After Action Report

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OCS Case Blue - 7.1 Operation Typhoon Campaign Start I

Game OCS Case Blue
Scenario 7.1 Operation Typhoon Campaign Start I
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October, 1941

October 1st, 1941

Meteo

North South Flight
Dry Dry Normal

On the same date in a parallel universe...

Axis

The general plan is to run to Moscow before the mud and the winter. The first turns should be like this:

- The 2nd  and 10th Korps will cut the Russian in front of them, reaching the double railtraod of Kalinin. Then Kalinin.

- The 46. Panzerkorps will overrun the Russian to catch Spas Demyansk and send elements toward Vyazma, Maloyaroslavest ans Sukhnichi. Then they have to cut Rzhev and Bryansk. Then Kubin.

- The 18th and XXIV. Panzerkorps must go through Dmitriev-L'Govskiy in order to take Orel and cut Bryansk too.. Then Tula and Ryazan.

The plan works as expected.

Soviet

Soviet's objectives:

1. Avoid to be cut.

2. Defend each and every town, river crossing, wood...

3. Prepare an army for a winter counter-offensive.

Here comes the Germans! The 11th Army start to appreciate the tree bark soup regime in order to withdraw...

The 34th Army gathers and take position on the Kalinin road.

The 29th Army, west of Nelidovo, starts to withdraw toward Rzhev...

Troops around Bryansk start to withdraw slowly as some fresh reinforcements arrive to defend the rear access to the city.

An emergency task force deploys in and around Orel to stop the forward Panzers...

Around L'Gov, the defenders wait for assaults from north and west.

October 5th, 1941

Meteo

North South Flight
Dry Dry Normal

On the same date in a parallel universe...

Axis

Despite the lack of supply this turn, a lot of Russian troops are trapped:

In North, around Nelidovo, west of Vyazma – Vyazma fell to the SS.

Bryansk is cut, by an audacious raid of the 2nd PzDiv on the Kaluga railroad and the 4. Panzer-Division on the Orel railroad.

L'Gov is cut too, by the move of the 10th I.D. (mot.)

It seems the Russain will develop many way to cook different varieties of tree bark soup and will teach the recipe to the German!

Soviet

The isolated elements of the 34th Army succeeded in reopening a link through the SS around Valday.

Nelidovo stays uncut while the infantry is retreating toward the fortified city of Rzhev.

A fierce counter-attack failed to retake Vyazma to the SS. These are know isolated and unsupplied but the 24th and 16th Army have to feed with tree bark soup to survive as they are retreating.

Briansk is still out of external supply despite the arrival of relief troops near Orel.

At L'Gov, under very deadly and precice bombing from the Luftwaffe, the 2nd Guards Div, 160th Div and 150th Tank brigade joined on the railroad the horsemen of the 5th Cav, coming directly from Kursk to repulse the Panzergrenadieren.

Hard times... May the rain and mud stop the Germans!

October 8th, 1941

Meteo

North South Flight
Dry Dry Normal

On the same date in a parallel universe...

Axis

In North, a raid allowed to supply the forward SS elements, cut by the desesperate Soviet counter-attack.

Rzhev is now encircled, due to the quick assault of the 6. Panzer-Division, strongly supported by the Stukas: when the tankists of the I/11. Panzer-Division Rgmt entered the chaos of the defense line, they found nothing but some empty abandonned wagons. Following them, the 36th I.D. (mot.) exploited the hole to surroud the city, occupying roads and railroad.

In Vyazma, the SS has been relieved by the 11. Panzer-Division, deployed to cover a larger perimeter and closing the trap.

L'Gov is fallen, taken by the 3rd PzDiv. The Soviet planes there escaped quickly to Kursk only to learn that the town was surrounded too, by the 17. Panzer-Division!

Good situation overall.

Soviet

West of Rzhev, the horsemen of the 50th Cavalry Division took by surprise the HQ of the LVIth Panzerkorps. From Rzhev a cunter-attack of the 154th Division repulsed the Germans and reopened the road and railorad to the East.

