Gotterdammerung - A German WW2 DAR

[Montmorency]

Grittinks. This is a DAR of Nazi Germany's last months. The scenario which I am playing is on a hex map, 10 km per hex. The time scale is daily turns. It begins Dec. 16. It ends in Sept. '45, if I can hold on to Berlin. I am now on Turn 57 (February 10). Instead of committing my Pz. divisions to Wacht am Rhein, I canceled the operation and railed them off to the Ostfront. I shall describe the consequences.

**This is a turn-based game, so posts are only up-to-date for my playthrough of the day: I move first for a day, then the Allies move. Much of my turns are spent assessing the damage caused by the Allies in their turn "yesterday".

This has been a bloody bloodfeast:

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I will post the Allied losses in a couple of turns.

Monty's Quality Scale for Soviet Corps/Allied Divisions:

(Numbers referring to Attack (Anti-personnel)-Defense numerals on Unit Counters)

Unit Hierarchical Symbols

17-16 and up: Good/Excellent
13-12 to 16-16: Fair
10-10 to 12-12: Decent
7-6 to 9-9: Mediocre
Below:

Acronyms & Abbreviations:

AD - Armored Division
ID - Infantry Division
IR - Infantry Regiment
RD - Rifle Division
RC - Rifle Corps
TC - Tank Corps
TD - Tank Division
AT - Antitank
SPG - Selfpropelled Gun
RR - Rail Repair
Cav - Cavalry
Mech - Mechanized
Inf - Infantry
Amd - Armored
Mot - Motorized
Eng - Engineer(ing)
Bde - Brigade
Reg - Regiment
Btn - Battalion


WARNING: LARGE IMAGES; BE AWARE

Game Map and Frontlines as of Now:

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Netherlands:

The Allies have crossed the Rhine here in force after a breakthrough a week ago. Back in December, after I failed to launch the Battle of the Bulge, the Americans attacked strongly here and were repulsed. Unfortunately, some British corps were activated and gave me a lot of grief. Thankfully, the rest of the Commonwealth units will not be released until late March, at which point I will abandon the Netherlands and hide behind the Rhine. The Ruhr factories aren't under immediate threat, but the situation is developing poorly, and if he strips other parts of his line to exploit this gap...

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West Front 2: Mostly quiet here, except for the south. In December and January, there was brutal fighting around Saarbrucken. Eventually, the Americans gave up. Many units have been moved from this sector to one of the two breaches in the West Front. Remaining (pictured) are: 9 ID, 3 AD, 4 Cav Reg, 3 Eng Bde, 6 Arm AT Btn, 1 Amd Btn.

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West Front 3: Just south of Karlsruhe, a few kilometers west of Stuttgart, has been another massive crossing over the Rhine. This one is actually bigger than the aforementioned. Much bigger. Oh my. The Free French, at least, are keeping out of the way. They aren't all that strong, either. Maybe later, when they activate, I can quickly beat a withdrawal to the Rhine. Replacements for French units are very low, I hear.

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Yugoslavia: I fell back to my current positions in December. For a week in early January, I tried to surround Tito's army in a trap, but was tricked myself. Not much of note occurred in the last month. I am facing here mainly Tito's PLA, some Bulgarians and a couple token Soviet rifle corps. Beside what he has in the front, Tito has another full army in the mountainous interior of Yugoslavia. I'm not sure why he's holding it back. Overall, my position here is quite secure.

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Budapest: This has been the site of a grueling battle of attrition. For a month and a half, I held the entire city. In the last few days, however, I have been forced to abandon Pest and retreat behind the Danube. Everyone here is exhausted and depleted. Of course, I must hold here. A defeat would lead the Hungarians to lay down their arms and/or defect to the Soviets, something that would cripple me along half the Eastern Front.

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[IMG]

Hungary: Pretty ok. The enemy is not strong here, and I've held my ground everywhere except along the flanks, where I was pushed back a few 10s of km.

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Poland 1: Here, the middle area saw the greatest success. All Soviet assaults were smashed. At the bottom, I have stood my ground, giving up only 2 or three hexes. The Soviets have been concentrating here; the defenders are pretty chewed up. At the top, a Soviet bridgehead allowed them to drive me back from the river (marked) and swallow up a very small pocket. Stable for now.

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Poland 2: In this sector I was pushed back a ways. My line up until mid-January was along the Vistula River, from top to bottom. Thankfully, I've usually been able to bring in reinforcements in time to set up defense in depth. There are several weak links in my line, and there is a preponderance of Guards armies in the area, but I'm not facing catastrophe here as of now.

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Poland 3: In this sector, many important bridges have been blown by Soviet bombers. I am working furiously to repair or replace them. This is especially critical for the northern reaches, which are cut off from reinforcements and rail supply.

You might have noticed that this is Warsaw. Warsaw is hanging on by the tetherhooks. It's being hit hard. Soviet fighter cover is thick here. Only my jets have survived the last month. In the north, a big hole has been blown through my line. Though the Soviets can't easily exploit it - he seems to lacks reserves - they can definitely roll down my weak line all the way to Warsaw if I can't do something. Due to my low rail transport, I have only been able to rail in the one indicated division.

