FITE 2 operational studies

[gliz2]

<Exploit used: scenario restart>

[larryfulkerson]

<Exploit used: scenario restart>

You're going to restart? Cool. Are you going to stay with this thread or start a new one?

[gliz2]

Here is your answer Larry, no new threads I promise

Best outcome for AG Nord (this is before any battle execution). Dropping Brandenburgers at the yellow circled hexes gives the Germans the ability to close on Riga already in T1.

Attention: The rail transport is quite restrictive for T1. I picked SS Wiking, 6th Pz Div and 254 Inf Div (without HQ) as they are all strong and capable and conveniently parked on railways

[larryfulkerson]

Dropping Brandenburgers at the yellow circled hexes gives the Germans the ability to close on Riga already in T1.

I'm sincerely impressed. I've been trying to do that forever and here I see you've done it. Now I know it CAN be done. Thanks. I'll be watching this AAR to see what else you have up your sleeve. You're using magic I think.

[gliz2]

Larry,
thanks for your kind words dear sir but no magic involved. Had a look at yours and Kristian's AARs and did my trial and error for couple of hours. Later (turn 2-3 or 3-4) it is best to use the Brandenburgers on capturing important bridges on the way to Smolensk. I would not recommend to use them in South were their impact won't be that much as Soviets anyway will be able to stop any advance (they are quite strong in Ukraine).

Version 2 of the presented move is you might get lucky and swipe with Brandies the Soviet HQ based in city just outside Riga out of the way. Best I got was 2 hexes into that railway (meaning: city where the HQ was and next hex). But in my opinion the presented option is better. You still will be able to brush the Soviet HQ next turn and attack Riga in force

PS. Brandenburgers are extremely valuable option for Germans. I have dropped them all over the front in T1 (like Vilnus, bridges on Dvina or Pinsk) but in the end nothing got me better results than dropping them as on the above picture.

On the second thought: dropping Brandenburgs on the road going through Prypat Marshes is also a good idea. It will give the player an option of fast advance south of Minsk. I still prefer going for Riga but maybe one day I explore the outcomes of going for Pinsk

[gliz2]

Why not to use German SF someplace else? Simply there are no better way to use them. Only in North you can grab a whole rail-head (up to Riga). As can be seen from the below picture there is only one half-decent place to use them in South.

[gliz2]

T2 Road to Leningrad (planning phase)


1. Taking Riga is the key to opening the left flank of Soviet defences. Securing the railway up to Madona with the bridges in Riga will provide important supply line for the advance in this sector.
2. As I have only 1 single Brands unit capable of paradropping I think taking the Jekabpils and Livani bridges are the only reasonable options as the recon elements can hook up with the Brands. Perhaps I will air transport some unit up front (I have some free capacity to fly one Inf Battalion).
3. Need to finish the mopping in the central sector to free up the Inf.Divs. They are indispensable for taking advance of the breakthrough.

PS. My gripe to the devs is why-oh-why you cannot move troops to the adjecent hex (or two) to transport them? And why they cannot be unloaded in the same turn? Terrible design [:-]

[gliz2]

Here is the benchmark: Kristian's exploit by the end of T2



As can be seen Kristian managed a lot, taking Riga and closing on Minsk while also finishing mopping. Great opening, mine will have some different focus and will be less spectacular.

[gliz2]

T2 end Road to Leningrad
I have managed to capture Riga but with some casualties. Transported by rail 2 Pz.Divs and a Pz.Gr.Div to throw them into opening. They hopefully be followed next turn by 2-3 Inf.Div.
Decided to capture the bridge in Livani as the recon elements were just next hex to it.
Still some mopping to do

I think I will try to reply T2 as I've realized that my enthusiasm got me carried away and I forgot to cold-execute. This resulted in not achieving best results. Still, after all the years you can easily get into pushing chits for the next turn mode.

Important Try always to follow the Mot/Pz Divs with Inf.Div. The reason being that the following infantry can take care of providing supply lines and take care of any enemy strongholds thus allowing more flexibility to the Pz/Mot Divs.

