timmyab (Sov) v Smokingdave (Axis)

[chaos45]

The reason your tank army didnt get supplied is a lack of trucks...your showing short 50,000+ trucks to make full re-supply efforts each week right now. so your entire army is only getting about 2/3rds what its requesting each week.

[timmyab]

Yes they are getting about 2/3 normally, average is roughly 30 MPs. The corps from this tank army got between 9 and 15 MPs. I can't really explain it, the railhead and 3rd TA HQ were close. Maybe a freak series of failed dice rolls?

[chaos45]

Is alot that goes into efficiently managing the LW soviet logistics system. I found a max effort followed be a short lull worked based to ease the pressure on your limited trucks. because if a unit doesnt move for a turn it will max supply and be at around 40+ MP the next turn as long as you chained you HQs correctly to your railheads.

[timmyab]

The tank armies are getting partly rested when there's nothing for them to do, and yes 40 MPs is about right for the second week. With the headlong retreat in the South though they are always moving a bit even on a rest week.

Turn 134

Not much rest for the tankers in the South this week with opportunities still to be found. One more German division is swept up by 2TA.

The map shows my short term plans for the South. My main concern is, and has been for weeks now, to get comfortably across the Dnieper before it thaws. This goal looks likely to be achieved.
The main force is just West of Kharkov. This group is aiming roughly at Cherkassy where it will converge with the Northern group.
Another group including the still green 6TA will push SW towards Dnepropetrovsk. I'm hoping that this move will speed up the advance of fronts further South which are fairly weak.

[timmyab]

Turn 136
1st Tank Army and 30th Army move further North in an attempt to speed up the drive towards VL.

[timmyab]

As mentioned sometimes the tank and mech corps get a partial rest.
My railheads (circled) are struggling to keep up.

[timmyab]

Turn 137

3rd tank army continues to force the pace South of Smolensk. The Dnieper is still a long way away and there are just two months left before the thaw begins. With the other tank armies engaged elsewhere the best I can do is to commit the still forming 7th tank army to help out.

[timmyab]

There are now eight tank armies formed into two tank fronts. All have good mech commanders (6+ mech rating) except 2nd tank front for which there is currently no suitable candidate. I would like to give Rotmistrov the job but the game engine wont allow it for reasons I don't understand.
The army commanders are good enough to allow for independent operations away from the front HQ.

This will probably do me for tank armies. Other mobile corps will operate independantly attached to armies or fronts as needed.

[Stelteck]

Very interesting. 15 CV for a tank corps is awesome !! I hope to have it soon.

I notice that your truck pool is quite low compared to requirement. Do you observe some adverse effect because of it ?

[timmyab]

I notice that your truck pool is quite low compared to requirement. Do you observe some adverse effect because of it ?

MPs are on the low side. Not too bad though.
CVs seem about normal. In my opinion this should be affected by truck shortages (low ammo) but isn't.

Very interesting. 15 CV for a tank corps is awesome !! I hope to have it soon.

The CVs here are after movement and combat. Guards tank corps can exceed 20 CV, mech corps 25+.

[Stelteck]

the moment a soviet tank corps finally worth a german panzer division [&o]

[EwaldvonKleist]

ORIGINAL: timmyab

I notice that your truck pool is quite low compared to requirement. Do you observe some adverse effect because of it ?

MPs are on the low side. Not too bad though.
CVs seem about normal. In my opinion this should be affected by truck shortages (low ammo) but isn't.

Very interesting. 15 CV for a tank corps is awesome !! I hope to have it soon.

The CVs here are after movement and combat. Guards tank corps can exceed 20 CV, mech corps 25+.

CVs seem about normal. In my opinion this should be affected by truck shortages (low ammo) but isn't.

But despite the shortages the AMMO levels seem to be fine? You say the screenshots are after combat, and still the Ammo level is 75-100%?

[timmyab]

The truck shortages will get worse in February. Over 100k short by the end I think. CVs were still fine though.

[timmyab]

Turn 138

1st tank army reaches the outskirts of Velikie Luki. It is only prevented from taking the city by troops hastily assembled from a local fortress unit.

A crossing of the Dnieper to the South of Mogilev suddenly looks like a possibility. Unfortunitely most of Western Front's cavalry is still heading towards Kiev. This week they receive orders to turn NW towards Gomel. The now fully operational 7th tank army can assist and two guards rifle corps are on their way to reinforce the offensive.

One more German infantry division is in the bag this week.

[timmyab]

Bagramyan's 61st army captures Dnepropetrovsk and claims the honour of being the first unit to cross the Dnieper.

[timmyab]

Turn 139

German armor including an ss division counterattack 1st tank army East of VL.

[timmyab]

Two guards rifle corps de-train West of Bryansk and Western front units slowly begin to make their way up from the South.

The race for the Dnieper is going to be close with only seven weeks of the Winter remaining and Western Front still out of position.

[Sardaukar]

Your vehicle pool makes me cringe...[8D] Does it hurt your operations?

[timmyab]

Surprisingly little. MPs are down a bit but that's unavoidable during a large scale Winter offensive.

[bigbaba]

i realy like your fast switching the tank armies from weakspot to weakspot. gives the enemy little time to react until you strike and achieve a breakthrough.