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Across the Tartar Ditch

john connor

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I'm going to have a go at this as well. This is a lovely custom East Front scenario by Chris 'Capnhillrat' from the sharp end gaming blog.
http://thesharpendgaming.blogspot.be/p/eastern-front-scenarios.html
I've tinkered with it just a little to make sure none of the unit stats were generic and I've changed the 'minor rivers' layer to a motorised value of '0'. This is what it usually is, though Chris had good reasons for allowing tracks and wheels across in his original (dry seasonal river beds). It won't make much diff as the Axis starts behind a minor river obstruction but there isn't much of that sort in their way after that.

4.png

Axis objectives are yellow circles. Jump off from behind the yellow line - roughly the line of the Kalanchak river. This is all in present day Ukraine, I think, at the isthmus just north of the Crimea.

Many thanks to Chris for putting in the hard work on an EF estab, producing this wonderful map by tracing a historical (I think 50s) map of the area (the hard, rectangular features are historical and can still be seen today on google earth - I think they are farm developments where land has been parcelled out in rigid geometrical plots), and kudos to him for assembling the scenario. I haven't played it through properly yet, so this will be fun for me. It looks as if the Axis should win easily - they outnumber the Soviets over 3 to 1 once all the reinforcements are in - but the Russians are all fortified or entrenched, with an armoured rescue force on the way. I've given all the Russians great high stats for stubbornness, determination, aggression etc, so it could easily be a very hard fight. I wouldn't be surprised if I lose. To get 100 VPs I would have to get max points from all objectives and kill quite a number of the enemy.
 

john connor

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Some info from scenmaker.
2.png

It looks like the Axis begins with 3 Divisions, but in fact the strength is around 8 Bns.
 

john connor

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6.png

Present day, courtesy of google earth. The line of the Tartar Ditch fortification very clear still....
 

john connor

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7.png

Soviet memorial. Not sure, these days, whether this is in Ukraine or Russia..... The embankment behind the tank is the Tartar Ditch fortification foundation, just west of Perekop.
 

john connor

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9.png

The battlefield as it looks today. The urban centres haven't grown very much, but nearly all of the land has been brought into cultivation now. Note the rectangular plots of land making up the farms, plus the round circles caused by rotating irrigation systems (a more recent addition). The line of the Tartar ditch can even be seen from this height, just sth of Perekop.
 

john connor

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I wish I could figure out a way to make a more readable OOB from the meagre tools available. I would like to be able to re-size the OOB box, either in the game or in scenmaker to be able to snap all of it, fully expanded, then I could re-arrange it in digestible chunks. A CO2 idea? Meanwhile, here's the OOB part of the second pic:

12.png

Actually, looking again at it, I would say the LAH is more like 3 Bns strength, if that. So, in all the total Axis force is more like 2 Regiments/Brigades of mixed mech, infantry and armour. I'll highlight elements of the OOB as and when they go into action as I play it through.

One other thing to note - I have (correct me if I'm wrong) only 2 companies of tanks (2 Bn 1 SS Pz Reg). They each field 17 Panzer IVs. 34 tanks in all.
 
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john connor

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Scenario briefing, and Axis briefing:

13.png

Chris notes that it's only semi-historical because he couldn't find out the exact historical disposition of forces, though these were the forces involved, and on this map.
 

Daz

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I always learn a lot from your AAR's Peter.
Love the research you are doing with the images.

I have made an action (automated command thing) in Photoshop to do the OOB's.
I just have to load in all the screen dumps, press a button, and most of the work is done automatically.
If you had Photoshop I would share it with you.
 

john connor

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Photoshop...I wonder.....Christmas is coming, after all.
Meanwhile - hope you had a good holiday, Daz. I'm having a bit of an EF phase, and wish it wasn't going to be so very long before we see an official CO2 EF pack - my current guess is 2 years! Lol. I should put a bet on it with Dave. Haven't got back to this one yet, as I'm still slowly running through the D-Day scenario (haven't posted results yet). But I will get back to this, and look forward to it. Assuming I'm not tempted to buy WitW, which is out Thursday, and could distract me.
 

