Frozen frogs! Stef78 (axis) Stelteck (Russia) - Stelteck welcome

[Telemecus]

ORIGINAL: Mamluke

ORIGINAL: chaos45
The construction BN are an easy pool of manpower if you still have them

the Construction units seam like the easy ones to disband, there is approximately 200 000 German manpower in construction units and that is 1941 alone!
maybe keep like 10 or 20 batt. just in case.

Remember your construction also help digging fortifications - at least did, still do if there are no more bugs or will when they are fixed. If the choice is a combat unit behind lines digging or some construction units helping another onmap unit doing the same they are much more economical.

If you are relying on building a big hard wall in your rear for defence, getting rid of construction is getting rid of your best way of building it.

[Mamluke]

ORIGINAL: Telemecus

ORIGINAL: Mamluke

ORIGINAL: chaos45
The construction BN are an easy pool of manpower if you still have them

the Construction units seam like the easy ones to disband, there is approximately 200 000 German manpower in construction units and that is 1941 alone!
maybe keep like 10 or 20 batt. just in case.

Remember your construction also help digging fortifications - at least did, still do if there are no more bugs or will when they are fixed. If the choice is a combat unit behind lines digging or some construction units helping another onmap unit doing the same they are much more economical.

If you are relying on building a big hard wall in your rear for defence, getting rid of construction is getting rid of your best way of building it.

But Construction Battalions have crappy construction values (lol irony) and unlike most Soviet rifle divisions, almost all German infantry can reliably build up forts.
much better to have that manpower in the Infantry division.

[Telemecus]

ORIGINAL: Mamluke

ORIGINAL: Telemecus

ORIGINAL: Mamluke

the Construction units seam like the easy ones to disband, there is approximately 200 000 German manpower in construction units and that is 1941 alone!
maybe keep like 10 or 20 batt. just in case.

Remember your construction also help digging fortifications - at least did, still do if there are no more bugs or will when they are fixed. If the choice is a combat unit behind lines digging or some construction units helping another onmap unit doing the same they are much more economical.

If you are relying on building a big hard wall in your rear for defence, getting rid of construction is getting rid of your best way of building it.

But Construction Battalions have crappy construction values (lol irony) and unlike most Soviet rifle divisions, almost all German infantry can reliably build up forts.
much better to have that manpower in the Infantry division.

Yes ultimately it is a choice of where your priorities are. And they may not even be digging a hard defence.

Ultimately a construction value is only one side of the coin. The other side is what you pay for it. A trained up high morale and experience combat unit needing supply and vehicles not being used on a frontline. Or a cheap low needs labour unit which can consist of many HiWis and does not need arms, training or experience. The ratio of bangs for your buck?

TBH this was more aimed at people who though construction only repaired rails and did not do fortification If you are aware of it and make choices accordingly then you are probably right. You may be bringing units back to the rear for refitting or reconditioning, or to save on supplies and vehicles, anyway. If so you can use them for help in constuction as well. The question after that is do you want your manpower in frontline combat or in rear digging - and if the latter they may not be best in combat units.

[STEF78]

... thanks for all these good ideas.

I still have my FBD's as russian partisans are very active. I will also keep my construction battalions as fast digging is an absolute necessity.

But I will adjust some TOE for support units.

[chaos45]

A long time ago I played some of the latewar scenarios, and you can milk a surprising amount of replacements out of disbands to replace your frontline infantry. Even alot of support unit BN can prolly go in trash bin to provide infantry for your frontline divisions as some are of less than stellar use. Also as your frontline condenses might even trash some of your lowest morale infantry units to provide replacements to your good units.

Just some throughts....I would lean towards junk BNs like bicycles an such first, lower artillery/flak ToE some, disband some construction guys...esp the FDB units as in the retreat you really shouldnt need them esp if you have like 20 construction units sitting in Army Group HQ/OKH. Also you prolly have airfields you dont need as I think even with all the changes they did you can disband them in 1944 or some such...I know they added limits on disbanded them in one of the million patches tho lol.

Security divisions are another easy get rid of source of manpower as you retreat. Plus ToEs down on your HQs if you havent done that yet 91% should still give you really good roll chances.

[Stelteck]

Some data from soviet side.



Very difficult time for the soviet currently as the german defense is very well entrenched behind river.

[STEF78]

ORIGINAL: Stelteck

Some data from soviet side.

.../...

Very difficult time for the soviet currently as the german defense is very well entrenched behind river.

I do my best! [;)] ... but I'm really concerned with the strength of russian mobile units... even if some of them aren't at full TOE. Did they get some losses?[:D]

[STEF78]

At the moment I'm facing another problem.

