Slitherine

Hi taffjones!

Thank you very much.
You are right: the AI has changed a lot since the days of SC2.
I will post a detailed overview at the end of June 1942, and it will include the allocation of my forces.

Turn 33

28. Mai 1942


This turn was quite successful. German tanks did strike in the east of Belgorod and conquered Cairo.
So I have started to reduce the massive numerical superiority of the Red Army, and also the British Empire will be weakened.





Usually I reject this DE, but this time I will accept it.
I need ATGs to improve my defense in those theaters where I am not attacking, esp. Smolensk and Western Europe.





To send the Kriegsmarine into the Norwegian Sea was a full success.
I did not loose a single ship, and most of my subs gained an experience bar.
At the moment I just miss the Heavy Cruiser "Prinz Eugen", it is still in Stavanger.

- 601 MPPs sunk
- 1 Light Cruiser and 5 Destroyers sunk
- 3 ships took damage (approx. 250 MPPs)

The most important thing is the experience gain of my subs.
When equipped with Advanced Subs Level 3, they will be deadly.





Wolchow will be easier to conquer when cut off from supply.
Let us see of the AI reacts as it should.





Von Bock's troops are refreshed to full strength.
Von Leeb attacks a Soviet corps.

In general I cannot do anything in the center until I get some tanks and bombers back.





The Russian Bear has one paw less.
It does not get very obvious in this image, but a massive concentration of my best units was necessary to achieve this.

I have 7 Bombers in Russia, and 5 took part on this strike.
The same applies to tanks.. 7 out of 10.

I sent my bombers first to de-entrench the Soviets, and of course the enemy suffered some losses. Then I sent my tanks, and infantry finished the job.

Soviet losses: 2 Tank Groups, 2 Armies, 1 Corps, 1 Rocket Artillery, 1 Fighter

My next target is to push all Soviet units behind the Don.
Then I will try to conquer Woronesch. This would have a major impact on the enemy supply.





The Romanians will need massive help of the Luftwaffe to conquer Kertsch.
Otherwise it will takes ages.





The German flag waves over Cairo.





I get 50 MPPs plunder.





This will be very important in the long run.

Turn 34

8. Juni 1942





The AI reacts perfectly.
I cannot cut off Wolchow, so I need to go the normal way and destroy unit by unit.





The LVII. Panzerkorps fends off 8 Soviet attacks.
After the attack failed, many Soviet unit retreated behind the Don.
Exactly what I want.





Again and again, I am impressed by the new abilities of Hubert's AI.
The use of rivers to create defensive lines is excellent.
And to put an ATG in front of my tanks is also not a bad idea.

Turn 35

19. Juni 1942


I have decided to conquer Woronesch.
I need to reduce the power of the Red Army, and the best way to achieve this is to destroy a large number of enemy units on Low Supply.





Fighting is the north is tough.
This is an advantage in the north where I will remain defensive, but it is a burden around Wolchow.
I executed four attacks with my tanks and caused just one point damage.

I need the Luftwaffe, this is why I brought it on full strength.





Being outnumbered big time, I need to remain defensive.
I expect an attack against Orel sooner or later, this is why I build a defensive line there.

I have moved the von Leeb HQ to the south to support the attack on Woronesch.





Belgorod was an expensive adventure for the Red Army. But I need these victories, or I will get swept away. The Red Army still has an advantage of 2:1... despite these losses.

I will conquer Woronesch.
This will reduce the supply of all enemy units in this area drastically.





Without the Luftwaffe, I would stick here forever.
The AI is quite good in blocking vital bottlenecks.





Every centimeter is occupied by Allied soldiers.
It will be very tough to get through.





Nice to have. Will help me a lot when I need to recon the channel in 1943.
I will purchase a Maritime Bomber sooner or later.





This looks better than a year ago. But I need to have above 1,000 MPPs as soon as possible.

Turn 36 (AI)

30. Juni 1942





The 1. Hungarian Armee was forces to retreat, and the 1. Fallschirmjäger is facing destruction.
But I cannot transfer forces from the south.





My tanks were attacked six times by Soviet infantry.





Blame on me!
Apparently I left a hole in my defense, and the AI slipped through.
It will cost me 90 MPPs to refresh the Medium Bombers, and it cannot attack in Turn 37.

