“The Battle of the Western Kuban” Scenario

Document version 16

Dates and Times

History

Fight for the Kuban

By the spring of 1943, replenished from the disastrous losses of 1941 and heartened by the victory at Stalingrad, the Red Air Force stepped up efforts to challenge Axis air superiority on the Eastern Front. This included a series of major air battles over the southern Kuban River. The air campaign, lasting between April and June 1943, became a turning point in the battle for the Caucasus. The Luftwaffe, looking to use its numerical superiority and traditional tactical edge to its advantage, planned to swiftly destroy local Red Air Force assets before turning its attention to ground support missions.

Axis forces, consisting of about 1,200 aircraft, including the Luftwaffe’s mainstay BF-109 and FW-190 fighters and He-111, Ju-87 bombers and Ju-88 multirole combat aircraft, matched up against an assorted collection of Soviet and lend-lease Red Air Force planes, including LaGG-3, La-5, Yak-1, Yak-7B, P-39 Airacobra, P-40E Kittyhawk and British Spitfire MK.V fighters, and Pe-2, Il-2, and Il-4 bombers and ground attack aircraft.

The Aces High Scenario team will be reenacting the battles that took place over the Kuban River southwest of Stalingrad in this heart pounding and fast action packed thriller the Battles of the Western Kuban.  It will involve air combat, bomber intercept, escort, and ground attack.

Main Rules

Map

Victory Conditions

If a side fails to do this in the frame, it will get no points at all for that frame:

Points in a frame:

Each frame will be scored separately, with victory going to the side with the most points.  The final winner is the side that has won the most frames.

Note for clarity:  “3 points for each level bomber that destroys at last one hangar in a Mission” means that if a bomber pilot goes up in a Mission and destroys 1 hangar, he gets 3 points.  If he destroys 2 or 3 hangars in that same Mission, he still gets only 3 points.  Likewise for the other points and objects.  Thus, for bomber pilots, once you destroy one hangar and one city or town building in your Mission, you are at max points (4 points); for attack pilots, once you destroy one bunker and one gun in your Mission, you are at max points (1.33); and for Il-2 and Ju 87 pilots, once you destroy one bunker in your Mission, you are at max points (0.25).

Valid Targets

The following are Valid Targets, including all the ground guns, buildings, bunkers, and hangars upon them.  Attacks on any other targets or objects upon any other locations do not count for scoring.

Each frame:

Allied Order of Battle

VVS Units (24 fighters, 6 attack, 6 bombers = 36 total)

Unit Name

Aircraft Type

No. of Seats

244th Bomber Aviation Regiment

Douglas Boston III

6

13th Guards Bomber Regiment

Douglas A-20G Havoc

6

16th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment

P-39Q Airacobra

6

1st Guards Fighter Regiment

Yak-7B

6

3rd Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment

La-5FN

6

57th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment

Supermarine Spitfire V

6

Active Fields: V105, V111, V84, A4, A144 (except that level bombers not enabled at vbases).  Note that vbases can be challenging to take off from and land at -- please practice.

If allied fields look to be capped or about to be capped in judgement of allied side CM, the allied side CM may enable flight from a69.

Ordnance:

Axis Order of Battle

Luftwaffe Units (24 fighters, 6 attack, 6 bombers = 36 total)

Unit Name

Aircraft Type

No. of Seats

III/KG 51

JU88A-4

6

II/ZG 1

BF110G-2

6

II/SchG 1

FW190A-5

6

II/JG 52 

Bf109G-2

6

III/JG 52

Bf109G-2

6

13 (Slovak) JG/52

Bf109G-2

6

Active Fields: A65, V85, V83, V106, A68 (except that level bombers not enabled at vbases).  Note that vbases can be challenging to take off from and land at -- please practice.

If axis fields look to be capped or about to be capped in judgement of axis side CM, the axis side CM may enable flight from a16.

Ordnance:

Moving Around Pilots

CO's may split fighter groups up into separate flights and send them on separate missions as they see fit.

CO's may assign walkons as they see fit up to the limit of slots available.

CO's may move registered pilots to different aircraft if the registered pilots are willing.  But if a registered pilot wants to keep the plane he is registered for, he must be allowed to stay in that plane.

Settings

Terrain.  blksea

Wind. 45 mph downwind at 20k.

