Encircled Unit Surprise!

[Dr. Foo]

I encircled a Soviet Inf Div it was routed rather than destroyed. I figured it's encircled it should surrender or be destroyed but it routed and escaped.

Of the 8600 men approx 2600 escaped.

I rather like this, I was expecting a completely different outcome and it's realistic that small bands of men will escape the encirclement and reform.

[paullus99]

German pockets were notorious porous - though at the beginning, the average Russian soldier wasn't too keen to die for Stalin & they did mostly surrender. It was later that more and more troops simply "walked" between the panzers to escape, so I'm glad that it is modeled well in the game.

[alaric318]

just make the pocket and wait one turn, if you attack the first "pocketed" turn the game engine make it as the unit is routed meanwhile the pocket is formed up, if you make the pocket and wait one turn they will surrender to a heavy attack, not more rout, anyway, a rout gives some extra time to advance or make other better pockets, as the units making the pocket are "relieved" from the task, but surrender some soviets with medium and heavy tanks early makes much more damage than rout the unit,

best regards,

Murat30.

[Dr. Foo]

ORIGINAL: Murat30

just make the pocket and wait one turn, if you attack the first "pocketed" turn the game engine make it as the unit is routed meanwhile the pocket is formed up, if you make the pocket and wait one turn they will surrender to a heavy attack, not more rout, anyway, a rout gives some extra time to advance or make other better pockets, as the units making the pocket are "relieved" from the task, but surrender some soviets with medium and heavy tanks early makes much more damage than rout the unit,

best regards,

Murat30.

OK that's good to know and completely within reason. I am constantly amazed at the thought and attention to detail that went into this game. [&o]

[ComradeP]

Sometimes defending units in an isolated area implode and surrender at the first attack, sometimes they hold on for a while and retreat a few times prior to surrendering. Reducing pockets with high morale units in them can be very problematic. Luckily for the Axis, most Soviet units in June 1941 have extremely shaky morale.

[Apollo11]

Hi all,

ORIGINAL: Dr. Foo

I encircled a Soviet Inf Div it was routed rather than destroyed. I figured it's encircled it should surrender or be destroyed but it routed and escaped.

Of the 8600 men approx 2600 escaped.

I rather like this, I was expecting a completely different outcome and it's realistic that small bands of men will escape the encirclement and reform.

Please note that this is IGYG ("I Go - You Go") game engine and that both sides play same turn!

Thus what you see in, let's say, your German turn as complete encirclement it not complete encirclement - the Soviet side has opportunity to try to break out in their own turn!

Thus the game engine separates the encirclements done in one turn and those that extend to 2nd turn - this is all explained in manual.

In short, if you "encircle" (I used "" on purpose) and try to attack those "encircled" units in same turn you would get the result you got - if you wait for your next turn the outcome would be different!


Leo "Apollo11"

[Krec]

Kill them when you can , also run down those routed units so they will flee and get the heck out of the way. [:D]

[rjh1971]

If the german front line is far way inside russian territory units trapped behind may surrender instead of routing. This happens with AGC the first turn, try driving deep towards Minsk forming a nothern and southern pinzer and once the russian border units are encircled attack them, they do surrender.
Also units rout towards their HQ, iirc, so you may want not to rout those HQ before you attack the combat units to rout them.

[Krec]

Exactly, i try and make a clear path for my armor then drive as far as i can for the giant encirclement!! i dont worry too much about routed units , i just want to push as far as i can as fast as i can. So far, so good. almost to Minsk in 1 day!!

[SGHunt]

Krec

Those routed rather than surrendered units will be back to haunt you.   You want to see large numbers of destroyed units and very large numbers or prisoners in those opening weeks - taking land is important too but the destruction of the Red Army is more important, IMO

[rjh1971]

ORIGINAL: Krec

Exactly, i try and make a clear path for my armor then drive as far as i can for the giant encirclement!! i dont worry too much about routed units , i just want to push as far as i can as fast as i can. So far, so good. almost to Minsk in 1 day!!

you'll be soon out of supply and stopped due to fatigue, ammo, fuel... you don't want your Pz Div take heavy loses by using them as spearheads all the time and the more tired the more losses.
Inf div need to catch up with the panzers.

[Montbrun]

ORIGINAL: Murat30

just make the pocket and wait one turn, if you attack the first "pocketed" turn the game engine make it as the unit is routed meanwhile the pocket is formed up, if you make the pocket and wait one turn they will surrender to a heavy attack, not more rout, anyway, a rout gives some extra time to advance or make other better pockets, as the units making the pocket are "relieved" from the task, but surrender some soviets with medium and heavy tanks early makes much more damage than rout the unit,

best regards,

Murat30.

^^^^ Exactly - wait one turn after pocketing, and you'll see surrenders.

[Krec]

when you got 4 turns to complete a mission time is of the essence. GO MAN GO!!