Another six months are over, and I want to summarize what has happened.


I. Summary





German forces have conquered Leningrad, Rostow, Sewastopol and Kertsch. Of course this is very good, but apart from these, I did not capture any resources in Russia. Up to now, I achieved victory by victory, and I have destroyed a lot on enemy units.





And this is the source of my problems: I haven't destroyed enough Soviet units. In the first 6 months of Unternehmen Barbarossa, I destroyed 94 enemy units. In the consecutive 6 months, I just destroyed 35. Of course I will be more successful in the summer, but the Red Army can put new units into service quicker than I can destroy them.

So let us have a look in the eocnomy.



II. Economic Comparison


As I started the game, Germany had an income of just above 600 MPPs per turn. Now I get almost 900, and this looks good at first sight. But unfortunately it isn't good.. not all.





The effect of the Russian Winter is clearly visible.
Germany has lost 6.833 MPPs in these first 6 months, more than in 1941.





There is not much happening with Italy. They lost 713 MPPs which is less than 1941.





The Soviets lost 10.873 MPPs, which is around 60% of what they lost in 1941.
At least the effect of my actions around Belgorod is clearly visible.





The British Empire has lost 4.893 MPPs, also just 60% of what it lost in 1941.
Also it is quite obvious that the convoys to Murmansk have started again.
But there is nothing I can do against it. I need the Kriegsmarine prevent or weaken a potential D-Day.


Putting this together, the Axis lost 7.596 MPPs and the Allied 15.766.
So the ratio is roughly 1:2. In 1941, the ratio was around 1:4.
It is quite obvious the Allies have learned to fight.

Let us also have look on the income per turn.

Germany: 880
Itals: 125

Axis: around 1.000


Soviet Union: 1.180
British Empire: 270
USA: 480

Allies: almost 2.000


So the Allies outproduce me.
I will not get to Moscow if I cannot change this.



III. Plans


I will conquer Woronesch and destroy as many Soviet units as possible.
Also I will try to conquer the Levant, but this seems to take ages (the AI is very good when fighting defensive).
From Turn 39 onwards the Leningrad effect will increase my income.
But I need to get above 1.000 MPPs quickly, and I need to reduce the Soviet income as well.
Maybe it makes sense to go for Maikop.



IV. Allocation of the 112 Axis Ground units (without Italy)


Western Europe:

3 fully equipped Armeekorps
4 Coastal Guns
2 Anti Air
7 Garrisons


Scandinavia:

11 Garrisons
(Finnish combat units not counted)


Balkans:

8 Garrisons:


Germany:

4 units


North Africa:

6 units (DAK)


This means I have 67 units in Russia and 45 elsewhere.



V. Comparison of Forces in Russia


The Soviets have 120 Ground units, and I estimate 110 of the are combat units.
Germany has 67 units in Russia, and 10 are necessary to subdue partisans. So I have 57 ground combat units.

So we still have a ratio of 2:1 for the Soviets.
I need to change this and weaken the Soviet Union before the D-Day starts.
If I operate a third of my forces in Russia to the West, the ratio in Russia will be 3:1, which is not healthy at all.

Hi apec!

Again, you're welcome!
Some Soviet units are cheaper to purchase. Im AoC the discount was 40%, but Bill Runacre will know this better.
And indeed you are right: I need an improved ratio.


Hi Inaki!

Maybe the situation in Serbia gets more obvious on this image:





From 1944 on, there might be even more partisans.


Hi rjh1971,

thanks fort explaining this issue.

Turn 37

7. Juli 1942


German troops conquered Woronesch.
My plan to decimate the Red Army had a good start.





Although my ground troops advance, the Royal Air Force is still a big threat.





I say no.
There are not enough MPPs in my wallett, and I don't need a sub in the Black Sea.
It does not get obvious, but I have a severe MPPs shortage anyway.
I cannot refresh the Kriegsmarine, because every available MPP goes to North Africa and Russia.





If I have good weather, Wolchow will fall next turn.
This will be a death trap for the Soviet units.





Army Group Center needs to hold the line for another couple of months.





With help from the Luftwaffe, I was able to destroy the best Soviet HQ: Schukow.
From Turn 39 on, most Soviets units will have low supply.





