A tale from '42 - AlbertN vs MSAG

[M60A3TTS]

Maybe this example is where you were going.



Short answer is 25 is the max production, not guaranteed production. If you think this is bad, you haven't seen Yak-1 production in 1941.

[AlbertN]

Oh yes I know it's the MAX production!

My point is that it is not produced to max when there are 0 in stocks and a deficit in combat units; while I get the max production of Nebelwelfers where there is a 2000+ surplus sitting in the pool!

That's what I meant.

[M60A3TTS]

I guess you'll have to file a complaint with the appropriate Production Manager at Rheinmetall. Maybe the guy that puts the wheels on the carriages took a long lunch break.

With regards to too many Nebelwerfers, there are occasional issues with Ground Element Mapping. You can see that with units that should have Soviet BM-4 203mm howitzers and instead get ML-20 gun-howitzers. Sorry, but I'm not sure what the central issue is in your case but that sort of thing is usually in the hands of the scenario designer. If your larger concern is that too much stuff of one type is being needlessly built, it is an element of the game. I only have ever burned through a fraction of the IL-2s that the game churns out.

[AlbertN]

Well yes the Nebelwelfer 150 are the only ones being presently used. Even where the TOE would 'favor' the heavier ones, they 150s are slotted.

I've noticed the same with the StugIII filling in a lot of TOEs, when both:
A) I've the specific item the TOE would want (exactly for the Nebels)
B) I've holes in the Stug Battallions that specifically would appreciate the Stugs

So it's a rather severe matter to me, if Panzer or Heavy Assault Gun slots are filled in with Stugs when I've already holes in the Stug department AND the Stugs steal the slots for other stuff (I've Heavy Assault Guns sitting doing nothing in the arsenal)

Edit: adding image, plenty of Stug Battallions at 29 TOE.

While the Sturmpanzer Battallion has mundane Stugs. I'll wait and see if that one (that apparently just arrived here) is to shed its Stugs for the Heavy ones.

[RedJohn]

All I can say is good luck! But you seem to be in decent shape all things considered, and it looks like it'll be a rather interesting 43.

[AlbertN]

@RedJohn: Thanks - tbh if it was not for the Arty Patch that the Germans had the '41 in I'd not be here I feel at all. your AAR is quite precious to show how the Soviets should maximize their play - I sung already long ago about a different VP distribution or better to have other reasons for the Soviets to stop and fight since VPs to me are a binary business.

T102 - Moscow Sector:

Here there is a small tragedy for the Soviets - two of their Corps take a severe beating as they were retreating out of fortified positions to safer locations.

It seems part of the canal line is reached at little cost here this turn.

The other combat had roughly a 10:1 trade ratio.

Somehow these Soviet corps just melted away in terms of CV, I assume at 0 forts simply overwhelmed by the sheer amount of Germans that in this area have an average Morale and Experience of 75ish. (Pretty much the remaining of Leningrad Army here).

[AlbertN]

T102 - Rubynsk sector

A new encirclement happens, and the Panzer divisions are potentially endangered but the strongest Soviet units should remain low on supply.

I expect Soviets to pour reserves here imminently though as they can easily revert from a front to another via the Strategic Reserve.

___

On the rest of the front I am pratically on the defensive or performing attacks to distract enemy forces.

MSAG aptly screens his hard hitters with sacrificial Rifle Corps of dubious combat value.
On the other hand they suffer losses in turn.
Two German ID that are in risk of encirclement get motorization to dash away from the closing clutches of the Soviets. The cost in trucks is hefty.

As I scanned through my line, I've noticed that more and more of the German divisions are levelling their 'morale' down to the 65 just by sitting there in their lvl 3 fort.

Depressing.

[AlbertN]

T103 - North

Soviets open the pocket and hammer (expected) the Cavalry Regiment.

They counter-pocket in turn the Panzer division.

It seems their troops here are in general of low rate or tier or simply suffering from low supplies.
Even if the northmost ones are light green.

But I discovered as I play the Soviets in another game how absurdly rigged their logistics are.
So I am not surprised.

[AlbertN]

T103 - HG Panzer Division wanted to refit...

