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Panzer III and Panzer IV instead of panthers, what a low tech unit !!! [:D]

Something weird: due to 1944 TOE, german army has now too much men on the frontline...



and I have men available in my pool. Obviously, they are not required in Russia...

Are you sure there is no infantry squad "upgrade" pending which is in fact a downgrade from 12 men squads to 10 men squads or something like that ?

Maybe the TOE of your units have been downgraded, but the equipment not sent back yet.

you do find with security regiments in 1941 that the ones in garrisons near Germany keep getting replacements and do go over 100% ToE - so it can happen even without a ToE change.

I assumed if there was a positive balance in the pool and nowhere better for ground elements to go the formulas would then allow some replacement a little above 100%?

ORIGINAL: Stelteck

Are you sure there is no infantry squad "upgrade" pending which is in fact a downgrade from 12 men squads to 10 men squads or something like that ?

Maybe the TOE of your units have been downgraded, but the equipment not sent back yet.

2 explanations:
- rifle squad 39 = 10 men, rifle squad 43 = 9 men
- evolution of men per inf div in september 1943

Turn 127, 18th november 1943

Winter campaign is on! Lots of fights all along the front.

Focus on main areas from South to north...

Sevastopol

I'm still too weak here. I can only delay russian advance.



Tuapse

Same story, units fight to earn time. note the odd, only 2.23 despite 15/1 in men...



Don

Russian right wing still attacks. Maybe they are pushing their tanks...



Classical counterattacks. First, I forced both sides of the spearhead to retreat, then I rout the spearhead itself. Heavy losses for the soviets, but who cares?

Boguchar

heavy fights north of Boguchar but the line holds



Tambov

My main concern. Situation begins to look serious here. I need to restore my frontline



unusual, one of my counterattacks failed. I wasn't enough caring about chain of command and some russian stacks are really strong... The line should hold now.

Moscow

Reserve activation still works



And now russian air superiority is over around Moscow



VV

Moderate fights. No more tank corps? Where are they gone?

ORIGINAL: SparkleyTits
Any chance we could get a picture of your best tank corp so we can compare?

In proletarian paradise there is no such place as heroic units far better than others, but instead carefully standardised and well planned military formation.

But this is the best i have in each class.

A view of my best air units / leaders at this stage of the game

Wow.
I have nothing like this on my side all my air units are bad.
My best IL2 units have 500 kills.
My best Air have 130.

Turn 128, 25th november 1943

No screenshots from some secondary theaters of fights this weeks (far north, Sevastopol, Kalinin...)

Focus on what will be the main fight area during the next weeks

Tambov

In summer, it would have been a major disaster. Due to Mp's costs in winter, it's only a breakthrough... but a significant one.
Russians were able to move 3 stack of fully entrenched german inf divs! And now you can see my level of entrenchment here: low, far too low...
The 6=27 inf is in bad shape, it cannot escape unless I move 2 russian tank corps or should I sacrifice it? That's too early in the game from my point of view. Same issue with the 8=40 and 7=35
And see all these tank corps in the rear ready to drive through the hole...



I try to save everything for this time... and use LW regiments are rearguards. Mt frontline is very weak except Pzd. 3 units are sent in Voronezh/Lipetsk as reinforcements.



Ryazan

Stelteck is doing it the right way at the moment. He keeps pressure everywhere it's possible in order to prevent reinforcements to be sent near Voronejh... Well played.
Below the fights between Ryazan and Moscow.

South

Some russian pressure around lake Manych...



... retreat, ground is worthless here.



And the losses, unsustainable on the long term for both sides. Russian AFV losses close from 1000...

Stelteck - need to clear you message box as we cannot message you. Olga has been sending you too many message again! Something important I sent by email instead!

Turn 129, 2nd december 1943

South east of Ryazan, french volunteers are celebrating the 138th anniversary of Austerlitz's battle...

Numerous battles all along the frontline.

Focus on the hottest spot: It looks like axis is facing some kind of russian "panzerball" near Tambov



Recon isn't perfect because of blizzard but we can identify at least 20 tank corps + some mech corps in this area



In the South, we are losing ground north of Sevastopol and around lake Manych



We decide to give some ground in front of Voronejh to soften russian attacks. Units still in Caucasus are retreating to lower Don

If I were you, I would be worried if those Tank and Cavalry Corps north of Lake Manych swing northwest.

If they do so, they could achieve a few different things:

1) They could cross the Donets against weak opposition rendering that river indefensible
2) They could cut the rail line feeding all the forces you have fighting west of Stalingrad

That would force you into a hasty retreat from both Caucasus and the area west of the Don all the way up to Boguchar.

ORIGINAL: Dinglir

If I were you, I would be worried if those Tank and Cavalry Corps north of Lake Manych swing northwest.

If they do so, they could achieve a few different things:

1) They could cross the Donets against weak opposition rendering that river indefensible
2) They could cut the rail line feeding all the forces you have fighting west of Stalingrad

That would force you into a hasty retreat from both Caucasus and the area west of the Don all the way up to Boguchar.

You're right... Now the Don is fully iced an they can cross it without additional penalty. But holding Stalingrad until first snow turn makes me feel that his armoured units near Manych don't have full MP's
And I will get all my mountain units arriving from Caucasus. I will not be short of units on the lower Don.

In fact, I'm far more worried with the situation in front of Voronejh. I need to stop or at least slow russian momentum

I didn't show it but South Moscow begins also to be worrying and Stelteck has also launched an offensive against the finns. Headache, headache...

I think i figured out why my air force do not really shine. (They do the job, but at the price of epic looses with no sign of the end of the luftwaffe in sight).

I use the automatic management of airplane type. Today i noticed that each time i upgrade an airsquad to a new plane, my air squad loose a ton of Experience.
I have the theory that i let my air force upgrade and swap plane too much and that it prevent experience gain, as experience seems to be far more important than the plane type.

Yet another something to micromanage, with precious and rare political points [:D]

ORIGINAL: Stelteck

I think i figured out why my air force do not really shine. (They do the job, but at the price of epic looses with no sign of the end of the luftwaffe in sight).

I use the automatic management of airplane type. Today i noticed that each time i upgrade an airsquad to a new plane, my air squad loose a ton of Experience.
I have the theory that i let my air force upgrade and swap plane too much and that it prevent experience gain, as experience seems to be far more important than the plane type.

Yet another something to micromanage, with precious and rare political points [:D]

Actually it is possible to micromanage without points. You can see an example from our EightMP game. For example each turn check your airpools, and selectively choose say 3 or 4 of your best units and give them the upgrade only option. The AI will eventually upgrade for free at the same experience loss as a manual swap. You can use the auto swap option if you are sure, from looking at the pools, that it will not swap to a model you do not want. Leaving it all to the AI will result in a lot of toing and froing with experience loss each time. But you can leave it to the AI in a controlled way and get what you want for free.

Ha good idea !!