I'm playing the awesome classic SCS Stalingrad Pocket II with a friend of mine over Vassal. He is playing the Russians and I'm playing the Axis.
We are playing the full campaign game (Operation Uranus) which is 16 turns.
This is the situation at the end of turn 2. He has punched a couple of good holes on both of my western and eastern flanks. Several of my Romanian units have been encircled and are out of supply, while others are still trying to escape in the lower left(western side)of the map. Both my 16th and 24th pz divisions tried a couple of minor successful counterattacks slightly south of Stalingrad.
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Looks like fun.
The situation at the end of my Axis Turn 3. The Russians have almost completely formed the pocket. My 16th and 24th pz divisions have retreated near the Don River to lick their wounds.
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I was checking this game out on Vassal a couple of years ago and then discovered OCS, the big brother game system to this game system. I played some Case Blue (http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/29285/case-blue) and was hooked
Quote from: Ubercat on April 01, 2014, 09:43:56 PM
I was checking this game out on Vassal a couple of years ago and then discovered OCS, the big brother game system to this game system. I played some Case Blue (http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/29285/case-blue) and was hooked
Let me guess- you are retired and only need 1 hour of sleep a night...
... 'cause that is one big game!
Nah. My job leaves me free most mornings though, so we'd play for a couple of hours a day. Vassal and Skype is almost like playing face to face!
Quote from: Ubercat on April 01, 2014, 09:43:56 PM
I was checking this game out on Vassal a couple of years ago and then discovered OCS, the big brother game system to this game system. I played some Case Blue (http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/29285/case-blue) and was hooked
Ya, OCS is a wonderful, but very involved system. I've only played some smaller scenarios of Guderian's Blitzkrieg and a friend of mine aspires to play the GBII/CB monster when he finally retires.
There is a recent fantastic AAR of the GBII/CB monster over at bigboardgaming.com. I believe the gentleman is playing it solo.
http://bigboardgaming.com/?s=7.1%2F7.2 (http://bigboardgaming.com/?s=7.1%2F7.2)
Groggy
This is the board at the end of my Axis Turn 4. The pocket is pretty much formed. My boys in Stalingrad are surviving on little supply points represented by markers underneath some of the units. One of my airfields has been taken already, and my other airfield at Gumrak is barely hanging on. With a bold move and some help from air support, my opponent crossed the Chir river in the southwest part for the first time during his turn. I had some successful barrages and counterattacks up and down the Chir and Don rivers during my turn, just almost throwing the Russians back across the Chir!
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Looks great indeed. :) Could you tell us a bit about the victory conditions?
Quote from: Tinkershuffle on April 07, 2014, 12:05:45 PM
Looks great indeed. :) Could you tell us a bit about the victory conditions?
The Axis have to hold on to certain victory condition hexes on the map by the end of the scenario with supplied units such as Stalingrad city hexes, Nizhne-Chirskaya, a couple of bridge entry hexes, and several others which are listed in the scenario victory conditions. Each victory condition hex is 1 point and there is a total of 17.
Total VP Hexes containing Supplied Axis Units:
Victory Type: 13 or more Major German Victory
12 to 10 Minor German Victory
9 Minor Soviet Victory
8 to 7 Major Soviet Victory
6 or less Massive Soviet Victory
Sounds like a tough job or is Stalingrad also a supply source at the same time?
Quote from: Tinkershuffle on April 08, 2014, 02:27:45 PM
Sounds like a tough job or is Stalingrad also a supply source at the same time?
Stalingrad isn't a supply source. You have to bring the supply points to Stalingrad. Both the Russians and Axis have a certain amount of air points each turn. The Axis can use their air points in order to airlift supply points to their two airfields. The supply points are represented by a counter which can move around the map like a unit. The have 5 MP.
It's quite a challenge as the Axis player. I've played the Axis before and managed a German Minor Victory. However, it was hard earned and I had some luck with my dice rolling.
Groggy
Sorry folks and much to my chagrin, I accidentally deleted my photobucket images from my previous posts. And I don't have the image files anymore on my drive. :(
But onward anyway!
