Pride goes before a Fall Blau - 42-45 GC AAR

[Mynok]

I wish the CVs for German infantry looked odd too. [:'(]

[Tarhunnas]

ORIGINAL: ComradeP

That motor pool figure does look odd, you've gained 110k trucks. Production accounts for either 72.504 or 58.003 of that (I'm still not sure whether the modifier for how much is send to other fronts also has an effect on the production noted under the special production line in the production screen, I'll ask). Repairs of the 170.000 damaged trucks can probably increase the figure a bit, but still, it's a high figure after a summer campaign. I'll post it on the tester forum.

I'll keep saves if you need them.

[ComradeP]

I wish the CVs for German infantry looked odd too.

If I were to guess, I'd guess most of them have a reduced CV due to being seriously understrength. At 100%, most of them should have a CV of 8-10 like in 1941. Of course, the problem is that it's not going to happen.

I'll keep saves if you need them.

OK, thanks.

[Mynok]

I thought the 42 TOE changes reduced the size of German infantry divisions.

[ComradeP]

I thought the 42 TOE changes reduced the size of German infantry divisions.

Divisional artillery downsizes slightly and you get more 50mm AT guns, maximum Rifle squads increases by 3. There's no forced downsizing to 6 battalions or the like. The TOE doesn't really downsize until September 1943 for the 1944 infantry division, even though that division still has more or less the same combat power as the earlier ones in theory.

[Q-Ball]

This is a good AAR. Please keep it going and get into 1943 for us.

COMRADEP: What is a good loss ratio target at this point? If I read correctly, probably about 6-1 is the minimum. Otherwise, you're just digging your own grave.

[ComradeP]

COMRADEP: What is a good loss ratio target at this point? If I read correctly, probably about 6-1 is the minimum. Otherwise, you're just digging your own grave.

Ideally, you should always start with the 1941 GC in my opinion as it allows you the most flexibility and you can afford to make some mistakes. As the Wehrmacht is in a worse shape at the start of the 1942 campaign than it will generally be in 1942 in a 1941-1945 campaign (with a reasonable defensive setup during the blizzard in the latest public version, but certainly after the blizzard changes we're testing now are implented), and as it's rather unlikely players will ever place mobile units to static or in some swamp in the middle of nowhere like at the start in the AGN area, you're facing some problems you would generally not face in 1942 in a 1941-1945 game.

As such, in a 1942 campaign game I'd say you need a better loss ratio than you would normally need, because your forces are, overall, in worse shape and although the Soviets are still running around with a mess of an army, they're in a fairly decent shape at the start of the 1942 campaign, aside from in the south, where they're practically begging to get their behinds handed to them.

Like Tarhunnas, I'd focus less on the actual men being removed from the Soviet OOB and more on units, because even though the Soviets can buy them back, it will significantly reduce their counterattack potential on the short term (provided you're not holding some vastly overextended frontline by winter as the Axis, in which case you're likely to face the same kind of disaster that was the historical Soviet offensive in winter 1942-1943). You can put a serious dent in Soviet manpower, but I'm not convinced you can actually cripple it. Maybe in a 1941-1945 campaign, but not in the 1942 as the Soviets have so many rubbish units they can disband/merge to get/fill up better units that they won't feel many of the losses.

I'm not convinced the Axis can cripple Soviet AFV numbers, the Soviets will have to do that themselves. In a game with Bob, Flavio lost about 2000 AFV's in a single turn as the Soviets in 1943. Axis losses were also ugly, but even a rate of about 500 tanks (not AFV's, real tanks) per turn lost is something that will be difficult for the Soviets to sustain, where "sustain" means: without a situation where the Tank corps are seriously understrength and thus even more fragile than they are at 100% TOE.

The Soviets will feel serious gun losses when they're trying to fill up artillery divisions, so the gun losses Tarhunnas inflicted look reasonably good.

Tarhunnas did a fair job of inflicting losses, I'm just not convinced that the losses he suffered, especially his AFV losses, were worth it.

Until artillery divisions start to appear and the Soviets start to get serious, I'd not worry too much about manpower losses as the Axis, although you should naturally avoid losing whole units. The infantry can take a beating and still be good enough to defend against an attack (post-1942, it's enough if most infantry divisions can defend with a reasonable defensive CV, not all of them need to be capable of launching attacks). You should keep a very close eye on gun and AFV losses, though, as that's (as I see it) the main Axis Achillesheel. Without guns and tanks, you lose firepower and counterattack/backhand blow capabilities. When you lose that, you're as good as dead.

