Sturm und Drang : Allied Perspective

[gwgardner]

US: The strategic bombing campaign continues, but with heavy losses to material and crew on our side as well as on the enemy's. It will take some analysis of the enemy's own stats to determine, in the end, whether he thinks the loss of approx. 30 - 50 PPs a turn have really damaged his efforts. From out standpoint, those losses inflicted on the enemy have to be weighed against the extremely high cost of the bombers and replacements.

[A smart player, using the bombers judiciously, can make them cost-effective, I think. I however am NOT a smart player, and managed to lose one entire strategic bomber fleet through bone-headed mismanagement.]

[gwgardner]

[a post-mortem on the recent disasters on the Eastern Front: I did a couple of things ... uh ... odd. 1) I declared war on Germany and Romania, being bored with the wait for action. At first I thought that worked out well, but the Axis recovered very quickly and stabalized the front after losing only two cities. 2) I built a front by pouring PPs into infantry upgrades, putting effectively elite units on the front line. 3) I spent quite a bit on research. I now have level four armor and infantry, early '42)

What I should have done, in retrospect (and what I will try next time and will try here on out in this game), is to man the front with many cheap infantry and trade space for time - falling back into the vast reaches of Russia - meanwhile spending PPs on developing a few guards units and some armor.

A look at the first AAR between Chuck and I will show that he did the latter.

Oh well, live and learn.]

[gwgardner]

mid-summer '43

Why has it been so long since I posted, nobody asks. Primarily due to embarrassment at the mess I've made of this game. I tend to dwell on my mistakes, as opposed to the superior play of Chuck. No doubt about it, he's got his act together in mastering RtV. I keep thinking, hmmh, I learned from that, maybe next time I'll give him a better run. We'll see.

For now:

The mud and snow seasons have passed with the Eastern front fairly static. Lots of reconnaissance probing by both sides, as we maintained arm's length.

I think the Germans were in a position to drive deep into the USSR, and probably take both Leningrad and Moscow, but inexplicably, Chuck went into winter quarters early and stayed that way. I lost all anxiety about a push east, when my reconnaissance showed that he has dispersed his humongous armored force all along the front.

So, i had time. For what? Trying to build upon my musings from a previous post, my post-mortem of my mistaken strategy, I decided to

1) build a screen of light infantry divisions with approx 1/4 of my PPs each turn, use them essentially as picket forces to determine if and where the Germans might make another big push;
2) keep my large reserve of relatively strong infantry corps intact behind the light screen, with some effort at concentration north and south, so that I could use them for my own push should the opportunity arise, or to keep his armor from making deep thrusts if he did concentrate them again;
3) rebuild my air force. In two games now with Chuck I have gone all or nothing with the air. I now think it's always necessary to contest the air on defense, and definitely necessary on the offense.
4) build my own armored force and maneuver them as a unit as a force of opportunity.

So now mid'43 I have done all of the above. I now have 5 armored corps, from level 2 to 4. 4 air armies, level 2. My constant probing of his lines identified one area where I thought his defenses were poorly set - around Odessa. He held the city, but a stretch of the front north of the city was held by Italian units. I determined to hit him at that point north of the city, hope for a breakthrough and surround of the German forces holding the city. The closest large German unit to the proposed area of battle was a lone armored corps 400 miles north.

Concentrating all my air and armor, I launched the attack as shown. My advance across the Dneister showed that the Italians had a defense in depth, so it was unlikely I would be able to cut off Odessa. I therefore resolved to do as much damage as possible before he marshalled a rescue, and then to retreat to the prepared defenses. that is exactly how things have gone. I did relatively little damage in the end - destroyed one German infantry corps, one Italian, and took Odessa.

One turn after this screenshot, I am back in my original lines, leaving Odessa for him to retake. I had planned an amphibious assault by light infantry in conjunction with my assault, but never had the opportunity to use it. So in the end I decided to use it as a harassment commando force, landed it south along the coast in Romania, and marched its depleted force across to the oil fields. I took them, but will of course be ousted from their control on the next turn. Some PP loss to him for the cost of more PPs to me! (is there a pattern there?)

[gwgardner]

In the west, the British are still licking their wounds and searching about for some, ANY, strategy that might offer some hope of success. The only thing suitable at the moment is to offer aid to the USSR - 80 PPs per turn. No attempt to rebuild the navy. Attached is a screenshot of the ENTIRE Royal Navy. (Yeah, I really, really blew it - and saying that, I tip my hat to Chuck, who was totally prepared to take advantage through superior play, of my mistakes.)

