Super-combined a waste for Germany?

[markb50k]

Its May/Jun 43, and Germany now has 2 O-chits in reserve.

Is it unheard of for Germany to use an O-chit to do a supercombined in their war on Russia. Pretty much the entire Luftwaffe is spread across the Russian steppes and hardly any of them are in range of the front lines (15 hexes east of Moscow).

Gut feel is that O-chits should be used for Germany to do offensive doubling, but I think its a good case for a supercombined due to the Axis not wanting to do an Air impulse.

Opinions?

[markb50k]

pic:

[Ur_Vile_WEdge]

It's unusual, but not entirely unheard of. When I have seen it used, it's mostly if the Germans want to attack on a wide band (The Soviets are only stacked 1 high in a lot of places for some reason) so you want lots of groundstrikes and lots of attacks, for which you need the Supercombined to have enough actions for.


OTOH, your soviets look so battered, I question the necessity of spending an O-Chit on them at all. My gut feel is that say you waste an impulse going air and then going land. What more do you really need to get out of the Soviet Union? They seem broken. If so, is hastening their demise really worth 15 BP? You might need that O-Chit for the WAllies and whatever counterattack they're pulling together.

[markb50k]

good point about the situation in the USSR.
 
If I were to use a supercombined/air impulse, honestly it may make sense to fly all those aircraft WEST to France where the WAllies have landed in force.

[Centuur]

Let me say this... I've seen the USSR come back out of the Urals to take Berlin before the Wallies were in position...

It's a long way to Novossibirsk and Tashkent. And there are the Caucasus Oil fields to capture and the Turks to add to your forces.

Crush the USSR and you've won the game.

The Wallies are on the continent in force, that's true, however it will still take a very long time to get the airforce back into Western Europe, because of the low movement points the planes have. A supercombined doesn't resolve this problem. I'd rather use them very agressive to kill the USSR than to do other things.

What I probably would do is to take an air action and rebase every available aircraft which can get into range for attacking USSR units to move towards the Soviet positions. Aircraft which can't get into range, I would rebase those towards the west. Next impulse, use your chit to kill as many USSR units you can. It might be the last opportunity to kick the USSR in such a way, that you will be able to get a railline towards the Urals and the factories in far away Siberia.

I would take that gambit. Of course, all German and Italian reinforcements should go to Western Europe...

[paulderynck]

I've often seen a Super on the first turn of the attack into Russia, especially if the Russians are defending forward or get caught trying to maintain a garrison they think is sufficient to prevent a German DoW. Being able to ground strike with a bunch of planes that get two shots each due to surprise is priceless.

[Klydon]

I think Centuur is spot on with the idea of doing a air impulse if you can.

The other thing to consider is not to be too ground strike happy for a couple of turns. Use ground support instead if you can. The fewer missions you have counting against your limit results in more that can be rebased at the end of the impulse.

[Ur_Vile_WEdge]

Really? I thought the standard response to a setup up front like that was to take an air, o-chit, and then clean up on successive impulses. I mean, you're probably starting things off in either M/J or J/A, and both of those are long turns.

[brian brian]

If you selected an Air impulse you could rail three short-range aircraft (such as the Rudel Stuka) back to the Western Front.

[Omnius]

I don't think a Super Combined impulse is a waste for Germany. On the first turn declaring war on the USSR a Super Combined impulse allows the German to move all air, land and naval units. If the Axis have initiative a Super Combined can be deadly for the Germans to unleash. Not only can they use or rebase all air units they can unleash a lot of subs into the Atlantic while putting small SCS fleets in each sea area box of the Baltic thus ensuring ASW protection for Baltic convoys for the next 4 turns!

I read the 1998 Wif Annual and some "pundit" declared that combined impulses are a waste but I'm finding them quite handy. As America I like to build lots of O-Chits so that the very first impulse I do a Super Combined that allows me to move all air, land and naval. That allows me to do amphibious invasions without the Axis player being able to disrupt or defend the target hexes. Then the Axis players say "O Chit" the Americans are coming, the Americans are coming! Then on a following impulse I drop a second O Chit and do a land one to double an HQ's units.

Omnius

[AbwehrX]

I don't think a Super Combined impulse is a waste for Germany. On the first turn declaring war on the USSR a Super Combined impulse allows the German to move all air, land and naval units. If the Axis have initiative a Super Combined can be deadly for the Germans to unleash. Not only can they use or rebase all air units they can unleash a lot of subs into the Atlantic while putting small SCS fleets in each sea area box of the Baltic thus ensuring ASW protection for Baltic convoys for the next 4 turns!

Very good points. Germany has opportunities to maximize the effects of SC in 1941 considering Britain is out of position after France falls. [:D]