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SUBSIM: The Web's #1 resource for all submarine & naval simulations since 1997
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SUBSIM: The Web's #1 resource for all submarine & naval simulations since 1997 |
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04-09-11, 04:33 PM
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#1 |
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Navy Seal
 Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Stavka
Posts: 8,211
Downloads: 13
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Götterdämmerung - A PzC AAR
Well, I planned on doing this one when I finished the BftB AAR last year, but due to general laziness I did not get around to doing it. Now that everyone seems to be making AARs, though, I might as well start this one.
This time I shall be playing the Axis in HPS' Panzer Campaigns: Budapest '45 grand campaign, representing the entire Siege of Budapest from the start of Operation Konrad, one of the final German offensives of the war. This campaign is rather long, but at least it has a manageable unit count unlike the utter insanity of, say, the Minsk '44 campaign. The map scale is 1km/hex, and units are generally either at either company or battalion level. Each day turn represents 2 hours, while night turns are 4 hours. Background and foreground colours on the unit counters represent force/nationality and division respectively, the former is fairly standard, but I'll list it regardless: Axis: Wehrmacht - Gray Waffen-SS - Black Luftwaffe - Blue Hungary - Green Allied: Red Army (Regular) - Light Brown Red Army (Guards) - Red Romanian - Dark Brown Division colours should be easy to figure out, but I'll list the important ones if anyone wants me to. Just a note, the game only directly keeps track of fighting infantry, combat vehicles, guns, bombers and reconnaissance aircraft. So unit strength and casualty counts will never include, for example, non-combatant, vehicle and gun crews, trucks, fighters and the like. The only exception to this rule is HQ units, which have a strength in men, but I'm not sure if that's designed to represent the HQ's staff or defense personnel (Or both). Right, then, let us begin... ---- In the final days of 1944, a massive offensive by the Red Army's 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Front resulted in the encirclement of of Budapest, trapping tens of thousands of German and Hungarian troops as well as nearly a million civilians in the Hungarian capital. Like Warsaw and Berslau before, Adolf Hitler declared Budapest a Fortress City, whose capture must be resisted at all costs. On December 24th, two days before the final envelopment of the city, IV SS Panzer Corps was hastily sent from its positions in Poland in order to help Army Group South execute an immediate counteroffensive aimed at relieving Budapest. Day 0 - December 31st, 1944 2200 hours Staff Report Current Weather: Snow Visibility: 1km Order of Battle in Area of Operations Army Group South
---- The order of battle laid out before Generalfeldmarschall Ersatz was impressive, certainly impressive enough to convince the Führer this was going to be a great victory, but the numbers told otherwise. The divisions placed under him were all understrength, with all units seemingly either terribly lacking in numbers, quality and often both. To further compound his problems, the more sensible Paula plan has been rejected in favour of Operation Konrad, which called for an immediate offensive, even though large parts of IV SS Panzer Corps were still on trains bound from Poland.  Operation Konrad called for an offensive by IV SS Panzer Corps, aimed directly at Budapest from positions along the Danube river. The main push will be executed by the 3rd and 5th SS Panzer Divisions, thrusting across the Gerecse Hills, and will be directly supported by the 6th Panzer Division. The 96th Infantry Division and the Hungarian Szent László Infantry Division will join the main push by assaulting the far side of the Danube by boat. The initial objective of the operation would be to break through the Soviet 46th Army's lines and establish a salient from which to strike at the encircling forces. With the start of the new year, the German offensive to relieve Budapest has begun...
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Current Eastern Front status: Probable Victory Last edited by Raptor1; 04-10-11 at 05:10 PM. Reason: Incorrect vehicle count |
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04-09-11, 04:43 PM
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#2 |
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Admiral
 Join Date: Sep 2001
Posts: 2,020
Downloads: 15
Uploads: 0
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Wow, now that's a map! I've never played this. Looks good.
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04-09-11, 05:15 PM
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#3 |
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Commodore
 Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 624
Downloads: 87
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This looks like it will be very interesting.
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Ultima ratio regum. (The final argument of kings) - Inscription on french cannons, on order of Louis XIV  |
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04-09-11, 08:40 PM
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#4 |
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Navy Seal
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Stavka
Posts: 8,211
Downloads: 13
Uploads: 0
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Probably. Hopefully I won't get trashed too quickly, or completely sidetracked for that matter.
