Added the overall strategic situation at the bottom of this briefing.
Hamburg and Bremen
In Hamburg, Danish troops and German reservists entrenched in the city to slow down the advance of 9th Armored Guards Division.
In Bremen, German 11th Mech Division regrouped in the urban area, with German 6th Mech Division holding the line from the city to the North Sea. On their rear, mixed elements of NORTHAG entrenched in the ports area.
Birth of NEDEFOR
To address the dire situation caused by NORTHAG collapse, NATO stripped the defenses of CENTAG and Ruhr areas to create NEDEFOR (Netherlands Defense Force). Apparently, the units assigned to the new formation are:- UK 4th Armored Division (operating at div. level)
- Netherlands 1st Mechanized Division (operating at div. level)
- Netherlands 5th Mechanized Division (operating at div. level)
- French 1st Mechanized Division
- French I Corps Artillery
- German 12th Armored Division
- German III Corps Artillery
- Mixed brigades from different formations, totaling one division strength
The final front line at 21:00 D+7 remained fragmented, but it is undoubtedly a solid obstacle along 1st Guards Tank Army axis of advance.
Moreover, the Dutch forces are kept near other NATO units, to ensure their loyalty in the event of an unilateral surrender declaration by the Dutch government.
Ruhr Defense
Defense of the Ruhr area has been mostly assigned to forces previously operating with CENTAG.
German 5th Mech Division, French 4th Mech Division and two USA artillery brigades have been positively identified.
Starting at 05:00 D+7, more than 60 AH-1 Cobra attack helicopters pounded the positions of 103rd Guards Airborne Division; after 20 hours of mauling, all that remained of the paratrooper division was a single, exhausted brigade.
The Central Committee of the Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics awarded the Order of Lenin to all the glorious soldiers of the division, who gave their life for spreading the ideals of Marxism-Leninism to the oppressed people living under the capitalistic tyranny of the United States of America.
The Central Committee of the Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics awarded the Order of Lenin to all the glorious soldiers of the division, who gave their life for spreading the ideals of Marxism-Leninism to the oppressed people living under the capitalistic tyranny of the United States of America.
CENTAG
USA V Corps extended its assigned area to just South of Ruhr area, using 3rd Armored Division to hold the additional 100 kilometers of front.
SOUTHAG
In the South, NATO launched a major heliborne operation with French 11th Airborne Division, who landed two brigades at Munich outskirts and proceeded to reoccupy the city.
Moreover, a brigade of USA 1st Armored Division made a night march to Nuremberg and entrenched in the city center.
Strategic Situation at 21:00, D+7 Zulu Time
NATO front line in the North sector still has wide gaps, but Netherlands primary targets are now covered.
SOUTHAG has disrupted WP rear areas, probably forcing a temporary stalemate in South Germany.
Great to see an update to your game. Sounds like NATO might be firming up, thanks to US help. It will be interesting to see how the Warsaw Pact commanders react and how much momentum and capacity they have left.
ReplyDeleteI was surprised by NATO's change of reactivity this last turn. SHAEF obviously reevaluated the whole strategic situation and acted accordingly.
DeleteAt this point and with the current WP level of supply, a frontal assault on a NATO division with 10-19 or 12-23 values is not a nice option. Luckily the 2nd strategic echelon reinforcements are coming, and they should allow me to use a more feasible "encircle and bypass" strategy.
How did that brigade from 1st AD get into the Czech rear? Or were they there first?
ReplyDeleteInteresting move with the French Airmobile Division--that sort of thing may not win a war, but it can really derail and distract the Warsaw Pact player--especially if they are stretched elsewhere.
I did something similar with the Soviets in the campaign game I did--I helilifted them into the area by Bitburg and the REFORGER sites, causing a lot of trouble for the NATO player.
1st AD was able to disengage from Czech 20th Mech Division and then moved into Nuremberg. Another example of NATO high command complete lack of interest for its soldiers' life.
DeleteYour blog is called "warwithoutkia" so a gamey move like that fits in well ;)
DeleteGreat AAR, I remember the WP running roughshod over NATO when we played this when it first came out.
Damn.....I'll change the blog name to WarWithSlaughters!
DeleteCool cool session report. Some of the clearest photos ever to explain such a large game. Jim Dunnigan would be so pleased to see one of his seminal dedigns out through its paces.
ReplyDelete//Dotar
Look who's back, Shadies back... Tell a friend.. SWEET. So glad this game is back on the rails! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteIt will be a slow rail, as NATO player will soon move to Finland for 3 weeks....We hope to finish WP Land Phase before his departure.
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