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Sublime

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Posts posted by Sublime

    STUGGED UP AGAIN

    in Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin

    Posted

    Germany did not really have utter Surprise in their favour either. Glantz in Stumbling Colossus points out that the Red army was under going rapid growth and expansion in a direct response to growing German military power. Stalin is said to have believed that the German Onslaught would come in 1942.

    Zhukov had created and sent to general staff proposals to undertake a pre-emptive strike on the understanding that a German attack was coming. For instance a plan prepared by Vasilevsky in the summer of 1940 posited an attack by 270 inf divs from Germany, Italy, Finland, Rumania and maybe Hungary (by september he'd even factored in an attack by Japan). The biggest problem was Stalin, he would not read the indicators (intelligence) although a "creep up to war" between April and 22 June 1941 was allowed and carried out by the western military districts to be finished in early 1942. The Soviets knew the Germans would be coming, they just did not know when.

    Battle hardened Germans? Many of the units used in Normandy and France in general; lacked training, motorisation and ammunition/fuel, quite similar to the conditions faced by the Red army in 1941. Again similar to the situation in 1941 the Germans in 1944 lacked air supremacy and faced a paralysed command structure= 'No sorry Hitler is asleep.' No don't shift the 15 armee, Normandy is just a feint.' I think that broad generalisation between the two campaigns are very apt.

    The Soviet military of 1941 did not have to fill out their units with 17 year olds, over aged miners, Foot/mouth and stomach invalids or volunteers from the POW camps. Big difference is in the level of defeat faced by the Germans in Normandy versus the pretty near complete annihilation of the Soviet Pre war Military in the West.

    The Panzer Divs were facing the British because the Caen area was considered by both sides to be "good" tank country (These are the western front battles with Panthers/StuGs/Jadgpanzers clocking kills at 1500m and above). This is one of the reasons why the Germans did not undertake sowing the area with mines(They wanted freedom of manoeuvre for their own AFVs).

    The British in '44 just like the Germans in '41 brought numerical superiority and months of planning, you know the Western allies had been running with the French invasion idea for a bit of time by then.

    Normandy

    Allies= 2,052,299 men

    Axis= no more than 380,000 men at it's height.

    Hitler had been running his own "officer purge" since the failure to take Moscow as well= headless General staff, the suspicious death of Molders after his anti Nazi statements and refusal to continue wearing Nazi paraphernalia(His EKs) Sacking of Corps and Div Genrals and the increasing personal involvement of Hitler at all levels of the military. This only accelerated after the bomb plot.

    Alright.... Well in response to this... I gotta admit you mostly got me.. Hitler had purged a lot of the officers, but not anywhere near the scale the Soviets had.. True. Also you pointed out 'the fuhrer is sleeping' argument and the decision not to shift forces from Calais. While not as chaotic or as badly disorganized as the Red Army command in control in 1941, you do have a very good point in that. But how about the fluid nature of Barbarossa compared to the relative lack of fluidity, just a slow grinding advance by the Brits in '44? The Germans had a lot of ****ty soldiers by 1944 too, in fact a whole lot... And many of their best were already dead, but they also had some excellent units in Normandy at the time. 12th SS Hitlerjugend did admirably, 352nd Inf. did well (though they fought the Americans off Omaha etc... )

    Several notable personalities were involved as well including the famed Michael Wittman.

    But true the German Army had already advanced very far in its disintegration by that point. What about this though, a major difference between the German defense in Normandy and the Soviet Defense in general in 41 is the airpower. The Germans had superiority/supremacy in 1941 over Russia, but nowhere near the level of supremacy the Western Allies had achieved in 1944, where in essence movement of troops during daylight hours was near impossible, at least on a scale larger than a company, or a platoon if with vehicles. (ok not all the time but even if the planes werent there the fear was prohibiting movement as well) and what about the road networks and terrain in Normandy? Well built up areas, *paved roads* ;) .... Russia was nowhere near this. But again I digress... Im not trying to argue with you or get in a flame match with you, and all your statements so far have shown a familiarity with this that I can only be refreshed by on this forum. And your last post made several points I didnt think of. I still think in the end the operational/strategic situation can have a significant affect on kill rates. Especially in situations like Stalingrad where the troops are starving, surrounded and low on ammo. But I believe using Stalingrad would be going to an extreme, so just enivsion a typical German armored division that has broken through behind Soviet lines in June/July 41. They would be much more likely to achieve kills, especially if they had a fast paced advance, simply because many would not be expecting them, and they would come upon many non combat units (hence easy pickings) and troops not yet ready (by supplies, training, or otherwise) for battle... Anyways Im going to bed, take care, write me an interestin 1 for me to read tomorrow, and goodnight

