Korsun 44
Payback Time...
Korsun 44 - small map in JPG format (94 kB)
Korsun 44 - large map in JPG format (579 kB)
| game no. | scenario | played as | outcome (-3 to +3) |
balance (-3 to +3) |
scenario rating (1-10) |
game rating (enjoyment) (1-10) |
| 3 | Korsun 44 | Soviets | over.vic.(+3) | +1 German -1 |
7 | 9 |
For full explanation of table columns - see TOAW HQ home page.
Korsun 44 - prelude
Scenario that promises to evolve into very interesting PBEM game...
Korsun pocket, and ensuing relief operation by the Germans, is actually a very interesting battle, being studied by the military buffs of all kinds, as a good example of relief attempt on a rather large scale. In the winter of 1944. large chunk of German south front units, elements of no less than 6 divisions, SS and Wehrmacht, became captured inside what became known as "Korsun pocket" (Korsun is small city with airstrip), as a result of Soviet offensive and yet another Hitler "no retreat" order.
In real-life battle, German attempt at saving their comrades inside the pocket was half-successful - most of the men escaped from the pocket, but last phase of their escape was rather chaotic. Unable to capture key Soviet position on the hill near Lisjanka, Germans "ran the gauntlet", and escaped without their weapons and heavy equipment, with huge losses. Some of the troops had to swim over cold and swollen Gniloy Tikich river (actually more of a stream then a river, but at the time was swollen because of a spring thaw).
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Soviet initial plan
Playing the Soviet side, my initial plan was as follows:
First phase:
- To destroy Germans inside the pocket as quickly as possible…
- …while at the same time preventing linking up of pocketed forces and relief force at all costs (this was my ultimate priority). To be able to do this, in the very first turn I directed all available forces that could reach Lisjanka area in the 1-2 turns towards Lisjanka (town of Lisjanka - expected zone of link-up of two German forces).
- Frontline units (the ones on the front towards relief force, not those on the front towards pocketed forces) are to be used as defence against relief forces rushing towards pocket. I expected main thrusts to be towards Lisjanka, Medvin and Zvenigorodka (in that order), and planned on deploying "thicker" line in corresponding areas of the front, while "spreading out" units on the areas where less action was expected.
- All units, not on the frontline, and that could not reach Lisjanka in 1-2 turns were to be used for crushing the pocketed forces, or as a reserve against German relief force attack (towards Lisjanka) - depending on their initial deployment and availability.
Second phase:
- After destroying pocketed forces, all units are to be used against main German front and (former) German relief force. In fact, by this phase - game is going to be practically over, anyway, if all goes well in phase one.
So, to resume, initial orders per Corps:
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| 50th Rifle and 104th Rifle | spread out to east, to cover more frontline then in the initial deployment, as I didn't expect any serious attack in this section - and defend |
| 11th Guards Tank | concentrate on defending road to Medvin and Tarashcha, defend |
| 5th Guards Tank | defend at all costs approach towards Lisjanka! |
| 18th Tank, 48th Rifle and 75th Rifle | defend, and look for the opportunity to counter-attack towards Tal'noye, Dobrovody and Ivan'ki |
| 5th Guards Mechanized | defend Hill 239 at all costs! |
| 8th Guards Mechanized, 47th Rifle, 16th Tank, 20th Guards Rifle, 21st Guards Rifle, 78th Rifle and 29th Tank | attack Korsun pocket with utmost ferocity, and destroy pocketed forces |
| 20th Tank | attack pocketed forces, and defend the road Shenderovka-Lisjanka and Hill 239 area |
| 49th Rifle | go to Lisjanka area, dig in, and act as a reserve, either against attack from the east (by forces breaking out of the pocket), or against attack from the west (by relief forces) |
| 5th Mechanized | go to Yekaterinopol-Zvenigorodka area and act as a reserve |
| 73rd Rifle | transfer to Shpola and Zvenigorodka-Lisjanka area, and act as a reserve there |
| 8th Mechanized | go towards Medvin area, and help stopping pocketed forces from escaping; counter-attack against pocket forces when possibility arise |
Also:
- Soviets in this scenario have many "independent" (not attached to any of the Corps) and very strong artillery units, that will come handy in whatever area they happen to be at the moment, and especially in destroying fortified defenders inside the pocket.
- Air Force - mixture of combat support and air superiority missions, nothing special... air-force has very small importance here.
1. phase - Pocket Watch
Game was all but decided in the very first turn! Actually - this wasn't very clear at once, but later development showed that my opponent's indecisivity in the first turn cost him dearly... I was very surprised to see Germans do nothing and commence no serious attack in the first turn. They just moved some units about, changed positions, dug in, and made some quasi-preparations for the attack! This proved to be a collosal mistake, because after my first move (Russians are player 2 here), Lisjanka defences were far stronger than in the initial deployments.