Dave 'Arjuna' O'Connor

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Yee of little faith Peter. If people get behind the launch of CO2 I'll be bale to egt some full time developing in and complete mounted ops which is required for the East Front. Once that is done we'll launch at least three East Front packs. My bet is the second half of next year. But that is dependent on good sales of the CO2 west front modules.
 

john connor

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I'll buy 3 of them!!!! Now - if you set up the mechanism. I just bought Elite dangerous pre-order for my 9 year old, I would happily pre-order CO2. As would others, I think.
 

john connor

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Chris - if you're there. This is a screen shot from the Tartar Ditch scenario. Is this what you intended? I have no idea what the soviets could do, or about estabs, but it seems odd that 6 AT guns would have 22,000 rounds lying around....no?at fun.png
 

CapHillRat

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Hey there. Good catch! No that is definitely not intended. Needs a tweak in scenmaker. I am eager to see how this comes off for you.
 

john connor

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Yes, I've tweaked it now, but I wonder why it happened? It wasn't all the AT units that had so much ammo. Maybe it was my messing around and tweaking that upped it, and I forgot that I had!. You will have to check the original, Chris - maybe it was ok and it was my doing! Some of the other AT units had about half this ammo, which comes out as about 2,000 rounds per gun. They fire off roughly 20 a minute, so not much more than 2 hours continuous action in 2,000, so it's perhaps not THAT much? They are small 45mm rounds, so wouldn't take a shed to stockpile 2,000 by each gun - just 2 to 4 large crates, perhaps. So, maybe around 2,000 per gun would have been within the bounds of normal? I have no real idea. Do you?

Now I'm hoping to play this H2H against Sinbad in the New Year sometime, which is why I haven't continued with this AAR. I am actually playing it at the moment as Allies, against the AI, and loving it. It's very well done, I think. Nice map, with enough detail to make it interesting. Interesting forces.

Quick question about your EF estab - it has no pictures, is that right?
 

john connor

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I'm hoping to play this H2H in the New Year some time, but still plan to play as Axis v AI too. For some reason I thought recently I would play as Allies, however. I've messed around with the stats and balance so much that I've lost track a little. But on paper it all looks relatively balanced. The Axis have almost 3 times more men than the Soviets, by scenario end, but only the same amount of armour (roughly 40 tanks each), plus the Soviets are dug-in to fortified positions in most of their line. To the East is slightly less strong, but even there their units are entrenched. And then there's all that huge, flat open space to cross - vast, open, flat, featureless horizons with no cover at all. It's quite a problem to think how the Axis can do this without being mercilessly pounded by the soviet artillery. If you don't believe me take a look at the photo below. This is taken looking south on ROUTE 1 towards where the soviet 5.867 (see next post for map) is dug into a heavily fortified position. The landscape really is 'clear' and 'open'......

4.png
 

john connor

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Let's call this 'Axis Wargames' - my Bn commanders and I are running a simulation of our attack to come, to see what happens....

Here's a screen from 12 hours in with me playing as the Soviets. All I've done is given the boss a defend in-situ order, max rof and losses, then directed arty onto the attackers, sometimes moving a few mortar units to get them in range. I had naval reinforcements arrive by boat and placed them at the junction below the 5.867 unit, blocking ROUTE 1. That unit is presently the lynchpin of my defence because the Axis have come down ROUTE 1 in force since the beginning of the day. I have directed my abundant arty and a few airstrikes onto their columns with, I assume, terrible effect. The 5.867 has so far done very little. It was hit by an airstrike around 9am and lost 1 man. It has engaged lead units of the enemy if they ever got past the arty. The AI has so far just appeared to march the units up the road (ROUTE 1) and they've been stuck there for nearly 10 hours, being crushed by massed artillery, unable to sustain any attack across the open ground. It's a bit disappointing. But what else can the AI do, I wonder? It's very instructive, for when I play Axis.

On ROUTE 3 three Axis units were destroyed by AT fire and bombardments all brought in by the AI, not me.
3.png
 
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