I do not have much new to report, except to mention the absence of two of my columnists from this issue of The Grenadier. Richard Berg's law practice has absorbed much of his time recently, and his column arrived too late to be included in this issue. Frank Chadwick apparently has nothing to say (which, to put it mildly, is somewhat unusual), and I do not want to force him to write something just for the sake of having a column to print.

The 1942 Unentschieden scenario has been well-received. The rest of this column is given over to a report of a recent playing of the scenario.

Soviet Strategy/initial Placement

The basic Soviet strategy was to defend heavily the vital areas of Moscow, Leningrad, and the Volga cities and to give ground elsewhere. A well-defended fort line was placed in front of Moscow from Kalinin to Tula. Large infantry stacks were placed shoulder-to-shoulder in the swamps and woods south of Leningrad. In the south, the main defense line was set up along the Volga from Saratov to Astrakhan. A short fort line was placed along the southern Don River near Rostov. The main armor reserve was positioned between Moscow and Saratov.

German Strategy/initial Placement

The main armor spearhead was placed in the south for a drive to the Volga. After defeating the Soviet forces in this area the attack Would be shifted to the north towards Moscow, Gorki, and/or Kubishev. A major attack on Leningrad would be made by a predominately infantry/artillery force. Axis forces on the Finnish front were to assist in the encirclement and reduction of Leningrad. The southern wing of Army Group South was to capture Rostov and drive towards the Caucasus.

Description of Game

The massive infantry and artillery attack in the north, strongly supported by the Luftwaffe, got underway in April. German assault engineers and infantry assisted by the Luftwaffe captured Rostov in late April. When the weather cleared in early May the main German panzer force in the south advanced on Voronezh and Stalingrad. Stalingrad fell to the advancing Germans in late May. The German panzers turned to the north in early June. A brutal armored battle was fought in the open area between Moscow and Saratov during June and July. The Soviet forces were decimated but the German panzer spearhead was severely mauled.

The offensive south of Rostov ran into difficulties and had to be assisted by a panzer corps detached from Stalingrad in early June. The Soviet front then collapsed, and the Soviets withdrew towards the Caucasus. The panzer corps returned to Stalingrad in late July and spearheaded a drive across the Volga south of the city. Meanwhile, the main German panzer force regrouped and attacked across the Volga near Saratov. This combined operation was highly successful, as Saratov fell and heavy Soviet casualties were inflicted. However, German casualties were considerable and summer was slipping away.

Army Group Center made limited attacks towards Kalinin in early summer. Kalinin fell, but a strong Soviet counterattack retook the city in early August. In the north, the Finns took Murmansk and cut the LeningradMurmansk railroad. Army group North finally broke through and encircled Leningrad in late August. The next two months saw a bitter battle to maintain the encirclement. The Soviets threw in everything they had in an attempt to relieve the city. Casualties were very heavy. Leningrad finally capitulated in November, but Army Group North never made it to the fateful Moscow battle still to come.

By early September the main German forces had regrouped, and an all-out drive on Moscow was launched from the south. Tula fell in late October, and the Germans penetrated to within 50 miles of Moscow. Mud appeared in late October and slowed the German advance to a crawl. With frost in late November, the Germans resumed their drive. Both sides committed their last reserves.

The largest air battle of the game (45 German and 55 Soviet air units) was fought over Moscow that turn. The Germans managed to take two hexes of Moscow and partially encircle the city. Then the unbelievable happened. The Soviets got up off the floor and launched a brilliant double envelopment counterattack and encircled the main German force. The Germans suffered heavy losses in the snow in December as they tried to retreat from Moscow. Two weak and exhausted armies were left facing each other at the end of the month.

Meanwhile, interesting events were happening in the south. A weakened German force in the Caucasus had been forced back by reinforced Soviet forces; the Soviets reached Rostov by December but were unable to retake the city. Fresh Soviet forces counterattacked near the Volga and retook Saratov in late October. A new German assault failed to recapture the city in December. Finally, after heavy fighting, a Soviet armor force liberated Stalingrad on the last turn of the game.

Final Statistics

Axis Controlled Cities:

Helsinki 1
Riga 1
Smolensk 1
Kharkov 1
Stalino 1
Sevastopol 1
Murmansk 1
Leningrad 4
Kalinin 1
Tula 1
Voronezh 1
Rostov 1

Axis Casualties:
1551 ground factors
141 air units

Soviet Casualties:
2247 ground factors
234 air units

Loss Ratio:
Ground: 1.45
Air: 1.66
Overall: 1.49
Modifier: 0

Axis Forces Remaining:
844 ground factors
76 air units
1072 combined force level
-4 Modifier

Soviet Forces Remaining:
706 ground factors
65 air units
901 combined force level
+4 modifier

Victory Points:
Cities 15
Loss Ratio 0
Net Forces Remaining 0
Total 15

Result: Draw (Soviet Moral Victory)

Analysis

The Germans did well initially but let the game get away from them, as they probably tried to do too much. The ill-fated Moscow drive dashed the German hopes of a limited victory. Both sides suffered heavy casualties. However, the Soviets will be in a better position to recover from their losses during the winter and spring, and they would probably win if the war continued into 1943.

Special Note

Special credit must be given to the excellent use of the Soviet partisans. Time and time again German railroad movement was interdicted in a crucial sector, making it difficult for the Germans to react to the Soviet counterattacks. The Moscow area was totally sealed off from German reinforcements in December. Partisans played a key role in blocking the redeployment of Army Group North after the Leningrad battle slacked off.