Stalingrad 42-43
Race Accross Frozen Steppe
Stalingrad 42-43 - small map in JPG format (112 kB)
Stalingrad 42-43 - large map in JPG format (763 kB)
| game no. | scenario | played as | outcome (-3 to +3) |
balance (-3 to +3) |
scenario rating (1-10) |
game rating (enjoyment) (1-10) |
| 4 | Stalingrad 42-43 (v1.3) | Soviets | over.vic.(+3) | +2 German -2 |
5 | 6 |
For full explanation of table columns - see TOAW HQ home page.
Stalingrad 42-43 - prelude
Stalingrad, being undoubtly the most important event of the entire WW2, is one of the obvious favorites of any wargame, and every wargamer. Sheer amount of various possibilities and "what-if"-s that this legendary battle offers in game system like TOAW is enough to justify more than one version of the scenario...
Actually, Stalingrad is portrayed in TOAW in more scenarios and their (sub)versions than any other WW2 battle (except, maybe, Bulge) - at the moment of this writing, there are at least three main variants of the scenario, with many versions for each of them. In the original game box there is South Front 42 by John Schettler (this version is still my favorite), then Todd Klemme, unsatisfied with the way this scenario played, made his variant, somewhat based on original scenario. Finally - Laurent Favre made his variant (Fortress Stalingrad), based on both of the mentioned scenarios. Let's not forget Turning Point 42, also based in and around Stalingrad, but more centered around earlier battles when Germans were entering the city, and with a much smaller map (smaller in scope, not in size - map covers only the city and it's surroundings). To make things even more complicated - Stalingrad and Fortress Stalingrad scenarios are constantly improved, and lived through few versions each. This AAR you're reading is based on Todd Klemme's Stalingrad 42-43 v1.3. As of this writing - current version of this scenario is 1.4 - I don't know what changes were made between 1.3 and 1.4 - I noticed only that German player has some more "second line" units and rear area troops in 1.4...
I haven't tried Fortress Stalingrad yet, and until I do - I consider original South Front 42-43 to be the best representation of the Stalingrad affair, so far. Yes, I'm saying that although I won overwhelming victory in Stalingrad 42-43 as Soviet, and am currently having very hard time fighting as German in PBEM game of South Front. I mean... scenario depicting this battle has to have something "epic" in it. This scenario (Stalingrad 42-42 v1.3 by Todd Klemme) is some kind of "espresso" version of this epic - lasting only 10 turns (albeit long, full week turns). It plays like some kind of quick, blitzkrieg action. Scenario is short and intense, and maybe OK for some PBEM players, but it just doesn't cut it for me... which is strange, since Todd Klemme is one of my favorite scenario designers. This scenario just does not feel right, and left me feeling kinda "empty" and dissatisfied even after getting overwhelming victory, but read on...
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Soviet initial plan
Playing the Soviet side, I planned to make Germans pay dearly for raping Mother Russia... But, how to achieve that - I was unclear of :o)))
Scenario briefing clearly and openly suggests to German player that there's no hope in trying to hold Stalingrad itself, and that he should pull as much forces as possible from the doomed city and race towards two hexes acting like, so to say, "escape" hexes or "exit" hexes. Those two hexes, Morozovsk and Kotelnikovo, located near the central-western and central-southern edge of the map, have to be held by German player for the entire length of the scenario. Please note - "escape" hexes are near the map edges, but not on the very edges of the map - this is very important, because it means you may approach those hexes from "behind" - ie. from west and south map edge, which I actually did. Holding each of them (for the entire length of the scenario) is worth 50 points. If Soviets manage to capture "escape" hex, if only temporarily, for ONE single turn - they DON'T win 50 points, but deny Axis player of getting his 50 points. Germans holding hexes should simulate their armies "escaping" Stalingrad pocket. Their losing of those hexes, if only for one single turn - would mean they are doomed inside the pocket... Well, it does not quite work that way when you start playing...
Oh, yes... all the other "normal" victory locations (VLs) are worth as much as those two "escape" hexes (100 points in all) - giving the following situation: if Soviets capture all of "normal" VLs (100 points), but Germans manage to hold two "escape" hexes for the entire length of the game (100 points) - this means (roughly) a draw (100:100). If Soviets manage to capture all (or most of) VLs (100 points), plus one "escape" hex (0 points for Soviets, but Germans are denied 50 points) - this is marginal or significant victory for Soviets (100:50). Of course, if Soviets capture all, or most of VLs (100 points), and both of "escape" hexes (Germans are denied 100 points) - they got overwhelming victory (100:0). Any sort of victory for Germans is all but impossible. It is expected that Soviets will capture most of the VLs (at least 80-90 points).
