Penalty for low OPs

[Mist]

We all know that having low OPs is bad for attacker because his units do not move more than 1 hex. But what is the effect for defender? I've noticed some terrible penalties like halving unit strength, but I may be wrong. This can make shattering of enemy's HQs before attacking their subbordinates very effective. Can anyone help?

[RickyB]

Originally posted by Mist:
We all know that having low OPs is bad for attacker because his units do not move more than 1 hex. But what is the effect for defender? I've noticed some terrible penalties like halving unit strength, but I may be wrong. This can make shattering of enemy's HQs before attacking their subbordinates very effective. Can anyone help?

I don't know myself. I believe that low points does increase the risk of a readiness drop for the defender, but am not sure. One thing I have learned in discussions regarding the blizzard problem we are dealing with is that there are hard-coded readiness reductions for the combat calculation that actually makes high readiness units more susceptible to shatter events - I think this affects the Soviets in the summer of 1941 and the Axis in the blizzard turns of 1941. Give a special supply and the unit is actually more ready to shatter rather than less. I never thought of your idea of hitting HQs first either, but typically they are far enough back to make this hard to do, I think.

[Ed Cogburn]

Originally posted by Mist:
We all know that having low OPs is bad for attacker because his units do not move more than 1 hex. But what is the effect for defender?

I've always thought OPs don't matter for defenders. The manual doesn't mention OPs on defense anywhere.

[Lokioftheaesir]

Originally posted by RickyB:

I don't know myself. I believe that low points does increase the risk of a readiness drop for the defender, but am not sure. One thing I have learned in discussions regarding the blizzard problem we are dealing with is that there are hard-coded readiness reductions for the combat calculation that actually makes high readiness units more susceptible to shatter events - I think this affects the Soviets in the summer of 1941 and the Axis in the blizzard turns of 1941. Give a special supply and the unit is actually more ready to shatter rather than less. I never thought of your idea of hitting HQs first either, but typically they are far enough back to make this hard to do, I think.

Ricky B

Talk to Svar about fending off the blizzard effects. He is doing one great job of limiting his losses in a PBEM game we are playing. I've caused him little material loss and he has given up ground only when required by commom sense. Good work.

Nick aka Loki

[Mist]

Originally posted by Ed Cogburn:

I've always thought OPs don't matter for defenders. The manual doesn't mention OPs on defense anywhere.

I have strong feeling that it is not so. There definitely exists penalty to defender which has 0 OPs.

[Patris]

To my (not very great) experience having low OP in defence makes easier to bear a shatter 'anomalous', such as happens with special supply: sometimes I have armies with CV 60-80, good supply level and entrench 3-4, that is attacked by a single german infantry korps and shatter because his HQ has less of 10 OP! (I refer to russian '41, of course).
If I reply using another HQ, with inferior leadership and air support, but with 50 OP or so, it usually retreats.