1.04 The Wolf and the Bear (no Gids)

[Tarhunnas]

ORIGINAL: PeeDeeAitch

The Hiwis will help. I got several hundred thousand in my losing game with the update right at the beginning of 1943. I saw a goodly jump in manpower the first two turns. Still, having had those guys in the bank back in 1942 would have helped more... [:)]

That sounds comforting. I had no doubt I was doing comparatively well, but I was beginning to feel a manpower pinch, and was in the by now depressingly familiar situation where a majority of the infantry divisions have a CV of 1 or 2. Not all over the front yet, but all infantry divisions on the section of front where the main action is, roughly from Tula to the Don bend. I was still a long way from army collapse, but it was not inconceivable with an army collapse in the next 6 months or so.

I think this only shows that even with an extremely successful 1942, the Germans were still heading for grave trouble in 1943-44 under 1.04. It will be interesting to see how 1.05 will change things.

[BletchleyGeek]

ORIGINAL: Tarhunnas
I think this only shows that even with an extremely successful 1942, the Germans were still heading for grave trouble in 1943-44 under 1.04. It will be interesting to see how 1.05 will change things.

Playing the Germans from 1943 on is perhaps the hardest challenge WitE can offer. It really requires to have cold blood and some foresight, especially when choosing where to fight and for how long.

I just reached April 1943 in a GC 1942 that started under 1.03 - I even got the Partisan Guards thing - and I think I haven't done too bad given the circumstances... at the price of foregoing any kind of major offensive. All my offensive operations have been limited to ravage Red Army spearheads and then run behind infantry. Though this becomes harder to do as German infantry divisions become a husk.

Anyways, I'm with Flavio on the outcome of the game. I think you'll get a Minor Victory at the very least. Or better, since I think the relation of forces in your game might enable you to launch some sort of major "backhand blow" thing. Have you thought about ambushing your opponent?

[Tarhunnas]

ORIGINAL: Bletchley_Geek

Have you thought about ambushing your opponent?

Constantly [:D].

However, at present the Soviet attacks are mostly confined to broad pushes that give no scope for cutting off. When the chance has offered itself to cut off a substantial penetration in the past, the Sovs have always been able to extricate them, partly with the help of the 1-1 rule, so I have opted for routing them instead. I will see if I can do better now with 1.05, but OTOH the balance of forces is making backhand blows more and more difficult.

[Tarhunnas]

Turn 124. October 28 1943. Mud.

Nothing interesting to show except a brownish sludge all over the map, so here are some statistics instead. First productiion. As can be shown, manpower doesn't seem to be a problem, but armaments seem scarce. There is a substantial pool of healthy, willing and able eager young Russians willing to make a Mark by working for the Wehrmacht.

[Tarhunnas]

Here are rifle squads, two types in use at present:

[Tarhunnas]

OOB, shown beside OOB for turn 117 for easy comparison. The one on the left is for turn 117, the one on the right is turn 124.

[Tarhunnas]

And losses.

[Flaviusx]

This issue of shortage of armaments in the late war period for the Germans has been bothering me for a while, tbh. I've seen it in other games, too. Manpower at this point ought to be the major constraining factor, not armaments.

[Q-Ball]

ORIGINAL: Flaviusx

This issue of shortage of armaments in the late war period for the Germans has been bothering me for a while, tbh. I've seen it in other games, too. Manpower at this point ought to be the major constraining factor, not armaments.

I agree, and hope something is being done to address that, or more games will die; at least now, probably not until 1944.

IIRC, the Wehrmacht did suffer shortages of certain items like AT guns that would come out of the armament pool, but I don't ever recall a shortage of small arms. Maybe certain Armament types should be "free".

[Tarhunnas]

Turn 125. November 4 1943. Mud.

With nothing much else to do, the command of Army Group B has started the construction of a local Ostwall along the Mius. The reasoning is that with all the Hiwis in the pool, the labor squads of the fortifications will not be a drain on manpower.

[Tarhunnas]

Turn 126. November 11 1943. Snow over most of the map, mud in the far south. Time to brace again for the Soviet onslaught. Mu CVs are a little better, don't know if it's the rest during mud or the Hiwis filling out the rear services. Anyway, here is a sample of the front at Orel.

[krupp_88mm]

Hiwis are going to be an interesting aspect of the metagame ( hate the term).

maybe a reason you hate the term is because its so often misused, like in your example, Hiwis probably would not be part of a meta game because the game itself that we are playing has the hiwis in it, although you could say it was part of various meta games if you narrowed the definition of what the game was and or was not.

[Tarhunnas]

Turn 127. November 18 1943. Snow.

Substantial Soviet thrusts east of Orel and west of Boguchar.

[Tarhunnas]

The Soviets pay a price for their advances however. Losses from the Soviet part of the turn.

[Tarhunnas]

The Hiwis are doing their part! A fortified zone somewhere in Russia.

[Tarhunnas]

The panzers strike back! Counterattacks inflict further losses on the Soviets. No units isolated, but their leading tank corps are cut off and routed.

[Tarhunnas]

Another Soviet wave hits north of Voronezh. A lone tank corps tries to exploit, but I think we can take care of that...

[Q-Ball]

Tarhunnas: Can you post the German production screen? I am curious what your Armament situation looks like.

If you are at Zero on Armaments, then extra Hiwis won't really help you

[PeeDeeAitch]

The 1943-on armaments issues do seem like continuing problems.

[Tarhunnas]

The Soviets in the Crimea are beginning to stir. Two tank corps take a hex in the western exit. The other positions are under attack as well, but all assults are defeated.