RE: T17, sneaking up on Bryansk (Full Version)

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larryfulkerson -> RE: T17, sneaking up on Bryansk (6/22/2020 1:17:35 AM)

Just after 07:00 at the Foggy Bottom Barracks in Washington DC 39-year veteran of the Army Sgt Major Brown is inspecting the 7th Inf Color Guard Platoon. He stops in front of one of the newer members of the platoon and asks:

"Private Jenks, there is a member of our species that is intent on using asexual reproduction as a viable option. Know who it is?"

Jenks replys immediately: "You know...that sounds a lot like your wife Sgt Major."

The barracks got real quiet. Sgt Major Brown said:
"This inspection is over."

And he turned to his staff and made motions with his hands, the sign: "pull the chocks" and he and his staff left.



larryfulkerson -> RE: T17, sneaking up on Bryansk (6/24/2020 2:03:34 AM)

T19, Kiev
This is what's going on near Kiev right now. I've forced my way across the river in several places and I'm ganging up on the Soviets near the riverbank. They have already started trying to escape my noose and I'm having to scramble to block their path. I'm shipping more troops to the north of Kiev to push east to Orel and Kharkov.
[image]local://upfiles/16287/0B7CC6FA4D2D4156B3964B6FB5CD72A0.jpg[/image]



larryfulkerson -> T20, assaulting Leningrad (6/24/2020 3:31:14 AM)

T20, Leningrad
I've gotten into a position where I can assault the city of Leningrad and I'm optimistic that it will fall this turn. I'm also pushing to the east as hard as my units are able. If I can capture the city that will release the Finns so that they can wonder south and engage the Soviets as well. They will be a welcome addition.
[image]local://upfiles/16287/415B11F76E114EFE8305EDD41D318573.jpg[/image]



larryfulkerson -> RE: T20, assaulting Leningrad (6/24/2020 6:59:25 AM)

T20, Moscow
This is the area just south of the Leningrad area and stretches south to just west of Moscow. This image shows how my front lines are broken and there are gaps and I don't have enough troops present to handle all the Soviet units that are showing up. Elmer must have just received a boat-load of reinforcements or something because more and more Soviet troops are showing up in this area. I'm going to have to rail some more warm bodies into this AO to help out. I've been repairing the rail right up to the front lines so the supply levels are adequate for the advance to continue. The air losses meter says 5 Axis and 135 Soviet and the AS level is 39 Axis and 16 Soviet. About half of my aircraft are resting. I've decided to use 50% as the cutoff point to determine whether or not to rest an aircraft. So reguardless of their color I'm resting them if they are 49% or less in supply.
[image]local://upfiles/16287/268A5A8A19A741F2ACC2278207A5DA29.jpg[/image]



larryfulkerson -> RE: T20, assaulting Leningrad (6/24/2020 7:09:25 AM)

T20, Moscow
This image stretches from Moscow south to Tula and shows how many more troops I have in this area. I'm sneaking up on Moscow and Elmer is railing more and more troops this way. I may have stirred up a hornets nest here. I'm optimistic that more progress will be made from here toward the south extending to Stalino. There's a major river that I will have to force a crossing to get into the depths of Russia, notabily, Stalingrad. That's my next long-term goal: to capture Stalingrad before the winter weather prevents such a feat.
[image]local://upfiles/16287/E02E01A18D264BD5BB3D85DEA4289A67.jpg[/image]



larryfulkerson -> RE: T20, assaulting Leningrad (6/24/2020 7:14:56 AM)

T20, Kiev
This image shows what's going on near Kiev now. You see the line of Soviet units stretching from the riverbank to the east. Elmer is trying to escape his units before I can kill them. I have forces advancing from the south of this image and a lot of my units are headed east to cover as much terrain as possible before the advance has to stop for the winter or low supply levels whichever occurs first.
[image]local://upfiles/16287/ABAF365C87B5406DA395E5EE347C8A1F.jpg[/image]



larryfulkerson -> RE: T20, assaulting Leningrad (6/24/2020 7:26:13 AM)

T20, Stalino
Here's what's going on in the deep south. The Romanians are breaking into the Crimea and surrounding Sevastopol and the forces here are fighting for the crossings over the river. It's the 27th of August '41 so we're into the fall of the year and bad weather will be here soon and I'd like to get as far east as I can before the mud season.
[image]local://upfiles/16287/DC51CFDE146647F8AC1A306E89F7D5A4.jpg[/image]



larryfulkerson -> RE: T20, assaulting Leningrad (6/24/2020 4:53:17 PM)

T20, Odessa
Here's what's going on in Odessa now. Everybody else has moved on to the Crimea and I've been bombarding and probing and I've got a few hexes to go yet before I can clear out this nest of Soviet units.