OKH is sending west/disbanding some of my usual inf divs... and i'm receiving Volksgrenadiere Divs. They are half the value of a normal inf div.

SMG squads are lacking of an MG42...

[BrianG]

so many tank corp and NOT one Guards tank army.

btw very impressed with the shear # of corp

[Stelteck]

ORIGINAL: BrianG

so many tank corp and NOT one Guards tank army.

btw very impressed with the shear # of corp

Having elite troops is so bourgeois.

[M60A3TTS]

ORIGINAL: Stelteck

ORIGINAL: BrianG

so many tank corp and NOT one Guards tank army.

btw very impressed with the shear # of corp

Having elite troops is so bourgeois.

Napoleon didn't seem to have a problem with his old guard.

[chaos45]

they should prolly have a LMG and as well why so SMG....do they not have assault rifles in the weapon listings? as I would think the 1944 units would have more Assault rifles than SMG by ToE for latewar ehh im bored might open the game and take a look lol.

[chaos45]

so ya from looking at Late war german divisions and historical ToE....I think this might be a mistake in OOB.

Those squads should still retain their LMG...in all honesty it looks like just crap ToE made up.....alot of things in this game were just made up and have been slowly getting fixed over the years to real ToE/OOB.

When I looked is also an issue with the panzergrendier and motorized rifle squads never really updating to assault rifles...they do 1 Assault rifle per squad in their LW form.....should prolly be at least 2-3 a couple rifles and then LMGs for really late war organization of those units.

[HardLuckYetAgain]

ORIGINAL: M60A3TTS

ORIGINAL: Stelteck

ORIGINAL: BrianG

so many tank corp and NOT one Guards tank army.

btw very impressed with the shear # of corp

Having elite troops is so bourgeois.

Napoleon didn't seem to have a problem with his old guard.

Do you know how many times he put into battle the "Old Guard"??? By the way I am not referencing the "Young Guard" but the "Old Guard". Does anyone know without looking it up?

[STEF78]

Turn 161, 13th july 1944

Some interesting informations this week:

1) Leningrad is safe! stelteck has given up and the majority of the units trying to take the city are heading South. Not sure if Joe Stalin would have allowed such a decision.
But for me it means 40VP's per week...



2) AFV losses aren't unsignificant for the soviets. Rifle corps will do the job in the landbridge while some tank corps are working north of Vitebsk and the others refiting



3) The Dniepr line South of Kiev is an headache for the russian player.
No success in Cherkassy or Kremenchug



The Dniepr is crossed in the South but immediate counterattack is ordered. Line is restored.



And the OOB, russian AFV pool is suffering

[Telemecus]

ORIGINAL: HardLuckYetAgain

ORIGINAL: M60A3TTS

ORIGINAL: Stelteck




Having elite troops is so bourgeois.

Napoleon didn't seem to have a problem with his old guard.

Do you know how many times he put into battle the "Old Guard"??? By the way I am not referencing the "Young Guard" but the "Old Guard". Does anyone know without looking it up?

Not that much - but their presence was always felt and when they were they often made the difference. It is a bit like the old Roman republic Triarii - they were the emergency last line which meant you could take risks elsewhere with others. A bit like the cold war, the whole point was so you would not have to use them.

[HardLuckYetAgain]

Sorry, posted by accident.

[STEF78]

Turn 162, 20th july 1944

A view of the battle north of lake Ladoga. My line is fine at the moment.



Pressure is increasing north of Riga, a unit is trapped and rescued



The battle for the landbridge has begun.

1) Russians try to cross the river north of Vitebsk, without success



2)Dniepr is crossed South of Orsha.



3) Strong counterattacks and heavy AFV losses.



Some russian attempts on the lower Dniepr



The losses: too heavy manpower losses on the axes side, average russian's AFV losses

[STEF78]

Turn 163, 27th july 1944

Money time!

Stelteck has launched a major offensive on the landbridge. More than 6 divs, including 3 Pzd are surrounded.

My line was very strong but he managed to launch up to 6 attacks against the same point. You can see the defensive Cv's of the russian stacks:
- 32, 21, 14 for the external circle
- X, 43, 59, 55 for the internal circle

Well done!



Fortunatly, the strength of red army in this area was so obvious that I sent some reinforcements South east of Minsk, including, GD.

2 objectives for me:
- free the surrounded units
- inflict the maximum of losses to the russian. Due to the mechanics of WITE, It requires to avoid routing and cause retreat through as much ZOc's as possible.

Both results are achieved and damages are impressive



Other parts of the front aren't quiet. for example, the fights near Riga



And in the South



And the losses, very heavy on both sides but russians AFV suffer.

[BrianG]

Very impressive counterattack.

Those are huge Russian tank losses.