A tale from '42 - AlbertN vs MSAG

[AlbertN]

@MSAG: Always precious the input from your end - so that audience can have both points of view, and understanding why a player (in the right or the wrong) does something or takes that decision!

I can safely say to advance to Stalingrad was pondered after the fall of Voronhez, but the 11th Army was consumed further by your attack; and even when I had the rail arrive from the south too the logistic net there proved far too poor for a continuous assault.
I feel that for Stalingrad a true 'blitzkrieg' is required, with preparations and stocked depots just -there- at the frontline (Almost impossible to achieve unless one starves the troops, and then the troops cannot lead an offensive anyhow) and the units must be enfattened with supplies and fuel and ammo; AND the ordeal has to be wrapped up in like 3 turns. Pratically mission impossible unless a Soviet player is sleeping on their own feet.

If the surprise is foiled, with Saratov or so as NSS, the Soviets simply will have 0 problems at pouring reinforcements, troops and replacements whilst the Germans will be screwed. My present troops in the region have already a deplorable supply situation.

T68

Caucasus is the latest sector of action.

Serious Soviet mobile assets arrived in the combat zone and a counterattack started.

A Romanian regiment ceased to exist after being attacked by a Soviet rifle division without extras!

The Romanian held flanks risk to collapse I suspect as soon as the Soviets start to push some in general.

[AlbertN]

T68 - Leningrad Tango

Back in Supply for the Soviets.

The supposedly immense flak barrier that was located around the City to severely hinder the air supply of the Soviets apparently has holes as huge as the black ones in the space.

Over 300 weapon systems of the Luftwaffe managed to shoot down only 3 of the Flying Fortresses of the Soviets. (and damage some I assume)

As positive news there have been some aerial interceptions, I assume a batch of some hexes over my territory enabled my fighters. But it is never more than 10-15 to intercept out of 200ish that are sitting around here. And their damage to the Li2 is negligible, at least across 1 turn.

[Stamb]

That is insane amount of flak!
It would wipe out all planes in a case of GS. Can you also post this picture to a topics about flak losses?

[AlbertN]

T68 - Leningrad Tango

Finally a step in the right direction! After hard recon on the hex my infanteries managed to cross the riverline and establish a foothold at the other end.

The previous turn I have ground bombed there but after having seen the ridiculous effect of German bombers I elected to use them in ground support instead.

I feel the Soviets resented heavily of the limited supplies, the combat has been quite smooth this turn. But I assume last turn they got many damaged when they repelled my assault, and due to their present condition damaged stuff remains damaged? My own supposition.

And to the east an incautious Guard Corps must have received stand fast orders and got surrounded now. I am quite confident in this sector the Soviets lack the push needed to save their Guard unit.

I do have a wonder now - if I link up with the Finnish front, supply / logistics arrive through there too?

[AlbertN]

T68 - Moscow Sector

I do not show this since a while - the line has remained immobile and untouched for turns pratically.
Only in this turn I tried what was decided (in my mind) some turns ago. To straighten the line by seizing that heavy woods hex.

Dare say for what they got stormed by, the 2 Soviet Rifle Divisions sold their skin dearly! But now there I've a one hex border instead of 3.

There are no operations planned for the sector at all, two panzerkorps are there / on their way to refit in the immediate rearlines and act as reserve force, now that the Cauldron of War sector has turned quiet.

[AlbertN]

T69 - Caucasus Soviet Counteroffensive

This seems to be the latest trend for what concerns the action.

Here as well I expect the German forces to be bested by the Soviets even if I am quite confident right now the Germans have better supply network as we've a large railroad (albeit longer) to Berlin and the port facilities via the Black Sea, while supposedly all the Soviet war effort is fuelled by the single track line along the Caspian and whatever shipping they have in the Caspian.

Yet their nimble cavalries infiltrate, German regiments are shoved easily away and ... as you can see Romanians are useless.

The combat you see was a fully rested, idle since turns, 100 CCP loaded Romanian division. That was shoved away by 2 Rifle Divisions of the Russians. (Which they were rested and CCP loaded too I believe). I vehemently rest in my case the Axis Minors need a buff up in National Morale / Combat Capability.

