RUS AAR: The Doctor versus Andatiep.
In a new departure for me, I am playing the whites against Andatiep’s reds in a campaign game. I am playing both White factions, loading up each and playing their turn.
We are using the mini-mods that Andatiep describes in the PBEM forum, so I won’t go into them at much greater length.
The early going for each white faction is pretty straightforward: a blitzkrieg against the weak Red formations that occupy your homeland.
In the south, I’m assuming that Andatiep will try to withdraw the larger Red units in the Ekaterinodar/Novorosyssk/Taman region as I have always done. If he sticks around and fights, so much the better. The Don Cossack army will block the escape routes while the Volunteer army pitches into any Reds who stick around to fight. My goal is to have the southern cone – northern Caucasus, Kuban, and Tzaritsyn – cleared before the end of summer. Tzaritsyn will be a challenge if the Reds dig in there, but hopefully with both of my armies operating against it the city will fall before he can get it fortified. If not, I won’t worry about it too much, as distance and a vulnerable supply line protect the Kuban as long as the Donbas remains White. I will prepare, come November, to send several large formations into the Ukraine with the goal of conquering it, or at least south of the Dnepr, by the end of winter. I want to start the 1919 summer campaign in the Russian heartland.
In Siberia, I hope to capture the Volga cities in a rush in the first several turns. I have managed it against the AI, but I expect that Andatiep will offer sterner resistance. I hope to get Saratov on the first turn, Ekaterinburg and Simbirsk within a couple more, and Kazan and Perm by the end of July. With all seven Volga cities in my hands, I will assure the continuity of Koumuch rule and thus permit me to choose “reform” options. Without that choice, my ongoing political action will be hard.
Early June, 1918: as indicated, the Orsk guys will rush west to capture Saratov, the Czech division in Chelyabinsk will take a stab at Yekaterinburg, the guys in the east will take out their indicated targets (Khabarovsk, Blagoveshchensk, Chita, Aralsk, and Irkutsk this turn). In the south, all the forces from the Don valley will concentrate against the Reds in Zernograd, with the Don Cossack Army ending up to the north with the goal of heading up the rail line towards Tzaritsyn while the Volunteer Army moves south towards Ekaterinodar and Novorossiysk. In the Caucasus, the Cossacks will try to take Grozny.
Late June, 1918: Siberian White morale 106, Reds 97, Southern Whites 101. Resources: Siberians 8 EPs, 204$, 130 companies, 37 WS, Southerners 2 EPs, 56$, 29 companies, 12 WS. As foreshadowed, the Siberians took Chita, Irkutsk, Blagoveshchensk, Aralsk, Khabarovsk, and Saratov. We failed to overcome the Red Guards under Berzin at Yekaterinburg. We got Tashkent, sort of by surprise as I had sent the Turkmen forces down there without an attack mission. Dieterichs was killed in the capture of Khabarovsk. Luckily I have plenty of officers. I see that Blucher and the Orsk forces are heading up the east slope of the Urals towards Chelyabinsk. The Bakshir army will remain there to defend against them. The newly-arrived Komuch forces along with the Czechs in the Volga valley will head north towards Kazan. The southern blitz was less impressive. We pushed the Red defenders out of the way at Zernograd and Tikhorestsk, inflicted some casualties, but no crushing victory, probably because for some reason the Don Cossack forces remained in their jump-off positions and went passive. Perhaps they have been listening to Red propaganda? Off with their heads! The Cossacks in the Caucasus took Grozny and Kizylar, losing their general in the process. We will continue on our planned course with Denikin and bring the Cossacks down to the rail line at Salsk and then northeast towards the big prize at Tzaritsyn. The Caucasus troops will go for Vladikavkaz and Derbent to complete the work in that region.
Early July, 1918. Southern White morale 106, Siberians 108, Reds 94. Resources Southerners 8 EPs, 14$, 64 companies, 11 WS, Siberians 14 EPs, 72$, 21 companies, 18 WS. The Red armies in the south are now clearly evacuating. Ekaterinodar was defended by a few measly Red Guard regiments. The Don Army will advance to Tzaritsyn and see if Voroshilov is up to fighting them. The Volunteers come up behind, less a few who go on to take Novorossiysk. The Komuch forces split a pair of battles with Muraviev between Syzran and Simbirsk, while other Komuch units advance adjacent to Kazan. We take Krasnoyarsk and Verkhnudinsk in Siberia. I have a small force down near Astrakhan who will probe the defenses there.
Oh, and that maniac Blucher is in Petropavlosk of all places. The West Siberian Army having pretty much org'ed up will converge on him and hopfully clean his clock for him. This is pretty wild stuff for Andatiep; he's normally much more conservative with his troops.