[gliz2]

Overview at the end of T3

[gliz2]

Soviet losses by 3rd June 1941

As can be seen the German T1 was not successful when it goes to eliminating enemy AF [:@]

I must have done something wrong as Germans. The total German losses after T3:
1) planes: ZERO fighters (seriously not a single one?!) and 43 bombers
2) tanks: 43 tanks (half of which were Flammpz which attacked Lvov).

What the heck?!? [X(]

[gliz2]

T4 Road to Leningrad (after movements before battles)


Just a reminder: T1 for Soviets was pretty much static, meaning almost no movement. And I play with restrictive bridges blowing house rules. Plus I do some limited counterattacks as Soviets (so not just hanging on the fence). This allows for a better performance of Germans in T1 & T2 (after that it has not so much of an impact).

[gliz2]

Benchmark: Kristian's end of T4


Seems like Kristian is tad more efficient so far but I have a lot of reshuffled Divs coming next turn (or the following turn) and I should be able to breach Berezina river next turn. So I might do better

[gliz2]

Shortcomings of FITE2 kas observed during game):
+++Without the additional house rules of mine (and with expierienced Soviet opponent) it is quite ahistorical performances you will get in crucial T1-T8. This is because human player usually go on blowing bridges rampart, they withstand and dug in rather then being active (in reality Soviets had no clue about enemy forces unless if in contact and then this knowledge was rather local due to almost non-existing communication).
+++Still strong Soviet bias, although less than in previous iterrations.
+++Fixed weather (you know exactly what is coming when it was the unexpected that compromised the German efforts, as they were well prepared for normal Soviet winters).
This can be fixed but needs a scenario restarting.
+++Lack of communications for Soviets is still not well implemented. True they are negative modifiers but in reality any form of joined attacks (e.g. 2 divs from the same Corp) resulted in very uncoordinate efforts.
+++Commanders effects (more of a TAOW gripe). The units and their doings are generic. No commander effect is present in the game. There are some mechanic and/or modifiers but it has little impact and fell short of many other games.
+++Can players built airfields and bridges? I think unfortunately not. Which at this scale is quite absurd limitation.
+++Rail engineers: in reality there were quite effective converting over 15,000 km of tracks and repairing over 25,000km till mid Nov'41. In FITE2 there is no separation between those two I think hence it's a mixed bags in terms of simulating that efforts (and logistic relating to it).

[gliz2]

T7 and I just exploited the Soviet feck-up I made in the Velkiye Luki region. I left it wide open (decided to push some units towards the frontline). This is example of poor command and I should order to execute myself to be patch up and executed again. Hope that the Germans will need to stop next turn for a breather.



On the 2nd thought this exemplifies what was happening in the first weeks of war. Complete chaos and Soviets rushing towards the enemy.
I've playtested the case whit Soviets setting the "blocking" units and the Germans would still got throught (but would not take Velkiye Luki). So in the end I have decided to continue with the big error scenario.

[gliz2]

T8 turned to be rather mixed bag plus most of the spearhead units are close to exhaustion and must stop next turn or the following turn the latest.

The OKH is generally happy with the tempo of the advance towards Moskov (half way through!) and remains optimistic of finishing the Soviets within next 3-4 months. On the other hand the fact that Minsk, which is an important transport hub and crucial for providing required level of supplies for advancing troops, was not tried yet was disputed by the OKH and the HQ demanded that the city must be taken in coming week.

Thanks to the spearhead of the AG Nord the railhead in the North is quite close to the front. There was 9 units of Railway engineers assigned to the railway line to Vielkiye Luki and they were able to repair almost 80km of railways in a week.

However the troops report increasing casualties and stiffening enemy resistance. The AG Sud is already struggling with the Soviet defenses around Stalin's Line.