On the other hand I believe the Soviets are severely favored by the 'teleport out of the Reserves' business, that allows them to rapidly deploy without any Freight cost on their logistic system troops from the reserves on need. (Something I hope the Devs change). The only alternative is that these are the same assets that were about Stalingrad previously - but nothing stops the Russians to migrate in their own reserves units north of Moscow and then return to the map around this sector.


Axis can send without freight cost to the reserves but when you issue troops back on map they can appear in Poland and then ... they eat up freight to be brought to the frontlines.

Ultimately I am retreating from Stalingrad as I do not plan to hold the line there, considering it over exposed. But right now the Caucasus situation seem to scream to 'fall back to Rostov and turtle'. Which to me it would make the game boring.

A dynamic were to repair Maikop with construction units work (right now it is 1% a turn which is silly, it will take 2 years to be fully repaired) AND where extra OIL is a blessing for the German economics and operations would be truly needed to give the game spice here. Current design in that topic is extremely poor from my perspective. It is okay to have 'with what you have you can work' but there should be the 'if you get more you pump more' (Oil = Fuel, Resources = Tanks / Planes / etc).

[AlbertN]

T69 - Leader Casualties

I thought, why not! This turn Walter Weiss perished.
I admit it is the first time I've heard of this guy, in WITE2 and it is someone I got in the line quickly, during '41.

His glorious career came to an end alas!

Germany has plenty of good leaders, but Walter Weiss was one of the top tiers I believe!

[Jango32]

Leader deaths seem a bit random when they just... die for no discernible reason. I've had von Mackensen randomly die on turn 21 or so in a .07 single player game.

[Rosencrantus]

A Romanian division is basically like a Soviet rifle division. If you leave them unsupported (i.e no reserve activation or German troops) to guard your flanks, they will get routed, especially since in that combat the soviets outnumbered 2:1.

Same thing happened to 6th Army with Romanian 3rd and 4th Army at Stalingrad though at a much larger scale.

[AlbertN]

@Rosencratus: I personally disagree on how brittle and frail Romanians are. Stalingrad situation had a hefty amount of Soviets running over the Romanians, including amount of armoured forces the Romanians were simply not equipped to deal with. But that's just how I think.

T69: Caucasus post moves

Deep trouble there - for this turn I managed to link up but the Axis forces are severely depleted and worn off and will simply get encircled again during the next Soviet turn.

The limited railroad leading here hinders the shipping of adequate reinforcements on my end while the Soviets can pretty much fuel their own offensive via the Reserve if needs to be with fresh troops and retire in the reserves what may be necessary by just falling back to their own lines.

I am not sure if MSAG is playing that way, but the game allows it presently.

I suspect a smackdown to happen within few turnsthere with a loss of a good portion of the 1st Panzerarmee and more.

[AlbertN]

T69 - Morale Gradual Decline

That is something eluding my own mind, troops simply demoralize over time even if they just idle and risk nothing.

Supply situation is not -stellar- but that's normal in general anywhere on the front, Germans do not get 100% supply.

So over time the divisions, no matter how battle hardened they're - through refit and receiving recruits, or just idling there will suffer morale. Including dropping down the NM it seems...

It kind of mind boggles me, even because I suspect the unit morale has a much deeper impact than ground element expertise on combat. BUT that is a whiff and suspect I've due to how the CV is mirrored, in relation to the unit morale.

[AlbertN]

T69 - Leningrad

I may have sinned of haste there - the single division that crossed the river the previous turn pressed on the assault, but got stalled on its feet.

2 more divisions crossed the river, the next turn I should expand the bridgehead.

To the West shy attempt of the Soviets to relieve their trapped Guard Corp were made, met by failure due to their own hindered situation ... the German forces here hold their grounds and shove away the weak Soviet forces coming in contact.

This way I am trying to keep some units experienced and morale'd up.

[AlbertN]

T69 - Moscow Sector

I am aware I am not going far there, but there were some single divisions left guarding hexes and I elected to ram into them.

It is more a psicological distraction from the Caucasus for the Soviets than else, from my perspective.

Since I am extremely hindered in what I can move across the board.

Luftwaffe Feld Division thoughts:

My reserves got filled with Luftwaffe Feld divisions ... I've to well ponder if to issue them to some Theather to take regular infantry or if to send them to the front in Russia here where they can serve the function of diggers and 'fort-keepers'.

Ultimately a 'Rifle Squad' costs the same no matter where it goes, if it goes into SS Elite Formation, into regular Infantry Division or LW Feld Division.

