A Certain Panzer General's Adventures -- Generalissimus (No Trophies of War / Heroes)

[SineMora]

Scenario VIII -- Kiev South



Initial Prestige: 18920
Final Prestige: 33414

Core

• Infantry
  • Fallschirmjäger [NEW]
  • Fallschirmjäger [NEW]
• Tanks
  • Somua S35 [NEW]
  • Somua S35 [NEW]
  • Panzer IIC
  • Panzer IIC
  • Panzer IIC
  • Panzer IIC
  • Panzer IIC
• Recon
  • SdKfz 232 8Rad
  • SdKfz 232 8Rad
  • SdKfz 232 8Rad [NEW]
• Artillery
  • 15 cm sFH w/ SdKfz II
  • 15 cm sFH w/ SdKfz II
  • 10.5 cm leFH w/ SdKfz II
  • 10.5 cm leFH w/ SdKfz II
  • StuG IIIB
  • StuG IIIB
  • StuG IIIB
  • StuG IIIB
• Fighters
  • Bf 109F
  • Bf 109F
  • Bf 109F
  • Bf 109F [NEW]
• Tactical Bombers
  • Fi 156 Storch
  • Bf 110D
  • Bf 110D [NEW]
• Strategic Bombers
  • Do 217E [NEW]
  • Do 217E [NEW]
  • Do 217E [NEW]
  • Do 17Z
  • Do 17Z

Intelligence suggests the Red Army is massing near Kiev -- half a million men or more. Operation Barbarossa has been a stunning success so far, with the Red Army unable to check the advance of the Wehrmacht, but this new force poses a serious threat to the drive on Moscow. As such, I have received orders to engage and destroy with extreme prejudice -- no Soviet forces must be allowed to threaten the flank as the Wehrmacht advances on the Soviet capital. Given the importance of the operation, High Command has generously provided me with reinforcements from Heeresgruppe Mitte as well as several Ju 52s, which'll finally allow me to deploy Fallschirmjäger.

The Pioniere are replaced by Fallschirmjäger for this operation, as I do not foresee much need for close assaults and the latter should provide me with more tactical options. Given the size of the map and the abundance of airfields they'll also be able to redeploy quickly. The two elite Panzer battalions have been issued captured French Somua S35 tanks, as I feel these tanks offer a good balance of defence and firepower while being more cost efficient than the latest Panzers. Admittedly my prestige has reached a level where I don't really need to worry about the cost of elite reinforcements, but it nevertheless feels good to stick to the original spirit of the campaign. It's possible that this approach could lead to difficulties down the line, as once the experience of the average enemies begin to increase by a few stars their accuracy might really begin to hurt, as it stacks with the 20% the AI enjoys due to my playing on Generalissimus. I'm trying to bring my core up to at least 1 star, however, with support and the elite tank battalions at 2 stars or better.

The recons are strengthened with an additional SdKfz 232 8Rad. These little beauties are truly incredible; comradep believes they are broken when used with the traits we use in our AAR campaigns, and I'm bound to agree. The potent all-terrain movement of 8 is what makes it shine by presenting you with a dizzying array of tactical options, and it's well worth the required core slots. A Bf 109F and a Bf 110D are added to the Luftwaffe to help combat the Soviet air force -- the Bf 110Ds offer the less slot-intense option for handling enemy aircraft made necessary by the need to provide the auxiliaries with air support, forcing me to split my fighters. The leading strategic bombers are upgraded to the powerful but expensive Do 217E.

This scenario has been carefully designed to provide the player with a way to reenact the largest encirclement ever seen in a military conflict, all made possible with one of the new additions to the game. While it's certainly possible to play this scenario in a more orthodox manner, it's a lot tougher -- I tried it the first time I played the scenario (Barbarossa Center) -- and not nearly as lucrative. Fundamentally it's largely what I've been doing for the entire campaign, but the scale is what sets it apart from other scenarios. Seeing is believing, so without further ado I'll outline the general strategy I'll be using.



The Soviets have access to 3 supply hexes, but they are all on the eastern side of the map, and my plan is to cut these off from the main main force on the plains. To that end my ground forces will all deploy as close to Dniepropetrovsk as possible, aiming to cross the river and advance on Poltava while remaining undetected. They will then overwhelm the Soviet forces at Poltava and push north towards Sumy, where they'll hopefully be able to link up with the auxiliaries in the north. A few units will be left on the southern bank of the Dnieper to help establish the encirclement and to repel any attempts to break out. The Italian auxiliaries will move up to cut off Kiev from the West. Half the fighters, the Bf 110Ds and the Storch will be deployed to provide air cover.



The northern auxiliaries will advance on Novgorod-Seversky, aiming to cut off supplies to Konotop and eventually linking up with my main force. A few elements will be left behind to establish a defensive line that'll cut off Soviet supplies from the north. Half the fighters have been deployed to provide air cover, and to protect the strategic bombers; there are no airfields in the south that can base them, so securing one is a priority. The Fallschirmjäger will fly along the eastern edge of the map to link up with the auxiliaries.



The auxiliaries begin their advance on Novgorod-Seversky and the Luftwaffe sees some action. The Panzer heads to cut off Konotop.



My core streams across the Dnieper, taking up positions just south of Poltava. As a Swede, Poltava is a city I associate with the definite end of the Swedish Empire -- yes, we had an empire in the days of hallow antiquity, also known as the second half of the 17th century -- but right now I'm commanding the van of the Wehrmacht, and at any rate it had been some 230 years since the ambitions of Charles XII were dashed at the Battle of Poltava.



