How to capture the tank factory in kharkov?

[lastdingo]

Does the AI evacuate that factory at a certain turn or does the proximity of Axis formation trigger the evacuation?

Can a damaged or even 100% destroyed railyard prevent the evacuation?

[neuromancer]

I think its proximity.
 
A rail hex cannot be used if there is an enemy unit next to it, even if there is a friendly unit in the same hex.  I have no idea if damaging the railyard would have an effect.  Realisitcally it should, but I think railyards in the game only determine the amount of rail capacity (i.e. rail cars and locomotives, or how much you can move by rail in one turn) you have.
 

[lastdingo]

I observed repeatedly that the AI evacuates factories even after rail lines were cut.

This time I experimented and encircled Kharkov and its factories with 6 divisions - 1 in every neighbour hex. It was a solid encirclement.
The AI nevertheless still the factories after the encirclement!

[Balou]

Not so sure about proximity. How close would that be? Picture added below, however from a v02.xx GC, "evac rules" might have been changed since.

[lastdingo]

10 hexes distance seems to be safe, 8 at the latest is too close now.

The problem isn't primarily to rush the last 10 hexes. The primary problem for me was to knock out 3 rifle divisions in a fort level 3 in a city hex - in the same turn. I wished the perfect encirclement had done the trick.

[Balou]

Not exactly my point. If SU air recon identifies PzDivs that close to one of their most valuable assets (T34 factory), I would expect immediate evac. Since 1) factories in isolated hexes can not be repaired (eg after bombing), 2) tanks from encircled Kharkov would go nowhere, and 3) at this stage of the war (picture from turn 10), it won't take long before surrender, no matter what fortification level.

[PyleDriver]

One thing to remember, if factories are moving east, then troops arn't moving west...Think about it...This is a time and space game...Damn I love it...

[76mm]

ORIGINAL: PyleDriver
...if factories are moving east, then troops arn't moving west...Think about it...This is a time and space game...Damn I love it...

I very rarely feel constrained by the choice between evac and moving troops forward; with the exception of one or two turns per game, I can do pretty much everything I want. I only start feeling a rail squeeze when I start moving multiples fronts across vast distances.