Concentrating all my Panzer armies for the Spring offensive in the north begins to show good results. This turn there were no Russian counter attacks except airstrikes, which have a punch when he attacks with 400 bombers and 200 fighters. But I was surprised that Marshall M. allowed me to pocket another 15 units. This turn I killed 3 pocketed rifle divisions and altogether 15 units are already isolated (3 in Vitebsk and 12 in the northern pockets). All together the pockets contain 30 units, only one of them might break out. So I guess he will loose about 3 armies including the units already killed. But still this is only a minor pain for him considering his 7,5 million men army. I guess Stalin wouldn't even interrupt his breakfast if he learned that he lost 300K men.
My spearheads are now 10 miles from Velikie Luki and that is something like a positive surprise for me after that really bad Russian winter offensive. My army is still under 3 million men, but it is growing slowly.
On the map I marked the starting frontline at the begin of my offensive. I am actually quite happy about the progress. Maybe we will even be able to get Smolensk back.
I wish my opponent would have attacked during the blizzard, that would have made it some what easier for me to get started again. Right now it is a grind against level 4 forts everywhere.
Trust me - you are better off without that. Many of my divisions have less than 8K men and my some Panzer divs have less than 40 tanks. Also my morale is much worse than in 41 in many units. Only by winning battles, resting and refitting often I can bring it up again.
Are you planning to stop at a decent defensive line and then have a go in the South?
I have to be very opportunistic now. I the south he has strong fortifications all over the place. But I think he is trying to fill the empty space I left in the center. That could be my next point of attack, because his forts won't be that strong yet.
I just got turn 51 back from my opponent and I think I have to stop all offensive operations right away and start digging for the rest of the game. I think the combat mechanics make it quite hard for the German player to mont any kind of a meaningful offensive after the Blizzard. (Look at 2nd ACR's AAR - he was not even attacked during the Blizzard and still has a very hard time). In 4 Russian counter attacks (all of them succeeded) I lost 200 tanks and about 18000 men, more than a fully equipped Panzer division. The retreat losses are killing me. Historically there were successful counterattacks, but German mobile units were able to retreat without loosing half of their vehicles. Some of the battles were in clear terrain and only rifle divisions were attacking. Still the tanks got hammered. And all of the divisions under attack had green morale indicators. Anybody out there with an opinion? Is this realistic or not. Maybe it is - because I was beaten up so badly in the winter.
Another thing I noticed was that my air force was completely absent in 3 of the 4 battles although I have 150 fighters about 110 miles away.
Just wow. The one thing that stands out is how weak the German tank strength is. (And these battles did not help at all).
I would be curious as to what shape you were in supply/ammo wise, etc and also see if a more detailed report is available to see exactly what the Russians are using to cause all the losses (artillery? AT guns? engineers?)
Looking like the game is stacked pretty heavily against the Axis in terms of balance at the moment.
Just wow. The one thing that stands out is how weak the German tank strength is. (And these battles did not help at all).
I would be curious as to what shape you were in supply/ammo wise, etc and also see if a more detailed report is available to see exactly what the Russians are using to cause all the losses (artillery? AT guns? engineers?)
Looking like the game is stacked pretty heavily against the Axis in terms of balance at the moment.
All my units were fully supplied and had close to 50 movement points before they took those hexes they lost in the very next turn.
Sorry to see you have to suffer through what I have and others too will against a competent sov player. I faced almost all same issues and odd bugs (axis armaments). I was able to eliminate 4.5 million sov before spr 42, but was still faced with 7 million sov and lines of 3-4 hexes of fort 4. I used all decent inf to break through the sov lines to uses mobile units, but no dice. I was getting hammered back at almost each hex gained by 5-8 sov corps size units.
The key deal breakers for me playing axis again until changes (not sure beta 3 will have enough):
- too easy for sov units to continue to move east and conserve strength
- blizzard is too harsh on axis units from a defensive mod aspect (i.e. entrenched, supplied, good supply line units should receive a reduction to blizzard mods for def)
- sov air frame prod is nutz and wrong (in my game by spr 42 sov af was 15k - not buying the logic they were all inferior as I saw the planes I was losing to the 'inferior' sov planes)
- by the time axis can attack in 6-7/42 after recovering from blizzard, sov player can have multiple lines of fort 3-4 units(stacks)... better just to have 1 unit stacks and attrition axis player down with 3-4 hexes depth.
thus, fort leveling for sov players is much too rapid and unusual historically for 42.