In the north, Soviet forces counterattack, leaving only smoking wrecks of one of the detached recons. This leaves them dangerously exposed, however.



At Poltava, the defenders are quickly encircled. Shells rain down on the city as I order an assault; as it's a supply hex I cannot encircle it, and I don't want to risk getting bogged down here.



The remaining Soviet forces are fully suppressed as Poltava falls, with my forces suffering minor losses.



Novgorod-Seversky falls to the auxiliaries as the Fallschirmjäger arrive to set up a cordon on the other side of the river, encircling the remaining Soviet forces.



There is a large concentration of Soviet armour just east of Kiev, but fortunately they haven't made a move.



The grand encirclement is established. Note the value of terrain; both major rivers and thick forests block supplies.



The northern pocket is about to collapse.



Even the Somuas struggle to damage the Soviet armoured behemoths. I'm glad I won't need to engage these in open battle.



The cordon is tightened as my forces begin to advance west. The Soviet forces around Mirgorod are heavily entrenched, but I'm confident the StuGs and strategic bombers can handle them.



A remnant of the Soviet air force that had gone undetected destroys a detached recon, my first costly mistake.



Flexible Command effectively allows you to double the number of units you command at will, and when you're seeking to suppress rather than kill the enemy, that is an immensely powerful ability. When combined with Perimeter Control only a solid wall of enemies or natural obstacles can prevent the Panzer Swarm from locking down the enemy, and with Master of Blitzkrieg even that might not be enough.



Despite the loss of their supply hexes, the Soviet numbers still command respect.



The Luftwaffe secure the skies at long last.



As the strongpoint cannot be captured, it serves as target practice for the Somua battalions.



The Soviet forces are completely paralyzed -- even their heavy armour is now defenceless.



Mirgorod falls and my forces press on towards Kiev.





Fallschirmjäger deploy behind strategic locations to prevent the defenders from retreating.



The Soviet forces in Kiev are heavily entrenched.



StuGs are rerouted to the western side of Kiev to tear down the Soviet fortifications.



My forces close in on the Soviet armoured column.



The strategic bombers rebase to Priluki, putting them within range of Kiev.





Selectively suppressing a few of your own units can be a useful way to lower their damage output, allowing them to inflict minimal casualties while capturing weak enemies such as artillery and AA guns.



The StuGs take up positions west of Kiev.



The strategic bombers level much of the city.





Having read the other AARs this doesn't really come as a surprise, but I think it's safe to conclude that Kiev is the definite loot piñata, Panzer Corps 2's very own Cow Level. The bulk of the Soviet forces are spread out across the plains east of Kiev, with only a few small pockets outside. By striking hard and fast at these pockets you can keep the actual fighting to a minimum, and as the numbers suggest -- it cost me around 400 prestige to repair -- the auxiliaris fought harder. The Soviet air force is scattered across the many airfields and doesn't pose much of a threat either. While I'm a little uneasy about the amount of prestige available here -- I still believe that prestige should be reduced, if only for FM and Generalissimus -- the scenario is a fantastic way to illustrate the value of the new encirclement mechanic, and what better way to do that than with the (first) Battle of Kiev? The briefing is odd to say the least, though; it was clearly made for Kiev North and doesn't really make much sense when you deploy south of the Dnieper.

[SineMora]

Scenario IX -- Rostov



Initial Prestige: 32517
Final Prestige: 40109

Core

• Infantry
  • Pioniere w/ SdKfz 251/1 [NEW]
  • Pioniere w/ SdKfz 251/1 [NEW]
• Tanks
  • Somua S35
  • Somua S35
  • Panzer IIC
  • Panzer IIC
  • Panzer IIC
  • Panzer IIC
  • Panzer IIC
• Recon
  • SdKfz 232 8Rad
  • SdKfz 232 8Rad
  • SdKfz 232 8Rad
• Artillery
  • 15 cm sFH w/ SdKfz II
  • 15 cm sFH w/ SdKfz II
  • Sturmpanzer I [NEW]
  • 10.5 cm leFH w/ SdKfz II
  • StuG IIIB
  • StuG IIIB
  • StuG IIIB
  • StuG IIIB
• Fighters
  • Bf 109F
  • Bf 109F
  • Bf 109F
  • Bf 109F
• Tactical Bombers
  • Fi 156 Storch
  • Bf 110D
• Strategic Bombers
  • Do 217E
  • Do 217E
  • Do 217E
  • Ju 88A [NEW]
  • Do 17Z

With the forces at Kiev defeated the Soviet southern flank has effectively collapsed, and while the main force of the Wehrmacht advances on Moscow my task is to capture the industrial complexes at Kharkov and secure the Don delta. This will help protect the flank of Heeresgruppe Mitte and open up the path to the Caucasus and the oil fields in the southeast. With strategic resources reserved for the upcoming battle of Moscow, the Fallschirmjäger are replaced by Pioniere with half-tracks. Kharkov and Rostov are likely to be well defended and the Pioniere will prove valuable in securing these objectives. A 10.5 cm gun is upgraded to a Stumpanzer to provide some offensive fire support, and one of the Do 17Z is upgraded to a Ju 88A. One of the Bf 110Ds is dropped to accomodate these changes, but otherwise it's the same core that enjoyed such success at Kiev.

The plan is to drive straight for Kharkov, overrunning the Soviet defences there before they can begin to dig in; Deep Recon reveals a heavy concentration of Soviet forces there and I do not with to risk having my assault stall. As it is a supply hex I'll have to do it the hard way. Stalino and Mariupol in the south are not, however, and so I intend to push southeast from Kharkov and encircle these cities. Once the defenders have been defeated my forces will push on to the final objective of Rostov. The auxiliaries will stay behind to help enact the cordon from the west and to repel any Soviet counterattacks across the river. My fighters will be stationed at Dnepropetrovsk, in range of both the airfields at Kharkov and Stalino. The strategic bombers will deploy to the north and help suppress the defences at Kharkov. Once Stalino has been secured they will rebase there, putting them in range of Rostov.



