The issue of infinite railway supply and it's impact

[EsgibtkeinBier]

Hi everyone! Finally invested in WitE [8D]
However, although I am elated that I got my hands on it, there is one thing that is haunting me... And that it the infinite railway supply issue that was raised to my attention by a reviewer on Steam. Since I haven't accumulated enough experience, I'd like to have subjective and detailed (as much as it is humanely possible) views of how this affects the realism of the game.

It would also be awesome if people, that done their fair share of studies on WW2, argued about the impact that supply through only one railway line would have. For example, I think I've read somewhere that Army Group Center had to rely many times on just one main line to support its three Armies and two Panzer Groups...

Thanks in advance!

[RedLancer]

Where do you start? It depends on what floats your boat. (My signature block demonstrates my subjectivity and I am a professional military logistician to boot.)

If you consider logistics to be the realm of nerds and naysayers then it's not so much of an issue as both sides play by the same rules. You are not tied to the constraints of third line logistics so what you can support is grossly inflated.

However if you consider logistics to be the epitome of the art of warfare then you'll disappointed in the freedom available. Huge armoured groupings can be supplied to operate at will.

This doesn't make WitE bad at all - it's just a level of abstraction. When WitE was developed the computing power available was insufficient to make a more realistic system. It has been balanced to play historically with the rules that it has. WitE2 has a more realistic system and it plays very differently. However they are just games and you play to the rule set. It can often be the case that more realism does not make a better game. This impact is twofold - more scope to exploit the rules and too much complexity to make a turn an enjoyable undertaking.

[loki100]

to add ... off rail supply in the game is very well modelled. Esp for the Soviets you have to learn how to maximise the usage of a too small truck pool.

It has created some game norms within WiTE that are unrealistic ("Pzr Balls") and probably allows a too high operational tempo. But for me, its never undermined the basic realism or enjoyment of the game.

[No idea]

The single worse thing about supply in the game is supply via ports. As long as you have 1 working point in a port you can supply a huge amount of units cut from their supply source. I dont know why that has never been fixed. I guess the times when very large numbers of units can only be supplied via ports are very rare in the game (except for Leningrad, but that was a special case after all, as it could be supplied via the lake during winters, and the city produced weapons and ammo in limitd numbers all through the siege).

[Champagne]

Grab Ziemke's book called Moscow to Stalingrad and read towards the end of the book covering Army Group South, AG "B" and AG "A" operations. He does not dwell on the topic of logistics but that single railway line from Stalingrad to the westward is discussed as a real constraint on German combat operations. I recall one instance when one of Paulus's major attacks in the Stalingrad area during August or September 1942 had to be delayed for a few days because they had to wait for a train with a load of ammo to arrive. Fuel shortages were even worse than ammo shortages.

[EsgibtkeinBier]

Thank you for your replies!

[HMSWarspite]

ORIGINAL: Red Lancer

Where do you start? It depends on what floats your boat. (My signature block demonstrates my subjectivity and I am a professional military logistician to boot.)

Most people keep that sort of confession to themselves, except in safe protected spaces, or conventions of military logicians. What is the collective noun for logisiticans anyway? A shortage?

[:D]

[GamesaurusRex]

ORIGINAL: HMSWarspite

ORIGINAL: Red Lancer

Where do you start? It depends on what floats your boat. (My signature block demonstrates my subjectivity and I am a professional military logistician to boot.)

Most people keep that sort of confession to themselves, except in safe protected spaces, or conventions of military logicians. What is the collective noun for logisiticans anyway? A shortage?

[:D]

In America, we call it a "Pentagon". [8D]

[Telemecus]

ORIGINAL: HMSWarspite


What is the collective noun for logisiticans anyway? A shortage?

[:D]

A logjam?

[RedLancer]

Surplus or stockpile?

[HMSWarspite]

ORIGINAL: Red Lancer

Surplus or stockpile?

Be sure to offer that one to your boss!

"Sir, we now have a surplus of logisitians in the office..."
"Very good. Close the door on your way out!"[:(]