Frozen frogs! Stef78 (axis) Stelteck (Russia) - Stelteck welcome

[Telemecus]

ORIGINAL: STEF78
Good idea but I have no more fighters groups with BF110

You do have them in the pool - so you can swap them to that, as in your example above, and then onwards to single seat fighters. Each swap does mean a loss of experience - but it way be worth going through a chain of swaps where the end of the path is a single seat fighter group if that is a choke point.

ORIGINAL: STEF78
Concerning night fighters, what I can do, see below

There are quite a few aircraft types that exist in airgroups or the pool but for which there are no factories. So in v.1.10 8/NKG 200 arrives as an airgroup equipped with FW 190A-5/U2 night fighters on turn 113 but there seems to be no factory for them. I have always assumed this were the small numbers of aircraft produced as a test run or for demonstration which remained in the Luftwaffe but were never commissioned for mass production - but I guess the developers will have to explain.

[STEF78]

Turn 113, 12th august 1943

Giving some ground allowed my troops to suffer less pressure in the Saratov/Stalingrad area. But I'm very cautious as Stelteck has a lot of tank corps.

An overview of the whole front before my moves.



and the southern part of the front. Stelteck is now sure that my Pzd are not anymore in Astrakhan. Lots of ennemies in sight [:(]



Closer view of Sevastopol. Chain of command isn't good. I will set all the defence under command of the best romnanian commander, inf rating of 6



North of Baku, we strongly couterattack the Cav corps before they can be enough entrenched

[STEF78]

We never let russian spearheads quiet. They aren't dig in. Thus they have to pay for it... Even if the losses are equilibrated, I will not be a consentant victim!.



Same job around Ryazan



I'm short of mobile units in the north, they are on the (rail)road...



And the losses, always far too heavy

[STEF78]

Just to illustrate intensity of fights and losses, evolution of both OOB

Russian infantry is no more growing, airplanes are shot like ducks, only AFV are growing. The german side received several stug and panzer battalions.

Even russian artillery is no more growing! gain of ground is paid at high price!

[STEF78]

Turn 114, 19th august 1943

An overview of the situation. The frontline is in fire from VV to Sevastopol.

[STEF78]

Closer from some areas

Bad news in the South, the rail is cut, troops in eastern Caucasus and Astrakhan won't be resupplied



North of Stalingrad, the russians penetrated deeply in our lines, east of Stalingrad, the russians cleared the eastern bank of the Volga



Situation is reestablihed with strong counterattacks

[STEF78]

And a view of the fights north of Moscow

[STEF78]

Turn 115, 26th august 1943

My fontline becomes more an more instable in several areas.

In the South, Astrakhan wil not be held till mud. I have only romanians troops and no supply at this time. I tried to counterattack against advancing russian troops, without success.

I thought east of Stalingrad would be a secondary theater, maybe I was wrong. Strong russian units are involved here.

North of Stalingrad, my fontline is in bad shape.



I give some ground north of Stalingrad, where I feel immediate danger. Of course I did some bloody counterattacks!



Some fights near Moscow, I've sent some fighters here. We now can deny russian air superiority. See also my Pzd on the road to VV.



as aleady written, reinforcements are heavily required.

[STEF78]

And the losses, always too heavy



and air losses, no comment

[STEF78]

Turn 116, 2nd september 1943

Last month of summer has begun, and nothing good happened this week... except perhaps russian AFV losses. But is it useful?

North of Baku, 3 inf divs with level 3 entrenchement are expelled after 3 massive assaults. russian losses are very heavy but who cares?
My line is still strong here and it's not my main area of concern



Near VV, my defence is outnumbered and near Dimitrov, I don't like these 3 tank corps. Fortunately, 46th Pzk has arrived...



... and his strong counterattack allowed me to expell the russians and to strengthen the frontline.

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North of Moscow, 56th pzk did the job!

[STEF78]

Stalingrad and the Don bend are my main headache area. I obviously underestimated the ability of russian tank corps to threaten my right wing... Near Astrakhan, russian Cav corps have crossed the Volga. Not good.



My mobile units counterattack but i'm do weak to make enough damages to the russian spearheads. I sacrifice the 2 romanians units and don't throw good money after bad. If stelteck chooses to destroy them, I will earn a week. a good deal from my point of view.



And a general view of the positions after my moves

[SparkleyTits]

Ah damnit you were efficiently holding up some hefty force at Baku

[STEF78]

ORIGINAL: SparkleyTits

Ah damnit you were efficiently holding up some hefty force at Baku

True but my main main concern is now South of Stalingrad. I would need 2 more Pzk to be safe here. Unfortunatly, They aren't available [:(]

[SparkleyTits]

Yeah the Volga is gonna cause you some nasty after effects [:(]

[chaos45]

You probably need to start the retreat towards rostov with your far south troops, your risking losing all of the rumanians soon otherwise.

