Newbie question about supply

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Newbie question about supply - 8/1/2015 8:02:47 AM

mikelisby

Posts: 10
Joined: 8/1/2015
Status: offline

First off, I'm one of those old grogs who spent entirely too much time sorting my cardboard counters and trying to find a room where I could keep everybody out for months while I played. Also, I spent even more time playing War in Russia on the PC when that became a thing.

So I naturally absolutely LOVE this game. It's like playing Drang Nach Osten/Unentschieden without having to rent a gym to keep your map and counters in.

I've read the manual front to back along with searching this forum for tips etc., but I have this creeping feeling that there's something I still don't quite get, and this is it:

When playing Axis, just how aggressively should you move your HQs? I keep moving mine (the Corps HQs at least) up to within 5 hexes of their attached divisions as fast as their divisions move, but is that stupid? I ask because my Panzer Korps keep running out of steam quite early, and I know that moving HQs with supply dumps costs a lot in motor pool reserves unless I'm misunderstanding the manual quite a bit, which is quite possible, but I just don't like leaving their divisions out of range of support units.

Yet in the road to Minsk, which is the scenario I use to get familiarized with the game before jumping into the campaign, which I can't wait to do, my panzer corps keep running down to about 20-30 MPs at turn three, so I must be doing something wrong. Or am I? It's not that I can't beat the AI in that scenario, I can get a Decisive with my hands behind my back, I got it the first time I tried, but that's all very fine for a scenario that lasts three turns. What am I to do in a campaign?

So my question is to you people who've been playing this thing since it first came out: What are your rules of thumb for moving HQs? Not just Corps/Army ones, but also Air ones?

Post #: 1

RE: Newbie question about supply - 8/1/2015 2:26:19 PM

swkuh

Posts: 1034
Joined: 10/5/2009
Status: offline

Key supply issue is hexes/MPs from active rail. HQs w/i 5 to combat units is for command/control/support units commitment. My play is to chase combat units w/Corps, let Army/Army Group stay back, etc. Same for Air Bases, although Luftwaffe follow w/I 5 hexes, but behind subordinate Air Bases.

Don't know if this is optimal, but its what I do, etc.

Believe best players (see forum) use HQBU & Air Supply for decisive actions. Not so good at that myself, but its what it is.

As far as players since "it first came out," there have been very significant improvements. Forum is great for learning the best players' techniques.

(in reply to mikelisby)

Post #: 2

RE: Newbie question about supply - 8/1/2015 9:19:16 PM

mikelisby

Posts: 10
Joined: 8/1/2015
Status: offline

Thanks!

So much to learn in this game, but the real beauty of it, in my ever so humble opinion, is that you don't have to in order to have fun, you can pretty much just jump in and learn as you go, as long as you have a general idea about how supply and chains of command work (and I mean that in a real life sense).

Lots of war games out there have had me scratching my head and going back and forth between the manual and the computer, spending hours memorizing details before actually pushing any counters around.

WitE is NOT one of those games, which is even more amazing considering the scope of it.

(in reply to swkuh)

Post #: 3

RE: Newbie question about supply - 8/1/2015 9:57:40 PM

charlie0311

Posts: 941
Joined: 12/20/2013
Status: offline

Hi,

Welcome to the WITE bunch!

Another old guy here, wore out the "floppy" with War in Russia..

Pzs start with plenty of stuff for two turns, then turn 3 they need more, but the HQ are too far from the railheads (you have to keep the xxx hq within 5 or fewer hexes from your combat units).

So the 20-30 MPs is going to be about right. Those Ju-52's are in the game to keep the Pzs going. Hint, hint.

Still have the record, until corrected, 500 tons of fuel in one drop. Didn't mean to brag, pls, just to give an idea of what the Ju-52's can do. :)

(in reply to mikelisby)

Post #: 4

RE: Newbie question about supply - 8/1/2015 10:16:36 PM

budd

Posts: 2972
Joined: 7/4/2009
From: Tacoma
Status: offline

500 tons of fuel...SH*T..you do that manually? if so how? I'm just learning the game myself and just hit the F9 key and click on a unit but i've never dropped over 70 tons. Do you do that at the end or beginning of the turn, sometimes it seems like the fuel is dropped but the MP's don't go up. As i understand also some towns/cities have supplies you can use once captured, does that take effect current turn or next. A lot of detail in the game but its not really a chore to learn and you can enjoy the game without knowing every single detail.

