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RE: Week 26 - 7/20/2021 3:39:05 PM   
jubjub

 

Posts: 493
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quote:

ORIGINAL: HardLuckYetAgain

I did not see many attacks by Dave during the Winter. Or maybe I am just missing it. I would be attacking every chance I had as Germans in the winter to inflict as many nose bleeds as you can. After awhile the Soviets have to tend to those nose bleeds. But that is just me.





These can be extremely painful if they fail.. The combat value of your units melts away during winter fighting, and it's difficult to recover it. I only do them against very weak divisions, preferably in snowfall.



(in reply to HardLuckYetAgain)
Post #: 211
Week 34 - 7/20/2021 6:26:04 PM   
M60A3TTS


Posts: 4014
Joined: 5/13/2011
Status: offline 		Week 34 - 8 February 1942

Snowfall predominates just north of Kursk. South of there blizzard conditions cover the landscape.


This week is much as those that recently have come before it. We have the wins and the losses.




The losses, when they come, can be very one-sided affairs. A follow on attack was successful, robbing the Germans of Depot #6.




Despite the occasional failure, the more important goals of this offensive are being met.


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Post #: 212
RE: Week 34 - 7/21/2021 1:36:28 PM   
tonyhnz

 

Posts: 27
Joined: 3/7/2018
Status: offline 		Some observations/questions about the air war in this aar so far.
Interdiction appears to have an effect but it is best only used on non clear targeted hexes through which the enemy has to move.
For some of the fighter-bomber groups, you can change them from fighter to bomber training - do you ever use this facility ?
You also seem to move some air groups to out of way airbases to have a sort of on-map reserve as well as the normal air reserve to help better manage pilots/air groups ?

(in reply to M60A3TTS)
Post #: 213
RE: Week 34 - 7/21/2021 3:05:35 PM   
M60A3TTS


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quote:

ORIGINAL: tonyhnz

Some observations/questions about the air war in this aar so far.
Interdiction appears to have an effect but it is best only used on non clear targeted hexes through which the enemy has to move.


This is correct.

quote:

ORIGINAL: tonyhnz
For some of the fighter-bomber groups, you can change them from fighter to bomber training - do you ever use this facility ?


I could but generally do not. In 1941 there are adequate long range bombers to attack the hexes that I want to. There is also the issue of having enough quality fighter escorts during the ground phase.


quote:

ORIGINAL: tonyhnz
You also seem to move some air groups to out of way airbases to have a sort of on-map reserve as well as the normal air reserve to help better manage pilots/air groups ?


This is correct. In 1941 there are roughly 15 fighter/FFB AOGs/divisions on the map. By Summer 1942 it may come close to double that. Until air regiments fall below 50 experience and need training in the reserves, it is simpler for me to just move divisions forward and back on the map as needed instead of having to move the same ones into and out of the reserves. But this is more of a personal preference and others may not find it as useful.

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Post #: 214
RE: Week 34 - 7/21/2021 6:58:06 PM   
tonyhnz

 

Posts: 27
Joined: 3/7/2018
Status: offline 		Appreciate the replies about the air war.

Had a question about reserves - do you typically use a tactical reserve where you set units to reserve status close to the line or have more strategic reserve units further back from the line to cover breakthroughs ?

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Post #: 215
RE: Week 34 - 7/21/2021 7:06:13 PM   
M60A3TTS


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quote:

ORIGINAL: tonyhnz

Appreciate the replies about the air war.

Had a question about reserves - do you typically use a tactical reserve where you set units to reserve status close to the line or have more strategic reserve units further back from the line to cover breakthroughs ?



During this winter offensive, I try to have all units close to the front with second line units in reserve. This increases the chance of more wins for divisions that are working their ways to guards status.

In the coming summer, I will have both second line infantry in reserve status and farther back will be corps-level reserve formations with a mix of cavalry-tank units.

Finally, in summer there will be some reserve rifle armies for emergency use but they will not be extensive.

< Message edited by M60A3TTS -- 7/21/2021 7:07:49 PM >

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Post #: 216
Week 35 - 7/21/2021 9:31:50 PM   
M60A3TTS


Posts: 4014
Joined: 5/13/2011
Status: offline 		Week 35 - 15 February 1942

Blizzard conditions north of Velikye Luki. Snowfall across the remainder of the front.

We see continued success in the area of the main offensive. Kursk is now completely cleared of enemy troops.




Ground losses




Now up to 5 guards cavalry corps. We also have our first guards tank brigade. The event log has it named as 7th Guards but it really is the first.




Here is the AFV count. Since all but three tank divisions are now converted to brigades, the count drops significantly. This will be built back up as we bring the tank corps on line starting in April.


