Toward Odessa: Mech Detachment Eftimiu

[manchildstein (ii)]

Toward Odessa: Mechanized Detachment Eftimiu

To be played as Axis against the Allied AI

Computer Default Setup

Aug 1941

South, Dry, Warm

Dawn, clear, Strong Wind from S

30 Turns, Fixed

Axis Attack

20 Large, 20 Small Flags

Huge: 2.4k x 2k Map, ~4750 points per side

In August of 1941 the Romanians retook Bessarabia then agreed to cross into the Ukraine in support of the invading Axis Armies.

The Axis attack on Odessa in 1941 was mainly a Romanian Army conquest. To attack Odessa the Romanians had the 3 Corps, 1st Corps, and the 4th Corps. In reserve was the 11th Corps.

Except for the 2nd Armored Brigade - itself made up of French-built "R-35" models and attached to 1st Corps - the 1st Armored Division was in 4th Corps.

After the 1st Armored Division - minus the aforementioned 2nd Tank Brigade but with its remaining 1st Tank Brigade made up of "R-2" (Czech-built 35t) models - was committed in the push toward Odessa it suffered heavy losses in men and machines. Its remaining Tanks, Infantry, and other units were reorganized into "Mechanized Detachment Lt. Col. Eftimiu."

Here you are ostensibly commanding this detachment in an attempt to dislodge the Soviets from a hill position on the Black Sea Coast.

You have 4 Tank Companies and 3 of them are understrength; in all you have "4 Company HQ Tanks" and about 50 additional R-2s in the Tank Platoons. You also have 8 armored cars. There are no Romanian Armored Cars available in the scenario editor so German 5-ton cars were used to represent Romanian cars of the same weight and "generic" 20mm armament.

You also have a Company (3 Platoons) of Pioneer Infantry, and some Heavy MGs.

So you have about:

57 R-2 (37mm, 2 MG)

8 5-ton Armored Car (20mm, MG)

7 R-1 Tankettes (MG)

Company HQ

Heavy MGs

3 Pioneer Platoon

3 Flamethrower

The idea is to clear the hill of Soviet positions as quickly as possible. If you can take the hilltop, then Army Command can later move up heavy guns and interdict Soviet shipping in this area of the Black Sea. The main thing is to cut the main coast road and rail line.

Here are a couple of websites related to the real-life campaign:

http://www.wwi.home.ro/odessa.htm

http://www.freeport-tech.com/wwii/031_rumania/41-06/div_armor_41.html

The makeup of Romanian Pioneers is interesting; 9 squads of 6 men plus 2 LMGs per platoon. Since they are rated as Pioneers they've been given all kinds of demo charges and molotov cocktails in this scenario. The squads don't carry SMGs but simple bolt action rifles instead. So your infantry firepower is in your supporting LMGs, the Company-level HMGs, the 3 Flamethrowers, and in the demo charges and molotovs of the squads themselves. Your greatest firepower is in your tanks.

Your infantry starts out at 40% casualties and most all of your AFV companies are depleted.

SPOILERS

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Testing has shown that the large flags of the town and the intersection can be taken fairly easily by an assault through the cover of the woods on the left. In any case with over 50 tanks at your disposal, you should be able to have a chance attacking from any direction.

Of the defending KV-1 tanks just in front of the town; these are best taken out by infantry squads. Tank rushes against the KV tanks might suffer severe casualties without inflicting any losses.

Originally, this scenario had something like just 15 Romanian tanks and a gaggle of "Malaxa Carriers" and supporting AT, AA, and Artillery pieces. These were all traded in for more tanks. This also allowed the entire force to be "mechanized" in that all of the infantry platoons now have (decent) transport.

[manchildstein (ii)]

Toward Odessa: Mechanized Detachment Eftimiu

To be played as Axis against the Allied AI

Computer Default Setup

Aug 1941

South, Dry, Warm

Dawn, clear, Strong Wind from S

30 Turns, Fixed

Axis Attack

20 Large, 20 Small Flags

Huge: 2.4k x 2k Map, ~4750 points per side

In August of 1941 the Romanians retook Bessarabia then agreed to cross into the Ukraine in support of the invading Axis Armies.

