Disaster in the making. Oloren (axis) vs Terje (USSR)

[Q-Ball]

ORIGINAL: terje439

ORIGINAL: Q-Ball

4. I also wonder if you couldn't thin out the line elsewhere. After 1943, you barely need to defend as Soviets; what are the Germans going to do, advance? You can leave whole sectors undefended, the Germans aren't going anywhere....

4. Well, in the north we are rather thin (well for me that is [:D]), I realize that the rest of you scream bloody murder at the though of having a rifle corps placed against the Axis stacks and do nothing, but in my mind it pins down Axis units in the quiet sectors, denying them to reinforce the areas south of the Moscow-Minsk line.
That being said, there are a few hexes held by a mere division, and it makes me uneasy... I do not trust the divisions [;)]

Terje

After 1943, though, what are the Germans going to do against a division on the line? Here are the options besides nothing:

1. Minor attack: By 1943, units should have morale/experience that they will inflict about 1/2 the casualties on the Germans that they suffer. This isn't productive for the Germans, and favors you.
2. Major attack: So he pockets a few divisions, but his Panzers are out in the open. Or in an unimportant sector. Either way, I don't know why I would do that as the Germans.

Don't worry about it. In fact, in the heavy woods east of the Volkhov, you could leave it undefended completely. I'm serious. What's he going to do? Advance? He has to leave guys up there regardless if you do or not, so you would tie down Germans with Air. That's an extreme example, but you have to get men where it counts.

Here are some other things you can do to raise the TOE of your Rifle Corps, if you havent' already:

1. Disband almost all Construction Bdes. (Keep a handful to repair rail, but that's all you need them for, and maybe not much of that, since you have FBD units now)
2. Disband any extra Army HQs (you may have already)
3. Disband any Air HQs more than 1 per front (you may have already; you only need 1 per front)

Focus SU builds on TANKS. You have plenty of TANKS in the pool, and Tank SUs are very cheap from a Manpower perspective (but have firepower). You need firepower that is manpower-cheap, and that's Tanks.

[randallw]

Wow, I hadn't noticed that Oloren has over 7k tanks in the field. Well that's a problem.

[terje439]

ORIGINAL: Q-Ball

After 1943, though, what are the Germans going to do against a division on the line? Here are the options besides nothing:

1. Minor attack: By 1943, units should have morale/experience that they will inflict about 1/2 the casualties on the Germans that they suffer. This isn't productive for the Germans, and favors you.
2. Major attack: So he pockets a few divisions, but his Panzers are out in the open. Or in an unimportant sector. Either way, I don't know why I would do that as the Germans.

3. Don't worry about it. In fact, in the heavy woods east of the Volkhov, you could leave it undefended completely. I'm serious. What's he going to do? Advance? He has to leave guys up there regardless if you do or not, so you would tie down Germans with Air. That's an extreme example, but you have to get men where it counts.

Here are some other things you can do to raise the TOE of your Rifle Corps, if you havent' already:

4. Disband almost all Construction Bdes. (Keep a handful to repair rail, but that's all you need them for, and maybe not much of that, since you have FBD units now)
5. Disband any extra Army HQs (you may have already)
6. Disband any Air HQs more than 1 per front (you may have already; you only need 1 per front)

7. Focus SU builds on TANKS. You have plenty of TANKS in the pool, and Tank SUs are very cheap from a Manpower perspective (but have firepower). You need firepower that is manpower-cheap, and that's Tanks.

1. & 2. Deep down I know you are correct of course, however the disasters inflicted on my forces by losing my flank in -43 scared me, this is probably also my fear of leaving divisions alone on the front.

3. yet, I still attack a hex every now and then, the advance here is just slower, not non-existing.

4. Do not have alot of them, have some RR units, but with the ammount of RR still in need of repair, I will keep them a little longer.

5. Do not have any, should probably BUILD another army or two

6. Do not even have 1 per front at the moment

7. Most my units have 3 SUs attached now, most used items are sappers, heavy tanks, AT units of various kinds and SUs. I do not see my CV as a major issue really, as it seems these often have minimal impact on the outcome anyway... 15 : 1 -> 1.8 : 1 etc...And does not tank SUs demand even more trucks? But sure, I guess I can build some more tank units for the units that still lack SUs.

Again thank you for good advice (even though I might not follow them all [:)])


Terje

[terje439]

ORIGINAL: randallw

Wow, I hadn't noticed that Oloren has over 7k tanks in the field. Well that's a problem.

Nah, the problem is the date and distance to Berlin [:D]
I can bypass any X-factored CV stack the Axis place, forcing it to fall back, the Axis issue now is not numbers, but morale (confirmed by Oloren).

Terje

[terje439]

Turn 200

Overall
We manage 3 attacks in the mud,scoring 1 held and 2 retreats. We also spot the Axis fallback line being built.
Losses are reported as;
Axis : 33.000 troops and 69 AFVs
USSR : 58.000 troops and 124 AFVs.

