Stalin's in the gulag, I'm in charge! II - vs 2ndACR (Axis)

[TulliusDetritus]

I really am a history freak [8|] I had already the 1st Shock Army assigned to the Volkhov Front. Then the 2nd arrived this turn. And then I just remembered that the Shock Army assigned to this front was the 2nd (its boss Blasov became famous when captured)... The 1st Shock did fight in the center.

So what have I done? I have assigned the 2nd to the Volkhov Front and the 1st to Stavka (its divisions have been of course assigned to the 2nd). In other words, I have been forced to spend APs. Am I a moron? YES. But I can't help it, I'm a history freak! [:D]

[mmarquo]

TD -
 
The new patch allows defensive SU and reserve defense committments - this has really changed the complexion of the blizzard; have you noticed any of these "commmittements" yet?
 
 

[randallw]

ORIGINAL: TulliusDetritus

Oh, one more thing. I can see now the RR brigades can repair damaged rail lines NEXT to the enemy. This is new. With 1.03 my RR brigades could not repair these hexes and therefore I could not save the Armaments Industy in Stalino

Is this supposed to happen? I read most of the notes for the 1.04 patch but it seems kind of against logic that RR or construction units would put themselves so close to danger.

[TulliusDetritus]

Marquo, yes, I have seen it hmm twice I think this turn. Tank brigades (on reserve mode) were sent to reinforce attacks.

Randall, but now it's possible [:)] Well, it's war. If some units refuse to go to 2 or 3 hexes behind the front... there's always the NKVD firing squad... [8D]

[TulliusDetritus]

And by the way, I got Big Anorak's addenda WRONG. It's not "less then 45 attacks etc etc". It's 45 RETREATS... [;)]

[76mm]

ORIGINAL: TulliusDetritus
Well, it's war. If some units refuse to go to 2 or 3 hexes behind the front... there's always the NKVD firing squad... [8D]

But those units are not next to the enemy? I am pretty sure the RRCBs always did that...

[TulliusDetritus]

76mm, me too [:)]

Well, I keep reorganizing. All the armies had 1 Tank Brigade. But given that I have plenty of them now each army will have 2. As I said now I have 11 Cavalry Corps. Either I assign some of them to Army or Front HQs. The rest to Stavka.

Now there are only 16 Cavalry Divisions. I will assign them to Front HQs.

[TulliusDetritus]

More organization thing. I am basically imitating what the Soviets did in the real war (strategy, etc.). So, I want to simulate the reserves thing as well. In the real thing there were Stavka, Front and Army Reserves.

Armies: each army will have one division on reserve mode.

Fronts: each front should have between 2 and 3 divisions minimum attached to this HQ. NOT on reserve mode though. They will be "reserves" because when a frontline division is for example depleted (because of combat) I will send it to the rear to refit AND then one of those "Front Reserve Divisions" will replace it. Rinse and repeat. These reserves can of course be used to reinforce a critical place as well.

Stavka: obvious, so no need of comment.

[76mm]

11 cavalry corps, that's great. I think I only had 2, it was a big mistake.

[TulliusDetritus]

More organization thing [:D] I have plenty of Rifle Brigades. Yes, most of them -along with the Fortified Regions- will be forming the defensive lines behind my fronts (the '42 summer defensive campaign that is). BUT I would like to save brigades and assign 1 to each army on RESERVE mode.

76mm, I was convinced to form Cavalry Corps. Yes, I think it's a good idea.

[TulliusDetritus]

An example on how I will be using the Front Reserves. The Southern Front 9th Army is basically useless. Its divisions are all unready, very weak. SO, I happened to have 3 ready divisions in this area, attached to Stavka. I assigned them to this 9th Army and on the next turns they'll be moving to the front. Therefore 3 frontline divisions of this Army (the most depleted) will be sent to the rear to refit and attached to the Southern Front HQ. They will be the reserves of this whole front. Two or three turns later they might be ready again to replace other depleted, unready divisions of the 3 armies of this front [:)]

[76mm]

What a huge waste of AP: swapping 3 units per front will cost 6 AP (three for transfer to front, three for transferring old reserve back to army) times 9 (?) fronts equals 54 AP to be spent every two or three turns? Why not simply rotate them off the line within the same army?

[TulliusDetritus]

A Front HQ will look like this (its reserves). I have decided to give 1 Cavalry Division to each front.

76mm, yes, you need APs to do so. But if I want to have strong armies (CP almost 24:24) I have no other option. I won't renounce the Front Reserves. The Soviets had them. So these APs will be well spent in my opinion [:)]

[TulliusDetritus]

ORIGINAL: 76mm

What a huge waste of AP: swapping 3 units per front will cost 6 AP (three for transfer to front, three for transferring old reserve back to army) times 9 (?) fronts equals 54 AP to be spent every two or three turns? Why not simply rotate them off the line within the same army?

76mm, I would not be rotating ALL the units on one turn [X(] Another option would be assigning the depleted frontline divisions to STAVKA itself. Then when they're back they are free (no need to pay APs)...

But I see a problem. I want the Front Reserves. This is a Big Yes. They can be useful to reinforce critical areas. But these Front reserves + the Stavka divisions ready to replace depleted frontline divisions would mean = NO divisions left to form Reserve Armies. And of course I want them... because the Soviets had them. I'm like a kid eh? [:D]

As I see it, IF I want reserves I must pay for them, so I see no problem here. It's VERY important to me (after all, if the Soviets and ANY army in the world have such reserves this should tell you something). Just like the Fortified Regions which should prepare defensive lines to stop or slow down any enemy offensive on 1942. Expensive? Certainly. Prioritary? INDEED: if you want defensive lines that is. Me and the real war Soviets want them, it's all I can say [8D]

[TulliusDetritus]

[center]Turn 26[/center]
[center]11 december 1941[/center]

2ndACR is apparently happy. This is what he says on his email: "Well, at least I got some holds. So far, it is looking some what better than all the other blizzards i have been thru"

There is a paradox though [8D] During the Blitzkrieg I contained him in both the North (Leningrad) and Center (Moscow). That was of course my Big Vital Objective. He advanced almost unopposed in the South and grabbed many hexes. And now it looks like he wants to give me those many hexes in the south... In the Center and North he is entrenched though. Now I can see the big picture. He's got few forces in most part of the south, grosso modo in the part where I annihilated his two divisions during the mud offensive: between Bryansk and Kharkov. He is basically leaving buffer hexes between the two armies.

[TulliusDetritus]

No buffer hexes in the north.

[TulliusDetritus]

And no buffer hexes in the center either. Oh, now I have 5 Guards Rifle Divisions [8D]

[TulliusDetritus]

Apparently I will soon have a 6 million men army. Not too bad. Did I already say 2ndACR should be making testament? No? Then I say it now...

Overall during the summer he was chasing ghosts... During the Frontier District Massacres he captured 700.000 men. But after that he only managed to capture 300.000 men. And to be honest I was concentrating my forces around his most dangerous units. I mean, my men were just in front of him. Except of course in the South, where I clearly was in retreat mode.

[TulliusDetritus]

If I remember correctly on my other first game I think the kill ratio was more a 1:3. Now it's more a 1:2. I guess being agressive is paying dividends.

[TulliusDetritus]

Units destroyed per turn. Too low [:(]