ORIGINAL: Schmart
Another example: Does the engine take into account that the Germans generally dominated the battlefield (tactically) post-battle (even into 1944) and so more often than not were able to recover damaged or abandoned tanks and vehicles for later repair? I would certainly think that the Russian's AT capability by Sep 1941 was notably eroded.
I agree with ur assesment on the tactical differences but i think u draw the wrong conclusion based on that regarding AFV recovery.
For panthers and tigers for example the most common loss factor wasnt out right destruction by enenmy based actions from a single enemy based type of destruction. Rather abandonment/destruction of own crews is are the highest loss factors.
One tends to forget how cuz lack of emphasis on logistics in the german army. How short it is on recovery vehicles and spare parts/fuel and what this does to permanent tank losses. As tanks has to be abandoned. This isnt uniform through out the war it does as just about every thing else gets progressivly worse. Its clear that in 1941 as u strategicly own the area recovering is easier but i would suggest reading below mentioned books as to how even if the german are tactically superior and do still have lots of succesfull counter attack come 1944 how this affects the german AFV losses. Most notebly in the more "sturdy designs".
From time to time comes up there was alot of discussion of how the german tank divs ToE was reduced and how u had tons of tank in the pool u couldnt use tho. One and thats the common view was why cant i use these, its not that ui dont undertsand that but maybe there is a another question to be asked.
Non ask the question: Why do i have 12k AFV in the first place in 1945 as german.
While losses are heavily retreat based and u coudl say this is factored into that. If one look at AFV numbers from 1943+ on the german side and i followed for example Terje's AAR closely they are nearly always a good time higher up too the 12k that one AAR produced which is far higher than historical. As this is more or less in all games i do think u can ask if the game in fact and i would say it far from factors in the loss rates of AFVs from soft factors like crew abandonement/lack of fuel and so on is really represented to teh degree it should in particular on the defensive. Which as it isnt, again a factor among others leading to too many AFVs in OOBs. It isnt just a question of doing better as its in bascily all AARs even those doing badly i seen. its systemic. Yes this player a bigegr role on the gemrna side than any of teh Allies. Anotehr T-34 just rolled off teh factory lines for teh soviets and while many think that the same is true of the Allies which it was its not the whole explanation.
Goodwood has been used as an example of this by many but drawned the wrong conclusions cuz of lack of full understanding of the issue. While he British does loss about 400 ish AFVs in the battle and it has been seen as testment to the superior allies replacement ability to have teh division involved be at full strength again a few days after the battle in tems of AFVs it has overlooked a factor that clearly shows the differences between the german and western Allieds armies at the time. Of those 400 lost AFVs only 50 are permant Write offs. The rest is repaired and mostly within 3 days of the battle. So here u have a battle that should be a huge german victory in terms of losses as most use the 400 number, but if u actually compare teh number of permant WOs on the german and british side for the battle it isnt as far from each other as one might think. Having spare parts, abundance of recovery vechicles and repair yards is a luxury of western Allied armies that the german simply didnt have at this time of the war and it affects permannt tank losses by a huge factor.
As a example a superbly outfitted unit has Pz Lehr only at the start of the normandy battles has 60% of its recovery vehicles and this only get worse as the campaign progreses.
I would suggest u read some thing lke Jentz Panzertruppen, Tigers in Combat by Wolfgang Schnieder, Germany's panzer arm by Dinardo or even a Osprey as Panthers vs T-34 85 by Robert Forsythe. Each gives different perpesctives on this issue. To give a fuller understand on how much this affects the AFV losses on the german side/how high percentage of vehicles is account to that factor.
A little tidbit from Roberts book. On no single day after the 5th july do the german army on the Eastern front have more than 100 panthers operational on the entire Eastern front in 1943. What helps is it too u to have panthers if they arent useble. Yes in game teh early panthers have about the highest "unstabilty factor of any AFV" but it as the game goes as an example far from cause the effect it had in RL. Ill bow to any one that can find a game with less than 100 operational panthers in late 1943.
Kind regards,
Rasmus