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Post #: 217
RE: Week 35 - 7/21/2021 9:52:30 PM   
jubjub

 

Posts: 493
Joined: 5/2/2021
Status: offline 		M60, it seems like you could achieve a significant breakthrough if you concentrated your troops and attacks. What would you say the downsides to that strategy are?


From my experience (on both sides), a successful breakthrough stretches the Wehrmacht thin, which makes winning battles easier, and it can potentially trap stragglers to encircle and destroy. Additionally, in blizzard conditions, there's usually no serious threat of counter attack.


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Post #: 218
RE: Week 35 - 7/21/2021 11:18:11 PM   
gingerbread


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quote:

ORIGINAL: M60A3TTS

...This will be built back up as we bring the tank corps on line starting in April.


How are the vehicle pools?

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Post #: 219
RE: Week 35 - 7/21/2021 11:46:09 PM   
M60A3TTS


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quote:

ORIGINAL: gingerbread


quote:

ORIGINAL: M60A3TTS

...This will be built back up as we bring the tank corps on line starting in April.


How are the vehicle pools?




You can see that it's almost 10k to the plus side in units, but one needs to be careful not to read too much into that. Once the tank corps start to come on line in numbers that include rifle brigade SUs, in addition to some tank brigade and regiment builds, that excess will quickly diminish.

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Post #: 220
RE: Week 35 - 7/22/2021 12:10:32 AM   
M60A3TTS


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quote:

ORIGINAL: jubjub

M60, it seems like you could achieve a significant breakthrough if you concentrated your troops and attacks. What would you say the downsides to that strategy are?


From my experience (on both sides), a successful breakthrough stretches the Wehrmacht thin, which makes winning battles easier, and it can potentially trap stragglers to encircle and destroy. Additionally, in blizzard conditions, there's usually no serious threat of counter attack.


It is possible that what you say is true, and a fair number of folks would probably agree with you, but that attempted breakthrough would have been most effective in open terrain. That would likely have been somewhere around Kursk. That would have left the opposition in control of the wooded terrain northwest of Kursk that would have been a good jumping off point for his 1942 offensive. In order to deny him that ground, it was necessary to concentrate my best troops in that area. Had I pushed successfully west from Kursk, I'm not sure how much more exposed those same forces of mine would have been come April-May.

Overall, I'm accomplishing what I had first set out to do, and the lack of a significant breakthrough really hasn't been a regret, Not yet anyways.



(in reply to jubjub)
Post #: 221
Week 36 - 7/22/2021 3:27:32 PM   
M60A3TTS


Posts: 4014
Joined: 5/13/2011
Status: offline 		Week 36 - 22 February 1942

Snow falling across the front as the blizzard conditions north of Velikye Luki abated this week.


Attacks this week by the armies of Western and Bryansk Fronts were concentrated farther south. We are starting to close up on Bryansk now and there are another six weeks of combat remaining in March before the offensive is formally done.




We haven't looked at other fronts in a while, so here is most of Leningrad Front. Since these divisions are mostly hunkered sown in level 3 forts, the effects of attrition have been minimal. This helps us feed more manpower into the places that it is needed most.




Here is the OOB. Almost 600,000 in the reserves and another 130,000 in the active manpower pool. Come May we pick up another 150,000 troops so it is not hard to see the active force reaching six million by summer.




Three new guards cavalry corps are named this week. We have reached the cap of 11% guards on infantry and that will not expand until July. We also now have almost 30 army artillery regiments at guards status. Once NM increases to 50 in July, their +10 bonus should give these heavy artillery an even greater punch. Finally we have our second guards tank brigade that the game identifies as the 1st, even though it should the 2nd. Anyways, no matter. That will give us a guards tank corps in April.




We haven't looked at air for some time as the forces have been grounded throughout winter. With autumn coming to a close, we were starting to see deficits in Yaks and MiGs. This has not been an issue for a while now as replacement aircraft have been restocked. We will be able to start replacing MiG formations as needed since the aircraft is no longer produced. There are also 1,978 trained pilots in the pool, such as it is. With air NM at 45, there are still a lot of poor pilots in that pool.











(in reply to M60A3TTS)
Post #: 222
RE: Week 36 - 7/23/2021 8:44:18 AM   
erikbengtsson


Posts: 126
Joined: 3/29/2020
Status: offline 		Thank you for this AAR, M60! It's not only interesting and well written, I am also getting a lot of ideas and inspiration for playing the Soviet side.

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Post #: 223
RE: Week 36 - 7/23/2021 10:55:37 AM   
squatter

 

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quote:

There are also 1,978 trained pilots in the pool


Where do you find the trained pilots pool?

In the CR I can see a number for 'ready' pilots, and a number for 'pool' but neither is listed as being 'trained' or otherwise.