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Anyway - pleasantly surprised to see that Germans didn't attack in the very first turn, Soviets went on according to their initial plan. Slight adjustment was made to the initial plan in the first turns on the westernmost part of the map, in the area of 50th Rifle Corps. Seeing that German line there is getting very thin, due to transfer of units to the east, Soviets attacked, and in turn 2 managed to capture supply point, that they held for a good part of the campaign, reducing Germans' supply level. Remember - in the very first turn 50th Corps was ordered to "spread out" and to cover more front than initially, and combined with this unexpected advance (with thinly spread and divided units), was in a quite shaky position, which will become obvious in turns 14-15...
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On the other parts of the front everything went as planned for the first 5-6 turns, which means - pocked was being reduced by a brute force (and a lot of artillery), and forces defending approaches to Lisjanka held exceptionally well. In turn 3 Germans got closest they ever were to capturing Hill 239 (of course, by forces inside the pocket, not their would-be relievers), but still didn't manage to do it... Any hope Germans might have had for reaching pocketed forces all but vanished after that, and from turn 5 on - destruction of all pocketed forces became only a matter of time... Relief forces tried to do something with rather occasional and uncoordinated attacks, but they didn't go very far. As a matter of fact - my forces were even able to launch some counter-attacks in general direction of Dobrovody (to the south) and Ivank'i (in central-south area of the front).
In the turn 7 - rude surprise! - whole German Panzer division (14th) appeared on the road south of Yekaterinopol. (I have never played Korsun before - not against PO or human, so this was a really nasty surprise for me. Possibility of "German reniforcements" appearing from the south is clearly stated in the briefing, though, so I guess I can't complain, I should have read the briefing more carefully... I won't even call this a "spoiler".) Whole thing was even nastier than probably planned, because by now 75th Rifle and elements of 48th Rifle Corps were in full (counter)attack and actually about to enter Tal'noye, when whole Panzer division suddenly appeared in their back!! Germans entered Yekaterinopol unopposed immediatelly, but, luckily, their next stop on the road north was Zvenigorodka, where I concentrated respectable forces. Not, of course, because I expected anyone to come from the south, but as a precaution and reserve against relief attack or breakthrough from the pocket (see the Soviet initial plan above). Enemy was stopped in front of Zvenigorodka, soon to be pushed further south, when first units used to destroy the pocket were available for other tasks...
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Good news for Soviets was that, by now, pocketed units were being dealt last blows, and all but completely destroyed.
Last units from the Korsun pocket were destroyed in the turns 8-10. I was already in the "area" of the overwhelming victory after that, and since the raison d' etre of relief forces didn't exist anymore - the most logical thing would be for scenario to end, with Hitler throwing things around his office, Goebbels writing some propaganda BS, and Manstein raising his Luger, loaded with single bullet, to his head... but it wasn't to be - massacre continued.
2. phase - German Collapse
With the complete destruction of pocketed forces, Germans became desperate and disoriented. On the south - unable to advance north to Zvenigorodka, and with no one to rescue in the pocket, newly arrived 14th Panzer division did the most reasonable thing - attacked to the west, to link up with the rest of German forces, while destroying unfortunate Soviet 75th Rifle and 48th Rifle Corps. Soon the whole area went into complete turmoil, as Soviet units tried to escape little encirclement of their own! In regards to whole battlefield - this was rather minor development - because, have no doubt about it, game was already decided, but it was interesting nonetheless...
To further add to this confusion - Soviet 5th Guards Cavalry Corps appeared to the extreme SE corner of the map, and was immediatelly rushed to help against surprise intruders! (Note - Soviets have no less than four "5th" Corps here - of the Guards Tank, Guards Mechanized, Guards Cavalry, and "simple" Mechanized variety!)
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On the other areas of the front - units that destroyed Korsun pocket weren't sitting idle on their successes - they were immediatelly rushed into central area of the front, and with units already there, formed huuuge "sea" of units, that was simply unstoppable for the unlucky Germans... It was only a matter of time before the whole central part of German front would collapse, made easier by constant attacks by the now nervous German player. Ground won in these attacks by the Germans, was immediatelly lost in the same turn, with horrendous losses, and victory objectives weren't anywhere to be seen, anyway... by now all but one objective - Ivan'ki (not counting Yekaterinopol, affected by "southern turmoil" that changed hands "daily") - were deep in the Soviet back.
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In turns 14-15 Germans attacked westernmost positions of thinly-spread 50th Corps, finally recapturing their much needed supply point there... From that moment on - Germans continuously attacked 50th Corps units, which found themselves in very unfavorable position. Luckily for Soviet High Command, this part of the front was rather unimportant, and 50th Corps could afford to fall back, as there were no objectives to be held in the area. When situation in the area threatened with possible German mini-breakthrough, around turns 20-22, I stripped nearest Corps and added some reserves, and rushed them to the 50th Rifle Corps area to seal the possible gap. Considering very small movement allowance in this scenario (due to half-day turns) - "rushing" something somewhere actually translates into slo-o-o-o-w crawling of units over the map, over the period of few turns :o))) (Imagine the "rush" of one single hex per turn, if you "rush" the reserve unit with 4 MP over infavorable, road-less terrain, with cost of 3 MP per hex :o))
Anyway, there was no German breakthrough... but Soviets could afford themselves such little "luxuries", like stripping some Corps of some units, since the situation by now was overwhelmingly in their favor on huge central area of front.
