Once more into the Breech with D21

[larryfulkerson]

Now I've come to the 251st Infantry Division and the story is different. The
targets are sitting on or near the railroad and I see that as a supply source
for my units so I'd like to own those rails and unfortunately there's not an
overage of units availaable just now so hey diddle diddle I gotta go up the
middle kind of attacks are necessary. I would like to handle the take down
by making attacks where I can at least get three attackers in on the attack
but that's not always possible. At least two attackers is mandatory.

[larryfulkerson]

This is what the front lines look like in the north right now. I've captured more
road intersections and have almost isolated a small Soviet group and the
opportunities for advancing are present. I wish I had more troops up here. There's
divisions moving from the west side of Kiev to the east side....maybe I can ship a
couple of them up north.

[larryfulkerson]

This is what's going on around Smolensk right now. And as you can see the supply level is okie dokie and so a little
progress from this area would follow at some point. Soon.

[larryfulkerson]

With what troops I have around Bryansk right now I think I can push out to the rails north and east and maybe a little
bit to the SE and then hold that and see what happens. Too few people to do much more than that in this area. More
people would help.

[larryfulkerson]

This is what's going on in the Chernigov area right now. The next thing I need to do is trap as many Soviet units up
against the river as possible and kill them. To open up the river crossings and get the supply flowing through them
and be able to drive more units into the local area faster. Although about 70% of the units that are on their way
still won't arrive until at least two more turns so the advance is almost halted where it is at this time.

[larryfulkerson]

To the far NW of Moscow there's a place in the front lines where the 251st Infantry Division is operating as part of the
spearhead pushing east and here's a picture of some of them making their way carefully from one group of hills to the
next.

EDIT: Notice that this infantryman in the foreground is armed with a bolt-action rifle. He might be the sniper.

[mccartyg]

Have you tried dividing your infantry divisions to regiments and making 2/3rd advances followed by exploitation by the reserve? I think that's what I'll do but, breaking down all those divisions will triple the work. Would play realistic though and seemingly what Steve wanted the player to do. Any thoughts?
Also, your use of ignore losses infuriates me. I never use it for anything less than a objective. What if the AI suddenly grew a brain and started countering with actual human waves like it should?

[larryfulkerson]

There's a place near Moscow where I appear to have made a small hole after defeating a small Soviet group. I'm going to
expand outward and take up positions further forward and see what happens after that.

[larryfulkerson]

ORIGINAL: mccartyg
Have you tried dividing your infantry divisions to regiments and making 2/3rd advances followed by exploitation by the reserve?

I've tried that with full divisions and not yet with pieces so hey, that's something I can try. I'll
let you know how it works.

ORIGINAL: mccartyg
I think that's what I'll do but, breaking down all those divisions will triple the work. Would play realistic though and seemingly what Steve wanted the player to do. Any thoughts?

I think Steve and Rick thought maybe the Axis player would have to do that. I've seen places
where there was nothing else to do for the situation. So I HAVE done it but not all over the
map yet.

ORIGINAL: mccartyg
Also, your use of ignore losses infuriates me. I never use it for anything less than a objective. What if the AI suddenly grew a brain and started countering with actual human waves like it should?

I've noticed that if I don't use ignore losses after I've parked the unit for the turn that Soviet
attacks are usually successful in breaking my lines but if I use ignore losses there's seldome a
break and the turn after the attack(s) I can sometimes replace the attacked unit with a fresh
one. Also, my use of ignore losses causes any Soviet attack to use the most time possible for
that combat rouod and tends to cause less rounds per turn for the enemy. I got that tip from
a veteran whose name escapes me right now.

[larryfulkerson]

...your use of ignore losses infuriates me....

Let me encourage you to get back on your meds. You'll feel better. Really.

[larryfulkerson]

So there I was moving units and I came upon this target hex. It's got some engineers and all the arty in the world. I'm
no longer surprised by the things Elmer does and this is an example. I need some armor to run over that hex for me to
spread out it's contents and maybe kill something. Fortunately there's some armor nearby with nothing to do.

[larryfulkerson]

I've got a bad case of "victory disease" you guys. I don't know what I was thinking driving the 92nd Scout unit way out
front in a spot with no supply, all by itself. I guess I need a nap. But I'm having too much fun to sleep.

[mccartyg]

You keep saying near Moscow referring to your line just beginning to breach their front at Smolensk ;p. AGC is a little behind historical schedule. Hopefully you'll be able to get the rail to Vyasma and a wider bulge to Moscow before the rain starts. Steve's raputitsa settings seem off to me. Should be centered around the middle of September instead of late September. So, you still have a good chance to catch up to the historical record I think.

[larryfulkerson]

ORIGINAL: mccartyg
You keep saying near Moscow referring to your line just beginning to breach their front
at Smolensk AGC is a little behind historical schedule. Hopefully you'll be able to get the rail to Vyasma and a wider bulge to Moscow before the rain starts.

Yeah, I think maybe I'm a little behind too. I'm thinking that if I shift a Panzer division to
the Smolensk area to help out maybe things will start moving. Along with the low supply
situation there's the problem of not getting any replacements up near the front. I have to pull
them back to a higher supply situation before they start gaining weight.

ORIGINAL: mccartyg
Steve's raputitsa settings seem off to me. Should be centered around the middle of September instead of late September. So, you still have a good chance to catch up to the historical record I think.

I ran that by Steve or Rick one of them and I don't remember what the response was but it
satisfied me at the time. I'm not from there so I can't vouch for any monsoon seasons etc.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's what's going on around Odessa right now. I'm trying to keep the various Axis minor allies separate because they
aren't supposed to support each other. I'm going to have to shift the Hungarians further to the NE I think.

[TPOO]

ORIGINAL: larryfulkerson

ORIGINAL: mccartyg
You keep saying near Moscow referring to your line just beginning to breach their front
at Smolensk AGC is a little behind historical schedule. Hopefully you'll be able to get the rail to Vyasma and a wider bulge to Moscow before the rain starts.

Yeah, I think maybe I'm a little behind too. I'm thinking that if I shift a Panzer division to
the Smolensk area to help out maybe things will start moving. Along with the low supply
situation there's the problem of not getting any replacements up near the front. I have to pull
them back to a higher supply situation before they start gaining weight.

ORIGINAL: mccartyg
Steve's raputitsa settings seem off to me. Should be centered around the middle of September instead of late September. So, you still have a good chance to catch up to the historical record I think.

I ran that by Steve or Rick one of them and I don't remember what the response was but it
satisfied me at the time. I'm not from there so I can't vouch for any monsoon seasons etc.

The fall rasputitsa is in October

[Nicholas Bell]

ORIGINAL: TPOO
The fall rasputitsa is in October

As it should be. I believe October 5th. But, did you know that in 1943 the rasputitsa started in the north on November 15th, and late November farther south in Ukraine? In 1942 it was between the two extremes. But the point is that if it were possible to model using events to provide the possibility of variable start dates of the rasputitsa it would make for a realistic & uncertain situation. Having it occur on known or just slightly varied dates provides for too much hindsight.

The same goes for the losses to frostbite and supply difficulties in December, as the winter was exceptionally cold, ie out of the norm.

[larryfulkerson]

Men from the 15th Infantry Division near Smolensk move always to the east. The sky is just about to let go with a
downpour.

[larryfulkerson]

You've seen the men of the 15th ID in the image above, now this is where they are on the map.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's where everybody is going to the NE of Kiev. More units are showing up from the far south so there's more work to
be done and everybody is busy moving, shooting, and communicating.