THE BLIZZARD and FIRST WINTER

[HITMAN202]

Questions.. I know there are no absolutes, but...

#1 Do you put Axis units on STATIC when hibernating in the winter ??

#2 Roughly how far do you put the Axis fort line back from your initial '41
advance ???

#3 Do you need a Panzer Corp to hand around during the blizzard . If so how many ??

#4 What's the best (quickest way) to build the forts ??

#5 What's the latest on the use of Soviet cavalry during the blizzard (referring to the new tactic Pelton got mashed by in an AAR that was not made public) ????

[smokindave34]

I'll answer a few:

1) I would not put axis units on static as your going to get pushed back anyway and you would be wasting AP's

2) I have built the fort line about 6 hexes behind my farthest advance. That has allowed me to fall back during the first month of the blizzard and then get to the forts during the second month when the CV penalty is lower. You can have pretty decent defensive CV's if you do that (10-15)

3) It depends on your lines....If you captured Leningrad you can put the Finns in the line to replace German troops. Also you should try and straighten your line as much as possible to minimize the number of units you need. Do NOT use axis allies (other than Finns) to hold the front line - they are easy prey for the Red Army. Another exception would be Rumanian mountain units as they don't get a blizzard penalty.

4) The best way to build forts is to start early and space out fortification units. Break up some divisions into regiments and have them build behind your front lines.

There are others who are far better at playing as the axis but these have worked for me.

[Schmart]

1. No.

2. My rule of thumb is to start building the line wherever the early Sep 41 front line is, ie: one month before mud. Any advances made in September and again in November snow will be your buffer zone.

3. Stash them in urban cities near the front. They will be able to conduct counter-attacks out of the cities.

4. Put a Fort unit every 3 hexes, and fill in the gaps with divisions or brokendown divisions.

5. No idea what you refer to.

[HITMAN202]

The units in the cities that will not get attacked. Do you put them in Static Mode ???


Pelton faced a new cavalry tactic in a recent AAR that took out a ton of units. ??? recent input on it ????

[2ndACR]

Cavalry units are the German boogey man. I think they are way too effective. IMO.

1. Never, ever
2. I try to build my line about 6 hexes. The Italian and select German units dig like crazy, mainly units that are just too weak.
3. I would have at least 1 Panzer Corp in big cities. The rest can go to Poland, except this patch nerfed that tactic somewhat.
4. The every 3 hexes should be okay.
5. Have not heard about it, but like I said above, boogy man.

[Blutch]

The rest can go to Poland, except this patch nerfed that tactic somewhat.

What so you mean ? You really send back your panzer corps to Poland ?

Close from motherland, you reinforce faster perhaps ?

[2ndACR]

Me and a bunch of the other German players will pack up 15+ high morale div and send them out of the heavy blizzard area and park them in Poland. There they get to full strength, keep their high morale. Come late Feb, those units begin the travel back to the front in preparation for the snow turns. They are the reason for the "March Madness". Not because the German army was recovering too fast, but that the German players figured out a way to preserve an iron fist and start the summer offensive early.

Others discovered and perfected the moves, I just copied what they did. You might find 1-2 Motorized div and a Panzer up at the front all winter parked in cities, but all the others are sitting in Poland.

[Blutch]

Thanks for the tips [&o]

[2ndACR]

Not going to be much use now except they will be strong, but no using them for an early offensive, so they might as well just sit 1 each in major cities.

[HITMAN202]

Why can't you just store these units in cities in the Motherland. There aren't penalties for them (from what I understand) 2 in cities and 3 in urban hexes.. so why run all the way to Poland ???

[2ndACR]

In the motherland, there is always a chance they fail the dice roll and get whacked. Back to Poland is 100% effective.

[Farfarer61]

Send as much as you can to safety. Terrain is irrelevant, the population has migrated, you aren't Hitler. Infantry survival is very important, your winter 41 tanks are obsolete. Keep morale up. No reason for you to lose one million men helping the Reds make Guards units when you don't have to do so.

[randallw]

I have been pondering how weird this is, to be sending your best units ( Axis side ) back home when there is a crisis that requires "every man at the front". It is a peculiar side effect of simulated blizzard problems.

[Q-Ball]

ORIGINAL: 2ndACR

In the motherland, there is always a chance they fail the dice roll and get whacked. Back to Poland is 100% effective.

Quick rebut on this, units in Cities and Urban hexes do not need a die roll; they are automatically protected up to the level of the city.

For cities, 2 units are SAFE.
For URBAN, 3 units are SAFE
For Towns, there is a die-roll of 1 to 4, and that's compared to size of town. So, size-4 town can hold 1 unit safely, always, and 75% chance a lvl 3 town can keep a unit safe. And so on.

I would stack every city and urban to the top with units, either reserves or HQ. Move Army group HQs back to a safe town in the rear.

The main things I would do to survive:

1. Dig
2. Retreat one hex per turn
3. STACK units; you can leave a gap in between, provided you ALSO retreat one hex a turn. Soviets don't have the MPs to exploit that hole if you do that, trust me.

Don't stack if you aren't also going to retreat, because units can always move 1 hex, and a rifle division filling that hole to either side of your stack....and you will get pinned. Don't do it.

Check out my "Death Ride" AAR; I spent alot of time thinking about Blizzard defense on that one, and had a post with alot of tactics in there

[2ndACR]

Sorry, your right, I was thing about the size 4 towns. My bad.

[AFV]

ORIGINAL: Q-Ball

Quick rebut on this, units in Cities and Urban hexes do not need a die roll; they are automatically protected up to the level of the city.

For cities, 2 units are SAFE.
For URBAN, 3 units are SAFE
For Towns, there is a die-roll of 1 to 4, and that's compared to size of town. So, size-4 town can hold 1 unit safely, always, and 75% chance a lvl 3 town can keep a unit safe. And so on.

I would stack every city and urban to the top with units, either reserves or HQ. Move Army group HQs back to a safe town in the rear.

The main things I would do to survive:

1. Dig
2. Retreat one hex per turn
3. STACK units; you can leave a gap in between, provided you ALSO retreat one hex a turn. Soviets don't have the MPs to exploit that hole if you do that, trust me.

Don't stack if you aren't also going to retreat, because units can always move 1 hex, and a rifle division filling that hole to either side of your stack....and you will get pinned. Don't do it.

Check out my "Death Ride" AAR; I spent alot of time thinking about Blizzard defense on that one, and had a post with alot of tactics in there

So there really is no benefit to taking units all the way back to Germany, save the tiny chance they might gain a moral point by being in Germany.

I think your tactics are excellent, although I would question the point that units can always move 1 hex. I believe in gneral they can usually move 1 hex but that depends on morale, supply, terrain, hex control, etc- right?

[vlcz]

I think your tactics are excellent, although I would question the point that units can always move 1 hex. I believe in gneral they can usually move 1 hex but that depends on morale, supply, terrain, hex control, etc- right?

All units seems to ALWAYS have a minimal 1-hex allowance without any other consideration, static with 1 movement point included.