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There is need to keep in mind that the air part of the game is let's say "specific".
One of the examples of that is lack of actual targets for so many bomber/multi-role air-groups. There are no need to spent a sorties for attack RR-hubs,RR,various depots,naval targets etc. Even for reach good results in ground battles German side no need to use any ground support. Because of it players has too many air-groups for abnormally number of supply-transport missions or for strategic bombing that was ineffective(for various reasons) on Eastern Front.

ORIGINAL: Dreamslayer

There is need to keep in mind that the air part of the game is let's say "specific".
One of the examples of that is lack of actual targets for so many bomber/multi-role air-groups. There are no need to spent a sorties for attack RR-hubs,RR,various depots,naval targets etc. Even for reach good results in ground battles German side no need to use any ground support. Because of it players has too many air-groups for abnormally number of supply-transport missions or for strategic bombing that was ineffective(for various reasons) on Eastern Front.

It really depends on the situation and opponents. I can say that a strategy of bombing railyards might have been very fruitful in this game if things progressed. As this AAR develops you will see I moved my armor by rail two more times to hit where the Soviets were not … Over time reducing just a couple of units from reacting by rail would have made a real difference.

I use ground support and a knowledge of firepower to maximize my attacks. Particularly the Stuka's are very effective and I have had CV ratios less than 1:2 and end up with 3:1 when the Stuka's and artillery were through .. The (2) unit bombing attacks that produce fatigue and CV reduction followed on with ground support can be the deal breaker for an attack.

I have been told WitE2 has more varied uses for air power. Ground interdiction is a bit too random here to use as part of a strategy but not in WitE2. I know you can bomb railyards to reduce rail capacity - but why not railroads as was done historically? If partisans can cut rail lines why not aeroplanes?

If that would mean airstrikes on rail have the same impact as partisan strikes on rail they would be way too over the top. If you could have air strikes on rail they should not be allowed to paralyse a whole army group as a result.

ORIGINAL: Beria

If that would mean airstrikes on rail have the same impact as partisan strikes on rail they would be way too over the top. If you could have air strikes on rail they should not be allowed to paralyse a whole army group as a result.

To me abstractly bombing a railyard is the same as bombing a rail. That is reducing strategically the rail capacity. But the point here is taking this to the operational level and the ability to smack and affect a single piece of rail. I agree that the game would get pretty gamey at that point.

The problem with only treating rail as strategic or just as a way to reduce rail capacity is that it takes away the tactical aspect which is the whole fun of the game. The Allies deliberately bombed Seine and Loire river crossings to isolate Normandy before the D-Day invasion. I would find it interesting to use air strikes on rail to partially prevent movement to an area where I planned an offensive. Saying where on the map air strikes on rail would impact is a lot more interesting than it just reduces rail capacity everywhere.

ORIGINAL: Armatrading

The problem with only treating rail as strategic or just as a way to reduce rail capacity is that it takes away the tactical aspect which is the whole fun of the game. The Allies deliberately bombed Seine and Loire river crossings to isolate Normandy before the D-Day invasion. I would find it interesting to use air strikes on rail to partially prevent movement to an area where I planned an offensive. Saying where on the map air strikes on rail would impact is a lot more interesting than it just reduces rail capacity everywhere.

There are some examples on the Eastern Front where aircraft interdicted on the offense. The Battle of Smolensk toward the end the Germans trapped Soviet units using Stukas. Abstractly it plays out with higher losses on retreat but you have a point that more control of interdiction would make things more interesting.

The library of resources recommended this as an AAR for the air war and I can see why. Wow! The only problem is it is mixed up with lots of other AAR things too. There is a normal AAR, all this stuff about a team game and then the stuff mainly by Telemecus in the air war. All are good. But if you are only looking to one thing it could be good to have an index. For example you can just follow all the posts with the title air at the top to get the air stuff. But there are lots of posts about the air war that do not have that as headline.