Thus 'cost wise' the most efficient thing is to cram them in some no or minimal losses TB.

On the other hand they can be regimented...

[AlbertN]

T70 - Soviet Counterattack at Moscow

Will quickly post the turn situation I got before to go and have chores / RL stuff. I like to take a panoramic myself to assimilate and think while I may do other things in automation.

Russians hammered hard the spearhead, with a massive loss of panzers and troops for the Reich.

With utmost chances my fault to keep understimating Russian capabilities in late '42 and fit my own units in a hex attackable by 5 sides.

[AlbertN]

T70 - Leningrad Tango, Relief Operation?

First time I see the Soviets pushing without the need to relieve something encircled at the eastern perimeter.

Is that the beginning of a Winter relief effort at the hands of the Soviets?

In the while Leningrad is kept supplied via the air, so the units are not fully isolated.
It seems that no matter how much AA I put around, the Li2 losses are ever relatively low for the amount of German flak guns there.

[AlbertN]

T70 - Caucasus

Logistic situation here is dire - as you can see by the tickers on supply.

Soviets have some green even, so they're better supplied than the Germans. Somehow.
Supposedly the German rail network is better even if more distant from home... that is why I think some of these Soviet units arrived out of their Reserve and are in good supply while others are not (but may have been encircled earlier).

MSAG elected this time to bruteforce most of the Axis units, routing them or retreating them.

Medals to the 2nd regiment of the 16th Panzer Division that held out against 5 repeated assaults of the Soviet forces and held a potential pocket open!

[Stamb]

I think it would be a good move by the Soviet player to accept that without a bug with air transport he will be not able to air supply Leningrad and drop less than 500t of freight.

[AlbertN]

@Stamb: I'd have made a move in that direction if I did not felt I had my own advantage during 'Soviet Winter 41', even if it was at a minor scale. Besides I also kept 'alive' the 7th Panzer Division in Chevropets for I believe 2 extra turns due to the air supply for instance. And it will come handy in the future as well.

T70 Leningrad Progress

On the topic - even if the Soviets do not count as isolated during my turn they still surrender (In fact during their own turn they're isolated and cannot attack well either).
I suspect that in the case of a pocket as large as Leningrad what comes in does not cut it to feed all the present mouths, while for Voronhez (5 divisions iirc) it sufficed. The real problem will be the last hex of Leningrad I suspect.

I sinned of gluttony, or better treacherous recon misinformed me. And after the first success I took a bloodied nose at a second attack. I've lost 60 guns there and I wondered, and relized 40ish of them are AA guns attached to the infantry divisions that are meant to shoot at the Li-2, that obviously took part to the ground attack as well and ended up in the line of fire of the Soviets.

One of my many 'small' mistake that are under the scope and radar in general but all stack up.

And that is the type of micromanagement I may struggle with!

Despite the heavy rain I decided to perform recon also on the eastern side and I believe there is a mounting relief effort there - not something I'd do considering bad weather is looming and the Soviet supply line is strenuous for real there, and stuff from Reserve must appear at some distance from me so it cannot just appear on the rail there...

On the other hand as long as Leningrad holds I've a full army here - and pratically that leaves German strategic reserves to be non existant!

[AlbertN]

T70 - Caucasus Progress

The hugging here is severe.

Some Soviet formations got trapped the previous turn and this turn I am caressing the idea to trap some more. The enemy forces, arrived fresh and rested, now show manifest signals of exhaustion already.

I assume that is where the logistic cycle should happen (not sure if it is worth the shot) to cycle in and out of reserve. It's still '42 so Soviets cannot be mighty powerful everywhere and if there is -one- thing Germans have, that's airlift on demand for supply.

Many Russian formations are simply there on the paper pretty much but have abysmal values. The Russians are having a build up to the south too but frankly I do not expect a winter-supply-line through the Caucasian mountains to be even remotely viable for any side.

[AlbertN]

T70 - 'For Science', of Flak and Luftwaffe

Since there are topics and threads on that - I may add on it as well.

25 bomber losses are Stukas due to flak, the rest are OPs (Yes the Romanians have only lost bombers out of Ops).

The effect of the airplanes quite negligible if non existant for the battle - with 8 ground elements destroyed, 3 damaged and 55 disrupted.

Light rain should not have grand impact since that is frequent even in the good seasons as August and July. So is for Light Mud.