The US is doing what it should have done much earlier - steadily build an invasion force of air, land, airborne. Now that the US navy has been destroyed along with that of the UK, we only have one invasion area possible to us: Le Havre.

Of course, the enemy knows that too.

[gwgardner]

A change of tactics on the part of the Germans. He has advanced two strong armored spearheads towards my front on the north and south. I will continue to retreat from such engagements. In this case, I am still not alarmed, and see a possibility that it will play into my own tactics, which is to find a point of opportunity to strike with my own armored column. Possibly just north of the Pripets.

[Chocolino]

Very nice trap you have set for poor old Germany. (Albion is not the only perfidious nation around or so it seems). Cannot wait to see how it will develop....

[gwgardner]

Fall '43

The offensive of opportunity north of the Pripets was a draw, as was the earlier offensive towards Odessa. Early gains, followed by a quick German reaction, and a Russian withdrawal.

One thing this period of jousting seems to show: the Axis has determinedly gone on the strategic defensive in Russia. They have had every opportunity to advance, but have not done so for a year.

Therefore, the general staff has decided it is time to begin a sustained offensive. With known concentrations of German armor in central and southern Russia, and with reconnaissance showing a strong but thin line of German infantry guarding Lithuania, we will reposition the Red Air Force and the entirety of our armor in Estonia/Latvia, and drive south. Objectives: Riga, and a forced withdrawal of German forces in the North.

This offensive will be timed to start at the same time that the Western Allies launch their invasion of France.

[Joshuatree]

"This offensive will be timed to start at the same time that the Western Allies launch their invasion of France"
 
Your wily opponent will suffer from a heartattack if he realizes what is about to happen to his forces. Storm unleashed on the East Front and a dastardly attack in France... tension sure is rising. Can't wait to see his reaction.

[gwgardner]

He'll be surprised, maybe, but I have a feeling he'll be prepared. He has been able to spend approx. 6000 PPs in the last 20 turns of inaction. Yes, I have been able to spend more, but you know it all comes down to Le havre in the West. He really only has to seriously defend that. Without a navy, I don't see how I could sustain an invasion of France without taking that one port.

I will have to engage in a couple of feints to draw some forces away from there.

[jjdenver]

You wrote:
"What I should have done, in retrospect (and what I will try next time and will try here on out in this game), is to man the front with many cheap infantry and trade space for time - falling back into the vast reaches of Russia - meanwhile spending PPs on developing a few guards units and some armor."

I've only played Russia vs the AI into early 42. Does Russia get actual guards units that they can build later on?

If you face the Germans with level 2 infantry (divisions or corps?) won't he just blow through you - costing you even more PP's in the long run than if you opposed him with level 3 or 4 corps? It seems more efficient to use max level units - can you explain your thinking more?

[gwgardner]

ORIGINAL: jjdenver

You wrote:
"What I should have done, in retrospect (and what I will try next time and will try here on out in this game), is to man the front with many cheap infantry and trade space for time - falling back into the vast reaches of Russia - meanwhile spending PPs on developing a few guards units and some armor."

I've only played Russia vs the AI into early 42. Does Russia get actual guards units that they can build later on?

If you face the Germans with level 2 infantry (divisions or corps?) won't he just blow through you - costing you even more PP's in the long run than if you opposed him with level 3 or 4 corps? It seems more efficient to use max level units - can you explain your thinking more?

I used the 'guards' designation to refer to the 4-4 and 5-4 corps that are buildable at level 3 artillery research. The system does not provide any such units by event, but 500 PP do become available to represent Siberian troops.

Yes, the 2-5 infantry will get blown away, so one has to maintain proper distance from the enemy. I have tried to stay five hexes away, so that if the enemy brings up their 4-4 corps, they will not be able to attack - no more action points left. If one follows the defensive tactics I have used for the last year in the game, the occasional 2-5 gets picked off. But by being quick to fallback, such losses are held to a minimum, and there is little opportunity for the Germans to encircle other units.

Of course, as I adopted this tactic in the last year of the game, Chuck pretty much went on defensive too, so it remains to be see if this tactic would work in '41, for instance.

The tactic assumes that at some point, at the gates of Leningrad, Moscow, and Stalingrad, the Russians would have enough corps built up and enough armor to be able to hold.

