Replacements

[klarson56]

I've been playing Case Blue Long and experimenting with with some of the aspects of the game to try and figure out how they work. In order to better understand how replacements worked, I created an SS Motorized Division co-located with OKH and subordinated to it, set replacements to priority, set the other SS replacement % to 75%, and played several cards for SS Armor, guns, infantry, and transport. I was patient, and eventually the units started filling up, but they stopped filling up well below full strength, especially the artillery regiment. That stopped at 10 150mm and 10 heavy FLAK, even though there were lots more guns available in the OKH replacement pool. Any suggestions on how to ensure that new units fill up quickly when there are replacements available?

[LiquidSky]

Units will only fill up to a maximum number. So no matter how many replacements you have, the unit cannot exceed it.

I too tried experimenting with building units and noticed a few things:

First...the unit will have very poor experience. The SS motorized Brigade I built started with about 20 xp. I would use my 'training' units to chase down partisans. You can also play cards on them to increase xp. As well..they will slowly grow over time. Remember it takes months to train and equip a division in real life, and the game only moves along in 2 day increments.

Secondly...the unit has to be in a chain of HQ's that end at OKH. (or I suppose Stavka, but they are evil and shall no longer be mentioned). The unit can be near the fornt line, and doesnt have to be 'parked' on OKH.

Disbanding seems to be as slow as building.

[olivier34]

Interesting. I did not have time to do some micro management in my current game. I have two motorised rgts that have lost a lot of trucks and consequently they move by foot. I have ask more trucks to OKH and put them on priority for rpl; hope that they get the 300 new trucks.

[aspqrz02]

One way to get around this problem is to do what I did with Panzergrenadiers ... create a Panzergernadier sftype which combines Infantry sftype combat values with Halftrack movement values. That way, when the Halftracks are lost, the Infantry goes with them ... so you never have the situation where the tanks are slowed down to infantry movement rates. Of course, the (realistic) downside is that Panzergrenadiers consume Halftrack replacements.

For Panzergrenadiers, this is certainly reasonable ... there are so few, relative to the overall infantry strength of all units, that having Halftrack replacements for them doesn't unbalance things, infantry wise.

(Realistically, I'd strongly suspect that Panzergrenadiers would largely be destroyed with their Halftracks, or, in a pinch, the unit commanders would simply put any without Halftracks into commandeered trucks ... since this can't be done in the game system, I believe the Panzergrenadier sftype is a reasonable compromise).

I also created Motorcycle Recon sftype ... infantry with truck-like movement (tweaked somewhat) using infantry replacements ... because I don't believe Truck replacements really include Motorcycles and, of course, the Motorcycle Recon elements are quite small overall. I am considering creating a Bicycle Infantry sftype with an enhanced movement better than infantry but less good than cavalry, for the same reason.

There is no reason at all why this should not be done with Motorised (Truck Borne) infantry ... create a Motorised Infantry sftype ... Trucks with infantry combat values ... and have it use Truck replacements. Again, since there are relatively few Motorised Infantry elements in the game, this should not unbalance things.

YMMV.

Phil

[klarson56]

Thanks for the advice. The main thing that confuses me at this point is the Artillery regiment. It is stuck at 10 howitzers and 10 heavy FLAK, even though there is SS artillery in the OKH pool. that can't be the full strength for the regiment.

[James Ward]

^ Is it the support regiment?

[klarson56]

Yes. The support regiment.

[James Ward]

Then it would seem like it should get more.

[LiquidSky]

When the integrity is at 100%, the unit is at full strength. Integrity is just the percentage towards total strength a unit is.

When I look at my SS artillery regiment for the SS AH Div, it is at 94 integrity, with 400 inf, 150 trucks, 20 105mm guns, 10 88mm flak, 10 20mm flak, and 5 150mm guns. Looks like to me, it probably only has 10 maximum 150 mm guns.