Trial of Strength - Summer'45

The game has a variable end date based on Allied progress (an abstract die roll) and how many resources Germany diverts to the Eastern front.  For our game it meant we got three extra turns.  Could the Soviets take Berlin?

Direct attacks towards Berlin have been delayed due to lack of supply, 

a river and the need to move the Soviet air force forward.

Better progress has been made to the south of Berlin.

Note: Berlin is the hex that has the face uop blue aircraft unit on it.

The Soviets now have two hexes on Berlin ready for the big assault.

Meanwhile the rest of the map is being cleaned up of Axis forces.

Hungary is overrun.

The attack on Berlin was unlikely to succeed.

Casualties were inflicted, 

but there were enough German units to absorb them and be able to avoid retreat.

With 10 movement points available and it taking six to launch the attack, no further attack could be made :-(

Excellent game, made extremely challenging by the fog of war (which was further assisted by me not knowing the rules).  I never made use of airborne or naval forces not that historically the Eastern Front is known for such things.

In a bid to preserve a bit of modern abstract wargaming art, here is a scan of the sheet of paper I was using to record replacement points as well as calculate combat factors (an aide memoire to mental arithmetic).

Trial of Strength - Spring'45

Richard and I completed the penultimate session of this classic game.  Google tried hard to change the orientation of the images and I ended up having to go into the HTML code and muck about.  Not happy.

End of mud.

Nothing happened.

Attacks start again.

The Vistula line has been broken.

The intensity and success of the Soviet attacks increases.

Warsaw has been liberated.

Konigsberg has been surrounded.

The very successful spring offensive has just outrun its supply lines.

The red Airforce also needs to relocate (range is 3 hexes full effect, 6 hexes half)

There are three turns left.

Trial of Strength - January and February'45

Today Richard and I got in six turns before bad weather sets in.

The numbered chits represents where attacks have been made.

Mostly they result in one to two losses per side.  

Occasionally this can be up to three on one side for no loss to the other.

As everything is hidden this can be hard to appreciate.

Why has Google gone and loaded the image like this?

Grrr!!!

End of January.

The Axis have pulled back from Romania.

Lvov has finally been captured.

 

It is so slow converting the rail gauge back to Soviet standard.

Supply is not going to happen down south for a long time.

Luckily in the northern part of the front supply is plentiful.

End of February, just before mud hits.

The fighting in East Prussia has been relentless,

but it is slowly going the Soviets way.

Trial of Strength - December'44

Richard and I got in another three turns of this epic game today.  With snow freeze now in place there was a bit more action, limited breakthroughs, but some interesting developments.

The beginning of December sees the newly arrived "Leningrad Front"

 open up an offensive on the Black Sea coast.

Note: the hexes with numbered chits 

represent where battles of attrition have been occuring.

The success in the south will have immediate and far reaching consequences.

Reinforcements are also arriving from the now completed Finish front.

Bulgaria has joined the Soviets and Romania has agreed to an armistice!

Supply is a major factor in stopping any rapid exploitation of these developments.

The chits with U open to the right are Soviets, open to the left are Romanian.

Getting supply means repairing/converting the railroads 

and with winter it takes two turns to repair one hex.  

Supply range is only 3 and the mountainous terrain counts as two.  

The railheads are a long way back in the south.

The war of attrition has finally created a breech near Lublin (where the black NKVD counter is )

Trial of Strength - October and November'44

I was able to find time to have another session of this old but innovative game with Richard.  Got in two months; easy when the weather is mud.

Beginning of October and most of the front is out of supply.

We found that we had been doing the rail repair conversion wrong.

It is not a two part process to first repair and then convert a rail hex.

Converting achieves both results.

Of course in mud no repair or conversion is possible.

In Finland it is worse as the rail line had been cut.

Repair unit is on the way.

At least the cut is in the Arctic weather zone and so can be repaired, if somewhat slowly. 

End of October.

Very little change.

I had not managed things well 

(having forgotten rules/tactics etc since our last session)

Repair work underway.

November sees the first of the attacks on Lvov.

The Baltic Front is also getting ready to renew the offensive.

As is the northern front.

More attacks now.

Mixed outcomes.

At least the rail lines are inching forward 

and providing more of the front with supply in the winter weather.

Shrinking Axis presence round Petsamo.

Attacks continue ahead of the snow freeze

which will reduce the river obstacles in the way of the Soviet advance.

All the Axis are now gone from Finland.

Trial of Strength - September'44

The Soviets attack before the rains turn everything to mud.

 The Soviet offensive in Finland continues.

There has also been a breakthrough in the Carpathians

 that is throwing the Axis allies into a turmoil of uncooperation.

 Finland has surrendered.

There have been bloody attacks towards Lvow and Warsaw.

 The Axis have pulled back to shorten their supply lines

 or rather lengthen the Soviet supply lines.

A close up of the central front.  

The white unit is the Soviet Polish Army 

that has been pushed forward and is now adjacent to Warsaw.  

This should trigger the Warsaw uprising,
which is that 7 strength point unit sitting on Warsaw.

Note: 

The counters with a U on them are the Soviets that have broken through the Carpathians.  They are unsupplied and will be for a while.

The counters with numbers on them are Axis units that were attacked in the Soviet turn.

Trial of Strength - August'44

 

Things get off to a slow start as the Soviets have to repair and convert rail lines in order to get supply to the frontline. While that is happening replacements are being added to depleted units.

Valuable time goes by and not much has happened, but in Finland it is a different story...

The Soviets are using their superior numbers to good effect in Finland.

The Soviet front has now closed with the Axis.  Time for another onslaught!

The counters with numbers on them denote Axis units that have been attacked.  The outcomes were a mixed bag, but regardless, the Soviets can withstand losses, the Axis can't.

Finland is now retreating on Helsinki after the Soviets have finally broken the fortification line.

Will there be enough good weather left to exploit the advantage?

Trial of Strength - July'44

The game continues, with a nasty surprise for the Soviets which they promptly ignored.

 End of the July II Turn for the Soviets.

They have started offensives against AGC as well as Finland,

while continuing the pressure against AGN.

 Then Army Group South attacks.

This was most unexpected...

 Significant Soviet forces are surrounded...

 July III and the Soviet continue the onslaught against AGN.

The southern front takes care of itself.

At the start of August the Axis pull back.

It is going to take a while for the Soviets to advance their supply lines.

The rail net is tricky as it includes converted/unconverted as well as repaired/unrepaired lines.  

We have run out of rail marker counters!

Trial of Strength - June'44

After the misery of playing Soviets in the 1942 scenario coupled with my performance in the World in Flames game, Richard graciously suggested playing the 44 scenario of Trial of Strength. 

Let's see how the Soviets go this time.

 Set up

III June 1944

 Soviets have smashed a hole in AGN's line.

I July 1944

Axis reform line and pull back.

 Soviet advance continues in the North.

Supply will be an issue as rail lines have to be repaired and then converted.

Note: Supply range in good weather is four hexes.

II July 1944

Axis have pulled back a bit more.

Soviets have rebuilt their forces and moved forward their airforce ready for the next attacks.

Not knowing the enemy strength makes for a bit of cautious play, but this might change if more attacks can be made that will hopefully find weak spots.