Clouds. Scattered Clouds

Radar and Sector Counters. No dot radar.  Sector counters above 1000 ft.
Radar ownership outside of map area should be set so that those bases’ radar do not encroach on enemy territory.  Some of those outlying bases may need to be set to rook to accomplish that.

ArenaFlags = 13358

BomberWarningRange = 15,840 (3 miles)

CommunicationFlags = 3

CountryChangeTime = (no changing of countries once started)

ExitWhileMoving = 508

FighterWarningRange = 15,840 (3 miles)

FlightModeFlags = 5248

FuelBurnRateMult = 1.0

GroundAutoLethality[Armored] = 0.15

GroundAutoLethality[Hard] = 0.15

GroundAutoLethality[Soft] = 0.15

RadarMode = 400 (Disable Friendly Counters, Counters Above Radar, Range Based Counters)

SectorCounterAlt = 1000

SectorCounterRange = 211,200 (40 miles)

TowerBasedRadarRange = 211,200 (40 miles)

StratFlags = 1
WarningFlags[rook] = 0 (no base flashing for rook bases)

Arm auto gun, down time = 5

Auto gun, down time = 5 

Bmbr hgr, hardness = 2, down time = 5 

Bunk ammo, hardness = 0.5, down time = 5

Bunk barracks, hardness = 0.5, down time = 5

Bunk fuel, hardness = 0.5, down time = 5

Bunk radar, hardness = 0.5, down time = 1

Ftr hgr, hardness = 2, down time = 5

Gun bat, down time = 5

Gun bat armor, down time = 5

Gun bat soft, down time = 5

Hard auto gun, down time = 5

Hard gun bat, down time = 5

Town, down time = 5

Veh hgr, hardness = 2, downtime = 5

MOTD

Welcome to the Scenario "The Battle of the Western Kuban"!

To play, please show up at 3 pm Eastern on Saturday.

If you are not registered, you are welcome to play,

but please stay in country Rook until you are assigned

to a side.

Fighter pilots get two lives. Bomber and attack pilots get

three lives. Each pilot will have access to two additional

lives in a Ju 87D-3 or IL-2 Type 3 after using up primary

lives.

You use up a life if you die, crash, ditch, bail, or exit

your plane with anything other than a "landed successfully".

If you need back into the locked arena, type ".p brooke

let me in" into any text buffer.  Then try to come in

even if the arena says its locked.

Historical Context

The Kuban Bridgehead (German: Kuban-Brückenkopf), also known as the "Goth's head position" (German: Gotenkopfstellung), was a German position on the Taman Peninsula, Russia, between the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea. Existing from January to October 1943, the Bridgehead formed after the Germans were pushed out of the Caucasus. The heavily fortified position was intended as a staging area for the Wehrmacht which was to be used to renew attacks towards the oil wells of the Caucasus. The bridgehead was abandoned when the Red Army breached the Panther–Wotan line, forcing an evacuation of the German forces across the Kerch Strait to Crimea.

Case Blue (Fall Blau), launched 28 June 1942, saw Army Group South divided into two Army Groups, Army Group A and Army Group B, the former participating in the Battle of the Caucasus. Throughout the operation the German situation especially that of Army Group B centered on Stalingrad began to deteriorate.  As Army Group B began collapsing in the North, Army Group A quickly found itself at risk of being flanked. It was forced to abandon its task of securing the oilfields of the Caspian, and began withdrawing down the Terek River toward the Taman Peninsula.

Following the encirclement of the 6th Army at Stalingrad, Army Group A withdrew towards the Black Sea and Crimea. The 17th Army, commanded by Richard Ruoff and Erwin Jaenecke, constructed a defensive position across the Kuban River delta in the Taman Peninsula, which was completed in January 1943. The main, first defense line started by Novorossiysk and run roughly northwards all the way across the peninsula. Consisting of 5 defense lines, the total depth of the defense area was up to 60 km.  German forces, moving from positions along the Terek River, fully occupied the new defensive network in February 1943 while under constant attack by the Red Army . The bridgehead, originally intended to provide a staging area for future attempts to gain control of the Caspian oil fields, was re-tasked on 3 September 1943, as the German situation on the Eastern Front continued to deteriorate. The Kuban Bridgehead then served to evacuate German forces as the withdrawal of Army Group South to the Dneiper Line had become inevitable.

