Once more into the Breech with D21

[larryfulkerson]

Here's the front lines in T52 before I have moved anybody. You can see that I'm pulling out and the Soviets are
advancing.

[larryfulkerson]

I'm not sure what changed but a lot of my aircraft are down for refit because they are yellow and I've been using the
policy that green ones fly and the rest rest.

[larryfulkerson]

Last turn the Bulgarians were in reorg and it seems that the period
or reorg is extended to this turn as well. I'm not sure what's
driving them into reorg but they aren't much good to me if they are
always in reorg. I'll have to post these guys in a quiet part of the
front lines.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's the situation: I've been the victum of a Soviet Winter Offensive wherein the
Soviets have a shock value of 120 and my shock is 90 and the supply lines have
collapsed and I don't have a choice, I have to pull back. So everybody is falling
back and now I have to decide where to put the new front line.

I'm thinking of forming a new front line close to Poland where the supply lines are
reliable and concentrate every spare soldier on the south to get the gas and oil
and the base at Stalingrad. Once that's done I'll have destroyed a lot of Soviet
industry etc. so I may as well concentrate on defending after that.

That way the Soviets will have to fight in poor supply areas and they will have
trouble getting replacements to their units and long story made short they will
be fighting at a disadvantage and I think I can profit from that.

[Jukipo]

Führer demands: Stand or Die!

Don’t retreat too far in the center. Hold at least Velikiye Luki – Smolensk – Bryansk line. You are on turn 52, offensive lasts only four more turns.

[karonagames]

I have been playing with the save you posted earlier. And although the supply situation is dire. I have only had to deal with one or two breakthroughs. It looks like you continued attacking in the turns after the save you posted while I built defensive positions in the turns before the Winter offensive started.

I do think that the way D21 handles railroad conversion is strange, I am barely seeing 2-3 hexes per turn being converted which means that getting supply to the front lines is a major problem. I don't know if the chance of conversion increases in clear weather, but atm in poor weather the rate of conversion is very low.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's the front lines in T53 and as you can see my trailing units are being harrassed
by the leading Soviets. They are overtaking my guys and I'm loosing people. I need
to drop all the bridges I can and leave a road block at all the good places and have
the recon units cover the retreating infantry and get the Panzers into a good supply
area and get them started resting because I'm going to need them for the counterattack.
The shock of 90 is only for 5 turns and then it goes back to normal and THEN maybe my
dudes can stand in defiance of a Soviet three-dot attack. I'm retreating into better
supply and the Soviet dude is getting further and further from his supply sources.
I can still make this work.

[larryfulkerson]

ORIGINAL: Jukipo
Führer demands: Stand or Die!
Don’t retreat too far in the center. Hold at least Velikiye Luki – Smolensk – Bryansk line.
You are on turn 52, offensive lasts only four more turns.

Hey there Jukipo dude, um.....that sounds like good advice. I'll see what I can do to hang
in there around Smolensk and Bryansk but I've already seen Velikiye Luki in my rear view
mirror. I'm planning on pulling back to the railhead whereever it is and then look for
some good defensive positions to start building another front line with what is left of the
troops. Good thing this doesn't last very long.

ORIGINAL: karonagames
I have been playing with the save you posted earlier. And although the supply situation is dire.
I have only had to deal with one or two breakthroughs. It looks like you continued attacking in
the turns after the save you posted while I built defensive positions in the turns before the
Winter offensive started.
Yes, I continued attacking and got some good kills at low cost but it did sap the units of their
badly needed supply so when the supply lines collapsed and the Soviet shock went up to 120 and
mine dropped to 90, well that was the straw that broke the camel's back. I was fighting too
far forward and didn't prepare very well for the Winter Offensive at all. And it shows.

I do think that the way D21 handles railroad conversion is strange, I am barely seeing 2-3 hexes
per turn being converted which means that getting supply to the front lines is a major problem.
I don't know if the chance of conversion increases in clear weather, but atm in poor weather the
rate of conversion is very low.

I agree with you and have brought it up with the scenario designers and the word is that the
very low supply and low rail repair are supposed to replicate the true situation as it really
was and demonstrate the Axis weak link, their unpreparedness for the first year winter period.
I would really love it if Steve or Ricki would chime in and explain the supply reasoning again.

Down below I have attached the T53 save game so you guys can get a really detailed look at what
is going on and even check out the Soviet side.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's how the planes are doing right now. Quite a few of them are in either yellow
or orange or red. I've got them parked too far forward and they aren't getting any
supply. I'll have to start rotating them into good supply areas and back to keep
a air umbrella forward. I've still got the shock advantage in the air so that's not
going to give up on me.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's the bad news. I've lost more HRS's than I thought possible and then some.
We're down to 27K or so in the force now when it was 38K just in September of this
year. That's quite a few people to lose that quick.