Vyazma has been retaken from the SS by an assault by different elements of the 32th and 20th Armies. In the same time, a tank raid on the airport failed with heavy losses. The battle of Vyazma is still undeccided while the Soviet keep retreating from West

The 50th Army retreats from Bryansk and try to res-establish the link with Orel.

Kursk succeeded in reopening the East road, but probably for a short time...

This is not a catastrophic situation: the dangerous German attacks an encirclements are not totally successfull...

October 12th, 1941

Meteo

North South Flight
Light mud Normal

On the same date in a parallel universe...

Axis

Bryansk is taken by some lone wolves of the 167th Division, while the retreating Soviet forgot to guards the south entrance of the city...

In other areas, due to the first light mud, the fights slow down, as the supply does not reach the forward lines.

Successful bombing of the Yaroslav airport. But the second wave is repulsed with great losses. The Soviets are no more surprised.

Kursk and Rzhev are no more encircled... Damned mud!

Soviet

Thank to the mud, despite the facts that all Soviet counter-attacks was surprised, the situation seems to be better:

On the Valday front in the North, the lines are now supplied and some German troops are trapped in the heavy woods.

Rzhev is still in Russian hands, connected and well defended.

Vyazma is still in Russian hands and the Germans are now in jeopardy in the South. The retreating troops still retreat in good order, eating the tree bark soup as usual...

Orel is now safe and even Bryansk has been retaken and is solidly linked to Orel and rear.

Kursk is supplied too but the as soon as the Germans establish some supply road, the threat will reappear.

October 15th, 1941

Meteo

North South Flight
Dry Dry Normal

Axis

Despite the dry weather coming back, the rapid move of the Panzers is done, due to very low supplies.

In North, a little hole his opened on the deep forest to get slowly to the bridge.

In all areas, nothing improtsant is gained except Kursk, taken to the NKVD by elements of the 17. Panzer-Division, 1st Cav Div and finally by the Gross-Deutschland Rgmt.

Soviet

The defence line is stronger than before. At Rzhev, first.

Around Vyazma, the German are more and more out of supply and the retreating 16th and 24th Armies may stop and face the advancing ennemies.

Sukhinichi is still standing, not that strong, but can be lost without too much strategical damage.

Bryansk is now well defended. Arty and planes are back.

Facing Orel, a counter-attack destroyed an Panzergrenadier regiment.

Kursk if definitively lost and the retreatng troops are scattered.

The winter will be very difficult for the German.

October 19th, 1941

Meteo

North South Flight
Dry Dry Normal

Axis

Failure of the attack of the 1st, 7th and 11. Panzer-Division around Vyazma. Due to lack of supplies the two former was limited in their impetus and due to bad luck the third was even obliged to withdraw with losses...

The pressure around Sukhinichi is growing slowly.

The south railroad from Bryansk is closed.

The hope come form Orel: the 17. Panzer-Division, followed by the 1st Cavalry Division, took Orel's airport, cutting the city from the Russian lines. The two Soviet armies around Orel and Bryansk are now in big trouble!

Soviet

Almost every Soviet attack was expected by the Germans and they surprised the formers by embuscades. Anyway, some achievements have been done:

At Rzhev, the two infantry regiments standing outside the city have been destroyed by massive infantry counter-attacks leaded by the 50th Cavalry Division.

At Vyazma, a counter-attack failed but disorganized the tank columns coming from North and the airport has been retaken to the SS.

At Sukhinichi, a counter-attack destroyed the infantry regiment trying to bypass the town by the North.

At Orel, the airport stayed in the German's hands, letting the city outside the railroad network. The Russian soldiers ate their very last tree bark soup and hope the alternate way of supply – by wagons – will be established quickly.