[gliz2]

My mistakes as Soviet commander (T1-T9):
1. First and foremost it was tunnel vision. I got too much focused on some of the areas like the Stalin's line or Minsk that I was blind in many others leaving them quite open.
2. Rushing towards enemy. Well this may sound like somethimg against the House rules but what I mean is that I have pushed too many troops forward without securing key objectives e.g. Vielkiye Luki. This has costed me dearly and might result in the ultimate collapse of the Mother Russia.
3. Too much focus paid to Southern Front. While it is now (T10) really tough nut to crack those units would do better being put in the Center.

[gliz2]

So I have restarted the game AGAIN [8|] The reason being that I have achieved what I aimed at: got within 100 km of Moscov by mid August and the fun went away.

Seeing all the nice FITE2 games going on I have decided to restart and to put a proper AAR. So here we start with the strategic objectives and the operational ones.

The black lines represent separation between Army Groups
The color ants-lines represent the strategic advance


HG "Nord" led by Feldmarschall von Leeb was tasked with taking the Baltics and flanking Moskov from the North, and afterwards with assaulting Leningrad. HG "Nord" had been assigned with extra Panzer and Motorized Division form the HG "Mitte" for the flanking of Moskov.

HG "Mitte" led by Feldmarschall von Bock was tasked with taking the Belarus and advancing at full speed on Moskov (which is the main strategic objective). It was made clear to Feldm. von Bock that the speed is the key and any pockets of resistance should be left for MPs and Reserve Inf Divs.

HG "Sud" led by Feldmarschall von Rundsted was tasked with taking control of Ukraine. It will be supported by the Auxilliary Romanian Armees which will have mostly mopping up tasks. Feldm. von Rundsted was instructed to push directly for Kiev, hoever should the task prove to be more difficult than expected he was given freedom to switch the axis of advance to Crimea.

[gliz2]

So what happened to Operational Studies on FITE2?
TWO things:
1. I've came to within 50-70 km from Moscov in August.
2. I've made stupid mistakes for Soviets.

The point of this thread was to verify whether German player can achieve a "success" in 1941 and the answer is yes. But. And now comes the important part.

TAOW is a hex, turn-based game with all it's ups and downs. For FITE2 this actually creates issues that are impossible to overcome.
1. As the game is turn-based only one side can move at a time. This results in inability to simulate the shock of German attack. I think that the first 2 turns of the scenario are kind of mixed bag. The Soviet player does not have to counterattack and can move units to create a MLR on rivers without doing reconnaissance or protecting the Motherland.
As the Germans move first the Soviets gets an edge of knowing where the German axis of advance is and can react accordingly. Whereas in reality the Soviets had no clue what Germans were doing.
2.Encirclement of enemy en masse actually works against the attacker. The dug in defenders seems to not to suffer from the fact of being encircled because the chits are not in contact with the enemy. Only thing is supply but I have failed to notice any short term deterioration of units beaing encircled.
Historically the battles of Brest or Smolensk show how devastating to the Soviets the fact was. The surrender rates were more than 60%.

The problems with the engine results in problem with being able to simulate the historical possibilities.

The weather is hard-coded, the timelines are hard-coded, the events are hard-coded.

As silly as it might seem one as a German player should follow lthe best openings from the AAR section. And the strict extra house rules for Soviets should be applied.

I have tweaked the bias for Germans and with 50% extra shock and extra movement for first 2 turns I think I've hit the sweet spot where the outcome of the initial shock is well simulated. The above increase results in Soviets not being able to properly resist the initial German attack no matter what the Soviet player does. The outcome is Germans should easily achieve the maximum advance results.

[gliz2]

Some test runs and pondering later and I have finalized the best and yet simple (additional) house rules for FITE2.
To represent historical shock and confusion of unexpected attack (compare to the prepared Soviet defences during Zitadelle) the rule for Turn 1 for Soviet player is to skip his turn. This will result in Germans moving deep into Soviet lines and making it much harder for the Soviets to set up MLR in first weeks (thus effectively stalling Germans in first weeks if July which is absurd as the Soviets were totally unprepared for the attack).

I will start losting again. So stay tuned folks