1.05.18 beta Axis opening moves

[larryfulkerson]

I wanted to continue the conversation from the War Room about the proper moves for the Axis player in turn 1, with the single exception that I thought I'd start over using the new version 1.05.18 beta and see what the differences are. To refresh your memory I'm playing against the Soviet AI on "normal" settings. And this AAR will be the record of what happens / happened. So I'll be posting my moves here and we can cuss / discuss what I should do and what I should have done differently and hopefully come up with some good moves for the Axis player on turn 1. And if that works out maybe I'll do turn 2 as well. Depends on the amount of verbage that gets posted here I guess.

EDIT: I noticed right off the bat that flying recon over the Soviet airbases didn't raise the detection level higher than 5. I guess that routine where you fly a lot of recon over the air bases to raise the DL doesn't have to be done anymore unless the detection level is lower than 3, say. I'm guessing the DL has a lot of influence on the combat result of the air base attack so the higher the better I always say.

Here's the first airbase attack results: I didn't make all that much a dent in the Soviet air armour. But it's better than nothing.

[JAMiAM]

If you want to pump up the recon on the airbases during the turn one attacks, right-click the attack, and use only a single Schwarm to attack the airbase. After an attack, the recon is kicked up to higher levels. It's usually around Det 8 after a single attack, and Det 10 after the second round of attacks.

[Peltonx]

Always more then one way to skin a cat.

I messed around with first turn an nothing is really any different, a few less routs.

I can do same opening moves as before, other then a few infantry divisions will be a hex or to behind where they would have been before. Which will easly be made up for on turn 2.

1.05 really only effects 42-45.

Pelton

[larryfulkerson]

I did about 4 dozen airstrikes against Soviet airbases and here's the losses so far:

[larryfulkerson]

ORIGINAL: JAMiAM
If you want to pump up the recon on the airbases during the turn one attacks, right-click the attack, and use only a single Schwarm to attack the airbase. After an attack, the recon is kicked up to higher levels. It's usually around Det 8 after a single attack, and Det 10 after the second round of attacks.

I wish I had read this BEFORE I did my air attacks. Oh well, live and learn. This is another reason why JAMiAM is a much better player than I am.

[Peltonx]

Might be a slight change, but nothing major in first turn air losses from what I am seeing.

I generally never got more then 4500 kills first turn, until last few games I was hitting 5500.

Not a game changer for sure.

Pelton

[Peltonx]

Basicly no more Germans getting steam rolled in late 42/early 43, all things being equal.

Reds will have to fight in front, because arm pts mean even more now.

Which means Germans will pocket more or have chances to pocket more. So the bar of 100 arm pts has been lowered to 70ish.

Lets play the game an find out for sure shall we peeps.

Pelton

[larryfulkerson]

The 58th Div is a singleton division in it's Corps and it's the furtherest away from those headed north so I use it to try to blow a hole in the front lines for everybody else:

EDIT: The 58th Div runs out of steam almost before it gets really started with the held result at the end there. I ran outta "video space" before I finished the movement of the 58th so It'll continue in the next post.

[larryfulkerson]

And continuing the movement of the 58th Division to clear out a hole for the prime movers.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's the 217th Div on it's mission to try to clear out the southmost port in the Riga peninsula. It doesn't quite make it. There's a need to bring another division up to help out.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's some more flank protection and front line hole creating going on. I split the Division into parts and moved the HQ unit up closer to the action.

[larryfulkerson]

I was "filming" the moves of another division just now and somehow had a fat-finger move and attacked the wrong stack but thought I'd
continue onward just like I knew what I was doing. It all works out in the long run.

[larryfulkerson]

Now we send a motorized division to grab the ports on the west side of the Riga peninsula.....in two parts. Here's the first one ( the southernmost port ).

[larryfulkerson]

And here is part two: the motorized unit capturing the northernmost port:

[larryfulkerson]

And as you can tell there's a need to clear a lane for the tank(s) directly to the east. So I move a division to take care of that little
problemo.

[larryfulkerson]

And more lane clearing and flank security going on:

[larryfulkerson]

And some more flank security going on. I've moved it adjacent to the Soviet stuff but I'm not convinced that anybody needs to be
attacked. I COULD attack and maybe cause some retreating or shattered or route them but I'm thinking that I'm going to try to make
a pocket out of the situation and trap them in it. They will be easier targets after they are isolated so I'm thinking of waiting the attack
until then. What do all you guys think?

[modrow]

Just wanted to give some positive feedback on the way you present the maps. Excellent way of presentation, really nice to look at !

Hartwig

[OTZ]

I know some consider it a no-no, but splitting your mobile forces on turn 1 is my strategy. I've been able to form quite a few pockets this way without sacrificing too much in terms of forward momentum. Russian losses are staggering, and their ability to form any cohesive defensive lines is reduced with those units wiped from teh field.

[Klydon]

I am not a fan of doing regiments with the mobile forces on turn 1 unless absolutely necessary, because it reduces the ability to advance on turn 2.

In some cases, breaking down an infantry division is beneficial. Larry, I think this is one of those times with the units you are discussing there. They are not really in the way on turn 1 and those are good value Russian targets (all mech/motorized is) to make sure they don't get away. The one important thing is to safeguard that rail line. You do not want the Russians slipping units in to flip it back to Russian control and make your rail repair unit spend extra movement getting into enemy territory on turn 2. With that in mind, I would look at breaking down a division and putting regiments on the open spots on the rail line to make sure the Russians can't do that.

Shame those other infantry divisions have expended their movement as their place could be taken by a broken down division, but the way it goes. The other option is to use a division from further back that can't get very far to plug the hole there on the rail line.