Tinkering with OCS: The Forgotten Battles

The opening of the scenario in The Forgotten Battles.  The Soviets need to attack the German garrison at Gorodok.  Meanwhile, a half dozen partisan units do what they can in the German rear.

The end of the Soviet first turn with some stacks spread out so you can see the units.

I haven't had much time to devote to wargaming recently. I continue to occasionally acquire games that are in the wheelhouse of my interest, mostly stuff in the various series lines from MMPGamers that I have followed for over 30 years. The Operational Combat Series (OCS) is in the midst of a multi-year project of connected games depicting the war on the Eastern Front in World War Two from September 1943 to April 1944. This features aspects of the war that I have been interested in all my adulthood. This is the moment the Soviet forces surpassed the Germans in military prowess. They were more numerous and they had learned much from three years of fighting the vaunted Wehrmacht. Though the German panzer divisions still possessed plenty of counterpunch, enough to inflict 4 or 5 times the casualties they suffered, the Nazis had essentially lost the war in 1943. After that it was just a matter of time.

But I don't have time to play the massive games. My wargame buddy Matt used to call them "study games" and that term is perfect. I buy them for the insights they afford me more so than to play them, although I did play OCS: Crimea, the smallest of this particular subseries of connected games, a bunch a couple of years ago. Before that game came out I bought The Last Winter which is a subject that intrigues me enormously. But the game is so massive (my wargame table is far too small to accommodate it) and my life has become so filled with other things, all I did was thumb through the rules and glance at the various scenarios in the VASSAL module of the game.

It features the late 1943 battles for Ukraine that interest me perhaps more than any other aspect of the whole war. It starts later than another favorite game, Ukraine '43, from GMT Games. I have read about this campaign in the 8 strategic histories I own of the entire war, They often short-change the part about Ukraine in 1943. But, I augment those books with three other books that are all excellent and clearly detail this particular subject.

Col. David Glantz is a pioneer in translating the official Russian military studies from this time period. His first of its kind access to Russian archives resulted in an extraordinary Soviet perspective entitled From the Don to the Dnepr: Soviet Offensive Operations December 1942-August 1943. (1998) It contains previously unknown details about the challenges and the victories of the Soviet commanders immediately after the Battle of Kursk. As such, it ends before the start of The Last Winter but the information is fascinating to me. The Soviets had massive power but they struggled to master it. Once they did (which came later in September and October) they were unstoppable.

George Nipe offered the German side of the situation from after Kursk in July 1943 through August 1943 with his 1996 book, which used Glantz as a reference, Decision in the Ukraine Summer 1943: II SS and III Panzerkorps. Like, Glantz's book, I consider this to be essential reading on the subject. Put these two together and you get a binocular view of this moment of transformation in the war. I treasure both these books.

Prit Buttar published Retribution: The Soviet Reconquest of Central Ukraine 1943 in 2019. Its scope is wider but it is still a superior read, though German-centric. There are some important Soviet details mentioned but they only take up about 20% of the text. Nevertheless, the perspective of the book is wider in the Post-Kursk period. He covers what these other two books cover in about 230 pages and then offers 210 more pages on what happened during the period beginning The Last Winter. The reasons for my interest in that situation can be found in these three books.

They inform my view of the game as I look at that setup. Because of them, I can look at the set ups for the various scenarios in both The Last Winter and Ukraine '43 and marvel at the details of the situation in OCS terms. I am just simply fascinated by it. This is the moment, the first actual moment, that Germany was beaten. They had lost North Africa and Sicily. Italy was successfully invaded. They had lost at sea, their U-Boat campaign was completely beaten by the Allied innovation of radar and learning how to use it. They were losing the war and it was only going to get worse for them as the Soviets began to roll for the first time like a juggernaut.