October 22nd, 1941

Meteo

North South Flight
Light mud Normal

Soviet

Wind change. The wind brings some rain and light mud and give the Soviet the initiative, permitting them to reinforce some points and to deliver supplies to the Orel-Bryansk area.

At Rzhev, the counter-attack continue and the 50th Cavalry Division and the 154th  I.D. retook some lost fortifications, encircling a new German infantry regiment, cautionless engaged on the East bank of the river.

Supply and reinforcement arrive at Vyazma and Sukhinichi. Some hedgehogs are even built, thank to the muddy ground.

At Orel, after three desorganized and failed attemps to retake the airport, the cyclists and some fresh soldiers of the 325th I.D. succeeded. The supply line was in the same time re-established by wagons, north of the city.

The situation is under control now.

Axis

Difficult mud, and this one is only “light”! At Rzhev, the connection has been re-established with the forward 4th Panzergrenadieren Regiment of the 6. Panzer-Division. But the last tanks of the 36th  I.D. (mot.) does not answer radio calls...

Behind Vyazma, the 1st and 7. Panzer-Division are cut and have difficulties to be feed. South of Vyazma, many reinforcements arrive in order to give soon a strong blow to the city, airport and railroad and road connexions.

At Orel, a new offensive is launched by the 1st Cavalry Division; the horsemen cross the Oka river west of the city.

The autumn will be very difficult...

October 26th, 1941

Meteo

North South Flight
Dry Dry Normal

Soviet

The rain stops and the road are now dry. Don't let the German exploit that around Orel to cut us once more!

The Soviet counter-attacks continue to destroy one by one the forward tank bataillons not yet covered by infantry dus to lack of supply, in front of Rzhev and Vyazma.

At Orel, the horsemen has been repulsed.

Axis

The defenses in front of Rzhek are taken and the connection wth the courageous 4th Panzergrenadieren Rgmt is reestablished. The 35th and 296th I.D. launch a frontal attack against the city itself, without result.

The 2nd Panzerarmee do not stop its attack around Orel in order to cut the two Russian armies. The 25th I.D. (mot.) and the 1. Kavallerie-Division take once more the airport and crush the bicycle batailons there. The Oka river is once more crossed...

October 29th, 1941 Last turn

Meteo

North South Flight
Dry Dry Normal

Soviet

With a dry weather once more, we cannot let the German exploit their advance behing Orel.

Half-failure in Orel. The tanks that crossed the Oka has been destroyed, and troops occupying the airport has been repulsed but the airport itself is still in the hands of some supply wagons!

The rest of the front is quiet.

Axis

Great achievements today!

A double move around Vyazma is launched: from the North the 1st and 7. Panzer-Division continue slowly their advance and connect with their comrades coming from the south.

From the south, the LVII. Panzerkorps send the 23th I.D. and 11. Panzer-Division to create a hole in Soviet lines, then mount an assault with the infantry of the 11. Panzer-Division, the 267. I.D. and the remnants of the SS-Division Reich (mot.). They progress in the city, inflicting heavy losses, strongly supported by the Stukas of the VIII. Fliegerkorps. Finally, in a last attempt to catch the city, the Panzerjäger-Abteilung 226 triggers a panic move when it decides to bypass the city, while new infantry regiments enter triumphaly: Vyazma is once more taken.

Other great success: once the 297. Infantry-Division has opened the road to Maloyaroslavets, the 5. Panzer-Division run eastward to take Myatlevo and cut the Soviet HQ in support of Vyazma! The road is wide open now!

Around Orel, the 1. Kavallerie-Division launched a victorious attack West of the city, while the 293. Infanterie-Division opened the road to the 3. Panzer-Division who came up to the alternative wagon supply road.

In the meantime, the 10. Infanterie-Division (mot.) pursues eastward to catch by suprise the village of Mtsensk and the supply depot there in support of Orel. The armies in Orel and Bryansk are in very bad situation now!

The hope is coming back to the German side with no less than five socviete armies trapped and two new opened road to Moscow!