New guy / supply question

[coolts]

Hi guys.

I’m new to this forum having just bought the game after losing half of Saturday to the demo! The sale was too much for me to resist. I’m not a total newcomer to wargames having been playing War In the East for over a year and in comparison, I am loving the AI automation and smaller scale tactical nitty gritty offered by BftB. (and the fact that i can lose myself for months in an invasion of Russia!)

After some hideous calamities in Russia in WitE, I now prioritise resupply to my units above most other considerations and am in need of some advice as to how BftB models this. I’ve read the manual sections but what I want to know is;

(Playing the St Vith tutorial mission till I crack the game mechanics…)

• Does the length of the supply chain directly affect supply?
• Should I keep my depots which are attached to the divisional HQ’s between the SEP at the maps edge and the battalion HQ’s neat the front? (I had some AAA which by the time I was near St Vith was hardly getting any shells).

In this mission the depots start at the maps edge very near to the SEP and I was wondering if there are any logistical advantages in moving them closer to the front. Protected of course

[simovitch]

proximity and terrain between one supply source and the other, or a supply source and it's drawing unit do effect the delivery times. Also check how supplies are getting to the SEP - by airlanding, major raod, etc. and how much % of your forces will get supplied through the SEP, and is it restricted supply.

If your SEP is a dud then you may want to take the main bases closer to your troops where they can deliver what they have on hand.

[Alpha_one]

I've spent a lot of time figuring out the supply system (which is actually pretty simple.) Theoretically, you want your depos as close to to your front line troops and artillery units as possible. IMO there's much more advantage in a shorter supply line between your fighting units and depots as opposed to your depots and the SEP's.

The supplies are delivered by trucks, so if they have to cross a lot of muddy fields to reach your units, it's going to take some time, whereas if you have a nice juicy highway between your units and the depo, it'll be faster. I tend to micromanage my artillery and burn through a lot of shells, and I see by reviewing the logs for my artillery units that a short supply line results in much faster resupply.

Just remember that if your supply bases are ever forced to retreat they lose *half* of their stocks. The AI schooled me a few times in the wisdom of not keeping my bases too close to the front lines.

[Lieste]

Not quite true - they lose all excess stocks (above the transport capability), and half of the stocks that could be loaded on vehicles with sufficient time and planning.

ie no matter how much supply the depot has on hand, the maximum retained supply is half the carrying capacity of the trucks/wagons/packs etc.

I don't know whether this 'halving' is each time, or just a once off deal - each time reducing to half the capacity of the transport. In any case, this is of minor consequence if a formation is already fought-out, but can cripple a newly committed force.