ORIGINAL: Beria

The library of resources recommended this as an AAR for the air war and I can see why. Wow! The only problem is it is mixed up with lots of other AAR things too. There is a normal AAR, all this stuff about a team game and then the stuff mainly by Telemecus in the air war. All are good. But if you are only looking to one thing it could be good to have an index. For example you can just follow all the posts with the title air at the top to get the air stuff. But there are lots of posts about the air war that do not have that as headline.

In all the chaff posted in this AAR .. there are bits of valuable information. Unfortunately relationships deteriorated and much insight will be lost. I will complete the AAR on the behest of Telemecus.

As a side note … Empathic Skills and CyberbullyingIt seems that newsgroups, forums, social media all have a common thread in that the participants are isolated from empathetic clues. When we interact in person socially we instinctively react to these clues (with the exception of certain personality disorders) We have now 2 generations that have developed in a different social context. So the point being that untoward behaviors will end up leaving this forum with a great loss and to me what is worse, in all its arrogance will never know what knowledge there was to gain

With that said I will do my best to impart the air war lessons that closed this game.

Turn 49 27-May-1942 Air



During their turn Soviet ground bombing has seen moderate success as our fighters have been slower to react this turn. Soviet recon north of the marshes continued to show heavy losses. Having used their SB-2 and Pe-2 recons, and then R-5s and R-10s, now it is the U2 recons. They are not escorted and typically most missions lose all of their aircraft. It seems the Soviet team have accepted the losses and are now just throwing as many U2 recons in as they can to get any information they can. And perhaps because of the U-2 recon plane range their airbase is still within even our dive bombers by our turn. The Soviet biplane fighters posted to the U2 recon base are still not flying, so our dive bombers hit them unescorted unintercepted in daylight. By the end all Soviet air groups have only one working aircraft each left. The Soviet air force has been losing many more reconnaisance aircraft than they produce for many turns now and this cannot be sustainable.



By our turn we see the same four Soviet airbase clusters as last turn - but the three we attacked last turn have moved back. Nevertheless their interception range (represented by the red hexagons) has increased to five hexes. This covers all of their air force and Gorky - but not much else. Even at Gorky we find only a very small number of biplanes intercepting.

So with mud in the north Soviet weather zone we decide to spend the turn continuing to revamp the bomber force. Many airgroups are rotated through reserve this turn, with further manual and auto swaps prepared as we shift more of the bomber force to 1942 models. However there is enough to top up a few industrial targets - and at Gorky we find their interception close to non-existent with just handful of biplanes coming out to fight.

Turn 49 27-May-1942 Economic

T-70 Factory in Gorky Evacuated

Having given up defending Gorky, the exodus of its industry has begun. The T-70 M1942 factory producing 17 tanks a week and still expaning was evacuated to Serov last turn. This is the second tank factory in Gorky to be evacuated and joins the previous evacuations of LaGG-3 factories from Gorky and nearby Dzerzhinsk. Another T-70 factory and a T-60 facotry remain in Gorky. These factories faced no prospects whatsoever of being overun by ground forces in the near future - its evacuation is solely down to our air bombardment.

These factory evacuated last turn expands to an eventual capacity of 30 each turn until they stop production in turn 133. If left unhindered it would produce 2,853 T-70 M1942 light tanks. We are unlikely to be able to cause further damage to the factory in its new location. The bombing damage together with its evacuation means we expect the factory which is now in Serov to produce 2,359. This is a net loss of 494 T-70 M1942.

The evacuation of this factory actually increased its damage levels. If there had been no more bombing and no evacuation we expect the factory would have produced 2,417 or a total net loss of 437 T-70 M1942. This is 57 less than will be the case. Implicitly the Soviets have told us they think our continued bombing would have stopped 58 or more extra T-70 M1942 from ever being produced. The losses they have already had should tell them it would almost certainly have been much more. And now with Gorky in Axis escort ighter range there is nothing to stop it.

