How to lose the war - PDH vs Cpt Flam

[Klydon]

Just looking at that big map; did you get across the Kerch straits? Looks like you have a couple hexes on the other side.

[PeeDeeAitch]

Yes, I crossed, and have some wee entrenchments there - but only infantry to hold it. I expect to be back at Kerch by the new year.

[randallw]

You will be tempted to buy those big fur hats in the kitsch shops, but it is just a trick, since they will fall apart easily.

[jzardos]

ORIGINAL: Q-Ball

3.4 mil is very low for the Soviets. You can surrender 12 hexes everywhere, and be back at the historical line. You'll have no issues.

What is low? The loses of 3.4 million for Soviets? What is a med and high value for Soviet loses before end 41? Just trying to gauge the metrics of the game as I'm starting a CG41 campaign. BTW: this AAR was very helpful and I only hope I can do as half as wells as your axis have done so far.

[&o]

[PeeDeeAitch]

The Soviets were at 3.5 million troops at the beginning of December and the blizzard. I did well in lowering their numbers, with total losses for the Soviets at 4m.

[PeeDeeAitch]

ORIGINAL: randallw

You will be tempted to buy those big fur hats in the kitsch shops, but it is just a trick, since they will fall apart easily.

Ha! I am way ahead of you. I used the money that would have been spent on worthless winter clothing on investing in a refrigerator-freezer for every company in the army. They will need those when it warms up again.

[jzardos]

ORIGINAL: PeeDeeAitch

The Soviets were at 3.5 million troops at the beginning of December and the blizzard. I did well in lowering their numbers, with total losses for the Soviets at 4m.

oh, ok I was thinking you were commenting that the Soviets had 3.4 million loses and that was a LOW number. But what you're really saying is that the Soviets have an OB of 3.4 million men and that is low for starting 42?

Won't they be back up to 5-6 million by spring?

thanks.

[PeeDeeAitch]

Oh, the Soviets will have many millions by spring, something like 100,000 airplanes, and 35,000 tanks - they always do. The goal in 1941 is to cut this down as much as possible in order to cut it down further in 1942. Eventually, even the Soviets will run out of gentlemen, I am told.

[pompack]

Old rule of thumb (hopefully it will be better with 1.04 when it arrives)

Two Million: You WILL Lose
Three Million You MIGHT Lose
Four Million: You probably won't lose
Five Million: You might win
Six Million: You will win

Where Lose means Russians in Berlin, Win means German auto-victory and everything else is neither of the two.

[bevans]

My plan (vs AI at Difficult) was to pull all the Panzers out at the start of the blizzards and just fall back as the Soviets pushed forward. The plan has sort of worked: all my Pz and Mot divs are at 80+ TOEs and 10- Fat so they will be ready for a renewed offensive come summer (actually, I will counterattack during snow; if such a thing exists in the first winter). The fall back bit has proven to be more difficult than expected. I have had issues keeping a continuous line and falling back fast enough, so I chose the former and some divisions have taken a beating because of it. However, few surrenders, no destroyed units and even a couple of successful local attacks, although I will be back between 100-200 miles everywhere. It is the start of Feb and I have about 3.2 million in my OB, the SU about 300K higher, so I think your 'Oder strategy' will work. You are way east of historic and the SU player has taken a lot of losses so you should be able to get through the winter in good enough shape to finish the job in '42. If not, then the first winter really is broken.

[PeeDeeAitch]

End of 26 - The Blizzard bites

Well, 2nd turn of blizzard, and I have realized that my ordering of 3 million speedos and the poolside flip flops was a bad idea. Commanders report men are dying from exposure when trying to relieve themselves - new orders are no more toilet breaks until March.

Here is the infantry number (gulp) after 2 turns of blizzard.

[PeeDeeAitch]

Where did all those men go with so few combats? The slackers have taken advantage of my ill-though out policy of "Get sick and win a Club Med vacation!" give away. I shall have to rethink my incentive plans...

Here are the manpower numbers...

[PeeDeeAitch]

As an aside, I now know how Capt Flam felt when it took me 123 hours to do a turn...I bet it is hell planning all those successful attacks, I know it was for me.

[pompack]

ORIGINAL: PeeDeeAitch

Where did all those men go with so few combats? The slackers have taken advantage of my ill-though out policy of "Get sick and win a Club Med vacation!" give away. I shall have to rethink my incentive plans...

Here are the manpower numbers...

Respectfully suggest that you lower your maxToe to 50% for all "OFFMAP" artillery and flak units. That will give you additional armament points to use for infantry squads.

[PeeDeeAitch]

Already done...  [:)]

[Q-Ball]

Big Anorak cites 16K as the Rifle Squad number that leads to collapse. Did you really lose 8K Rifle Squads in 2 turns? That's bad. Real bad.

You'll be fine because your summer campaign was so dominant, but if it hadn't been, you'd be dead by now.

[pompack]

UFFF! [:)]

Where else is it reasonable to cut back to save armaments? Artillery and flak is as far as I have done so far


Is it a good time to cut back the maxTOE of divisions that are low on both artillery and infantry?

[Pipewrench]

ORIGINAL: PeeDeeAitch

Where did all those men go with so few combats? The slackers have taken advantage of my ill-though out policy of "Get sick and win a Club Med vacation!" give away. I shall have to rethink my incentive plans

love the aar peedee

incentives like speedo runs keep the slackers in place in my games. knowing that this is happening in the rear areas gives hold at any cost a new meaning.[:)]

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii19 ... edoRun.png

[PeeDeeAitch]

Dive! Dive! Dive!

For some reason I face continued requests to transfer away from the Eastern Front. Perhaps in the future we will not simply grant all requests. Manpower in the squads decreases again, though only (!) by 2k this turn...yikes.





-edit- for those counting, in the first three turns of blizzards my squads went from about 25k to this...

[PeeDeeAitch]

The good news? 250k troops went back into fronline units! The bad news? a ton more in the manpower pool.