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kswanson1 -> RE: Partisans v.1.04.11 (4/29/2011 7:42:10 PM)
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Not to belabor this, but it I don’t think partisans were capable of destroying 150 to 200 miles of rail road track in a week. I find it equally difficult to except that Partisans could completely destroy even 10-miles of consecutive track in the course of a week. I think it conceivable and very beleivable that they could and did destroy very small sections of track within a 200 mile stretch of rail road track. But destruction of every piece of rail section, every sleeper, every bit of bedding over even a 10 mile stretch of track seems unlikely.
Partisan bands\groups\gaggles – in between looting and terrorizing the local population -- could and did destroy small sections of track via setting explosives or unbolting track from sleepers. Partisan bands would than fade back into the forests and swamps after track destruction. Localized demolition -- while a nuisance -- would not leave an entire 100mile stretch of track inoperable. Localized breaks from Partisans would be discovered and repaired quickly, particularly when every replacement, every kilo of supply, every liter of fuel and every box of ammunition is traveling along a single set of tracks that's ultimately feeding entire Army Groups. As soon as the first supply train or troop train happens upon the demolished section of track, the construction engineers are going to be on it like a bad smell on a dog pile.
Worst case, the fix for a crater in the middle of a set of tracks means placement of 5 or 6 cubic meters of gravel into a hole; Followed by Replacement of a few sleepers and replacement of a couple of rail sections. All of these materials can be quickly and efficiently transported to the localized sections of track damage by trains and rolling stock converging upon the break from either side of a break. Filling a crater and replacing a few sleepers and rails is a construction operation that requires hour’s worth of labor -- not weeks. In terms of great military engineering feats, repairing a crater in the middle of a rail road track is like snapping ones fingers. Bridging the Dnepr or Dvina; or placing a level 1 or 2 fort in a hex with all the associated bunkers, dugouts, minefields, weapons pits is measured in terms of a few movement points being expended over the course of a single game turn. However, the current system of rear area track demolition results in a break that can’t be repaired for multiple turns.
I don’t think the effects of rear area track damage from very early war Partisan attacks have really been adequately play tested. The implication of Partisan track damage, as I indicated above, is really a two to four turn complete loss in track function. No rail movement or supply passage through the damaged track hexes can occur during this month long effort in trying to get the proper units back to repair breaks. Like I said above, to get the tracks functioning again means a mobile FBD unit has to march back to the damaged track sections slowly on foot; than it needs to repair the damaged section.
In addition, the Partisan damaged rail sections are requiring that the FBD Unit expend a full 3 movement points to repair each hex (assuming it’s a break along Russian or Ukrainian gauge track). This is followed by the FBD unit having to march back to the forward railhead to commence with rail road gauge widening work again. The full 3 movement point’s repair expenditure by FBD units to reconstitute a partisan damaged rail hex represents the same MP expenditure required by the FBD unit to transform track gauge over an entire ten mile stretch of track – as well as gauge conversion of all of the side tracking within that ten mile hex area. In addition, the 3 movement point cost for gauge conversion would also encompasses much of the ballast section and subgrade improvements conducted by German Rail Road Construction engineers of Soviet rail lines in order to increase track support for the larger tonnages the Germans were typically employing with their locomotives and rolling stock. Why is this same 3 MP cost associated with repairing a Partisan damaged rail hex?
Partisan damage reflects a few localized track section breaks therefore the FBD movement point cost for repairing partisan damage should be directly correlated to the level of track damage inflicted upon the tracks. If a ten mile section of track is only damaged 10% by a partisan attack, than perhaps a realistic track repair cost would be the mere passage of an FBD unit through the damaged track hex -- zero additional MPs beyond the terrain cost of the hex itself. Or charge the FBD repair cost a nominal 1-MP to repair.
I would suggest that damaged tracks from partisan attacks only temporarily increase RR movement costs through damaged hexes as well as temporarily reduce the amount of supply tonnage that passes through damaged tracks. The amount of movement point costs and supply tonnage decrease should be directly correlated to the level of damage to the track hex rather than a complete loss of functionality of an entire section of track. Again we are talking about a few localized breaks over a ten mile section. These would be repaired rather quickly. So the delay resultant should be measured in terms of movement point penalties rather than complete loss of track function for weeks at a time.
Given the sometimes unconstructive climate and sensitivity of some posters on this forum, doubtless much of the above will earn me the lable of Nazi Fanboy. [8|] So be it. It’s not going to stop me from expressing an opinion about potential issues.
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