    Sublime

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    STUGGED UP AGAIN

    in Combat Mission: Barbarossa to Berlin

    Posted

    Bastables, your post had many good points in it, and it certainly is true that success on the battlefield doesnt have everything to do with kill ratios *most of the time* (i.e. Erich Hartmann and several other famous German fliers are still highest rated in kills in the entire world) Yet, I think your comparison with the 1941 German offensive and the British campaign in Normandy is flawed. Jasonc got his comments on it right, also the 1941 campaign was at the time one of the fastest flowing, and certainly the largest campaign ever. The Russians took staggering losses, the Germans had numerical superiority in almost all attacks, air *supremacy* months of planning, and a Russian army that had been gutted of its best and brightest. All of these aspects and many more *certainly* had an affect on the kill ratios. Also the British campaign in Normandy was criticized by the Americans as going very poorly and not making much progress at all. Which is true, the British certainly did get anywhere near their timetable. (then again neither did the Americans) The terrain was different, it was later in the war, and they were fighting battle hardened Germans. Also the British did not really have *strategic suprise*. You could say Overlord was strategic suprise but I place it more on the operational level myself as the Axis and Allies were already at war. In 1941 Germany and Russia started off as everything but allies...

    Sublime

    replies welcome

    (dons asbestos suit *cough cough*)

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    World War 2 Novels

    in Combat Mission Archive #3 (2001)

    Posted

    I just read Sands of Sakkara (Glenn Mead) - good read except for a couple unforgivable mistakes/typos.......... on one page he talks of the German '5th' Army surrendering at Stalingrad .. *Gasp*

    But anyways, was wondering if anyone had any good fiction references on Vietnam/Korea/WW2/WW1?

    Anything Eastern Front in WW2 is good.. armor novels (Sherman crew book I heard about somewhere... anyone got a name?)

    for anyone wanting a great infantry book on Vietnam read the 13th Valley

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    How do you capture enemies?

    in Combat Mission Archive #4 (2002)

    Posted

    You cant specifically capture people, usually enemy units of lower quality when pinned down or really torn up will surrender if your men get close in.. Specific squad type weapons such as Panzerfausts, Gammon Bombs, Rifle Grenades, satchel charges, and even regular grenades are used by the squad at their own will. Engineers don't blow up bridges in Combat Mission, though I'm pretty sure you can have tanks or guns target them.

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    The length of battles, were they really this short?

    in Combat Mission Archive #2 (2000)

    Posted

    Closing With the Enemy

    Michael D. Doubler

    Chapter 4 Battles of Buildings and Cobblestones, page 105:

    "The Actual capture of a village took only about an hour, but commanders needed several hours to coordinate artillery, mortar, tank, TD and infantry fire support and to brief their troops."

    I think the time frame in CM is about correct, CM isnt modelling an entire battle or anything, its modelling a small tactical part of the battle.. i.e. The Assault on the small village of Plomville in Valley of Trouble back in the gold demo days...

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    New scenario available

    in Combat Mission Archive #4 (2002)

    Posted

    Hey dumbo good job! I played it last night as the Germans.. the Germans suprise was a good touch and it saved the battle for me, fairly tough fight and i love the map put together and the force balance was really good.. though i think the British may be a bit weak...

    Only problem I noticed was the squad specific names in the briefing? I knew which squads you were talking about by location, but I think the squads you chose in making it had one set of names, then the game randomized them or something whenever someone else plays...?

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    Punching a Hole in the Wall (Siegfried Line/Westwall Op) AAR *SPOILER*

    in Combat Mission Archive #4 (2002)

    Posted

    I played as germans, full fog of war, default scenario setup, no advantages either side.. on the first day I lost the town you were supposed to defend, both panthers and a bunch of pillboxes. I knocked out at least 10 allied tanks and killed many infantry though. That night I pulled back into defensive positions near the main town, and used one of the reinforcing squads with a STuG to attack into the town, I took the last three buildings in the town and held them.. no casualties.. The second day the Americans assaulted again, but with fire support from a 120mm mortar spotter, and bravery of my squads we held out, and destroyed several tanks and halftracks. Lost a stug though. That night Many reinforcements came in like Wespes and infantry, and I managed to infiltrate my infantry into the town I had lost during the first day.. the Allies didnt even know I was in until a Stug I had advanced up to a crossroads started firing into the rears of some Ami troops. They assaulted the town but didnt get anywhere and 105mm fire pounded their troops in the woods. No casualties..

    On the next day, I massed all my armor including the new Mk IV's and the Tiger i received and launched a general attack. Over the course of the battle I lost most of my tanks including my Tiger, 2 Mk IV's, a Stug, and my Jagdpanther.. But I also crippled the Amis destroying the very last of their Armor and forcing their infantry into a pocket... They shortly thereafter surrendered...

    Allies

    301 Casualties (140 KIA)

    1 Captured

    3 Mortars Destroyed

    41 vehicles knocked out

    Men Ok:110

    Axis

    72 Casualties (29 KIA)

    8 pillboxes knocked out

    11 Vehicles knocked out

    Men ok: 295

    Axis Total Victory

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