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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?

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.

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.

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

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.

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.