Alikchi
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All Out for the Fight! 3-Player Game: Reds

Tue Jan 18, 2011 4:43 am

FLASH

MOSCOW, BOLSHEVIK RUSSIA - The architect of the revolution, Vladimir Lenin, has been felled by an assassin's bullet! The assailant, a disgruntled SR, was apprehended immediately.

A heretofore-unknown Bolshevik functionary known as "Alikchi" has taken power as the new Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars, a position which he has renamed "Grand High God-King-Panjandrum." Maniacal cackling has been heard echoing through the Kremlin.

Sources in Moscow say that the new leader plans to use every power at his disposal to cleanse Russia of the rebel forces, known as Whites...




Hi!

I'll be playing as the Reds in a 3-player game against digital_pariah (the Southern Whites) and lycortas (the Siberians).

We're playing 1.02 with slight randomization of generals and heavy combat/move penalty with activation.

More to follow...

Alikchi
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Turn 1

Tue Jan 18, 2011 4:50 am

Turn 1: Early June 1918

Not much I can do this turn. Very few unlocked forces. I take the opportunity to run as many requisition missions as I can and promote a couple of army commanders. I move the forces at Simbirsk, along the northern Volga, farther north to Kazan in an attempt to hold onto the Imperial Gold Train. (We Bolsheviks sent the Tsar's gold east to keep it safe from the Germans.. now it looks like it'll get snatched up by the Whites.)

Initial strategy is to hit the Siberian Whites as hard as I can with what I have. That includes the Latvian Riflemen, my best force. I've been playing a co-op PBEM against the Red AI (with Final Years mod) as the Siberians and I know just how much damage the Reds can do to Komuch, even as early as mid-late-1918.

Map

Image

Alikchi
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Turn 2

Wed Jan 19, 2011 2:48 pm

Turn 2: Late June 1918

Our first battle didn't go well!

Image

My Sorokin takes massive losses to Pariah's Denikin. Sheesh. This is what I would have done in his place - one big blow. Sorokin's on the retreat now. At least the other mobile forces in the south have unlocked (well, except the Taman Front):

Image


The plan now is to pull Sorokin's boys back to Ekaterinodar and hope for a turn or two to recuperate and dig in. In the meantime, the division-sized force at Tikhoretsk (the railway crossroads) will destroy the railroad. It's set to "retreat when engaged". More partisans will fan out and try to kill as much of the railroad line around Azov as possible, while the nearby flotilla of gunboats and fluvial destroyers moves to cut the railroad bridge or at least bombard/sink something.

Hopefully I can make Ekat strong enough to repulse an attack or two, but really, I'm on the ropes from turn one down here.

The east doesn't look too much better:

Image

This is what I consider the main front. There are other minor actions going on further east - mostly partisan armies moving to cut railroads, Blucher down by Orenburg, etc - but Komuch is the biggest threat and needs to be eliminated post-haste.

As you can see, that army I mentioned is on its way to Kazan, where it will be met by Trotsky and maybe a better divisional commander (Frunze, I think). Farther south, another force (two divisions) is preparing to move east from Tambov. Tuchachevsky will command them. Finally, next turn the Latvian Riflemen unlock. I'll be sending them by the same route, and Tuchachevsky's boys will probably divert south to hold Saratov.

I ordered my first division, by the way, back in Moscow. Infantry. I'll be pumping them out as quickly as I can (I have the benefit of knowing about the SR uprisings in the future) but I still have 2 more turns til my first requisition missions complete.

There is one more largish force in the east:

Image

Ekaterinburg looks like it'll fall shortly, but it is necessary to fight for the place - I must delay the Komuch-Siberian linkup.

Alikchi
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Turn 3

Wed Jan 19, 2011 10:46 pm

Turn 3: Early July 1918


The SRs are in revolt!

Image

Unfortunately for them, the Hungarians and Latvians are unlocked. They'll clean up this little mess within a few turns, then Bonch-Bruevich will join them, form an Army and head east.

I certainly need them in the east:

Image

Ekaterinburg held against an enemy reconnaissance this turn (and the Imperial Family survived another half-month), but everywhere else looks kind of bad. My plan to hold Kazan with Trotsky + Co has been scuppered by a White flotilla on the Volga, which holds the crossing under its guns. Feeling the need to do something, I'm sending Trotsky on a Trot south and around back to Simbirsk, hopefully swiping at some Czechs along the way.

Finally, the south:

Image

Denikin seems to have paused, which is fine by me. I've bumped up the units in Tikhoretsk to defend, then retreat, as I think I might be able to inflict a little damage now that they've dug in somewhat. In Ekaterinodar I combine units into one large Don Front of 23,000 men and ~400 combat power. We're entrenching furiously...

Elsewhere, the Whites under Fitskhelaurov captured that town on the railroad north of Tzaritsyn. Voroshilov's 10th Army is moving to evict them.

Hopefully next turn I can report SRs being squished and further delay in the South and East. I'm scrambling!

Alikchi
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Turn 4

Thu Jan 20, 2011 4:27 pm

Turn 4: Late July 1918

This was a busy turn. The Siberians are starting to hit their stride. Remember how I was all hoping that Trotsky would 'swipe' the Czechs?