I've been listening to Devi Prayer for a while now. It's calming.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ma5NJ3ucV4M

[image]local://upfiles/16287/645B626E740C4F02965094F1B541D31F.jpg[/image]



larryfulkerson -> RE: T20, assaulting Leningrad (6/24/2020 5:02:48 PM)

T20, Sevastopol
This is the face of war in the Sevastopol area right now. I'm going to try to surround the city before I start my serious assaults. I saw some Soviet ships parked around the waters near the city, at least three of them so I need to find 'em and sink 'em. It's too early to tell how long it will take to capture Sevastopol but I hope I can do it before 04Dec41 so I can release the Bulgarians from garrison mode.
[image]local://upfiles/16287/4AE571D5ACB549869349377765CF6BC7.jpg[/image]



larryfulkerson -> RE: T20, capturing Stalino (6/24/2020 10:25:52 PM)

T20, Stalino
This image shows the shape of the front lines right now. It illustrates where the most progress is being made. Supply levels are adequate for the advance and I've captured at least one crossing over the river so the future looks bright for a little while at least. There's lots of gaps that the Soviets could drive through but so far I've been able to hold them back. Even push a little bit each turn.
[image]local://upfiles/16287/59C715861E4C4F0BA1984E4AA1E64B6D.jpg[/image]



atheory -> RE: T20, capturing Stalino (6/25/2020 1:32:04 AM)

I've been playing your modded scenario, currently on my 3rd restart, reaching turns 50 and 60 with the previous two games. I'm enjoying the added supply capability, but I do feel it is a bit over powered in its current state. I'm curious if you feel the same way, or if that is by design. With that the case as it is, you can probably shorten the time to complete a turn by just removing the need to repair rails. Since its relatively easy to keep pace with the front lines anyway, why bother with broken rails. Maybe just reduce supply from supply sources instead. The stock bau troops are always kept in the rear until about turn 25 or so when their rail repair crews aren't competing with all the ones in the HQs and security units, to finish repairing the small odds and ends left in the rear.

Also, did you intend for the little MP units of AGN to have rail repair capability and not the ones in AGC and AGS?

The Bulgarian units do not start the scenario fixed, but I do not move them until Sevastopol falls, which I can accomplish by turns 44-46

Your overall pace seems to be speedier than mine, but my tendency by default is to be cautious. By winter my front line stretches from Kerch (owning the Crimea), to Rostov, to Kharkov, to Orel/Bryansk (I do a dash to capture Tula, then withdraw back to Orel), to the river east of Lenningrad (capturing Lenningrad). I have yet to be able to take Kalanin before winter.

Overall, the early blitz turns have a similar feel to playing a WITE game as the Germans. I don't know if that is to suggest it to be good or bad, but simply that it's enjoyable for me.

If the editor wasn't so clunky to me, I would edit a version of the scenario. I applaud your efforts.

Sincerely
Atheory



larryfulkerson -> RE: T20, capturing Stalino (6/25/2020 2:34:54 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: atheory
I've been playing your modded scenario, currently on my 3rd restart, reaching turns 50 and 60 with the previous two games. I'm enjoying the added supply capability, but I do feel it is a bit over powered in its current state. I'm curious if you feel the same way, or if that is by design. With that the case as it is, you can probably shorten the time to complete a turn by just removing the need to repair rails. Since its relatively easy to keep pace with the front lines anyway, why bother with broken rails. Maybe just reduce supply from supply sources instead. The stock bau troops are always kept in the rear until about turn 25 or so when their rail repair crews aren't competing with all the ones in the HQs and security units, to finish repairing the small odds and ends left in the rear.

I'm going to have to agree with you. It's now too easy to repair rails up to the front lines. I'm going to have to taper it down a bit.

quote:

ORIGINAL: atheory
Also, did you intend for the little MP units of AGN to have rail repair capability and not the ones in AGC and AGS?

