Axis turn 1 step by step

[larryfulkerson]

I'm a new Axis player and I thought maybe a step-by-step play-through of turn 1 moves might be instructive for those of us who have
very little experience with the Axis side. That way you more experienced players can contribute your knowledge and we can ask
questions and answers might be conveyed.

I'm noticing that most all the AAR games in turn 1 have some passing resemblence to the below layout. There's usually a large pocket
made just south of Riga, and around the Kaunas group. Sometimes an hasty attack can be made on Riga by the advancing Axis
armour which sometimes forces out the Soviet defenders. And there's usually a group of motorized troops moved to the Daugavpils
area to gain a river crossing there.

The infantry can clean out the pockets on turn two and continue on their way to the east on turn two.

Anybody want to post any thoughts?

[larryfulkerson]

It's the job of the infantry to blast a hole for the fast movers so I'm thinking I'll move the 58th Inf Div up to start the process of making a
hole. And when he gets stalled or runs out of MP's I'll use somebody else. The HQ unit for the 58th Div is within 5 hexes so there's no
need to move him further forward yet. I'm not all that impressed with the SU's that the HQ unit listed below has. But then I'm used to the
SU's that the Soviets use so what do I know. Anybody have an opinion of the usefullnes of the SU's the HQ unit has?

[timmyab]

I always take Riga on turn one with 6th pz division plus two pioneer battalions.They have to cross the river and then attack from the East.In my experience this always works with either the first or second hasty attack.Not sure if this will be necessary or not when 1.05 comes out.
It's also important to take Ventspils on turn one to avoid the Soviets evacuating units from Latvia.I usually run a motorised division up there and then sea transport it to Riga on turn two.
A lot of Soviet units rout into the Radviliskis area which I'm careful to avoid.
With good play you should be able to get at least two mobile divisions from 4th pz group across the Daugava between Plavinas and Daugavpils.

[larryfulkerson]

So step 1: I move the 58th Div into position to attack......step 2 I do the attack and the Soviet unit retreats and
step 3: without moving any more I attack another Soviet unit and get a "scouted" result. The 58th Div is stalled.

[larryfulkerson]

ORIGINAL: timmyab
I always take Riga on turn one with 6th pz division plus two pioneer battalions.They have to cross the river and then attack from the East.In my experience this always works with either the first or second hasty attack.Not sure if this will be necessary or not when 1.05 comes out.

First of all........thanks for your input. I thought for a second there that I'm just posting stuff in vain ( again ). I didn't want to do the Riga
gambit because of the 1.05 changes that will prevent that. Attacking from the east side of Riga is a good idea if it works to
empty the city of enemy units. I lilke that idea. You mention 2 pioneer battalions.......did you have to purchase them with AP's?

ORIGINAL: timmyab
It's also important to take Ventspils on turn one to avoid the Soviets evacuating units from Latvia.I usually run a motorised division up there and then sea transport it to Riga on turn two.

I usually don't try to get 5,000+ Soviet planes on turn 1 because I figure I need the ground support some bombers can lend to an
attack so I usually just bomb the port at Ventspils to disable it. Also the one at Kuressare for good measure.

ORIGINAL: timmyab
A lot of Soviet units rout into the Radviliskis area which I'm careful to avoid.

I've seen this too. That's a major pain in the ass.

ORIGINAL: timmyab
With good play you should be able to get at least two mobile divisions from 4th pz group across the Daugava between Plavinas and Daugavpils.

Those 2 mobile divisions you get across the river are important because they can threaten a lot of real estate from the east side of
the river. But I find that they can get too adventure-ous and sometimes get themselves cut off by going too far east or too far north.
I'm still learning how far to go and what not to do.

[larryfulkerson]

And then step 5: I add the 11th Div to the hasty attack and try again.
Step 6: it's a hasty attack because I don't want to waste any MP's
Step 7: That didn't work so I add the two divisions to the north
step 8: a deliberate attack this time. Has to be deliberate to include the 4 divisions together into 1 attack.
step 9: That worked.
Step 10: The Soviet unit is shattered.

What could I have done differently?

[timmyab]

ORIGINAL: larryfulkerson
You mention 2 pioneer battalions.......did you have to purchase them with AP's?

Yes

ORIGINAL: larryfulkerson
I usually don't try to get 5,000+ Soviet planes on turn 1 because I figure I need the ground support some bombers can lend to an
attack so I usually just bomb the port at Ventspils to disable it.

Wow, that's a great idea, never thought of doing that.Are you certain it works?

ORIGINAL: larryfulkerson
Those 2 mobile divisions you get across the river are important because they can threaten a lot of real estate from the east side of
the river. But I find that they can get too adventure-ous and sometimes get themselves cut off by going too far east or too far north.
I'm still learning how far to go and what not to do.

It requires very precise play, but it's possible to secure the flanks with motorised divisions.

[larryfulkerson]

To continue making the hole larger I use the 21st Div.

[larryfulkerson]

ORIGINAL: timmyab

ORIGINAL: larryfulkerson
I usually don't try to get 5,000+ Soviet planes on turn 1 because I figure I need the ground support some bombers can lend to an
attack so I usually just bomb the port at Ventspils to disable it.

