M60A3TTS
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Myths and Misconceptions of the Axis Strategic Bombing Campaign in the German-Soviet War
Myth #1: Strategic Bombing Works
Reality: For who? How many Soviet players go into a game with the following mindset and are successful? Here is the decision made in our game before the Soviet side even started Turn 1.
3/13/2007 Hortlund
“As Commander Im responsible for all airforce- things. I will do all airforce things before I send the turn to the front-commanders. But I will of cource use the airforce to support you guys as best I can.
We will not send the airforce to the national reserve. I understand the logic behind the reasoning from a game-perspective, but I refuse to play like that. The Motherland is under attack and is fighting for its life. The idea to send all airunits to reserve airfields behind the Urals in such a situation is just gamey and completely unrealistic.”
Clearly this shows Hortlund was not uninformed or clueless about what was going on. He knew what kind of a game he wanted to play. Unfortunately, playing a “historical” game was not going to match up well with someone who is intent on using every advantage the game engine allows.
HardLuckYetAgain made this statement on Turn 5:
“The Soviets could stop this cold if they wanted too pretty easy, question is will they do it.”
Hortlund had already answered that question. The air forces were going to be subjected to a pattern of losses to airfield attacks that would only accelerate until there was a change of command at the top.
Below is information on weekly losses in the current game by category.
Included in these numbers are two other random games where the statistics were posted at specific game turns.
What I will point out here is the enormous losses the Hortlund strategy of leaving the VVS out to fight from Day 1 created. By comparison to the other games the numbers are not all that dissimilar except in one category, ground bombing of air bases. At the start of Week 10 when I picked up our game as Supreme Commander, the VVS had already lost almost 8,500 aircraft on the ground with 4,000 of these taking place after the initial turn. If you look at Stef’s numbers, and we have seen how well he has managed his game, Soviet losses by ground attack on Week 14 were a little over 6,000 compared to almost 10,500 in our multiplayer game. I will maintain that the sheer number of extra fighters that would have been available for air defense had a standard play been made to manage Soviet fighters to the reserves would have left far more planes available to participate in combating the strategic air campaign that Telemecus has been waging.
Conclusion: If you are familiar with infomercials, you would recognize the pitch: I have made great $$$ flipping used Bf-109's to the Rumanian Airforce and YOU CAN TOO! Just send in five monthly payments of $19.95. And if you act right now, I'll send you my special bonus CD "Bombing Gorky for Fun and Profit". But you must ACT NOW. Operators are standing by...
Yes, well.. players who will take the Soviet side and willingly let their air forces get bombed out of existence on general principle are not standing by and so if people think this will work for them, disappointment awaits. But by all means send the Axis Supreme Commander your hard earned cash. As P.T. Barnum once said "There's a sucker born every minute."
Myth #2
The runner who leads a marathon race declares themselves the winner after 5.8 kilometers.
Wait…what??
A marathon is a race with a distance of 42.195 kilometers. 5.8 kilometers represents 13.7% of the race distance. That percentage coincides with turn 28 of a 204 turn game. Our esteemed opponent has already determined as of turn 28 that he has already succeeded.
Keep running fella, you got a ways to go yet.
Myth #3
Light Tanks Matter
No they don't. In WiTE, Soviet light tanks are useless. I have compared light tank losses to medium tank losses in other games, and the results are not even close. Light tanks of all types suffer losses of over 90% among those produced. In return, they do basically nothing other than consume men and resources.
Go to the 1942 scenario set to H vs H and attack a German security regiment with a Soviet tank corps with battle messaging set to level 6. Here are the results in one such battle:
Soviet light tank loss
2 breakdowns
2 disrupted by field guns
1 disrupted by AT rifle fire
2 disrupted by 20mm AA fire
Soviet light tank success
none
Light tanks do not add any CV of significance and their lack of presence does not prevent a brigade or corps from attacking or defending. In first blizzard, I prefer not to use tank brigades excessively on the attack because they just burn trucks as the advance goes westward into terrain devoid of an existing Soviet rail network. In any case, those that do participate in the offensive were refitted to full strength while some brigades in the rear remain empty of light tanks they have no need for.
Also, the lowly T-26 light tank, is so numerous at the start of the war, that they can still fill the roles of the T-60 and T-70 well into 1942.
Light tanks are as useful as a fork in a bowl of soup broth. When the game makes them even remotely meaningful, you may claim some success as Axis bombing their factories. But not now.
< Message edited by M60A3TTS -- 6/1/2018 2:25:51 PM >
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