Thanks

(in reply to M60A3TTS)
Post #: 224
RE: Week 36 - 7/23/2021 11:59:31 AM   
M60A3TTS


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Joined: 5/13/2011
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quote:

ORIGINAL: squatter

quote:

There are also 1,978 trained pilots in the pool


Where do you find the trained pilots pool?

In the CR I can see a number for 'ready' pilots, and a number for 'pool' but neither is listed as being 'trained' or otherwise.

Thanks







< Message edited by M60A3TTS -- 7/23/2021 12:03:26 PM >

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Post #: 225
RE: Week 36 - 7/23/2021 12:17:08 PM   
M60A3TTS


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quote:

ORIGINAL: erikbengtsson

Thank you for this AAR, M60! It's not only interesting and well written, I am also getting a lot of ideas and inspiration for playing the Soviet side.



Thanks erikbengtsson. Glad you are enjoying it and picking up some things.

(in reply to erikbengtsson)
Post #: 226
RE: Week 36 - 7/23/2021 12:17:32 PM   
squatter

 

Posts: 1033
Joined: 6/24/2006
Status: offline 		Thanks M60 - is there such a thing as an 'untrained' pool?

(in reply to M60A3TTS)
Post #: 227
RE: Week 36 - 7/23/2021 3:22:56 PM   
M60A3TTS


Posts: 4014
Joined: 5/13/2011
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quote:

ORIGINAL: squatter

Thanks M60 - is there such a thing as an 'untrained' pool?


In practice, no. In theory, yes. There will never be a case where you are unable to bring an air unit onto the map due to lack of trained pilots. In effect, there will always be a pilot for every plane you possess in the active production pools. It can also help to understand that the free pilot pool comes from disbanded air units. If you had an air unit with a complete set of untrained pilots, and then disbanded it, they would go to the free pool with the same untrained experience levels but still considered as "trained".

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Post #: 228
RE: Week 37 - 7/26/2021 12:34:50 AM   
M60A3TTS


Posts: 4014
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Status: offline 		Week 37 - 1 March 1942


We say farewell to February and into a fairly long March with six turns until the end of winter festivities.

The blizzard weather extends this week from the north to just north of Orel and continuing to just north of Rostov. South of there, no snow at all.


The usual set of attacks that have been going on for weeks.




Farther south, Dave has decided to put in some attacks of his own.




A couple of attacks are traded just north of Rostov.




Losses this week were somewhat higher than those previously with the Germans now starting to stir.








< Message edited by M60A3TTS -- 7/26/2021 4:44:24 PM >

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Post #: 229
Week 38 - 7/26/2021 5:00:19 PM   
M60A3TTS


Posts: 4014
Joined: 5/13/2011
Status: offline 		Week 38 - 8 March 1942

Second week of March has the weather somewhat inverted. Regular snow is falling from the north to Belgorod but blizzard conditions exist in the south.


Attacks by the Western and Bryansk Fronts continue to progress. We are slowly closing on Bryansk. We are also continuing to creates space around Orel and Kursk.




Operations by both sides in the south remain very limited.




OOB




Our on-map AFV numbers are dwindling as mechanized divisions are upgrading to rifle divisions. Each disband can cost from a few dozen to a couple hundred AFVs.




In response to the reduction, some new tank brigades are being raised and they should have time to complete their training before being called up.




For the VVS, we are not quite through the half-way mark for SAD disbands from a calendar standpoint. Still almost 4/5 of the SAD disbands are now complete.





(in reply to M60A3TTS)
Post #: 230
Week 39 - 7/27/2021 2:10:27 PM   
M60A3TTS


Posts: 4014
Joined: 5/13/2011
Status: offline 		Week 39 - 15 March 1942

Blizzard weather now completely gone. Snowfall from the north down to the area around Rostov where there is no precipitation.

Soviet attacks this week focus on the area around Bryansk. The northernmost portion of the line have reached their objectives so now getting to the area immediately around the city is the priority. Still three weeks left in March.





Far from the front lines, should the need arise we have a sapper army. Airborne and construction brigades are able to get fort levels up rather well. I don't merge any of the airborne brigades into guards rifle divisions as some do.





Ground Losses




It appears that the Germans have finally started recovering manpower onto the map. We will see how quickly they recover now.




Now up to 11 guards cavalry corps. There should still be room for one or two more in the coming weeks.







(in reply to M60A3TTS)
Post #: 231
RE: Week 39 - 7/27/2021 2:20:34 PM   
HardLuckYetAgain


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quote:

I don't merge any of the airborne brigades into guards rifle divisions as some do.


Why not? Just for digging?

(in reply to M60A3TTS)
Post #: 232
RE: Week 39 - 7/27/2021 3:59:24 PM   
M60A3TTS


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quote:

ORIGINAL: HardLuckYetAgain

quote:

I don't merge any of the airborne brigades into guards rifle divisions as some do.


Why not? Just for digging?


