DAR: USSR vs. Germany - Tikuin, USSR

[Brian61]

Defense Plan 2 looks good although I'm not sure I'd be bold enough to try double envelopment. The double envelopment spoiling attack should draw the enemy's supporting fire away from your front lines and hopefully break up the attack into smaller, more manageable chunks. The danger is getting cutoff, bogged down, and defeated in detail.

A possible alternative might be to make one of the flanking forces much larger than the other. The smaller would conduct a mobile defense, falling back trading ground for time and hopefully getting enemy arty to fall on their own advance. The larger would try to breakthrough and then either roll up the line or go deep and circle around to do a hammer and anvil against the static defenses. The snow might make this impractical in the south, though the road in the north looks interesting.

Anyhow, I agree with your leanings toward at least a partially mobile defense, especially up against that kind of artillery fire!

Brian

[RERomine]

I'm pondering your comments. One concern is the snow. With differing sized flanking column, I stand a chance of a major strength mismatch on one flank without the ability to shift tanks quickly. There is merit in the idea of having the AI drop artillery on their own units. I could skinny one side up, but leave it large enough to make a stand if necessary. One flank could go with 22 tanks and the other one with 42 tanks on the other. If I go with this option, I would have the larger group up north. The trees there are capable of screening a larger force than those down south.

My envelopments will be more flank attacks than true envelopments where the intent is more to cut off the spearhead. I probably wouldn't push out as far as displayed in the plan. How far they move out would be dependent on the AI movements. I want to move out far enough before turning toward the center to catch a large number of enemy tanks by the flank without exposing my flank to similar attacks along the edges.

[RERomine]

Plan

I've gone with Defense Plan 2, slightly modified using Brian's suggestion. Instead of one tank battalion on each flank, my north(right) flank has 42 tanks and my south(left) has 22 tanks. The northern area beyond the trees is more open and better suited for tanks. Additionally, the enemy will likely advance down the road quicker than any place else. My northern force will take the battle to the enemy. The southern tank force will also strike at the enemy, but if things get to be too much, the can retreat back to their revetments and hold there.

My infantry line has a row of mines and a row of dragon's teeth. Tanks will get there quickly and might push through a row of mines without damage. The dragon's teeth need to be cleared before they get through. Sometimes, the AI tanks will skirt along the dragon's teeth, so eventually the mines will score. Unfortunately, my infantry doesn't have any long range AT capability, so they get to sit back and watch the activity to their front. My ATGs are deployed to cover the flanks of my infantry line, just incase the enemy manage to get a few units around. The guns aren't good against front armor, anyhow. For support, I have 12 AA guns. Those are deployed destroy planes and not necessarily to support the main line.

For the first turn or two, I'll hold fast to determine where the enemy's main trusts are coming from. There will be over 100 tanks coming at me, so I will need to know how those numbers are deployed to best use my tanks.

Rather than putting another screen print that will be similar to what I've already put in this thread, I'm attaching my save after deployment, but before the first turn starts.

[RERomine]

Turn 0 (Prep Fire)

Enemy prep fire was lighter than expected. Only eight batteries of artillery and no aircraft. That doesn't mean they don't have more artillery or aircraft, but I expected more. Only one 170mm battery was even close to anyone, causing 6 points of suppression on one unit.

I plotted some mortars out there, hoping to catch some tanks on the move later.

Casualties

Friendly: Zero.

Enemy: Zero.

[RERomine]

Turn 1

Enemy fire continued into turn one as expected. Three more batteries turned loose firing smoke. That gives them 11 batteries so far. A little more suppression this turn, but no casualties.

Enemy tanks are on the move. Roughly one company sighted north of the east-west road. They also have armored cars on the road. Those will make it to my line much faster than their tanks.

Casualties

Friendly: Zero.

Enemy: Zero.

[RERomine]

Turn 2

Artillery fire has stopped.

I've got 36 enemy tanks approaching from the road north. Most of the tanks are north of the road, but there are a few on it. Eight armored cars are advancing down the road as well.

All my tanks are on the move. I'm going to set range to 750m. No sense wasting ammo. I've got 22 T-34/Bs in the north group, but I need to make the most of my shots. South group is also moving, but I don't expect them to see anything for a bit. The enemy has more trees to move through there.

Casualties

Friendly: Zero.

Enemy: Zero.

[RERomine]

Turn 3

More enemy artillery firing smoke.

Enemy tank count up to 50 on or north of the road. I also see nine armored cars and one half track. Some shots were exchanged, but no damage to either side. Friendly mortars plinked a few enemy tanks as well.

A few enemy tanks are coming out of the woods down south. Again, shots exchanged, but no damage to either side. Mortars off target down here.

Casualties

Friendly: Zero.

Enemy: Zero.