Really Rumbling on the Mius

[Dog Soldier]

Really Rumbling on the Mius
This AAR is an advanced tactic class for those new to the Panzer Campaigns (PzC) game system. As a tutorial, I will seek to show how to break a strong fortified position against the AI. Against a human opponent things will be very different. Playing the AI here is done to help novice and intermediate players of PzC to improve their operational sense and tactics. The Getting Started scenario in the Mius 43 demo pack went through a few changes during testing. One of the changes was to make the scenario a little easier for beginners just learning the game system. This scenario is the original Getting Started scenario which more closely aligns with the campaign game included in Mius 43.



The default optional rules are to be used in this AAR battle.

The red lines in the image above are the proposed axis of attack for the Russians in this demonstration. Time is short, only nine turns to go six km through mines, bunkers and trench lines to reach the objectives. A simple math problem of sustaining an advance of a km per turn is required for Russian success. Only two turns can be lost without a gain of at least one hex on any axis of advance. Since some minefields are 2x in strength this might require Russian units to move into mined hexes that the engineers have not yet reduced to keep on schedule. All attacks are to be primarily artillery bombardments followed by assaults. Each turn, key defended hexes will be identified. Russian attacks will be concentrated on three or four German hexes rather than spread out along the entire front. There just is not enough time to waste forces plinking away at non-critical defended hexes. Do not be distracted attacking German positions that are not slowing your advance. Screen them for later. In a longer game, the two follow up rifle divisions (271st RD & 118th RD) located deep in reserve would be used to deal with such bypassed enemy positions.
A discussion of Russian units is now required to explain why certain tactics will be used to break the strong German fortifications.

Above is a typical Russian infantry battalion values. Notice the assault value (9) is 125% greater than soft attack value (4). Direct fire attacks waste this increase in firepower. Thus Russian infantry will be under orders to forego direct fire opportunities in favor of assaults. Assault, assault and assault will be the main Russian form of attack in this scenario. All assaults are to be conducted by the maximum number of units (usually four infantry battalions in this scenario). Using less will occur as the attack penetrates deeper into the German defenses, especially if on a narrow one hex front. With the Russian infantry, the more used in an assault the better. By using many infantry units fatigue is spread out among them making the Russian infantry less brittle. The mass of infantry will give the best odds against the German companies to overwhelm them with numbers to make up for the German infantry quality advantage. The Russian infantry is mostly “D” quality while the Germans are “A” to “C” quality with “B” being the majority. Direct fire by the infantry will be used only as a last resort to disrupt key German defenders.

Soviet engineer units come in two flavors. The first (on the left above) is part of the organic troops of the Soviet Rifle Divisions. They have only two purposes in this demonstration. Remove mines and add to the defense of a hex when there are no more mines to be removed. This does not mean one should try to remove all the mines in the scenario. A Russian player must determine when the time is right to stop removing mines and send these troops forward to hold hexes freeing the infantry to continue the advance. Remember that even if a minefield is not cleared, it is penetrated when a unit enters it. Thus the minefield will not block supply any longer. An engineer who is in a minefield at the start of a turn will allow friendly units to move through the minefield without an attack from the mines if the unit moving is in travel mode. This simulates having restrictive but clear lanes through the minefield. There may not be much opportunity to use this type of movement in this scenario, but it should be remembered if the opportunity is presented.
The engineer unit on the right can also clear mines. They are attached to the 28th army, Southern Front and Fifth Shock Army. The last has no HQ in the scenario. This makes it more susceptible to disruption and should be considered when using this one unit. The secret (well no more a secret if you are reading this) weapon of these engineers is their assault value combined with their mine clearing capability. At 16 this assault value is one of the best in the Russian arsenal. A stack of two or three of these engineers will be like a plow pushing through the German defenders. These units can move into a minefield automatically reducing it by one factor the next turn, then, if needed, they can assault out of the mines and take a German hex leaving the final clearing of the mines to the formerly discussed divisional engineers. A brutal surprise to the German defenders! A player needs to click on the menu item Engineers > Clear Mines or Rubble to remove the clear mines marker before making such an assault. This allows the unit to assault at full strength. Many novice PzC players miss this feature. Now you will not.

There are three T-34 units (one A quality and two C quality) in this scenario from the two Russian tanks tank brigades. They have excellent hard attack (H/A) values and defense values. These are your direct fire support units against stubborn German bunkers. The one KV tank unit can do the same duty. I think it is best to use that unit’s better two hex range soft attack (S/A) value (19/2) to disrupt German units for coming infantry assaults.

There are two vital motorized infantry (MI) units in the Russian army for this scenario. Their assault values are 20, the largest in the game. Quality of “B” & “C” make them even more valuable for their special task. They are to be held close to the front, but in reserve for the final assaults on a victory point (VP) objective hex. They can make mop up assaults in a pinch where absolutely necessary. I would prefer to keep such valuable units for the end game (final two or three turns). At that point the Germans defending a key hex or VP location will be weakened enough that these units can win the game with a final assault. Do not waste them in direct fire or unnecessary assaults.

Russian artillery is plentiful though not in huge quantities of other titles in PzC. Most are 122mm batteries with a single 120mm mortar and three rocket batteries that come into use later. Not all 122mm guns are equal. The divisional 122mm guns are the same values. The 7th Guards 122mm guns attached to the Southern Front HQ have more powerful values and are “C” quality making them more accurate. The rocket batteries are not very effective against bunkers. Thus they will be used in direct fire capability against the second German line of trenches and the final VP locations. The reason is the Russian artillery set up value is only 40% here. I would not move an artillery unit if I did not absolutely have to. Nine turns is too short a time to get artillery back into action with such a low set up value. The Russian rocket units are the exception as they start out requiring set up. These units will be direct firing as they will be most unlikely to get set up in time to be of much use for indirect fire.
A Russian player should concentrate their artillery fire to fatigue and disrupt German defenders directly in front of the Russian infantry about to make an assault. The only exception to this order will be German reserves spotted in “T” (travel or column) mode moving up to take defensive positions blocking the main three Russian axis of attack. Artillery can be devastating against infantry columns.

Dog Soldier