The Red Menace (Topeverest vs Admiral Kamikaze)

[topeverest]

General attacking here too. Looking to get Kharkov - Worried about burning all my supply stores in such a large general offensive.

[topeverest]

Here is a strategic view of the warm and my goals for the winter.

[topeverest]

As to my main goal of giving casualties, I think I am succeeding. 210K German casualties in two turns, if I am reading this thing right.

[topeverest]

Here is last Turns Air Doctrine Settings - note turn occurred before I saw comments on this AAR. As you can see, I am playing around with it. In future turns, I will try to get more specific to my airbase placements and where kills are occurring.

Note air losses last turn above in total

[topeverest]

Not sure what to say here. following is a general overview. I'd have to say I am not being effective with the air. Look at how few planes are flying.

I counted 27 air group on night missions trying to supply partisans. Got to be wayyyyy to many. Huh????

I'll say it seems that the computer reacts defender planes in cities and towns 6-10 times the number it does in open combat. Hmmm.

[topeverest]

As to my main question is how long I can supply such a broad attack. What clues should I look to?

[topeverest]

Question - I built 2 cavary corps more out of curiosity than anything else. I am struggling to find a use for them in any amount. Should each army have a cavalry corps? Is there a strategic purpose to these units?

[loki100]

ORIGINAL: topeverest

Question - I built 2 cavary corps more out of curiosity than anything else. I am struggling to find a use for them in any amount. Should each army have a cavalry corps? Is there a strategic purpose to these units?

at this period they are your main hitting power, the tank brigades are too weak and the rifle divisions too slow. I think the norm is to create essentially cavalry armies (ie 3 corps) and operate them in pairs (so you have 2 stacks of around 9-12 attack CV). Give them sappers (yawn) and AA (I like this as the Germans will often counterattack them and they can cull the Luftwaffe for you).

From now to the end of the war they will give you mobility where you may be lacking armoured formations, can operate very effectively in support of your tank corps. By 43, change the support units to include SU-76/85 and you'll see why the Cav-Mech group was such an important part of Soviet operational planning

as to your industrial indicators - one to watch out for is the truck situation. The blizzard and being beyond your rail heads will cost you here and ideally you need it at 1-1 or better. If you don't, then your MPs will drop - worth looking at Morveal's AAR for a good analysis of the problems this will bring later on

[gingerbread]

How many RR Construction Brigades have you got? 50 is a nice number...

Edit: I see from the screen shot that you have only 8 of them. You should build more.

[Tom Hunter]

At the start of the turn before anything moves I open the air unit screen. I sort by moral, because low moral units do not fly. When I first got serious about air I moved anything with a moral below 40 into the national reserve, and anything with a moral 55 or above back into action. After 10 turns of this I was able to raise my moral cut off to 45 and its currently at 50.

You have to do this before any of the air groups move.

When the P40 Bs arrive you should put some of your best fighter units into their cockpits, but not too many as the supply of them is not great. Handle them well and they will not win you the war, but they will cause heavier losses for the German fighters.

Some of your I-15 groups will do well as bombers, look closely at that, get them experience, and then convert them to dive bombers later.

Fly most of your planes where the Germans are not. Against an experienced opponent this will work for a turn or two, then they will concentrate to stop you and you have to move again. Your opponent is less experienced so you may get a longer run. Once you start losing, change your deployments.

In any given turn it may be smarter to bomb airfields or ground targets or nothing. You have to experiment, and sometimes experimenting will cause big casualties to you. Eventually it will cause big casualties to both you and the Germans, that is what winning looks like

[topeverest]

Gingerbread,

I am not getting the option to build them in any army or front. I may have built the max. Does that sound right?

ORIGINAL: gingerbread

How many RR Construction Brigades have you got? 50 is a nice number...

Edit: I see from the screen shot that you have only 8 of them. You should build more.

[gingerbread]

You have not built any at all. The Soviets starts with 8.

All HQ except air HQ should be able to build these. Note the checked 'New' box. 5 per front is not going overboard.

ORIGINAL: topeverest

Gingerbread,

I am not getting the option to build them in any army or front. I may have built the max. Does that sound right?

ORIGINAL: gingerbread

How many RR Construction Brigades have you got? 50 is a nice number...

Edit: I see from the screen shot that you have only 8 of them. You should build more.

[topeverest]

1941 came to a close with the ruskie winter offensive in full swing and successful in steamroller tactics. The last two turns saw the virtually all reinforcements in the Urals move forward to one of the assembly areas behind the MLR. Assaults in the southern theater have come to an end for the most part, as objectives are mainly achieved. The main attack west from Moscow to the rough and reclaim real estate east of the Volkov is underway. I am not sure that I will achieve that entire main objective, but I certainly will get well towards that goal.

The offensive has converted 9 infantry and one cavalry division to Guard status. It seems to be 2 to 3 units per turn. I will be organizing them into armies at the conclusion of the winter offensive. Additionally, as requested I plan to make two cavalry corps armies, and the massed units in the assembly areas continue to refit. My strategy is to commit those forces if the Germans make a breakthrough in a summer offensive. Otherwise, after the corps conversion, I plan a late summer offensive.

I built about 30 RR engineer brigades. In my greenhorn status, I totally was not using the unit creation right. I thought I could only create a unit where available was greater than 0. Live and learn. Thanks for the help. In conclusion, my first 28 turns have been quite an education. I feel fortunate to have survived as well as I did. 42 is mainly about completing the conversion of the armed forces and stopping a summer German offensive before launching another major offensive. I still have huge lessons ahead, but that is par for the greenhorn course.

[topeverest]

Perhaps the big accomplishment has been delivering casualties. Germany eclipsed the 1 million men lost against 2.6 million soviet. German air losses are 1906 versus 6666 Soviet. While I limited context, since the winter offensive started, German ground losses have jumped from about 250K to 1 million. In the south there is only limited combat occurring, but west of Moscow the battle still rages as I push towards Smolensk and Leningrad.

assembly areas have moved up and to the south. Generally speaking there are more german units on the MLR and slightly higer combat values.
progress should continue to be made at a modest pace

[topeverest]

Losses

[topeverest]

Production repair for moved factories should be finished by spring.

[topeverest]

I made the following changes.

I have been paying more attention to combat losses. more than 60% of my losses in a turn might occur in a single sand box combat where the enemy has massed fighter support. interesting tactic. Perhaps I should start manually sweeping, but I have to figure that one out.

[topeverest]

The echelon attack continues. Thanks to adding RR regiments, rail conversions are working well now.

[topeverest]

I continue to push due west roughly one hex per turn. I don't seem to have the mojo to do a blitz breakout, but I am delivering casualties at a good clip.

The Moscow assembly area stands ready for deployment, but I struggle where to put it. I already have a logjam along my primary attack axis at least 10 hexes wide. Seems disappointing that I cant use this strength along my attack axis.

Quite honestly, I struggle to attack in the south where armor will rule in the spring. That leaves the north to attack, and I am delivering there. Anyway, I am conflicted why I should sit on such a large reserve, but then it is what it is.

[topeverest]

I have stopped in earnest attacking. I am struggling to justify continuing west where armor will rule, but I am not sure I shouldn't be attacking. I don't want to be in a poor position to receive the German summer offensive.

I moved forward the assembly areas to about 10 hexes behind the MLR for quick defense of any breakthrough. Again, in a perfect world, I would use them, but I would need to attack in the open south to do it.

What should I do?