The Last Winter campaign starts with a fascinating attempt by the Germans to escape across the Dnepr River against Soviet forces that are more numerous and more competent than they used to be. The Soviets are running low on supply but are otherwise kicking ass. The Germans have no prayer of holding land east of the river and yet almost their entire army is on that side, with specific bridges they have to use to get across, racing backwards towards the chokepoints with the Russians at their heels. It is an exciting moment because the Germans can still hit back hard here and there but overall the Soviets have more assets and more supply and can, therefore, do more things than the Germans. Also, there is an obvious deterioration in the power of the average German infantry division at this stage of the war. Too many veterans were dead. The replacements were just not as good, for the most part. So much artillery had been captured by the Soviets that the Germans had to reduce the size of their local batteries to make sure there was enough to go around. I hope to get around to actually playing some of it (on my PC) one day.

After Crimea, MMPGamers produced The Forgotten Battles which features the action in Belorussia during the same period as The Last Winter. It roughly corresponds to Glantz's superb Battle for Belorussia: The Red Army's Forgotten Campaign of October 1943 – April 1944. (2016) This book offers a Soviet-centric perspective that is rewarding to read. The Germans marginally "defeated" the Russians in The Forgotten Battles. But it was a bloody battle of attrition with much less armor than The Last Winter.

The two massive games can be combined with Crimea to produce an impressively detailed treatment of the Eastern Front that I can only admire and explore but will never have time to play as a whole. Still, it makes for a terrific addition of my understanding of the military situation at this time, hence "study game" is the perfect title for this gigantic gaming project. I marvel at the achievement, just as I did years ago, before I started this blog, with Guderian's Blitzkrieg II (2011) and Case Blue (2007) combined, two other excellent OCS games that can be combined into a truly monsterous and insightful experience.

The Last Winter came with a small scenario on the Korsun Pocket for comparatively quick play (which I haven't gotten around to). The Forgotten Battles features a "learning scenario" which I have found time to tinker with over these past few weeks. It is small (smaller than Crimea even) and it only lasts 3 turns, which means I can take in the splendid flavor of OCS mechanics repeatedly with a minimum of fuss.

Which is what this rambling blog post is about. This short scenario features something not found in any other OCS games, plenty of Soviet partisan units. Historically, these irregular units irritated the German rear area particularly in this part of Russia at this time in the war. They blew up rail lines, bridges, made some ambushes in wooded or swampy terrain, and generally made a nuisance of themselves. The Germans had specially trained units to deal with them, which had limited success. No matter what the Nazis did, however, the local militias and bands of escaped prisoners were going to exist and fight them as much as they could. Most of the people of the region secretly supported them.

The first thing to note about this small scenario is that it takes place in frozen weather conditions, February 1944. Two German infantry divisions with a few anti-partisan units and other ad hoc support are defending in the massive swamps of the Pripyat Marshes in western-central Belorussia. Aligned against them are two small armies of the 2nd Belorussian Front featuring the 6th Guard Cavalry Corps, the strongest unit of the map, along with several Soviet infantry divisions and, of course, a half dozen partisan brigades.

The Germans also have two airfields containing three squadrons of aircraft which are actually liabilities rather than assets in this scenario. They are grounded due to the frigid weather and can be destroyed by partisans. This is a great way to incentivize partisan attacks on the airbases. They have a 33% chance of destroying an air squadron, if they can survive the anti-partisan units. In game terms, this will grant victory points (VPs) to the Soviets, so the Germans have to commit themselves to defending the air units, which ties down some of their troops that might be used for other purposes. It is a cool design concept.

Also, because the weather is frozen, the minor river is frozen solid. The Germans are trying to hold this line but now it's as if the river doesn't exist. Except for being slippery, it can be crossed with no movement penalty, the ice is thick. Its defensive value is therefore almost nonexistent. More importantly, the swamps are normally impenetrable for trucks (which is how supply is traced in this scenario) and tanks but when the ground is frozen these units can move across frozen the wetlands, albeit slowly and with limited range. This changes the nature of the German defensive position. Normally, the Soviets have a ton of heavy artillery available but all that is concentrated elsewhere. Here all they have is 6th Guards artillery regiment, with a respectable 18 barrage points.

