Burns vs. Flaviusx

[Jim D Burns]

28 February 1941

With Barbarossa only a few months away I thought I'd show the strength level chart today. The Soviets have been busy fleshing out their units for the past 6 months or so and recently hit 41 tech in heavy tanks which will make all those mech units I built that much stronger. Unfortunately infantry tech is still lagging behind. While it should hit 41 before Germany attacks I don't think the Soviets will have time to upgrade all their infantry as I'd hoped before fighting begins.

[Jim D Burns]

28 March 1941

Snow hits north Africa just as the axis arrive to the front and as you can see from the supply overlay I am forced to advance some of my units east across the river as supply cannot reach the mountain and hill hexes along the south end of the west bank of the river. If I can hold these hexes and dig in I'll be happy with the position.

As you can see the Canadians have arrived (not quite in position yet) and shall do a large part of the fighting to make use of their manpower pool and take some of the stress off the British.

The Soviets reached 41 infantry tech this turn, so perhaps there is yet time to upgrade a good chunk of my infantry, we shall see.

[Jim D Burns]

11 April 1941

Rain in north Africa keeps Germany from attacking. But his air strikes go after my forward fighter deployment, so I move it out of range of all but his tac bombers, while keeping it at close enough range to cover the front.

Figured some might be interested in where I chose to defend in Russia, so here's a shot of the entire front. Sorry but 200kb image size limits means I had to reduce the image size and quality quite a bit due to the size of the screen cap. But you can get the gist of where i'm going to try and hold the line.

I figure I gain 2-3 turns before he smashes into my entire line in earnest. By then Army reserves will be entering the fight and it should be a good slugfest from then on. I've got a good 25-30 mech inf on map now, so I have enough strength to hit him when he exposes himself.

[Flaviusx]

That's a lot of mech, and I guess you must have disbanded most of your rifle corps. SMH. Still don't agree with this at all.

This is the exact opposite of what I do. I'm wary of building much mech early on, expensive and garbage experience and slow as molasses, as slow as the infantry. Not cost effective imo. This early mech is very vulnerable.

It is better, imo, to defend forward with garbage infantry which is cheap in terms of replacements, forces many combats, and those combat will help increase the experience level of new Soviet units. Otherwise you are going to be stuck at 35% on new builds.

Before making any kind of heavy investment in mech I prefer to level up the experience of the Red Army. Indeed, imo it is better in 1941 to build a large pool of production and go all in on building as many infantry armies as you can afford, once they become available.

That much mech is going to be rough on your oil, especially also given your large air force. It's also very expensive in replacements and upgrades. 30 mech is frankly nuts. My final Red Army has maybe half that.

[Jim D Burns]

We shall see, at 10 combat power now my mech are not to be sneezed at. Not all are that strong, most of the early ones are still around 6-7, but with 41 heavy tank tech upgraded in most of the units now, all my mech pack a punch, especially in big crowds surrounding exposed armor.

I didn't disband anything, I have what they start with plus my builds. I admit its hard to dedicate all that production to mech early on, but the force stands in being now and can punch back hard. I view the infantry armies as flank guards for my mech forces.

Jim

[Flaviusx]

41 tech rifle armies come in around 7-8 points, just saying. And that's at the rock bottom 35% experience level. The later ones you build will have higher experience. The Siberians 41 tech rifle armies clock in at 10 thanks to better experience, too.

You have to hold out a couple of months before they show up en masse. (The new builds, that is. The reserve armies in the queue come in at 39 tech and have to be improved.) That's why I defend forward.

[PJL1973]

Other than in the north, you've defended too far behind. The Brest-Litovsk-Odessa line would have been better, as other than a couple of hexes, you can defend behind a river. Plus you've left all your frontier towns (other than Odessa) undefended. In short, you traded too much space for not much time.

[Jim D Burns]

ORIGINAL: Flaviusx
41 tech rifle armies come in around 7-8 points, just saying.

Agreed, but tanks shoot first in combat, firearms shoot last (your 7-8 may only be a 3-4 by the time it gets to shoot), mech is far superior in combat than infantry is, that's why I like them. Not to mention those who survive will get full mech action points eventually.

Jim

[Jim D Burns]

ORIGINAL: PJL1973
Other than in the north, you've defended too far behind. The Brest-Litovsk-Odessa line would have been better, as other than a couple of hexes, you can defend behind a river. Plus you've left all your frontier towns (other than Odessa) undefended. In short, you traded too much space for not much time.

Soviet starting inf corps are garbage and cannot protect the flank of my expensive mech troops. I defend as far back as I do to allow time for the reserve infantry armies to begin to arrive and protect the flanks of the mech troops. At least that's the theory, Flaviusx may cut me apart anyway and prove my defense theories worthless.