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Poland 4: The line here is solid everywhere except the very middle - between the two small lakes. I have few men there, and the Soviets have just moved in 2 more divisions. I am at the breaking point. A breakthrough there would endanger the entire southern half of the asector. Unfortunately, I don't have the transport assets to send more than a token relief force.

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Prussia: As you can see, I have been forced back from the river almost everywhere. A steady influx of reinforcements, however, has allowed me to erect a formidable defense. The Prussian port Neukuhren, north of Konigsberg, has been invaluable. I have shipped in units from Kurland and Denmark to bolster my force. Of course, the Soviets have also shifted an army or two away from the Baltic. Consequently, in one troubling spot (orange circle) the Soviets oppose me with 4 rifle corps and a tank corps. Another RC is in reserve and may be commited there too.

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Kurland: Worthless piece of land. As soon as Hitler lets me, I'll ship out half a dozen divisions. What I have is more than enough to fend off with the Soviets, who have depleted themselves in the sector to beef up the one below.

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Polish Interior: Just when I thought I had eliminated the partisan scourge, a few more revealed themselves and blew a couple major rail bridges. Anti-partisan TF consists of 2 Pioneer regiments, 2 RR Pioneer battalions, 2 infantry battalions, and an infantry regiment.

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Zakopane: I seem to have rounded up all anti-Nazi Hungarian partisans except for a few around Zakopane (which, yes, is technically in the southern tip of Poland). I have a few units there equivalent to 2 brigades, maybe.

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Berlin: This is where most of my reinforcements show up. Currently, I have 6 ID, a Pz division, and a mechanized division sitting around here. I have other units doing the same elsewhere in Austria and Czecholovakia. This backlog is due to the difficulty of transporting men over long distances. Allied interdiction, I suppose.

Denmark: I have an infantry corps garrisoned here. Eventually, Hitler will release it for whatever duties may need to be fulfilled at that point.

Air: For the most part, I seem to have achieved air parity. End of turn Air Superiority was 35-43 in the Allies' favor. I have lost 25 planes for 122 so far today. From the old enemy loss report (c. January) that I managed to acquire, I can deduce that the British have been mauled, the Americans given a broken nose, and the Soviets slightly winded.

Italy: Not yet.

____________________________________________________

Note: Enemy OOB details are minimums, taken from what I can see. Fog of War is hiding some.

Correction: I appear to have written "spontoon" instead of "pontoon" in some of the screenshots. I must have been thinking of Ancient Greece or something.

Thoughts? Demands?

[Montmorency]

Turn 58 (2/11/45)

Berlin: Reinforcements today are a reconstituted Volksgrenadier Div, Volksturmm battalion from Gransee, and the 512 sPzJ Abt. in Austria.

Air: Stormy weather in much of Germany. A total of 10 aircraft have been shot down so far today (both sides).

Netherlands: The situation has of course worsened. I may need to consider a full pullback of my remaining forces north of Essen behind the Rhine. Unfortunately, I don't have enough units to cover all avenues of approach, so the Brits could eventually cross with pontoons over some undefended portion at their leisure, if they take a bit of time to probe..

I estimate that 2 or three divisions would be required to stablize this sector.

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West 3: The bridgehead - if it can still be called such - has further expanded. A couple of my incoming divisions were beaten up. I would need at least three more to stabilize this sector. The orange circle labels what appears to be an entrained US ID. No doubts about its destination.

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Yugoslavia: Note that there is a small battle unfolding on the river-side flank. That Guards Rifle Corps is spearheading assaults on a Croatian position. Though I wouldn't bet on it holding for even another day, the decrease in the corps' stats is noteworthy. Also, check it: behind the Croatians is Das Reich in a fortified position. Das Reich is always good insurance, even if it lost at least a third of its strength in the major fighting that took place in the sector in January.

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Budapest: The 1 PzDiv on the Balaton flank has easily repulsed a large Soviet probe. Three rifle corps and a division were involved. Though only two are visible in the last update (at the tops of their stacks), check the ATK-DEF reductions for yourselves. Silly Ruskies - you can't attack panzers without tanks of your own! Soviet attempts to infiltrate Buda have also been stopped, though at non-trivial cost.

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Hungary: Notice the ID (actually a Jaeger division). It was hit hard. If it breaks, I will have to pull back the adjacent Mech Div (SS Polizei), as its position would become untenable.

Notice the guerilla battalion trying to infiltrate me through the gap in my line. A Hungarian Hussar regiment puts it in its place, though their air support takes out an infantry and a tank platoon.
My fighters did swoop in and shoot down some of their bombers, at least.

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Poland 1: At bottom, a rifle corps is moving to outflank my line. I had to commit my newly arrived reserves here, though I'm not sure what these scraps can do against a Soviet corps, no matter how depleted. I would use my threatened ID to flank the flanking corps in that attack, but that would leave it vulnerable to counterattack from the front proper. I jhoped that this wouldn't end badly.