Image

Well, Trotsky ran into a Czech division and the entire KOMUCH army! Incidentally, my opponent said this with the turn:
Sorry about Trotski... laugh laugh
which caused me to have a little panic attack about Trotsky actually dying in battle ;)

Anyways, here's how the situation looks now.

Image

The problem with using Trotsky as a leader in the field is that he's bound to the railroad. At Simbirsk, the road south along the railroad is blocked and the river crossing is too (stupid White flotilla). So, I've divorced Trotsky from his units. He'll make a break for it along the railroad while they retreat in the only direction available, north. Trotsky may try to hook up with the newly formed (by event) Iron Division later.

Meanwhile, Tuchachevsky has swept in from the west against no opposition, as planned. We took a depot at Penza! Next turn I'll test my strength against what appears to be an isolated Czech division.

Image

Looks like there's going to be a fight south of the Urals, where Blucher starts - Orsk. The White force advancing on me has a thousand fewer men, but mine is half-composed of partisans, so it's a toss-up. Or maybe I'm screwed. Let's hope for toss-up!



Other things of note:

Image

Karelian Nationalists are taking control.. Miller's Whites will probably clean them out soon.. however, I have forces earmarked to take the place back...

Image

That division I built isn't even finished yet, and they're already holding off Baby's First Siege! Well done them. Bonch-Bruevich and his Latvians and Hungarians are coming to lift it next turn.


Oh, I completely forgot the South! Nothing much has changed. Our division-sized force had to retreat from Tikhoretsk, but made it without damage. Going to Armavir next turn. We still hold Ekaterinodar, still digging in. I dunno why he hasn't attacked, actually!

Alikchi
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Turn 5

Fri Jan 21, 2011 1:39 am

Turn 5: Early August 1918

Things are getting rough in Siberia. I think I've going to have to give up on the "very early eastern offensive" idea. Which is a bit embarrassing, seeing as the AI did it against me...

Image

There was a series of battles. First, Trotsky and his men were kicked out of Simbirsk. Trotsky himself was wounded :eek: and forced to Kazan to recuperate, while the men devolved to Muraviev's command.

Then Kazan was taken, forcing Trotsky to be evacuated further east. :wacko: At this point I hold none of the strategic locations along the Volga. It's time to pull back a bit and form a coherent line. Oh, except for the Iron Division. They'll rampage around in the rear for a bit.

On a positive note, my first batch of requisition missions came in this turn. I know have 9 infantry divisions being built, the majority will finish in two months (four turns). :) Another batch of requisitions was immediately placed!


Nothing much happened on the other fronts. Here is a map for you:

Image

Alikchi
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Turn 6

Fri Jan 21, 2011 10:36 pm

Turn 6: Late August 1918

This turn has left me nervous! Let's start with the relatively stable front - the south.

Image

The image pretty much covers it. Kalinin's division sized force was kicked out of Armavir by a bunch of Cossacks and is moving to join up with Sorokin now. Sorokin's done wonders with his month of spare time, entrenching up to level 3 and training a few units. Oh,and just off-screen, the Azov Flotilla is picking up the entirety of the Taman Front and shipping it north to Voronezh to become the nucleus of my Ukraine Front.

Intelligence from within the Volunteer Army supports the theory that Denikin had planned to move on us several turns ago but has been paralyzed by various command issues.

Oh, and to the northeast, Fitskhelaurov's boys made an attempt on Tzaritsyn after Voroshilov made a blunder and found himself out of position. Stalin, however, was able to hold against Fitsy's attack long enough for Voroshilov to make it back and eject the Whites. They're on the southern side of Tzaritsyn now, which makes things somewhat simpler for me. 10th Army needs rest, but I may advance it down the railroad to delay things later.

Now, I think I mentioned 'rampaging around in the rear a bit' in reference to Siberia? The rampaging is over and I'm desperately looking for an exit.

Image

This is Berezin's corps, at Perm. Can't go east, can't go west, can't go north.. so we're fleeing Perm and heading south. Maybe I can force a crossing somewhere near Kazan? I have to hope Michael leaves an opening somewhere.

Also:

Image

The Iron Div is in a similar predicament. Not sure what to do here. Again, I'll try to force a Volga crossing, but he can block at any point with his fleet. That fleet is killing me! :bonk:

Image

Also, we can't forget Blucher and his boys, fleeing from a horde of Ural Cossacks after two disastrous battles. I made a mistake in hoping to beat them in a straight-up fight - Blucher should be used to maraud around in the rear, not battle armies. Now I may lose the services of his troops permanently - and Blucher himself is getting blamed for the losses.

I hope next turn the eastern front looks better!

Alikchi
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Turn 7

Sat Jan 22, 2011 5:55 am

Turn 7: Early September 1918

A very quiet turn. Fighting only happened at the margins! This is convenient for me, because I am very tired. In fact, I'll keep this text.

The most interesting thing (to me) is that Bela Kun died in battle this turn. His Hungarians have been working with the Latvian Riflemen, crushing the SR revolts over the past month or two, along with a Red Cossack division. Anyways, Bela caught a bullet from some disgruntled Yaroslavl resident and the future of the Hungarian revolution could be very interesting. I may lose the war, but Bolshevism will live on in Budapest! :thumbsup:

Anyways, I avoided total disaster in Siberia, but the Iron Div, Berezin and Trotsky are still on the wrong side of the Volga. My forces on the proper side will go on the offensive and try to find a crossing for them.