This is the map at the end of my Axis Turn 5. The Russians are preparing for a second assault and they will be getting more Katyushas on turn 6. In the southwest around the Chir I wiped out his remaining cavalry units that were across the Chir. In another successful counterattack, I managed to wipe out two of his guard regiments and a motorized infantry brigade while disorganizing his other stack outside Nizhne Chirskaya with the 24th Pz.. I rolled pretty well this turn, but there are still ALOT of Russians on the board!
The last image is a picture of the 'Casualties' box. The air, supply, and DAM markers don't count. As you can see, the Hungarians and Romanians have taken the brunt.
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This is the situation at the end of my Axis Turn 6. During his turn, the Russians managed to cross the Don with a few armor brigades and an infantry division north of Nizhne-Chirskaya. But a successful counterattack by my 24th Panzer and 16th Panzer divisions killed a few of those bridades and the infantry division. Meanwhile, the German hold on Stalingrad continues to crumble as the units in Stalingrad run out of supply. My motorized group in Gumrak is still hanging on as I continue to air lift supplies into the airfield. The last screenshot are the current casualties.
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Here is the situation at the end of my Axis Turn 7. My hold on Stalingrad will not last much longer as my units feel the effect of attrition from being out of supply. My motorized group in Gumrak continues to hold on. Meanwhile, the Russians continue to dislodge me around the Don river, despite a tactical error on his part causing his 4th Mech to be out of supply. During my turn I took advantage of this by staging a successful counterattack with my 24th Pz division, 60th Mtr division, and elements of the 1st Pz and 14th Pz. This resulted in the 4th Mech having a mech brigade eliminated and a couple of other mech brigades being reduced to one step. Moreover, his out of supply 4th Mech was forced to retreat to the northeast a couple of hexes.
Despite this, the Russians continue to roll up the Don river...
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This is the situation at the end of my Axis turn 8. We are halfway through the game so far and the Russians are pressing hard on all fronts. He overran my last airfield at Gumrak during his turn, eliminating the possibility of supplies being airlifted in for my poor boys in Stalingrad. It will only be a matter of time before the rest of my units in Stalingrad are eliminated by the Russians or attrition die rolls.
Bypassing several bridges, the Russians made multiple crossings across the Chir during his turn with a several guards units, tank brigades, and a couple of infantry divisions. Luckily on my turn, the mighty 11th Pz arrived just in time to begin my own version of Operation Winter Storm. I conducted a successful counterattack with the 11th Pz and some other panzer units against several of his units that had crossed the Chir. However, despite eliminating a few of his tank brigades, and a infantry division, the Russians have retained a hold across the Chir with two large unit stacks.
The Russian advance up the Don has slowed a bit, but more than likely not for very long. I still have about six mobile panzer divisions on the board right now with more on the way in a couple of turns.
The last screenshot are the current casualties.
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This is the situation at the end of my Axis Turn 9. The Russians are across the Chir in force, managing to take Bokovskaya from the Romanians in the southwest. A couple of German panzer counterattacks made during my turn only eliminated a couple of guards cavalry divisions, but still leaving a significant Russian force across the Chir. The Russians continue to dominate the Don river as the Germans slowly retreat across the Myshkova. The 11th Pz along with a few Kampfgruppen have moved down to the southwest to respond to the successful Russian crossing at Bokovskaya.
The last screenshot are the current casualties.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1257.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fii503%2FGroggyGrognard%2FImage1-2.png&hash=e55a8dfc5c29ca5f3666a3bc15e19677fcbf9846) (http://s1257.photobucket.com/user/GroggyGrognard/media/Image1-2.png.html)
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This is the situation at the end of my Axis Turn 10. Due to attrition rolls, a few out of supply German units wound up perishing in Stalingrad. It will be inevitable that the Russians once again will have the city in their control. Despite some moderately successful counterattacks during my turn, the Russians still remain strong across the Chir. Moreover, the Russians even slightly mauled the 16th Pz division during his turn. The 6th Pz has just arrived to help shore up the thin Axis line holding the Myshkova river alongside the Don. However, overall the situation is not looking good for the Germans and the worst is still yet to come. More Russian Katyushas are arriving on turn 11 and a big number of Russian reinforcements arrive on turn 13.
The last screenshot are the current casualties.
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Somebody was selling a copy of this (UP) for a really good price...I might have to take the plunge. I really enjoy Dean Essig designs.
Cool stuff, GG.
