Bud's Russian Attack AAR: Красная молния

[Bud Backer]

Minute 33-32 AOA 2

AOA2 was my first thrust against the fascist aggressors, and unlike AOA1 it was not without cost. I dropped 192 rockets on the houses and trees behind them several minutes ago, and I have no way of confirming their effectiveness. My units made their way through the woods along the eastern edge of the map, which was, of course a predictable course, as it is the only avenue to the objective that offers almost continuous cover.

My men faced panzerfausts, which destroyed two of my three armoured cars. I ran into ambushing troops and my opponent even placed a minefield to make me cautious. I had Tankodesantniki scraped off their T34s in a rush toward the houses. They appear to be cleared now, at least, but as my earlier post indicates, one platoon is down 75% and the other 18% so the losses were somewhat severe.

You can see a breakdown of the squad numbers below.

RU129

With no enemy immediately in sight I set out to move my 1/1 and 2/1 squads out of the minefield. I’m not sure how large it is, so I am careful to move around to each side to clear it. Accompanying them is 1/1 T34/85 to provide fire support if they get engaged from the treeline beyond the gully. These are the most intact units I have on AOA 2 so I need to take good care of them. 

RU130

It looks like my opponent has not abandoned all the buildings after all. Heavy fire that sounds like an HMG fires at 3/1 squad. The Nearby T34 can’t get a good angle from their current position to fire on the enemy. I want to displace it but…

Also a new contact appears, a HQ apparently. That unit…

RU131

...Opens fire from the treeline, nearly missing the 1st Tank Platoon CO.

RU132

Despite buttoning up, the T34 fires an accurate shot…

RU133

...That takes out the shooter.

RU134

My infantry, despite being suppressed, spots the MG 42 firing on them. I order 1/2 T34/85 to advance to the abandoned foxholes and to blast HE into the building to drive the HMG crew out.

RU135

There are contacts that I believe are from fleeing, long-departed enemy units near those foxholes, but to be sure, I have 1st Tank Platoon CO’S T34/85 perform area fire in the vicinity to protect the other tank.

RU136

Despite all the action nearby, 1/2 squad, 2/1 squad, and 1/1 T34/85 skirt the minefield unmolested and eye the distant treeline, waiting for the inevitable order to advance. For bounding overwatch I have split both squads, hence the A/B designation. 

RU137

2/1 T34/85 hangs back. Despite the trees, it has fairly good vision all the way past the gully to the distant treeline, as you can see in this demonstration. It’s able to overwatch the advancing infantry and its sister tank. From its position it can see the wrecked Marder. Impressive to see the 85mm shell passed entirely through the enemy vehicle. 

RU138

In the distant tree line a solitary German soldier is spotted, but he vanished before he can be fired upon. My opponent is shifting forces around. I’m not entirely sure what to make of some of these movements. It may be part of a unit that was supposed to provide support for the now-dead Marder nearby. In any case, I think unit shifting is a good sign: it means I’m not where he wants me to be and he has to adjust.

RU139

Now, I must admit his infantry worries me - a lot more than his armour, which so far I've seen only two Marders. Knowing my opponent well, I can surmise a few things:

• He likely did not buy heavy armour. So I don't expect any of the big cats. While a Marder or Panzer IV can easily knock out my tanks at this range, my tanks have all the advantages, if no cats are present: heavier armour, bigger guns, faster speed. He has radios, and most of mine don't, but with so many infantry and tanks concentrated in a small area, I am confident that what one T34 doesn't see another will. 
• He doesn't have a lot of (any?) Anti-Tank Guns - or else they would be protecting his HMGs, which I have been able to blast at stand-off ranges with my tanks. I can't discount a surprise or two in the town but if he had serious firepower I can't imagine he's waiting for me to be right in the town to use it. 
• My opponent favours infantry. So I am expecting a fair bit of it, as much as he can afford, and that includes panzerfausts. Other games I've played made it clear they can take out a T34/85 at beyond 100m range - I thought that is almost a freak shot. I’m not looking forward to moving into the town with my tanks... but I’ve succeeded in bringing a fairly powerful force to his doorstep. If my forces on AOA1 can advance into the town, and I'm able to provide heavy HE support with my tanks, my SMG troops are well suited to this kind of warfare.  and I don’t think it’s a fight he can win. 

Edited November 21, 2021 by Bud Backer

[A Canadian Cat]

Glad to see you getting back to this...