Units
2 FBs (both set to bombing) and 16 TACs are sent to the reserves this turn. Some points are spent on reassigning a few units. The good thing about this turn is that the Turkish border guards are released. They have been annoying me, sitting there getting fat.
Our forces claim a growth of 90.000 troops this turn.

Pools
136.000 arrive at the manpower pool, so it ends at a staggering 357...
Vehicle pool : 222.798.
Armaments pool : 991.475.

Units destroyed
The 23rd Hungarian Infantry Divsion is overrun and surrenders this turn.

Partisans
7 units are chased away, leaving 24 on the map. Our guys perform 19 acts of sabotague.

[Peltonx]

Yes morale is the key again.

The German player in this game was able to stay on the attack into 43 along most of the front. Which means Terje was not able to start to dent it until the summer of 1944 a full yr behind historical.

Disbanding troops here, changing su's and leaving the ffront open there can't make up for that.

A bad 42 can't be over come easly and a bad 43 can not be over come at all. I think thats becoming clear the more AAR's that get late in the war.
A bad 42 for the German is game set match. I personally know how clear that is.

Pelton

[terje439]

ORIGINAL: Pelton

Yes morale is the key again.

The German player in this game was able to stay on the attack into 43 along most of the front. Which means Terje was not able to start to dent it until the summer of 1944 a full yr behind historical.

Disbanding troops here, changing su's and leaving the ffront open there can't make up for that.

A bad 42 can't be over come easly and a bad 43 can not be over come at all. I think thats becoming clear the more AAR's that get late in the war.
A bad 42 for the German is game set match. I personally know how clear that is.

Pelton

Well, atleast I cannot overcome a bad -41 followed by an even worse -42 and a disaster of a -43 [:)]

Terje

[terje439]

Turn 201

Overall
Despite the mud, the Axis try to kill of my units in the Kerch peninsula (isolated as they are), but only manage a held result. We on the other hand launch an outrageous 6 attacks, scoring 2 held and 4 retreats. Losses are still light;
Axis : 37.000 troops and 86 AFVs.
USSR : 55.000 troops and 98 AFVs.
My main focus now, is getting the railroads up and running all the way up to the front so we are ready for a new offensive when the mud clears up.

Units
Our forces report a net growth of 80.000 troops this turn. Most of the units resting behind the line have their fatigue level down to the 0-10 range.

Pools
113.000 workers arrive at the manpower pool, ending it at 864.
Vehicle pool : 219.896.
Armaments pool : 991.987.

Units destroyed
The 10th Rumanian Infantry Division has had enough, and surrendered to us.

Partisans
10 units are forced to retreat, leaving us with a total of 24 units on the map. These 24 units then manage 11 acts of sabotague.

[terje439]

Turn 202

Overall
Well, we continue to make the attacks we can make with any chance of success. This turn we score 2 held, 3 retreat and 1 rout, for a total of 6 attacks and 66% success rate. Losses are light on both sides;
Axis : 34.000 troops and 108 AFVs
USSR : 48.000 troops and 90 AFVs.

Units
1 FB and 11 TACs are sent to the reserves, and we spend some points on upgrading some of our aircrafts.
Our ground forces claim a growth of 79.000 troops.

Pools
A mere 102.000 workers arrive at the manpower pool this turn, ending it at 863.
Vehicle pool : 217.824.
Armaments pool : 991.600.

Units destroyed
The German 110th Fortified Zone is destroyed this turn.

Partisans
The Axis force 11 units to retreat, leaving us with 19 on the map. Our guys make 3 sabotague missions this turn.

[terje439]

Turn 203

Game patched to latest beta by both players.

Overall
The mud goes away, and the Germans are eager to prove they still have kitchen sinks available to throw at us. The Axis manage 24 attacks for 20 retreat, 3 rout and 1 surrender (The peninsula force). And we have to pick up HQs and airfields all over the place, but we still counterattack with no less than 68 attacks along the front, scoring 18 held and 50 retreats. Despite no reports of resistance in Sevastopol by our recon flights, our invasion force finds out that there are two units there, and retreat back to base. Losses are heavy, but the Axis losses are higher than ours;
Axis : 151.000 troops and 730 AFVs
USSR : 148.000 troops and 596 AFVs.

Units
No aerial units were allowed to rest this turn, as we wanted maximum force against the Axis. We lost the peninsula force of 2 divisions and a brigade (yes, I know this is "waste", but I want to look at how well invasions work).
Our forces have diminished by 31.000 troops this turn.

Pools
A mere 81.000 workers (!!!) arrive at the manpower pool, ending it at 8.598.
Vehicle pool : 229.241.
Armaments pool : 985.274.

Partisans
5 units are forced to retreat, leaving 15 to do some mischief. Sadly they only perform 1 act of sabotague this turn.

