After Action Report

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OCS Case Blue - scenario 7.8

Game OCS Case Blue
Scenario scenario 7.8
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December, 1942

December 1st, 1942

Meteo

North South Flight
Light freeze Light mud Limited

Axis

Reinforcement of the defence. Arrival of the 11th PzDiv, kept in strategic reserver in Rostov. Some counter-attacks from paratroopers and 16th PzDiv and 29th I.D. (mot) cut in pieces the forward Russian elements in front of Rostov. The second wave, formed from raw conscripts will hesitate before advancing into the mud...

Soviet

First attempt to cross the Donets. The 51st and, 36th and 40th Guards Div establish two bridgeheads on the western side.

December 5th, 1942

Meteo

North South Flight
Deep freeze Moderate freeze Limited

Soviet

With the coming deep frost – facilitating the crossing of major rivers – it's time to push forward with a double-move to exploit the bridgeheads on the Donest.

The German are now solidly trapped and should try to escape through the frozen swamps. The T-34s of the 22th Tank Corps took the road to Rostov only to be stopped by an epic surprise from ad-hoc formations around the 4th Panzerarmee.

Taking Ostroghovsk as a target, the 65th Army launched an offensive. The city stands but more and more tanks and infantry are surrounding the German and Hungarisch lines.

Axis

The deep frost does not stop the fighting will of the Germans. They counter-attack with success in many places. North: the 23rd PzDiv goes up to Svoboda, disconnecting from the Don river lots a Russians advancing, At Ostrogozhsk, they build a temporary defence line to supply the most advanced outposts.

At Morozovsk, the Alpin Italien Corps with troops of the 3rd Panzerarmee and remnants of the 14th PzDiv take the town, and pursue up to the Tsinla, with two small bridgehead on it, even on the Nizhne-Chrisrskaya road!

On the Donets, the 6th PzDiv launches a violent attack to crush the HQ.

In the same time, the 11th PzDiv just arrived at Rostov, stops the progressions of the Russians and help the 1st Panzerarmee to escape from the trap through the frozen marshes.

Around Maikop, the Viking SS-Division regroups, waiting for the Soviet assault that potentially can disconnect the Maikop oilfields.

The roads to Sebastopol, Rostov and Kharkov seem difficult to follow for the Russians...

December 8th, 1942

Meteo

North South Flight
Moderate freeze Light freeze Limited

Soviet

Bad news. The German counter-attacks are very dangerous for the continuation of the offensive and even for the survival of the main part o the Soviet army!

In Svoboda, the 6th Mot Div found itself trapped as soon as they jump out of the train by the tanks of the 23th PzDiv that crossed the Don and are installed on the rail bridge. The whole offensive of the 65th Army is threatened and all the three tank brigades of the newly arrived and fresh 25th Tank corps are lost around Ostrogorrvsk! A courageous attempt to breakthrough, conducted by the 389th Inf Div and a Guards tank brigade is repulsed by the Germans. Finally, a path of supply and ammo will be establish around the German tanks. From that, the Soviet artillery will disperse the tank and support a counter-attack, liberating Sloboda and destroying lots of German tanks.

In the center, quick retreat from the 46th Army toward Tsimlanskaya, reducing the bridgehead on the Donets. Tatsinskaya is not abandoned but seems threatened.

The newly created 2nd Guards Army, try to establish a front east of Morozovsk, gathering some tanks from other parts of the front.

On the Maikop front, a attempt from the 4th Mot Div is bloodily repulsed. But Maikop is now cut...

Axis

Maikop is now connected to the Tuapse port on the Black Sea! At the very moment the Russians cut it from Rostov!

The Italian Alpini Corps continues his march south; the 24th PzDiv rushes forward to capture the Soviet supply depot of the 46th Soviet Army. The garrison have destroy the content just before the arrival of the German Panzer. But the Soviet are now trapped.

December 12th, 1942

Meteo

North South Flight
Light freeze Light mud Limited

Axis

The tables are turning in favor of the Axis. The Alpini Corps secured the trap at Tsimlanskaya and push to Oblivskaya.

In the same time, the 6th PzDiv took the Tatsimskaya airbase, destroying on the tarmac half of the Russian planes there, and opening the road to the 27th PzDiv. The link is established with the Alpini Corps.

South of the Don, the warmth and the mud does not stop the paratroopers of the 7th FallschirmJäger Div and remnants of the 60th Mot Infantry Division to destroy the Soviet left wing, as the tanks of the 17th PzDiv are jumping out of the train behind them.

Not sure the Russian will be able to have any chance to retake Rostov...

Soviet

The 46th Army does not exist anymore... After the destruction of his HQ, the entire army collapses in an attempt to go back to their lines. 10 Inf Div, 2 tank brigades, 4 artillery brigades and the fierce railroad engineers, so proud to proove the advance of the Red Army in the rail gauge! And the others are still trying to escape, unaware that the next bridges are already occupied by Italians and that the safetly lines they hope to reach does not exist anymore... The road to Stalingrad is now mostly open, even if the newly formed 5th Mot Corps just arrived ot fill alone the gap.

In the meantime, their brothers of the 6th Mot Div, with the 65th Army, are victoriously exiting from Svoboda, making holes in the German and Hungarish lines.

Looks like the Soviet has no more hope of victory at all...

December 15th, 1942

Meteo

North South Flight
Deep freeze Moderate freeze Limited

Soviet

Run!

Axis

It's time to pursue the retreating Russian, to destroy most of them berfore they can regroup.

December 19th, 1942

Meteo

North South Flight
Light freeze Light mud Limited

Soviet

Light mud one more time in South... It should slow the German down.

The 65th Army's offensive keep moving around Ostrogorsk, crushing the 7th Hungarish Corps's HQ. The 4th Mot Div fail to take Rosso.

Between Krasnodar and Maikop, the little town of Ust-Labinskaya finally fall into the hands of the 5th Tank Army and the newly fromed 3rd Guards Mot Div (from 4th Mot Div) cross the river heading for Maikop.

Facing the center, the Russians achieve to regroup.

Axis

0

December 22nd, 1942

Meteo

North South Flight
Deep freeze Moderate freeze Limited

Axis

The odds are turning in favor of Axis side. The north Soviet offensive should be stopped now.

In center, a rapid move from the 11th PzDiv surrounded the retreating 3rd Guards Army with elements as far the railroad Stalingrad-Sal'sk.

The second battle of Sal'sk is on the verge to begin as the 16th and 17th PzDiv are advancing, despite two epic fails against the first Russian lines west of the town.

In South, the Soviet colum menacing to encircle Maikop has been attacked in his reat by the remnants of the 3rd Mot Div. The HQ is scattered...

Soviet

Relaunch of the north offensive with the capture of Valuyki, encircling the 8th Panzerkorps.

The 3rd Guards Army manage to escape in direction of Saal'sk.

The 37th Army escapes too and the 18th Tank Corps restaure the connection of the column by-passing Maikop.

December 26th, 1942 Last turn

Meteo

North South Flight
Deep freeze Moderate freeze Limited

Axis