The Storch splits and reval a major concentration of Soviet armour on the plains east of Dnepropetrovsk. Hopefully I'll be able to encircle these. Kharkov is likewise defended by Soviet armour, but they are within range of my artillery and should prove easy to suppress.



The Luftwaffe shoots down the Soviet fighter at Stalino and cripples the one at Kharkov; once I seize this airfield it'll be forced to rebase, making it easy prey next turn. The stategic bomber isn't much of a threat on its own.



Inspired by AAntares I decide to give my elite battalions unique camouflage. The Somuas are looking pretty.



The T-50 is in an awkward position; I can't engage it for fear of alerting the Soviet forces to the south, but as it's in range of my artillery I can't let it roam free either. The solution is to protect the artillery with a StuG.



The Soviet bomber fails to inflict any damage, but unfortunately reveals my Somua. The T-50 engages it and suffers heavy damage. Soviet artillery open fire on my recons.



The bomber proves resilient, forcing me to commit the bulk of the fighters to deal with it. With this, all Soviet aircraft west of Rostov have been dealt with.



A lone T-34 is advancing towards Dnepropetrovsk. As this could prove problematic I deploy a StuG within range of it to lure it north.



The plan is successful but the StuG suffers heavy damage and is forced to retreat. The Soviet forces at Kharkov have been overrun.



A fighter from Rostov engages one of my Bf-109Fs, suffering heavy damage and ensuring its destruction. This is likely the last of the Soviet fighters.



Soviet forces in the south hold their positions. With no nearby recons there is a narrow corridor northwest of Stalino where the Soviets have no vision, which should help me encircle the defenders.



Assisted by the recons, the Do 217E inflicts 4 points of suppression on the T-34.



The T-34 is encircled and captured. The Soviet forces to the east have yet to make a move despite being in range of my forces, which makes me suspect they are set to hold their positions. A few Panzers will cross the river to the north and encircle them.



The strategic bombers rebase to Kharkov as my forces sneak around the Soviet forces to the south. Weather predictions suggest the Luftwaffe might have to deal with cloudy skies for a while.



A recon succeeds in sneaking past Stalino. Unfortunately, there's a large concentration of Soviet forces near Rostov, and any unit deployed near Stalino to enact the encirclement is likely to come under heavy fire.



The northern forces are encircled.



The cordon is broken as a detached Panzer is routed and destroyed by a Soviet SPAT, but despite poor conditions the forces west of Stalino have largely been suppressed.



The remaining Soviet tactical bomber attacks a StuG and is destroyed. The Soviet airforce is now gone.



The northern forces are captured, and the Panzers begin their advance on Rostov.



The plains around Stalino are secure, but the advance has stalled dangerously. I'll have to push hard towards Rostov now.



My desire to capture the valuable Soviet guns leaves two detached Panzers smoking wreckages. Together with the previously lost detached Panzer and Storch, my forces have now lost 4 detached units, making this the bloodiest operation to date. The additional prestige makes up for it, but perhaps I should consider retiring the IICs.



Romanian cavalry is sacrificed to protect my recons. My forces are now in position to capture the Soviet guns, but time is running out.



The Pioniere drive the defenders out of Rostov. The strongpoint is proving too resilient for my artillery, but fortunately the airfield is not a critical objective.





Rostov is captured, but the Soviet strongpoint remains defiant, denying me the satisfaction of a complete victory. The IICs suffered heavy losses, but the StuGs didn't fare that much better against the heavy Soviet armour despite their superior armour. As such I'm not convinced it's time to retire them quite yet, but with the Battle of Moscow coming up I might have to revise that position. I should probably put less emphasis on capturing guns near supply hexes, not so much because of the losses incurred as a result but because it takes more time, and it'd probably be better if I had more of a margin.

[Horseman]

Love the emcirclement at Kiev - that's where I made the bulk of my prestige in my run.

One question - how do you selectively suppress your own troops? You mention it at one point as a way to reduce damage?

[comradep]

You can drive a unit into AI artillery range, the AI will generally target the most valuable unit. You could also allow the AI to "encircle" your spearhead, or simply drive the spearhead into a position where it's encircled.

I'm still surprised at the prestige gains SineMora and charonjr have managed to achieve in Kiev, it's almost as if something funny was going on with my own prestige gains during the scenario as we all forced most if not all Soviet units to surrender. All 81 units surrendered in my case, but I gained about 2000 prestige less than they did. I guess I somehow "lost" a lot of potential capture prestige when damaging the infantry units.

[SineMora]

If you're short on heavily damaged units to use for capturing soft targets, you can have the AI assist you in creating artificial ones; in the screenshot the recon is encircled by the Soviet forces and thus dropped to 2 effective strength at the beginning on my turn, making it unlikely to do more than 1 damage to anything, no matter how weak its defences (as demonstrated by capturing the valuable AA gun while inflicting only 1 damage).

I captured the majority of the Soviet infantry with 1-2 points of damage; the heavy entrenchment actually proved benefitial here. There's probably enough prestige to make over 15000 if you manage to keep damage to a minimum to the forces outside the cordon, but that's going to be very difficult, especially in the north as the auxiliaries have fewer options available.

[SineMora]

Rostov complete. Moscow awaits!