Looks like a fun game, and about how 1943 should be....in the long run if you can keep up the high soviet tank losses they might matter...it will take you a long time to burn down his pools tho. What I found was the soviets take massive tank losses for awhile but then the German line starts to beak--- and if you can knock out a German army soviet tank losses will start to drop as it gets easier and easier to breach the german defenses and their entrenchment values get lower due to forced retreats.

[STEF78]

ORIGINAL: chaos45

You probably need to start the retreat towards rostov with your far south troops, your risking losing all of the rumanians soon otherwise.

I didn't take a picture after my moves but romanians gave up Astrakhan on turn 116.

Looks like a fun game, and about how 1943 should be....

We don't have so many AAR showing entire 1943. But I think it's fifficult (and dangerous) to hold all conquered territories until late 1943. If the russians have survived 1942, they are almost always dangerous coming sumer 1943.

in the long run if you can keep up the high soviet tank losses they might matter...it will take you a long time to burn down his pools tho.

I don't believe it's possible to burn the T34 pool...

What I found was the soviets take massive tank losses for awhile but then the German line starts to beak--- and if you can knock out a German army soviet tank losses will start to drop as it gets easier and easier to breach the german defenses and their entrenchment values get lower due to forced retreats.

Stelteck has developped a very interesting strategy while building his red army 2.0 It's not a huge one but a very mobile one with a lot of tank corps, mech corps... I didn't think it could be efficient due to truck shortage. at the moment it seems working.

[chaos45]

He has enough is the problem- I found the same thing in my game vs pelton---almost 10 million men is to many, as the soviet army gets better you can do just fine with 7-8 Million troops, and its honetly better as it saves you alot of trucks. I found myself disbanding soviet units as we went into late 1943.

As to T34s....you cant keep burning 1,000 tanks a turn forever eventually it will drop the pool. Key thing is can the Germans keep fighting hard enough to make the Soviets burn 1,000 tanks a week. I found after awhile the Germans started to lose the ability to counterattack the tank/mech corps successfully and thats when the tide really turns.

Stelteck also has alot of CAV corps I do believe, and in all honesty any good soviet player will want around 25+ cav corps...as they are fairly mobile, pack a punch as guards from 1943 on and dont use many trucks at all really esp compared to tank/mech corps.

[STEF78]

ORIGINAL: chaos45
... As to T34s....you cant keep burning 1,000 tanks a turn forever eventually it will drop the pool. Key thing is can the Germans keep fighting hard enough to make the Soviets burn 1,000 tanks a week. I found after awhile the Germans started to lose the ability to counterattack the tank/mech corps successfully and thats when the tide really turns. ...

We are some turns ahead of the AAR and axis is still able to counterattack efficiently russian mobile spearheads. I think it will still be the same during winter 43/44 campaign.

Currently, I'm burning wetween 700 and 1000 russian AFV per turn

At the moment I'm facing several other problems
- my NM is slowly diminishing. I'm now 67, and it has a huge impact on Cv's
- my Inf divs are at 75/80% TOE and will never recover. Fights are far too heavy
- I'm lacking of fighters even if I got some FB during the last turns

But as long as I didn't suffer a major breakthrough, it's fine... but it won't last. Having already, played summer 44 as german, I perfectly aware that the worse is coming soon.

[STEF78]

Turn 117, 9th september 1943

This time it's clear. We are giving up our more eastern positions. Lower Volga is entirely under russian hands.

An overwiew of the front with the main areas of fights and the possible axis of russian advance. We expect to be on the Vorochilovsk/Manich/Don bend line when mud comes. We will do our best to keep Stalingrad but I will not take the risk of being surrounded in order to keep the city on more week.



A closer view from Makhachkala (what a name!). Our last e-graves in this area...



Near Stalingrad some counterattacks. Stelteck has choosen to destroy my 2 romanian divs. That's ok for me. Note the location of russian railhead. It will be important to locate the NKPS units in order to evaluate russian supply.



Usual fights in the north I didn't take pictures of other areas but we are fighting all along the front, including Sochi and Sevastopol

[STEF78]

Turn 118, 16th september 1943

Attacks and counterattacks in several parts of the front

North of Moscow, Stelteck is aiming for a breakthrough in order to use efficiently his tank corps. Not successfull yet

north.jpg[/img][/url]

German counterattacks are efficient and russian's losses are heavy. I now have fighters near Moscow and they are Deadly for red airplanes



A view of tambov's area. This time GD reserve activation doesn't work...



But counterattack are fine!