Unfortunately, it does. This is a horrendous defeat. I lose a battalion's worth of men, and the Hussar regiment (including its tanks) - to the enemy's platoon. Dozens of planes are downed on both sides. Turns out that the weather where these two encounters took place was fine. A definitive figure for aerial losses: 22 for 50.

At top, a lot is going on. Tarnow was attacked by opposing Guards RC, but held up nicely. Adjacent to it, the 544 VG division was badly mauled, but in the end stood fast. There's something else, but it can wait for a couple of days, I think. I would very much like a fresh division here.

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Poland 2: The areas in white are trouble spots where I am being hit hard. Black are units that may have to be pulled back soon to shorten the line/preserve them. The Soviets have tons of AFV regiments and brigades in the sector, on top of having 16 Guards corps of various sorts (most having extensive organic armor assets of their own). Another factor is the exceptional health of these units. The Soviet supply network is healthy in this sector, as it is in Sector 3, NE Poland, and Kurland. A couple of divisions extra here, and I'd be fairly confident.

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Poland 3: Ah me! Warsaw was rocked by a cataclysmic attack. By the time it petered out, only a battalion was left in its position. Now, I've improvised a hasty defense consisting of an infantry brigade and 26 SPGs. These are facing two tank corps, a rifle corps, and two rifle divisions. They haven't advanced into the breach in the north, but given the rough handling the Warsaw-ward flank guards have been receiving, the gap may soon expand to 4 hexes, although now that the relief division has settled in, only one hex is open. For the moment.

I badly need a division for Warsaw, and 2 divisions for the gap. Last of the engagements here was a small probe that pushed an infantry division from its trenches. Nothing too serious, I hope.

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Poland 4:They've done it. They've penetrated past the isthumus there. 2 rifle divisions and a tank brigade. Also, he at some point sent a sizeable rifle corps to guard the flank of the breach. I desperately need a division here.

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Prussia: A Panzer division (with only 3 dozen tanks) embarked at Danzig and was shipped to Konigsberg. The hot spot I mentioned last time has grown more serious. That reserve corps was comitted, and the 5 RC and 1 TC attacked again. Both sides seem to have suffered outrageous casualties. What is worse, another RC from the riverbank (on the left flank, the only place where my line has not had to shift) has slunk away, to parts predictable. Accordingly, the opposite hex is under no immediate threat, so I will shift a security division and an SPG brigade to where they're most needed.

A piece of good news: Two RC and an RD came against the other indicated hex, SW of Tilsit. It was not nearly enough; the attackers quickly stalled.

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I ended up sending my best reserve division from Berlin to Stuttgart in West 3. Totaled, I would need at least a dozen divisions to stabilize the situation on all fronts, for perhaps a week. Even if I had unlimited rail transport, I would only be able to fulfill half of that.

Audience, won't you say a word to the Muse?

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Uh, no mechanics this time, I suppose. Anything specific about them you would like to know?

[AggonyDuck]

Thanks for the update. I'm reading this in suspense. :)

[Kagemusha]

Great stuff!Thanks for posting this DAR.Keep it coming.

[Samurai Waki]

Definitely a nail-biter!

[Double A]

Invent nukes.

[Montmorency]

Episode 3 - Wehrkrisis in der Heimat

Turn 59 (2/12/45)

BERLIN: Reinforcements are an VG Div, an SPG Bde, and a Flak Reg (all reconstituted).

AIR: 3 for 34.

POLISH INTERIOR: A small band of guerillas was surrounded and forced to surrender SW of Lodz.

NETHERLANDS: Whoomp, there it is!

Trapped in the pocket (those remaining) are an infantry battalion, 2 dozen SPGs, a handful of artillery pieces and Nebelwerfers, and dozens of AA guns.

I am shortening the line at the small bulge E of Malmedy. I'll start it off today with a single division, and pull out the rest in a couple of days. This is to give those staying behind time to re-prepare the defenses. The units I intend to send north are indicated. Should I consider dividing up that big arty stack as well?

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One of the StuG in Neuss pocket:

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WEST 2: Same deal. This and the reorganization above may also allow the Americans to shift 1 or two divisions to the salient.

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WEST 3: Well, maybe if I can dig in while spreading his forces out, he won't be able to effect a local advantage anywhere.

Yeaaaah...

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BUDAPEST: Not too much activity here, but I've spotted a Guards Rifle Corps moving up from the Soviet rear. In the other circled location, they have brought up a tank brigade. Could the Soviets be preparing for another attack on the Balaton flank?

The battalion-strength Hungarian 2 Szittya Div has reconstituted here.

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One of 34 King Tigers in Erd, just south of Buda. Originally 3 dozen, they were instrumental in delaying the Soviets south of the city throughout January. At their lowest ebb, there were only 30.

