Ukraine'43 First Edition - Turns Eleven and Twelve

Mike and I finished this excellent game yesterday.  After a challenging start, the Soviets achieved an automatic victory Turn 12.

The Soviets reach the Dnepr.

A crossing is made!

 The exploitation attacks seal off the Crimea,

but are unable to expand the bridgehead.

 Axis counterattack restores the Dnepr line,

but there are too many VP locations isolated behind the Soviet front line.

The Historical VP point is 15.  

The Soviets are on 18 needing only three to achieve victory.

Detail of the two winning attacks.  

At 4:1 a successful outcome is guaranteed.

Only at Zap could a series of ones have saved the day for the Axis.

as it is worth 2 VPs (1s would have produced exchanges with no retreat).

It was fascinating playing the 1st Edition.  The Soviet victory was just about identical to that in the last 2nd Edition game I played with Richard, although the ground covered was very different. Relevant post can be found here.

Ukraine'43 First Edition - Turns Nine and Ten

The Axis retreat!  Back to the Dnepr!  Run away!

 This is the Soviet exploitation combat phase.

Even with mixed results they are pushing forward.

One coup was racing a tank brigade forward to capture an unoccupied VP location 

(middle right and side of image).

 The Axis pull back.

Note the human touch top left corner.

Wouldn't happen if I'd been playing using Vassal.

 The Soviets keep up the pressure.

Eight attacks.

 A further four attacks in the exploitation phase.

The Axis are now mostly back behind the Dnepr.

They look a bit short on troops to hold the lines.

Their only hope is that Soviet supply constraints will allow them time to build up and fortify the line.

EDIT

Forget to say that the overcast weather on Turn 9 saw the whole Luftwaffe grounded.  In comparison it only affected 20% of the Soviet airforce.  Hopeless die rolling.

Ukraine'43 First Edition - Turns Seven and Eight

The Axis frontline can only hold for so long.  With the coming of the overcast weather in September, maybe it is time to stage a withdrawal?

 The Soviets launch attacks all along the front line.

This image has missed the first two attacks (lower left hand corner)

but the results can be seen in the disrupted retreats.

 Follow up Soviet attacks in their exploitation phase.

At lower odds, but deadly this time.

 The two Panzer Corps strike back,

while the rest of the army struggles to reform a line.

 There is even a follow up German attack to retake a victory village.

 Turn 8 sees another set of attacks by the Soviets along the whole front.

These produce a lot of exchanges which results in many holes appearing in the Axis defences.

 Stalino has fallen (worth 2 VPs) and the Soviets can start to relax 

confident that they will be able to maintain VP parity (essential to avoid sudden death).

Follow up attacks widen the holes that are now evident in the German front lines.

The Germans retreat.

The Soviet Central Front has extended well down the northern flank,

causing the Germans to allocate troops to cover this area.

The challenge is to extricate enough troops to create a new line anchored on the Don.

Ukraine'43 First Edition - Turn Six

Just able to fit in one turn this week.  A turn of Soviet sixes!

An unfortunately blurry photo, 

portent of disasters to come perhaps?

There are eight Soviet attacks.

Fortified positions evaporated under a hail of sixes!!!!!!

(A roll which also meant no heavy losses)

The careful and consistent allocation of Guards units (red counters) by the Soviets meant that the German Tactical Superiority rule that required Soviets to reroll sixes didn't apply.  Bum!

 After that there are four follow up attacks!

But still the Axis managed to rebuild their lines and even launch an attack.

Ukraine'43 First Edition - Turns Four and Five

The Soviets continue the offensive.

 Attacks everywhere!

 The line holds, although a bulge appears to the south east of Kharkov (centre of image).

Two Panzer Corps can be seen heading to this sector.

 Another set of attacks.

With one exception most were disappointing for the Soviets.

However Kharkov has fallen so the risk of an automatic Axis victory has been averted
(it is worth 3 VPs and if there is a difference of six or more based on historical achievements,
it's game over for whichever side is behind).

The Panzer corps have made some restorative work to the east and west of Kharkov.

There was a potential breakthrough that could have seen 48th Pz Corps head to Kursk.  

That would have been interesting. 

 If I had been playing on Vassal I might have seen how it played out, 

using the saved game to continue on otherwise.

In the east, in a series of 2 to 1 attacks, the Soviets repeatedly threw 1s, taking losses but no gains.  Have they crippled their offensive ability in this sector?

It is where the bulk of the immediate VPs are to be found...

Ukraine'43 First Edition - Turn One

In these times of reduced gatherings, a near neighbour suggested potentially playing a boardgame.  This would be after Easter.  He mentioned a few games, but I knew he had Ukraine'43 and said I'd be keen to play that.  That was agreed and we promptly prepared.  I read the rules (available online at GMT's website) to make sure I was up to speed with the slight variances that GMT have between their WW2 operational boardgames.

I knew my opponent wasn't as familiar with the system as I was.  What I wasn't prepared for was that the copy, in fact two copies, of the game he had was the First Edition!

