A tale from '42 - AlbertN vs MSAG

[EwaldvonKleist]

Its unfortunate the game has no "strategic shelling" mode complementary to strategic bombing, a bunch of heavy artillery non stop shelling moscow would suppress the city quite well.

[AlbertN]

T88 - Soviet Debacle

The Russians tried an attack, and whittled away some fortifications and far too few Germans for their losses.

Though after 3 turns of idle the German forces where supplied are rested (see, 6 average fatigue), and the Infantry divisions here are pratically '41-'42 quality still (Experience and Morale average to 75).

Presently I am not too worried there as there is a full Panzerkorp and the SS Panzerkorp around - probably, ruling out the Don River Bend zone - is the place where I've the most mobile assets.

Plus in Tula there is a full infantry corp that arrived from Leningrad. I decided the rest will be marching southward after detatching some reserves for the 18th Army left up north. The supply network in the north is mighty and I just priority to 4 the closemost depot that they're marching about as they drift.

[Stamb]

ORIGINAL: EwaldvonKleist

Its unfortunate the game has no "strategic shelling" mode complementary to strategic bombing, a bunch of heavy artillery non stop shelling moscow would suppress the city quite well.

It is a great idea.
+1

[AlbertN]

T88 - The 'Northern War'

The sector here has grown mostly quiet once Leningrad has been seized.

It seems to me the Soviets are simply keeping Infantry Corps there to hold the line adequately. Yet I am confident they could smash their way through a single regiment holding the line.

I am not sure how much I can thin down the line here except in the further northern reaches where I've already regimented down the divisions.

There are no real gains to be made there on Axis end but to keep the Soviets away from Leningrad is nice.

[AlbertN]

T88 - Of Blizzard and Air Recon

Since the Soviets performed air recon, I launched in turn some, trying to detect builds up.
Especially in the Caucasus sector.

Alas it has been a waste of fuel and planes.

The bad weather pratically rendered impossible to spot enemy units!

[AlbertN]

T88 - Exports

A small trickle of armour and guns and planes goes to the Axis minors.

Much to my dismay the Slovaks keep getting planes despite having the absolute 0 amount of Air Units that may use these Bf109s...

I signaled that already long ago on these forums as the air lend lease to Slovakia begins in the first turns.
Right now with the non existant usage the sides do of the air it is trivial but when there will be a real air war going on I assume every plane can count.

[AlbertN]

T88 - Minor Axis Action

Ground recon spotted a weak corp (9-9) in light entrenchment and it was decided to pound that unit.
Hopefully the Russians are not ready for a massive counterattack there.

The same corps get hit twice in a row, first with a larger assault force and once it retreated once a motorized division overloaded with Tigers provides a well niftier hit.

The first attack does not seem so good compared to the effort poured but the second one by a single division is way more horrific.

[AlbertN]

T88 - Italian Attack

The Soviets were approaching in the Caucasus.

I decided to unleash localized attacks.

The Italian elite Alpini divisions showed their proficiency in the snows bullying a single Soviet Rifle Division.

The Italian numbers are a joke though for some stuff.
Their small mortars are not fixed and their flame tanks are mobile targets that cannot hit things.

In general I feel Italians underwhelming and these are the cream of the cream of the Italian Army in terms of training and manpower. Considering the situation I believe the Russians here have taken rather normal losses.

[AlbertN]

T88 - Caucasus skirmishes

Ground recon revealed ulterior enemy units.

The Wiking with the 11th Panzer crush a Cavalry Corps and trample over a single Rifle Division.

Even the 2 Romanian divisions conduct a successul attack against ... a Rifle Brigade.

Air Supply is on the way - to be decided if to pull back the Romanian MNT division or not - of 1 hex.

[AlbertN]

T88 - Don River Bend

The feeling the Soviets are well stronger here is present.

But a Rifle Corp that came to hug my line without a fort is a too strong temptation and four German divisions attack it - with surprising result.

That Corps suffered heinous losses here.
Though the German 50mm mortars and other weapon devices are at the 0.

I am not sure if that was some form of bait or what but this was quite the crushing victory.
Then again I think if a German division alone was to march in front of 4 enemy rifle corps waiting there, it'd get slapped hard too.

[Stamb]

FPE 0 for a mortars, both Germans and Italians, means it is not even trying to fire?

[AlbertN]

T88 - A glance to Manpower and Tank production

Tanks seemed to be come more efficient at dominating in the open fields - or at least in the push and shove of troops that are advancing.

The Viking and 11th Pz. in the Caucasus did a good job, inclusive on 1 hasty attack on a Rifle Division.

So I went to check the production levels drooling on replacements and Kursk alike punching packs somewhere down the line.

The first alarm bell is the German reserve of manpower, being 30k in the Active Pool.
I suspect I may have to refit less infantry divisions and begin to be more cautious on where replacements go now. Minors should get more operational but the Hungarians are pretty much all starved and depleted... time to begin refit my green guys.

I am still well off though with Germans.

Panzers ... the crux.
First I realized more chassis are produced than the sum of the real AFV needing it.

For instance the Pz.IV Chassis is used in the amount of max 50 per turn. (Pz.IV and Hummel), but 60+ are produced per turn.
The surplus may just get stocked up for when factories are to be bombed or so I feel. Or later if the Pz.IV production increases if ever...

I can see IF there are factories to still turn active but I cannot see if there are 'increases to come in the factory size to be.

[AlbertN]

T88 - Lucky Shot?

Here I believe I've been somehow lucky with rolls.

Some turns ago that same Airborne division was beated, and the hex was left vacant and now returned ...

But there is a whole regiment of artillery backing it up whilst my own Corps Artilleries have not intervened at all.
It surprised me as the local commander is very respectable and even received extra tubes in the form of the Werfers I've in abundance in my stocks and would like to spend some admin points to create more Werfer units...

