TopEverest vs Admiral Kamikaze - the rematch

[topeverest]

Enemy will make some progress here too. Pushing hard to halt eastward progress but expect enemy to link at Kerch before winter is out.

[HardLuckYetAgain]

ORIGINAL: topeverest


Man do I need the trucks boost.

What is your Truck situation right now? What are your numbers?

[topeverest]

Here are the truck numbers.

Like most of this game, I am learning on the go here too. I understand what the rulebook states but I don't have a good idea where to manage the number to.

[topeverest]

Here are vehicles

[topeverest]

2 turns until 1943 and its booty

1. Germany takes North Moscow hex in heavy armored fighting.
2. Stalingrad Panzer ball now within 10 hexes of the city
3. Rostov attack pushes south modestly, allowing retreating Russian units on the western edge to get away

[topeverest]

Heavy German armor takes North Moscow. Other heavy fighting somewhat localized.

Moscow doesn't hold in my mind.

[topeverest]

Here I feel a bit better. I don't see a big breakthrough, but I could be fooling myself.

[topeverest]

All thing considered, especially my poor play, luck clearly was on my side in 42.

Russians retained Stalingrad, Baku, Saratov, and most of Moscow.

Losses for the year

[topeverest]

here is the updated map for year end

[topeverest]

And we are into 1943 - Romania and Hungary are +5 didn't expect that...

1942 #'s
__________________________________________
GAME PARAMETERS

Current National Morale:
GER FIN ITA RUM HUN SLO SOV
70 70 45 45 50 50 50

1943 Current
__________________________________________
GAME PARAMETERS

Current National Morale:
GER FIN ITA RUM HUN SLO SOV
69 70 45 50 55 55 51

Germany headed down to 65
Soviets +1 per month until 65 in 44

[topeverest]

So the big fix I am working on now is

1. build more heavy armor SU for armor corps
2. Fix the dozens of armies with too many CP's - note I built 10 more armies to fix the problem, as I calculated I was net over by more than 150 points. I was using the old manual that showed Russian armies got more CPs as time went on, and by the time I was graciously notified of my error, it was too late to do in 42, given the truck limitations. now that it is 43, the armies are built and will be integrated over time
3. building more airbases and air units (concentration on bombing)
4. try to avoid a major German breakthrough for the rest of the winter

[topeverest]

No issues here. Losses are sufficiently replaced.

[ericv]

Your army is in really good shape for januari 1943. Furthermore you didn't lose too much ground and cities as well. Begin of 1943 will be definitely the turning point.

As to your CP problems: you might have held out on raising so much armies...... you need to start building rifle corps. (Using 2 guard div + 1 normal rifle brigade) each time you will save 1 CP. 4 corps will save 4 cp. You get the point. At the end of 1943 you will have a lot of empty armies. More advice : build more zapper regiments. The best low truck cost support units out there. The heavy su and tank look great but cost a ton of trucks.

Your vehicle pool ; in parenthesis is what you need this turn. The nummer outside parenthesis your actual value. Get the actual above the pArenthesis

[ericv]

I am not an expert in air warfare. But a lot of players start disbanding the soviet LEVEL bombers. And just play with the tactical bombers. The Il2's. That will save a lot of trucks. Disbanding superfluous hq will also net you trucks and manpower.

[ericv]

I am not sure how many mech and tank corps you have. But you can have too many. These guys will also eat up your trucks.

[topeverest]

EricV

Thanks for the commentary and advice. Let me address Corps in this message. Below is where my unit counts by type and size.

to your point, I do need more corps, but I do want enough unit density too

ORIGINAL: ericv

you need to start building rifle corps.

[topeverest]

I am going to ride out a few turns without building anything other than some corps and see if I can inch up trucks to positive.

At about 5300 trucks added per turn and me not on the offensive, I should gain 2-4K per turn. time will tell on that test.

ORIGINAL: ericv

I am not sure how many mech and tank corps you have. But you can have too many. These guys will also eat up your trucks.

[topeverest]

Same themes continue - Germany attacking only in a few locations. Russia not attacking.

1 - Germany takes north Moscow hex in heavy fighting.
2 - German attacks continue towards Stalingrad with minor successes
3 - German shifts axis of attack south of Rostov to SW, drives moderate success
4 - German air force almost non existent
5 - Russia gets bountiful new guard units
6 - Russia begins building corps now that they cost only 10 APs

[topeverest]

There always is the risk of a breakout, but I don't see follow-on forces in his two attacks actually broke out. His MLR is stretched pretty thin.

[topeverest]

As hinted in previous posts - Russian Priorities are

1. Continue right sizing armies with the extra armies I built
2. build guard infantry corps
3. backfill unit density with newly built brigades
4. build support units - concentrate on heavy armor and building out SUU's for corps for direct attachment
5. Continue to nurse trucks until they are positive
6. build more bombers