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RCHarmon -> Blizzard observation/question (3/1/2011 12:43:58 AM)
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I'm still very new at this game and have been through my 3rd blizzard as Germans (vs AI, normal). Here is what happened and is causing me some consternation:
Pre-blizzard: I had closed in on Leningrad had them surrounded, but had not taken the ports to finish the job. I decided to try and hold this position through the blizzard and try to get the ports in early '42. I started digging in when mud came. With so many troops up north this left about 50 miles in the south that the Romanians were going to have to hold. The Reds had taken 3 Million casualties and I hoped for a quieter blizzard then my previous 2.
The blizzard like always was brutal. Brutal in effects and length. First blizzard move and 3/4 of my Romanian units became "unready". The Soviets in the south were beaten up pretty good and didn't attack the Romanians in the first 6 blizzard turns. The line held by them was 40 miles short of Nikolaev.
I held well around Leningrad and was pushed back everywhere else except in the deep south where the Romanian line hadn't been attacked. When the attacks against the Romanians came it was a disaster. They were thrown back easily and they were generally unable to hold anywhere at any time. By this point all my (German) reserves were on the front line elsewhere and reserve Romanian units were ineffective as the first line Romanians. They were driven back so far so fast I didn't even try to fill the gap. The only thing I could have done was fall back from Leningrad and send divisions south. As the blizzard was close to being over and it would have taken time to pull the units out and send them south I decided on another plan. I would rail panzers south as soon as the blizzard was over and attack south cutting of the Russian units. I assumed the Russians would have outrun their supply having advanced as far as they had.
That is what I did, and I started attacking south at the first snow turn with the first panzer corp to arrive. Soon I had all the newly arriving infantry units organized into a corp to help with the drive south. I eventually had 3 panzer corps in the offensive. I didn't make much headway. The Romanians lost Odessa and were still falling back. I fought only pausing when the mud came. The supply issue for the Russians wasn't evident. They fought and held up very well. How , I do not know. I covered about a fourth of the way well short of my objective. The Russians entered Romania and they capitulated.
I am still terribly new at this game, but it is a bit disheartening. Those Russian units should have been far extended and short of supply, but their tanks drove on with only a few turns where they were paused. My offensive force( 3 panzer corps, 1 infantry corp, + other mixed units) fought very stubborn resistance and made little headway.
I was pushed back over 120 miles all along my front, except for in front of Leningrad. The Blizzard is either too long or 2 severe. I don't believe it is at all historical. All the games I have followed have been similar. The Axis player is driven almost to the point of complete route.
I think their is little chance of an Axis victory in '42. For the Axis player the what if's like what if the 6th army wasn't cut off and destroyed means very little.
The Soviets were unready for war and got kicked around pretty hard by the Axis. It took them some time to get "it" together.
Can the game be won by the Axis? If not why play.
Blizzard lesson. Train the Romanians and send them home until spring.
I'd like to here some effective Axis strategy for winning in '42.
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