The Sharp End Gaming

My original intention as this opportunity developed was to save Grossdeutschland, 9th Panzer and the 24th Panzer divisions for the push between Kastornoye and Voronezh.  I committed them early thinking they might seize Voronezh  ahead of my timetable.  

I've now added Voronezh to my early objectives list.  My July 4 situation map in the northern sector of Army Group South's advance is below: 4th Panzer's advance towards Voronezh must first breakthrough a weak Soviet line at Kastornoye. To secure Voronezh I am going to have to break the Soviet line at Kastornoye and hold the elongating southern line of my advance with the 2nd Hungarian Army (currently only III Corps). Knowing that they will need to be strong enough to withstand expected Soviet counterattacks I am rushing two additional Hungarian light divisions to join the 2nd Army as well as the IV and VII Hungarian Corps which are being transferred from the rear areas of 17th ad 1st Panzer armies. VII Hungarian Corps highlighted on the map is being transferred under the control of the Hungarian 2nd Army which is just visible on the northern edge of the map. According to Wikipedia when the 2nd transferred into the theater it only had 8 weeks of experience ...

Two holes have opened in the Soviet defensive line over the last 48 hours.  This hole made by the 68 Inf Div west of Lisithcnask is well supported by LAH and 2 armored divisions. Further west I also have good air support plus a small Hungarian Corps en route to hold the line behind the advance.  Also working in my favor is that Soviet air cover is lighter over this portion of the line than it is in the south around Rostov.   My well laid plan to drive down the coastal road and seize Rostov got off to a rocky start as Soviet units poured thru a gap in my line left by my cycling units there.  I closed the hole off with the 73rd Inf Div but now I have a pocket of encircled troops in Taganrog of all places!  Go figure!  More to follow....

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 194...

My first dip back into the world of computer war games last year was Decisive Campaigns Case Blue.  I had just finished rereading William Craig's Enemy at the Gates (my second favorite book about war) when I read about this game.  I quickly bought it and jumped in with both feet, skipping the rules and learning on the fly. A German soldier at Stalingrad.  The desolation is complete.  No game to my knowledge does an adequate job representing the scope of the fighting in Stalingrad. Since then I've periodically opened the game to continue my saved Operation Uranus campaign.  I am playing as the Germans and working hard to avert the disaster I know is coming.  I've made some strategic decisions as the front commander that would have earned me a flight back to the Wolf's Lair and a firing squad and it's only turn 3. It is a testament to how f'd up Hitler's control of the army was that you find the Germans and their allies spread so thinly.  To cou...