Nonetheless - not a grand victory but a victory.
It can help to keep troops trained up and in good shape.

[AlbertN]

T88 - Cherry Picking continued

I feel reckoning is to come somewhere but for now the Germans are pretty much sniping on what is perceived vulnerable.

In this case I simply shifted into a the divisions the SUs needed to add extra punch, and Manstein delivers the result.

Right now the intent is just to perform a more proactive attrition while avoiding to overexpose myself.
There is already the exposure due to the loss of CCPs, taking some damaged folks and mostly the fatigue.

I am hitting weak targets and I am sure the fresh Guard Corps of the Soviets are waiting for some spot.
I do not exclude the baiting me in attacking something to leave me more vulnerable to the subsequent hammering.

Mortars keep being at 0 shots fired which is odd. Or so I interpretate it. (Yes @Stamb)

[AlbertN]

T89 - Soviet Reaction I

The Russians have not kept idle and arrived en mass to have the Germans pay fee for their bold maneuvering.

Here the Germans have been okay though, as they held in a spot and buckled in the other but without tragic losses if it was not for the large amount of panzers lost in that battle.

The AT-Rifles of Germans seem to be peashooter in these battles in turn, while all other weapon system go wild.
It seems that the more Soviets are attacking, the easier is to hit something. But it makes sense the more 'crowded' a front is, the easier artilleries or machine guns hit.

[AlbertN]

T89 - Soviet Attack II

Tambov Sector

A single strike, losses bearable on German front but a well fortified position crumbled.

Soviets lack engineers still and I believe one of the reasons for the German limited losses was the fortification level (I may be wrong - but I doubt forts are just a CV multipliers).

There appears to be a mass of armoured reserves just behind.

Despite the sheer difference in 'hits per element' I feel the losses roughly right, with the Soviet masses paying with the known tax of blood the advance. Albeit the 'hard hitters', the guns, are what have the best ratio here, almost 2:1 compared to the other stuff.

[AlbertN]

T89 - Soviet Attack III

Here is where I feel the Soviets have been the most successful.

Simply because they managed a 'Hit First, Retreat, Hit again'.
The 2 German divisions that have been retreated twice are worth 1-2 CV each now. Even if they're not disintegrated or the like, it's clear they lost fighting cohesion, have lot of fatigue, damaged elements ...

For a while I even had the velleity of advancing a few hexes to get back to the minor riverline for mud.time but it seems it was for the better I was not to stick the nose out!

The issue right now is artillery production for Germany that is truly not keeping up with the losses. The Infantry Guns especially!

[AlbertN]

T89 - German Counterattacks I

After some turns of rest I've some might and can dance with the Soviets.

But the attacks are not that convincing in their outcome. It may stem some the Russian initiative but they have more reserves I assume as well for another counterblow.

A panzer division is rather exposed on the frontlines now with a buck of damaged tanks that may go kaboom if forced into a retreat.
On the other hand if to have retreated two guard corps will knock them out for one turn to lick their wounds, that is good.

That stack of 3 divisions worth 10 defense factors is worrysome.
Also I forgot of the new deal with air supply and the two runs I made til now got pounced by Soviet fighters!

I may have to arrange escorts - but the problem to me is that the logistic system is still perceived as disfunctional but probably the tool I had to somehow patch the shortcomings may have been partly denied. I'll see how it goes with escorts.

[AlbertN]

T89 - Air Supply novelty

After some tries of air supply over German lines where I had to move fighters to try to escort and them have not showed up I decided to try where I've fighters not afar from the front.
After all I understand if you rebased from remote location to there, you may not be ready to fly.

Here the Romanians have flown but are virtually too weak to escort adequately and lost all the fights pretty much (not sure if it is imputable to Romanians and their IARs).

I think though the present system by itself is not working.

How it should be if I was able to code?

First I'd give a better relevance to Air Superiority missions. If the skies are patrolled - that is how to do it.
There should be a Map Function to shadow / colour up the zones where enemy fighters are spotted to patrol. Only over our territory.
See it as shadowling like ... when you select your ground unit to move, it brightens up where it can move. A map info toggle function that colours or so where there is Enemy Air Superiority mission.

Right now it is: "The sky is crystal clear, the enemy is nowhere close, send in at this time our air transports. And magically the enemy shows up at that precise moment".

With Air Superiority one knows enemy planes are over their heads (I repeat on your owned territory. Troops on the ground sees enemy air patrols).

Flak / Ops losses out of Air Sup can be sorted out as numbers - it's a thing. Either I fly and may intercept you IF you fly there. Or there is no flight.

That is not a ground combat that spans X days of a week.

___

On a relevant note there, to me it seems that the interception now will happen pretty cheaply. 100% of the Air Supply missions were intercepted, 2 hexes in from the frontline. Even in a sector where the 'interest' of the Russians is not there (They withdrew their ground troops).

That pretty much screws the Axis bigtime in present situation or at least the Axis in my situation.

Without a logistic better control ... I'll have to probably perform a mass retreat from zones that were kept alive via air supply.

Anyhow - yes - Air Superiorty for interception. One can see the enemy patrols, decide if to risk it or not. Or even counter it with own air superiority mission as a way to wrestle air control.

Update: Not going to adjust the image, I Air Supplied Maikop without escort and got intercepted there as well. That is 5 hexes behind the enemy lines. (And I still think that 2 hexes behind should not be intercepted at all without Air Superiority)

[Stamb]

From no air supply interception to too much air interception?

From a patchnotes:
Intercepts well be limited far into enemy territory.

The question is how "far" is defined. The closest enemy airbase is in Sochi. And Maikop is around 8 hexes away with 5 hexes being enemy, for a Soviet, territory.