Hermann Goering must have imposed his way to get the HG Panzer back to the reserves for the scheduled refit.

First it gets hammered by a bazillion of Soviets. It does not matter how elite a division may be, it buckled.
On a note - whilst I do not think it impacts combats of yet, the Panzergrenadier ground elements suck when they're meant to be superior I believe.

Not only, it retreats eastward! The first combat is where the 8th MC Soviet unit is; the second combat where the 4th Cav is!
Yes - that's about herding units.

Here something odd happens, only the Flak fires at the Soviet bombers, the HG division pratically ... does not shoot back at all at the attacking Russians.

There it goes, a 95 Morale, 95 Experience unit pratically smoked in one turn!

[loki100]

ORIGINAL: AlbertN

...

As I scanned through my line, I've noticed that more and more of the German divisions are levelling their 'morale' down to the 65 just by sitting there in their lvl 3 fort.

Depressing.
..

odd I did a search on my infantry divisions and as T117 60% are at 70 morale or better, maybe time to look at how you manage them than just asserting the game is biased?

[AlbertN]

T103 - German Stug is the German Jolly

Here the Hermann Goering Panzer Division in its glory ... I mean ... its leftovers.

It changed TOE though! But the Stugs are ever present to act as filler for anything that has tracks!

[AlbertN]

@Loki: We can agree to disagree here, you have an opinion, I've another on the matter. It's not rocket science to keep units in fortified positions and how the logistic system work - well for you it's ace, for me it has extremely wide margins of improvement. Also in your game you may have a shorter front / easier logistics? If part of the 'management' is 'shorten your front to have an easier life' then one may as well pull back into Poland directly!

T103 - Don River Bend to Manych Lake sector:

The Soviets here have made impressive advance and encircled an amount of Axis forces.

With foreseeing skills I redirected here the 2 Elite SS Panzergrenadier Divisions that came from the West.
Their nominal CV though is only 16. They do not have CCPs, but have minimal fatigue before moving (They pratically just got there and unloaded from the trains and received air supply freight to have mobility for this turn), and their TOE is 90%+.

At this stage here there is not to do even a fighting withdrawal but to liberate the troops and make a run for the life toward Rostov and the fortified positions created even before Winter '42-'43!

I'll have a small discussion on the Alpini in the next reply!

[AlbertN]

T103 - Alpini's resistance...

Here we see an Alpini Regiment to have endured 3 rather measly attacks of the Soviets, also thanks to the intervention of generous Corps Artillery.

Things that I want to point out are that...

The Ski Battallion ought to be some crack unit, no less than the Alpini it is attached to. (Should have NM of 60 if not more there but there is already another thread about the Alpini and their TOE)

The performance of the Alpini riflemen seems quite lousy in general considering their morale / experience level.

Take a note even here that despite having suffered 0 losses, the NM of the Alpini division has dropped from the starting 70 of when they arrive to 68. And their whole career in Russia is crowned only by successes.

I just feel the 0.2 or 0.3 HPE of the riflemen quite underwhelming there for supposed troops of quality.
Ultimately the Russians have got away pretty much scott free from the attacks against a relatively fortified position manned by quality troops.

[AlbertN]

T103 - Manych / Don counteroffensives

Covering just this situation before to save to server and go dine and do other stuff.

The only part I've done past the air recon (Yes in these days the Luftwaffe is Air Recon and Air Supply - and interceptions) is to operate here.

First of all the attacks across the Don have been nice and sweet victories. The Russians parked there 4 nominal CV corps so they got pounced at once. Small problem ... the Romanian divisions that took part to the attacks dropped from 8-9 CV to 2-3 CV (between losing CCPs and the like). I'll try to cycle in as I've reserves there but the supply situation is not pleasant.

The freshly arrived SS units led by Herr Balck did their dirty job, even the Romanian armoured division was thrown in the fray (adequately filled with German SUs).

That 13-13 Guard Tank corps I'd like to hit again as it just retreated so I am sure it's not anymore a 13 CV but I am not sure what I can factually use to get to it.

But at least anything that was pocketed can dash away.