It is strongly suggested (in the scenario briefing) to Axis player that trying to hold major "normal" VLs (those inside Stalingrad city itself) is senseless and impossible, and that he should strive for a draw, by running out of Stalingrad and holding "escape" hexes.
If all this sounds complicated - that's because it is :o))) And it does not play well... You may guess it already - when someone has to spend so many words for describing what should be obvious to anyone who knows his history - there must be something wrong with the initial setup of the scenario.
OK, back to Soviet initial plan... All of the above had repercussions on my initial plan, although it was only after playing the whole scenario that I realised how faulted initial premises are.
My initial plan was simple - I planned to attack Rumanians west and south of Stalingrad with all the forces available, and with utmost decisiveness and ferocity (historical). I decided not to attack the German positions in the first turn at all - let's wait and see what strategy shall my opponent take: would he stand and defend in the Stalingrad (historic) or would he run like hell from the doomed city and towards the "safety" of "escape" hexes, thus settling for a draw (or worse)?
If he decides to stand firm, in Stalingrad - I'm going to try to follow the "history line", with encirclement and all that... I was somewhat afraid of this, as this is short scenario, only 10 turns, and I was worried that scenario might end with him still desperately holding VLs inside Stalingrad.
If he decides to stampedo towards "escape" hexes - my general strategy is going to be very simple: let's run after him, and let's get to the "escape" hexes before he do, and with forces strong enough to wrestle those damn hexes from Axis hands...
So the battle began...
1. phase - The Race
I attacked the Rumanians west and south of Stalingrad routinely, and they began to retreat, rout, break and evaporate in all sorts of ways, as expected. With only 10 turns, each of them is full week long, and there is lot (and I mean LOT!) of movement and attack phases in each of them, so even after only first turn, and few attack phases - only a shell of Rumanian forces was left on the field (note also that my opponent was unable to react to all this, and his forces were acting according to initial orders "given" by the scenario designer - very bad for my opponent).
My opponent's first turn is going to be the most important for the course of this game (see the initial plan)...
He decided to run like hell for those escape hexes! Oh, well... Replay of his first turn was a real disgrace for the vaunted German army :o)) Like a bunch of gazellas scared by a few lions in a savanna - German units ran from Stalingrad, city they paid with so many lives to get hold of in previous months! Sprinting Germans were closely followed by limping Rumanian units, I mean - those lucky enough to be able to move at all, after receiving devastating Soviet attacks in the first turn.
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So, Soviets walked into rubble that was once Stalingrad, without fighting, in turn two...
It was obvious that the real battle is going to be fought over "escape" hexes, and some (smaller) VLs dispersed accross the map.
In the following turns (2-5), Germans (and Rumanians) were using what I call a "hedgehog" defence, with units dug in one hex apart from each other, and in two, or more, lines of defence. With strong and high-proficiency Germans units, and in a scenario short as this - this is, I believe, good defensive tactic for "buying time", and slowing the attacker to a crawl. And my opponent needed time to reinforce "escape" hexes with the rest of his units, and incoming reinforcements.
Luckily for me - Axis were short of units to organize proper defense, while still taking some units to build defeses around "escape" hexes. This means that this "hedgehog" defence still left many holes uncovered, especially in the region of northern Rumanian army (3rd).
One interesting thing to note in this period is that Axis managed to "sneak" some remnants of Rumanian units through the holes in my front on the north, and tried to capture brigdes and supply points in NE part of the map with them. Although those small units, on the verge of evaporation, harassed and annoyed me a lot, forcing me to task some divisions with hunting them down deep in my back - they didn't achieve anything beyond that...
2. phase - Fight for the "escape" hexes
In turn 5 Soviets were in the "area" of draw, having captured all but two victory locations, most of them without fight, for a total of 90 points. Two still uncaptured VLs were worth 5 points each, but I didn't care about them at all... Soviets set their sights on capturing two "escape" hexes, denying German player 50 points for each of the "escape" hexes, if only held for one single turn!
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Western escape hex, Morozovsk, had no real chance of holding... In turns 5-6 massive Soviet 1st Guards Tank, 3rd Guards Reserve and 6th Vor (?) armies (Operation Little Saturn - green on red unit symbols) were released near the NW map edge, and raced south towards west "escape" hex (WEH, for short). After smashing through some remnants of Rumanian units near town of Chern (most of the Rumanians evaporated without a fight) - those armies, along with most advanced units of 5th Tank Army, already in contact with German "screen", were nearing WEH... Only a moderately strong, and hurriedly assembled screen of German units, north of WEH was in any position to stop them.
With so many Soviet units under my command near the west map edge, I was able not only to frontally atack above mentioned German "screen", but also to completely bypass them, driving many of the units almost completely unopposed, west of the screening units, and further south, thus almost completely surrounding Morozovsk... To make things even worse for Axis, some of my units managed to slip through weak Rumanian defence, and approach Morozovsk from the NE! Morozovsk, western escape hex, fell to Soviets at the end of turn 7. Axis forces in the region were shattered...