[best75]

The great encirclement are Kiev was a nice sight to see. Looking forward to the rest of your run.

[SineMora]

The great encirclement are Kiev was a nice sight to see. Looking forward to the rest of your run.

Thanks! Yes, the grand encirclement was a sight to behold. It's likely to be one of the defining moments of the campaign.

[comradep]

Nice result.

I'm not sure whether the Panzer IIC is obsolete at this point, the units you're losing are all detached units and Panzer III's would take maybe only 1 less strength point damage. Judging by your screenshots, it seems to be mostly a matter of the AI picking a weak unit holding the perimeter of the encirclement and attacking it. StuGs are a tempting target because their return fire comes in the shape of suppression and not kills.

The soft attack values of the IIC are still excellent.

[charonjr]

Very nice prestige overall, you are 6-7k ahead of me by now

[SineMora]

Nice result.

I'm not sure whether the Panzer IIC is obsolete at this point, the units you're losing are all detached units and Panzer III's would take maybe only 1 less strength point damage. Judging by your screenshots, it seems to be mostly a matter of the AI picking a weak unit holding the perimeter of the encirclement and attacking it. StuGs are a tempting target because their return fire comes in the shape of suppression and not kills.

The soft attack values of the IIC are still excellent.

Yes, Rapid Fire is very potent and certainly keeps them competitive against soft targets. The poor defence really is a problem against infantry, though, as even suppressed they get a lot of attacks. Against tanks it's less of a problem because heavy Soviet tanks will punch through the armour of IIIs and IVs too.

If the StuGs benefited from Master of Blitzkrieg I'd probably be using even more of the cuddly little things. I didn't use to rate assault guns and I still don't for more orthodox ways of playing the game, but they're a very cost-effective option here.

Very nice prestige overall, you are 6-7k ahead of me by now

The advantage of having a benchmark to work towards

[Danger]

Finally registered. Been following the progress of these AARs with great interest. I'm really looking forward to see the experts tackle the bonus objective on Moscow with Guderian.

[SineMora]

Finally registered. Been following the progress of these AARs with great interest. I'm really looking forward to see the experts tackle the bonus objective on Moscow with Guderian.

Welcome to the AAR section! Yes, Moscow looks like a tough nut to crack, and it remains to be seen whether my plan will work. Still, it wouldn't do for the entire campaign to be smooth sailing

[SineMora]

Scenario X -- Moscow



Initial Prestige: 38257
Final Prestige: 53150

Core

• Infantry
  • Pioniere w/ SdKfz 251/1
  • Pioniere w/ SdKfz 251/1
  • Fallschirmjäger [NEW]
  • Fallschirmjäger [NEW]
  • Fallschirmjäger [NEW]
  • Brückenpioniere w/ Opel Blitz [NEW]
• Tanks
  • T-34/40 [NEW]
  • T-34/40 [NEW]
  • Panzer IIIH
  • Panzer IVE
  • Flammpanzer II [NEW]
  • Flammpanzer II [NEW]
  • Panzer IIC
  • Panzer IIC [NEW]
• Recon
  • SdKfz 222 [NEW]
  • SdKfz 222 [NEW]
• Artillery
  • 15 cm sFH w/ SdKfz II
  • 15 cm sFH w/ SdKfz II
  • 15 cm Nebelwerfer 41 w/ Horse Transport [NEW]
  • 15 cm Nebelwerfer 41 w/ Horse Transport [NEW]
  • 10.5 cm leFH w/ Horse Transport
  • StuG IIIB
  • StuG IIIB
  • StuG IIIB
• Anti-Aircraft
  • 8.8 cm FlaK 36 w/ SdKfz 7 [NEW]
  • 2 cm Flakvierling w/ Horse Transport [NEW]
• Fighters
  • Bf 109F
  • Bf 109F
  • Bf 109F
• Tactical Bombers
  • Fi 156 Storch
  • Bf 110D
• Strategic Bombers
  • Do 217E
  • Do 217E
  • Do 17Z

No rest for the wicked. After the success in Ukraine my forces have been assigned to lead the assault on Moscow in Operation Typhoon. The Battle of Moscow will no doubt prove the sternest test my corps has faced to date, as resistance is bound to be fierce -- Stalin will not give up the capital of the Soviet Union without a fight. The streets of Moscow with their heavily entrenched defenders offer a very different challenge, and to make matters worse the ground has been covered in a blanket of snow, heralding the advent of the harsh Russian winter; it proved the undoing of Napoleon and his La Grande Armée -- will my corps prevail where the emperor could not?

Given the challenge ahead the core has seen substantial changes since Rostov. I've brought in three batallions of Fallschirmjäger, as I believe their mobility will prove invaluable due to the size of the map and the conditions on the ground. Due to the nature of my plan I'm going to need a substantial number of boots on the ground and so can ill afford to bring more Pioniere, so the two units I already have will have to serve as the spearhead. A unit of Brückenpioniere will allow the forces in the south to cross the Oka and link up with each other, as well as facilitating the advance on the southern perimeter of the city.

The Somuas have been retired in favour of the powerful Soviet T-34/40s; I expect a heavy concentration of Soviet armour and the T-34s should help me hold the line. These tanks are superb but I need to husband my supply, as the Soviets have largely stopped using them in favour of their successor the T-34/41, which unfortunately is a worse tank. Two IICs have been upgraded to Flammpanzer IIs, in the event the entrenched defenders should prove too much for the Pioniere to handle by themselves. As they are significantly more expensive than the IICs and perform worse in open terrain I've decided that two'll have to be enough, opting to add an additional IIC instead to pad the numbers.