You might remember the Soviet infantry units that damaged one of my Medium Bombers in Turn 36?
I needed to refresh it this turn, and this is why the corps near Noworossiysk survived.





Most of my units are on full strength.
I need them in good condition for the next attack.





Now I can bring my ATGs to the next level.
I just need MPPs.

Turn 38 (AI)

14. Juli 1942


Soviet troops attack my positions from Finland down to Rostow.
I haven't lost any units, but a substantial amount of MPPs.





It is frightening how many tanks the Red Army has.
I destroyed a lot around Belgorod, but they still have plenty of them.





I feel happy I did achieve a complete victory at Belgorod.
If all of the units I destroyed down there would the be in service, I would have a massive problem.





Although I lost a lot of strength points, I can be happy.
Due to the destruction of the Schukow HQ, most enemy units have low supply.
If they were still on full supply, I would miss a couple of my own units now.

Hi Kirk!

Thank you very much for your kind words.
I need to admit that I have a lot of experience, but I know quite a few people who beat the crap out of me im MP.
There is still a lot to learn.


Hi Dan!

As far as I know the videos use an older build. I use (almost) the latest version, and my experiences in Russia show that the losses of the Red Air Force are higher than mine, but just slightly. I have Advanced Aircraft 2 at the moment, and I think the Soviet have the same. Their (higher) losses are a consequence of less experienced HQs.. and occasionally there are dogfights were my losses are higher than their losses. Maybe one out of five.

Turn 39

21. Juli 1942


German units cross the Don and try to encircle all units between Woronesch and Kantemirowka.
It will be necessary to conquer Borisoglebsk, and I order a couple of Bombers in range of the town.





Without experienced bomber units, I would not have any chance to conquer Wolchow.
Attacks from swampy terrain against towns get severe handicaps, and even my Elite Panzerkorps did not do much damage.
But now I control Wolchow, and the Soviets will attack me.
And they will have the same handicaps.





The unit I destroyed in the north was a garrison. I am not able to destroy one of the combat units, because my Armeekorps cause 1 point of damage and my only Armee does 2-3 points.

In the south it looks a bit better. I have 3 Armeen, and there is no river between me and the Russians.
So I succeed in destroying an enemy Mechanized unit.

I am very happy about every destroyed unit in this part of the front line.
I need to be defensive here.. I don't have any tanks or planes.





Two more units cross the Don.
There must be another HQ somewhere behind the Katjuscha.. most enemy units have good supply.
This is the point where I decided to attack Borisoglebsk in Turn 41.
I think there are not many troops in the Soviet rear, and so I started to move my bombers.





The Soviet lines get perforated.

I have been asked why I don't attack Morozowsk.
That is fairly easy to explain: I don't have a spare HQ.
Von Rundstedt is in Taganrog and von Schobert is Kantemirowka.
If I let one of them move to the east, a lot of units will have poor supply.
I need to destroy all enemy units around Kantemirowka before I can think about Morozowsk.

My bombers around von Schobert are in range of Borisoglebsk.





I wish I could use the Luftwaffe to attack Noworossiysk in Turn 41, but Borisoglebsk is more important.





There is just one real combat unit left on the British side: the WDF Army in Port Said.
I have destroyed it once, and I will destroy it a second time.

Unless something extraordinary happens, I will be able to advance into Palestine within a few turns.





I am short of MPPs, but I purchase a Maritime Bomber.
Why do I do this? Check the Naval Spotting. I can put this unit to Calais or Caen, and it will do a passive recon of the complete channel.





This will be very important in 1943.
The Royal Air force seems to have Level 3 already, and I need to keep the pace.

Turn 40 (AI)

28. Juli 1942


The AI tries to continue its offensives on all theaters.
But it has less power than in Turn 36 and 38, so the attacks do less damage on my side.





In the north, I counted four or five Soviet attacks.
My units are entrenched, and I had no losses.

The same happened around Wolchow. Four attacks against the 18. Armee, the last one was conducted by Heavy Tanks.
No losses at all on my side.





There are enemy attack along the front line, but just minor damage.





One very important detail: the AI has moved the ATGs.
The way to Borisoglebsk is less crowded.





This was a superb move be the AI.
I need to pull the 2. Armee back to refresh it.
This will delay my advance.





