DCCB: Case Blau - Turn 1 Preparations

I have been mulling over how to spend some birthday money.  I solicited some feedback on the blog over the weekend and generated some great suggestions.

One of those suggestions was Decisive Campaigns:  From Warsaw to Paris.  Because I have DCCB (the second game in the series), I decided to dust it off as I consider whether or not to purchase the 1940 version of the game covering the fall of France and Poland.

Decisive Campaigns' Case Blue scenario covers the German strategic summer offensive in 1942.  I originally purchased the game to mainly play the Operation Uranus scenario but lately I find myself more interested in the period leading up to Stalingrad and the 1943 defensive campaigns conducted by Manstein in the south after Stalingrad.

I am playing the DCCB Case Blau (short) scenario which covers the first two months of the offensive as the Germans.

My initial objectives are Rostov and Sevastopol.  Historically, the Germans advanced on Rostov in 1941 along the coastal road through Taganrog and then finding themselves stalemated west of their objective, they ended up assaulting the city from the north.  This attack left their flank vulnerable to a Soviet counterattack which ultimately forced them to withdraw from the city later that year. In 1942 the Germans were able to recapture Rostov but were again forced to withdraw after 6th army's surrender at Stalingrad.

Preparations

My first move is to reorganize the 17th army in the south and specifically LVII Corps to give it a more offensive character by transferring the 14th Panzer division.


I also decide to move SS Wiking south towards the coast at Taganrog.  Wiking and 14th Panzer will drive along the coast road directly towards Rostov and lead the attack instead of the 295th Infantry division which I am pushing into a reserve position.

Just north of the road to Rostov behind the 125th Infantry division I am massing artillery from the 17A. They will help to open a hole in the line here and cover my drive to Rostov.

To keep the Soviets north of my main axis of attack busy, I've ordered smaller local attacks by the Italian CSIR Corps south of Artemovsk and by the GE 2nd Army in the direction of Voronezh.

Game thoughts

It turns out I've really underutilized this game (no shocker for someone who breezes thru rules).  The ability to transfer units, commanders, create new units, etc. adds a whole new dimension to this game:  an emphasis on organization which for me is a real plus.

I took a look at the editor last night and it seems I could make smaller scenarios for the game.  The editor manual though at first glance appears to be poorly written so I am not sure I want to take that on.



Will keep you posted on how things in-game progress.

Comments

RangerX3X said…
Regarding a foray into the editing guts of the engine, I would play a couple of scenarios if I were you to see if it is worth your while. You wouldn’t want to invest hours in a poorly documented application for a game that months later may be a distant memory because the end product was too vanilla. That is my 2 cents, which is more than 50 cent has since he filed for bankruptcy.
July 14, 2015 at 3:40 PM
Chris said…
Hi Tim. Good point. Will finish out this scenario for sure before I dive in/if i dive in.
July 14, 2015 at 8:13 PM
Jason Rimmer said…
DC3 is looking superb from what I've read. Lots of unique features that I can't wait to see in action. So if I was you I'd wait until that game is released.

http://www.vrdesigns.nl/?cat=20
July 15, 2015 at 5:48 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

John Tiller's Campaign Series - Buy It Now

Image
John Tiller's campaign series game for $9.99 at  Matrix Games Ltd.  is a steal. There are so many great scenarios. I have been playing a Fastov scenario this morning detailing the 25th Panzer Division probe into a Soviet armor formation in 1943. If my memory is correct, the division commander is killed and the reconnaissance battalion is wiped out. The Campaign Series game lays this meeting engagement out on a beautiful map with the full OOB (over 300 unit counters are present). I have considered setting up this battle before for Panzer Battles and Command Ops, so to find it in this title's scenario list this morning was very exciting! This is a zoomed out view of the northern portion of the Fastov map in the map editor. Each hex is 250 meters. In the image below, 25th Panzer is probing north towards Fastov along both sides of the Unava river. The scenario designer set a minor victory at 600 objective points and a major victory at 1200 points. You can technically achieve
Read more

Maxwell's Marauders: Find the Observation Post

Image
Maxwell’s Marauders, 1st Platoon, C Company of the 7th Marine Regiment is a fictional unit, filled with characters that I have created to deepen my connection to my Squad Battles “ Proud and the Few ” gaming. The New York boys, Bullseye, Sgt. Rock and the rest are going to be persistent characters (unless they die on my digital battlefields) that take me through the War in the Pacific. From Guadalcanal to New Britain to Peleliu and finally Okinawa, the 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment served with distinction and so too will Maxwell’s Marauders. Along the way, my hope is that by investing in the backstories of the soldiers on the map, I will play smarter and take fewer risks with them, enjoy my gaming and appreciate this great Squad Battles system in a deeper way. About these scenarios The scenarios are short (under 20 turns (100 minutes or less of combat). They are historical, even though the unit is fictional. Each battlefield map is an approximation of the terrain Frisbie’s
Read more

Edson's Ridge

Image
September 12, 1942, just before sunset: [Historical scenario] Japanese Major General Kiyotake Kawaguchi has come to Guadalcanal to lead the attack against the Marine foothold on the island at Henderson Airfield. The I and III battalions of the 124th Infantry regiment are to attack from the south, along with the Kuma Battalion, II battalion of the 4th infantry regiment 19th engineer battalion. Kawaguchi will personally lead these battalions. A composite of Japanese engineers, special naval landing troops and the Oka Force, II Bn 124 Inf Rgt are to attack from the West. The Japanese objectives are the Marine bridge over the Lunga, the air traffic control tower on Pagoda Hill, the main runway hangars, and the Fighter One airstrip. Kawaguchi has grossly underestimated the strength of the Marine force facing him. The Marines have also disrupted his supply base along the coast at Tasimboko, dispersing a small reserve force, his artillery, and supplies. Special Terrain rules: The Lunga River
Read more