smokindave34 (Axis) vs M60A3TTS (Soviet) 41 CG

[M60A3TTS]

ORIGINAL: jubjub

M60, it seems like you could achieve a significant breakthrough if you concentrated your troops and attacks. What would you say the downsides to that strategy are?


From my experience (on both sides), a successful breakthrough stretches the Wehrmacht thin, which makes winning battles easier, and it can potentially trap stragglers to encircle and destroy. Additionally, in blizzard conditions, there's usually no serious threat of counter attack.

It is possible that what you say is true, and a fair number of folks would probably agree with you, but that attempted breakthrough would have been most effective in open terrain. That would likely have been somewhere around Kursk. That would have left the opposition in control of the wooded terrain northwest of Kursk that would have been a good jumping off point for his 1942 offensive. In order to deny him that ground, it was necessary to concentrate my best troops in that area. Had I pushed successfully west from Kursk, I'm not sure how much more exposed those same forces of mine would have been come April-May.

Overall, I'm accomplishing what I had first set out to do, and the lack of a significant breakthrough really hasn't been a regret, Not yet anyways. [8D]

[M60A3TTS]

Week 36 - 22 February 1942

Snow falling across the front as the blizzard conditions north of Velikye Luki abated this week.


Attacks this week by the armies of Western and Bryansk Fronts were concentrated farther south. We are starting to close up on Bryansk now and there are another six weeks of combat remaining in March before the offensive is formally done.




We haven't looked at other fronts in a while, so here is most of Leningrad Front. Since these divisions are mostly hunkered sown in level 3 forts, the effects of attrition have been minimal. This helps us feed more manpower into the places that it is needed most.




Here is the OOB. Almost 600,000 in the reserves and another 130,000 in the active manpower pool. Come May we pick up another 150,000 troops so it is not hard to see the active force reaching six million by summer.




Three new guards cavalry corps are named this week. We have reached the cap of 11% guards on infantry and that will not expand until July. We also now have almost 30 army artillery regiments at guards status. Once NM increases to 50 in July, their +10 bonus should give these heavy artillery an even greater punch. Finally we have our second guards tank brigade that the game identifies as the 1st, even though it should the 2nd. Anyways, no matter. That will give us a guards tank corps in April.




We haven't looked at air for some time as the forces have been grounded throughout winter. With autumn coming to a close, we were starting to see deficits in Yaks and MiGs. This has not been an issue for a while now as replacement aircraft have been restocked. We will be able to start replacing MiG formations as needed since the aircraft is no longer produced. There are also 1,978 trained pilots in the pool, such as it is. With air NM at 45, there are still a lot of poor pilots in that pool.

[erikbengtsson]

Thank you for this AAR, M60! It's not only interesting and well written, I am also getting a lot of ideas and inspiration for playing the Soviet side.

[squatter]

There are also 1,978 trained pilots in the pool

Where do you find the trained pilots pool?

In the CR I can see a number for 'ready' pilots, and a number for 'pool' but neither is listed as being 'trained' or otherwise.

Thanks

[M60A3TTS]

ORIGINAL: squatter

There are also 1,978 trained pilots in the pool

Where do you find the trained pilots pool?

In the CR I can see a number for 'ready' pilots, and a number for 'pool' but neither is listed as being 'trained' or otherwise.

Thanks

[M60A3TTS]

ORIGINAL: erikbengtsson

Thank you for this AAR, M60! It's not only interesting and well written, I am also getting a lot of ideas and inspiration for playing the Soviet side.

Thanks erikbengtsson. Glad you are enjoying it and picking up some things.

[squatter]

Thanks M60 - is there such a thing as an 'untrained' pool?

[M60A3TTS]

ORIGINAL: squatter

Thanks M60 - is there such a thing as an 'untrained' pool?

In practice, no. In theory, yes. There will never be a case where you are unable to bring an air unit onto the map due to lack of trained pilots. In effect, there will always be a pilot for every plane you possess in the active production pools. It can also help to understand that the free pilot pool comes from disbanded air units. If you had an air unit with a complete set of untrained pilots, and then disbanded it, they would go to the free pool with the same untrained experience levels but still considered as "trained".

[M60A3TTS]

Week 37 - 1 March 1942


We say farewell to February and into a fairly long March with six turns until the end of winter festivities.

The blizzard weather extends this week from the north to just north of Orel and continuing to just north of Rostov. South of there, no snow at all.


The usual set of attacks that have been going on for weeks.




Farther south, Dave has decided to put in some attacks of his own.




A couple of attacks are traded just north of Rostov.




Losses this week were somewhat higher than those previously with the Germans now starting to stir.

[M60A3TTS]

Week 38 - 8 March 1942

Second week of March has the weather somewhat inverted. Regular snow is falling from the north to Belgorod but blizzard conditions exist in the south.


Attacks by the Western and Bryansk Fronts continue to progress. We are slowly closing on Bryansk. We are also continuing to creates space around Orel and Kursk.




Operations by both sides in the south remain very limited.




