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

Q-Ball · Post by **Q-Ball** » Thu Apr 07, 2011 8:18 pm

Your visible unit CVs are very, very bad. Horrible. I found one division that was an 8 in all your shots, and a 5-CV Panzer unit. Everything else is 4, with alot of 2s and 3s. Plus, at least 3 Depleted Infantry Divisions.

I bet that 8-spot in 17th Army is a new reinforcement. It looks like anything that's been on the line a bit is 40% strength or under.

How much Manpower is in your German pool now?

Tarhunnas · Post by **Tarhunnas** » Sat Apr 09, 2011 4:19 am

Here is German production turn 57, 24th july 1943. As you can see, armaments is the problem. Apparently there are 387,835 eager healthy young germans currently exercising with broomsticks waiting for the next delivery of rifles!

It is very interesting to compare this with Mynoks shot in their 43-45 campaign, which starts at about the same time my AAR is at now. Obviously, the level of manpower contra armaments production for Germany is not at all similar in the two games. My game after one year of play compared to the designers intended german production in 1943.

ORIGINAL: Mynok

Q-Ball · Post by **Q-Ball** » Sat Apr 09, 2011 10:31 am

It is odd that your problem is a polar opposite of Bob/Mynok's game. Too bad you can't arrange a trade!

Where was the ACTUAL Wehrmacht in late-war? My feel is that they weren't really short on guns, rather the logistics and transport around the guns. They certainly didn't lack for small-arms. Manpower was a constant problem, though.

It SHOULD be that Manpower is the bottleneck, but it isn't for you

Tarhunnas · Post by **Tarhunnas** » Sat Apr 09, 2011 1:42 pm

ORIGINAL: Q-Ball

It is odd that your problem is a polar opposite of Bob/Mynok's game. Too bad you can't arrange a trade!

Where was the ACTUAL Wehrmacht in late-war? My feel is that they weren't really short on guns, rather the logistics and transport around the guns. They certainly didn't lack for small-arms. Manpower was a constant problem, though.

It SHOULD be that Manpower is the bottleneck, but it isn't for you

My feeling exactly. I never heard of the Wehrmach being short on small arms in the later war years. In 1940-41 several infantry divisions were equipped with polish or czech small arms and machine guns, but these were gradually replaced by German stuff as the war progressed. That means there should be lots of czech and polish equipment on stock, and that could surely be used. The fortifications of the Atlantic Wall was to some extent equipped with captured machine guns, but that had not been built at this stage.

Here is a nice screeen shot of the 340th infantry division. 486 support squads serving 21 rifle squads! Those riflemen must have all the comforts imaginable! Fresh linen every morning, well swept tents, breakfast served, clean underpants every day...

Tarhunnas · Post by **Tarhunnas** » Sat Apr 09, 2011 1:47 pm

To continue the action. Turn 57 brings another bout of heavy fighting, but the Soviets are not invulnerable. I rout five Tank Corps and one Mech Corps, either by surrounding them and attacking or by retreating them onto 3-high stacks. I do sense the pressure is getting somewhat more bearable.

Shot from Orel area, end of German turn 57. Note surrounded Mech Corps and company. Also note the brave security division that has volunteered to hold Orel until such a time as the offensive can be resumed.

fiva55 · Post by **fiva55** » Sat Apr 09, 2011 2:09 pm

Out of curiosity, is their a reason why you haven't attached the panzers in the top of your sc to a HQ? Or am I just getting colour blind.

Tarhunnas · Post by **Tarhunnas** » Sat Apr 09, 2011 2:16 pm

ORIGINAL: fiva55

Out of curiosity, is their a reason why you haven't attached the panzers in the top of your sc to a HQ? Or am I just getting colour blind.

The corps they are in is attached to OKH, so the whole corps get white color. That is my fire brigade, they were just transferred from AGN, and I haven't decided where to attach them yet, that will depend on where they are needed most, so I just attached them to OKH for the time being and parked them in a convenient spot.

fiva55 · Post by **fiva55** » Sat Apr 09, 2011 2:22 pm

That explains it, ty. Are you still holding Stalino?

Tarhunnas · Post by **Tarhunnas** » Sat Apr 09, 2011 2:31 pm

ORIGINAL: fiva55

That explains it, ty. Are you still holding Stalino?