This is the situation at the end of my Axis turn 11. The Russians have retaken Stalingrad after eliminating my lone out of supply unit in the city. More Russian units continue to move down along the Don river. During his turn, the Russian successfully eliminated what was left of the 16th Pz division near the Chir river. Despite giving the Russians a bloody nose around the Chir--especially west of Nizhne-Chirskaya--with some successful Axis counterattacks and artillery barrages, they still remain in force across the river. More Russians continue to build up around the Myshkova river line and even took the village of Gromoslavka across the Myshkova.
The last screenshot are the current casualties.
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This is the situation at the end of my Axis turn 12. The Russians have made some small advances all around. However, in the southwest part of the map, the 11th Pz launched a successful counterattack against two determined Russian infantry divisions occupying Bokovskaya. The panzer division killed both divisions and retook the village. The Russians lost even more infantry near Nizhne Chirskaya. Both the 24th Pz and 6th Pz divisions mauled a Russian stack of mech and armor near the Myshkova river and the village of Gromoslavka. More Russian reinforcements arrive next turn.
The last screenshot are the current casualties.
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So, I haven't been posting any more AAR posts of the current game because I've conceded as the Axis on turn 14. According to the victory conditions my opponent has scored a Massive Soviet Victory and there is nothing I can do to change that around before the game ends on turn 16.
What mostly cost me the game was not holding on to Stalingrad for very long. At the beginning of the game, I wanted to experiment by pulling alot of the mobile German units out of Stalingrad and the surrounding area so I could potentially use them throughout the game. However, this move cost me in the end because the Russians were able to close and eventually eliminate the pocket rather quickly. Stalingrad counts as 6 of the 17 victory points in the campaign game and that is a huge chunk of victory points to give up early on in the game. The fact of the matter is that the Germans have to put up more of a fight for Stalingrad. After all, it's what the Fuhrer would want!
My opponent and I will be switching sides for our next game, so the next AAR will be from the Russian side. Stay tuned!
Our new game of Stalingrad Pocket II is well underway. We've switched sides, with me now taking the Russians and my opponent, the Axis. This is the situation at the end of Axis turn 1. I've blown a pretty good hole on the southwestern side of the map, but haven't made much progress on the southeast front. The Germans made acouple of counterattacks during his turn--one with some success, the other not. My opponent plans on keeping more forces in the pocket and thus put up more of a fight for Stalingrad.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1257.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fii503%2FGroggyGrognard%2FImage1-7.png&hash=72558301fcf48d077feec36b6c605c657eb2a361) (http://s1257.photobucket.com/user/GroggyGrognard/media/Image1-7.png.html)
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Here is the situation at the end of Axis turn 2. I've made rapid progress in the southwestern area, overwhelming the Romanians and Germans. Not a whole lot of progress on my southeastern front. The Germans made some small counterattacks around the Stalingrad area during his turn. He continues to build up supplies and panzer strength around the city.
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Here is the situation at the end of the Axis turn 3. My opponent has taken a different strategy this game by keeping more units in and around Stalingrad. This includes several panzer battalions outside Stalingrad which--during his turn--sniped a couple of my Russian armor units southeast of the city. Due to his strategy, it has prevented me from making consistent progress trying to close the pocket early in this game. And the Germans have already built up several supply points at one of the airfields. Meanwhile, in the southwest, during my turn 3, I managed to cross the Chir at two bridges and establish bridgeheads, which included capturing the village of Bokovskaya. My other Russian forces have already driven to and across the Don river, capturing the village of Kalach on the east side of the Don river.
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Thanks to your inspiration, I have a copy of SPII inbound. Enjoying your AAR.
Quote from: ArizonaTank on July 18, 2014, 03:46:38 AM
Thanks to your inspiration, I have a copy of SPII inbound. Enjoying your AAR.
Thank you. Good to hear that you've picked up a copy of the game. I used to own a physical copy of the game, but lost it many years ago along the road of life. My friend that I'm playing against over VASSAL, he and I played SPII several times back in the 90's when the game was released. We only recently reconnected with the game over VASSAL and both of us had forgotten how much fun and tense the game is. It had been almost 20 years since we last played it on a open table! IMHO it is one of the best SCS games thanks to Dean Essig's superb game design.
Enjoy!