The Forgotten Battles has a special rule regarding Soviet artillery. Each Soviet Front marker (in this case the 2nd Belorussian Front) may place a "Artillery Ready" anywhere adjacent to a supplied Soviet unit (not necessarily an artillery unit). In this case it allows the 6th Guards mortar regiment to barrage one turn for free. Ordinarily, this would cost almost one-third of the 65th army's limited supply dump. Saving that supply is critical if the Soviets are to continue their attack in subsequent turns and, more importantly in this case, to keep the units in supply and avoid possible losses to attrition. After the barrage, the marker should be placed nine turns ahead before it will be available to be used this way again. In this case, since the scenario lasts only three turns, the marker is simply removed.

Supply is, as always, limited for both sides but the Soviet 65th army starts with a 3SP depot on the map, which is absolutely necessary and not enough. They do not have to fuel any units necessarily but they do have to attack (very precisely due to limited supply) if they are going to win the game. The Germans have limited offensive power and need to save some supply points (SPs) for turn three when they can perhaps make a limited counterattack, if necessary. They control a small city (Gorodok) that has operational value because roads are scarce in the marshes and Gorodok sits on one which blocks a clean supply trace for the infantry covering the Soviet left.

The 6th Guards Cavalry Corps is an excellent formation, clearly the most potent force on the map. The Soviets will attempt to use it to destroy the German garrison in Gorodok. Capturing the city will not only grant them an important VP, just as importantly it will clear the track (rough road) so that their entire line can receive supply. To do that they first have to move the 6th Guards toward the city, except for its tank battalion which remain with the 65th Army HQ to help protect it. (It costs supply to fuel an armored unit for any movement and there is no need to spend that capacity at this point.)

Bombarding with the artillery regiment, they can usually disorganize the garrison unit and its accompanying infantry regiment. This will "soften up" these units, halving their defensive strength. Minus their tank battalion, the Guards themselves muster 23 combat points. This is supplied from the 65th HQ dump as they have no other source. Other Soviet units can potentially equal that attack strength, effectively doubling it. These units are already surrounding Gorodok and can be supplied normally through the chain from 70th Army HQ back along the track back to 2nd Belorussian Front marker. Gorodok is considered "very close" terrain for combat purposes since it is minor city. This means that, more than likely, a Soviet unit will have to be eliminated to force the defending Germans to lose a unit. In this case, an average or better dice roll will eliminate the garrison unit (which cannot retreat) and force the supporting infantry to retreat.

The Soviets advance into Gorodok. They will get 1 VP if they can hold it at the end of the scenario. VPs are not awarded for destroying the garrison, however. And the Soviets can take their required loss out of one of the infantry divisions supporting the 6th Guards attack. The scenario awards one-half a VP for the elimination of every two partisan units, every German regimental step (or a grounded air squadron) and every Soviet cavalry division (infantry doesn't count). So the immediate net for the attack is zero since no German regiment or Soviet cavalry were eliminated. It is of far more operational importance that the capture of Gorodok opens up supply trace to the 65th Army HQ which allows the Soviets to maintain supply to their entire line.

Now, its time for the partisans to do whatever they are going to do the first turn. Partisans are not allowed to enter enemy zones of control which protects one air base, garrisoned by a lowly battalion of various men from the eastern provinces, people who hated the Soviet Union and joined the German side. They aren't good for much but they are good enough to keep partisans away. The other base is not so lucky, however. It is garrisoned by a hastily organized anti-tank "alert" battalion which can only defend, not attack. This means the partisan brigade immediately to the south may advance through the swamp adjacent to the base and attempt to destroy an air squadron. This succeeds about one-third of the time. Let's assume success. This gives the Soviets another one-half of a victory point.