Interesting.

So it was a strange learning exercise for both of us.  So much so that it took the whole day to complete set up and play the first turn (understandable as this is the most involved turn of the game, and my opponent was going Soviet while I went Axis).

 The dice indicate the odds ratio of the attacks.

5 to 1 is the highest on the table.  1.5 to 1 is also on the chart (and represented by two dice).

Nine attacks in all.  

The Soviets averaged about 2 on their die rolls and while breaking the line, took a lot of casualties.

The SS Pz Corps repaired the centre break 

with multiple attacks until it had used up all its Tiger tanks.

On its first attack it I threw a double six in stark constrast to the Soviet die rolls.

48th Pz Corps has started to work on sealing the more dangerous break through in the north 

(bottom left hand corner)

Very enjoyable, but challenging.  No determined defense.  No tactical movement. More options for the use of air power.  Different terrain combat effects. Secondary combat dice to determine additional casualties in big battles.

Ukraine 43 - Turns 10 to 11 and Finished

Today we finished Ukraine '43 when the Soviets achieved six more Victory Points than their historical counterparts did at the end of Turn 11.

 End of Turn 10 and the breakthrough has widened significantly.

The Axis are trying to fight their way out of Poltava.

The Soviet are now at the Dnepr.

Turn 11 in the South and the Axis have gone into full retreat.

 End of Turn 12 in the South.

The Soviet pursuit, although starting to stretch their supply lines, 

caught up and inflicted a major loss around Zaporozh'ye.  

 While in the North the Axis have retreated over the Dnepr.

Again the Soviets are beginning to have supply problems, 

but it has not stopped them so far.

At this point Automatic Victory occurred for the Soviets.  A complete reverse of our previous game.  I attribute this to two things: first I followed the initial walkthrough in the correct sequence this time which saw one Axis unit eliminated; second I focussed on attacking places of weakness.

Ukraine 43 - Turns 8 to 9

Another session, another series of Soviet breakthroughs blocked, almost...

 End turn 8 in the north.

The Fifth Guards Tank Army achieved a breakthrough.

Meanwhile a trap is being planned for Poltava.

 In the south the Axis have again pulled back, 

with a few units getting left behind (just south of Stalino).

 Turn 9 

The 5th Guards Tank Army swung south after leaving a big hole in the Axis lines.

Poltava has been surrounded after some desperate fighting.

In the south Axis counterattacks managed to extricate a few units, 

but the Soviet pressure is considered to be overwhelming.

We discussed stopping at this point, but the Soviets are only on the historic level of Victory Points and still have a lot to make up (and the locations - the hexes with a red dot - a fairly scarce and far away).  However Axis losses are such that they might not even be able to cover these in any cohesive pattern.

Ukraine 43 - Turns 6 to 7

The offensive continues.

 Stalin wouldn't stand for a siege of Kharkov and ordered an immediate assault.

It was successful.

 In the south attacks continue around Stalino.

 By the end of Turn 6 the Soviet pressure in the south had forced the Axis to pull back.

 While in the north, with Kharkov captured, 

the Axis have used the time to try and strengthen their line.

 End of Turn 7 in the north and the fighting has been particularly bloody.

Axis counterattacks were required to extricate their units and reform a line.

The Axis have continued pulling back in the south, abandoning Stalino.

Again they did a series of counterattacks to free units and try and buy time.

Ukraine 43 - Turns 4 to 5

Today Richard and I continued the game.

 Zhukov clears the Axis forces away from Kharkov, however he plans a lengthy siege.

 End of Turn 4.

The Grossdeutschland Division arrived just in time to restore the Axis line.

 Turn 5 and the fighting for the southern cities is proving hard.

While in the North the Axis have pulled back, 

but will the Soviets be able to maintain their momentum?

Ukraine 43 - Turns 1 to 3

Yesterday Richard and I started playing GMT's Ukraine '43 again.  I went the Soviet, determined to avenge my previous defeat.  It was interesting to note that this campaign started exactly 75 years ago.

 Turn 1 after I had the Soviet conduct the attacks as per the walk through in the rule book.

This time I did them in the right sequence

 which means an Axis division was surrounded and eliminated.

 Critical attack on Turn 2 against Belgorod.

This was when we through the Soviets had to match the historical VP levels.

 But the breakthrough down south was more promising.

 End of Turn 2

 End of Turn 3 and the Soviets have advanced to Kharkov.

The Axis have abandoned Sumy.

End of Turn 3 in the South and the Axis are in retreat.

In looking at the last time we played (see this post) the Soviets had initial success at Sumy, which I think didn't occur this time as we realised that retreat can stop in a city.  The Soviets have had much greater success in the south in our new game as they avoided initially focussing their attacks on Tagnarog .  Also, much greater success was achieved this time on the approach to Kharkov as the Soviets have been able to trap and eliminate a few Axis divisions.  While only one or two, it makes all the difference to the Axis ability to form a solid line.