In the South, nothing much of note happened - again. Denikin will come down like a hammer someday or later, but it's going to be rough for him. We've reached entrenchment level 4!

Alikchi
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Turn 8

Sat Jan 22, 2011 9:21 pm

Turn 8: Late September 1918

This turn was less quiet. Our Ekaterinodar defences were finally tested! The result:

Image

Very good! The remaining rabble of the Red South all combined together stood up against Denikin! If only for one turn, I still consider it a great triumph. Level 4 entrenchments work.

Of course, I've lost 10,000 men and my combat power has been halved. I hope he doesn't have a follow-up force.

Meanwhile, the east. It's not looking great. Here's the result of my biggest push to open up a path over the Volga, Muraviev and Frunze against some Czechs:

Image

All I can say is, I'm impressed by the enemy. They have the Iron Div seriously isolated now. The Czechs can't leave soon enough..

Here's a shot of the full eastern front.

Image

1 - the location of the previously mentioned battle. It looks like some Siberians have come along to reinforce the Czechs at Syzran.

2 - Tuchachevsky with a medium-sized force. He'll be joined by reinforcements next turn...

3 - Trotsky. My opponent is gleeful that he has been isolated. I don't think he's aware of the redeployment button, or as I shall call it, the Trotsky Trot...


Finally, I'm having serious issues with resources. My money has dipped into the NEGATIVES (i don't know how!) and I need a ridiculous number of infantry replacements. On the plus side, the divisions I ordered are starting to come online. Next turn, Antonov-Ovseenko will be free to move up into Karelia with a 3-division force, hopefully countering Miller. Blucher's given up the ghost - his remaining artillery piece has been disbanded :( - which frees him up to command some of this new force as well.

Oh, one last note. The SR insurrections have been finally, thoroughly dealt with. That means our Latvians and Hungarians are free to deal with some serious issues. They're heading east.. :cool:

Alikchi
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Turns 9, 10

Sun Jan 23, 2011 9:46 pm

Turns 9 + 10: Early October - Late October 1918

Again, I'm in a hurry, so I will be brief and combine both turns.

In the south: Nothing. Really, nothing. Some skirmishing around Tzaritsyn, the enemy retreated. Our forces in Ekaterinodar have recovered and even gained strength (level 4 forts, combat strength 648, 39,000 men).

In the east, I'll do another big picture thingy.

Image

(1) is the location of my main forces. Last turn they were all to be commanded by Muraviev. Well, Muraviev's buggered off, and all I have are a bunch of one-star commanders. So much for concentrating a force. I'll send the Latvians and Muraviev's old force at Syzran to try and blast open a crossing for the Iron Division (2). Trotsky and Berezin are way up at Sarapul (3), which withstood two large attacks from the Whites this turn, but only just. I think we might be able to slip out through Kazan now, however.. fingers crossed...

Elsewhere, the Turkestan Army receives two new native units, Antonov-Ovseenko faces off with Miller in Karelia (no combat yet, but adjacent regions), and Blucher receives two shiny new infantry divisions.


One last thing - a new map for you. Not much change:

Image

Alikchi
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Turn 11

Mon Jan 24, 2011 7:13 pm

Turn 11: Early November 1918

Wow, big turn! Suddenly, all eyes turn south!

Image

We lost Ekaterinodar in a massive battle! Well, actually, we won the battle, though at great cost. Sorokin prudently decided to retreat when ANOTHER white force was spotted on its way. They'll head back to Novorossisyk for their Last Stand. See image:

Image

I say I'm very pleased by this result, compared to what I've seen in other games. Concentrating a force and entrenching it inflicted a whole lot of casualties on Denikin's boys. Normally I view Sorokin and his army as a purely delaying force.. and I'm right.. they are. But they can delay through damage, too.

A close observer might be wondering, "so where's the Taman Army in all of this? Aren't they usually entrenching/gathering dust in Novorossisyk right about now?" Well, here they are:

Image

I shipped them out through the Don a few turns ago all the way up to Voronezh, where they met Avtonomov, a truly awful officer. It's early November now. Over the next few turns, the Ukraine will unlock, and I intend to sink my teeth in ASAP. At the very least, I'm guaranteed Kharkov with this headstart.

While we're looking at stuff that Pariah has charge of, lets examine the Finland Front:

Image

I can't be sure, but I think Antonov-Ovseenko and Miller's forces are roughly equal. I'm taking the defensive, and so is he it seems, at least until he's ready. I expect and hope for this to be a quiet front, as in OTL.

Now, the east!

Image

Another fight at Syzran, as expected. The Latvians didn't break through, but they inflicted casualties, and more importantly...

Image

THE IRON DIVISION CROSSED THE VOLGA! Woohooo! :D

Now, to explain what all those arrows and numbers mean:
1)Bonch-Baruevich and Tuchachevsky's combined force. ~500 power points. They're heading up the railway to assault Kazan next turn.

2) The location of the Syzran battle, obviously. The Latvians aren't badly hurt - they're moving north a hex to try and check the enemy force in Simbirsk. Don't want them interfering with the Kazan operation. Meanwhile, the Iron Division and Frunze et al will move to Kuznestk for some R&R.