The AI leaves the WDF Army in Port Suez to delay my advance.
Quite a high price.

All other units run to Palestine.

Turn 41

4. August 1942


Another very successful turn.
But this is exactly what I need, otherwise I will remain at Orel until the D-Day begins.





I plan a very nasty surprise for the Royal Navy in 1943.





I have been asked what I am doing on the Finnish front.
That is fairly easy explain.
I don't have enough power to destroy an enemy unit (the Finnish Armeekorps do a point of damage per turn), and I don't want to risk anything.
So I just conduct attacks with a loss forecast of zero on my side and cause some damage.
So the AI has to refresh the damaged unit or attack me with under strength.
This is why nothing happenes up there.

In the south, I make a big step ahead.
It does not get visible in the image, but my bombers are responsible for the biggest part of the enemy losses.
My Tactical Bombers caused 5 points of damage to the Soviet Heavy Tanks, my Medium Tanks just one point.
Due to the swampy terrain, most Soviet units have low supply, and it will be relatively easy for me to destroy them.





Destroying the Mechanized means the Soviets have less offensive power on this part of the front line.
Definitely good news, as esp. the Hungarian units need a break.





The central part of the Red Army has been destroyed. From Orel to Kantemirowka, there are just two enemy units left, and these are encircled and without supply.
My bombers have destroyed a Soviet corps in Borisoglebsk, and the XXXIX. Panzerkorps occupid the empty town.

The situation looks very promising. I have already sent the Panzergrenadierkorps Großdeutschland to the north (Orel looks a bit weak), but there still four Panzerkorps and two Panzergrenadierkorps in this area.
It would be possible to start an attack on Stalingrad from two sides.
I will decide this after I know the reaction of the AI in Turn 42.

Also I have moved the Luftwaffe back to the south.
I need my bomberss for the attack on Noworossiysk in Turn 43.





Stalingrad is not far away. I have 7 or 8 turn until the winter comes, and it is possible to conquer the city previously.
I don't know how many units are in this area, but I will give it a try. I can imagine the eastern shore of the Don is completely crowded by enemy units, but I can still cease the attack when I think it does not work.
At the moment the enemy forces are weakened and in disorder.. I need to exploit this.





The Romanians had help from a German Tactical Bomber, otherwise they would not be able to make a single step ahead.
In Turn 43, my bombers will start a massive attack on Noworossiysk.
Conquering the town we be a major success, and Maikop can be conquered this year.





The DAK is advancing quickly. My tanks destroyed the Auchinleck HQ, and there is just a British artillery left.
I feel quite excited... how many troops does the AI have left in the Levant? Or does it concentrate on a D-Day in Spring 1943?





I accept this DE.
I need every garrison I can get.





Also, I get Industrial Technology Level 2.
My production is a 950 MPPs per turn now.

My diplomats report a success in Turkey.. 60% War Readiness at the moment.

Hi n0kn0k!

Thank you very much.
For me it is also an exciting match.

Turn 42 (AI)

11. August 1942





Without additional units, Tichwin would be under German control in Turn 43.
Good reaction by the AI.





This might not be the right time for a Soviet offensive, but the AI attacks.
Not the best idea, but it keeps me away from Tula.





I have seen a lot of Russian units moving.
I think the AI has given the order to occupy all defensive positions behind the Don.

Hi Dan!

No, it won't.

Turn 43

18. August 1942


The situation in Russia looks promising.
I will conduct an attack on Stalingrad, and I am confident to conquer the city.
This will be a major blow to the Soviet NM.

Also there is good progress in the Middle East.





If I have good weather next turn, I will conquer Tichwin.
Time for strategic decisions.





Depending on the weather, I consider an attack on Tula.
This will make the attack on Moscow much easier in 1943.





I have gathered a massive amount of tanks in the north of the Soviet defensive line.
The the direct way from Morozowsk to Stalingrad is well defended and protected by rivers and fortifications.
Attacking the city from two directions will make the battle much shorter.





Taking Noworossiysk is the key to Maikop.
I am confident to conquer the oil wells this autumn.





The British resistance is crushed, and Palestine surrenders.
I plunder 27 MPPs.
Sooner or later I will control the complete Levant.
Just in time to bring the DAK back to Europe... I might need Rommel in Western Europe to counter the D-Day.