[terje439]

Turn 204

Overall
The mud is back (as expected), and the number of attacks we are able to make drop to 7, resulting in 1 held, 4 retreat, 1 rout and 1 surrender. Losses are about 1:1;
Axis : 56.000 troops and 119 AFVs
USSR : 62.000 troops and 154 AFVs

Units
No less than 3 FBs and 17 TACs are sent to the reserves. AA is deadly to low level attacking planes it seems.
Our forces on the ground claim a growth of 45.000 troops this turn.

Pools
112.000 workers arrive at the manpower pool this turn, ending it at 339.
Vehicle pool : 235.078.
Armaments pool : 972.687.

Units destroyed
the German 25th Panzer Division, 48th Infantry Division and 121st Volksgrenadier Division all surrender to our valiant forces this turn.

Partisans
4 units retreat, leaving 14 on the map. These 14 units then manage 7 sabotague missions this turn.

Wondering
With the HQ effect from the latest patch, should I or should I not build more armies?? I am thinking no at the moment simply because the game is soon over, and Axis strength is low, so the negative modifier should not hit as hard now as it would in -43 and -44.

[Tophat1815]

Might be no cigar in making that encirclement work this past turn but looks like you are going to be pulling a korsun pocket like affair out of the deal. Then if the axis tries to bash a corridor open to free trapped units the troop and equipment losses will thin him further. You just saw him write-off some 750 Afv's he can't loose like that without thin panzer divisions. Go get Em!

[Tophat1815]

Have another pic of the southern front situation available?

[terje439]

ORIGINAL: Tophat1812

Might be no cigar in making that encirclement work this past turn but looks like you are going to be pulling a korsun pocket like affair out of the deal. Then if the axis tries to bash a corridor open to free trapped units the troop and equipment losses will thin him further. You just saw him write-off some 750 Afv's he can't loose like that without thin panzer divisions. Go get Em!

Will do my best [:D]

Terje

[terje439]

ORIGINAL: Tophat1812

Have another pic of the southern front situation available?

Something like this?

Picture taken at the start of my turn, so had to mark movement and attacks from memory.

[terje439]

Turn 205

Overall
The mud is gone, and the Axis make an attack against one of our stacks, forcing it to retreat. As payback, we launch a total of 73 attacks, scoring 12 held, 56 retreats, 4 routs and 1 shatter this turn. More importantly, we force the Kerch-straight, which should mean that Sevastopol might be liberated soon. When Sevastopol is liberated, we will need to look at the possibility of landing some guys on the Rumanian border by an amphibious assault.
Losses are fair to high on both sides;
Axis : 125.000 troops and 441 AFVs
USSR : 109.000 troops and 521 AFVs.

Units
1 F and 3 TACs are sent to the reserves this turn. Our ground forces record a net loss of 7.000 troops this turn.

Pools
105.000 workers arrive at the manpower pool ending it at 5.089.
Vehicle pool : 226.821.
Armaments pool : 985.765.

Units destroyed
The 4th Rumanian Mountain Division is destroyed this turn.

Partisans
3 units retreat, leaving 18 on the map. Our guys manage 5 sabotague missions this turn.

[Q-Ball]

Good AAR as always! All those routed Germans, looks like he is finally collapsing. A bit late for you though, I still think he is going to win a minor victory at least, maybe a bigger one.

[terje439]

Turn 206

Apologies
Forgot to check my pool this turn.

Overall
Mud again, so ww only managed 7 attacks, scoring 2 held and 5 retreat. Losses were light;
Axis : 34.000 troops and 102 AFVs
USSR : 69.000 troops and 181 AFVs

Units
1 LB and 7 TACs are sent to reserves this turn.

Partisans
6 units are chased away, leaving 14 on the map. Our guys perform a lousy 2 sabotage missions.

[terje439]

ORIGINAL: Q-Ball

Good AAR as always! All those routed Germans, looks like he is finally collapsing. A bit late for you though, I still think he is going to win a minor victory at least, maybe a bigger one.

Thank you. Yes, time is running out too fast, but nevertheless our digital men will do their best to the last [:)]

Terje

[Q-Ball]

Question: How close attention have you been paying to leadership at the Front level?

I don't like you leader choices, unless you have had alot of leader losses. Some high admin guys I don't see there:

Zhukov
Konev
Rokossovsky
Bagramyan
Malinovsky
Vatutin
Vasilevsky
Golikov

.....among others, but off the top of my head, any one of these guys would make a better Front commander than the lot you have. Of your Front commanders, the only ones I like are:

Shaposhnikov
Tolbukhin
Purkaev
Timoshenko

maybe Tyulenev, but he is a borderline front commander

Popov and Reiter are OK only if some other guys are dead

For god sakes, Budyenney should not be leading STAVKA. The only thing he would rate highly in is "Mustache".

Where are all your best Red Army commanders?