3) Blucher's unactivated, so he can't participate in the attack on Kazan. He'll move here and take a shot at it when he can.


I'm really enjoying this, as you can probably tell. If I rescue Trotsky and Berezin too I'll be positively ecstatic.

Alikchi
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Turn 12

Tue Jan 25, 2011 4:38 am

Turn 12: Late November 1918

The Germans are out of the Ukraine, the Czechs are heading home, and Trotsky's free of the grasping claws of KOMUCH and Kolchak!

Image

I now have a total of ~85,000 troops on the Eastern Front, which is more than enough to hold the line through the winter, I feel.

That number includes Trotsky and Berezin, because Bonch-Baruevich and friends took Kazan and cleared the way for their escape!

Image

Yes, that's right, my little clockwise wheel of rescue was a success, so now it's time to pull back to winter quarters, safely on our side of the Volga.

No action in the South, Karelia, or Turkestan. The Ukraine has opened up for pillaging and Avtonomov and his boys are moving in. I need an Army commander down there though.. Kamenev seems likely...

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OneArmedMexican
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Tue Jan 25, 2011 1:43 pm

Excellent AAR. I like your matter of fact style and the visual presentation is excellent.

Perhaps you could post NM, overall casualties and what you are building?

Alikchi
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Tue Jan 25, 2011 6:52 pm

OneArmedMexican wrote:Excellent AAR. I like your matter of fact style and the visual presentation is excellent.

Perhaps you could post NM, overall casualties and what you are building?


Thanks very much! I really recommend Snagit, it's the graphics program that's letting me do all these nice screenshots with arrows etc. Here's a few that should help.

Image

Image

(that's 1 siege gun, 1 heavy artillery, 1 political commissars group, 2 sailor detachments, 2 gunboat squadrons, 3 conscript infantry regiments, 3 cavalry divisions, and 5 infantry divisions - 74 combat power type. 4 infantry regiments and one 105mm battery.)

Image


Image


The heavy artillery, siege gun, 3 infantry divisions and the commissar are going to a command under Zhloba. The 3 cavalry divisions go to Budyenny, who I just received this turn. The rest will go to various independent commands. I think Zhloba and Budyenny will be moving to face off against Yudenich, with Bonch-B as their Army commander..

Alikchi
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Turn 13

Tue Jan 25, 2011 7:42 pm

Turn 13: Early December 1918

It's almost Christmas. Things are settling down across all the fronts .. except one. Well, two. Well, I'll just show you.

Image

By now you're probably familiar with western Siberia. What is new in this image is a coherent front line. From north to south: Tuchachevsky, Trotsky, and Makhin. Each commands roughly 30,000 troops. (You can also see Bonch-Baruevich's portrait hiding behind Tuchachevsky. He's heading to Petrograd to command the new anti-Yudenich force.)

I won't do any winter offensives unless a fantastic opportunity presents itself. I have enough on my plate, and the Siberians can wait. Right now I need to focus on Ukraine. Speaking of:

Image

Belgorod is already in our hands, and Kharkov is soon to follow I hope. Various partisan groups have spawned in the enemy rear and will attempt to wreak havoc, tear up railways, etc before the Whites get anywhere close. I'm sure Denikin will be leading the advance into Ukraine.

There is one last active front. Turkestan!

Image

The Whites - under the leadership of the Emir of Bukhara, currently - have taken Samarkand. I only have one force, a mongrel army under Zinoviev, so I conceded the town in favour of defending Tashkent. I'm hoping that by entrenching heavily, I can pull off a nice long delay a la Ekaterinodar. Delay is all I can do, really - I know more White forces are coming from the railway to the northwest.

Rysyonok
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Tue Jan 25, 2011 7:46 pm

I'm curious - why build the ships?

Alikchi
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Tue Jan 25, 2011 7:49 pm

Rysyonok wrote:I'm curious - why build the ships?


The Siberian Volga flotilla trapped the Iron Division and Berezin's corps on the wrong side of the Volga, along with Trotsky. I nearly lost them. This is a first step in reclaiming the Volga. I intend to lay down some fluvial destroyers as well :cool:

I'm not sure if it's a good investment or not - I am still pretty new to this game - but I hope they come in handy on the Volga.

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OneArmedMexican
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Tue Jan 25, 2011 8:26 pm

Alikchi wrote:The Siberian Volga flotilla trapped the Iron Division and Berezin's corps on the wrong side of the Volga, along with Trotsky. I nearly lost them. This is a first step in reclaiming the Volga. I intend to lay down some fluvial destroyers as well :cool:

I'm not sure if it's a good investment or not - I am still pretty new to this game - but I hope they come in handy on the Volga.


In my opinion it is a sensible investment. The Volga is the most important river in this game. If you manage to control it you can do bad things to your opponent. :D
There a three key crossings (west of Kazan, east of Simbirsk and between Syzran and Samara). Come spring, you can harm your opponent a lot if you cut off the one between Simbirsk and Samara. Reinforcements will take a lot longer to get to him. Although you should be careful: entrenched stacks on the riverside may bombard you!

