USSR Long Campaign

[KV7]

I am going to recount my battles here as part of a Soviet long campaign.

Starting parameters are as follows:

AI Adjust = 150 %
Difficulty = very hard

Initial OOB (vs.Poland 1939)

Armour

6x3 T-28 1938 heavy tank
6x3 BT-7 1937 cruiser tank
3x3 BA-3 armored car

Infantry

6x3 Mountain scouts
12 Sniper

Artillery

2x6 SU-5
2x2 Komsololets Ammo
2x2 37mm AA
2x2 Quad Maxim technical truck

The infantry are to be loaded onto the BT-7 and used as recon. The BT-7 has an AAMG and with the limited additional AAA it should be enough to provide some AA defense.

[KV7]

Battle 1:

Poland 1939; meeting engagement; max map size.

I take an added 2 Su-5 battery as support.

Terrain:

Visibility is 55 hexes. The far right flank (top) features a paved road covered in heavy forest running east-west. A little to the center lies a large commanding set of hills overlooking one set of objectives.
Moving closer to the center we have more hills and then a set of crossroads around a swamp and some forest. On the right we have a large forest and a little plain.

There is an unpaved road running roughly north-south and another in the middle running east-west. Controlling this junction will be very advantageous.

Plan:

My initial thought was to rush the far right flank using the paved road. But the dense forest weighs against the use of armor here.

The final plan is an attack on three axis. A small force will take the hills on the right. Another force will take the central hills. The main body will push for the crossroads. I leave both flanks undefended and with no forces allocated to them.

The plan is to make contact ideally near the crossroads and defeat one part of the force quickly. Then I can redeploy to meet the rest as they appear. The artillery can be used to stop any concerted thrusts.

Phase 1: recon and the first battle of the crossroads

I quickly (turn 5) take the hill to the north and unload a mountain scout platoon onto it. The objective is taken; no enemy sighted int his region.

The same turn I take part of the crossroads offloading some scouts into a village. They spot a large enemy thrust including I guess around 9 to 12 medium tanks; a cavalry company; probably an infantry company as well advancing near the swamp towards the crossroads village. Every Su-5 tube (24 tubes) gets allocated onto the ground ahead of them. The scouts get set to range=1 to keep hidden; they will be used as spotters. Artillery is allocated up to danger close to them; they have the numbers to get that close I fear. They are maybe 12 hexes away.

I also immediately start to wheel any available units towards this engagement. Already in the vicinity we have 6 BT;6 T-28 and 3 B-3.

The armor to the north wheel towards the center; the center force advances rapidly, we are now attacking on two axis; on on the crossroads and one on the center hills. The right (north) flank is now just the single mountains scouts platoon.

This engagement near the crossroads quickly turns into a Polish nightmare. The cavalry is quickly routed and 3 tanks lost. Then the artillery falls just as the infantry and armor bunch. 6 more tanks try to push on through the hail of 122 mm shells. Soon they are all turned into smoking ruins from 45mm and short barrel 75mm guns. No Soviet losses as yet. A single cavalry unit makes it to the village and is dispatched at point blank range from mountains scouts using rifle and satchel charge. By turn 12 the advance is halted; we now have about half of the Soviet armor around the crossroads; 2 mountains scouts platoons and 4 snipers.

I am starting to worry about enemy artillery fire given the mass of troops I have in one spot. Many of my SU-5 battery are now out of ammo and fire is at approximately 60% effectiveness. I also worry about(on map)counter battery fires on my artillery. I hope I have time to reload the artillery and move them before we have another serious engagement.

I now have two out of three objective clumps; the north (watched by the scout platoon) and the central bunch near the central hills. The third objective to the south is ignored for the time being; but the main force near the crossroads can pounce on it getting there in 3-4 turns if necessary.

Thus ends the first phase of the battle.

[KV7]

Phase Two: The battle for the central hill.

Terrain: there is a central forested hill; it is ahead of the central objective clump in Soviet possession. Ahead of the hill is an important north-south road.

The Battle: (starting around turn 11)

One detachment of BT-7 offload a mountain scout platoon and snipers onto the hill, seizing a small village. In the vicinity is another platoon of BT-7; one of T-28 and one of B-3 armored car.

Soon a large contingent (I think a company or more) of Polish infantry are spotted near the road and rushing onto an adjacent hill.