Groggy
Here is the situation at the end of the Axis turn 4. I'm slowly but surely closing the pocket, but there is still some strong German strength in the pocket and quite a build up of supply. Although I haven't expanded my bridgeheads across the Chir in the southwest, I have managed to retain a toehold across the river and even repulsed a few panzer battalions trying to protect one of the bridgeheads. During his turn, the Axis had a pretty good barrage phase and managed to disorganize a couple of my stacks along the Chir. Meanwhile, the Germans counterattacked along the Don with the 24th Pz, but without much success.
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Here is the situation at the end of the Axis turn 5. The pocket is almost formed as the Russians slowly try to tighten the noose. During my turn I took the village of Karpovka--an important VP hex southwest of Stalingrad with the 1st Guard Mech.I also managed to take a piece out of the 24th Pz by eliminating its motorized infantry group and sending the rest of the division back across the Don. Meanwhile, in the southwest corner of the map, the Russians are still managing to hold on to two bridgeheads across the Chir. This coming turn the Russians will get several returning Katy brigades, and will be preparing for a second assault across the Chir.
The last screenshot are the current casualties.
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After a long break because of the necessities of life and a summer vacation, my opponent and I are back at it.
This is the situation at the end of the Axis turn 6. I finally managed to close the pocket with my Russians during my turn 6. And despite a couple of successful German counterattacks in the northeast part of the pocket--due to some good dice rolling--the pocket remains sealed. Also, the 24th Pz managed to kill a couple of my mechanized brigades near the Don and then withdraw successfully behind the Myshkova riverline. The Germans have quite a bit of supply within the pocket, so my Russians units that have formed the pocket will have to start being more aggressive in order for the Germans to start feeling a heavier squeeze. Meanwhile along the Chir and the Don, the Russians are preparing for another assault.
The last screenshot are the current casualties.
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Here is the situation at the end of the Axis turn 7. My Russians continue to slowly tighten the pocket as the trapped Germans retreat closer to the city itself. During the Russian turn, my 1st Guard Mech spearheaded an attack along the Don, capturing the village of Pervomaiskii. During his turn, the Germans counterattacked with the 24th Pz trying to recapture the village--but without success due to a 'snake eyes' dice roll and thus losing a panzer battalion in the process. Along the Chir, the Germans have reinforced some bridgeheads and even pushed across the river itself with a couple of alert battalions and an infantry regiment due to the "plus one hex" rule.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1257.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fii503%2FGroggyGrognard%2FTurn71.png&hash=8b66a25e51b0df8f390ee95361546664172de328) (http://s1257.photobucket.com/user/GroggyGrognard/media/Turn71.png.html)
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Here is the situation at the end of the Axis Turn 8. My Russians successfully eliminated a German infantry regiment and a couple of alert battalions that had crossed the Chir last turn. However, the mighty 11th Pz has arrived and made a successful counterattack across the Chir with support from infantry and elements of the 22nd and 14th Pz divisions. My 1st Gd Mech continues to slowly roll up the Don and repulsing the already chewed up 24th Pz to behind the Myshkova riverline. Meanwhile in the pocket, my Russian 4th Tk attacked Pitomnik and took the airfield. During his turn, the Germans tried a desperate counterattack to retake Pitomnik but without any success. The Germans still have plenty of supply points in the pocket. As it stands halfway through the game, my Russians for the rest of the game will have to be more aggressive about punching through to the city and trying to acquire the valuable Stalingrad city proper victory points.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1257.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fii503%2FGroggyGrognard%2FTurn81.png&hash=fb68e0f6881bcbf03e94a2c592d0c70dba8f8d0e) (http://s1257.photobucket.com/user/GroggyGrognard/media/Turn81.png.html)
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Here is the situation at the end of the Axis turn 9. During my turn 9, the Russians promptly chewed up the 11th Pz near the Don river. The division lost a panzer battalion, mech regiment, and a recon regiment. More reinforcements arrived to assist my already stretched forces around the Don. With a Russian attack and subsequent advance on the southeast side of the Stalingrad pocket, the Germans within the pocket lost several more units in the process. The pocket continues to shrink. The 1st Gd Mech has slowed its advance along the Don anticipating hit and run counterattacks from German forces and also the arrival of more panzer reinforcements. The last screenshot are the current casualties.
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