If you have some mounted partisans left I would go for some winter railroad raiding in his backyard. :evilgrin:
The great thing about those units: they have a special (hidden) attribute: "winterized". Like partisans and some cossack units raiders don't take damage due to harsh weather. I hope you saved the ones you get in Orsk and the Far East.
At first, I completly undervalued these raiders. But since I realized that they are winter proof, railroad service in Siberia has broken down in my last Red campaign. :laugh:

Alikchi
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Wed Jan 26, 2011 9:29 pm

OneArmedMexican wrote:If you have some mounted partisans left I would go for some winter railroad raiding in his backyard. :evilgrin:
The great thing about those units: they have a special (hidden) attribute: "winterized". Like partisans and some cossack units raiders don't take damage due to harsh weather. I hope you saved the ones you get in Orsk and the Far East.
At first, I completly undervalued these raiders. But since I realized that they are winter proof, railroad service in Siberia has broken down in my last Red campaign. :laugh:


Unfortunately I managed to mangle them all =( Blucher was annihilated with the Orsk stack, and the Far Eastern ones have managed to cut a railroad, but have been seriously hurt in the process. Hopefully they can take in some replacements once they reach an empty hex. Movement takes forever on the retreat!

Thanks for the compliments, everyone. =)

Turn 14: Late December 1918

Merry Christmas from Russia! This is why there are so many Russians - Russian winters. Nothing to do but stay inside and drink and.. ;) Sorry.


The cold has led to a quiet Siberian front, but elsewhere, the Whites continue their advance. This turn, all my screenshots will have numbers in the top-left corner, which will correspond to the numbers on this map:

Image


(Apologies, they're all jumbled and out of order.) I hope this will help show the context of the war, and explain why I feel a little hemmed in. It's war on every front! :o

Well, the most intriguing move so far on the part of the Whites is that their Northwestern Army, currently under Rodzianko, has left Pskov and is venturing north in the direction of Petrograd - aka St Petersburg. Observe:

Image

The arrow is, of course, a guess. I wouldn't be surprised if he detoured towards Novgorod - but at the same time, I expect him to go straight for the jugular. If I lose Petrograd, my national morale goes to the toilet and a Bolshevik victory becomes much less likely. He (correctly) presumes that the majority of my forces in the area are dedicated to holding back Miller. I'm going to have to bring in the new armies forming in the Moscow area to counter NW Army.

Speaking of Miller..

Image

Pariah sent him south against my force at Petrozavodsk! The man's been repulsed, and fairly decently, too. I'm pleased - but he hasn't been destroyed, and Antonov-Ovseenko is too incompetent to lead a proper advance. So these forces are still locked down. Still, good to know that I've essentially 'dealt' with the White Northern Army.

Let's move south. Kharkov wasn't quite so easy as I expected:

Image

Shame, but it looks like I haven't lost MUCH time. The Whites are slow to advance as well (although they've already got the Crimea and they're moving northwards.. hmm). Meanwhile, my partisans are advancing around the flanks to chop up railroads, and S.S. Kamenev has arrived to command the newly-formed Ukraine Front. I have high hopes to take big chunks of northern Ukraine once everyone's nice and organized, but I might not have time. The Volunteer Army will soon be free to head north - Sorokin and his Don Front are not long for this world. Witness:

Image

Denikin's drinking buddy, Mai-Mai, walloped Sorokin but good. The man has less than 10,000 troops remaining against some cold and bloodthirsty Whites. Bisherakov is blocking my escape. Novorossisyk is the Alamo.

I'm still pretty pleased with Sorokin - I hadn't expected the troops to last til winter, and they're still here.. what's left of them.

Just a little northeast, along the Tzaritsyn-Novorossisyk railroad, I've had Stalin inching forward with a load of armoured trains, menacing the Cossacks. Well, that backfired.

Image

I hope I can get him out of there! Kind of. Stalin's a bit of a crap commander - jumped up beyond his station if you ask me - and part of me likes to take risks with him. Maybe if I get him killed or disgraced, I can avert future genocides, eh?

Anyways, Voroshilov is sitting in Tzaritsyn with the 10th Army - recently reinforced by sailor's detachments from the Caspian and Black Seas - so I feel secure, on the whole.

Things are also looking good in Siberia.

Image

The line is stable, with a full 100,000 troops manning the front from Kazan to Saratov. Kazan is a bit of a salient - but with only 2 crossings of the Volga under enemy control, I feel I can risk it. Flanking Kazan will be hard to do, and I can always pull out. Holding it is a bit of a bonus.

So, 1918 is over. I feel pretty good about it! I managed to delay in the South and hold in the East, after a few scary months. In the long run, though, this is just a preamble. New challenges are coming - foreign interventions, Yudenich on the march, and Denikin free to advance north towards Moscow. 1919 will be the year of the Whites.

To win, I'll need to make use of the interior lines and efficient railway network of central Russia - Sovdepia - to shuttle troops from one front to the next, countering crises as they arise. To this end, I've sunk a decent amount of cash into expanding my rail pool and infrastructure.

Image

Fingers crossed for the new year!

Alikchi
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Turn 15

Thu Jan 27, 2011 9:19 am

Turn 15: Early January 1919

New year, new opportunities and new threats. At the very least, greatly magnified older threats. Take a look.. Pariah's doing something clever with the Northwestern Army.. and I'm worried.