Keep in mind also, that I did take Leningrad as well.. which helped but was still not enough for me to do much of anything in 42 against sov forces that were fighting on par with German units ... just they had 3x more troops. I've screen shot and posted an example of elite (almost full TOE) Pz div taking more loses pushing back a sov rifle div in the open with no entrenchment. With those kind of battle results in 42... it's just R.I.P for any axis player.
Still waiting to find one human vs human game since release that shows an axis player with something to show in 42 regarding a decent limited offensive push.
Oh BTW, my gamed ended when sov invaded Constanta and next turn Rom switched sides and a bug in which I lost all German armies that had at least on unit stacked with a Rom units. For me this was 6th, 11th, 17th and 1st Pz Armies that were removed from the map and put back into the pools for manpower, etc. So that was game over...[:(]
- Beta Tester WitE and ATG
- Alpha/Beta Tester WitW and WitE2
"Invincibility lies in the defence; the possibility of victory in the attack." - Sun Tzu
The testers are aware of the inability to crack those forts in 42. They are watching my PBEM game where I have just gone turtle in Aug 42 after losing 1500 tanks in 7 turns to take 11 hexes. I basically shattered my Panzer units trying to break the line. German infantry are useless after the winter 41 currently. And I had the most powerful German Army that I have seen so far after the winter of 41, and could not do anything basically.
41 Infantry could probably crack the line, but not 42 infantry.
Granted, I also got killed by the TOE bug, and the replacement experience bug. So that did not help any. Once Beta 3 gets here, we can run it thru the paces and see what happens or needs to be done.
But all current games are FUBAR as of right now until Beta 3.
The testers are aware of the inability to crack those forts in 42. They are watching my PBEM game where I have just gone turtle in Aug 42 after losing 1500 tanks in 7 turns to take 11 hexes. I basically shattered my Panzer units trying to break the line. German infantry are useless after the winter 41 currently. And I had the most powerful German Army that I have seen so far after the winter of 41, and could not do anything basically.
41 Infantry could probably crack the line, but not 42 infantry.
Granted, I also got killed by the TOE bug, and the replacement experience bug. So that did not help any. Once Beta 3 gets here, we can run it thru the paces and see what happens or needs to be done.
But all current games are FUBAR as of right now until Beta 3.
Agreed.
Also, yes, TOE and replacement bugs did contribute in my game as well.
- Beta Tester WitE and ATG
- Alpha/Beta Tester WitW and WitE2
"Invincibility lies in the defence; the possibility of victory in the attack." - Sun Tzu
Sorry to see you have to suffer through what I have and others too will against a competent sov player. I faced almost all same issues and odd bugs (axis armaments). I was able to eliminate 4.5 million sov before spr 42, but was still faced with 7 million sov and lines of 3-4 hexes of fort 4. I used all decent inf to break through the sov lines to uses mobile units, but no dice. I was getting hammered back at almost each hex gained by 5-8 sov corps size units.
The key deal breakers for me playing axis again until changes (not sure beta 3 will have enough):
- too easy for sov units to continue to move east and conserve strength
- blizzard is too harsh on axis units from a defensive mod aspect (i.e. entrenched, supplied, good supply line units should receive a reduction to blizzard mods for def)
- sov air frame prod is nutz and wrong (in my game by spr 42 sov af was 15k - not buying the logic they were all inferior as I saw the planes I was losing to the 'inferior' sov planes)
- by the time axis can attack in 6-7/42 after recovering from blizzard, sov player can have multiple lines of fort 3-4 units(stacks)... better just to have 1 unit stacks and attrition axis player down with 3-4 hexes depth.
thus, fort leveling for sov players is much too rapid and unusual historically for 42.
Keep in mind also, that I did take Leningrad as well.. which helped but was still not enough for me to do much of anything in 42 against sov forces that were fighting on par with German units ... just they had 3x more troops. I've screen shot and posted an example of elite (almost full TOE) Pz div taking more loses pushing back a sov rifle div in the open with no entrenchment. With those kind of battle results in 42... it's just R.I.P for any axis player.
Still waiting to find one human vs human game since release that shows an axis player with something to show in 42 regarding a decent limited offensive push.
Oh BTW, my gamed ended when sov invaded Constanta and next turn Rom switched sides and a bug in which I lost all German armies that had at least on unit stacked with a Rom units. For me this was 6th, 11th, 17th and 1st Pz Armies that were removed from the map and put back into the pools for manpower, etc. So that was game over...[:(]
I agree with you that some important changes need to be made. Otherwise the Germans can only fight a defensive battle from 42 on. I had my little Spring offensive, but you could see how it ended. No way that I can afford to loose the equivalent of a Panzer div every turn.
