1 HT, 4x lorraine, 2x wurfrahem, 2x ammo truck, 3x spec ops sqds, 3x recon patrols, 3x 250/9 (37mm), 3 x motocycle sqds, 4x sdkfz 6/2, 2x 88mm Flak 18, 2x sdkfz-7 prime movers.

Evethough Hunpecked dosn't like core recon forces I kept em to keep the balanced feel I am after. My kamfgroup can take on any mission is is a mini self contained army. I quess it reflects my US Army doctrinal training and love of the ACR's I have great organic artillery withthe lorraines and wurfrahem, ranged combat is a breeze withthe stugs and towed 88's and upclose the engineers are just about unbeatable. The motorcycle sqds give em the abilty to react quickly and the recon forces can keep my from blundering to badly or provide flank guards during non mobile missions. The dual use 88's and 6/2's give me adequate if not ideal air defence. Well i guess the tractor factory is goign to be another blood bath i bought dome more spec ops sqds and some more engineers luckily the targets are close enough together that my flame rockets ought to do decent splash damage.

(in reply to pappasmurf)

Post #: 8

RE: My Stalingrad campiagn - 10/8/2004 7:28:40 AM

pappasmurf

Posts: 55
Joined: 9/27/2004
Status: offline

Ok battle 31 for the tractor factory is over. DV for me but it was handed to me ona silver platter. almost to easy. 1st the rusisan flanks were easily cracked with the ind=fantry drawing fire from pillboxes which died as quicly as they showed them selves and made them selve simobile targets for the Stugs.

In the factory gounds itself The AI could have beled me white. I was having to rush forward get pounded and fall back until finally a sqaud stayed put and was able to supress Ivan. then more sqauds would pile on and Ivan would die or flee. If the entire factory had been that way witha hex by hex slug fest it would have been brutal. instead the AI launched sopirited but doomed counter attacks subjectign itself to the same punishemnt I was suffering. Since I had overwhelming number sof infantry ivan was doomed in a battle of atrittion. I had so much infatry I was able to leave a platoon or better on and around every VH. Thus even when Ivan popped up he was outnumbered out gunned and surronded. Ivans light tanks were mere targets for my stugs. His T-34's drove in to the smoke and fell prey to infantry ambush after infantry ambush. except for a few piece meal losses my infantry was untouched and all much stugs did was blast bunker sand light tanks. after the battle my core force was undamaged.

overala the Rusisan defence lacked depth and was just a solid core of men and material that was easy prey to my intial bombardment. After that I advanced quicker than my artillery would fire and ended up canceling it and jsut ploughed ahead to victory. I ended up with Infantry and armor on the banks of the Volga and was preparing to mount an attack across the creek just to go looking for something to kill.

German losses 112 men 1 AFV ( a flam panzer to you guessed a mine). Rusisan losses 1011 men, 22 artillery, 11AFV's

(in reply to pappasmurf)

Post #: 9

RE: My Stalingrad campiagn - 10/8/2004 1:37:49 PM

pappasmurf

Posts: 55
Joined: 9/27/2004
Status: offline

tractor factory 2 is over. I must say the last two senerios have seemd unbalanced in the germans favor. It was a veritable cake walk. I lost 130 men and 2 AFV's to the Russians losing 778 men, 22 artilery, and 4 AFV's. This time the senerio let me set up on Ivans flank. Is it Christmas already? Not only did it let me set up there but once again the flank defneders were to light. The flame rockets again worked like clock work. But even if they hadn't Ivan wa sout numbered. I used Spec Op sqds FT enginners Stugg 33B's and Pz III and flampanzer to cut straight throught middle. I edged along the right side in more of a holding action then any real agressive spirit. My main attack along the left flank let my stugs and engineers do thier work in no time at all. The pre-battle story made me feel like I would be facing hoards of ivan's popping up next to my VH's so left whole comapnies on some sites but never once did ivan apear. even with huge rear guard force I still out numbered Ivan considerably. This numerical advantage combined with the abiltiy to use ranged 75mm fire to supress and route Ivan out of his entrenchments won me the game.

Now I get to tackle the red barricades. From the set up and concentrated VH's I expect more of the same. I was able to set my Wurfrahen close to the FLB and so far have dleivered 2 devestatign salvo's Unless Ivan had a screen set up forcing me to deply early he si in trouble. Once I gain control of the LOS's into the VH's I can pound on him with direct fire and artillery until i think i can move my engineers, infantry and spec ops in to finish the job. I have encountered a light tank and a T-34 so far. Both died quick. If thats all Ivans armor they wer epoorly sighted. if Ivan has more thanks for the warning.