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HUNGARY: That Jaeger Div is in tatters now. It may even be defeated today. Polizei is quite strong and has good reconaissance assets, and so should have no problems disengaging to retreat. I could do the gamey thing and screen the former's escape with an RR unit, but I don't want to give up those positions just yet. The jagers will have to hold until forced to flee. Ofcourse, severely depleted and exhausted units are brittle, and have a nasty tendency to disintegrate under heavy pressure.

Those impetuous Hungarian uh, Slovakian partisans are once again infiltrating into my rear in their numbers. The Hussar regiment tried to rout them, but inexplicably dissolved before the attack even began! After the debacle, I quickly railed in some SS partisan-hunters (bottom left-most).

Oh, and I forgot to mention: those two Panzer divisions with black counters are, from bottom to top, Leibstandarte (200 tanks) and Frundsberg (67 tanks). Hopefully this powerful SS presence in the Southeast will pay off one day.

Lastly, note the entrained unit: SS Batschka. It and the Hungarian division north of it are moving into the sector above.

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POLAND 1: That RC has wriggled into my rear. It is now well-placed to participate in pincer attacks. Best would be if they distract themselves an attack on my very flank. They could also go against my fresh ID, which would cause heavy damage but which would not destriy me, I think. Worst of all would be an attack on the weakest part of my line there. A hole blown into my line there could be fatal. The gravity of the situation has led me to call two divisions to the area: a Hungarian ID that was in reserve near Kosice, and SS Batschka from Austria (half my precious daily rail transport). Of course, the RC, being behind enemy lines, is unsupplied. Being also utterly exhausted and low on supply, it will suffer heavy penalties (namely, desertion effects.

At top, a reserve RC has been detected. My ID was driven back. What a ruined division looks like:

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POLAND 2: Well, isn't that horrible.

Both of the hexes in that bump were attacked. The PzGren Div split into regiments and fled. Thankfully, it is still in relatively good shape, though it did take a beating, losing up to a battalion. In the other hex, a few dozen tanks held the line; the AA elements withdrew.

Next point of interest: SS Januar is in bad shape and may soon give way. Fair enough. I shifted those reserves there.

Third: only an SPG Bde remaining. Two puny battalions, with 33 Tigers. It's not enough - and I'm dry.

Too many Guards. Too much armor.

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POLAND 3: In Warsaw too, only an SPG Bde held out to the conclusion. I do have some sort of ID in reserve here, which I have comitted, but it was more or less the extent of my uncomitted force around the city. The Soviets can afford to slam into me daily; they have thicker skulls. I'm dazed, and it can't be long before a strong blow drives the bridge of my nose into my brain.
Farther north, out of desparation, I'm sending a newly reconstituted Volksgrenadier div and Flak reg, despite their poor cohesion and low supply levels at the moment. I don't have the transport for anything else.

It seems they don't have quite enough to exploit the gaps to the same extent as the Americans have in the West. I'm sure there are reinforcements en route - it's just the state of the local rail network that's causing delays.

They're coming.

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Beleaugered Warsaw:

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PRUSSIA: Still there. But 5 RC (soon to be 6) and a TC cannot be resisted for long.

The SS Nederland was shipped in from Stettin.

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KURLAND: A Soviet destroyer flotilla has returned for a second time, after it was defeated twice (December, January).

Naval combat is abstracted in this game, because the designers only ever did serious work on the land model. As a result, ship-to-ship combat works more or less like counterbattery fire. They're really just artillery units on blue-colored hexes with lots of movement points. Cobat results are grossly unrealistic. One minor improvement was, however, included with the latest patch: naval units now get very little supply when at sea; it's incentive for the player to keep his ships in port whenever possible (which you'll notice I haven't really done; well, they're fairly useless by now, eh? I mostly just pretend that they're on patrol in the North Sea).

I 'won'...

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[Kagemusha]

Great stuff!Looks bit dim for the Germans, no surprise there. Do you think you could have any possibilities for strategic withdrawals in any fronts in order to shorten your lines or redeploy to a better defensive positions, or are your troops too committed everywhere to even try any such thing?For example, would it be possible to abandon Italy and set a defensive perimeter to Alps, in order to gain more reserves for other fronts?

[Montmorency]

Strategic withdrawals require reserves. Any attempt to disengage with the Soviets will almost certainly lead to headlong rout, and will at least necessitate the sacrifice of entire corps in rearguard actions.

I am looking to shorten my line on a smaller scale, especially in the West with those two bulges. I just have to hope he doesn't notice what I'm doing and press the attack before I'm ready.

For example, would it be possible to abandon Italy and set a defensive perimeter to Alps, in order to gain more reserves for other fronts?

Well, debating the merits of such a move would be pointless: Hitler won't let me move them until the historical date of the Allied spring offensive is very near, and I don't have the transport to move more than one division a day from the area.

Remember that I'm not totally short of fresh(er) units, it's just that I can't get them to where they need to be all at once.

[Subotan]

Do you expect to be able to push the Allies back and avert the Götterdämmerung?