Image

Moscow may be the capital, but only recently. Petrograd is the true First City of the Soviet Republic. And fast-moving, dangerous White armies are on the march straight at it with nary a Bolshevik in sight.

Of course, I have the town's garrison - about 16,000 men all told, distributed throughout the area and in the Peter and Paul Fortress. They can't hold on their own against Yudenich's boys.

The force closest to Petrograd - the man at Luga with the merry hat - is a brigade of cavalry led by Bulak-Balakovich, an interesting fellow with a rather large Wikipedia page. The other forces are the heavy hitters - Rodzianko with a bunch of infantry and armoured trains, then I'm guessing Yudenich in the south (the portrait there is a generic one) with the army headquarters.

I've underestimated Pariah, this is going to be very hard to deal with. I can't knock out all three of his forces in one battle. Reinforcements are necessary, and they're incoming. North, Antonov-Ovseenko (1) is leaving just one division to man the lines (I hope Miller is still licking his wounds) and will rush down the railroad with 10,000 men to defend Petrograd itself. From Moscow, Bonch-Bruevich (2) will ride special trains fully loaded with his 15,000 men to try to pin down and destroy Rodzianko's mobile force. I need to gut it before it shoves A-O aside and threatens the grand city.

As I stated in the previous post, if I lose Petrograd, I lose the war. The Northwestern Army is a dagger aimed straight at the heart of Soviet power. This makes the capture of Kharkov this turn (hooray!) seem not so important. Ah well! I took Kharkov, take note!

Moving on to Siberia. I changed my mind about settling in.. while I have all this power concentrated here, I might as well at least give a winter attack a shot. Just one town, maybe. Watch me snowball this into a general offensive..

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It's a simple plan. Take Trotsky and 40,000 men and throw them at the relatively thin White line at Simbirsk. They've had a while to dig in, so it might not work, but I expect to inflict nearly-equal losses, and that's fine by my side.

A few other loose ends from this turn. The French and Greeks are coming:

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I'm not too worried about these fellows themselves, but I am worried about the top-notch Volunteer Army soldiers they'll free up from garrison duty.

I'm getting my own foreign soldiers, though:

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International Volunteer Regiments, come to help further the world socialist revolution! I hope they're okay with being sent to snow-filled trenches to fight Ukrainian nationalists.

Alikchi
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Thu Jan 27, 2011 10:38 pm

Turn 16: Late January 1919

I'm going to rely heavily on the screenshots this turn. First, the Petrograd front:

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A-O and B-B have reached their assigned positions (Tsarskoye Selo and Novgorod, respectively). With two large forces in the field, I feel like I can hold back Yudenich - or at least keep him busy. Now I have to worry about Miller breaking through the one infantry division I've left behind, though.

Next slide, please.

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Ah yes, Trotsky and friends succeeded in their little push eastwards. Simbirsk is ours now, after a spirited defence by the Siberians and KOMUCH boys. I'm following the attack up with a strike at Syzran:

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If all goes well, I'll have pressed the Siberians right up to the Volga all across the front.

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OneArmedMexican
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Thu Jan 27, 2011 11:09 pm

Seems your campaign is going nicely. Keep up the great work on this AAR! :thumbsup:

If I may offer my humble opinion: I think you are overestimating the threat posted by the Yudenich rabble. Those troups arrive at half strength, their march north must have lowered their strength and cohesion further. Besides they are nothing like the elite forces of the Volunteer Army. Playing the Southern White, I tried to take Novgorod with a winter attack once. I failed miserably.
Bottom line: without reinforcements from the Balts the Yudenich army is an easy target. In my last campaign as Red I wiped them out with two divisions without any trouble.

On the other hand, I am a little worried about your offensive at the Volga. Even after the departure of the Czechs the Siberian has some elite forces left. I hope you don't run into a nasty surprise.

Alikchi
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Turn 17

Sat Jan 29, 2011 5:45 pm

Turn 17: Early February 1919

This will be a quick update as I have a new turn sitting in my inbox that I will have a longer post for! Here's the sitch:

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My attempt on Syzran was not a success, as you can see. I can't match those numbers yet without depleting the garrisons of Kazan and Simbirsk. I'll have to round up some more troops from elsewhere.. It'll have to wait for a while, though.

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This is the Ukraine. I'd like to hold everything in the dotted-red-area: Kharkov, Kiev, and everything north of the Dnieper and west of Kharkov. Unfortunately, I am beginning to doubt if I'll have time to establish this perimeter before the Whites pierce it. Mai-Mai has left the job of harassing the remnants of the Don Front to a single division under Drozdovsky, which means he'll probably come north with a big army shortly.. reinforcements, including those internationalist regiments, are on their way to the Ukraine front under Timoshenko, but we'll see if they arrive in time. (They're intended to take Kiev.)

While Mai-Mai digs into the Ukraine, his master Denikin is on his way to Tzaritsyn:

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This is a battle that will depend entirely on the number of troops Denikin has brought along. 10th Army, under Voroshilov and Stalin, is well dug-in, with naval support and good fortifications. We'll just have to see if that's enough.

Right, running the next turn now!

Alikchi
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Turn 18

Sat Jan 29, 2011 5:45 pm

Turn 18: Late Feburary 1919

Things are going decently well, at least in the east.

