the 43 and 44 campaigns

[Kuniworth]

Hi! Anyone beeing able to win the 43 campaign with axis or getting a stallmate in the 1944 campaign?

[Mist]

Hi!
I have no experience in 1943 campaign, but I can refer to one guy(Frank?) who played through it till 1945. He managed to capture Leningrad in 1943 and wisely did not even try to accomplish operation Citadele. Then front stabilized though he was forced to abandon Orel bulge. He managed to steadily hold front line while taking heavy losses and was going to launch massive attack in South Russia in 1945. Don't know the final results but sure he did not achieve decisive victory(5 VP's).
As for 1944. I would call it "stop the flying steamer with bare hands". Russians can push Germans everywhere. And Germans can't even barely replace THAT HEAVY losses.
The only thing I could do is to launch several very successfull panzer counter attacks in summer'44. But as soon as panzer reserves are exhausted Germans start to loose ground with enourmous speed. No way to hold until July'45. In addition to all these problems Germany's oil reserves will be severely depleted by strategic bombings causing very serious readiness drop of figting forces(both air and ground I think). The only way to avoid this is wisely distribute ALL AVAILABLE fighters between air defences of Reich Romania. So, German East Army is forced to fight very tough fight without ANY air support. And finaly, West and SUD fronts can not be ignored and Allied strength there is finaly dangerously high. Campaign'44 is good "agony simulator" and IMHO it's impossible to play it to draw especialy against human opponent.

[Kuniworth]

Just played the 1944 campaign to the end of july 45. Against the computer on even balance. Due to the total incompetence of the computer I held all the ground south of the pripet marshes and only having to retreat to the polish border in the north. The computer didnt even attack Finland! Only thing I had to do was moving my units back and forth over his supply-lines and it was a stall mate. Pathetic - if the cpu pushed forward I dont see anything stopping it. Trying to fight the flood only renders extreme casualties and drop of readiness. I dont believe that even playing on max help axis can help against a human player.

If I were to play against a human I would empty the western and southern fronts giving the allies a walk over. It would lose the game but being a result of my own desicion and not the skill of my opponent. Surely irritating....

[Mist]

Originally posted by Kuniworth:

If I were to play against a human I would empty the western and southern fronts giving the allies a walk over. It would lose the game but being a result of my own desicion and not the skill of my opponent. Surely irritating....

I think that things will be changed after entrenchments will work at full, affecting not only combat fire phase but combat resolution losses also. Currently(and in original WiR also) entrenchment are barely usefull and you can't create fortified areas in vital regions. I tried to create them in my game and they worked good especialy on rivers, but losses were almost the same for defender and for attacker inspite of heavy entrenhments. Arnaud says that the game was always acting in this way, but I hope he will change it. After this heavily entrenched side will be able to hold with lesser forces and it will probably make campaign'44 more playable even against human.
About Finnland: I had tried to attack Leningrad to draw away Soviet forces from East Front in my first play. Attack cretanly failed. But after this AI started to push me there like mad. All Finn troops were literaly annihilated in constant continous fightings against very strong attacker. Russians stopped only after the fall of Helsinki which is Axis supply source of this region.

[ May 07, 2001: Message edited by: Mist ]

[Kuniworth]

funny, for me Finland always works out the same way. If I defend past the river no russian forces will ever attack. Usually the CPU draws away the troops leaving nothing at Leningrad. But if I then try to attack he will put troops there and push me back. But never past the river.

Well regarding Romania it was to no use to me in my 44 campaign. Ploetsi oil was down to 3 or something. Otherwise the Balcans always some funny fighting...sadly to say the cpu cant attack.

[Kuniworth]

oh by the way. Tried to play as the russians against the cpu in the 44-campaign. It took me three months to win....

[Mist]

Originally posted by Kuniworth:
funny, for me Finland always works out the same way. If I defend past the river no russian forces will ever attack. Usually the CPU draws away the troops leaving nothing at Leningrad. But if I then try to attack he will put troops there and push me back. But never past the river.

Well regarding Romania it was to no use to me in my 44 campaign. Ploetsi oil was down to 3 or something. Otherwise the Balcans always some funny fighting...sadly to say the cpu cant attack.

I had withdrew some Finn divisions to HQs after my attack and left about half of them defending on the river. Since it seems that AI can look at opponents CV to decide whether to attack or nor, it had attacked Finns and made them to retreat deeper in Finnland after severe fight. It was too late to change something when I realized what happened.
As for Romania, its oil is allimportant and Axis troops seem to fight at 1/3 strength without it. Even with 99% readiness. At least I have strong feeling that this had happened in my game.
AI can't attack it by ground forces during summer'44 because of railroad absence. Here was a thread in which this problem was discussed. I think that railroad must be placed there, but can't find hard confirmation that this railroad was available by that time for military supply use. Some maps show it, some don't. That's still a question for me. Anyway, since supply is based only on railroads, it definitely must exist in some form.

[ May 07, 2001: Message edited by: Mist ]