[Montmorency]

I can hardly expect to survive the winter.

Once there's a full breakthrough, that's it. The enemy will run wild throughout the heartland and all I will be able to do is sit in place and hope my doomed armies delay them long enough to achieve a half-way historical end date.

[Montmorency]

Episode 4 - Dealt a Bad Hand in Poland

TURN 60 (2/13/45)

BERLIN: Reinforcements are an ID, an IB, and an Inf Btn. Good news! The US 28 ID has withdrawn to parts unknown. The TF Linden/42 ID has disbanded.


POLISH INTERIOR: A horde of partisans has materialized near Konin. However, they are in a bad position and may be trapped against the river if I move quickly.

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NETHERLANDS: The pocket has largely been reduced. There's a diminished battalion with a 50mm AT gun, a StuG platoon, and 6 halftracks. I had the battalion charge a Wolverine battalion. Those who weren't killed or captured immediately actually managed to disable a platoon.

The first bulge has been evacuated. Almost everyone, including almost all the artillery, is marching north.

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WEST 2: Moving out. One of the American divisions has too.

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WEST 3: With my position steadily worsening, I had my strongest division in the sector advance into lightly defended Pforzheim. I don't know what I was thinking; it could easily be surrounded now. A retreated ID and Pz Btn attacked a vanguard Cav Btn to improve its position. Air support allowed them to drive it away. Apparently, it is in a sorry state: most of it was mortars and transport vehicles. The only AFVs were 8 M8s and an M24.

There are 2 ID on the other side of the Rhine. If these are meant to cross into the combat zone, the US will have 12 ID, 3 AD, and the equivalent of a Cav Div in the bridgehead.

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BUDAPEST: Both Panzer divisions on the Balaton flank have been attacked. Moderate reductions in both attack and defense, on both sides. Looking at my records, the Soviets have come off worse: most of the reduction is associated with the loss of stockpiled "extra" supplies.

Some probing around Buda. Soviets aren't doing too well.


HUNGARY: As predicted, the ID failed. Polizei withdraws to the rear.

The last Hungarian hex along the line is in danger of collapse.

The Slovak partisans are being driven back, but reinforcements to the next sector have been delayed by a blow bridge.

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POLAND 1: The weakest point in the line was demolished, but the Soviets failed to exploit it. Realzing that the next logical step for the enemy was to attack the other weak point to encircle it, the ID moved against the RC caight in the rear. It was so damaged that it fled back to its own line in headlong rout. Hundreds were captured. Of course, this means the ID loses its defense bonus. And there's still a gap in the line.

Up top, another bridgehead is imminent.

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POLAND 2: SS Nordland and an ID were pushed out of their positions, though they were quickly regained from the vanguard armor. Both have suffered grave losses, such that their effectiveness has been cut nearly in half.

A bulge here is to be evacuated as well. Preliminaries have begun. This should free up at least a Pz Div.

Elsewhere, the situation is getting worse even faster. NW of Radom, I have only scraps until the curve in the line.

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POLAND 3: Warsaw holds, but the Soviets still have a lot of fight in them.

Walter Girg has finally gotten into a sticky spot too sticky for him to get out of. His back to main-line Soviet corps, pressed by armor to the front - will he find a way? He did manage to fight his way north, where only a supply column blocked his path. He left a fifth of the trucks burning.

North of Warsaw, a fresh fortified division was dislodged, forcing Totenkopf to relocate.

The reinforcement ID engages the Mtr Bde occupying a small breach in the swamps. The Soviets lost about a battalion or two, and 5 dozen aircraft. I was mauled: the division had 2/3 of its assets shredded, and over 2 dozen planes were shot down. It did recapture the position, though.

East, what was a troublesome situation ended as a crushing rout just a couple of days later. Catastrophe moves swiftly on the East Front. And the West Front too, come to think of it.

In the Soviet rear, there is a stack of 5 artillery divisions and a tank brigade.

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POLAND 4: They're pouring into that breach. An ID from the capital is being railed in, though the situation is equally desparate in many other sectors. I don't think this sector can expect more reinforcements for a few weeks - in other words, never.

North, at Goldap, my defenses are being overwhelmed. One of the ad-hoc divisions simply vanished.

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PRUSSIA: That hex has been attacked again, but the Soviet corps are gaining attack and defense. They are losing less than their replacement rate here. That doesn't hold for my units, unfortunately.

Two other hexes nearby are being probed by the tank corps. They're not strong enough to last for long. I need to abandon the bulge so as to shorten my line, but all the good defensive terrain is too far away; my men will quickly be caught out of their trenches and cut up.

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[johnhughthom]

Good reading Monty, I've never managed to get to grips with HOI and I'm going to come back to this when I try again (when FTM is a bit cheaper) to give me a bit of a hand with some of the nuances. Nice to see I'm not the only AAR writer getting my butt handed to me.

[Populus Romanus]

Interesting read, I have never seen a strategy game like this.

