Advice On How To Best Prepare As German For 41 Winter

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Advice On How To Best Prepare As German For 41 Winter - 10/21/2021 1:32:38 PM

PeteJC

Posts: 105
Joined: 4/4/2021
Status: offline

I am playing as German against the AI on turn 19. November starts next turn. I have a very good shot of taking Moscow, Leningrad and Rostov before December which will get me enough points for a sudden victory. I am assuming that the point check is at 1/1/42 (T29) as the game states and that it is not checked every turn until that point. So I will most likely lose something by then and have to play out the game.

To prepare for the winter I will look to hold as short of a continuous line as I can that is behind rivers (preferably major) and has as much heavy woods as possible. I am starting to build construction units in those hexes that are just clear and not behind a river.

A couple of experienced players told me that I should also build as many depots as I can near the front and to keep my motorized and tank units within three hexes of them. I was a little surprised by this advice because most of these depots will not get any real supply given the winter penalties and the fact that many will not be connected to a repaired functioning rail network. I assume that it is still a smart thing to do because depots will come with repair facilities so they can fix damaged trucks and tanks even if they are not attached to repaired rail. Is that correct?

Any other advice on how best to make it until the Spring without having to fall too far back.

Post #: 1

RE: Advice On How To Best Prepare As German For 41 Winter - 10/21/2021 2:25:07 PM

EddyBear81

Posts: 153
Joined: 2/10/2012
From: Lille, France
Status: offline

Hi. No need for fortified zones (or you'll have to plan really hard to position them well) : given the winter combat penalties there is no way you can effectively stop many attacks. And rivers will freeze so it's not THAT important

The key is to stabilize the front around you WELL SUPPLIED depots. An un-connected depot will do you no good in retreat. Forget what you said about repair facilities, it just does not exist.
=> So be ready to fall back in good order to these supply rich zones if/where you have deeper penetrations following you 1941 offensive. That is where you can make a stand, not in a supply desert.

If you fail to do this, you will take heavy losses and in the end retreat farther than expected (and then struggle in 1942).

(in reply to PeteJC)

Post #: 2

RE: Advice On How To Best Prepare As German For 41 Winter - 10/21/2021 2:44:02 PM

PeteJC

Posts: 105
Joined: 4/4/2021
Status: offline

Thanks EddyBear. I misunderstood their advice. Depots must be on the working line. makes sense and of course your comment on the frozen river is spot on. I was missing the obvious on that one ;)

(in reply to EddyBear81)

Post #: 3

RE: Advice On How To Best Prepare As German For 41 Winter - 10/21/2021 2:49:16 PM

Joel Billings

Posts: 32265
Joined: 9/20/2000
From: Santa Rosa, CA
Status: offline

AFAIK there is value in having depot�s off the rail grid. Each turn units send some of their damaged elements back to the pool. The nearest depot receives some freight that represents the value of some of this damaged equipment. That freigh can then be turned around and sent out to units. This is not a huge benefit but I think it�s working that way in the game and provide some value.

_____________________________

All understanding comes after the fact.
-- Soren Kierkegaard

(in reply to EddyBear81)

Post #: 4

RE: Advice On How To Best Prepare As German For 41 Winter - 10/21/2021 3:23:33 PM

HardLuckYetAgain

Posts: 6987
Joined: 2/5/2016
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quote:

ORIGINAL: Joel Billings

AFAIK there is value in having depot�s off the rail grid. Each turn units send some of their damaged elements back to the pool. The nearest depot receives some freight that represents the value of some of this damaged equipment. That freigh can then be turned around and sent out to units. This is not a huge benefit but I think it�s working that way in the game and provide some value.

Yes, you are correct & I have done this in earlier games than the two I am playing now.

(in reply to Joel Billings)

Post #: 5

RE: Advice On How To Best Prepare As German For 41 Winter - 10/21/2021 4:13:52 PM

stryc

Posts: 174
Joined: 7/30/2012
Status: offline

I just learned something new about Depots reading this! Up until now I didn't place Depots off-grid (so to speak).

(in reply to HardLuckYetAgain)

Post #: 6

RE: Advice On How To Best Prepare As German For 41 Winter - 10/21/2021 5:25:43 PM

MechFO

Posts: 669
Joined: 6/1/2007
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: PeteJC

I am playing as German against the AI on turn 19. November starts next turn. I have a very good shot of taking Moscow, Leningrad and Rostov before December which will get me enough points for a sudden victory. I am assuming that the point check is at 1/1/42 (T29) as the game states and that it is not checked every turn until that point. So I will most likely lose something by then and have to play out the game.

To prepare for the winter I will look to hold as short of a continuous line as I can that is behind rivers (preferably major) and has as much heavy woods as possible. I am starting to build construction units in those hexes that are just clear and not behind a river.

A couple of experienced players told me that I should also build as many depots as I can near the front and to keep my motorized and tank units within three hexes of them. I was a little surprised by this advice because most of these depots will not get any real supply given the winter penalties and the fact that many will not be connected to a repaired functioning rail network. I assume that it is still a smart thing to do because depots will come with repair facilities so they can fix damaged trucks and tanks even if they are not attached to repaired rail. Is that correct?