The game was upgraded from v1.11.01 to v1.11.03 mid way through our bombardment of this Gorky tank factory. Under v.11.01 any damage caused the factory expansion to stop and it was held to a production run of only 13 for many turns. From v1.11.02 there remained a reduced chance that the factory would still expand even when damaged. Nevertheless the factory only expanded to a weekly production of 17 many turns after the upgrade. With damage levels approaching 50% it was becoming increasingly unlikely it would expand again soon. Clearly under old versions the losses would have been much greater, but even under the current version the losses are substantial.

......................

Also under recent versions of the game we have noticed our bombing of the T-70 factory also causes collateral to the T-60 factory we did not even target. As the T60 factory already has some damage to build on that now becomes our main target. It is has already reached its expanded limit of producing 50 every turn, and it ceases production in September. So the Soviets may not want to evacuate this factory at all. If so then we know keeping this at a high damage level will guarantee it ceases production until it ends its production life. Bar a small token biplanes interception of our bombing of Gorky they have all but surrendered the city. The 5th air battle of Gorky is over, and the skies above the city are ours again.

With the air force reorganising this turn there is only enough for a few top up raids on other heavy industry, vehicle factories and the armoured car factory at Kulebaki. Virtually all our previous targets along the Volga and Oka are now at or close to the 50% damage shut down level. Only the Kuybyshev vehicle factory and the Kulebaki armoured car factory see damage levels still being built up


The Rumanians continue with their bombing of the Caucasus, although the tac bombers have now left for the main front. The Finns continue an air campaign.

The AGC commander posted out of sequence but the air war picture above shows the positions. The south had good weather..

Turn 49 27-May-1942 South

Soviet forces continue their attacks on the Rumanian forces west of Boguchar - incurring large losses each time. Tactical air forces had been specially set up in anticipation of these attacks the previous turn.

The good weather continues and Soviet forces are surrounded on the rail route to Stalingrad. The 11th army is now starting to arrive in full strength from their previous battles in Crimea.

World at War Episode X: Operation Treppenwitz 1942:

In my best Laurence Olivier voice; “Operation Treppenwitz proved to be difficult to initially get started. After a Blizzard Offense costing many German lives and German armor [movies with Germans advancing in the snow and 20mm quad guns shooting Soviet cavalry in the open] , the Army Group Center Commander enjoyed a dominate position with the Oka river bordering the North, the Para river to the East, and the Voronezh to the South. The 4th, 2nd, and 3rd Panzer Armies positioned to breech Soviet defenses and a plan to finally end the War in The East. Then the Rasputitsa extended well into the end of June with prospects of mud extending into July [pictures of German vehicles stuck in the mud]. Then the Soviet artillery proved more than a match for the sparse German guns. [movie with endless Soviets guns firing]. The success of Operation Treppenwitz would depend on Army Group South and crossing the Donets.” [Opening of World at War] (World At War Introduction)

Many thanks for updating us!

Turn 49 27-May-1942 Kadui: Hero Village

The Government of Finland issued a proclamation that Kadui should be honoured as a "Hero Village of Finland"

Soviet airbases were first moved into the swamps of Kadui and its neighbouring hexes on turn 15 and have remained steadfastly there until last turn after which there were some international diplomatic exchanges.

ORIGINAL: Telemecus

ORIGINAL: M60A3TTS
I have to point out, the freebies here are courtesy of the AI. The I-153s that were bombed had some regiments on day and others night missions. Air doctrine is not an issue, nor is it recon spam, the planes just don't fly. I've believed for some time there is an issue with Soviet planes flying in the north, and this example does not change my opinion.

It was because the Soviet airbases were put in swamp hexes.

ORIGINAL: M60A3TTS
Good point. Thanks.

This turn the airbases were moved out of swamp hexes. Finnish air officers gathered together to drink, sing songs and reminisce their many war stories of bombing the non-flying Soviet air force there. With the airbases moving on it will be an old friend badly missed.

Note that although rivers are frozen and it would seem logical that swamps would be frozen ... swamps are uneffected by weather. Thus defenders get a swamp bonus, MP's are unaffected, and .. aircraft based on air bases based in a swamp will not fly ...

I spent a small part of my life (and I continue to study) on systems theory. Very simply it is the art of asking "and.." strategically to understand the interaction of variables. I know of no other player with a strategic sense than Telemecus.