Jim

[Jim D Burns]

9 May 1941

The battle for the east bank of the river continues to rage. While the axis has managed to clear the hill hex each of the past three turns, his losses are high and he has yet to advance into the hex. I send my last British reserve into the hex for one more fight, to allow the Canadians to finish digging in on the west bank. Soon the river line will be tested in earnest.

In Finland a bunch of German units appeared on the border (including 1 panzer) and caused me to reshuffle my deployments a bit around Leningrad. With mostly mech units up there I'm confident I can contain him.

I also note a lot of German units appeared along the Border of Romania (at least 4 panzers I think), so it looks like he intends to push hard into southern Russia.

[Jim D Burns]

Thought I'd do a side by side comparison of 1941 mech and 1941 assault inf to show why I think they are so much better. The mech get 5 tanks to fire in phase three and 4 firearms to fire in phase five. Compare that to just 5 firearms for the inf in phase five. Mech also have more guns and artillery and twice the defense rating. They are just so much better than infantry, in all regards, their only downside being cost and time to construct.

...........Mech...Inf


Firearms.....4.....5
Guns.........3.....2
Artillery....4.....3
Tanks........5.....0
Anti-Air.....2.....1
Defense......8.....4
Range........1.....1
Oil Use......2.....0

[Flaviusx]

The weather gods are taunting me. I am already to go here and it's raining in late May.

[Flaviusx]

Oil requirements for 30 mech are no joke. Russia has good oil production, but not that good.

[Jim D Burns]

My upkeep is 10 or 11 per turn, that's for everything I own that uses oil. I'll only need a lot of oil when I go over to the attack and that is easily managed. I don't need to use all 30 in a turn, I can easily pick my best dozen and leave the rest on defense.

Jim

[Jim D Burns]

23 May 1941

In north Africa the hill hex holds but is reduced to 5 strength. I leave it there to try and exact more losses on the Germans.

I thought I'd give a screenshot of what I can see in Romania. As you can see quite a sizable panzer force. I guess all we wait for now is clear weather across the front.

[Jim D Burns]

6 June 1941

Barbarossa gets underway.

Two German subs attack the arctic convoy lend lease route and sink 3 transports. Which is funny because no lend lease is yet heading to Russia. I create a small route from Britain and both Britain and the Soviets move escorts out to guard the line.

In Finland the panzer that was poised to head east has diverted back south towards Leningrad after finding 4 mech units in its path. Two of my four mech units plug the hole between the two lakes and the other two move back onto rail hexes to act as a strategic reserve. The Fins attack a mech unit on the coast at 2-1 odds and are repulsed.

Riga falls and its unit is destroyed after 2-3 pursuit battles. Another corp adjacent is forced to retreat 2 hexes but remains on map.

The only other action other than movement east is far to the south. Odessa falls and its unit is pursued and destroyed. The most surprising battle of the turn is the subject of this turns screenshot. As you can see the Soviet airforce performed well and I believe are responsible for the unit holding its hex against such a high odds attack.

In the middle east Britain headed towards Tobruk last turn and reached the outskirts of the fort this turn. It appears Italian mountain corps are defending the area.

In Algiers the hill hex falls after very heavy air strikes. The German panzer unit moves in and occupies the hex.

[Michael T]

Flavius, I am curious about the numbers of Panzer/Mech Corp you have committed to Barbarossa. If you can divulge such info.

[Flaviusx]

There will be 11 total, one of them is a build due to arrive in July.

Based on prior playing experience I find it very difficult to sustain more than about a dozen mobile corps for the Germans, at least when they are on the offensive. Presumably they can build more once they are more static. The fuel expenditures are horrific even with this much, but it is what it is.

I'm pumping out lots of infantry right now. 1 corps a turn and change. I need grunts to hold the line now more than panzers. And also some garrison troops for partisan duty, although I'm trying to offload as much of that as possible on Axis minors. The panzers are concentrated in two main mutually supporting groups right now, with a scattering of promotions to make sure tough hexes can be taken, each group has at least one infiltrator and one heavy artillery corps.

I threw one mobile corps in Finland to help clear out the Soviets. That's my only independent operation at present. I want to get adjacent to Leningrad from the north. Once that's done, I can probably return it to the main front, or possibly, leave it to help assault the city, but I am more inclined to leave a good German infantry corps there to help do the job.

[Michael T]

Thanks. Interesting problem.

[Flaviusx]

I had 900 oil or so saved up for Barbarossa, btw. And it's going fast. So in no way do I want any more units that consume oil right now.