Q-Ball
Posts: 7336
Joined: 6/25/2002 From: Chicago, Illinois Status: offline
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12/3/42: Death by Numbers Here is the disturbing part, though, which is probably going to end this game sometime in 1943: I don't think the Wehrmacht can take this very long. German strength is dwindling again, to just above 2.9 mil, while I make-good my losses. The last two turns, I have been less than 2-1 in Manpower. I have lost PILES of Tanks, but I have thousands in the pool; I am losing close to 800 a turn, but I estimate I can sustain that pace for 10-12 more turns at least before even dipping into the M3 Grants and other crappy tank types. I am building over 520 Light/Medium tanks a turn, and I have 3,200 in the pool (T-60,M3 Stuarts,Matildas,Valentines,t-34s). It would take massive losses to feel the pinch. This is despite me creating lots of Tank Units. Frankly, I don't think any player, no matter how good, can run the Wehrmacht through losses like this. Maybe under 1.05 it will be different, since with fewer Reds, and lower-morale Red Army, and higher-morale Germans, and more Germans through use of Hiwis....maybe all those factors allow Tarhunnas to launch a credible 1942 offensive. Which would kill more Reds, and capture Manpower, all of which would mean I would now have much less than 7.6 mil guys, and they would be lower morale to boot. At this point, Tarhunnas is doomed to grind it out until the Wehrmacht collapses, and I don't think he can do anything about it. My attacks have about Zero tactical subtlety, other than accumulating mass, and sending everyone over the top. Tarhunnas's dispositions make breakthroughs pretty much impossible, because there are always trenches to retreat to for him, which is good defensive design. That doesn't keep the Wehrmacht from getting slowly ground to death though. As soon as I get more Vehicles, I am going to put even more tanks on the board. I will start creating lots of Assault Gun Regts, and attach those to every Rifle Corps. I basically will push it as far as production, and available attachment slots will allow. AFVs are a great firepower multiplier, and pushing it to the max, I can get so much firepower at the front the Wehrmacht will collapse completely. And there is nothing Tarhunnas can do about it. My next PBEM will be as Germans, and I hope I have more of a chance than this. Looking at Soviet production is enough to make a German player depressed!
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