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Tukhachevsky has done quite well holding Kazan against superior numbers. He's even managed to take out several enemy elements! This is better than I had expected. The man deserves a promotion - and the game agrees:

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My boy Tukhy will be a corps commander next turn. This is great, as the Reds have very few talented corps commanders, and Kazan will need more troops later anyways.

Anyways, that's the good news. Now to the less good:

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I was wrong about Mai-Mai going to Ukraine. That's Denikin, Mai-Mai and some jerk Cossack closing in on Tzaritsyn. Pariah is going all out for the prize. A wise move, I think, but bad for me. I have no reinforcements to give. What troops I do have available are at the other end of a very long and winding rail network.

I've decided to move the Iron Division south (it had been garrisoning Saratov - this move will leave it exposed, but what can you do). It's only one division, but perhaps it can at least keep the rail line north open. Losing Tzaritsyn is one thing, but having 10th Army - Stalin, Voroshilov and 17,000 troops - encircled and destroyed with it? Disastrous.

Other news: The Petrograd front is static. I've ordered the construction of a weapons factory in Moscow to beef up my war supply production. The Ukraine is going well with Mai-Mai and Denikin distracted by Tzaritsyn. Oh, one last thing:

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Remember the Don Front? Once 40,000 men, the Whites have reduced them to 4200. I'm being sneaky again and attempting to evacuate the remnants under Drozdovsky's nose. Fingers crossed it works.. there's a big French fleet sitting in Novorossisyk right now.

Alikchi
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Sat Jan 29, 2011 5:49 pm

OneArmedMexican wrote:Seems your campaign is going nicely. Keep up the great work on this AAR! :thumbsup:

If I may offer my humble opinion: I think you are overestimating the threat posted by the Yudenich rabble. Those troups arrive at half strength, their march north must have lowered their strength and cohesion further. Besides they are nothing like the elite forces of the Volunteer Army. Playing the Southern White, I tried to take Novgorod with a winter attack once. I failed miserably.
Bottom line: without reinforcements from the Balts the Yudenich army is an easy target. In my last campaign as Red I wiped them out with two divisions without any trouble.

On the other hand, I am a little worried about your offensive at the Volga. Even after the departure of the Czechs the Siberian has some elite forces left. I hope you don't run into a nasty surprise.


Thank you very much sir! After playing ahead a couple turns, I think you're right on both counts. :)

Yudenich is a rabble as you say. The only reason I haven't pushed him back and possibly destroyed him is the ineptness of my commanders in the theatre (Antonov-Ovseenko and Bonch-Baruevich). They spend more time inactive than active, seems like.

As for the Siberians, I can manage a static front right now, but I worry what could happen if they make a concerted push and I'm not lucky again. Kazan had at least a measure of luck involved - Tukhachevsky did better than he had a right to!

Alikchi
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Sat Jan 29, 2011 7:36 pm

Turn 19: Early March 1919

A very short update.

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Here's a nice big map for you. Check out the recent green uprisings in central Russia - a nasty rash on the Soviet Republic's pretty face. I'm going to have to divert reinforcements from other fronts to clean them out.

Also note the mess around Tzaritsyn. Let's zoom in on that, shall we..

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I'm rushing further reinforcements to the area - Blucher and Chapaev, with about 10,000 men each. God knows if it'll be enough. Pariah really is throwing everything at Tzaritsyn - my main hope is that I'll be able to keep 10th Army intact at this point...



Other notes: The Azov flotilla was intercepted by a bunch of French ships (including two dreadnoughts) and forced to retreat before picking up any troops. Consequently, the Don Front was finally and completely destroyed. :( Also bad news: The single division I left to hold the line against Miller was sieged and caved in this turn, surrendering en masse. I don't want Miller to break out from Karelia, so I've sent Antonov-Ovseenko and two divisions to hold him off again. Dunno how long we can manage, though...

Alikchi
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Mon Jan 31, 2011 3:00 am

Turn 20: Late March 1919

Disaster!

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Stalin has utterly botched the defence of Tzaritsyn! 17,000 men lost in a day, the 10th army completely destroyed!

This is a big, hard blow. I lost 7 national morale because of that battle! 7!

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Okay, enough hysterics from me. There are some bright edges to the dark cloud. Stalin, at least, won't go on to commit any mass murders - he's been completely discredited in the eyes of SOVNARKOM, not to mention nearly killed.

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As well, those reinforcements I sent did arrive. Ghai-Khan led the Iron Division into battle at Ilovlya and died for his trouble, but he cleared the northern route out of (and into) Tzaritsyn. If there was any 10th Army left, it could retreat this way. :(

Instead, I'll be sending all the reinforcements that got through - the remnants of the Iron Division and the 25th Fusiliers, all under Chapaev - powering straight into Tzaritsyn from the north. The city itself is still ours, though just barely - a thin line of Red Air Force personnel hold it. I expect the battle-worn Volunteer Army to stumble into the city and get hit head-on by Chapaev's screaming 17,000 men. Or it could be another disaster. Going to be fun either way!

One last thing. The enemy is advancing in the east as well:

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That's a big force - including British-made tanks - heading straight for my smallest eastern group, Makhin's at Penza. I have reinforcements - Trotsky and Berezin - rushing from the north on trains, but it will take them 6 days to get into position. Will they make it?