In '41, I would also have a strong corps in each city with a couple of other units around it. These would not fall back, but would stay and eventually die. It's what the AI does on Russian defense, and it is at least effective in delaying the German advance. Every city has to be taken, else the German advance halts. I've seen the AI hold out for a couple of months, under siege, given the fact that the game allows reinforcements into such sieges. So a 4-4 in a city can't be taken by a bunch of 1-5 Bulgarians in a siege immediately.

The alternative defense - which I tried in this game earlier - was to use max strength units on the front line and hold on for life - I used so many PPs doing that that I couldn't build armor or air, and couldn't blunt the German assault when it did come with overwhelming armor.

[gwgardner]

In consultation with the Russians, who are prepared to launch their Winter Offensive within a week, the Western Allies determined that it was an ideal time to launch their invastion of France. Without extensive naval support, the invasion would depend on paratroop assault, and the capture of Le Havre would be critical. Paratroop forces under Generals Montgomery, Marshall, Clark, and Eisenhower were responsible for taking Le Havre. The 31st Armored Corp under the command of Patton would be responsible for holding it.

[gwgardner]

[Note: I am uncertain why the armored corps transported in to Le Havre at 25% effectiveness.  Anyone know why?  There was no reported naval action related to it.]

[Chocolino]

Congratulations to your well executed airborne assault.

If you transport by sea forces into a newly occupied harbor during the same turn it was conquered, for some reason it gives you a penalty. IIRC, it can also be a real strength loss, not just an effectiveness reduction. If you can wait a turn with the sea transport, you avoid this. But in a tensely contested area, you may not have the time to do so.

[gwgardner]

UK and US:

Expansion of the Allied foodhold on the soil of France continues apace. We were able to bring in three more corps of armored, mechanized, and infantry forces, and parachuted in another division to ensure that we could hold on to the salient across the Seine south of Le Havre.

Unfortunately, the valient British paratroop division on the southeast flank of our lodgment has been unable to withdraw back into safer lines, and we were unable to reinforce it. We are expecting that the strong German panzer units that are marshalled around Paris will push forward and engage the British paratroopers, and probably inflict total destruction.

We are aided by the polyglot nature of the enemy forces, which will seriously hinder the coordination of the Axis defense in the whole area. If we can bring in another four or even five corps in the next month, we think we will be able to hold against any Axis counterattack.

The toll on the British and American air forces has been heavy, and it is doubtful of there will be much air cap or air ground support until replacements are completed.

[gwgardner]

Russia: General Zhukov himself leads the Winter Offensive launched from Estonia today. We are throwing everything into this effort, and there is no intention to draw back in face of the expected German counterattack.

Employing paratroopers for the first time in a Red Army action, we were able to take Riga behind the German front lines. Simultaneously, two massive concentrations of armor have broken through, destroying two German infantry corps. Our own guards infantry are on the move to support the advance, with the hope of collapsing the German front in Latvia, and forcing the enemy to fall back south of Riga, and to pull whole sections of his army back from central Russia.

We are fully cognizant of the incredibly powerful German armored forces that will be brought to bear against the offensive. It remains to be seen if we have the staying power to maintain whatever gains we achieve.

[gwgardner]

April '44

In the west, we have brought three more US infantry corps into France. Seeing an opportunity to encircle two enemy armored corps, we made the decision to shift the focus of the advance to the west. Unfortunately that meant giving up some of the gains made towards Paris. It will be worth it, if it means the loss of two enemy panzer corps.

More risky, we have been unable to withdraw our paratroop divisions, and they are still vulnerable to a counterattack.

[gwgardner]

In the East:

The Winter Offensive, having achieved it's first goals, has become the Spring Offensive. Continued attempts to disrupt the enemy front line and force withdrawals are underway.

In consultation with the Western Allies, the Russian High Command is mystified by the disappearance of the Luftwaffe. Two Italian air fleets were active on the Western front, but have evidently been withdrawn.

[gwgardner]

The situation on the Eastern Front continues to develop:

[gwgardner]

June '44

In the West, The US continues to slowly build up forces. The Germans have not seemed to have pulled out many forces from the East to defend in France.

In the East, the Spring Offensive has continued on into early summer. The Red Air Force has complete air superiority, and that is making possible the continued breakthroughs that have forced the German front back.