john connor
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A rude awakening. The HQ units, as you can see, have now got their wake up and defend orders, but they haven't got them out to the line units yet.
Prokhorovka central corridor sector AAR
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A rude awakening. The HQ units, as you can see, have now got their wake up and defend orders, but they haven't got them out to the line units yet.
john connor
Member
6.30am. Nearly all units awake and defending (Wittman's playing it cool and having a lie-in....). All the enemy units in sight are being engaged (and are engaging) either by my tanks or the front elements of the Recon Bn (note the little boxes in the bottom right corner of the counters). So far, no losses.
john connor
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john connor
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Almost 7am.
john connor
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john connor
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Forward another hour to just after 9am. Some losses, but so far nothing really threatening. In real life some of the T34s did get in amongst the Axis armour. If that doesn't happen here then I will tinker with the scenario balance a bit more....
john connor
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john connor
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john connor
Member
Coming up to 1pm and I haven't really felt threatened. I will, I think, increase the scenario balance in favour of the Allies a little after this run-through, and post the results from around this time in the battle (midday). Though what we see here is roughly approximate to what happened historically, it's not, so far, very challenging.
Meanwhile, I will now go onto the offensive. I will issue 3 orders like the ones shown below. Below we have the Recon Bn plus Stugs tasked to take one of the red objectives. I will issue similar orders to the Panzer Grenadiers and the Divisional Escort Company, covering the other 2 red objectives and attaching armour. I will leave the Tigers and one company of Pz IVs where they are though as they continue to wreak havoc with enemy advances at long range. This is where it gets difficult, I fear. it's one thing picking off T34s at long range, but it might prove harder to attack into them.
Meanwhile, I will now go onto the offensive. I will issue 3 orders like the ones shown below. Below we have the Recon Bn plus Stugs tasked to take one of the red objectives. I will issue similar orders to the Panzer Grenadiers and the Divisional Escort Company, covering the other 2 red objectives and attaching armour. I will leave the Tigers and one company of Pz IVs where they are though as they continue to wreak havoc with enemy advances at long range. This is where it gets difficult, I fear. it's one thing picking off T34s at long range, but it might prove harder to attack into them.
john connor
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john connor
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john connor
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Casualties have been high in some companies, though hardly any armour has been lost. The toll on the soviets has been devastating, but they're still there, in great numbers. I think it would have been necessary to select attack options bearing max losses and max aggro to get these attacks to work. I shall have to think about what to do now.
john connor
Member
Slight diversion, whilst I consider my options......
I revised the scenario slightly and played through again. The balance was more in favour of the Soviets. Not much difference though. The AI is a cautious opponent compared to a human. If this version (or the original) were to be played H2H then the Allies would completely crush the Axis, because they have a massive force superiority. The main reason for having to balance scenarios like this is because the AI doesn't 'think' aggressively (as human opponents do) when putting together big coordinated attacks - something which the human can do in about 5 simple clicks..... Ironically, the result is behaviour which more closely matches history, real life commanders being more worried about death and such like......and thus more cautious. Also the AI lacks a basic finesse in planning very large attacks - leading, again, to a more historical kind of chaos in the execution. As much as it's possible to truly judge these things, anyway, considering I only ever get an intel picture of the enemy, even on a surrender.
I revised the scenario slightly and played through again. The balance was more in favour of the Soviets. Not much difference though. The AI is a cautious opponent compared to a human. If this version (or the original) were to be played H2H then the Allies would completely crush the Axis, because they have a massive force superiority. The main reason for having to balance scenarios like this is because the AI doesn't 'think' aggressively (as human opponents do) when putting together big coordinated attacks - something which the human can do in about 5 simple clicks..... Ironically, the result is behaviour which more closely matches history, real life commanders being more worried about death and such like......and thus more cautious. Also the AI lacks a basic finesse in planning very large attacks - leading, again, to a more historical kind of chaos in the execution. As much as it's possible to truly judge these things, anyway, considering I only ever get an intel picture of the enemy, even on a surrender.
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john connor
Member
Continuing....
Because time is limited, considering the delay in getting orders down the line etc, I've just let things run and tried to clear a way with my arty. But it's no use. In the last hour the 3 attacking formations have tried to mount attacks on the 3 objectives 3 times and been beaten back each time not by enemy counter-attacks, but by massed arty barrages. Just as it happened in real life.....
Because time is limited, considering the delay in getting orders down the line etc, I've just let things run and tried to clear a way with my arty. But it's no use. In the last hour the 3 attacking formations have tried to mount attacks on the 3 objectives 3 times and been beaten back each time not by enemy counter-attacks, but by massed arty barrages. Just as it happened in real life.....
john connor
Member
A costly draw, more or less. Particularly costly for the soviets, as in real life. But they achieved, by sheer weight of numbers, what they couldn't achieve with any kind of tactical finesse - they ground the SS advance to a halt. On the other side, I was unable to effectively go over to the offensive because the soviet arty was crippling in the open wheat fields. I'm sure, with more care and time, that a better result is possible, but I can't see a way of getting to the big prize - Hill 225.7. So it will never be a decisive victory. Not for me, anyway. Maybe someone better at the tactics than me could do it (there are many)!
Interesting that the Axis tanks functioned so much as they did in the real battle, picking off soviet tanks at a distance from positions with good Los.
john connor
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Final View:
john connor
Member
One last shot from another run through with the revised balance. Remember, historically LAH lost 17 tanks and took out around 160 soviet tanks. I'm chuffed to be able to get this scenario to work like this - producing an almost exact historical result, using the forces used on the terrain they fought on. In his run the Axis killed around 170 T34s. The soviets destroyed 14 Axis tanks (or Stugs) in return. Amazing the engine works to achieve this. Great game!
If anyone wants it this scenario is posted in the resources section.
If anyone wants it this scenario is posted in the resources section.
