Fall Grün 1938 Heldenkaiser vs. Nemo

[Veers]

Yes, we're still playing. After having found some sort of a workaround for the disappearing attachments problem, I have finally opened Marc's T09 and played about half of my side yesterday night. It's of a course a complete nightmare. This turn the news was that "the Soviet expeditionary force has been cancelled". As a reminder (I posted that somewhere below), the briefing promises Allied pressure on the Germans and even Soviet reinforcements if "the Czechs put up a good fight". Yet here we are, T9 of 20, still holding all objectives but one, and still holding onto an overwhelming victory with 75 VP of 70 possible! But the scenario seems to think that isn't "a good fight". So of course somewhere down the road we'll succumb to the overwhelming German pressure, deserted by all Allies and a victim of their empty promises. I cannot help but think that the scenario designer's sole aim was to completely humiliate the Czech player. Or maybe this was never meant for PBEM. In any case it's an utter failure as a PBEM scenario. I haven't played anything remotely so unbalanced in TOAW yet. But the worst, really, are the empty promises of the briefing. It's them what makes this so utterly depressing.

Maybe it was meant to simulate the utter depression that the author expected to happen if The Czech actually did stand against the Germans...:clown:

 

[Heldenkaiser]

Czech Turn 9 / 13th October 1938

Well, the angry rant (or the whining, whatever you prefer) is just below, so here are the facts of the turn. It's happened. The country is split in half; a corridor 3 to 4 hexes wide runs from Tabor to Havlickuv Brod, the NW section is about closed, but closing the SE section too, to at least stand a chance to hold onto it, and onto Brno (Brünn) above all, is a tricky proposition, because the troops just aren't there. The 25th division, sent en route two turns ago, just about made it out from the SE section in time to close the last gap in the eastern defensive line of the NW section. It was the choice between two evils, and a stated before, losing the NW half, with Prague in it, is losing the war.
Basically of course it's completely hopeless, it's all just about buying time now, but of course the Allies aren't coming (damn their duck ponds :angry, so why I am doing this? I haven't got a clue. Well, back to the facts. We're being hard pressed everywhere, but basically just about holding. Trying to get as many troops as possible out of the near encirclement at Klatovy; worked surprisingly well, as (the one blessing in this game) I have hardly ever had any formation reorgs, in spite of all those retreats and routs. In the SE section I am thinning my lines more to stretch them out into the centre to close the border of the corridor. In the NW section, I am plastering the map with single units to make the bloody Germans fight for every bloody hex.
Three local counterattacks, one from the pocket in the SW against a stack full of HQs, in the hope of causing some reorg (failed); one against an engineer battalion that had infiltrated my lines along the river Elbe in the NE (succeeded); and one against that long-cut-off German infantry regiment NE of Prague (succeeded sort of, in that one of my encircling battalions evaporated and the Germans escaped; a second attack failed, but they must have lost 90% of their strength--small consolation, 90% of one regiment, serves to show how low I am setting my sights now ).
Loss penalty 9:8, 75/70 VP, O.V.

 

[Heldenkaiser]

Czech Turn 10 / 16th October 1938

Oddly, we're still holding. The Germans used this turn to fill up the corridor we generously provided for them between the two sections of the country and compressed the Klatovy/Plzen pocket; oh, and they took the Plzen objective (5). We in turn fortified our lines a little more and did some sorting out in places, but nothing major. Two little counterattacks against targets of opportunity (small units that were evaporated and if we're lucky will send their divisions into reorg), though generally I am too weak now to risk my troops in counterattacks.
Well, it's all a question of time now. Nothing at all from the Allies, damn them. :angry:
Loss penalty 10:8. Objectives held: 60/70. Victory level: 64/70.

 

[Heldenkaiser]

Czech Turn 11 / 20th October 1938

The noose is tightening. The Germans are pushing more troops into the corridor and are pressing forward everywhere. Resistance is stiffening, we're still winning most of the fights (defensively, of course), but still, they're advancing, every hex is a hex closer to Prague, and there are only so many left, and I can't counterattack any more. In places, the Germans are now only two hexes away from the downtown objectives. I have precious little hope of keeping them from making this small distance in the remaining 10 turns. And from our Allies: only silence. :OHNO:

 

[nemo]

Note in the lower right corner of the image the engineer company that's made its way into Vienna? Bingo for the Czechs: Hitler's ousted and the Czechs wipe the floor with the haphazard and disoriented remains of the Wehrmacht.

That'll teach me to leave blown bridges unattended... aperbag:

 

[Heldenkaiser]

I honestly didn't think this would work ... hence I didn't mention it in the AAR.

 

[desert]

Wow, so much for WW2.

 

[Heldenkaiser]

Well, it's of course a rather cheap "victory" ... a single battalion in Vienna could have prevented it from happening. And in the regular course of events I would have been glad to get away with a draw by holding onto Prague until game end. Not sure about my odds there, but I wasn't too hopeful.

Surely one of the most unbalanced scenarios I have seen. By coincidence, a game of Kasserine 43 ended today as well. That, too, is a badly balanced scenario IMO.

 

[Sker]

Well done! You found a way to trick your opponent and to get out from a difficult situation.

Anyway it's questionable if a single engegneer batalion in Wien could really change the situation of the war. But this is a game and rules are rules.

I'm waiting to see you next AAR!!

 

[Heldenkaiser]

Anyway it's questionable if a single engegneer batalion in Wien could really change the situation of the war. But this is a game and rules are rules.

I suppose it's meant as a sort of moral rather than military defeat. "See, these guys can't even defend their major cities", something like that. Make no mistake, it would have been a major propaganda & political disaster if the Czechs had been able to just march into Vienna (with whatever troops) while the Wehrmacht was out to subdue their country. Can't afford that. Of course, in reality there would have been a garrison.

 

[Sker]

I suppose it's meant as a sort of moral rather than military defeat. "See, these guys can't even defend their major cities", something like that. Make no mistake, it would have been a major propaganda & political disaster if the Czechs had been able to just march into Vienna (with whatever troops) while the Wehrmacht was out to subdue their country. Can't afford that. Of course, in reality there would have been a garrison.

Yes I think this is a good way to explicate that rule. Your opponent needed just a single unit to garrison the city and the attack wuold have failed.
Good job anyway!

 

[Andriko]

I am just coming to the end of a PBEM of this myself (also as the Czechs). I had great fun, as it was my first PBEM, and we both consider ourselves novices, and I have held out until turn 12, though will have to give up now I think. But I agree with alot of what you said, the mountains make no difference at all, and I have read that in 1938 Czechoslovakia had one of the most modern (if small) armies in Europe, as well as fantastic defensive terrain against a Nazi invasion, all of which they lost in the Munich Agreement.

Also, the major rivers didn't seem to make any difference either - they may as well have been open plains some of the time. Ontop of that, Germany gets alot of divisions released half way through (maybe the scenario designer was thinking of those remaining frozen when he said allied help?).

And I nearly got away with the cheap victory you did, but I was caught, and it felt to cheap to do anyway. I don't thik I would have been happy winning like that

Ok, I hae finished ranting along with you