Extra Pz Army in '44

[mooreshawnm]

So playing the '43 scenario and called off Citadel. Spent '43 to '44 retreating to shorter and more
defensible lines. The armor conducted numerous 'back hand blow' counter offensives during the retreat.
June of '44 and the lines are The Daugava River, Dnepr River, Ingul River. Only areas of concern are the
gap between the Daugava and the Dnepr where the 3rd Pz Army is fighting and the bridgehead over the Dnepr
between Cherkassy and Kirovgrad where the 1st Pz Army is engaged. While I am fighting the AI and realize
a human would be all over me I am not convinced the Germans couldn't have done this and been better off for
it.

I digress...4th Pz Army, currently sitting near Brest (so they can react either n or s of the swamps) has
6 Pz divisions and 3 PzGr divisions fully rested, supplied and at full strength. They aren't currently needed
anywhere.

My questions:

1) Did the Germans have the rail capacity to move 9 mech divisions, 3 corps and an army (in addition to all
the other troop movement going on after D-Day) to either a) Normandy or b) Italy?

2) If the rail capacity existed was it possible to move these troops to either front without being destroyed
by air power?

3) Would an additional 9 mech divisions be able to be supplied in either Normandy or Italy?

4) Would this number of divisions made a decisive difference in either theater?

5) Should I forget this nonsense, move them south to counter attack the inevitable Soviet breakthrough across
the Ingul?

(This scenario has been a blast...started on .08 and switched to .0802b around Jan '44)

[heliodorus04]

ORIGINAL: mooreshawnm

So playing the '43 scenario and called off Citadel. Spent '43 to '44 retreating to shorter and more
defensible lines. The armor conducted numerous 'back hand blow' counter offensives during the retreat.
June of '44 and the lines are The Daugava River, Dnepr River, Ingul River. Only areas of concern are the
gap between the Daugava and the Dnepr where the 3rd Pz Army is fighting and the bridgehead over the Dnepr
between Cherkassy and Kirovgrad where the 1st Pz Army is engaged. While I am fighting the AI and realize
a human would be all over me I am not convinced the Germans couldn't have done this and been better off for
it.

I digress...4th Pz Army, currently sitting near Brest (so they can react either n or s of the swamps) has
6 Pz divisions and 3 PzGr divisions fully rested, supplied and at full strength. They aren't currently needed
anywhere.

My questions:

1) Did the Germans have the rail capacity to move 9 mech divisions, 3 corps and an army (in addition to all
the other troop movement going on after D-Day) to either a) Normandy or b) Italy?

2) If the rail capacity existed was it possible to move these troops to either front without being destroyed
by air power?

3) Would an additional 9 mech divisions be able to be supplied in either Normandy or Italy?

4) Would this number of divisions made a decisive difference in either theater?

5) Should I forget this nonsense, move them south to counter attack the inevitable Soviet breakthrough across
the Ingul?

(This scenario has been a blast...started on .08 and switched to .0802b around Jan '44)

Regarding questions that deal with hypotheticals (could these # of divisions have made a difference) - there is no better way to incite flame wars. Everyone thinks they have perfect hindsight and analysis skills. So I'm not touching the hypotheticals.

1) It is generally agreed upon that railroad capacities are too high relative to history.

2) The trains could get away from the eastern front and through to the Siegfried line without too much trouble in 44. Once they entered Eisenhower's box, though, all bets are off. We all know how air power worked on the Western Front after Eisenhower took control for the invasion/breakout.

5) Yes

[morvael]

You could try to play this out using WitW, by withdrawing those units you have in reserve in WitE from EF Box in WitW. No doubt your East Front would collapse soon, but at least you would know the answer for 1), 2), 3) and 4) - in the reality of WitW that is. No one knows what would happen in real life, if the Germans would try it.

edit: meanwhile, in your game, proceed to 5).

[vandorenp]

Played same against human. Human Russian gave up after March 44 after failing to break Axis line and a few successful local Axis counterattacks.