Any other advice on how best to make it until the Spring without having to fall too far back.

I would put the Panzer units to 50% TOE to prevent them sucking up freight for replacemens that you cannot use, get damaged and sent back to the pools.

(in reply to PeteJC)

Post #: 7

RE: Advice On How To Best Prepare As German For 41 Winter - 10/21/2021 8:12:21 PM

PeteJC

Posts: 105
Joined: 4/4/2021
Status: offline

Excellent advice/thought. I have heard of some folks even taking ALL their panzer units and putting them in the reserve TB. The reasoning being that are not worth all that much in teh dead of winter and the breakdown ratio can get up to 90%. The lack of anti-armor defensive strength may be mitigated some by putting Mixed Flak units (88LL Guns) into the infantry corps. That will not be all that effective though if their breakdown ratio is just as high.

(in reply to MechFO)

Post #: 8

RE: Advice On How To Best Prepare As German For 41 Winter - 10/21/2021 8:46:36 PM

RedJohn

Posts: 517
Joined: 9/20/2019
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: PeteJC

Excellent advice/thought. I have heard of some folks even taking ALL their panzer units and putting them in the reserve TB. The reasoning being that are not worth all that much in teh dead of winter and the breakdown ratio can get up to 90%. The lack of anti-armor defensive strength may be mitigated some by putting Mixed Flak units (88LL Guns) into the infantry corps. That will not be all that effective though if their breakdown ratio is just as high.

This is a bad idea, I did it twice and all of the trucks in the units got sucked out - and chances are you're not going to refill them.

(in reply to PeteJC)

Post #: 9

RE: Advice On How To Best Prepare As German For 41 Winter - 10/21/2021 9:43:53 PM

TallBlondJohn

Posts: 63
Joined: 4/3/2021
Status: offline

I'm in the same situation as PeteJC, but now on turn 30. So far my line is mostly holding - I tried to take November easy and let my units rest, dig in and get supply, plus I had 18th and 11 armies as reserves having captured Leningrad and Sevastopol. So far only my Romanians have collapsed, though I'm concerned about the junction between 4th Army and Panzer Group 3 - and my supply grid is nowhere near as good as it could have been. Plus I think the snow started a turn early.

Since some units still have an offensive punch, I've been blowing away any weak Russian units that move adjacent to them (so I'm not moving). So far it seems to be helping, hopefully it doesn't deplete supply too much. It seems especially effective in front of Moscow where I have panzers in the line, a few hexes captured this way seems to trigger the AI to react instead of pushing elsewhere where I am weaker.

Though I could be crippling my panzers for 1942 - time will tell.

Note that the calendar means 5 December turns at maximum strength penalty - sneaky!

< Message edited by TallBlondJohn -- 10/21/2021 11:26:51 PM >

(in reply to RedJohn)

Post #: 10

RE: Advice On How To Best Prepare As German For 41 Winter - 10/22/2021 7:30:41 AM

loki100

Posts: 10920
Joined: 10/20/2012
From: Utlima Thule
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: PeteJC

Excellent advice/thought. I have heard of some folks even taking ALL their panzer units and putting them in the reserve TB. The reasoning being that are not worth all that much in teh dead of winter and the breakdown ratio can get up to 90%. The lack of anti-armor defensive strength may be mitigated some by putting Mixed Flak units (88LL Guns) into the infantry corps. That will not be all that effective though if their breakdown ratio is just as high.

you can take Pzr divisions off map, refit and regain the trucks - there are a few urban myths claiming this doesn't work.

But, I wouldn't do it till say March 42. Its not worth it till then, by that stage you can identify any really weak Pzr divisions, you've probably used up the replacement battalions so its a case of filling in the gaps in your OOB.

Key is to bring them back one at a time and rotate their arrival across your NSS. I usually get them back with 30-40 MP (so most trucks re-assigned), a few times this doesn't happen but usually a couple of turns will solve it. If not, then use the CR to spot a truck heavy depot and rail move it to there. It'll claim what is needed.

What you should get out of the front lines by December is all the Stug and PzrJ formations. With the inevitable damage etc they contribute nothing but losses

_____________________________

(in reply to PeteJC)

Post #: 11

RE: Advice On How To Best Prepare As German For 41 Winter - 10/22/2021 1:15:12 PM

PeteJC

Posts: 105
Joined: 4/4/2021
Status: offline

I have a lot of Mixed flak with my panzer units and make a point to get all of them on the map from reserve when they show up. I want to get them all into my infantry corps. I figure it will help the infantry against the Russian tanks as the Panzers are used less and/or rotated into reserve for refit. My concern is that the gun breakdowns are as bad as the tank breakdown/damage in the winter. Are 90% of those 88s just going to show as damaged two turns into the blizzard??

(in reply to PeteJC)

Post #: 12