Case Blue: Unwinnable?

[Flaviusx]

Heh, so much for going for the oil.

Seems like the way to win here is the same way as anywhere else: take a pass on that crackbrained plan by Hitler and destroy the Red Army.

[amatteucci]

Consider, also, that, if I'm not mistaken, playing against the AI at normal difficulty does, in fact, give the AI substantial advantages. Only with the "easy AI" setting there is no combat, movement or transfer bonus (or malus) whatsoever.

[LiquidSky]

I have started a Case Blue (Full) game with free setup to see if I can do better as the axis. I moved the 11th army to the front, and put the hungarian 2nd Army in the crimea with the rumanians (yup, they can cooperate), along with all the german artillery. I know i have entered the realm of fantasy, but I am hoping it will make for a fun game.

[Pawsy]

Case blue short major victory for Germans on normal AI by some margin and it was first full scenario so I was learning most of the time. TBH difficult to loose as Germans but was very enjoyable AI was great. I choose Stalingrad. Took Rostov after some hard fighting.

[okeefe]

I know this is an old thread, but there is an chance to take rostov on the 6th turn, from what i see you guys are going the long way around, if you try to cut off the 2 units on the rail.. you will take some casulties but you can smash your way through above them. Once you get close to rostov you do a recon and you can see there is only 1 unit with about 2k men in the city.. blow the bridge behind it and cut off the rail line to the east. Bring in all your artillery and airstrikes next turn and use your leader card.. I don't know how smart this tactic is in the long run but you can take rostov way ahead of schedule. I did this on easy AI, with very slow thinking

[76mm]

I just finished my first game--long Case Blue as German on Normal AI--and got an autowin before the end of November after taking Stalingrad, Saratov, Astrakhan, Poti, and Baku, and almost taking the town in the SE corner of the map (Chapaev?).

I don't think I did anything special, but the Sov AI's inability/unwillingness to withdraw resulted in numerous pockets, and its inept counter-attacks didn't help.

The only places where the AI really put up a good fight were Rostov and Saratov; Rostov I took in time for the prestige and then lost, and then just screened it until after Stalingrad had fallen (it was unoccupied by the AI), after which the Sov's line from Rostov to the east was rolled up from the east, and it completely collapsed.

Stalingrad was unoccupied, and there was also no resistance in Astrakhan--the AI held the bridge to the north of Astrakhan (uh oh!) but then pulled back without blowing the bridge, and I was able to march into Astrakhan itself with no resistance. After the line extending from Rostov was broken, there was only token resistance in the Caucauses. At one point one of my units enountered about eight (!) AA units clustered together, strange...

[Jeffrey H.]

My experience with DCCB so far;

1. Short ealry Kharkov as Russians, won.
2. 1st Panzer Army linked Campaign, won first got completely overwhelmed on second. Quit.
3. Case Blue long campaign as German vs. Normal AI given as much time as it wants:

Initially, I have been just hammering away and picking off select locales which allowed for encirclement bonus and keeping an eye out for potential pocketing. This went on and on until I began to take some hexes, not many, but a few each turn. I then began to pocket small groups of Russians and bypass them. I use engineers, flak, anti tank brigades to mop up these isolated groups after they've sat and starved for a few turns.

It's tough going, no breakthroughs to mention. I am only about 1/2 way to my major objectives, with more being added and my prestige dropping. I have one promising move towards Voronesh but the AI of course is completely unlimited in reserves and transport capacity. I'm sure I'm doing something wrong. I haven't used my PP's yet.

Around Rostov I am on the brink of collapse, I had to rail in a security division to bridge a gap in the lines. I'm on the outskirts of the city, but the Russians have reenforced with thousands of troops. It's looking very hopeless overall.

Dismissal emminent, I have to take one major objective before the end of July, otherwise I'm kaput.

Along the way, I've learned a few things about playing the game that I will try next time around. But I'd say, it's not easy to win as Germans.

[Jeffrey H.]

Things were kind of looking up for a bit there when the AI started throwing Militia units at some of my advance units. I started to hope it was running out of regulars. Of course it found more regulars. *ugh*. No joy there.

[wallas]

ORIGINAL: dmixer

I've sent my entire airforce against one hex... and it did nothing but reduce cover by about 50, and cause no damage.

I suggest you read the manual, air power is about troop suppresion, entrenchment reduction, and finally unit destruction. Anything over a hundred stacking points in the battle and you will suffer more air losses then necessary. Think of it as overstacking.

I really suggest you read the manual on how combat works

[PKH]

Are there any negatives to overstacking air attacks if there's no aa or interceptors ? Will there be a reduced effect, like you stack 150 pts, but f.ex. only 120 are used in the attack ?

[75Pak]

Usually by about the last week of July or the first week of August I have inflicted about 460,000 casualties on the Soviets and I have lost about 110,000 on my side.

I don't go for huge pockets that are hard to close and hard to keep perfectly sealed, but rather small pockets that will bag 2-3 Soviet divisions at a time. I play by the rule of "don't get greedy" and I operate on the idea that it is better to cut, say, the Soviet 21st Army, into 6 pockets of 2-3 divisions each, and bag the whole thing, than to try to pocket the entire army but wind up with such a loose/thin cordon around the 21st Army that most of it can fight out and escape.