Stalino? What city is that? Ah.... you must mean Hitlero! We have given it a better name! [;)]

And of course we hold it! [8D]

Jajusha · Post by **Jajusha** » Sat Apr 09, 2011 3:22 pm

ORIGINAL: Tarhunnas

ORIGINAL: fiva55

That explains it, ty. Are you still holding Stalino?

Stalino? What city is that? Ah.... you must mean Hitlero! We have given it a better name! [;)]

And of course we hold it! [8D]

The name Stalino actually means "Steel" i belive, but Hitlero sounds just about fair game.

Tarhunnas · Post by **Tarhunnas** » Sat Apr 09, 2011 3:26 pm

ORIGINAL: Jajusha

The name Stalino actually means "Steel" i belive, but Hitlero sounds just about fair game.

It's the other way around actually. Stalin comes from steel. The city was originally named Yuzovka, after an english entrepreneur named Hughes who founded an ironworks there. It was subsequently named Stalin after Stalin, then changed to Stalino, and after de-stalinization to Donetsk.

Tarhunnas · Post by **Tarhunnas** » Sat Apr 09, 2011 3:30 pm

Map of southern front after German turn 58, 31st july 1943. We have been driven back about 5 hexes along the entire front since mud ended, but we still hold the cities of the donbas. Rear defences are being constructed along the Dnepr and in front of Kharkov - Belgorod.

Klydon · Post by **Klydon** » Sat Apr 09, 2011 3:42 pm

Those fort units may explain some of your issues with trying to find rifles as they are a pretty hefty drain. 

Tarhunnas · Post by **Tarhunnas** » Sat Apr 09, 2011 4:04 pm

ORIGINAL: Klydon

Those fort units may explain some of your issues with trying to find rifles as they are a pretty hefty drain.

I don't think so. They are newly built, and are at 50% TOE. They only use 27 rifle squads each even when full. And there are not all that many of them. I don't think they can be the problem. The problem is my armament points.

Here is a shot of my production turn 59. My available manpower is actually growing! The rifle shortage is the thing!

Klydon · Post by **Klydon** » Sat Apr 09, 2011 4:09 pm

Right on the squads, but they use other things that do use armaments points as well. 

Tarhunnas · Post by **Tarhunnas** » Sat Apr 09, 2011 4:27 pm

ORIGINAL: Klydon

Right on the squads, but they use other things that do use armaments points as well.

Well, there are about ten of them in the shot along the Dnepr, I built those 2 turns back, and I've had the rifle squad problem for 20 turns at least. They might not help, but I can't see how they can be the cause of the problem. Anyway, I need to have some defenses on the Dnepr to have something to fall back on, I have to do something.

Tarhunnas · Post by **Tarhunnas** » Sun Apr 10, 2011 3:42 am

Turn 59, 7th august 1943. Mud! That is something of a relief, as it will slow down the Soviet offensive. On the other hand, two german stacks are surrounded, and while it is normally possible to counterattack and free surrounded units, with the mud it is not possible. Well, my divisions are only about 1500 men nowadays, so the loss is not as great as one might think. Map of Kursk region after German turn 59.

When there is an empty hex between me and the sovs, if I have the MPs, I go in and out of the hex to convert it to axis control. That will make it harder for the enemy to move into the hex and have the MPs for a deliberate assault. This might seem gamey, but it can be rationalised as agressive patrolling, putting up ambushes, agressive mining etc.

Q-Ball · Post by **Q-Ball** » Sun Apr 10, 2011 11:29 am

How many fortification units do you have?

I don't have it in front of me, but I would guess that it takes at least 10 fortification units to equal a single Wehrmacht division, minus the artillery. Throw that in, and it's probably closer to 25 or 30.

He would need to disband 7 of them just to get that ONE division that he has a screenshot of to a halfway-decent level.

It's probably a drop in the bucket of a bigger problem

Tarhunnas · Post by **Tarhunnas** » Sun Apr 10, 2011 1:00 pm

Turn 60. Clear weather again. Continued Soviret pressure along the front but nothing dramatic.

Tarhunnas · Post by **Tarhunnas** » Sun Apr 10, 2011 1:20 pm

Turn 61. 21st august 1943. A major ouch-turn. A black day for the German army in the east! The southern front is broken through in several places, weak german divisions are reeling back under the onslaught of the red hordes! About 20 divisions cut off by enemy spearheads! Many can be freed by relief attacks, but not all...

Shot of southern half of front before German turn. Note surrounded Axis forces in several locations.

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

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