Rail repair questions (yes some more - sorry)

[Remmes]

Spent the last month reading the manual, roaming these forums and basically getting to know the game. I really like it! (had a hard time convincing my oldest son that it is fun to push squares over a map; he is used to more eye candy)

I played the road to Minsk scenario a couple of times and I understand the fundamentals of the game. Playing the road to Smolensk now, keeping the spearheads supplied gets harder because the distances are greater. The system of railroad repairs with the controllable units is understood.

The smaller rail repair units you can't control, except sending them back to their HQ's. I have a couple of questions about them:
1)can they be influenced in their direction of repair? For instance:if I assign them to another HQ, do they work their way towards it?
2)assigning them to another HQ. What is the benefit of doing that?
3)Is there a way to raise more controllable rail repair units?
4)Can they be killed (partisans) or do they replace like HQ's?

Any insight would be appreciated....thanks.

[PeeDeeAitch]

1) Some say they can, but I think it is magic.  They do seem to "fill in" areas when the controlling HQ is on a rail junction.
2) I think units with them will only use them to the limit of their command range. I might be wrong...in fact, betting on me being wrong is safe.
3) Not as the Germans, the Soviets can build them.
4) They return to HQ when a combat unit moves up next to them (displace like HQ) as far as I know.

[Remmes]

PeeDeeAitch
I might be wrong...in fact, betting on me being wrong is safe.

Lol, thanks for the quick reply...wil assign to other HQ's and see if I can detect some logic in their movement.

[*Lava*]

I once tried transferring all my construction crews from my Panzer Corps to the Group Commander in hopes I could get more bang for my buck.

I really didn't notice a whole lot of difference to be quite honest and about 10 or 15 moves later when we were doing a lot less dashing about it appeared that the Group Commander had reassigned them back to the Corps.

It was a little experiment but I didn't watch it close enough to be able to give any definitive explanation as to what was happening.

[bevans]

I think that the AI rail repair units will be useless in a scenario. However, in the GC, by about Turn 20, those busy little bees have rebuilt all the completely useless rail lines and essentially have no choice but to start being useful. They appear to still be programmed to be as useless as possible but at some point the only available lines to be repaired are heading denerally east, so complete uselessness is no longer possible no matter how clever the programming.

The German player 'can' build additional FBDs - but only by using the editor. You'll also have to build the various subgroups to fill them (at least I think you do). I'll know in the spring of '42 when FBD 6 and 7 come on line.

[Mike Parker]

I have also experimented with sending all my corp based construction battalions up to AG level... I did seem to notice some increase in rail repair, mainly it seemed I hit the point Bevans is speaking of where they become usefull a few turns earlier. It also seemed that digging in was painful. I no longer do it though as I find its helpful to dig in, and by the time blizzard is close my FBD's have got me rail lines close to my front anyway.. and the Russians are just going to destroy any work the ind. battalions manage to get done.. so a few extra turns heading east is just a few extra repaired rail lines the Soviets break when they push back in Blizzard.

I will say proper use of Rail repair assets is perhaps your most critical process towards keeping the German Offensive going. Every FBD movement point should be cherished and careful planning about where your main spurs heading east are going to lay is vitally important.

[Mynok]

I've experimented around with transferring all const to AG and Army level and moving them around, but I can't seem to get them to work out of army HQs consistently, and the AG sends them to the most backwater lines possible it seems.

[Remmes]

ORIGINAL: Mike Parker
I will say proper use of Rail repair assets is perhaps your most critical process towards keeping the German Offensive going. Every FBD movement point should be cherished and careful planning about where your main spurs heading east are going to lay is vitally important.

I figured that correct rail repair is of the utmost importance...thanks for your insight.

[heliodorus04]

The best success I have had is with AGC in terms of the automated units.
I feel strongly that you need to move OKH, and your army groups, forward to rail junctions where you want automated units to try to start from.  Further forward is better than more rear-area focused.

What I do is allow rail repair units to work the crappy stuff in the rear, but only 1 unit per stack.  When I see crappy locations being served by 2 units, I bring 1 back to HQ.  Next turn, hopefully it starts somewhere new.  If you bring both units back from a crappy line of repair, often they go right back to it, and all you've done is waste a turn.  But 1-unit stacks sometimes get it right.

I agree with whoever said that in scenarios, automated repair isn't something worth bothering with.
I also agree that by about turn 16 or so most of your automated units are doing something good by virtue of having done everything bad already. 

Not all inefficient rail lines are wastes, though.  Secondary routes help against partisans a good bit.  They are insurance.

[ComradeP]

If you have a corps to spare, such as Romanian corps in the south, you can assign construction units to it and as they'll repair rail lines in a 5 hex radius, you can somewhat control what gets repaired.

[Mynok]

I've never seen a construction battalion leave a corps headquarters and repair rail. Ever. Once in a blue moon I'll see one leave an army HQ.

[findmeifyoucan]

So basically the general consensus on these rail units is that if you move the HQ they are attached to then the rail units will start repairing rail lines towards where the specific HQ is located?
I was wondering why they were all converging on a certain city I had just taken and now I know why. I had moved the Corp HQ to that city a couple of turn before that!

[Mike Parker]

I would be careful about attaching them to corp HQ and assuming they will repair rail. Someone mentioned if you had a spare Corp HQ you could denude it of Combat units, that sounds workable, but if you try this with a corp that has attached combat units I am almost sure the lion's share of the attached construction batts will be assigned to helping units dig in.

[larryfulkerson]

True or false:  It helps rail construction to split up the RR engineers into separate pieces.  What do you guys think?  Anybody do a test of this already?

[Mynok]

ORIGINAL: Mike Parker

I would be careful about attaching them to corp HQ and assuming they will repair rail. Someone mentioned if you had a spare Corp HQ you could denude it of Combat units, that sounds workable, but if you try this with a corp that has attached combat units I am almost sure the lion's share of the attached construction batts will be assigned to helping units dig in.

This is probably what is happening to army-assigned const too, I suspect.

[2ndACR]

It is not a sure fire thing. The Corps HQ's like to hang on to those repair guys. I have not tried using a spare Corps HQ though. There are no German spares. I am always hurting for Corps HQ's.

But I do use the Army HQ's for the stated purpose. When I use them at rail junctions, about 2 turns later I will see the auto guys heading out. Even if the Army is empty of direct assigned repair guys. I have stripped all the repair guys from Corps HQ's and assigned to OKH or the AGC,AGN,AGS HQ's. That gives me about 20+ extra repair units.