 I'm usually going to try to make daily updates (Campaign days, I mean). But I'll start off with an overview and the first night operations. ----  The state of the forces assigned to the attack was less than optimal. To the north, the 3rd SS Panzer Division was woefully understrength, with only the three battalions of the 5th SS Panzer Grenadier Regiment Thule ready for operations. The 3rd SS Panzer Regiment, representing the division's entire tank strength, was still on trains north of Komarno, while the rest of the division was still many kilometers away and would not arrive until the following day. Near Tata, the 5th SS Panzer Division was in better shape, with four infantry, two tank and one assault gun battalions ready for action, along with a respectable amount of artillery and some recon elements. To the south, the 6th Panzer Division was ready to attack with whatever infantry elements it still had, but these were decidedly worse than the Waffen-SS units; the division would also be supported by tanks and infantry of Division Group Pape, but these were still not ready to move forward. Under the cover of night, German engineers of the Sixth Army have set up seven bridges across the canals to the north and south of Tata. Across these bridges, the assembled troops of IV SS Panzer Corps lunge into the thin defensive line of the 46th Army. The Totenkopf Division mercilessly attacks two battalions of the 34th Guards, throwing one out of its defensive positions and establishing a two-kilometer bridgehead by 0200. The Wiking Division attacks the rest of the 34th Guards's line, bringing most of its combat strength across the canal. The 6th Panzer Division does not fare as well; though establishing a two-kilometer bridgehead, the division runs into heavy fire from defensive positions occupied by the 4th Guards Rifle Division, taking heavy casualties and losing most of its attached self-propelled guns. Meanwhile, the 96th Infantry Division was already in the process of moving troops across the Danube. Assault boats have landed the first elements of the 196th Fusilier Battalion, and the entire unit was across by 0200, moving to take Sutto from a battalion of Soviet troops. Troop landing by the Szent László Infantry Division was also under way, but these would take more time to ferry across because of the smaller amount of boats. Engineers of both divisions were also hard at work constructing bridges, through which heavy equipment and supplies could eventually be moved. At around the same time, the tanks of the 3rd SS Panzer Regiment arrive at the battlefield and begin to deploy from their trains.  Night operations continue with the 96th and Szent László Infantry Divisions conducting simultaneous successful attacks against Soviet defensive positions around their landing sites. Totenkopf continues to attack, gaining another kilometer in the north before successfully resisting a Soviet counterattack by a battalion of the 34th Guards, who in turn repulses another push by the 3rd SS Panzer. The 6th Panzer manages to expand its bridgehead slightly by capturing a Soviet defensive position, but continues to come under murderous fire and suffers heavy casualties. Wiking makes by far the greatest gains, breaking through the Soviet defenders in strength; by morning, recon elements of the division advance up to 5 kilometers from the crossing point.  The Budapest Pocket Troops of the IX SS Mountain Corps and the Hungarian I Corps await the imminent Soviet attack in their defensive positions, under intense bombardment by Soviet artillery. Soviet troops move forward, suffering heavy casualties from mines and enemy fire, and begin the assault on Budapest. 
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Current Eastern Front status: Probable Victory Last edited by Raptor1; 04-09-11 at 09:00 PM. |
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04-10-11, 05:32 AM
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#5 |
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Lucky Jack
 Join Date: Jul 2002
Posts: 25,976
Downloads: 61
Uploads: 20
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Egads...looks like a bad outbreak of multi-coloured chickenpox.
You are rather good at this Mr Raptor...your surname doesn't happen to be Dayan, does it? "He would wake up with a hundred ideas. Of them ninety-five were dangerous; three more were bad; the remaining two, however, were brilliant." |
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04-10-11, 08:10 PM
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#6 |
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Navy Seal
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Stavka
Posts: 8,211
Downloads: 13
Uploads: 0
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Good at this? Ha, nonsense.