General turmoil in the south lasted up to turns 17-19, by when frontline somewhat stabilised, with Yekaterinopol recaptured and firmly in Soviet hands, although Germans cut deeply into Soviet lines. (Mind you - it was all relatively non-important for the outcome of the scenario, but nonetheless interesting...).
So the "slugfest" continued - with fierceful, sometimes illogical attacks (somewhat historical, isnt' it?) from both sides in the central area of the front. Of course - with hordes of infantry and masses of armor, Soviets had only to wait for Germans to "dry out" and bleed white... Germans could ill afford to be so persistent...
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Finally, as the huge central portion of the German front totally collapsed in turns 21-25, Soviets began to advance - in turn 25 Soviets captured Ivan'ki, last objective on the map still in German hands...
Game ended on turn 26 - final outcome was overwhelming victory for Soviets, with all the objectives on map in their hands: 365 points for Soviets against 0 for Germans. Losses: Soviets 81, Germans 107 (rather huge, for both sides, but this is "historical"). Total result: +391, overwhelming victory.
Analysis/Commentary
This could be very interesting scenario for PBEM. I suggest that more experienced player in PBEM play as German, as scenario is slanted towards Soviet player. I see two main problems with this scenario:
- Half-day turns. Movement rates are very small because of this, and multi-phased attacks are all but impossible - at least a day turns should be much better. When units become piled up - "very small" movement rates may easily become "ridicolously small" or non-existent, which is especially true for areas filled with non-cooperative units, and road-less terrain. Sometimes you can't move them at all!
- Victory point allocation is faulty. Actually, from German point of view, some victory objectives are totally worthless. Their main goal in this operation was SAVING encircled units, not, for example, holding the town of Korsun. So, event engine should have been used to give Russians some (very little or symbollic) points for capturing Korsun, but I believe that Germans should not be "punished" for losing Korsun, and other objectives inside the pocked - since they had no intention (or chance) of holding them at all! From a German point of view - Korsun town, and nearly all objectives inside the pocket, are worth 0 points!
Instead, Germans should be given victory points in regard as how much of their pocketed forces actually manage to escape. This is, I presume, very hard to do in scenario engine… Maybe this could be done in following manner:
- Give Germans victory points for taking Lisjanka, and all the road hexes leading to Lisjanka. If Germans manage to hold all the road hexes towards Lisjanka, and the town of Lisjanka itself, plus Hill 239 for, say, 3 turns in a row, give them some victory points, and continue to give them some points for each turn they manage to hold those hexes, as this (kinda) simulates at least some forces escaping from the pocket, or, even better…
- "Count" the escaping units as they reach some "presumed secure" location in the German-held area. Let's say this location is town of Ivan'ki. Designer should have made one event for each of the pocketed units reaching this town, and giving Germans, say, 10 points for each "saved" unit. Of course - after being "saved", those units could be used to fight on the frontline like any other unit. (Frankly, I'm not sure if this might be done using the scenario engine - ??)
Something like this would make scenario much more interesting, as it would make German player concentrate on saving his units, not in senseless and impossible task of, for instance, holding Korsun and other objectives inside the pocket. My opponent admitted later that in the begining he honestly hoped for holding Korsun, for instance. (Yeah, dream on, baby! :o))
Also, how about giving the Germans a supply point inside the pocket? Hmmm... this could make game even more interesting and balanced (maybe too much "artificially" balanced? - I definitely don't like "artificially" balanced scenarios...). I don't know how many problems with the supplies Germans had historically, but I guess they weren't quite in the Shangri-La inside the pocket :o)
Consider the above paragraphs when judging a high "enjoyment rate" I gave to this game (9 out of 10). I played the Soviet side, and actually those scenario "drawbacks" didn't apply to me, but German player will perhaps enjoy this scenario a bit (maybe a lot?) less, regardless of the outcome. Have that in mind when choosing scenario for PBEM...
As for the game and performance analysis - it's very simple. With hindsight - this game was decided in the very first turn. My opponent made huge mistake of not attacking with utmost ferocity in the very first turn. Since the scenario is not very "grateful" towards the German player, this single (although huge) mistake was enough: pocket was sealed in the turns 1-2, and game was practically over...
I did nothing particulary ingenious or special in any regard to win after that - only playing according to my initial plan and punishing smaller German mistake(s). (But, please don't tell this to tovarish Joseph Stalin, or I can kiss my Hero of the Soviet Union medal goodbye! :o))
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Photos of T34/85s and SU85 crossing the river originally from Russian Military Zone
All sorts of feedback are welcome. oleg@bug.hr
Copyright 1998-1999 Oleg Mastruko. Contents of Oleg's TOAW HQ may not be copied, reproduced, printed or published on the web or paper or wherever without my prior consent.