One of the recons has been transferred to the reserve and the other two downgraded to SdKfz 222s. This is because all-terrain vehicles perform poorly in snow, which means that the cheaper SdKfz 222 offers me a way to conserve core slots. One of the 10.5 cm guns as well as the Sturmpanzer have been converted to Nebelwerfer 41s. Rocket artillery have poor range and ammunition, but offer great firepower against soft targets owing to their Rapid Fire trait. These guns will provide close support to the Pioniere as they advance into Moscow. The lighter artillery have been equipped with Horse Transports, as their standard half-tracks perform very poorly in snow.

An 8.8 and a Flakvierling will provide some air cover, and the former should also prove useful as an AT gun should Soviet armour threaten my flank. The air force has been significantly reduced, as I expect weather conditions to hamper operations. It should nevertheless be able to clear out the Soviet fighters by the time the Soviet armour counterattacks, allowing the strategic bombers to provide some assistance.



The deployment area leaves much to be desired. The reason my forces are spread out to such an extent is that you are limited to deploying 6 ground units south of Tula. It's clear the designers intended for players to deploy the bulk of their forces in the west, opposite the main Soviet line of fortifications. I have little interest in engaging said defences, however, so the forces in the southwest will move to cross the Oka and link up with the forces south of Tula. In the meantime these will capture the town and its defenders.

After that they will advance north together, with the Pioniere looking to push towards the optional objective containing the supply hex in the eastern part of the city. They will be supported by the bulk of the artillery while the tanks take up position along the Moskva river to prevent Soviet forces from outflanking the Pioniere. Once the Pioniere have secured the supply hex, I'll take stock of the situation and either push on north with them or have the Fallschirmjäger drop in the northeastern part of the city. The smaller force in the west will be looking to hold position and fend off any Soviet counterattacks from the main defensive line, and once the Pioniere secure the supply hex they'll advance east north of the city, crossing the Moskva channel to the north and linking up with the main force.

In theory this should allow me to enact a grand encirclement, trapping the majority of the city's defenders. Unfortunately, because of the sheer number of units needed to execute this plan while also keeping an armoured reserve to balk any attempts by the Soviets from relieving the city from the east, I have limited forces with which to support the two units of Pioniere -- they'll have to make do with artillery. The Fallschirmjäger will only be deployed into Moscow if absolutely necessary, as they are my only truly mobile reserve and once they are deployed there it could take time to extract them. Assuming everything goes according to plan, the encircling troops will then slowly tighten the cordon, capturing Soviet troops as they advance. The Pioniere and armour will resposition to prepare for the inevitable onslaught from the east. Once the remaining Soviet forces have been dealt with the remaining objectives will be secured, and if I have time I'll also dispach a force to capture the locations in the southeast, but these aren't critical. It all sounds very simple, so what could possibly go wrong?



The bulk of my forces, with the town of Tula at the bottom of the screen. The bridge over the Moskva river southeast of Moscow should serve as a good defensive position to secure the southern flank.



These troops will hopefully not see too much action early on. Once the supply hex in the eastern part of the city has been secured they'll cross the channel and cut off the city from the north.



Overcast skies hamper the Luftwaffe, and I suspect that it'll take time to bring down the Soviet air force.



Tula is encircled and a T-34 crosses the Oka to block the northern crossing.



The Fallschirmjäger help cut off a Soviet AT gun. The fortified Soviet perimeter is imposing, and the T-34 at the back looks threatening.



A T-26 recklessly tries to force its way across the river -- and through my T-34. Needless to say it doesn't work.



Conscripts advance on my position but the T-34 has yet to move.





I added these to illustrate the strength of the humble IIC. Note that despite the Flammpanzer II having a significantly higher soft attack, the IIC is projected to inflict more casualties on the Conscripts. That's because the IIC has the Rapid Fire trait, and against targets with poor defence the number of attacks is more important than their strength.



The Conscripts are killed and the rest of the Soviet units captured.



Soviet Guardsmen advance on my undefended supply hex. I suspect they are set to attack regardless of what the player does, as the AI couldn't possibly see that there are no forces there. Nevertheless, this will force me to redeploy, as it could prove difficult to dislodge them later from a supply hex.



The T-34 recaptures the town but doesn't attack my Flammpanzer.



Clear skies allow the Luftwaffe to take down another Soviet fighter.



The Guardsmen capture the supply hex, but I have a plan.



The T-34 is supressed, but a Panzer takes a beating at the hands of a Soviet AT gun.



As I suspected they would do, the Guardsmen capture the airfield. Fallschirmjäger deploy to recapture the supply hex.



Fallschirmjäger deploy and split, trapping the Conscripts and the T-34.



Moscow is heavily defended, but my plan should hopefully see these troops supressed.



My forces begin to advance across the Oka.



Heavy Soviet armour is spotted across the Moskva river, but I suspect there's a lot more out there.



The north has finally been pacified. I had not intended for these forces to do much fighting initially, but the nearby defenders didn't hold their defensive positions. It's likely that the majority of the Soviet forces would act the same way if you were to push through the fortified lines.



In the south, preparations are complete for the assault on Moscow.



The Pioniere begin their advance into the city, but heavy snowfall sees the rivers freeze. This could prove problematic should the Soviets counterattack.



The Katyusha is destroyed and the path to the supply hex lies open.



The Guardsmen are captured and the Paratroopers repelled. I'll just pretend this was all part of my clever plan to gain more prestige by letting the Soviets capture my own victory locations.



The Pioniere close in on the supply hex, but there is a worrying number of Soviet infantry in the north.



Once again snowfall hampers operations.