The below interaction between Telemecus and I will give you a picture of understanding if I do 'X' it affects 'Y' 'Z' turns from now.

Crackaces: Read about [migration] last night .. [bombing] does cause migration (not in urban or city after April 1942 ) which has attrition effects. So smacking a level 4 town for free and getting the population to migrate might accumulate over time?

[This behavior is ] counterintuitive.. manpower is a factory [in this game] and takes damage like a factory. In reality the more manpower concentrated the better the target. But the game assumes like a small factory takes more damage than a large one .. a small population center will take more damage. So hitting those level 4 towns you would never attack in reality might be quite lucrative in the game. Especially early where we can force the Soviets to accumulate opportunity costs ...

But you have to accumulate 20% damage on a population of 10 which is much harder than 50% on a 4 .. go figure ... plus the rules have [populations in] towns migrate

Telemecus: Yes and indeed I think we may be getting to what I expect [to develop into] another exploit. You will see the Rumanian tac bombers and their "bad" short range bombers in Crimea have been bombing the Caucasus. Initially the heavy industry that has now been evacuated from Novorossiysk and now also the port at Temryuk - without that port they cannot amphibious invade in the Azov west of Ak-Manay. But I have also been bombing those level 1 towns and building up large damage levels.

If you look at the Rumanian bombers you will see how their experience has climbed. The SM bomber is now higher experience than the PZL bombers which we had swapped to be our best ones. We had put the Ju86s in the very worst Rumanian level bomber squadron - on XP it is now mid table.

Added to the advantages of bombing small towns on accumulated damage levels and the experience build there is also the efficiency argument. Those level 1 to 4 towns can be much closer to front lines. We can look at places which have multiple villages all on only a 2 or 3 hex bombing run from the front. So our level bombers instead of bombing say something like Kirov at maximum range, could bomb thirty villages twice all 2 to 5 hexes away.

So should a basic Axis play be set up a base with lots of small towns within two to five hexes of the front - and bomb them all turn after turn twice in each hex? It will be the most efficient way of damaging manpower, and of training up our bombers to enormous experience levels. [Should this be] nerfed?

I was actually starting this in the area north of Moscow. You will see there are some villages with bomb damage levels. the key things I was missing are i) Knowing the points on the map we will not go to - no point bombing a village we will not overrun anyway and ii) a manpower spreadsheet to track the losses. But i think this is the next project

This were daily conversations between Telemecus and I. In no way would I be thinking about this game in these terms by playing a solo or vs a single opponent. For example, If you think about it bombing 10 (1) manpower villages is the equivalent to the losses for a major Soviet battle that extends for every turn . The future value of this investment is mind boggling. However, how does this balance with using these resources to bomb other targets?

Every turn Telemecus and I would exchange thoughts that evolved with more information gained with results. Sadly because this game ended on turn 55 we will not see these ideas mature. Because of interactions on this forum and elsewhere … there is a heck of a lot of knowledge that this forum will not be exposed. I am not a very good player .. but I am a better one through these interactions. I say this game gets better when we engage in productive discourse and we all lose when discourse becomes an uncivil mob ...

So the forums have degraded a bit for reasons in the big picture social scientist are only starting to grasp. I have discussed this with Telemecus and I have decided to do a "Pulp Fiction" out of chronological order portrayal of what happened at the end of this game.

Below shows the results from turn 53. The Oka basin is cleared of pesky Soviets with one unit surrounded. In the area of the red circle the Soviets executed a counterattack routing 3 panzer units. One is still panzer is still in a routed state [:-] For the reader .. I have been trying to execute a true gambit since turn 35 with the EvK very smartly countering my moves. This time EvK extends his Cav units out to smack my armor .. but this time now we have an opportunity to crush pesky Cavalry units while threating the collapse of the entire front ..

The map below shows that reserve armor is able to surround the pesky cav units .. now a decision .. to hasty attack and seal them off or be content with the situation at hand. Timmyab and Telemecus tell me to go ahead and attack. I am quite reluctant as my calculations say it will likely fail. However, a closer look shows that the risks/benefits are much closer because of attached SU's and the addition of airpower ..