Wow, that's a great idea, never thought of doing that.Are you certain it works?

Actually to tell you the truth I read about somebody doing that in an AAR or something and I just thought if he's doing it, it must work but I have no manual verse to back it up and I don't know myself that it DOES work but I'll peruse the manual and get back to you.

ORIGINAL: timmyab

ORIGINAL: larryfulkerson
Those 2 mobile divisions you get across the river are important because they can threaten a lot of real estate from the east side of
the river. But I find that they can get too adventure-ous and sometimes get themselves cut off by going too far east or too far north.
I'm still learning how far to go and what not to do.

It requires very precise play, but it's possible to secure the flanks with motorised divisions.

[/quote]

That's very cool. I usually use the motorized divisions to clear a path for the tanks so they can just secure the flanks while they are at it.

[ComradeP]

Ventspils is a level 3 port, so shutting it down through bombing missions in one turn is difficult.

[Ketza]

I usually use the 2 infantry divisions from 4th PZ to blow the hole in the Soviet lines in front of 18th army. I then blow a hole in the lines in front of 16th army using the 9th army reserve corps from the rear. Everyone else passes through the gaps.

[larryfulkerson]

So basicly, we're now left with a hole to be exploited. I'm planning on using the 18th Army to advance north to form a north flank to the
tank drive that will pass through the hole headed northeast to Riga and I need a motorized unit at least 1/2 way to Riga to provide what
flank security that the 18th Army cannot. Due to lack of MP's probably.

[larryfulkerson]

ORIGINAL: ComradeP
Ventspils is a level 3 port, so shutting it down through bombing missions in one turn is difficult.

How's that work ComradeP dude? Do you have to get at least 50% damage to shut down the port or .....?

[Klydon]

Ok, some important things going on with AGN.

First, you have to get the two coastal ports just north of 18th army. I typically use a motorized division to grab the northern port and some infantry for the southern port. This is important because you want to flip as much Russian territory as possible and if you leave those ports open, the territory does not flip, Russian units close will be able to evacuate by sea and you run into some other issues. I also favor smacking Riga on the first turn even without the Riga gambit. It is still a port and needs to go. Capturing it early while you have an advantage with a little force is better because you don't want your infantry slowed down with having to deal with it. My opinion is worry about bombing Kuressare on turn 2 when you want to sea move stuff into Riga so your panzers can move on. This is good to do with your infantry that is far behind or some security units. Part of this depends on how much they change the sea lift capacity as well.

Next, as much as the 16th army needs to march as far as they can towards Livani. This is likely the place your armor crossed over on the first turn and you want to avoid the swamps around Riga to get maximum movement out of your infantry on turn two. If you are making a serious attempt on Leningrad, you need infantry to get there as quickly as possible via Pskov. You can send some infantry a bit north from Livani through the gaps, but my point is that to run a bunch of infantry towards Riga is a mistake because of the terrain there. You should move 18th army towards Livani as well, except for a corps that is detailed to clean up any pocketed Russians, etc.

AGN is actually one of the tougher spots to get done right. You want to pave the way for moving the infantry as far forward as quickly as possible as you can, yet you do want to pocket as many Russians as you can or the units that are routed out will recover enough to seriously delay your forces on turn 2 and 3. If the Russian wants to slow down your drive, make him pay by railing in units from other theaters to do it.

[larryfulkerson]

And using the combat unit with the most MP's to spend we trace the path of the 1st Inf Div.

[Commanderski]

While taking Riga on the first turn works now, even the AI does it, I think that's going to be a lot harder when the 1.05 patch comes out. Riga was taken fairly early but not during the first week. It was taken around July 7, which would be the end of turn 2. So don't count on being able to do that much longer.

[cherryfunk]

One thing to keep in mind is that the Axis powers of attack are truly awesome on the first turn -- 2 stacked infantry divisions can power through almost anything with a hasty attack. The key is to work your way from the back, saving the very front line units until after front is broken open to maximize their MPs.
 

[larryfulkerson]

Probably the only Inf Div that might be able to reach that southernmost port is the 291st. Let's give him the go for lift-off and see what happens.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's the XXVI Corps taking up positions on the northern flank ready to head north to clear the Peninsula.

[Klydon]

Something else I thought of if you really, really want to get down to detail on elite (86+) moral infantry divisions.

There are likely two schools of thought with them:

All divisions are equal on the first turn in terms of movement in enemy territory. (The lower moral units get a bonus to match the higher moral units and this includes all units).

The first thought is to intentionally move the lower moral guys as far as you can because they will never get a chance to move that far in enemy territory again. This means that you might be a bit slower in getting someplace, but you will arrive with more.

The second thought is to pick those units out and make sure they get as full of a move as possible because it will matter on the next couple of turns when it comes to potentially having to move through enemy territory. You want those units as far up front as possible because AGN is so short on panzer forces, so any help they can get from "quick" infantry is helpful.

The Germans start with few of these elite units, but most are in AGN.

12 and 32 infantry are in the II corps in the 16th army

30 infantry are in the X corps in the 16th army

1, 11, and 21 infantry are in the I corps in the 18th army

Should all this make much difference? Maybe, maybe not. Like I said; if you want to get really detailed with the Germans, here you go. [:)]