The first defenses of the Kuban Bridgehead were breached on September 15–16, 1943 in the area of Novorossiysk during the Novorossiysk-Taman Operation (ru) of the Soviet North Caucasian Front.The Taman Peninsula was completely cleared of German forces on 9 October 1943.

The defense of the Kuban Bridgehead permitted the evacuation of 239,699 soldiers, 16,311 wounded, 27,456 civilians (nearly all Russian population of Novorossiysk able to work), 115,477 tonnes of supplies (including ammunition), 21,230 motor vehicles, 74 tanks, 1,815 guns, and 74,657 horses to the Crimea.[citation needed] The Luftwaffe, operating from a field airport at Slavyansk-na-Kubani, withdrew a further 15,661 men.[citation needed] Transportation over the narrowest point of the strait, measuring four kilometers, was done by Marinefährprahm ferry barges and a sea cableway. A combined road and rail bridge was constructed, but was destroyed shortly before completion in October 1943.

The Taman bridgehead - 1943

On 26 May 1943 the Soviets launched their fourth attack, with the main thrust on the direction of Krimskaya and Anapa. 6 infantry divisions and 3 tank brigades were concentrated between Kyevskoe and Moldovanskoe and these forces managed to make a breach 5 km deep. They were stopped on the line between Svoboda, Gogolia, Noviy, Sadoviy and Pobeda,but they had taken the villages Samsonovskiy, Tambulovskiy, Podgorniy, Arnautsky, Palmenskiy and Hill 121. The Axis counterattack threw them back 2 km and retook Podgorniy, Arnautsky and Hill 121. The following day, the Red Army restarted its attacks in the sector, but with little success. By 4 June, they had only managed to reoccupy Hill 121.

The 19th Infantry Division had been reintroduced in the first line, but its combat effectiveness had dropped, because the replacements it had received were inexperienced. It was again broken into smaller pieces and assigned to several German units: to the 97th Division went the 1st Battalion/96th Infantry Regiment; to the 101st Division went the 2nd Battalion/95th Infantry Regiment, 94th Infantry Regiment, 19th Light Infantry Battalion, 2nd and 3rd Battalions/37th Artillery Regiment; to the 79th Infantry Division went the 2nd Battalion/96th Infantry Regiment, 19th Recon Group, 19th Pioneer Battalion, 994th Independent Infantry Battalion, 1st and 2nd Battalions/42nd Artillery Regiment. The 1st Battalion/96th Infantry Regiment and 2nd Battalion/95th Infantry Regiment were on the main direction of the Soviet assault and suffered many casualties, being reduced to one company each after the fighting on 26 and 27 May. In the repulse of the enemy attack also distinguished themselves the 94th Infantry Regiment and the 37th Artillery Regiment.

The 3rd Mountain Division was also broken into several parts, which were assigned different German units: the 5th, 11th and 12th Battalions and the artillery to the 79th Infantry Division and the remaining 6th, 21st and 22nd Battalions to the 9th Infantry Division. The latter did not take part in the fighting, but the 6th Mountain Battalion suffered heavy casualties from Soviet artillery fire and aerial bombardments.

The Cavalry Corps had under its command the 10th Infantry Division and 9th Cavalry Division, which were deployed on the seaside. The 6th Cavalry Division (without the 5th Calarasi Regiment and the 2nd Battalion/4th Horse Artillery Regiment, which were assigned to the 10th Infantry Division) and the 38th Infantry Regiment were subordinated to the German 4th Mountain Division.

After 4 June 1943, the fighting decreased in intensity and changes could be made in the Axis ranks. The 10th Infantry Division replaced the 19th in the frontline. The latter was sent on the seaside, near Anapa. The 3rd Mountain Division was retreated to Crimea, where it assumed defensive positions between Ak Monay and Bulganak (in the Kerch Peninsula). The 1st Mountain Division was brought in the Kuban and, on 28 June, it took over the line from Adamovichia to 8 km north of it. It had the 2nd and 3rd Mountain Battalions, the 37th and 137th AT Battery, the 186th German Infantry Regiment, the 3rd Battalion/213th German Infantry Regiment. The 1st Mountain Battalion was in reserve and the artillery support was provided by the 1st Battalion/4th Artillery Regiment and 2nd and 4th Battalions/175th German Artillery Regiment. The 23rd Mountain Battalion was subordinated to the German 213th Infantry Regiment (replacing the battalion this regiment gave the division), while the 4th and 24th Mountain Battalions and the 1st Mounted Vanatori Squadron were in the reserve of the German 9th Infantry Division. The 3rd Battalion/4th Artillery Regiment was at Nova Bakanskaya, also under the command of the 9th Division.