3 hours ago, Bud Backer said:

Other games I've played made it clear they can take out a T34/85 at beyond 100m range - thought that is almost a freak shot.

I usually am OK with my Germans taking Shrek shots out to 150m.

[Bil Hardenberger]

@Bud Backer you are doing a fine job on this AAR.. graphics and narration are superb.

Bil

[Bud Backer]

On 5/21/2019 at 11:58 AM, IanL said:

Glad to see you getting back to this...

I usually am OK with my Germans taking Shrek shots out to 150m.

Thanks, Ian! When I look back at this and the two unfinished (but to be continued!) comics, I see exactly where I was with RL stuff in my life. 

That's true! I've seen PanzerSchrek shots out that far; I just don't recall feeling very threatened by PanzerFausts at that distance. 

[Bud Backer]

4 hours ago, Bil Hardenberger said:

@Bud Backer you are doing a fine job on this AAR.. graphics and narration are superb.

Bil

Thank you, Bil. I had a good teacher, and you be him. 

[A Canadian Cat]

3 hours ago, Bud Backer said:

That's true! I've seen PanzerSchrek shots out that far; I just don't recall feeling very threatened by PanzerFausts at that distance. 

Oh right - I mixed up my Panzer killers. Yeah no panzer Fausts at 150 that's for sure.

[Bud Backer]

 

[Bud Backer]

Minute 32-31:

The video above was intended to show the action from the ground in AOA 1. It is a very different perspective and impact than a static picture. But what's going on? 

This turn is a surprisingly noisy one from tank fire, but fairly quiet in terms of actual combat. It’s a turn of consolidation, and preparatory fire. The ample HE ammo the Russian tanks receive is very welcome here as my only effective source of artillery.

AOA 1

Over on AOA 1, my infantry is in the tree line, as well as the small copse at the left map edge, eyes peeled forward to look for enemy units. The HMGs that were originally spotted have disappeared after my initial tank fire but I want to make sure they are indeed destroyed or suppressed before moving forward.

In addition, the large building on the left and that vicinity has several infantry contacts and I want to shake them up. I let the T34’s hit the HMGS, and one JSII fires on the buildings. I’m hoping the massive shell will affect nearby troops and not just those hiding in the building.

My last tank, the other JSII, is set to armour overwatch. I don’t want him distracted by any infantry that pops up. If the Germans have armour here I want to be ready to react immediately.

You can see all the unit orders and dispositions in this composite shot.

 RU140

There is no fire from either HMGs, nor from the buildings on the left, but my overwatch JSII is hit with the occasional small arms round. Either the enemy can’t see my infantry or is shooting at the closest target.

 RU141

The bombardment proceeds painlessly. After a while, what may be the source of the sporadic fire, a contact in one of the houses, resolves into an infantry unit. At this distance he isn’t much of a threat, and I want to degrade the enemy closer to me first.

 RU142

Another contact appears at this time as well - another Marder, like the one I destroyed on AOA 2. The inset shows its facing, with the green arrow pointing right at my JSII. Neither of us can see one another. In fact, none of my units on AOA 1 can spot the Marder. I wonder who can?

 RU143

Zooming out, I discover that the only unit that can spot the Marder is 3/1 Squad all the way across the map on AOA 2. It can’t do anything about the Marder, but it will have its own adventure in the section for A0A 2.

 RU144

 

AOA 2

I’ve decided to temporarily stop pushing forward and clean up my flanks in this AOA. My infantry and two T34/85s on the far right have good sightlines ahead and I want to make sure I’m not ambushed when I resume advancing. At the same time I want to deal with the German stragglers holed up in the last building as they threaten the left flank of this force.

As I mentioned in my post for minute 33, 1/2 T34/85 is going to bombard the last house where I have some contacts. It’s the last known place that there are Germans remaining from my initial assault on the town.

 RU145

The plan is successful. The tank fire makes the Germans abandon the building and make a run for it. They are caught by 3/1 squad which is watching through a window of the third building.

Of more concern is another armour unit spotted, one that I did not know about at all.

 RU146

The unit is another Marder. This is the third one I know about. I check the contacts around the map but I can’t see a fourth. It’s possible my opponent had to trim down a platoon, but I can’t be sure so I can’t discount that there may be another lying in wait, unseen, somewhere else on the map.

The fleeing HMG team - or part of it as it’s only 2 men - is mowed down by the SMGs from 3/1 squad. It’s starting to look like I own both Key Terrain 1 and 2 on this map.