The Axis attack on Odessa in 1941 was mainly a Romanian Army conquest. To attack Odessa the Romanians had the 3 Corps, 1st Corps, and the 4th Corps. In reserve was the 11th Corps.

Except for the 2nd Armored Brigade - itself made up of French-built "R-35" models and attached to 1st Corps - the 1st Armored Division was in 4th Corps.

After the 1st Armored Division - minus the aforementioned 2nd Tank Brigade but with its remaining 1st Tank Brigade made up of "R-2" (Czech-built 35t) models - was committed in the push toward Odessa it suffered heavy losses in men and machines. Its remaining Tanks, Infantry, and other units were reorganized into "Mechanized Detachment Lt. Col. Eftimiu."

Here you are ostensibly commanding this detachment in an attempt to dislodge the Soviets from a hill position on the Black Sea Coast.

You have 4 Tank Companies and 3 of them are understrength; in all you have "4 Company HQ Tanks" and about 50 additional R-2s in the Tank Platoons. You also have 8 armored cars. There are no Romanian Armored Cars available in the scenario editor so German 5-ton cars were used to represent Romanian cars of the same weight and "generic" 20mm armament.

You also have a Company (3 Platoons) of Pioneer Infantry, and some Heavy MGs.

So you have about:

57 R-2 (37mm, 2 MG)

8 5-ton Armored Car (20mm, MG)

7 R-1 Tankettes (MG)

Company HQ

Heavy MGs

3 Pioneer Platoon

3 Flamethrower

The idea is to clear the hill of Soviet positions as quickly as possible. If you can take the hilltop, then Army Command can later move up heavy guns and interdict Soviet shipping in this area of the Black Sea. The main thing is to cut the main coast road and rail line.

Here are a couple of websites related to the real-life campaign:

http://www.wwi.home.ro/odessa.htm

http://www.freeport-tech.com/wwii/031_rumania/41-06/div_armor_41.html

The makeup of Romanian Pioneers is interesting; 9 squads of 6 men plus 2 LMGs per platoon. Since they are rated as Pioneers they've been given all kinds of demo charges and molotov cocktails in this scenario. The squads don't carry SMGs but simple bolt action rifles instead. So your infantry firepower is in your supporting LMGs, the Company-level HMGs, the 3 Flamethrowers, and in the demo charges and molotovs of the squads themselves. Your greatest firepower is in your tanks.

Your infantry starts out at 40% casualties and most all of your AFV companies are depleted.

SPOILERS

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Testing has shown that the large flags of the town and the intersection can be taken fairly easily by an assault through the cover of the woods on the left. In any case with over 50 tanks at your disposal, you should be able to have a chance attacking from any direction.

Of the defending KV-1 tanks just in front of the town; these are best taken out by infantry squads. Tank rushes against the KV tanks might suffer severe casualties without inflicting any losses.

Originally, this scenario had something like just 15 Romanian tanks and a gaggle of "Malaxa Carriers" and supporting AT, AA, and Artillery pieces. These were all traded in for more tanks. This also allowed the entire force to be "mechanized" in that all of the infantry platoons now have (decent) transport.

[manchildstein (ii)]

To Stevie:

thanks for the review of this scenario, over at the depot.

i'm happy to have gotten a 6.75, especially given the zeroes for replayability and pbem suitability.

as for the multiple flags in certain locations; yes this is by design. this is to make such locations critical for the player's success against the ai.

the problem with this approach is that the ai doesn't see such locations in the same way; instead it sees, say 7 single large flag locations and not one 2800-point location. so the human player sees the importance of the location (7 flags in one spot), but this is lost on the current ai. this is why i call for a single victory flag type with a designer-programmable flag value in the future.