The Red Army launched its fifth offensive on 16 July. They managed to obtain only small gains in the sector between Moldovanskoe and Kyevskoe and were later repulsed to the starting positions, by the counter-attacks mounted by the German and Romanian troops.

In the Neberdshayevskaya – Dolgaye Mountain sector, the 1st, 23rd and 24th Mountain Battalions distinguished themselves especially between 24 and 30 July. The 23rd Battalion was stretched over a line 4.8 km long, between Neberdshayevskaya – 1 km SW Hill 352. Gen. Vasiliu-Rascanu, the CO of the 1st Mountain Division, decided to shorten its line by introducing the 1st Mountain Battalion in the front line. Thus one company was made available and was supposed to be used as a reserve. But the commander of the German 213th Regiment considered that the area was not suitable for a Soviet offensive (difficult, wooded terrain) and relocated this small reserve. The attack of the Soviet 9th and 83rd Mountain Divisions (from the 56th Army) started early on 24 July, with the support of 15 artillery battalions. After four hours of heavy combat against a superior foe and lacking reserves, the battalion had to retreat towards Hill 352. The German command assembled a force of 8 battalions (including the Romanian 24th Mountain Battalion) to counter-attack, but this action failed. The German command in charge of the sector (Group Bünau) tried to put the blame for failure on the “poor morale and determination” of the Romanian troops. The reply from gen. Vasiliu-Rascanu came quickly and it signalled the mistakes made by the Germans, the use of Romanian units on fronts longer than their possibilities to defend efficiently and criticized the “corseting” system they used with the Romanian units. The German command went as far as taking companies away from battalions and relocating them. This led to the worsening of the morale of these units, which felt isolated and even abandoned by their original commanders.

In the bridgehead south of Novorosiysk, two Soviet battalions breached the position of the 5th Calarasi Regiment (from the 6th Cavalry Division) and took a hill north on Mountain Mishako. Between 22 and 28 July the Romanians tried several times to recapture it, but failed in front of the powerful and determined defence. A German attack had the same result. The regiment lost 50% of the officers and NCOs and 24% of the soldiers. On the other hand, the rest of the 6th Cavalry Division managed to hold its position, the 3rd Squadron/9th Rosiori Regiment, under the command of cpt. Niculescu, distinguished itself during those days.

In the Moldovanskoe and Kyevskoe sectors, the Soviets made little progress and were later pushed back to the starting positions by the German-Romanian counterattacks. On the Kurka Channel there were only two small attacks, both of which were repulsed.

Taking advantage of the pause in the Soviet actions, the 6th Cavalry Division was replaced in the first line by the 4th Mountain Division and sent to Crimea for rest. The 3rd Dive Bomber Group, equipped with Ju-87D3s and D5s, was dispatched to Kerch, from where it supported the operations of the German and Romanian forces in the Taman bridgehead.

References  

Credits

Originator:  Krupinski

Designer:  AKWarHwk

Host CM:  Brooke

Allied CM:  AKWarHwk (BB Swareiam)

Axis CM:  Ditto (BB KCDitto)
Axis CO:  Perdweeb (BB perdue3)
Allied CO:  Dantoo

Change Log

12/27/2017: Incremented to revision 2.

1/1/2018: Incremented to revision 3.

1/2/2018: Incremented to revision 4.

        1/6/2018: Incremented to revision 5.

        1/7/2018:  Incremented to revision 6.

        1/8/2018:  Incremented to revision 7.

1/12/2018:  Incremented to revision 8.

        

        1/14/2018:  Incremented to revision 9.

1/14/2018:  Incremented to revision 9.1.

v10, 1/15/2018

v11, 1/16/2018

v12, 1/19/2018

v13, 1/27/2018

v14, 2/7/2018

v15, 2/11/2018

v16, 2/12/2018