The Soviets changed command this turn with EvK and M60 resigning. Chaos45 is taking over.[Actually this never happened as the dialogue descended into the abyss] I am deeply saddened by EvK's stepping back from the game. I hope he continues at a later time. EvK played extremly well and was a challenging opponent. More so, EvK is a class act and will be sorely missed.[As it is EvK's withdrawal kills this game. It takes a fine gentlemen as an opponent for a game to continue]

The turn starts with center having three specific tasks to accomplish.
1) Clean up the South Oka basin. We have 2 units isolated and need to take Ryazan.
2) Reallocate 4th Panzer, 3rd Panzer, and 2nd Panzer Armies to staging positions for the new offense.
3) Repocket Soviet forces that defended forward on turn 52, isolated turn 53.

The turn starts with repocketing the Cavalry units. The battles start with using infantry to move key
Soviet units out of the way. Then the German armor get into position. Now there are 2 hexes of
Germans between about 20,000 Soviets, including Guard’s Cavalry. One tactic I used was to assign mixed
flak into HQ units facing armor. The 88mm has proved effective at killing T34c’s at the cost of 10 88mm
batteries. At the end of the move the entire 4th Panzer army is now near Voronezh. XXXX Corps has
been assigned to 3rd Panzer Army. This will form on turn 55 a pincher movement threatening key
railroad junctions. A mini-turn at the end with the advice (and consent <smile>) of my playing partners we narrow the pocket considerably.
We retreated one unit into a single hex pocket while routing the other unit out due to no place to retreat.

The 3rd Panzer (-) and 2nd panzer Armies move into position to begin the breakout. One corps from 3rd
Panzer with infantry clear 20 miles toward Tambov. Next turn the Center commander plans to threaten
Tambov directly. It will take at least 3 hexes cleared in front of Tambov (1 turn) and then infantry with
MP’s to attack to clear out the light urban hex. Preferably I would want to isolate such a strong target –
fort level 2 and light urban. The minor rivers and strong defensive positions will make this very difficult.
Thus, likely it will be brut force along with heavy artillery to take this strong position.
The German infantry take Ryazan, capture 20,000 Soviets, and secure the Oka basin west of the Pronya
River. One advantage of the Oka behind the Soviets – units retreating and routing across the major river
will take additional attrition the next logistics phase. There are still dangerous forces east of the Pronya
that are supported by Guards just East of the Para river. This bastion will need to be cleared. I hope it
will not take armor, as I am quite committed to Tambov.

So, what’s next? In my opinion the Soviet position is strong but weakening every turn. The Soviets took
112K casualties by the end of my move. From my perspective, the Soviets have not increased their
undamaged manpower deployed in units for at least 5 turns. This turn will be no different. So, I
continue to push a strong offense headlong into strong resistance. The next key hex from my
perspective is 124,62. It is well defended. Sosnovoka is also a key position well defended by Guards
units. I suspect it will take turn 55 to clear this position and cross the Tsna. Then the 2nd Panzer army
can clear the Tsna moving North Northeast without having to negotiating river hexes or enemy ZOC’s,
while the 3rd panzer army (-) with German infantry take Tambov. This takes us to turn 57.
Meanwhile XXXX Corps from 3rd panzer army moves from a southernly position toward Tambov. I hope
this presents a severe threat forcing the Soviets rearward or isolation. The Bityug river is a strong
position I plan to cross at Anna. It will take 2 turns to get to Muchkap . There are 3 Panzer Armies that will be in
position.

The picture below shows the results of turn 54. In particular, I traded some tanks for 3 Guards cav units soon to be destroyed. This is the definition of a gambit. To give something up to gain a better position at a later time One thing about a team game ... my partners were able to point out the airpower and the SU's that possibly could contribute because I had not moved the assigned HQ. The results are shown .. much contribute to the cause ..

Not just bedtime reading - this is my holiday reading! [:D]