Alikchi
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Turn 21

Mon Jan 31, 2011 6:40 am

Turn 21: Early April 1919

The Siberians have struck hard..

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.. but not hard enough! Penza holds! Trotsky and Berezin's boys arrived literally the day the battle begun, so I've just barely averted a breach in the Siberian front here. A day later, and the entire line would have been unstrung. I would have had to withdraw from Kazan and Simbirsk just to maintain a coherent front.

So, whew. We both bled, but as Michael says, I can afford it more. Or can I? I'm taking casualties at quite a rate lately. See this?

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That's the result of my ballyhooed counterattack at Tzaritsyn - a brutal repulse. Chapaev will have to pull back to Saratov and try to hold the city - Denikin's 30,000 will require at least twice that number of Reds to defeat decisively if they stay concentrated like this. Blucher will hold the railroad to the northwest, at Tambov. If he can.

So. Repulse and defeat in the south, barely hanging on in the east. No real action in the far north. Anything I'm missing? Ah, yes, Ukraine:

Image

It's chaos, and worse than that: FRAGILE chaos. Whites advancing from the south, yours truly from the north, and Ukrainian nationalists trying to hold what is in between. This is a difficult front. Kharkov is mine, but weakly held. Kiev may soon be mine - I'm hitting them with Budyenny's cavalry and about 10,000 infantry. If I can hold it, it'll provide a much-needed boost to my morale. Other towns in the northwest have fallen, and I'm now fanning partisans out south of the Dniepr. Still, my positions are all very weak. I've been advancing into a vacuum, more or less, and even now I need to call forces away from the northwest to deal with the Greens.

Ah, yes. GREENS ARE EVERYWHERE!

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For those of you who don't know, Greens represent peasant uprisings, general banditry, and more organized forces not allied with either the Whites or the Reds. And right now, a huge series of uprisings has hit central Russia, paralyzing my railroad networks around Moscow. The newly built force I had earmarked to reinforce Ukraine is going to have to run around suppressing these forces and repairing railroads for a few months.

This damn game gets harder every turn.. Fingers so very, very crossed...

Alikchi
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Joined: Tue Nov 23, 2010 11:05 pm

Tue Feb 01, 2011 8:20 pm

Turn 22: Late April 1919

I'll make this update short, as I have a new turn sitting in the inbox. First, the Ukraine:

Image

The two most important cities in Ukraine are Kharkov and Kiev. As you can see, my attempt on Kiev failed (stupid Budyenny) and I lost Kharkov to Shkuro's White Wolves. Just a bad turn.

The White Wolves are tough, but they're a small cavalry force nonetheless. I'm combining all my boys who just attempted Kiev into one force under S.S. Kamenev. He'll ride the captured Ukrainian railroads east to Kharkov and try to take the place back. Due north from Kharkov is the Moscow railroad.. can't let them get an early toehold there, can we?

Oh, here's something interesting:

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Tambov is on the rail line north of Tzaritsyn (which is now firmly in White hands, sadly enough). Right now it's the sight of a three-sided battle between Blucher's infantry-heavy army, Egorov's cossacks, and a Green peasant militia. So far it's a bloody stalemate.

Image

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Here's one bit of good news. Remember the White Northwestern Army that I was so concerned about? Threatening Petrograd? Well, Bonch-Bruevich tracked them down near their base at Pskov and inflicted a nice little defeat in a series of small battles. I do feel content with this front.

The problem is, well, everywhere else. I'm building units as fast as I can and sending them out as emergency detachments. I've got plenty of men, but no cash - I'm broke! To raise more money, I've had to compromise on national morale, which makes my armies weaker in the field...

Alikchi
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Posts: 64
Joined: Tue Nov 23, 2010 11:05 pm

Turn 23

Tue Feb 01, 2011 8:51 pm

Turn 23: Early May 1919

Things are getting rougher every turn. I'm starting to see why my history books call 1919 the "YEAR OF THE WHITES".

Anywho. I didn't post a screenshot of the Eastern front last turn because nothing had changed since the enemy was repulsed at Penza. I figured that the stalemate would persist.

Image

I was wrong!

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The result: my line is totally unhinged. Trotsky is falling back, he'll meet Blucher (who has cleared Tambov) and try to recapitulate his force. Tukhachevsky and Vatsetis will pull back as well and try to form a new line west of the Volga. This is not good!

This is not good, either:

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Miller hit Antonov-Ovseenko with British support this time and outnumbered him quite thoroughly. A-O fell in battle, British and White aeroplanes strafed and bombed, and the routed troops are now dispersed in the forest. Another disaster.

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This is a zoomed out view of the whole Western theatre. As you can see, Bonch-Baruevich suffered a repulse himself, although at least he's still alive. The boys are retreating north towards the Estonian border. Meanwhile, with both of my main forces here in trouble, a new force - 3 divisions under Stalin and Voroshilov, both recently disgraced - is heading west from Moscow to cover Petrograd.

Oh yes, and Kamenev's attempt on Kharkov failed. Argh!


I have to say, it's pretty gloomy here at SOVNARKOM. We have taken counsel of our fears. The Whites are advancing on every front and new Green revolts pop up every day. The Soviet State may not survive this test.

I'm just trading space for time. Or rather, I'm having space taken from me, and I hope I'll have enough time!

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