[Montmorency]

Episode 5 - Prussian Peril

TURN 60 (2/14/45)

AIR: 26 for 54. As is demonstrated, and has been before, Soviet air power makes counterattack a foolhardy proposition.

BERLIN: 2 ID in reinforcements, though one is battalion-strength.

ZAKOPANE: Recaptured. Bagged some partisans.

NETHERLANDS: The SS Lettische there is finished. Quite a shame. It's a significant blow. However, 3 IDs, hundreds of arty pieces and some armored elements are en route. That should be enough to stabilize the area south of Essen. As for the north, in the British sector...

Oddly, the Amis seem not to have noticed those redeployments taking place. As a result, my divisions slunk away quite peacefully.

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WEST 3: Now I've been blown wide open. He did indeed commit 2 fresh IDs just now. I'm not sure whence he got them, though. The southern Siegfried line is now in extreme danger of being rolled down. The Colmar bulge will inevitably be surrounded. I could evacuate it, but a corps would have to be left behind, and the not-inconsiderable French [B]1re Armee will quickly pour over the Rhine and just generally screw me. My best ID must be redeployed from Berlin to this place immediately, for all the good it will do.

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YUGOSLAVIA: This Bulgarian ID has been sitting here for a while. Well, I don't want to let them build up overwhelmingly (I know that there are yet more Bulgarian divisions out there, not to mention a full Titoist army), so I'll try to take them piecemeal where they try it. That's why I'm moving to encircle this thing. At worst, I lose some supply temporarily. I seriously doubt he has corps in place to move in force to support this shrimp. Opportunism is all the Germans have to uplift them at this point.

My Cetniks, while driving out the Bulgarian command, discover that:

1. They have the army level artillery attached.

2. There's a Tito-corps in the area.

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HUNGARY: Budapest looks OK. A frail division tried to bridge the Danube at a weak point north of the city. I'll try to lure it in. Then again, maybe it will have the same result as the two bridgeheads.

The SS partisan-hunters pushed the Slovak fighters all the way back to the Soviet front - though losing a company for a platoon - and the relieving divisions finaly moved into -

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POLAND 1: They easily pushed a Soviet IC and tank bde away from the road. Twice that has happened. It indicates that the Soviets here are exhausted. It also indicates that those corps are experiencing a critical shortage of infantry. They're mostly MGs, AT rifles, and organic artillery now. The Hungarian ID's attack on a lone tank brigade stalled with serious losses due to air support.

Quiet elsewhere.

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POLAND 2: Bulge evacuated. Penetration by 2 Heavy-tank Regs and an SP Reg. Only a Heavy Pz Abt. survived, so I'll counterattack with it. Obviously, even if it miraculously succeeds it will never hold back the adjacent Mech Corps. But why not? It's not like it matters at this stage. Over 50km of front are flimsier than clapwood and will fall apart momentarily. The hex in question is a little cloudy, so maybe the Sturmoviks will keep away. Maybe 22 Tigers can figure something out. In the end, the battle is an ill-advised failure: 8 Tigers for 2 IS-2. Air support did show up.

This is it, I think. This is the schwerpunkt. This is where I will break first.

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POLAND 3: Warsaw is Erebus, but I'm cannibalizing other parts of the line to reinforce it.

Walter Girg lives, but is still trapped.

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POLAND 4: Nothing left in that hex, but no Soviet advance.

PRUSSIA: Breakthrough. Subsequent measure.

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[Subotan]

Nice cheesy title. Also, those poor Nazis ;_;

[Montmorency]

Note: You may have noticed that I sometimes get a bit loose with my acronyms (e.g. IC instead of RC). Forgive me.

Also, there may be a special episode this week in lieu of the usual programming.

[Montmorency]

Gotterdammerung Thanksgiving Special

Spread Holiday Pain/A Cornucopia of Death

Here we have the up-to-date loss tables, significant because I finally got my hands on the enemy loss tables (though data is patchy in some areas)!

Axis:

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Allies:

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Squads: ~35500 (34%) to ~79500 (54%); definitely heavy losses here (note that Rifle AT- squads represent the Americans, Light Rifle squads the Brits & FF, while Rifle & SMG squads are predominant with the Soviets;

MGs: ~8500 (29%) to ~22100 (31%)

Artillery - AT: ~3600 (30%) to ~9100 (34%)

Non-SP AA: ~4200 (19%) to 1800 (8%)*

SPAA: ~2200 (38%) to ~2600 (24%)*

Non-AT, non-AA, non-SP, non-mortar: ~5600 (31%) to ~11900 (28%)

Mortars : ~7400 (31%) to ~12400 (16%)*

Armor - Armored Car: ~600 (27%) to ~1350 (American; 34%)/~400 (Soviet; 14%)*/~150 (British; 6%)*

Tank & SPG:~3300 (28%) to ~5000 (American; 33%)/~10700 (Soviet; 49%) /~700 (British; 27%)

Aircraft - Fighters:~3550 (62%) to ~2750 (American; 71%)/~2300 (Soviet; 29%)/ ~1200(British;66%)

Bombers:~300 (34%) to ~650 (American; 37%)/~2850 (Soviet; 25%)/0 (British; 0%)

*Mid-January figures

And my opponent complains of the "superhuman Axis holding the line no matter how much arty AF and ground units i use my Allies get wasted every time".

