Stalin's in the gulag, I'm in charge! II - vs 2ndACR (Axis)

[TulliusDetritus]

ORIGINAL: Klydon

Part of the question is does a Russian overload all his fronts a little or some a lot while leaving others right at the limit? I have a tendency to go with the latter, especially when trying to straighten out my command structure. (Something I am still working on learning, but I don't overload new fronts that come in).

That would be a solution. But as I see it the Front you will be overloading "a lot" will not be very efficient. And of course it will have many units = in my case, key, vital places where I am concentrating my forces. And the "not overloaded" fronts (efficient that is) would be in fact in places not that important. In other words, the less efficient fronts would be in vital areas (aka next to panzers) [:)]

I guess we need a balance. Let's see what can be done [8D] I think I will try with 4 armies per front (this is maximum).

[randallw]

Support unit madness! [;)]

[TulliusDetritus]

[center]Turn 18[/center]
[center]16 october 1941[/center]

Mwahahahahaha! Do you remember the Tom & Jerry cartoon? Do you remember the bulldog that tells Jerry to "just whistle" any time he needs him? The thing is the bulldog is now tied...

The vict... er the 2 German divisions will be isolated...

[TulliusDetritus]

Alright. Operation "Watch Out! Monsters Under Your Bed!" Phase 2 [:)]

[cookie monster]

Erm what's goin' on LOL![8D]

[TulliusDetritus]

Oh... nothing

[TulliusDetritus]

Ok, except the operations near Voronezh area, not much happened, obviously: mud [8D]

But in both Smolensk and Orel areas he might be forming 2 nice pockets during the snow turns (I suspect) and swallow like a dozen divisions. The thing is I do NOT want to give him any division for free now. I don't need to do that. So I am starting the evacuation of these two future pockets [;)] In theory I should be recapturing these two cities during the blizzard, so...

[TulliusDetritus]

The more I look at the [nasty] operations near Voronezh the more I think about the Mongols [:)]

I only thought about an operation on this area on the last turn. I mean, to me this place was simply dangerous: tank country + few Stavka strategic reserves = let him do and of course try to escape unharmed.

But now that I am throwing many forces through his flanks and behind his front line I just had to think about the Mongols! That was their classic stratagem... Let the enemy think you are truly weak, let him advance deep into the steppes and then... suddenly charge against them, attacking flanks and surrounding the poor victim.

This is more or less what is happening now near Voronezh. In theory these two German infantry divisions (and now maybe one motorized division as well ) ARE my REAL objective. But I am starting to think that this part of the front might sort of collapse... No enemy units behind his threatened front, no tchouck tchouk (he could massively bring reinforcements) and mud...

I have brought around 30 units since I pasted the screenshot... cavalry (like 10) and infantry divisions, rifle and tank brigades. So I should be unleashing the bears.

[TulliusDetritus]

ORIGINAL: pipewrench 3/23/2011 5:22:42 AM
man oh man if you can somehow direct his advance towards stalino and preserve or even extend that flank he faces in the winter it could lead to an interesting blizzard.

You were prophetic, man [8D] But I'm attacking before the blizzard. Who would have thought it [&:]

[cookie monster]

In that case just watch your manpower, I wouldn't want you to miss the First Winter's opportunities cos your Divisions are burned out.

[TulliusDetritus]

Hmm, these are the men I have in the pool (manpower) ready to be used: 231.575? On many turns I had 0. I was not sure if I had understood this part [&:]

[Klydon]

That is due to some of the changes in 1.03. Armaments are an issue for both the Russians and Germans in 1941. You have manpower, but not rifles. Apparently this game doesn't let the Russian infantry equip themselves in the time honored tradition of sending men into combat without arms and telling them to pick up a rifle from a fallen comrade. [;)]

[Aurelian]

ORIGINAL: TulliusDetritus

Hmm, these are the men I have in the pool (manpower) ready to be used: 231.575? On many turns I had 0. I was not sure if I had understood this part [&:]

Don't you wish you had 200 Tig......er T-34s in the pool instead.[;)]

[TulliusDetritus]

I see, Klydon, thank you [:)] Time to reread the production system in the manual... Methinks I haven't read carefully that part [8|]

[TulliusDetritus]

Aurelian, I am not looking at ALL at the production screen [:)] And I guess I should do that! Let me see, when I have checked a few minutes ago to screenshot the manpower thing I think I only had 20 or 30 T-34s in the pool. But I might be wrong.

Still, as long as I have infantrymen and cavalrymen ready to infiltrate the enemy lines and create a big mess... who needs the T-34s? [:D]

EDIT: now I can't look. I already finished and sent the turn [:)]

[Klydon]

When you look in the production screen, anything with a "A" is armaments production. So if you either reduce units TOE that use that stuff (like AT brigades) or disband some to put stuff back into the pools (Like AT brigades or motorcycle regiments as a SU example) and increase your pool there, the armaments might get around to producing more rifles to equip your manpower. [:D]

[pompack]

Another thing to do IF you decide that it is more importent to keep divisions up to strength instead of SU: Hit "C", select "units", select "offmap", select "none" then "art" and set maxTOE to 50%.

This will pretty much stop replacement of SU artillery and save the armaments points for rifles.

If that is too high a price to pay for rifles, set all infantry to 50% maxTOE and then turn the ones assigned to critical fronts back to 100% or some lessor number. This will at least put the rifles you do get into the divisions that are most inportent to you.

[TulliusDetritus]

[center]Turn 19[/center]
[center]23 october 1941[/center]

YES!! On this turn a ring of steel will surround the two German infantry divisions I want to annihilate!

I very much doubt they can be saved (the bulldog is tied and well tied!). The rescuers --a German motorized division I wanted to massacre but I guess they will manage to escape and an Axis Allies motorized division-- might be annihilated as well

So let's keep bringing the old photoshops of my last AAR! [:D]


[center][/center]

[TulliusDetritus]

Here's the massacre zone. I think I will be attacking now. I want them to be in one hex [;)] And finish them on the next turn [8D] As expected, he is diverting forces from both the north (Orel) and south (Stalino). Regiments are appearing... But these units cannot save the surrounded divisions. That's totally impossible. I guess he wants to fix this empty front. Schnell schnell!

[TulliusDetritus]

Thanks for the tips, Klydon and Pompack [:)]

The truth is I still ignore many parts of the game [X(] I haven't played around with the TOEs %. But when I see a new unit on refit mode I disable it.

So in theory my divisions are at the 60% of their TOE.