The Pionere capture the supply hex, but more and more Soviet infantry is closing in from the north. With the spectre of the Soviet counterattack in mind, I decide to commit the reserve.



As the skies clear the Fallschirmjäger deploy, trapping the advancing Soviet infantry and springing the trap.



The grand encirclement is complete. There were a few setbacks along the way, but so far the plan appears to be working. The question now is how the Soviets will respond.



My artillery opens fire on the Soviet infantry, but fail to fully supress them. This leaves the Fallschirmjäger dangerously exposed.



The Fallschirmjäger suffer heavy losses but are succesfully evacuated. To paraphrase Maximus', the danger to them was acceptable.



A heavy Soviet SPAT is supressed.



Detached T-34s run circles around a KV-2.



In the west, my forces begin to tighten the cordon and capture supressed Soviet forces.



With the last Soviet bomber destroyed, the 8.8 is now free to provide fire support should it prove necessary.



Soviet forces in the northeast are still holding their positions.



Additional Soviet armour close in and a Panzer suffers heavy damage. The northern objective is encircled.



More Soviet forces are captured. Still no sign of the reinforcements, though.



I spoke too soon. Two armoured columns are closing in quickly from the east, lead by two KV-2s and three T-34/41s.



Change the course of the war, you say? Whatever could that mean.



The Soviet armour crash into my lines. As I was unable to deploy the full unit of artillery to support the defensive line due to the embarkation bug, it's breached, with one of my 15 cm pieces suffering heavy damage. This is annoying as artillery is fiendishly expensive, but at least the Soviet advance was checked.



The Battle of Moscow has been a bloody affair, and many of my detached units are on their last legs.



Two detached units suffer heavy losses as the second wave of reinforcements closes in, but the Soviet heavy armour have largely been supressed.



With the Do 17Z out of range of the KV-2, the fighters rebase to help guide it onto the Soviet tank.



A mistake in positioning sees a T-34 move next to the remaining Soviet supply hex. As it's protected by a heavy AT gun I'm not able to capture it this turn, which means it'll lose all supression next turn. That's going to hurt, but at least the rest of the Soviet armour is under control.



Heavy snowfall limits visibility, and as I'd feared the T-34 destroys a detached Panzer and drives off one of my own T-34s. However, in doing so it has left the supply hex vulnerable, and the Pioniere move in to secure it.



With only a detached T-34 left in the north capturing the KV-2s proves difficult, but at least the tanks aren't going anywhere.



The final optional objective is secured. As I still have a few turns to spare I send a small force south to capture the remaining locations.



Fallschirmjäger deploy at the outskirts of Mikhaylov.



The last of the Soviet AA guns is secured. Each of these is worth nearly 400 prestige, more than the heavy tanks.



The Conscripts fail to hold back the Fallschirmjäger.



The Pionere destroy the strongpoint in central Moscow, but due to my limited number of heavy weapons the rest of the Soviet fortifications remain largely untouched.







As dawn breaks on the final day of the Battle of Moscow, a few forlorn bastions are all that remain of the Soviet forces. The Red Army has been broken, its vaunted armoured might shattered on the plains east of Moscow. Theatrics aside, this was an intense battle, and while it might look like a comfortable victory in the end, I had to work for it. While that was partly due to self-imposed limitations, it was nevertheless a challenge to pull off while adhering to the principle of minimizing enemy casualties. The grand encirclement at Kiev may be the closest thing to perfection you can get in PzC2 as far as subduing enemies is concerned, but the Battle of Moscow is significantly tougher.

The Fallschirmjäger proved their value, as they were able to deploy where they were needed while being resilient enough to weather Soviet attacks, while the Flammpanzers were an expensive liability, as my plan worked well enough in the end, making their ability to ignore entrenchment redundant. Then again, I didn't expect so many of the Soviet defenders to so readily abandon their defensive positions, thus sacrificing their entrenchment. It's possible that this was done by design to make it easier for players, as most will no doubt seek to break through Moscow the orthodox way, and if all the Soviet infantry held their positions and fortified it'd turn into a slog without Pioniere. Deciding on a core for the scenario was an interesting challenge in its own right, as while I knew there'd be some form of Soviet counterattack at some point, I didn't know what kind of forces I'd need to repel it. In the end I opted for more boots on the ground to allow for the grand encirclement, with only a small number of elites to provide the extra edge where they were needed in the form of Pioniere and T-34s.

"To win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the acme of skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill." -- Sun Tzu

[charonjr]

Good work

Fairly similar approach to what I am doing, but I am using just 2 paras here and T-50s instead of T-34s and no Flammpanzers here.

I tried to force my way into Moscow first and even succeeded, but the prestige gains were too low for my taste. Going with the large encirclement for my current attempt. But I doubt that I can reach your numbers.

[SineMora]

Good work

Fairly similar approach to what I am doing, but I am using just 2 paras here and T-50s instead of T-34s and no Flammpanzers here.

I tried to force my way into Moscow first and even succeeded, but the prestige gains were too low for my taste. Going with the large encirclement for my current attempt. But I doubt that I can reach your numbers.

Fallschirmjäger are really useful here given their mobility, especially as the size of the map and poor ground conditions make it difficult to get reinforcements to where they are needed if you find yourself outflanked or short on manpower. The Flammpanzers were an expensive disappointment; I brought them in case I'd need some extra punch against entrenched infantry as I only had two Pioniere, but as most of the Soviet forces actually move of their own volition I'd have been better off with the trusty old IICs. The T-34s were immense though, every bit as powerful as I imagined they'd be.