You've demolished 1/3 of my military in 2 months, FFS! What do you want?

[Subotan]

Hmm, data.

Are you playing online against another dude then?

[Montmorency]

Yep, PBEM.

[Subotan]

No updates?

;_;

[Montmorency]

In about a week.

[Montmorency]

Gotterdammerung: Season 2

[Montmorency]

Episode 1 - Wer zurückweicht wird erschossen!





TURN 62 (2/15/45)

AIR: Stormy weather. 22 for 112 aircraft.

BERLIN: REINFORCEMENTS: 1. 363 VG Div reconstitutes.

2. A Volkssturm battalion; sent to Konin to combat the partisans trapped there.

3. PzKorps Hermann Goering Flak regiment reconstitutes.

NETHERLANDS: SITUATION REPORT: 1. Just west of Essen, the US 899 TD Btn, the 5 Corps Eng Bde, and 11 Cav Rgt attacked Duisberg from Ratingen, with the first two forcing out the 64 Flak Rgt and entering the city, NW of Essen.

2. The encircled German ID in the gap has been destroyed. Facing out across mostly open space are the equivalent of two armored brigades. 4 ID and 4 AD in the immediate vicinity can exploit it.

OPERATIONS: 1. The 1. FsJ Armee Pionier regiment has moved out of its fortified position in Kleve towards the Rhine. It is my intention to evacuate this this area; the result will be that the Rhine's west bank will be Wehrmachtfrei north of Koln. 4 hexes must be filled on the east bank for a complete line, but one hex cannot really be filled with the retreating units, even with the 12 VG Div being railed in from Berlin, and the 275 ID from Flensburg.

2. Forces in the area will continue to work to close the gap, particularly the 182 Flak Rgt, 559 sPzJ Abt, 905 StuG Bde, and 5 FsJ Div. Artillery east of the Rhine here: K5 EBahn Art, 674 1513 EB Art, 1093 Art Abt, 388, 405 406, 408 and 409 VArt Kps, 8 Werfer Bde, 309 Art Div, and the 6 SS PzArmee Art. Do not be deceived, such a concentration will at best match the American artillery.

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WEST 3: SITUATION REPORT: 1. The fairly fresh 291 ID has been battered and forced back towards Stuttgart. It and 106 Pz Bde, ID Doberitz, and Wehrkreis 5 are all that stand between the Americans and Stuttgart. The city is defended by the equivalent of a full ID and a full Pz Bde. The Americans threatening the city are: 36, 79, 87, & 103 ID, 101 & 106 Cav Rgt, 4 AD, and half of 14 AD. Our best estimate is that this equivalent to a full American AD and 2 ID.

2. Near the Rhine's east bank, Baden-Baden and its garrison of 802 Fest Abt, Bde Baur, and a Volkssturm battalion are in danger of being encircled by the 15 and 4 Corps Eng Btn, 117 Cav Sqn, 712 Amd Btn, and 74 & 96 ID. The 76 is fresh, and particularly dangerous. The arrival of the 15 ID from Berlin will at least temporarily prevent the Americans from moving SW towards Freudenstadt.

OPERATIONS: Pray. Recent intelligence indicated that two fresh IDs might soon enter the fight.

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YUGOSLAVIA:SITUATION REPORT: A Titoist regular RC is less than 50 km from the front and moving up. It should reach the Kupa (Korana?) River in 2 or 3 days. Enemy forces include the V & XIII Prol. Cps, Soviet Btn 4PA, II Krain Bde, and III Prol. Cps. Mine: 18 Udarna Div, 8 Gorski Div, Cetnik Majevicka Cps, 392 Plava Div, 2 Kosaken Div, Sich Abt 1024, 181 ID, and 22 Luftlande Div.

OPERATIONS: Against my better judgement I am launching a minor offensive to surround the XII Proletarian Cps and the Bulgarian 10 RD. 7 Gorski Div and SS Prinz Eugen are moving up to the front. Let's hope that approaching Titoist corps doesn't have friends...

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HUNGARY:REINFORCEMENTS: SS Bulgarien reconstitutes in Vienna.

SITUATION REPORT: A Soviet assault force has assembled on the opposite bank of a large meander in the Danube. The Hungarian MP brigade for Budapest coiuld be attacked by the 104 RC, 7 TC and 108 RD today. Elsewhere, the line is stable.

OPERATIONS:In NE Hungary/E Slovakia, an SS MP regiment attacks a brigade of Slovakian partisans. The latter retreat to Soviet lines. Both sides come away with about company-size losses.

