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

[Aurelian]

ORIGINAL: 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 [:)]

You don't remember the dust up over 200 Tigers in the pool with nowhere for them to go[:D]

I need to fire my writing staff.

[Aurelian]

ORIGINAL: 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.

Good tip.

[TulliusDetritus]

Ok. Operation "Watch out! Monsters Under Your Bed!" phase 3 [8D]

Well, I attacked one of the surrounded units but they held [:(] Oh well... next turn I wanted to attack the one in the west, but had I done that I would not have been able to totally surround the units with the "ring of steel": no MPs left after the attack, I guess.

I had two diversionary attacks: in the north and south. The one in the south has become a serious threat in my opinion. Although I think I will not manage to kill any unit there. But who knows! The diversionary attack of the north should be attracting some units (the ones that are coming from Orel area), I hope!

The cavalry and tank brigades should be creating a big mess towards Kharkov. Looks like I'll be reconquering ten hexes when the snow hits [8D]

AND in fact this operation has also allowed me to bring troops here. This part of the front was basically empty (that's why 2ndACR had few troops). And I need troops in this place... blizzard offensive [;)]

[Klydon]

You will likely lose some ground during snow, but I would look to get some rail road repair guys in those armies there to get them started on repairs so they will be further along when you launch the winter offensive. If nothing else, they can help your troops dig in as well. 

[TulliusDetritus]

Klydon, every army has 3 RR Brigades. And by the way, on these last two turns NO one has repaired the damaged rail hexes near Stalino [&:] What the f...! Is this normal?

Maybe the operation near Voronezh might save Stalino during the snow turns after all... The panzers should be meeting this threat: cavalry advancing deep into German controlled territory (Kharkov area).

[cookie monster]

RR repair teams work from Stavka and Fronts. It takes two plain construction to fix a hex. If you have some in Stavka and they arent fixing then I dont know.

Dunno if they work from armies, never tried before. But the larger the HQ the greater the command range. Stavka has 90 range for example.

[TulliusDetritus]

I don't know why the RR Bdes are not repairing these hexes Plenty of RR brigades in Armies HQs and Southern HQ too [&:] Not a single repair on the last TWO turns [8|] Why?

I still haven't bought RR Bdes for Stavka itself. I will do that as soon as possible, as you suggested [:)]

[karonagames]

Because of this last minute change that only appears in the errata:

4. Section 14.2.2.1 - Prior to December 1941, Soviet rail repair units will not
automatically move to rebuild damaged rail lines that are within 5 hexes of an enemy
unit.

[TulliusDetritus]

Oh, I see. That explains it [:)] Thank you.

[TulliusDetritus]

The center and part of the south do need a reorganization. The problem is the Western Front was concentrated around Smolensk. Along with the Bryansk Front units they were pushed by the enemy towards the north. This means the Southwestern Front has an enormous front line to cover. I was thinking about a mega massive "accordion" movement (I did that with the NW and Kalinin Fronts) but mud now. And it's still an irrational idea. And the case is I want everything organized before the blizzard offensive.

So, I am forced to spend APs to reassign units to different armies (from different fronts). The blue units you see now were attached to armies of the Bryansk Front... I will need 2 more turns minimum to do this reorganization. And of course lots of APs [:)]

[TulliusDetritus]

The evacuation of Smolensk and Orel is done. I don't think he'll be forming any pocket here. I want 2ndACR to be happy with these two cities in his bag... I'll be swallowing two German divisions after all

[TulliusDetritus]

Oh, and now I have 3 Guards Rifle divisions [8D]

[TulliusDetritus]

ORIGINAL: Aurelian

ORIGINAL: 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 [:)]

You don't remember the dust up over 200 Tigers in the pool with nowhere for them to go[:D]

I need to fire my writing staff.

Hmm, that was a thread, I think. I didn't read it though. I focus on this AAR. Time consuming [:)]

[Klydon]

Need to be saving a pool of points if you can. The ability to form cav corps is coming the first week of December. Then its  time. 

[cookie monster]

Don't forget the baggy Mc Hammer trousers!

Hammer Time!

Sorry Hammer Time! got me thinking

[Aurelian]

ORIGINAL: cookie monster

Don't forget the baggy Mc Hammer trousers!

Hammer Time!

Sorry Hammer Time! got me thinking

Can't touch this.....

[TulliusDetritus]

In fact, I know this may sound weird or crazy but I am not sure I want to form Cavalry Corps [:)] As I see it, they are not fighting units (as infantry). I use them to infiltrate enemy lines and therefore create a big mess behind the enemy front. And of course to cut the enemy advance off too here and there.

Cavalry Corps = LESS mobile units that can do nasty things behind the enemy lines.

So I suspect I am missing something. What's the deal exactly? Please enlighten me because I don't know. Really [:)]

[Aurelian]

Attach sapper regiments to them.

[Klydon]

What you say is true about building corps = fewer mobile units in the winter, BUT

There are two inherent advantages to the corps. The first is both cav divisions and tank brigades are very vulnerable to German counter attacks, even in blizzard. Cav corps not only will likely stand up to counter attacks, but are handy for getting that extra shot or two in on a German unit that may already be torn up from a couple of combats or in the case of a Rumanian, could make a difference between the Rumanian surviving or getting knocked out of the game. The second advantage is the Russians can directly assign support units (3 of them) to a corps, which means you can beef them up even more.

As a Russian, I didn't flip every cav division I had to a corps for some of the reasons you mentioned, but then I had a pile of cav to flip over (formed 12 cav corps the first week of December; equipping them with support units took longer of course).

*Edit* Yep, Aurelian is spot on for sapper regiments in 1941. When you get tank regiment support units in 1942, stick some of those in a cav corps for some fun as well. I would use sapper regiments over ski battalions simply because regiments are bigger.

[TulliusDetritus]

So if I well understood the Corps thing + support makes them fighting units (and they still can infiltrate enemy lines). Ok, that's what I was missing.

To form 10 Corps I need 30 divisions. And the Soviets have 53 on 1941 (counting the destroyed too). So I would still have 23 divisions to do nasty things here and there [8D]

I see, now you convinced me. Thank you [&o]