Battles of Kursk - SS Attack

The 38 turn SS Attack scenario details the German attempts to breakthrough the Soviet defensive belts on July 5th.
In my opinion, the strength of a John Tiller Software game is the historical research that goes into every JTS title.  The research is then used to build an accurate order of battle and becomes the basis for a detailed pdf of "Designer's Notes" that gives you the historical backdrop of the title, as well as a detailed summary for each scenario.

To read the Kursk designer notes click here.

A cropped shot of the order of battle at Kursk.  Amazing research goes into each JTS title and you will really begin to appreciate that after reading the Designer Notes for the game.

A zoomed out view of my attack on the Soviet defenses.  The German penetration is at about 1 km when a Soviet counterattack supported by artillery fire develops around Berezov.  In the face of the counterattack I retreated slightly to form a defensive line in the woods west of Yakhontov. In the bottom right corner you can see my attempt to envelop the defenses at Yerik by bypassing them using a forest road to the east of the village.
The victory dialog box tracks your performance and losses throughout the game.  Almost 1/3 of the way through the SS attack scenario I've struggled to gain points (I've only seized one objective) and suffered 3 to 1 casualties.

One of the challenges for me with JTS titles is that the time limit always seems to be shorter than what is needed.  I am overly cautious I guess and prone to try to avoid excessive casualties.  That's not evidenced by my losses here but early on with this scenario I learned a hard lesson:  units that cross minefields without Pioneers leading them lose lots of men.

I like having the victory dialog box handy in the game and check it frequently.

I am still learning how to use air support and smoke in this game.  The fact that smoke, mines, bunkers and obstacles are represented make this title incredibly nuanced and challenging in my opinion.

As I've blogged before, I encourage you to check this title out.  If you've played a JTS title before and thought it wasn't your cup of tea, you will likely be pleasantly surprised by this game.





Comments

Unknown said…
Interesting Chris. I'm thinking about getting it on your recommendation. What's the AI like though? Is this mainly meant to be played against a human?
March 14, 2015 at 7:52 AM
Chris said…
Hi Peter. I don't know the answer to that. I've found the AI challenging but I've only played 2 scenarios. For non Panzer Battles titles I've read the AI is not challenging.
March 14, 2015 at 10:17 PM
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