What am I doing wrong?

The development team behind the award-winning games Decisive Campaigns: From Warsaw To Paris and Advanced Tactics is back with a new and improved game engine that focuses on the decisive year and theater of World War II! Decisive Campaigns: Case Blue simulates the German drive to Stalingrad and into the Caucasus of the summer of 1942, as well as its May preludes (2nd Kharkov offensive, Operation Trappenjagd) and also the Soviet winter counter-offensive (Operation Uranus) that ended with the encirclement of 6th Army in Stalingrad and the destruction of the axis minor armies. With many improvements including the PBEM++ system, this is a release to watch for wargamers!

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Bismarck2761
Posts: 89
Joined: Sat Nov 24, 2012 4:11 pm

What am I doing wrong?

Post by Bismarck2761 »

So, I've played quite a few solo games of Trap-J against the AI (normal 1.05c). I take the Crimea quickly enough, end of May (thank you for the tips, Liquid Sky), and can cut off the Izium bulge/reduce it. But then I find I'm in trouble. The Soviet Air Force is getting huge; I've taken casualties; the Soviets attack and break through where they can (against 2d Army, 17th Army, 1st Pz). By mid-June I'm on the offensive again with 11th Army giving us some oomph in the south -- territorially ahead of schedule, but with my air force in taters and with significant attrition. It seems unlikely I'll really get anywhere.

Any suggestions, particularly on tacitcs with the LF? I try fighter-sweeps (2 units) but they get mauled, and then so do my bombers. Concentrating fighers doesn't seem to be helpful either.
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Bonners
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Location: Tan Lan, North Wales

RE: What am I doing wrong?

Post by Bonners »

I think Trappenjagd is very difficult for the German player. My own view is that the Soviet side is probably about right for the early game, but that the German side needs some strengthening to give the Germans any chance of actually getting his forces anywhere near the actual force levels available at the start of Case Blue. I think that the German replacements levels need to be higher for the first 10 turns whilst the Case Blue forces start to build up and I also think that there should be a little bit more prestige to give the German player to have a chance to create the corps and armies that were actually available in Case Blue; to that end it would be useful if a couple more generals showed up in the force pool. The other problem that the German player has, is that the Case Blue objectives seem to happen far sooner.

In my game against Reconvert with me as Soviets, I had a simple plan for the early game, just to attack and needle the Axis as much as possible. In the air I didnt care how many fighters I lost as long as I took some Germans with me each turn, I think the losses were working at about 3:1 in Reconvert's favour, yet that was still to my advantage in the long run. By the sounds of it the AI plays a similarly crazy game to me[:D]

As for the Luftwaffe I am really not sure what the best tactics are. I got them badly wrong in my latest game and was doing similar to you by the sounds of it. I'm sure there is a good way to manage the Luftwaffe so it can keep at least local air superiority until later in the game, I just havent figured it out, in ever game I play I seem to lose air superiority fairly early on.

The only thing I can think to try, is to give up the fighter sweeps and use fighters as escorts when attacking enemy units, in the hope that destroys more Soviet fighters, I'm not totally convinced it would work though. One thing I would say, is that I wouldnt play with a house rule to protect the Soviet airforce on turn one any more, I think the Germans need to destroy some on the ground to have a chance of keeping air superiority for longer. If I was using a house rule I'd say restrict the amount of Soviet airfields the German can attack to two or three on turn one.

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LiquidSky
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RE: What am I doing wrong?

Post by LiquidSky »



I have managed to keep control of the skies so far with the Luftwaffe...but it isn't easy.

I never ever fly bombers if the Russians have fighters in the area. Never.

If they Russians want to contest the airspace, I will fly my fighter squadrons in pairs....around 100 stacking points. I will hit airbases near the front. I will suffer casualties. But what I noticed is that I don't lose as much readiness as the Russians, as his squadrons tend to retreat from the battle. If the Russians get 'used up' from my sweeps, I may bomb his airbases with bombers. This will damage the airbase and cause him to lose even more readiness.

The next turn, if the Russians fly again....you will inflict much more casualties on him then you lose. And if they stick around for a third turn, you will easily damage his air, bomb his airfields and win the skies. He will retreat and there will be no fourth turn.

But you have to suffer on that first run, when his readiness is high.
“My logisticians are a humorless lot … they know if my campaign fails, they are the first ones I will slay.” – Alexander the Great
Bismarck2761
Posts: 89
Joined: Sat Nov 24, 2012 4:11 pm

RE: What am I doing wrong?

Post by Bismarck2761 »

Thanks guys. A few other Trppenjagd thoughts:

1. Hard to gain initiative until 11th Army reinforces South. Soviets can cause massive casualties, as you state Bonners.

2. Need more German Generals in pool, as noted.

3. Luftwaffe: like Bonners, I gave up on sweeps; but I also gave up on escorts (easily mauled). I instead send in bombers one unit at a time. A lot of the time the Russians don't intercept (low readiness). So right now this is my favored tactic. I then will use 5-6 figther untis to seep an airbase. Lots of bombers die, however.
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