GC Republican AAR

[Rysyonok]

NATs are going for the strategy of a thousand cuts, chasing down every small base they can.
REPs are slowly eating away at enemy in Granada and have successfully set a foot in Zaragosa.
2 REP TBs terrorize enemy convoys, killing 2 NAT captains and turning an AK and 2 YMS's into a set of sieves.

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[Rysyonok]

My airforce is getting more aggressive. Seeing as it's either die on the ground or die in the air, what would one choose? We land our first bomb on a NAT AK and three near-hull drops. We deflect our first two air raids. We still can't learn to bomb NAT ground forces though, so I guess it's best to hunt the enemy in the field.
NAT Granada and Zaragosa are holding. Overall, NATs are visibly slowing down, although there is a large swarm of them coming out of Cordoba.

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[Rysyonok]

REPs have both flanks - Oviedo and San Sebastian - semi-secured, but it's a genuine helter-skelter in the middle. Most of the upper NAT stacks are lighter, with their main forces still stuck below against my quickly-replenishing their losses static units. All the barges are sent west to Gijon in hope of being able to use their troops in the middle.
Many REP troops are tired. Espinosa and Bilbao go nearly all-rest, in hopes that NATs will not try to probe huge stacks.

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[Rysyonok]

Madrid is slowly getting flanked, especially from the Northeast. I relocate all my LBs to the area and greatly shorten their ranges (to avoid scattering the impact) and the bombing height (higher risk, higher reward). The streets of the city are filling up with barricades (read: I approve every destroyed LCU resurrection as to create a swarm of immobile squads that can deflect NAT shots).

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[Rysyonok]

The hunger for supplies is starting to be more prominent, and both sides are hunting for any available unattended base they can capture. REP holdings in the far Southwest - Huelva, Gibraltar - collapse. REPs are gambling on taking Grenada, even as they half-allow NATs to advance from Cordoba to the east. Zaragosa is tough - but so is this entire campaign so far with constant 50/50 battles. REPs continue to lose air battles, even after sending more veteran pilots to the FTR units, but at least NAT air raids are being deflected.

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[Rysyonok]

One thing that's been mind-blowing to me this campaign is how quickly ships are damaged. I admit to being accustomed to quieter fields of WPO with plentiful repair resources; WIS is not that.

I was able to move my BB Jaime to Odessa. It's not too badly damaged at first glance, but a lot of its weapons are offline.

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CL Mendez Nunez is stuck at Cartagena. It's a likely candidate for Odessa as well.

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CL Libertad and Miguel de Cervantes aren't as badly hurt, but they have November 1936 upgrades coming up. I will let them linger for a couple of days in Cartagena.

[Rysyonok]

Once upon a time I pulled my retreating forces from Grenada to try for Cordoba. No luck. This time, it's the Cordoba survivors falling south to give me an extra hand at Grenada. Even though this risks NATs taking over Jaen and Linares. But there's not that much supply left there. I'm hoping that Grenada is more than worth the gamble.

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[Rysyonok]

A bloody turn. REPs finally take Granada. NATs ravage REP northern sentry outposts. REPs finally fall back from Caceres - that's the all-forgotten town all the way in the west we'd been trying to take since the beginning of the campaign - but we ran out of supplies. Fortunately, there's a strong REP stack to the north. NATs continue to overrun Madrid from the northeast, totally ignoring my troops in Zaragosa. We slowly continue to chip away at NAT merchant fleet.

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[RangerJoe]

You keep complaining about supplies. Are you shipping supplies in from the USSR? If you are and Barcelona (the safest port for supplies from Odesa) is keeping the supplies, use the "repel" order on the base screen. If Odesa is running low on supplies, there is a way to get more supplies there. Just think about how to do that. Then start doing what you need to do to get more supplies from Odesa.

You are also not stating the date.

You should also look up your replacements LCUs as well.

[Rysyonok]

You keep complaining about supplies. Are you shipping supplies in from the USSR? If you are and Barcelona (the safest port for supplies from Odesa) is keeping the supplies, use the "repel" order on the base screen. If Odesa is running low on supplies, there is a way to get more supplies there. Just think about how to do that. Then start doing what you need to do to get more supplies from Odesa.

You are also not stating the date.

You should also look up your replacements LCUs as well.

Thank you. Yes, supplies are everything. The instant my units don't have their full allowance, we fall back, as just happened by Caceres. One goal this game is not to lose any units I can save, because that's how NATs won it seems - by cutting and separating.

Yes, we've been aggressively shipping from day 1, other than a couple of hiccups when ships dashed forward empty. Nowadays, a ship is verified to be at least 80% full (remain at station, do not unload) prior to further dispatch. I also operate in stacks of 40+ units (and that's with every rebuilt unit possible), so they genuinely eat everything in their path. As for date, I will do a better job communicating it.

[RangerJoe]

You keep complaining about supplies. Are you shipping supplies in from the USSR? If you are and Barcelona (the safest port for supplies from Odesa) is keeping the supplies, use the "repel" order on the base screen. If Odesa is running low on supplies, there is a way to get more supplies there. Just think about how to do that. Then start doing what you need to do to get more supplies from Odesa.

You are also not stating the date.

You should also look up your replacements LCUs as well.

Thank you. Yes, supplies are everything. The instant my units don't have their full allowance, we fall back, as just happened by Caceres. One goal this game is not to lose any units I can save, because that's how NATs won it seems - by cutting and separating.