Nice to hear you're sticking to encirclements; there's nothing particularly wrong with the old Pioniere/artillery sweep, but as we've been practicing rapid breakthroughs in the camapigns so far it's satisfying to see the strategy works in the harder scenarios too.

[SineMora]

At long last, the Battle of Moscow is complete. Next stop, Kharkov '42.

[SineMora]

Scenario XI -- Kharkov '42



Initial Prestige: 48868
Final Prestige: 61649

Core

• Infantry
  • Pioniere w/ Opel Blitz [NEW]
  • Pioniere w/ Opel Blitz [NEW]
  • Grenadier w/ Opel Blitz [NEW]
• Tanks
  • T-34/40
  • T-50 [NEW]
  • T-50 [NEW]
  • T-50 [NEW]
  • T-50 [NEW]
  • T-60 [NEW]
  • T-60 [NEW]
  • Panzer IIC
  • Panzer IIC
• Recon
  • SdKfz 232 8Rad [NEW]
  • SdKfz 232 8Rad [NEW]
• Artillery
  • 15 cm sFH w/ SdKfz 7
  • 15 cm sFH w/ SdKfz 7
  • 15 cm sFH w/ SdKfz 7 [NEW]
  • 10.5 cm leFH w/ SdKfz 11 [NEW]
  • 10.5 cm leFH w/ SdKfz 11 [NEW]
  • StuG IIIB
  • StuG IIIB
  • StuG IIIB
• Anti-Aircraft
  • 8.8 cm FlaK 36 w/ SdKfz 7
  • 8.8 cm FlaK 36 w/ SdKfz 7 [NEW]
  • SU-6 [NEW]
• Fighters
  • Bf 109F
  • Bf 109F
  • Bf 109F
  • Bf 109F [NEW]
• Tactical Bombers
  • Fi 156 Storch
  • Bf 110D
  • Bf 110D [NEW]
• Strategic Bombers
  • Do 217E
  • Do 217E
  • Do 217E [NEW]
  • Do 217E [NEW]
  • Do 217E [NEW]

Spring has come to Ukraine, but with my corps assinged to Operation Typhoon Soviet forces have rallied in the south, and they now threaten Kharkov and the entire southern flank. Every cloud has is a silver lining, however, and while their rapid advance has put them with striking distance of Kharkov, the Soviet supply lines are stretched thin, and any disruption of them should see the offensive collapse. While defending the city and securing the west bank of the Donets are considered critical objectives, High Command has intimated that should opportunity present itself I am free to press beyond the river, and so I intend to do just that once the Soviet offensive has been dealt with.

With overcast skies and snow giving way to sunshine and grass conditions on the ground have much improved since Moscow, and so my core has once undergone major revision. The Pioniere have lost their half-tracks to free up slots and make them slightly cheaper, as I expect they'll primarily have a defensive told in this battle. In respect of their distinguished service at the Battle of Moscow, I've christened them the Bridgeburners and Crimson Guard respectively, of Malazan fame. They'll be supported by a unit of Grenadier, while the rest of the infantry have been moved to the reserve as there are no transports available for Fallschirmjäger.

The Panzer core has been completely overhauled, with most batallions being outfitted with captured Soviet Beutepanzer. All modern Soviet armour have a movement of 6 (7 with Master of Blitzkrieg) while being strong across the line, with the T-60 effectively being a straight upgrade of the trusty IIC, offering similar performance but better mobility and ground defence. To make it a little easier to distinguish the Beutepanzer from the regular Wehrmacht units I've given all of them, including the SU-6 camouflage. The T-50 is superior to German medium armour at this time, but unfortunately I don't foresee being able to field this many for long due to a limited supply. The funny thing is that as far as I recall, only around 70 of these were ever built before production was switched to the cheaper T-60.

The all-terrain SdKfz 232 8Rads are back, as without Fallschirmjäger they are crucial in enacting encirclements behind enemy lines, and with no urban fighting expected the artillery has been standardised, with the two Nebelwerfer 41s converted to a 15 cm and 10.5 cm respectively; the latter is enjoying something of a renaissance as a cheaper alternative to the 15 cm. The Soviet air force is likely to be substantially larger than it was at the Battle of Moscow, and with my lines within striking distance of their bombers I've opted to deploy two 8.8 cm FlaK 36 as well as a mobile Soviet SU-6. This self-propelled AA gun is incredibly powerful, being nearly as strong as the 8.8 while offering significantly better mobility and using one slot less. The drawback is that it only has a range of 2 as opposed to the 3 of the 8.8, and that it's a very rare unit, thus limited the opportunities you have to secure a few for yourself (unless you're using Trophies of War). Having confirmed the bug with low-calibre AA guns at the Battle of Moscow, I'm now staying clear of those until they get patched.

A Bf-109F and a Bf-110D have been requisitioned to help the Luftwaffe win the war in the sky. I've said it before but the Bf-110 is great option to have, using only 2 core slots and still having enough firepower to take down damaged aircraft. Should the need arise it also performs substantially better than the Bf-109 against ground targets. With no fewer than 5 Do 217E strategic bombers, my forces will not be short on options for supressing enemy armour. These aircraft use few core slots but are very expensive, and as such are wont to attract attention from enemy fighters; they are quite resilient but caution is advised.



Deep Recon reveals a large concentration of Soviet forces on the plains east of Krasnograd, and this is also from where I expect the main assault will come. It's unlikely that there are more than a few garrison units in the east past the objectives along with Donets, so once I top the Soviet advance it should be relatively easy to secure the rest of the map. I've chosen to deploy the bulk of my forces at Kharkov and Krasnograd, as these are the two supply locations I need to hold to keep my own lines secure. Kharkov beenfits from having woodlands to the south and a river to the east, but Krasnograd is more exposed. Fortunately, a substantial number of Romanian auxiliaris are available to help screen the city. The T-34 and a few support units have been deployed at Belgorod, and will serve to redirect any Soviet forces pushing across the Donets south towards Kharkov.