I have been waiting for this since a couple of months.

Turn 44 (AI)

25. August 1942


The AI has learned it does not have the power to attack at all theaters.
So it concentrates on weak points, and it uses a massive amount of Tactical Bombers.

I feel happy that most of my ground combat units in Russia have an experience bar, otherwise I would have had two lost units.





In the north, the Red Army does its best to cause some damage.
Fortunately, the Soviets suffer more than the Finns.

In the south, two new units are sent to Tichwin.
This might be a death trap.





Instead of attacking on a broad front, the AI concentrated on single units.
And it was just the experience bar that saved my unit.





I think I was lucky.. usually the 11. Armee would have been destroyed.

Turn 45

1. September 1942


As I did the usual statistics in June 1942, I said I need to decimate the Red Army. This was two months ago, and I destroyed 49 enemy units in the meantime.
I am pretty sure that the AI has 20-30 units around Moscow, and the area around Stalingrad is pretty crowded.
But also I can imagine that there are certain areas with less troops, and I think I found one.
The next months until December will be critical for the AI.
I will be able to advance and conquer a few resources.
But after the winter, the Red Army will be stronger than ever.

This is a bit of a parallel to the situation in RL in September 1942.
The Wehrmacht was marching to Stalingrad and El Alamein, and we all not the final result.
Of course my situation is much better than in RL.





There is nothing else to report.. no convoy raiding, no Strategic Bombing.
No news mean no bad news.





In the north, the Finns forced a Soviet corps to retreat.

In the south, Tichwin was conquered by the XXXXI. Panzerkorps.
The situation for the remaining enemy units is hopeless, and I think they will be destroyed by the Luftwaffe sooner or later.

So I have achieved a decisive victory in the north. Of course there is still fighting between Finnish and Soviet forces, but the Red Army will not break trough unless they bring artillery and bombers.
There are two alternatives how to proceed: I can garrison Wolchow and Tichwin with an Armeekorps each and operate the remaining forces to other theaters. Or I can order von Kuchler to conquer Petrozawodsk and attack the Soviet rear.

The second alternative would mean I can destroy all Soviet forces in the north, and the Finnish forces would be free for garrison duties. There is just one problem: it is already September, and I am pretty sure I will not be able to destroy the Soviets before the winter. This would mean I cannot operate von Kuchler to the west where I might need him to counter the D-Day.

I will decide in Turn 47.





The defense of Kaluga and Tula is weaker than I thought. If the AI does not bring more units, I should be able to take both towns before the end of the year.
So I should do something to catch the attention of the AI.





The attack on Stalingrad proceeds. In general I am very happy, but there are two concerns: my tanks don't have good supply, and the Luftwaffe has horrifying losses. But I need to cope with these problems.
If I can conquer Stalingrad before the end of this year, it will be a major step ahead.





To distract the AI, I let the Romanians occupy Maikop. Usually I would not do this, but it was the right decision.
A couple of enemy towns are unoccupied, and the AI will operate units into these. So it cannot reinforce Kaluga and Tula.
Exactly what I need.





Jordan surrenders, and Syria is freed from the Allied occupation... I just need to destroy the remaining planes.
This is getting devastating for the British Empire.





We haven't seen anything from the Regia Marina yet.
There is one reason: I think Italy does not have enough MPPs to use it in earlier stages of the war.
Since the conquest of Cairo, I have saved a few MPPs.
All surface vessels have been repaired and upgraded to Naval Weapons Level 1.

I will order the Regia Marina to Algeria next turn.
Mission: defend Algier.

You never know if this invasion comes, but if it comes, it will unhealthy for the Allied forces.





Almost 1.000 MPPs.
Maybe I can order some more Heavy Tanks.. I will need them in the west.

Turn 46 (AI)

8. September 1942





The Soviet units around Tichwin have very low supply, so they can just move a single hex.
Cannon fodder for the Luftwaffe.





Shame on me for the second time!
I did not pay attention, and the von Kleist HQ is badly damaged.
But there is a positive aspect: Kaluga and Tula are easy to conquer.





It is more than obvious: the Red Army is depleted.
A lot of units have been moved or operated, and this will make the final attack on Stalingrad much easier.