Stock FitE Karri vs Larry

[SMK-at-work]

Sorrounded paras - exxccelllent!!
 
Karri remember that a lot of the Soviet units are now based on HRS's rather than RS's - all the Guards and shock units - plus SMG squads.  So while the number of Rifle squads might be fallign it's the total you need to keep an eye on - about 70,000 above!!
 
Larry has a huge surplus of HRS's - over 3 times the number assigned!  Plus his pools of rifle and SMG squads are greater than his replacement rate, so he has a surplus there too......I wouldn't be too confident about wearing him down!!

[Karri]

He has about 3k HRS assigned, not enough to make any kind of difference. However you're right about the SMG's, plenty of those. But the thing is rifle squads are the 'main' equipment. It's what majority of units have and it is what gives them stopping power...and that's why I need to wipe the out.


Now if we talk about tanks and airplanes then I probaply will never wear him down in those...

[SMK-at-work]

True about most of his units being rifle-squad based, but they are less and less likely to be the ones who do the serious fighting as time goes on and more and more guards units come into line - just look at the pictures above - all the dark red infantry units are HRS based.  "Regular" rifle divisions can be rested and rotated a lot more with those in line.

[freeboy]

Is this case blue time? I remember my cb time I got some really great geramn supply, like almost 60?

[Karri]

Yes, it's about 60...works wonders

[SMK-at-work]

I bet it does! 
 
Zort are you reading this?  Perhaps Ver 6 could include some supply units instead of giving universal supply increases for all the various offensives?

[Zort]

That has been recommended before. If I do this then the soviets will lose units so I can put in the supply guys. I wonder if the next patch is going to do anything about supply. Since most games are not this big it isn't a real issue, of course I am probably wrong.

[SMK-at-work]

Are there no spare Soviet units at all??!  Can a single unit be withdrawn then replaced several times, or does a replacement have to be a new unit?

[freeboy]

smk, are you talking about Reserrected units when you say replacement?

[larryfulkerson]

I blew a hole in the German lines near Leningrad but Karri will fix it before I get a chance to move again.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's the Soviet view of the minimap moves movie from turns 91 throu 95

[Zort]

Larry, what are you doing with your air force? Is it on interdiction or combat support? Since it seems that Karri's air force is gone you should be able to do just about anything.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's some of the Soviet losses so far:

[larryfulkerson]

ORIGINAL: Zort
Larry, what are you doing with your air force? Is it on interdiction or combat support? Since it seems that Karri's air force is gone you should be able to do just about anything.

Here's the Soviet air mission report. As you can see most of them are on Combat Support since Karri's going for the Gold ( attacking ) and a few of them are resting since they've been bombarding for several turns in a row now at ignore losses and their supply is in the teens.

[freeboy]

Larry, You have some GREAT long range air that can interdict all the way to Berlin, where most of the reinforcements come from, use these guys which are not good at ground attack, b17s pe 4 etc to interdict.. imo they are better there and IT HURTS! to try to move a units 1500 km and see it get 50% of its units killed off by red air.. especially as the game proceeds!

[SMK-at-work]

At this stage those longe range aviation units are almost all IL-4's - a fairly mediocre bomber, but with a staggering range for its class - really not that much use on combat suport - better at bridge attacks virtually anywhere on the map, and as interdiction as Freeboy says.

[freeboy]

remember he has B17 as US is involved as Turkey should have been activated from what I can see.. he gets p51 groups, two and b25 or 26? and a divebomer group and a group or two of 17's... so those long range planes can really screw with the german transport net, why hit the bridges, hit the troops on the rail, taking out 30-75% of a unit trabvelling 2000km berlin to past Stalingrad is a great deal! ok just read the list, five US groups , one of which is the 17s.

[SMK-at-work]

Will they get hit that much tho?  there's only a couple of handfuls of those units - and yuo can hit bridges AND then set them on interdiction too...
 
There's no fighter escorts for bombers though is there - so the P-51's dont' really have a role - unless you put them on interdiction too?

[freeboy]

The game uses an algorythm, as I understand it, to calculate the interdiction, and even without fighters there are terrific losses to be had as teh german player moving troops, NOT ALL TROOPS! but those that are hit take a bitch slapping.. I have seen full strench artilelry go to 7 or 8 of 32 and 120 heavy inf sq units fall into the 70 80 range.. so this is a real issue for the prudent use of air in 42, remember the Germans get a bonus in 42, then a shock bonus in winter for hte reds and in 43 44 45 the reds get a total year shock bonus.. the goal should not be too much on territory once the offence begins imo... but on the destruction of the German and minor armies.

[duckenf]

I agree that interdiction is a more efficient way of wearing down the German army than the local counter-attack strategy. It has s lot of advantages:

(1) It preserves the Red Army; you can chew up his supply with small-scale unit attacks, but you have to risk your own units if you try and eliminate some of his HRS and panzers in actual combat. This is a risk that isn't there with interdiction

(2) You slow his movement of reinforcements. Berlin is a long way away, lots of interdiction can happen on the way -- especially if he uses the railways

(3) It burns his replacements -- instead of going to front-line combat units, units far from the front will also be drawing on his replacement pool even before they engage in combat with the Red Army

(4) Diminishes front-line attacks/breakthroughs/exploitation. Especially when you have troops in close proximity he has to accept losses when moving -- and this can stop a breakthrough if it is interdicted. Ground combat support only helps if you have a land unit present -- if he has broken through he has a clear run unless interdiction happens. Sure it won't be everytime, but enough to make a difference every now and then, and I'm sure just stopping one German breakthrough without moving too many troops to plug a gap would be a relief.

(5) it's easier on your planes than ground-combat support.

So at the very least put some of the LR planes on interdiction -- the fact that you have none is giving him a free ride!