A small force of Panzers has been deployed in the southeast, and once the Soviet forces begin to advance they will sneak west, aiming to skirt Barvenkovo and then push north towards the Donets to sever the Soviet supply lines. No matter their numbers the Soviets forces will quickly crumble once their supply lines collapse. A similar tactic will be attempted in the north, with panzers crossing the Donets east of Belgorod and advancing southeast. For now the forces are arrayed in a defensive formation, with most units benefitting from some form of fire support. I do not forsee Soviet bombers daring to strike at any of my defensive positions, as they are all covered by an AA gun and at least one Bf-109F. The Romanian auxiliaries are a different story, though.



The woodlands around Kharkov make it difficult for the Soviet forces to flank the city. With so many powerful units backed up by fire support, I expect the Soviet armour will choose to hold positions on the perimeter of the city rather than risk attacking and suffer heavy losses. At least I hope that's what they'll do, because otherwise they'll be squandering my prestige. The German auxiliaries at Balakliya are sadly doomed, but their imminent demise shall be avenged.



The Crimson Guard are holding Krasnograd, surrounded by armour and artillery. The Romanian auxiliaries have taken up flanking positions, ready to advance to blunt the impact of the Soviet offensive.



The Soviet Cavalry is ambushed attempting to capture Krasnograd, suffering heavy casualties.



A lone T-38 approaches Slavyansk, no doubt intending to capture the town. That suits me just fine, as my forces give the Soviet recon the slip, quietly vanishing into the shadows.



Soviet forces advance in the north, but as predicted most of them decide against pressing the attack. This leaves them in a vulnerable position, however.



The benefit of fighting near your own airfield is substantial; a single Bf-109 is able to inflict heavy damage on a Sukhoi Su-2.



The Storch proves its value once more. As I suspected, the main Soviet force is in the south.



My forces move out, trapping the Soviet vanguard and denying them supplies. Romanian auxiliaries move up to help bolster the line and to entice Soviet armour in the south to advance.



The Romanians suffer heavy casualties, but unfortunately much of the Soviet armour refuse to move. I suspect they have been set to form part of a second wave, but I have little interest in waiting for that.



The recons prove their worth by using their phased movement to slip through Soviet lines, linking up with the Grenadier to the north and enacting a grand encirclement. This puts much of the Soviet heavy armour close to my Panzers, a vulnerable position only made worse by their lack of AA cover. Hopefully the Romanians will prove a more tempting target.



The Soviet air force suffers heavy losses.



Soviet attempts to break the encirclement fail as the cordon is expanded to include the northern forces. Including the ones that have managed to temporarily slip the net, there are nearly 30 Soviet units slowly being starved of supplies.



The Soviet air force is still a force to be recokned with. Vexingly, it appears to have abandoned its original strategy in favour of targetting my strategic bombers, forcing the Luftwaffe to provide escorts.



Resistance has all but collapsed within the encirclement.



T-34/41s ripe for harvest. It's such a pity the Soviets have phased out the T-34/40.



A mistake in positioning allowed the Soviets to strike at my SU-6. While the loss of prestige hurts, the rarity of this unit means I can ill afford to take losses. The Luftwaffe brings down the offending plane.



The remaining Soviet forces in the north attempt to flank my position by crossing the Donets, only to find themselves encircled as my Panzers cut off supplies from the east.



Here's one for the crafty generals. Capture an airfield with enemy aircraft stationed there...



... rebase a few fighters to it...



... and watch as the burning remnants of the enemy aircraft fall from the skies. Rebasing doesn't use movement points, so fighters will benefit from their maximum accuracy bonus doing this.



The same method is used at Loyovaya. Note that here a Do 217E has been used to buffer the airfield, as planes are transferred to specific hexes -- if I hadn't transferred the Do 217E first the second Bf-109F wouldn't be able to attack the Soviet plane.



It's a funny old world. Germans using Soviet armour and Soviets using British.



The Soviet air force is finally destroyed.



With the Soviet west of the Donets dealt with my forces begin to push east.



The remaining Soviet positions are encircled.



The German auxiliaries who fell at Balakliya have been avenged, and all major objectives have been secured. There are still a few scattered Soviet stragglers, however.



Izyum, the last major settlement on the Donets, is captured.



I've said it before, but it's worth repeating; these Soviet AA guns are very valuable.



The last pocket of Soviet resistance is destroyed.





After the intense Battle of Moscow this felt like a relaxing stroll in a park. The Soviet forces couldn't come close to threatening my lines, and with my strengthened AA defences neither could their air force. The auxiliaries suffered heavy damage, but the bulk of my forces remained largely unscathed, with a few strategic bombers and recons from the eastern force bearing the brunt of it. The mistake that saw the SU-6 damaged could've easily been avoided, but on balance my plan worked as I'd intended. Hubris and vanity will be the bane of the best of us; memento mori, Herr General.

[SineMora]

Kharkov '42 complete. Next we head to the Crimean peninsula and Sevastopol. Sun, beaches, beautiful women -- and the biggest gun the world has ever seen. What's not to like?

[comradep]

Hmm, the AI is very passive in Kharkov '42.

Soviet armour, even with 6 unsuppressed steps, should've been able to knock out the recon units south-west of Balakliya easily.

That's one issue with playing like this: it very painfully exposes the rather limited AI programming.