When I got through converting all the AGN MP units I had second thoughts about adding any RR repair cap. at all to the MP units and decided to forego them on the rest of the MP's. I need to deduct it from the AGN MP units next time I mod the scenario.

quote:

ORIGINAL: atheory
The Bulgarian units do not start the scenario fixed, but I do not move them until Sevastopol falls, which I can accomplish by turns 44-46

Another thing I need to fix next time I mod this thing.

quote:

ORIGINAL: atheory
Your overall pace seems to be speedier than mine, but my tendency by default is to be cautious. By winter my front line stretches from Kerch (owning the Crimea), to Rostov, to Kharkov, to Orel/Bryansk (I do a dash to capture Tula, then withdraw back to Orel), to the river east of Lenningrad (capturing Lenningrad). I have yet to be able to take Kalanin before winter.

Wow. I think my current game sees me making more progress than any previous game but I don't think I've done what you've accomplished. Way to go.

quote:

ORIGINAL: atheory
Overall, the early blitz turns have a similar feel to playing a WITE game as the Germans. I don't know if that is to suggest it to be good or bad, but simply that it's enjoyable for me.

The early turns as the Axis is my favorite part of the entire game.

quote:

ORIGINAL: atheory
If the editor wasn't so clunky to me, I would edit a version of the scenario. I applaud your efforts.

Go ahead and dive in. Do something simple at first. Explore the editor and see if you can make heads or tails out of it. Maybe study an existing scenario to see how the events are linked together. It's fun once you get over the learning curve.



larryfulkerson -> RE: T22 running east from Stalino (6/26/2020 1:29:16 AM)

T22, Stalino
After the capture of Stalino it seemed like the Soviets backed themselves east to the river and built a rude MLR there. I'm assaulting it as fast as my units can go since the supply levels are excellent and a lot of rapid progress was made in previous turns but now it appears that the Soviets have good odds on stopping me cold at the river. I've been shooting the recon units way out front and it appears that I may have captured one crossing if I can hold onto it during the Soviet half of the turn. That will expedite forces heading east from here. Stalingrad is still a long way off to the east but it's only early September so there may be enough time to perhaps capture Stalingrad before the terrible winter weather sets in. It's worth a try because holding the city will go a long way to helping the Axis find shelter during the worst of the blizzards.

Quick Question:
I was in the USAF and never saw any action on the ground so I'm the last person to answer this question: Did the Germans and Soviets ever call an official truce because of the weather? [I understand that they did to gather up their dead and wounded to get them out of harm's way.] I'll bet it worked out such that to attack in such weather would engarner more risk than normal and it would be appropriate to ask for volunteers. So I'm guessing that when the weather turned nasty both sides took the day off. Kind of like an unwritten rule known by both sides.

The Rolling Stones - You Can’t Always Get What You Want (Official Lyric Video):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krxU5Y9lCS8&list=RDYW4dzWE1SUs&index=11

[image]local://upfiles/16287/BB3BFF887331466A9BB2388575660950.jpg[/image]



larryfulkerson -> RE: T22 running east from Stalino (6/26/2020 6:07:39 AM)

T22, Moscow
This is part of the struggle for Moscow. It's only 03Sep41....way too early for the Axis forces to start showing up in the Moscow surburbs. With the adding of the RR engineers to so many units I've made it too easy for the Axis forces. I'm going to mod the scenario again to remove the RR engineers from most of the units and do a re-start.

[image]local://upfiles/16287/362FF7E17474430FBDE91DE8E40CDA75.jpg[/image]



atheory -> RE: T22 running east from Stalino (6/27/2020 7:54:48 PM)

I've dabbled with the editor once or twice, but it was always trying to edit the oob that drained my energy to a point of pure frustration.

As for weather, it wasn't so much the risk of casualties, in fact bad weather tended to decrease the casualty rate in engagements. The risk was the prospect for success itself. Bad weather diminishes the combat capability of units. So on an established front, during a clear day a 3:1 advantage could likely achieve success, bad weather decreases that advantage to 2:1 or even 1:1. To attain additional units so as to make up that loss in advantage meant needing to draw forces away from other parts of the front, which may not be feasible, thus making the decision to not fight in bad weather a predetermined conclusion (usually)



cpt flam -> RE: T22 running east from Stalino (6/28/2020 6:03:52 AM)

Hi Larry,
you'd better follow a bit more scenario notes.
AGN commander would not have lend a corp to Moscow, keeping it for his own advance and denying honors for AGC leader.
From memory, you can't use support units to explore enemy ground from turn 4 or 5 on. [:)]
Effectively your rail conversion is way too fast.
But always interesting to follow you. [&o]



larryfulkerson -> RE: T22 running east from Stalino (6/28/2020 6:05:32 AM)

I hear you. Thanks.



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