CharonJr
Posts: 559
Joined: 4/27/2005
Status: offline
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Hi,
I just wanted to share my some of my thoughts after having played/survived the first blizzards as the Axis. Maybe it will be usefull to somebody (simply copied the text from my AAR).
Lessons learned:
If Soviets got damaged fairly heavily earlier no fortified zones are needed, just starting to dig in with the units is enough. Maybe fortified zones are not needed anyway as some players have suggested.
Freeing up the Finns (capturing Leningrad) is of paramount importance for Germany in '41. Only the line the Finns have been able to hold allowed me to have enough troops to cover the more sensitive areas on other parts of the front. And they were even able to attack and force the Soviets to keep fairly large numbers of troops in the north instead of using them to overrun my positions further south.
If you cant take Leningrad at least try to open up a way through the fortifications in order to allow them Finns to move south and take up defensive positions.
A line between Moscow (if you can get it) - Tula - Stalino should be as far east as the Germans should try to push IMO, everything east of it is basically overextended even if I have been able to hold onto Rostov and Voroshilovgrad. But try to advance as far east as you can before returning to this line since it will damage the Soviet rails and should give them some supply problems.
Mountain units (including the Hungarian and Romanian ones) are really great anchors for the defensive lines during the winter, often even being able to attack.
The attrition losses are really nasty (about 70k each turn) and the only thing which might mitigate this would be placing less units directly at the frontline. I am still not sure if the added losses from lost battles are worth it, but since the supply situation is pure hell during the blizzards having more units not in contact with the enemy should help there, too.
Also the bad supply situation makes smart rail repair very important, I neglected this (partly due to earlier mistakes which keep my FBDs behind where they could have been - watch out for curves, especially if you do not switch of the weather effects for the map - do switch them off, the map is a lot easier to read this way).
I have found no real means to improve my supply situation till the end, but suspect there is nothing that can be done about it during the blizzards. But setting security divisions and other (mainly Romanian) divisions that only guard cities to static mode did free up some vehicles. In addition getting rid of excess corps/airbases (mainly Romanian again) should help, too. And do this as soon as possible to prevent the strain from keeping those units around.
Use air supply to get supplies to the frontline, but be aware that often your fighters will not scramble to protect you level bombers/transports, so you will lose quite a number of those, but IMO this is better than getting overrun due to having weak units in the line.
And move those airbases as close to the front (while still getting good supplies) as you dare, I did this too late and think I could have prevented some supply shortages if I had moved them earlier. In some places I feel I have let them stay too far behind till the end.
Check your units on the front for low levels of supply/ammo and either switch them out or at least try to air supply them.
Keep mobile reserves in the rear to strengthen any weak spots or throw back breakthroughs. With sufficient strength and rested up units you should be able to contain most of the smaller breakthroughs. But in order to do this you have to try to have your armor stay behind the frontline and in cities as much as possible.
Try to use terrain (mainly rough/woods since rivers will ice over) in your defensive line as well as cities/towns.
It will remain to be seen if the drive through the Krim and thus getting into a good position for a '42 drive to Baku will be worth the losses of attacking during the snow in the end.
I am also still undecided about merging units. It surely helps in strengthening the line, but I am not sure if those units will not be missed during the '42 attacks.
And a general observation, dont leave your HQs exposed (like I still do too often) if you go for a concentraetd line with free hexes in between, Soviet mobile units will push through here fairly often and displace those HQs.
Despite the length of text I am sure that I am still missing some important points, so feel free to add anything which might be important.
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Blizzard lessons learned (Axis) - 
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