[larryfulkerson]

I think I've found a good spot for the front lines in the north. Pskov has a supply
level that's high enough to defend just fine. So I think I'll base my new front line
on Pskov somehow. I think I need a front line facing east and I'll build it from
Pskov going south along the roads and rails.

[TPOO]

ORIGINAL: larryfulkerson

ORIGINAL: Jukipo
Führer demands: Stand or Die!
Don’t retreat too far in the center. Hold at least Velikiye Luki – Smolensk – Bryansk line.
You are on turn 52, offensive lasts only four more turns.

Hey there Jukipo dude, um.....that sounds like good advice. I'll see what I can do to hang
in there around Smolensk and Bryansk but I've already seen Velikiye Luki in my rear view
mirror. I'm planning on pulling back to the railhead whereever it is and then look for
some good defensive positions to start building another front line with what is left of the
troops. Good thing this doesn't last very long.

ORIGINAL: karonagames
I have been playing with the save you posted earlier. And although the supply situation is dire.
I have only had to deal with one or two breakthroughs. It looks like you continued attacking in
the turns after the save you posted while I built defensive positions in the turns before the
Winter offensive started.
Yes, I continued attacking and got some good kills at low cost but it did sap the units of their
badly needed supply so when the supply lines collapsed and the Soviet shock went up to 120 and
mine dropped to 90, well that was the straw that broke the camel's back. I was fighting too
far forward and didn't prepare very well for the Winter Offensive at all. And it shows.

I do think that the way D21 handles railroad conversion is strange, I am barely seeing 2-3 hexes
per turn being converted which means that getting supply to the front lines is a major problem.
I don't know if the chance of conversion increases in clear weather, but atm in poor weather the
rate of conversion is very low.

I agree with you and have brought it up with the scenario designers and the word is that the
very low supply and low rail repair are supposed to replicate the true situation as it really
was and demonstrate the Axis weak link, their unpreparedness for the first year winter period.
I would really love it if Steve or Ricki would chime in and explain the supply reasoning again.

Down below I have attached the T53 save game so you guys can get a really detailed look at what
is going on and even check out the Soviet side.

The supply design is basically to force the Axis player to attempt to advance to capture the historical territory of 1941, basically to capture the the productions centers that the Axis captured in 1941 before being forced to retreat. This will reduce Soviet production if accomplished. Not accomplishing this will give the Soviets a significant production advantage over what was historical. If the Axis player captures more production locations in 1941 than historical they will have a significant advantage in winning the war. Obviously if one choose not to advance to a historical front and stopped an say Smolensk and dug in they would not be that affected by the Russian Winter offensive but the Soviets would have increased production which the Axis cannot afford to let them have. If you advance to the historical front and you have not done a good job of advancing the rail lines you could be in for a brutal Soviet offensive. I know it seems like the rail completion is difficult but if you do it right you should be able to have a completed rail line to near Leningrad, Vyazma, Orel, Kharkov and the Crimea but the end of November 1941. These are the main cities you should be focusing rail production to. You get some supply help with the temporary forward supply depots but do not rely on these as they are removed by winter 1941. Because of the TOAW IV overextended supply rules now it is essential that one concentrate on rail construction and the best path to where you are going to advance to. This is still the basic supply system that was used in FITE I and is currently used in FITE 2.

Also, there is less rail repair available during Winter 1941 but will return in 1942 and by then you should be able to rail repair by late Spring 1942 to all areas of the Front.
If you have any questions please feel free to ask and I will do my best to explain are rationale.

[larryfulkerson]

I know it seems like the rail completion is difficult but if you do it right you should be able to have a completed rail line to near Leningrad, Vyazma, Orel, Kharkov and the Crimea but the end of November 1941.

I wasn't able to make this happen and paid the price for it. Not a whole lot of slack in the rail repair game.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's the front lines in T54 before I have moved anybody. Look how far back I'm having to go before I can find
some good supply levels.

[larryfulkerson]

I've started building a front line at Smolensk since that's in full supply and I can
probably make a stand there as good as anywhere. The Soviets aren't far behind me and
they will arrive at my lines pretty quickly now.

[larryfulkerson]

The Rumanians have the Soviets bottled up and it would probably be very costly to
try to push through the defenders so I'm calling it good enough. The rest of the
Rumanians can join the fight to the north.

I've gotten the Bulgarians packed up and on their way. I'm wondering where to send
them. I neep to put them into an area where they won't get mixed up with the other
Axis minor allies. But I don't want to put them too far north, that would look funny.
Like having Finns at Stalingrad.

[larryfulkerson]

This is the situation right now.....the Soviet shock is 120 so the Winter Offensive is ongoing in T55 as well.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's the losses so far:

[comte]

Larry great AAR. I was wondering does the latest patch come with the latest version of D21?

[larryfulkerson]

Here's the T55 front lines before I have moved anybody