I wouldn't focus too much on a loss ratio, but more on comparing the capabilities of your forces to the Soviet forces. Losses only tell half the story, you need to look at what's left on the map too.

[Tarhunnas]

Turn 20. The ground dries up!

I try to encircle Kaluga, but only the southern pincer gets anywhere (blue arrows on map below). The northern pincer fails to break through (dashed arrows)! Most disturbing.

My motor pool continues to grow! A bright young chap in government named Speer has an idea: As the Volskwagen programme has admittedly gotten off to a rather slow start due to the war, we might instead offer each German family a used truck! Sometimes a bit muddy and run down, maybe with a red star on the side and some bullet holes through the cab, but still... We can start off by giving each recipient of the iron cross a complementary used truck!

[Q-Ball]

Your Divisions look VERY thin, looking at those CVs! I see 2s and 3s, pretty depressing for the Wehrmacht; not to mention some really beat-up Mobile Units. STACKS with CVs of 6-8. Ouch!

I hope my guys don't look like that in late 1942....

[Tarhunnas]

Turn 21. Snow.

The Sovs break into the encirclement above, I reestablish it. Not much else happening.

*** Note! Content below this line may be upsetting to sensitive persons! ***

I have started to merge weak german infantry divisions, those with CV 1 (yes, they exist).

[Josh]

CV's of 1? and the Blizzard has yet to arrive fully? Oh-boy...

[Tarhunnas]

ORIGINAL: Josh

CV's of 1? and the Blizzard has yet to arrive fully? Oh-boy...

No blizzard in the winter of 1942-1943! Or more correctly, there may well be blizzard, but there will be no first winter effects.

[ComradeP]

I have started to merge weak german infantry divisions, those with CV 1 (yes, they exist).

You're aware that doing so disbands the division you're merging as far as the game is concerned, and that it will never come back?

[Tarhunnas]

ORIGINAL: ComradeP

I have started to merge weak german infantry divisions, those with CV 1 (yes, they exist).

You're aware that doing so disbands the division you're merging as far as the game is concerned, and that it will never come back?

Yes, that was what I anticipated. I realize I might be a bit defeatist here, but I can't see how it's ever going to grow back to a healthy infantry division again! And what am I to do with a CV 1 infantry division? Better to have one CV 2 ID than 2 CV 1.

BTW I recieved a Luftwaffe ground division as a reinforcement this turn. I promptly disbanded it! I think all that stuff properly belongs in the replacement pool rather than in some amateur airboy infantry division. I guess this is slightly ahistorical; I don't think fat Hermann would have liked this...

[ComradeP]

Disbanding the Luftwaffe field divisions is probably the best thing to do with them. You could turn them into credible combat units over time, but the squads they contain are probably best used to keep other divisions up to strength.

[karonagames]

BTW I recieved a Luftwaffe ground division as a reinforcement this turn. I promptly disbanded it! I think all that stuff properly belongs in the replacement pool rather than in some amateur airboy infantry division. I guess this is slightly ahistorical; I don't think fat Hermann would have liked this...

In the 1943 campaign, I give them spades and get them digging trenches in the rear, until their TOE changes, and they then become semi-decent. If you get through the winter without losing the equivalent of what was lost at Stalingrad, then I think disbanding them is absolutely the right thing to do.

Have you disbanded the RHQs and the Army Air HQs?

[Tarhunnas]

ORIGINAL: BigAnorak

Have you disbanded the RHQs and the Army Air HQs?

RHQ?

I assumed the army air HQs were there for a purpose and did some good. Could you elaborate? Always happy to learn something new.

[Tarhunnas]

Turn 23. Snow.

I find a weak spot and make an advance between Kaluga and Tula, but I botch it up. I want to displace some HQs and airbases, but end up with too few MP:s to reinforce my weak leading units. An ill conceived and badly executed operation with no clear purpose. I am almost ashamed to post the screenshot... I will surely suffer for this, and righly so.

[Tarhunnas]

Beginning of turn 24. I am surprised I wasn't totally crushed in the Tula operation, but apparently not. I guess STAVKA was caught unawares, they probably never even suspected I'd try something as stupid as this. The situation even offers some possibilities...

[Tarhunnas]

Elswhere, the soviets launch a number of probing attacks. No big offensives, but a myriad pinpricks. They retreat me a hex here and there. I push them back with relative ease, but the problem is, next turn I am without fortifications, and will be hit again...

There is a determined attack out of besieged Leningrad, this will cause some discomfort. Happily I have a panzer division in reserve. Map at beginning of German turn 24.