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Enjoy when you can, and endure when you must. ~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

"Be Yourself; Everyone else is already taken" ~Oscar Wilde

*I'm in the Wargamer middle ground*
I don't buy all the wargames I want, I just buy more than I need.

(in reply to charlie0311)

Post #: 5

RE: Newbie question about supply - 8/1/2015 11:30:38 PM

mikelisby

Posts: 10
Joined: 8/1/2015
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: charlie0311

Hi,

Welcome to the WITE bunch!

Another old guy here, wore out the "floppy" with War in Russia..

Pzs start with plenty of stuff for two turns, then turn 3 they need more, but the HQ are too far from the railheads (you have to keep the xxx hq within 5 or fewer hexes from your combat units).

So the 20-30 MPs is going to be about right. Those Ju-52's are in the game to keep the Pzs going. Hint, hint.

Still have the record, until corrected, 500 tons of fuel in one drop. Didn't mean to brag, pls, just to give an idea of what the Ju-52's can do. :)

Oh yes, played that old classic until my eyes bled, so when I stumbled across a review of WitE, I pretty much threw my wallet at my monitor

Glad to hear that I'm not doing something wrong here. It seemed quite realistic for my panzers to be running out of steam after having made it to within 40 miles of Mogilev in two weeks,I just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing something, like when I realized that I couldn't airlift supplies because I, in my eagerness to have everybody partying in Moscow by Christmas, had deployed my transports' air base past my railhead

Thanks for the welcome! It's good to be back to real gaming at long last

(in reply to charlie0311)

Post #: 6

RE: Newbie question about supply - 8/1/2015 11:35:39 PM

charlie0311

Posts: 941
Joined: 12/20/2013
Status: offline

Hi Budd,

Manual (natch). All 7 groups, summer '43, no damaged planes, high morale, great ldr., They flew about 10-12 hexes. Begin turn.

End of turn, or beginning. I usually fly to the HQ at turn end, "goodies" then get distributed to attached combat units during Axis logistics (after Red turn). Let the HQ decide who gets what. You have the stuff when your next turn starts. Some guys like to drop first thing, and straight to the Pzs, don't have to fly as far usually, so more gets delivered.

Don't know why MPs don't go up. My guess is about 12 tons per MP. Also don't know when or how captured stuff shows up. I do know that the fuel dumps in the HQ goes up after the drop to the HQ.

Using two Ju-52 groups per drop, in '41, morale and damage situation not so great, should get around 100 tons on first drop, 20-25 range.

Not real good at the game, I think a lot of the uber guys are waiting for .05, or even 2.0.

As always, corrections or clarifications are welcome.

ps, don't forget, the "target" unit(s), ones getting

the goodies, must be with or adjacent to a functioning

(in suitable terrain) airbase.

< Message edited by charlie0311 -- 8/2/2015 6:01:45 AM >

(in reply to budd)

Post #: 7

RE: Newbie question about supply - 8/2/2015 8:12:49 AM

morvael

Posts: 11762
Joined: 9/8/2006
From: Poland
Status: offline

Think I dropped 700 in one sortie plus 500 in another, but it was with VVS in 1945

(in reply to charlie0311)

Post #: 8

RE: Newbie question about supply - 8/6/2015 3:37:08 AM

folgra

Posts: 9
Joined: 7/26/2015
Status: offline

I think if you want to get the panzers back to full movement, you need to periodically right click on the HQ and then click on the choice that causes the HQ to stockpile (build up?)supplies, fuel weapons and ammo. I don't have the game on my laptop, so I can't check to see the correct name for it. If you have been running the FEB unit properly, you should get the HQ up to full and then the divisions in a couple of turns.

(in reply to morvael)

Post #: 9