I almost changed my MC squads into eithe rmore spec ops (seemd cheasy) or more engineers. In the end I left as is because I wanted a relaistic blend for my assualt engineer kampfgroup. Weakening my recon now for even more assult troops just seemed gamey. I mean historically the german Army is being bled white here so highly trained special operations troops or engineers would be hard to come by. Since I have 338 pts saved up i do plan on swapping my stug 33B's for Stu-42 and a pait of stug III's for Tigers. I mean give the good stuff to the guys who know what to do with it right? My record seems to warrent a couple of Kitties.

So far no sign of Lilly the White Rose of Stalingrad or the rest of the Red Airforce thank god. My big fear is that I like to have amss for my attacks. I just know one of these days Ivans artillery is going to land square in the middle of one of my infantry hoards just as he counter attacks and do me untold damage but until the AI gets it's timing down I will contine to enjoy at least local superioity in numbers where I want.

(in reply to pappasmurf)

Post #: 10

RE: My Stalingrad campiagn - 10/9/2004 3:55:46 AM

pappasmurf

Posts: 55
Joined: 9/27/2004
Status: offline

Red barricade 1 done. Ivan was as I state earlier initally creamed in the opening bombardment and OI made good intial progress in the asembly hall. Then I ran into ivan's counter attack. My riflemen were not up to the challange and my assult faultered and verged on collapse. becuase of the concetration of the Vh's my FT engineers and Spec Op sqds were close and I moved them upto support. I ended up with a small cresent around a contested VH and a line of troops strechting back protectign my rear from near endless close asults by ivans sewer rats. Ivanw a spirited but didn't realy have a chance agaisnt Flame throwers and commandos. However every tie i thought i could advance again I got ambushed. My earlier fears about Ivans artillery proved well grounded he finally caught me in 3 devestating bombarments. That put my whole peration out of joint as I had to try and rally whole sectiosn of my line with my most forward deployed units without support for several turns. The only solution semed to be to risk my armor to the mines and find a way to get them forward. it worked and i only lost a Pz-IV to mines. Along the flanks Ivans minefeilds were easily breeched as his bunkers didn't have AT capability. On the top I got into a battle in the open with bunkers, ATG's several T-34's, a light tank, 2 KV's and soem AAG's. The lack of smoke and good LOS gave my stugs the abilty to engage in agunnery duel while ing=fantry moved up to set up ambushes from the buildings.
Thus as the battke developed I had a chance to form a pocket around Ivan. if my troops in the assembly hall are the palm of my hand the top group began to curl downward like they were my fingers. The bototm group worked upewards and fought it's way through the Foundry like it was my thumb trying to make a grasping motion. This technigue caught several of ivans sqauds in the opena s he rushed to the main fight. In the end I ended up with a funnel shaped postion around the assembly line that ivan jsut kept rushing into. I took losses but not near what he did. Eventually he ran out of troops and I was able to move on to the Gun Tube factory after bombarding the hell out of it. Once the open battle along the top was decided I was quickly able to move troops into the Commisssars house. having ammo trucks parked next to my lorraines and Wurfrahem insures that I don't run out of supporting fires. ivans endless wave attacks into my FT engineer-Spec op line cost him dearly. in the end I lost 145 men. 2 APC's and an AFV to Ivans 1137 men 21 artillery pieces and 10 AFV's for an overall DV. Woot won oakleaves to my Knights Cross.

Now it's on to Red Barricade 2 and I have great trepidition here. Ivan's got the Volga on his flank so I might be facing another full frontal assualt situation. I did poorly in that postion last time in the town center and am a bit nervous.

Still no chance to get Stu-42's or tigers.

(in reply to pappasmurf)

Post #: 11

RE: My Stalingrad campiagn - 10/10/2004 2:28:04 AM

pappasmurf

Posts: 55
Joined: 9/27/2004
Status: offline

Grrrrr............. red barricade 2 is a nightmare. carefully sighted bunkers and MG nests have been a persitant thorn in my side. I ahve taken oput a couple with 75mm or 150mm fire but they are raking my assualt troops. I raind down the arty supresisng the defneders and move forward only to have another bunker or mg nest apear stalling my advance. by the time I can get the bunker or MG nest supressed the other defenders ahve rallied.

I also have some rusisna armor moving up but i have a nice little ambush set for them. overall Ivan has some good lanes of fire but I don't want to obscure them either cause I want to pick off the bunkers from range wirh direct fire. ivans' first counter attack is also coming in but got caught in the ope trying to get into a gully. The lead squdas are broken.

I think my best chance of success is goign to be to split the Rusisans betwent he factory and the Commissarsa house. If I can open up a breech i should be able to move to an area where I can attack across ground not covered by bunkers and MG nests. I need ot do somethign I am rapidly losing men and this could endanger my victory if my losses get to high or I find myslef lacking the nessecery oomph to continue forward.

(in reply to pappasmurf)

Post #: 12

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