ORIGINAL: GetAssista
ORIGINAL: Ambassador
The major flaw of your strategy, IMVHO and according to the experience I conducted, is that fielding a decent-sized force (and yours is really big) for a push towards Lake Baykal so far from the rail lines will make them suffer from lack of supply after one or two days of a big battle. As Andy seems to have retreated a lot of forces up there, you’re bound to have a big battle, and I found it easier to supply the Soviet in Ulan-Bator than the IJA.
Yup, I've written it in the beginning that Ulan-Bator is a hard place to fight for. Threatening encirclements on the rail lines, like for example trying to bypass Chita from the north, is a better strategy IMO. IJA tanks should be there on those paved roads as a punching glove that closes hex sides.
Heavy fighting should really be limited to the north (on WIPTAE map, or west on the actual one) and used very sparingly around Vlad fortresses ring where starvation via bombing is the answer.
Yeah, sorry, I tried to digest the 25+ pages after our discussion in the thread on the main room, I may have missed some comments.
I’m sure Andy has taken care to bring troops in all the bases in the rear, but there may be an opportunity. DW, have you tried to recon bases like Cheremkhovo (NE of Irkutsk), Kansk (next to Krasnoyarsk) or Kysyl (in Tannu Tuva) ? Kysyl is a bit out of the way, but could lead to a secondary move to Abakan, to divert some troops. However, Cheremkhovo starts the scenario with no troops, so no fort building before the activation, and is in a clear hex. It should also be in range from Borzya’s airfield. Irkutsk is a transport and supply hub, which is easily disturbed. As he has evacuated a lot of troops from the center to the north (I prefer to give directions according to the game’s map, not RL), he will need more supply too. IF (it’s a big if) he has tinkered with the supply spinners to bring a high stockpile in Vladivostok’s area, it MAY worry him to have paratroopers threaten the rear bases.
Same with Kyaktah, but I’m sure he has protected this base, it’s too close to the front lines.
The best outcome would off course be a retreat from Chita by Andy, due to deep thrusts by the IJA’s armored fist or the threat of the paratroopers, but I don’t think he would. Supplying a combat in Ulan-Ude or Irkutsk requires to take Chita, to allow supply flow through the railway. A fight at Ulan Bator is already hard enough, but adding half a dozen road hexes, even major roads, to the supply train, is a bit too much IMHO. Andy certainly knows it, and will probably hold to Chita longer than Ulan Bator.
Trying to hold Ulan Bator and Chita, on the Soviet part, only makes sense for me as a delaying action. The main showdown, I believe, will happen at Irkutsk, but he needs time to build the forts (base starts at 1, and doesn’t have many engineers). By contrast, Chita starts at 4 and has over a 100 engineers, who have been busy for most of the year probably. No problem to bring enough supply to improve the forts above level 6 either. Troops in Chita are sacrificed, though, as once bypassed, there’s no way out, unless a relief army comes from Irkutsk, but I’d gladly sacrifice 3-4 divisions (barely 2 months’ worth of replacements in ‘43) to buy 2-3 months to allow building up Irkutsk’s forts.
IIRC, the siege of Chita in my game took between one and two months, but 1) it happened in February so forts were lower (I believe it started at level 5 max, as the first turn AF attack was quite effective, but I quickly halted the aerial bombardment given the two heavy AA battalions), 2) it included less troops, maybe 3 Soviet Rifle Divs vs 6 IJA Divs (and supports). IJA units at Ulan-Ude were receiving supply with difficulty during that time, and the vanguard which reached Irkutsk got repelled after a few days, with heavy losses. In my eyes, Chita is required for further serious attempts at pushing north.
; Julia Child