Correct. As long as I watch what I'm doing, I will have enough guards rifle divisions come July when the 11% infantry cap comes off.

(in reply to HardLuckYetAgain)
Post #: 233
RE: Week 39 - 7/27/2021 4:55:41 PM   
HardLuckYetAgain


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quote:

ORIGINAL: M60A3TTS


quote:

ORIGINAL: HardLuckYetAgain

quote:

I don't merge any of the airborne brigades into guards rifle divisions as some do.


Why not? Just for digging?


Correct. As long as I watch what I'm doing, I will have enough guards rifle divisions come July when the 11% infantry cap comes off.


Do you know by chance the following? )

If you are maxxed out on Guard Inf and you combine the airborne brigades will it give you the guard division anyway? I would be curious to see if anyone has tried this to see.

(in reply to M60A3TTS)
Post #: 234
RE: Week 39 - 7/27/2021 5:01:26 PM   
loki100


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quote:

ORIGINAL: HardLuckYetAgain

...

Do you know by chance the following? )

If you are maxxed out on Guard Inf and you combine the airborne brigades will it give you the guard division anyway? I would be curious to see if anyone has tried this to see.


yes, and I do think this is potentially quite an exploit as you generate a Gds rifle division, build 3 more airborne brigades, generate another and so on

now that would worry me more than if the Soviet player was using airborne brigades for airdrops

_____________________________


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Post #: 235
RE: Week 39 - 7/27/2021 5:06:51 PM   
HardLuckYetAgain


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quote:

ORIGINAL: loki100


quote:

ORIGINAL: HardLuckYetAgain

...

Do you know by chance the following? )

If you are maxxed out on Guard Inf and you combine the airborne brigades will it give you the guard division anyway? I would be curious to see if anyone has tried this to see.


yes, and I do think this is potentially quite an exploit as you generate a Gds rifle division, build 3 more airborne brigades, generate another and so on

now that would worry me more than if the Soviet player was using airborne brigades for airdrops


That is what I thought!

You really don't want me to exploit Airborne Brigades :( But now that I know that for a fact I am saving those brigades and building more to get over the limit of Guard divisions ;-P (I am sure this will get house ruled out soon)

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Post #: 236
RE: Week 39 - 7/27/2021 5:08:48 PM   
HardLuckYetAgain


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Joined: 2/5/2016
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quote:

ORIGINAL: HardLuckYetAgain


quote:

ORIGINAL: loki100


quote:

ORIGINAL: HardLuckYetAgain

...

Do you know by chance the following? )

If you are maxxed out on Guard Inf and you combine the airborne brigades will it give you the guard division anyway? I would be curious to see if anyone has tried this to see.


yes, and I do think this is potentially quite an exploit as you generate a Gds rifle division, build 3 more airborne brigades, generate another and so on

now that would worry me more than if the Soviet player was using airborne brigades for airdrops


That is what I thought!

You really don't want me to exploit Airborne Brigades :( But now that I know that for a fact I am saving those brigades and building more to get over the limit of Guard divisions ;-P (I am sure this will get house ruled out soon)


Matter of fact house ruling that out in my German game right now and my Soviet game. That is just way too over the top.

(in reply to HardLuckYetAgain)
Post #: 237
RE: Week 39 - 7/27/2021 6:26:34 PM   
M60A3TTS


Posts: 4014
Joined: 5/13/2011
Status: offline 		Yes, I think it's an exploit as well, so I just ignore that capability.

(in reply to HardLuckYetAgain)
Post #: 238
Week 40 - 7/28/2021 4:02:12 PM   
M60A3TTS


Posts: 4014
Joined: 5/13/2011
Status: offline 		Week 40 - 22 March 1942

The calendar has formally now moved to Spring and with it comes a great thaw.




Although the weather is clear across the front, there is almost no combat at all.

Areas such as Northwestern Front that saw little action during the winter continue to hold their positions.




The Soviet Order Of Battle continues to strengthen. The exception are the tank formations, but new brigades and regiments subject to vehicle availability will continue to be raised in the weeks ahead.




Army Artillery Regiments are coming out of winter as very experienced formations. This will be a substantial change in the state of the artillery from the opening months of the war.



< Message edited by M60A3TTS -- 7/28/2021 4:06:33 PM >

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Post #: 239
RE: Week 39 - 7/28/2021 4:06:56 PM   
Q-Ball


Posts: 7336
Joined: 6/25/2002
From: Chicago, Illinois
Status: offline 		Lots of Army Artillery Regts......do you still have Corps Artillery Regts and BM Howitzer units, or no?

Just curious how you organize the Soviet Artillery units. At-start and via reinforcement seems like the Red Army gets more unit shells than it needs, so there is opportunity to cull toward using tubes you have (vs. Tubes in shorter supply)

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Post #: 240
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