 RU147

Looking ahead:

I want to get to the buildings in AOA 1 before my opponent can shift from the east. I’m pretty sure I got his attention at AOA 2, and I want to take advantage of that. That was why I delayed appearing in AOA 1 in the first place.

 

 

Edited November 21, 2021 by Bud Backer
typos...

[Heinrich505]

Bud,

  Were you able to finish this?  Just curious.  I re-discovered it and read through to page 11.  Then it stopped rather abruptly.

  Thanks for posting this.  It still is a really fun battle to follow.

Heinrich505

[Bud Backer]

52 minutes ago, Heinrich505 said:

Bud,

  Were you able to finish this?  Just curious.  I re-discovered it and read through to page 11.  Then it stopped rather abruptly.

  Thanks for posting this.  It still is a really fun battle to follow.

Heinrich505

Argh... this was one of three projects that I was not able to sustain work on when my wife got ill. It ends abruptly but I have every turn saved, and keep a special copy of CMRT 3.0 installed so that I can resume and complete it. Which I still intend to. I wondered if anyone still gave a damn 4 years later so it’s nice to know someone is reading this.

Same applies to two unfinished CAARS. In fact today I spent some hours working on one of them as it’s close to completion already. 

[Erwin]

Hope your wife is ok...

[Bud Backer]

26 minutes ago, Erwin said:

Hope your wife is ok...

Thank you, yes, so far so good. 

[Freyberg]

12 hours ago, Bud Backer said:

Argh... this was one of three projects that I was not able to sustain work on when my wife got ill. It ends abruptly but I have every turn saved, and keep a special copy of CMRT 3.0 installed so that I can resume and complete it. Which I still intend to. I wondered if anyone still gave a damn 4 years later so it’s nice to know someone is reading this.

Same applies to two unfinished CAARS. In fact today I spent some hours working on one of them as it’s close to completion already. 

I just discovered this, thanks to @Heinrich505.

A great narrative with beautiful graphics

[Bud Backer]

17 minutes ago, Freyberg said:

I just discovered this, thanks to @Heinrich505.

A great narrative with beautiful graphics

Thank you. My graphic skills are nowhere as sophisticated as some but I put a lot of work to develop a style of presentation here. 
 

By the way, there is a link in my signature that takes you to a list of all my AARS.

[Freyberg]

2 hours ago, Bud Backer said:

Thank you. My graphic skills are nowhere as sophisticated as some but I put a lot of work to develop a style of presentation here.

I would beg to differ - the graphics are extremely good, very professional (and once upon a time I did graphics for a job).

2 hours ago, Bud Backer said:

By the way, there is a link in my signature that takes you to a list of all my AARS.

You realise once I click on that (which I will) I won't get any university work done...

[Bud Backer]

Given the length of time I’ve not touched this it may seem absurd, but it’s been driving me crazy that this isn’t done. On top of that, my computer is dying and I’m not sure I can find installation files for this much older version of CMRT, which is required for compatibility with the turn files. So, I’m giving this AAR another go. I spent a full day working on the graphics for just one turn’s action. Trouble is, that was in a weekend and weeknights I have a lot less time. I hope the fits of starting and stopping every few days won’t kill the enjoyment for anyone trying to follow this. 

[Bud Backer]

Minute 31-30

AOA 1

My tanks can offer a lot of HE support and suppression.  I will pepper the buildings ahead with HE and charge! This time, the tank riders will be going in on the tanks but not under fire. 

The JS-IIs advance and stop to provide support fire while the Company and Regiment HQ T34s both load up an infantry squad each. The inset shows the action at the map edge to the left.

 RU148

As the men board the tanks, sporadic enemy rifle and HMG fire hits the front of the tanks. The Company HQ T34 fires at the spotted HMG. A Marder is also detected but none of the Russian tanks have LOS. 

 RU149

One JS-II advances, maneuvering to get LOS on the Marder. The German vehicle gets the first shot, which bounces off the thick armour. 

 RU150

The JS-II spots its attacker and returns fire but misses. Smoke and dust break then LOS for both from one another.

 RU151

The spotted HMG and infantry contacts come under fire as well. The enemy is no longer putting out any fire at all at the advancing armour and infantry. One HMG unit takes heavy casualties and breaks. 

 RU152

The infantry in the house behind moves out behind it, not willing to take direct fire any longer. 

 RU153

There is no question I’m pushing him back and disrupting his defences. I have a big open field in front of me that I need to cross but once that’s done I’m actually in the town - the objective itself.