Yes, we've been aggressively shipping from day 1, other than a couple of hiccups when ships dashed forward empty. Nowadays, a ship is verified to be at least 80% full (remain at station, do not unload) prior to further dispatch. I also operate in stacks of 40+ units (and that's with every rebuilt unit possible), so they genuinely eat everything in their path. As for date, I will do a better job communicating it.

Just set the convoys with the supplies loading and then set their destination, it will go quicker that way and you will end up with more supplies.

As far as not having all of your units perfectly supplied, you will lose that way. As long as they have enough fuel to move, supplies for a day or so, and enough ammo you don't need to fall back. You can also use smaller stacks. Use fewer but better trained units, train your units. Let the enemy move to you and have your air power bomb him. When the enemy gets close enough, then use LR Barrages as well. Concentrate your artillery units . . .

[Rysyonok]

Just set the convoys with the supplies loading and then set their destination, it will go quicker that way and you will end up with more supplies.

As far as not having all of your units perfectly supplied, you will lose that way. As long as they have enough fuel to move, supplies for a day or so, and enough ammo you don't need to fall back. You can also use smaller stacks. Use fewer but better trained units, train your units. Let the enemy move to you and have your air power bomb him. When the enemy gets close enough, then use LR Barrages as well. Concentrate your artillery units . . .

All good tips, thank you. I wonder, how long does it take to train up?

[Rysyonok]

It looks like I'm slowly starting to figure WiS out.
We are starting to tide the turn at Zaragosa subtly.
Several raider/partisan units are clipping unattended bases from the enemy.
We actually repulse every NAT air raid this turn.

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[Rysyonok]

It would have been nice to see how exactly did these NAT vessels sink - WPO, WITP had that, but for now I'm just relishing my REP total naval dominance - and this is with my main BB/CL/DD fleet missing the action a lot lately!

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[Rysyonok]

REPs are slowly turning the corner at Zaragosa.
NATs are pushing eastward from Cordoba.
Many more NAT stacks appear all over.
The turn is bloody - heavy fighting at Zaragosa plus REP forces try to finish the NAT stack by Oviedo, while NAT troops surround REP holding of Espinosa (97,58) who'd rather semi-die and replenish than give up such a huge stack of supplies to the enemy.

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[RangerJoe]

Just set the convoys with the supplies loading and then set their destination, it will go quicker that way and you will end up with more supplies.

As far as not having all of your units perfectly supplied, you will lose that way. As long as they have enough fuel to move, supplies for a day or so, and enough ammo you don't need to fall back. You can also use smaller stacks. Use fewer but better trained units, train your units. Let the enemy move to you and have your air power bomb him. When the enemy gets close enough, then use LR Barrages as well. Concentrate your artillery units . . .

All good tips, thank you. I wonder, how long does it take to train up?

That is complicated simply because it is not a point every turn. It can also depend upon the unit commander and their combat rating. But the units can train up to 50 experience or the land (for land units) rating of the commander of the unit, whichever is higher. But even a few turns can help, the longer the better. The higher the experience level, the better the unit performs in combat.

[Rysyonok]

NAT Cordoba forces have reached by Jaen-Linares scouts. Most REPs are resting in Granada, but it looks like we need to start flipping them back up north. Of a particular interest: a single 6-incher from Menorca has finally crawled from Barcelona all the way to Granada.

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[Rysyonok]

That is complicated simply because it is not a point every turn. It can also depend upon the unit commander and their combat rating. But the units can train up to 50 experience or the land (for land units) rating of the commander of the unit, whichever is higher. But even a few turns can help, the longer the better. The higher the experience level, the better the unit performs in combat.

I believe the old mechanics also required there be 100% prep level for the current hex, too.

[RangerJoe]

That is complicated simply because it is not a point every turn. It can also depend upon the unit commander and their combat rating. But the units can train up to 50 experience or the land (for land units) rating of the commander of the unit, whichever is higher. But even a few turns can help, the longer the better. The higher the experience level, the better the unit performs in combat.

I believe the old mechanics also required there be 100% prep level for the current hex, too.

That is WITP:AE, not here. Also, when changing the target base the prep level doesn't drastically fall either. It falls based upon how far away the new target is from the old target. Sometimes it is just a few points, other times it is a lot more.

[Rysyonok]

Here's a preview to understand the intensity of fighting over Zaragosa. So far, this is the most intense battle we've been in - and it's only starting! Oh, and there are 6 guns from Menorca here, too - 4 6-inchers and 2 4-inchers.

Republican shock attack at 119, 76 - Zaragoza (Heavy Urban terrain)

Attacker artillery value: 454
Defender artillery value: 0
Attacker adjusted AV: 397
Defender adjusted AV: 72

Engineer Combat Power 225
Attack odds: 5/1 (Highest fort level 1)
Attacker now controls 1 of 5 NM in hex

Attacker losses: 346 Casualties
Squads lost: 39 disabled, 6 destroyed
Vehicles lost: 0 disabled, 0 destroyed
Guns lost: 0 disabled, 0 destroyed

Defender losses: 955 Casualties
Squads lost: 61 disabled, 12 destroyed
Vehicles lost: 86 disabled, 6 destroyed
Guns lost: 3 disabled, 3 destroyed
Misc. lost: 3 disabled, 0 destroyed
Units Destroyed: 0

Overall, we're pulling a Manstein here - full assault, no reserves, no watching the flanks. NAT scouts are literally on our heels. Oof. Losing here would not be an option.

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