'The number of tanks gave the Axis an advantage but only if the traffic management issues could be resolved. Overall, a good force balance that led to a stiff fight with a few hairy moments. '

spoiler

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yes the traffic management can be a problem. i too found it to be a good fight. i would fight through the scattered trees on the left and by the time i had gotten past the pillboxes and gun positions, i could 'more or less' fan out in and around the town.

those dug-in kvs there before the town are probably best avoided, at least by the 38t tanks and armored cars.

i think that the infantry can handle them though; assuming that the infantry can get close enough.

i'm at 'work' so if memory serves, if you can get to the town and take the mass of flags around there, you should be able to win without having to take the train station...taking the kvs out would help to cement a grip on the town

thanks for playing and reviewing...

i'm glad you enjoyed the fight...

i remember one time when i played this one i took the town out using that 'left hook' described above, but the kvs were out there in front of the town in those scattered tree patches, sitting there defiantly... i then charged the kvs with every available tank and in the process was severely smoked... smoked to the point where i called a cease-fire...

Stevie, if you ever happen to read this posting, i would be interested to know if you managed to take the KVs out?

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end spoiler

thanks again for the review

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[manchildstein (ii)]

To Stevie:

thanks for the review of this scenario, over at the depot.

i'm happy to have gotten a 6.75, especially given the zeroes for replayability and pbem suitability.

as for the multiple flags in certain locations; yes this is by design. this is to make such locations critical for the player's success against the ai.

the problem with this approach is that the ai doesn't see such locations in the same way; instead it sees, say 7 single large flag locations and not one 2800-point location. so the human player sees the importance of the location (7 flags in one spot), but this is lost on the current ai. this is why i call for a single victory flag type with a designer-programmable flag value in the future.

'The number of tanks gave the Axis an advantage but only if the traffic management issues could be resolved. Overall, a good force balance that led to a stiff fight with a few hairy moments. '

spoiler

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.

yes the traffic management can be a problem. i too found it to be a good fight. i would fight through the scattered trees on the left and by the time i had gotten past the pillboxes and gun positions, i could 'more or less' fan out in and around the town.

those dug-in kvs there before the town are probably best avoided, at least by the 38t tanks and armored cars.

i think that the infantry can handle them though; assuming that the infantry can get close enough.

i'm at 'work' so if memory serves, if you can get to the town and take the mass of flags around there, you should be able to win without having to take the train station...taking the kvs out would help to cement a grip on the town

thanks for playing and reviewing...

i'm glad you enjoyed the fight...

i remember one time when i played this one i took the town out using that 'left hook' described above, but the kvs were out there in front of the town in those scattered tree patches, sitting there defiantly... i then charged the kvs with every available tank and in the process was severely smoked... smoked to the point where i called a cease-fire...

Stevie, if you ever happen to read this posting, i would be interested to know if you managed to take the KVs out?

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end spoiler

thanks again for the review

...

[manchildstein (ii)]

Major Heat, thanks for the review

Spoiler.

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i'm wondering from your description:

"I noticed the multiple flags that the previous review mentioned, also there were a couple of flags near the Axis deployment zone that just seemed to be sat in a wood, about 10 metres apart, I wasn't entirely sure what they were for. However, this is a minor quibble that didn't affect my enjoyment of the game. "

if those were the ones on the axis' left? i will have to re-check the scenario map when i get a chance but i'm wondering if those flags are the ones where the units are guarding the 'rear' of the pillboxes, which themselves are facing 'backwards' in those 'left-side woods?'

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anyway, thanks for the review...

oh... and i understand now that the 0s don't count... after my earlier posting to Stevie on this i realized that they didn't...

thanks again...

[manchildstein (ii)]

Major Heat, thanks for the review

Spoiler.

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i'm wondering from your description:

"I noticed the multiple flags that the previous review mentioned, also there were a couple of flags near the Axis deployment zone that just seemed to be sat in a wood, about 10 metres apart, I wasn't entirely sure what they were for. However, this is a minor quibble that didn't affect my enjoyment of the game. "

if those were the ones on the axis' left? i will have to re-check the scenario map when i get a chance but i'm wondering if those flags are the ones where the units are guarding the 'rear' of the pillboxes, which themselves are facing 'backwards' in those 'left-side woods?'

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anyway, thanks for the review...

oh... and i understand now that the 0s don't count... after my earlier posting to Stevie on this i realized that they didn't...

thanks again...