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Southern "escape" hex (SEH), town of Kotelnikovo, was a tougher nut... Since turns 3-4 Soviets in this region attacked frontally, from the east (not from NE - there was a well organised German line in this direction), without much manouver on either side, and advanced roughly by hex or two per turn, based solely on their brute force attacks. Actually I was sure I'm not be able to get to the SEH in this manner, and was already preparing for the marginal (maybe significant, depending on the losses and some minor VLs) victory, up to the last two turns of the game. In the turn 8-9 (out of 10) I noticed that I overrated German defences in the area, and decided to make last push - do or die, with ignore losses, and attacking with units with red status. It worked, and at the end of the game both "escape" hexes were in Soviet hands, along with all but one victory location (worth 5 points).
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Final outcome was overwhelming victory for Soviets, with captured all objectives, except one (Tormosin): 95 points for Soviets against 5 for Axis. Losses: Soviets 17, Axis 30. Total result: 103 points, overwhelming victory.
Analysis/Commentary
I was not happy with the way this game played.
At the end I won overwhelming victory, but felt very anti-climactic. (I believe this isn't "historical" - Russian generals must have felt quite ecstatic after Stalingrad :o)) I haven't done anything brilliant, anything inovative, I have played in very unhistorical, and even illogical manner (scenario design forced me into it!) - and won an overwhelming victory... Well... it didn't feel OK. That's why I gave low marks to this game in terms of overall "enjoyability" (6 out of 10).
In terms of gameplay - most of the action is concentrated towards those damn two "escape" hexes, depleting the game of any sense, historical or logical. For instance - as Soviet, I encircled the western "escape" hex from nearly all sides - from N, NW, W, SW, and NE, but Germans still furiously defended the hex, as if the Reichstag is there... Ugh! Soviets actually already cut the escape road WEST of the western "escape" hex, so Germans can't escape in the general direction of Berlin that way, can't they? They're letting themselves to be encircled around the hex that's supposed to be their "escape" hex... Escape hex loses all of its significance for reasonable Germans... What would they do, were they not insane, mad, Slav-hating, fascist MFs - given this situation?
Of course - they would shift their forces further to the
SW, in general direction of Rostov, and try to escape in this direction,
that is not yet blocked by Russians! Not in this scenario... because it
would mean they lose 50 points for abandoning their designated "escape"
hex! Oh, my... Did someone mention simulating Hitler's insane decisions
in the event engine? :o))) (OKW to 6th Army: "Hold hex 7, 27 at all
costs! Stand and die there! No, not Stalingrad! Who cares about Stalingrad!
Hex 7, 27! It is your ESCAPE hex!
There's gotta be something magical about this hex! Stand there and defend
the hex even if encircled!" :o))
Or, imagine unknown German soldier, defending the infamed escape hex,
being surrounded from all sides: "Beam me up, Scotty, I'm on the
ESCAPE hex, get me outta here!" :o))
Another a posteriori note: Kalach simply does not play any role in this scenario (or, at least in this game I played). For any scenario depicting Stalingrad battle, to oversee the strategic role this city had for the operation, is unforgivable. Here, Kalach is given 10 points VL, but scenario plays in a manner that almost completely diminishes the importance of the town for the survival of the 6th Armee.
What regards analysis of mistakes - I must say I noticed no mistake worth mentioning on the part of either my opponent or myself... My opponent didn't deserve to be "punished" with the setup this scenario gave him. So confusing... He followed what's suggested in the scenario briefing, and did what seems the most logical thing to do - he ran from Stalingrad and tried to hold the "escape" hexes, while delaying my forces approaching them. Simple. Yet - it's almost impossible. Had he concentrated all of his forces in defending ONE single "escape" hex (Kotelnikovo, on the south) - he would most probably succeed in it, and would get minor, or significant defeat.
I really do not know what advice would I give to Axis player in a PBEM game... It seems that it's all up to Soviet side here - if Soviet player is experienced enough - there's no hope for Axis side... Yet, maybe they (Axis) may hold the southern "escape" hex, with a certain amount of luck, and thus get (only) minor, or significant defeat.
As of this writing - I haven't tried all the other versions of Stalingrad, but I am already sure this version is not to be recommended. I have active a game of South Front 42 ("original" Stalingrad scenario, that came with the game itself), and am already sure that South Front 42 scenario feels a LOT more like real battle. Actually, South Front 42 scenario rocks (although I'm playing Axis, and am in not quite enjoyable position :o)) but being a 50-turn monster, I wouldn't recommend it to the impatient PBEM players.
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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.