What’s going in at AoA2 is in the upcoming post.

Edited November 21, 2021 by Bud Backer

[Sgt.Squarehead]

All new to me.....Glad you resumed it, I really enjoy the way you present your AARs. 

Hope your good lady is back to full health.

[Bud Backer]

1 hour ago, Sgt.Squarehead said:

All new to me.....Glad you resumed it, I really enjoy the way you present your AARs. 

Hope your good lady is back to full health.

She is doing well, thank you very much.

If you’ve not followed this originally then it may prove confusing. Some exciting moments were early on. A quick summary of things is found in this post if you’re not keen on starting at the first post:

 

[Sgt.Squarehead]

I had a good look through, it's a bit different to your normal style, but still a very enjoyable read. 

Reckon I'd have gone the whole-hog (points permitting) and added ISU-152s rather than Stalins....."Hiding in that house is futile Fritz!" 

[Bud Backer]

8 minutes ago, Sgt.Squarehead said:

I had a good look through, it's a bit different to your normal style, but still a very enjoyable read. 

Reckon I'd have gone the whole-hog (points permitting) and added ISU-152s rather than Stalins....."Hiding in that house is futile Fritz!" 

Yes it is a different style. After seeing @c3k, @Bil Hardenberger, @BFCElvisdo AARS I was inspired to try to do one as well. The Comic format is one that has its own flavour, letting me ignore things that aren’t important to the narrative, but an AAR is supposed to encompass the whole picture, not selective parts. 

The battle this AAR is covering is from a much earlier period on my CM experience. There are a great many things I’d have done differently but that is part of the point of this - to showcase my mistakes as well as good decisions, and to have constructive discussions around both. 

[Bud Backer]

Minute 31-30

AOA 2

Meanwhile on the other end of the Russian lines, things were a lot more quiet. I didn’t want to advance between the two treelines with unsupported armour, but my difficulty in spotting the Marder, or worse, several Marders, makes me want to ensure my tanks can support one another better. I displaced one tank left, and brought infantry close by in the woods to make sure I have more eyes on what’s going on ahead. The smoke from earlier HE fire from my tanks made vision poorer but would not last long, thankfully clearing by turn end.

 RU154

Through the second treeline the Tankodesantniki spot a German HMG and HQ unit. My opponent is moving his men around in conflicting directions. I can’t make a pattern of it. 

 RU155

Among the houses at KT 1 I move 1st Platoon HQ and what remains of 1st Squad from 2nd Platoon to the last house in the row, where the Germans had an HMG I chased out with tank fire. Once I know this is clear, I won’t have to worry about shaped charge weapons to my flanks, just ahead. 

 RU156

With my flanks clear of nearby infantry threats, I feel comfortable giving 1st Platoon HQ T34/85 an armour arc order to wait for the Marders to make an appearance. 

 RU157

Overall, I feel pretty good about the situation. I’m picking off his men little by little, I have plentiful HE ammo in my tanks, and I’m no longer taking heavy infantry losses. I am concerned about what he may have hidden away but by now if he had a powerful reserve I think it would have made an appearance.

Edited November 21, 2021 by Bud Backer

[Bud Backer]

I'm not sure what I did but I managed to delete all image links so nothing from the beginning of this thread until yesterday is displaying. I've been fixing everything but it's a pain to do. I got the first 4 pages repaired.  I want to fix the rest before I resume posting the AAR. Sorry for the delay. Should be another 2 days approx. 

[Chip76]

@Bud Backer  I just stumbled upon this AAR, saw your name on it, and got excited.  It's given me something to read while I relax next to my campfire.

Thank you for taking the time to do this & keep it going.

I'm glad to hear your wife is well; cancer is a terrible & unpredictable thing.

 

God Bless.

 - Chip

[Bud Backer]

6 hours ago, Chip76 said:

@Bud Backer  I just stumbled upon this AAR, saw your name on it, and got excited.  It's given me something to read while I relax next to my campfire.

Thank you for taking the time to do this & keep it going.

I'm glad to hear your wife is well; cancer is a terrible & unpredictable thing.

 

God Bless.

 - Chip

Thank you very much, Chip, that's very kind of you. 

There will be more to see in the next day or two as I have a number of screenshots prepared and accompanying text written up, as soon as I finish fixing the picture links to the older posts. I'm down to the last two pages of the AAR and then the new material will resume.