[AlbertN]

T103 - Panzergrenadier Ground Elements

Just seeking to show the pattern about the Panzergrenadier ground elements having a very low HPE.
In general it seems to me that the 'infantry' component attached to mobile divisions is somehow subpar.

These are the 4 German combats to liberate the pocket shown above, all conducted by mobile forces.

[AlbertN]

T103 - Caucasus withdrawal

Alas the pointes could not retreat that far so the withdrawal has the look of a bulge where the Italian alpinis are the rearguard, eastmost. Their flanks covered by Romanians and the Germans are the closemost to the roots.

I can only hope that the Soviet mobile forces got hindered enough this turn to leave me mostly unmolested next turn to continue retreating without having a need of ulterior offensives; because German troops simply fight 2-3 times and then they're spent for God knows how long.

But I suspect the Russians too face similar issue here. Which may be good for operational tempo for me to lick wounds.

Though the Soviet army here is limited in numbers too.

[AlbertN]

T103 - Italian Interlude

As someone else already underlined the TBs gain a lot of replacements.

Notice here how the Panzer Divisions in Italy are getting to 100% TOE even if Italy has 0 action going!
The % missing to some are 88s, of which the Reich is desperately short!

I start to think that some artillery pieces should have a fluctuating max - maybe that follows the ups and downs of Armament multipliers?

I do not know, but it seems I've a massive shortage of 88s.

And obviously the Panzer Divisions in the East are not receiving tanks but I can live with that as it takes freight.
I just suspect somewhen Panzer Division from Italy goes on map, and Panzer Division from map goes to Italy...

[AlbertN]

T103 - Voronhez sector

Air Recon is ... iffy.

How it can miss -two- units in a hex so close or a whole tank corp in open plains is beyond me.
Ground recon solved it for me though - a LW Feld division, totally useless in open combat, just splits, explores, and returns to reform in the rearlines.

A HQ was stacked with the 3rd Guard Corps, and it was dislodged and the leader, Vasily Glagolev, perished in action leading the brave defenders! -- I do not know who the guy is, but I am pretty curious right now I will prolly load some scenario later to see which are their stats!

In the south two half shanked and shambling Panzer Divisions beat down an exhausted Guard Cavalry Corp.
The Germans were showing 5~ CV each on map and the Soviets 4... it's clear the Soviets shown an illusion as they show 8 now after they retreated!

The big question is what to do now with the Germans here as the situation is precarious!

Ideally to dislodge that 5-5 MECH unit and then rout the rest could be doable.
But now with my lightweight attack I've popped a 2 delay in that hex...
To use the almost encircled infanteries for the 5-5 attack?

I am pondering and studying since a while and I am awfully undecided.

[AlbertN]

T103 - Voronezh sector continued

The 'southern' bit seems okay, for now at least. The rear courtyard is secured BUT how wise it is to keep the line considering the 20+ nominal hordes to the east ...

That is one of the next steps to be decided.

That mechanized unit has retreated aptly on the pointe of the Soviet present advance ... which thus is factually not 21 but still 16 or 17 maybe.

Should I hammer it with the SS from the north?

Already in the southern attack anything that was somehow operational was thrown in - including the weak Hermann Goering and even an Infanterie Division with 2 CV...

Edit: Air supply was flown between the two images to up some the CVs of the Panzertruppen.

[AlbertN]

T103 - Voronhez, P. III

The plan unfolded somehow smoothly enough.

I deemed the Panzer-Stacks to be able to beat 2 different hexes, and I've been 'lucky' that a Guard Corp retreated into the other hex to attack.

Another decent panzer division approached to check better what was in the 3rd hex - that had 1 Guard Corp retreat into.

But at this stage I lack adequate units to launch an attack on that hex and hope to beat it.

Now the last bit is about how to position the defences. Some extra air supply was flown to bolster the line but ultimately the whole situation is precarious.

It was decided on the spot to strip Italy already of 2 Panzer Divisions, flattening to a pure 100% its Ground situation. They'll take 2 turns to arrive to the map though, and then they need to get shipped to the front. But as seen above they're 96-98% TOE units, with full compliment of trucks.