HITMAN202 versus THEPRO's Sean is welcomed ... Sillyflower is allowed.

[HITMAN202]

[sillyflower]

Chill Dr H. you won't look like that. Visit your front line trooops yourself and the dogs will disarticulate your skeleton so you will look more like this

[sillyflower]

However there is some good news for you. Clearly The Pros are no longer fighting just you and the forum, but also the notoriously pro-German 2by3 team



Either that or your trash talk about your hitman creature is more than just talk.

[Scook_99]

That's just Stalin one-upping Hitler.

"Oh yeah? I can execute a general in 0 turns!"

[bigbaba]

lol poor guy. maybe stalin noticed that he forgot this one in 1937 great purge.

[HITMAN202]

TURN 24 ... TURN 24 ... TURN 24 ... TURN 24

THEPROS have casually mentioned their frustration in the slow pace of this game. I'm very understanding, but WITE is a lot of work. Just the logistical chores in getting ready for the blizzard is ridiculous. Turn 24 took me around 3 hours. I refuse to have a hobby that's a burden so it spent 5-6 separate 30-45 minute sessions to complete this turn. I may be micro-managing too much, (Flaviusx has fussed such) but in doing so learn little nuances of what makes a German player competent (which is still a long way off in my case.)

I've been learning this game over the last 18 months and what has been so interesting is that the better players are still in the process of mastering WITE; and usually it's only from one side. For example THEPROS specialize in the Soviets and it's my understanding that, as a team, they have not played as the Axis. Changes in each patch have had significant impacts on the game; most recently the recovering of morale in 1.07.03 beta.

Back to the game






At first glance +570,000 German casualties are huge and 2.4 mill Soviets far too low. But much of the German losses will return thru the replacement pool (but that has to be clarified) and an additional 4-800,000 Soviet losses mean little (that's assuming units were not destroyed in winter ... thus not being automatically replaced.)

German/Soviet kill ratio of 1/1.6 is not bad.

I will keep a running average of infantry morale. It peaked at just over 81.6 on turn 17. Now stands at just under 80.5. I spent a lot of effort keeping supply over 30 % via air supply during the mud and winter and I'm seeing the benefits with a 80.5 average. This is a stat that needs to be tracked more, IMO.

Next supply lines .....

[HITMAN202]

The northern half





The eastern link between Pskov and Smolensk is great.

[HITMAN202]

And in the south





With the crucial AGC/AGS link thru Gomel and the red diamond-starred railheads for the central blizzard retreat. Another big 1941 accomplishment for the Axis is not to have a major railnet broken by partisians. If I remember correctly , THEPROS came just short of one in AGC. Whew !!!

[HITMAN202]

Now for the real issue, what is my setup for the blizzard ???? It's one thing to plan. It's another to acomplish.




AGN






I'm pleased. North of Lake Ilmen I have a strong 3 deep D-line. And three Pz Corps are marked with a black diamond. Per Pelton's advice I've started a two hex retreat to prevent infantry delibertae attacks. The blizzard snowball will not start on this turn !!! This two hex reterat will occur each turn across the front until the fort line is reached or the Soviets pursuit stops. I have nearly each hex on the front occupied by a German infantry division in supply.

[HITMAN202]

AGC





The Pz Cor in reserve is marked. You can see how I've covered each frontal hex to avoid Soviet cav/mech infiltraton. I think there will be a big Soviet push here (red star). I see no Cavalry Corp

[HITMAN202]

AGC?AGS

[HITMAN202]

AGS






This is where the big push will occur with Belphegor CIC. THEPROS have grouped the cavalry near Rostov. The blizzard retreat begins.

German Mountain regiments are marked. The Axis allied ones are shoring up the AGS fort line.

[Peltonx]

I would consider a 1 hex retreat in the north. Other then that looks standard aka good.

I am guessing that the Moscow and Rostov BLOBS will be the main pushes come summer also, standard SHC strategy.

West of Moscow you need to stay east of land bridge and possibly push east some come summer. Orel North has to be solid as a rock during 42 or pushing east. I commit 3-6 Mot/PZ divisions to this area in reserve mode. Makes it next to impossible for SHC to do anything 2 armys wide or 18-20 hexes. You can use 2 or 3 infantry divisions broken down in reserve mode also. Unless SHC builds several dozen Corp in early 42 its almost impossible for SHC to move a line that's set up in my defensive set-up.

Very interested in this AAR.

[smokindave34]

Looks good Hitman, especially the rail line connection north-south. That should keep you in good supply and allow you to transfer reinforcements to critical areas.

I'd be careful about putting armor/motorized units in reserve during December - I'm not sure I've ever won a battle as axis in December even with reserves. I'd defintely go to reservce mode in January/Feb when your CV increases.

What level are you forts at in the south? Even level 2 forts in open terrain are no guarantee during the blizzard (just a speed bump to slow Sean down).

[HITMAN202]

When I say that my Pz are in "reserve" I don't mean RESERVE MODE. I'm having them hangout to help stabilize the front (if needed.)

About AP use.... I've reviewed their expenditure and of the 1200 (50 X 24 turns) 1/5 were used for leadership changes, 1/5 for Army/Corp/Division changes, 1/5 for forts, 1/5 for initial SU assignment and 1/5 to get them to blizzard savehavens.

[sillyflower]

Our troops are ready, pictured below outside Sillyflower's HQ, honing their unarmed combat skills before being unleashed on Hitman's little bits of cardboard. 14,500 square miles of Holy Russia are liberated and tens of thousands of our children are freed from the menace of Dr Hitman's evil inoculation programmes in the few days before the blizzard even begins.

[HITMAN202]

Sillyflower, your hurting my rep !!!! I post a small quip on Kamil's AAR and you blast it to the world and I get fussed at. I bet you put it on all the Matrix game forums. I should ban you from this AAR, but I will hold my head high and overlook this slight. I had high regards for the English character , in general.

Pelton posted on another AAR his capture of Moscow versus the A-1 on turn 13. Here's mine ..NORMAL difficulty..

[HITMAN202]

Then I forced automatic victory on turn 15





Can anyone better this ???? I'm slowly figuring out MT's secret to gassing the PZ's, and I think I can better this by one turn.

[sillyflower]

ORIGINAL: HITMAN202

Sillyflower, your hurting my rep !!!! I post a small quip on Kamil's AAR and you blast it to the world and I get fussed at.

Only Kamil's readers will have seen it until you signposted it here, and it was a very innocent question in the pursuit of knowledge. I would happily transfer it to this thread but I have no idea how. K's fuss came after my riposte not your original post: which itself was a pleasant diversion from some of the earlier rudeness of the OT posts.

Then you slur me by suggesting I don't behave like an Englishman. Very true. I don't drink tea or beer and I don't like football and I don't get into brawls: drunken or otherwise. Most shamefully of all, I really like Americans and America.

Lastly I am helping to make you the most popular person on the forum [:)]

[HITMAN202]

Me a caluminator ??? !!! I bet that pic I posted (which isn't me) will be blasted all over Twitter and Facebook. I bet Sean encouraged you to do it. In fact, he may be the mastermind behind the scene !!! Also threatening me with those beautiful animals. Particularly the last pic, where one of your "puppies" is crushing the trachea of his siblings. I bet you put a collar on that poor animal labelled "HITMAN" to train the others. I wish I hadn't lost "Lucy."