---- Day 1 - January 1st, 1945 0600 hours Staff Report Current Weather: Snow Visibility: 2km Order of Battle in Area of Operations Army Group South
Total Strength In Pocket: 34,638 Infantry, 369 Guns, 251 Vehicles ---- Dawn sees a slowing down of the German attack, as the Wiking division is temporarily stalled by Soviet engineers, who occupy the high ground on the western edge of the Gerecse Hills. Totenkopf's 3rd SS Panzer Regiment joins the fight, making a minor breach in the Soviet line, but are still engaged and unable to exploit. The 6th Panzer Division makes minor gains to the north with the help of a battalion of the 5th SS Panzer Division's Westland Regiment, but is still unable to make advances elsewhere. The 96th and Szent László Infantry Divisions, meanwhile, pursue retreating Soviet troops into the hills and start heading for their objectives.  After 0800, the offensive at last gains momentum. Totenkopf breaks completely through the 34th Guards Rifle Division, with tank units advancing 12 kilometers over the following four hours. Wiking continues a steady advance, destroying direct opposition to its advance and encircling the 31st Guards Rifle Corps' HQ along with an entire regiment of artillery on the road running through its line of advance. Meanwhile, the 284th and 287th Grenadier Regiments disembark trains to reinforce the 96th Infantry Division, along with a number of artillery batteries. The 6th Panzer Division is still bogged down in combat with the 4th Guards Rifle Division and unable to break through. However, at 1000, Division Group Pape begins to move to support it. While this formation is somewhat lacking in quality, it possesses over 100 operational Panzer IV and Panther tanks of the 10th and 11th Panzer Regiments, making it a formidable force.  Because of the failure of the 6th Panzer Division to break through, the axes of advance of the 3rd and 5th SS Panzer Divisions are adjusted southwards. At 1400, the Totenkopf Division forms up and sweeps aside the 34th Guards Rifle Divisions' HQ, it then proceeds to exploit its tank battalions to the southeast, meeting no resistance over the following four hours until lead elements arrive at Bajna, the divisions' objective. Coinciding with this, Wiking destroys the 31st Guards Rifle Corps' HQ and its attached artillery regiment, beginning a similar uninterrupted advance, except for one Soviet battalion which is attacked and forced to retreat by the tanks of the 5th SS Panzer Regiment. Wiking's recon company advances up to Kirva before turning back to the division's final line. The first breakthrough on the southern sector happens as tanks of the 10th and 11th Panzer Regiments, supported by SS Regiment Ney punch through the 4th Guards Rifle Division's lines and advance up to 4 kilometers over the next two hours. Meanwhile, lead elements of the Szent László Infantry Division begin to form a line as they reach the divisions' objective, immediately beginning skirmishes with nearby units of the 86th Guards Rifle Division. At 1600, the rest of the Totenkopf division, including its attached artillery, tank destroyers, assault guns and pioneers, as well as the 6th SS Panzer Grenadier Regiment Eicke, arrives at the field and begins deploying from trains.  At 1800, engineers of LVII Panzer Corps finally manages to set up the first bridge across the Danube at the 96th Infantry's crossing points. The newly arrived reinforcements as well as the divisions' assault gun company immediately use this bridge to cross the river. Totenkopf deploys and storms Bajna shortly after 2200, capturing its objective. Wiking reaches the river southwest of Kirva and stops until the second phase of the operation begins. The 6th Panzer Division, with its situation improved by Division Group Pape's breakthrough, manages to clear the final Soviet defensive positions. The survivors of the 4th Guards Rifle Division reatreat into the forest. At the same time, the 10th Panzer Regiment attacks and routs the 4th Guards' HQ, while the 11th Panzer Regiment pushes forward and attacking that division's attached artillery regiment. End of Day 1  The 3rd and 5th SS Panzer Divisions have accomplished their revised objectives, advancing nearly 40 kilometers to the east and nearly completely capturing the Gerecse Hills, unfortunately the advance was held up slightly too long, which means they will have little rest before the advance recommences. The Szent László Infantry Division has also reached its objective line, but the 96th Infantry Divisions' advance has been too slow because of the lack of motorization and the longer route. The only real failure seems to be the 6th Panzer Division, which still hasn't managed to completely break through its crossing point. The Soviet attack force advances slightly in Budapest, capturing some strongholds, but takes heavy casualties in the process. Casualties and Losses Axis - Infantry: 2,492 Guns: 16 Vehicles: 43 Allies - Infantry: 5,700 Guns: 36 Vehicles: 11
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Current Eastern Front status: Probable Victory Last edited by Raptor1; 04-10-11 at 08:44 PM. |
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Hybrid Mode