Some of the artillery I have still with ammo is put on to the road. The initial advance is slowed with sniper and tank fire.

Just to the south of this engagement and connected by road is my main force. It is still engaged with remnant Polish armor. I break some units off to assist.

Before the southern reinforcements arrive the armor which had initially been allocated to the northern attack (now abandoned) arrives to reinforce. This includes another mountain scout platoon and 2 snipers and another BT-7 platoon.

With these reinforcements I break through on the northern flank of the Polish attack and take the road. My light armor chases down the fleeing infantry assisted by the 2 scout platoon which closes to take kills at point blank. One scout unit catches a fleeing unit and ambushes it taking down the remainder in melee.

By this time the artillery arrives into the southern part of the Polish contingent. This section gets 2 turns of pounding before the southern reinforcements arrive. The remainder of the Polish thrust is hit from the north and south at once by massed armor, broken and run down.

The entire force engaged here (comprising almost all of the initial north; central and some of the main force now uses the newly captured road to move south and reinforce the main force, which is now engaged in a second and more serious tank battle.

On the way however a second large polish infantry thrust is located, having made its way north of the crossroads without being spotted. The now huge swarm of armor hits it and breaks it in 2 turns; they seem to have very low morale and break at once. Another Polish infantry company is now run down and completely destroyed.

The Soviet force is yet to take a casualty. Now Polish 75mm field guns has found some of my artillery; and I am forced to relocate a couple of battery; sadly I have not located this Polish battery. The ammunition situation is still not good; half of the artillery is out of ammo. But the overall situation looks very promising.

[KV7]

Phase three: The two battles for the southern objectives and victory

After the defeat of the initial Polish thrust into the villages, the second wave of Polish armor arrives on the southern flank. This attack is larger then the initial attack, some 12 or maybe more medium tanks and 6 tankettes. Luckily, by the time this flanking force appears the Polish thrust on the crossroads if fully defeated; a few shelled infantry still press on but are no worry.

Most of my armor is already on site, and simply needs to turn facing to engage the flanking force. The Polish armor is quickly defeated and I move to reallocate forces to the center. A platoon of BT-7 seize the southern objective, but then find a huge wave of infantry and beat a hasty retreat. The Poles retake the objective. Soon it appears there is another wave heading at the crossroads. All up around 12 squads or so. Some artillery is already dialed on this general area, so as their ammo replenishes they can be set to fire immediately. The infantry gets shelled for 4 or so turns, then I send in a mass wave of armor. The Polish infantry is found already in full retreat and is run down and the objective is taken.

The USSR is awarded a decisive victory on turn 34. Looking at the map the Poles had another two companies of infantry pushing towards the crossroads, getting shelled.

The final result is as follows:

Soviet losses: nil

Polish losses:

891 men
4 artillery
43 AFV

[jivemi]

Wow! Not a single casualty with a tank-heavy force against an AI at 150%. Now THAT'S something I'd like to see. Got any saves with that? Thanks, and congratulations!

[KV7]

Originally Posted by jivemi

Wow! Not a single casualty with a tank-heavy force against an AI at 150%. Now THAT'S something I'd like to see. Got any saves with that? Thanks, and congratulations!

Sure, which point of the battle are you interested in ?

[jivemi]

Originally Posted by KV7

Sure, which point of the battle are you interested in ?

How about three saves, around turns 10 and 20 plus the last turn (34)? Thanks.

[KV7]

Here you go, not exactly as your requested but close enough.

[KV7]

Originally Posted by jivemi

Wow! Not a single casualty with a tank-heavy force against an AI at 150%. Now THAT'S something I'd like to see. Got any saves with that? Thanks, and congratulations!

I think a tank heavy army is the easiest way to get a huge casualty ratio. I like using infantry actually but once you have a lot they are too vulnerable to artillery, even just random fires. I might take a few more next battle but I am torn.

I almost never take squad infantry as they are spotted too easily. All size zero - scouts and AT squads and snipers. It feels a bit cheap but I am too much of an optimiser to stomach taking stuff that is no good.

[jivemi]

Thanks, but I can't seem to open them. Think you gotta include the CMT files with each save.

Anyway isn't there some kind of "unit rarity" limit to prevent buying so many scouts, AT squads and snipers? It's "just a game" but I like to pretend it at least halfway reflects reality w/o using too many exploits. To each their own.