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POLAND 1:SITUATION REPORT: The lower part of the line has been successfully reformed, but without very great cost to the enemy. Furthermore, SS Batschka and the Kossuth Div are less than half-strength. 344 ID is about half-strength, but it will be the focus of any Soviet attacks in the area. It faces a Czechoslovak TB, the 2 Czechoslovak RB, a TB of the 1st Guard Army, an AT Bde of the 4 Ukr. Front, 237 & 351 RD, 2 Guards Abn Div, and 3 Mtn Corps. The last of the partisans from Zakopane are close to being pushed against the rear of the main line and destroyed.

OPERATIONS: Round up the partisans in the next half-week.

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POLAND 2:SITUATION REPORT: North of Kamienna River (Radom): 1.17 PzDiv has rushed in and plugged the hole in the line. Unfortunately, it took up the whole day in doing so, and is in no position to repel a counterattack. A vanguard Soviet heavy tank regiment has been cut off behind our lines.

2. The town of Radom and its adjacent hexes are the most likely to crumble next. The only reserve in the area is the 424 sPz Abt.

South of Kamienna River (Kielce): 1. This is an important rail junction, in that its capture will cut one of the two rail lifelines to Radom. And I just ****** up big-time by accidentally disentrenching its defenders.

2. SS Nordland here is hard-pressed to stay intact. It has retained 2/3 (68 runners) of its armor, but is 1/4 strength otherwise. Its major antagonists are 7 Guards MC, 9 MC, and 4 Guards TC.

OPERATIONS: 301 sPz Abt attacks the cut off Soviet unit. It retreats toward the Pilica River, though it only loses 2/14 IS-2s. I lose 5/21 remaining Tigers and a squad, probably because of overwhelming enemy air support. 14 for 35 planes. I really need to watch out for non-cloudy hexes.

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POLAND 3:SITUATION REPORT: 1. SS Geb Div Nord and SS Totenkopf are strong on the flanks of the indicated area, but one hex is still totally open and the other defended by scraps.

2.Walter Girg has been captured. He had tied up a not insignificant Soviet force. Warsaw has fallen, but it is occupied only by the very brittle-looking and unprepared Polish 14 RD. The exhausted but locally 'troublesome' 41 RC, 29 TC, 3 Guards TC, Polish 12 & 13 RD, 214 RD, and TD equivalent (aggregate) have not yet crossed the river.

OPERATIONS: 1. All I can do for now is pull back 99 Flak Rgt, 911 StuG Bde, and the HQ of PzKps GrossDeutschland from that vulnerable hex, leaving behind a battalion of Volkssturm as a rearguard. Expect ruin.

2. To retake Warsaw, I pull out most of the stops. From both directions, the city is be entered by a battalion-strength brigade of Hitler Jugend from Frankfurt from the norht, by the 36 VG Div from Mokotow in the south, and the Gren Lehr Bde from both sides. 14 RD flees in disarray, and one of its regiments is dispersed or captured, Warsaw falls back into German hands. Losses were about a light battalion, 6 tanks, and 5 fighters. The Polish divisions losses were considerably lighter, owing to the extreme depletion of manpower it had experienced in the last month. Most of the German losses came as a result of Soviet air raids; 22 planes were shot down.

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PRUSSIA: SITUATION REPORT: 1. A new line south of the Angrapa River and partly behind the Instruch River is forming. North of Schlossberg, the Soviets have not been quick to react. As such, a moderately sized delaying force has been left intact around that town. There is a serious risk of Schlossberg being taken and a pocket formed. It is even possible that these men will collapse without any resistance whatsoever. North of Schlossberg is what amounts to a company of pioneers. Around Durkheim, the SS Hannibal Rgt and the 11. SS Pz Armee pioneer regiment are delaying and will without a doubt be lost.

2. Soviets have fully forced their way through the isthmus. 367 ID, 541 VG Div, SS Charlemagne, a regiment of grenadiers, and a battalion of Volkssturm constrain the 128 RC, 3 Cav Corps, and 197 TB.

OPERATIONS: 1. Attempt to extract 610 Div zbV, SS 503 sArt Abt, SS PzG Falke Rgt, and Div Denecke from the Schlossberg bulge.

2. Dig in and hope enemy doesn't begin aggressive advance.

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Next episode after New Years.

Feedback?

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What does the episode title mean anyway?

[Populus Romanus]

Cheers for a new chapter!

[Montmorency]

Ah, uh, this program will have to enter an extended hiatus.

If I ever hoped that my opponent would be made sloppy by long absence, well, I was wrong. The situation has become graver still, though locally there are now some interesting openings.

This implies even fleshier episodes, but before now I had actually hoped to adopt an 'every-other-game-day' format.

Sorry to disappoint the readers (and apparently there a number, going by the views), but this DAR does demand a pretty heavy time-investment.

Let's face it: I don't have the wherewithal to continue in this manner, and my opponent is less than pleased at these "sabbaticals".

If and when this resumes, the episodes will probably be lighter and based on in-game weeks. That would probably amount to monthly episodes;without the burden of bookkeeping, I could complete at least 2 turns/week.

And I still need to hear feedback for the new aesthetic.