OOB




Our on-map AFV numbers are dwindling as mechanized divisions are upgrading to rifle divisions. Each disband can cost from a few dozen to a couple hundred AFVs.




In response to the reduction, some new tank brigades are being raised and they should have time to complete their training before being called up.




For the VVS, we are not quite through the half-way mark for SAD disbands from a calendar standpoint. Still almost 4/5 of the SAD disbands are now complete.

[M60A3TTS]

Week 39 - 15 March 1942

Blizzard weather now completely gone. Snowfall from the north down to the area around Rostov where there is no precipitation.

Soviet attacks this week focus on the area around Bryansk. The northernmost portion of the line have reached their objectives so now getting to the area immediately around the city is the priority. Still three weeks left in March.





Far from the front lines, should the need arise we have a sapper army. Airborne and construction brigades are able to get fort levels up rather well. I don't merge any of the airborne brigades into guards rifle divisions as some do.





Ground Losses




It appears that the Germans have finally started recovering manpower onto the map. We will see how quickly they recover now.




Now up to 11 guards cavalry corps. There should still be room for one or two more in the coming weeks.

[HardLuckYetAgain]

I don't merge any of the airborne brigades into guards rifle divisions as some do.

Why not? Just for digging?

[M60A3TTS]

ORIGINAL: HardLuckYetAgain

I don't merge any of the airborne brigades into guards rifle divisions as some do.

Why not? Just for digging?

Correct. As long as I watch what I'm doing, I will have enough guards rifle divisions come July when the 11% infantry cap comes off.

[HardLuckYetAgain]

ORIGINAL: M60A3TTS

ORIGINAL: HardLuckYetAgain

I don't merge any of the airborne brigades into guards rifle divisions as some do.

Why not? Just for digging?

Correct. As long as I watch what I'm doing, I will have enough guards rifle divisions come July when the 11% infantry cap comes off.

Do you know by chance the following? )

If you are maxxed out on Guard Inf and you combine the airborne brigades will it give you the guard division anyway? I would be curious to see if anyone has tried this to see.

[loki100]

ORIGINAL: HardLuckYetAgain

...

Do you know by chance the following? )

If you are maxxed out on Guard Inf and you combine the airborne brigades will it give you the guard division anyway? I would be curious to see if anyone has tried this to see.

yes, and I do think this is potentially quite an exploit as you generate a Gds rifle division, build 3 more airborne brigades, generate another and so on

now that would worry me more than if the Soviet player was using airborne brigades for airdrops [;)]

[HardLuckYetAgain]

ORIGINAL: loki100

ORIGINAL: HardLuckYetAgain

...

Do you know by chance the following? )

If you are maxxed out on Guard Inf and you combine the airborne brigades will it give you the guard division anyway? I would be curious to see if anyone has tried this to see.

yes, and I do think this is potentially quite an exploit as you generate a Gds rifle division, build 3 more airborne brigades, generate another and so on

now that would worry me more than if the Soviet player was using airborne brigades for airdrops [;)]

That is what I thought!

You really don't want me to exploit Airborne Brigades But now that I know that for a fact I am saving those brigades and building more to get over the limit of Guard divisions ;-P (I am sure this will get house ruled out soon)

[HardLuckYetAgain]

ORIGINAL: HardLuckYetAgain

ORIGINAL: loki100

ORIGINAL: HardLuckYetAgain

...

Do you know by chance the following? )

If you are maxxed out on Guard Inf and you combine the airborne brigades will it give you the guard division anyway? I would be curious to see if anyone has tried this to see.

yes, and I do think this is potentially quite an exploit as you generate a Gds rifle division, build 3 more airborne brigades, generate another and so on

now that would worry me more than if the Soviet player was using airborne brigades for airdrops [;)]

That is what I thought!

You really don't want me to exploit Airborne Brigades But now that I know that for a fact I am saving those brigades and building more to get over the limit of Guard divisions ;-P (I am sure this will get house ruled out soon)

Matter of fact house ruling that out in my German game right now and my Soviet game. That is just way too over the top.

[M60A3TTS]

Yes, I think it's an exploit as well, so I just ignore that capability.

[M60A3TTS]

Week 40 - 22 March 1942

The calendar has formally now moved to Spring and with it comes a great thaw.




Although the weather is clear across the front, there is almost no combat at all.

Areas such as Northwestern Front that saw little action during the winter continue to hold their positions.




The Soviet Order Of Battle continues to strengthen. The exception are the tank formations, but new brigades and regiments subject to vehicle availability will continue to be raised in the weeks ahead.




Army Artillery Regiments are coming out of winter as very experienced formations. This will be a substantial change in the state of the artillery from the opening months of the war.

[Q-Ball]

Lots of Army Artillery Regts......do you still have Corps Artillery Regts and BM Howitzer units, or no?

Just curious how you organize the Soviet Artillery units. At-start and via reinforcement seems like the Red Army gets more unit shells than it needs, so there is opportunity to cull toward using tubes you have (vs. Tubes in shorter supply)