The Russians will take it. VPs are hard to come by and you need 2 more than your opponent to win this game. After just this small bit of fighting, supply is greatly reduced on the Soviet side (this cavalry/infantry attack on Gorodok cost about 1.5 SPs even without having to pay the artillery cost). The victory point totals currently at +.5 for the Soviets for the eliminated Luftwaffe squadron and a potential +1 VP for the Soviets capturing Gorodok. This would result in a "draw" in game terms.

Now it is the German's turn. The loss of Gorodok is a big deal. It opens up the supply situation to the entire Soviet line. It also makes for 1.5 VPs for the Soviets versus 0 VP for the Germans. The Soviets are only a half-point from winning the game. The Germans can now shrink that VP difference by eliminating a bunch of partisans and/or retaking Gorodok (or killing a cavalry division, thus encouraging them to attack). But the former is easier to accomplish than the latter.

The German anti-partisan units are powerful against the irregular Soviet units. They get a fat combat bonus against partisans and, perhaps more importantly, cost no SPs for attacking them. But, while not strong, the partisans are strong enough to hold their own against all the anti-partisan units except for the 9th Security division which will usually win any action. The only question is whether it can eliminate the unit or simply force it to retreat. Also, the kill rate on the partisan units is rather high. They often wipe themselves out killing off a partisan band. Still, it's worth doing. The Soviets score zero VPs for dead German anti-partisan units while the Germans get their one-half VP for the partisan loss, it doesn't retreat.

In general terms, the partisan warfare depicted in this game reflects the challenges of eliminating these types of units. The Germans can find them and attack them but they usually are just forced to retreat. Typically, the Germans can eliminate one partisan per turn. Since it takes two losses to count, this usually results in only one German VP for these operations by the end of the scenario. This is enough to offset the loss of Gorodok but not enough to win the game for the Germans. Of course, other German units can attack them as well or, better, combine their force with the anti-partisan attacks to better ensure success. But still, this will only result in possibly another VP. This would make the game a draw unless the Soviets did more damage. Which they certainly can in the slow-moving but defenseless terrain.

Meanwhile, the Soviets usually consolidate their positions on the second turn to allow a little stockpiling of SPs for the final turn. The same is true on the German side. So that the game usually comes down to the final turn, with a slight edge to the Soviets, depending on dice rolls, of course. Typically, in my repeated play, the scenario results in a draw or a close Soviet victory.

The Soviets can almost always take Gorodok on the first turn, barring really bad dice rolls. Even then, they can take it on the second turn, but it creates a much bigger problem in that case because the 65th Army must burn its SPs to keep the Soviet infantry in their left flank from running out of supply and likely being eliminated through attrition. That doesn't give the Germans any VPs (those only come from eliminating partisans and cavalry divisions) but I don't feel right playing it out and just letting those infantry units die on the map. It is sometimes necessary for the "greater good," however. As in real life, operational decisions often involve trade-offs in order to accomplish your goals. OCS is unmatched in giving you the feel for these sorts of things.

This scenario is an exciting brain puzzle that offers the grand flavor of OCS in a context that is not usually explored. I have enjoyed playing it an hour here and there over the past weeks and ruminating over the larger setups in The Forgotten Battles, as well as reviewing the books I've mentioned. This is truly a tremendous accomplishment in the wargame world, especially for people like me who are Eastern Front aficionados. It is also a nice break from the other things that take up my days right now.

I have enjoyed playing OCS since it was introduced in the early 1990's. I plan to continue to support its new East Front games as they teach me things I did not know and serve as the perfect companion to my library of books on the subject. Hero City is supposedly the next installment, dealing with the liberation of Leningrad and the resulting retreat of Army Group North. It is another fascinating situation, fighting a defensive withdrawal under heavy pressure, and I look forward to the OCS treatment of it. It should be out in a couple of years.

(Written without AI assistance.)