Monwar

[The first few posts may seem incoherent as I pasted them from MZO. For pix go to http://central.masterzen.net/index.php?showtopic=2124&st=0entry46456. Brad, you're forbidden from reading this . Those who wants to play Jaegermeister without a spoiler should also not read this. Ok then, let's enjoy!! I'd try to give you a description of the battlefield in subsequent posts.] SPOILER WARNING * * * * * I WARNED YOU!! Yeah, this is a live AAR! Brad, you are forbidden from seeing this thread . I know you're too honest to do that. We're already nearly half way through the game. Turn 14-15 I think. Brad lost 4 tanks in the first right slope and is now coming through the centre with 9 tanks. Opposing him is 1 Panther G with 1 AT gun and 2 more Panther G's and a Tiger is en route to defend. Let's hope I can hold it! The four wrecked Ivan tanks! Never mess with Deutsche optics pal! One IS-2 did hit a Panther but it survived, losing it's TC. Let's hope these 3 panzers get to reach the defensive positions quickly. I'm in some trouble now. My one Panther and one 75 mm AT gun will have a VERY hard time holding off that many tank. Fortunately one of my tigers (about 800 m away) gets a LOS line to a small portion of the crest slope. May be it can be of help. But I really need these guys to move fast! Hope the tiger at the righmost doesn't bog! Actually in the last screenie you can see those tigers at the right upper part of the map. I have also ordered a pioneer squad with tank hunter and panzerschrek support to take position in the woods and buildings in the lower portion of the last screenie. This is one path the Russian tanks has to follow if they want to enter the town. Otherwise they have to move a long way to the left and that approach is covered too with a platoon of infantry with TH support. Hmm, Brad probably unintentionally gave me some more time. 10 of his tanks and SPGs stopped right at the edge of the crest (methinks he's trying to synchronize their movement). The tanks are coming at quite a broad front. This looks like a tough schwerpunckt. This gives my additional 2 panthers some time to get into defensive positions. Let's see if they can make a difference. If I can foil this attack, Brad is in some trouble and additionally he'll be running out of time. BTW I won't make this AAR picture intensive as I don't have a fast conn. You can expect to get pictures only for the most interesting and potentially decisive events. ORDERS PHASE I didn't plot many orders this turn. Just put cover arcs for the reinforced pioneer squad and adjusted the waypoints for the Panther G's slightly, using a mix of FAST and HUNT. My only problem is that they seem to be a bit too closely positioned. So any shell for one panther might well hit the other. However they're supposed to be hull down so that might save that. And when 3 panthers + my AT gun fire simultaneously that might well wreck some havoc provided the Russian guns take some time to spot me. But well, I will require some good luck, 10 tanks (and prolly IS-2's and ISU-122 and 152's) are gonna be VERY TOUGH to beat! NEXT TURN Well it was... dull! All 10 tanks advanced and 3-4 topped the crest and backed down when they saw my Panthers. One of my Panthers and one of his IS-2's fired one shot each but both missed. All three my Panthers and even one of my two Tigers on the far slope got a red kill line. My 75 mm AT didn't get a kill line. It's LOS is such that the Russian tanks will need to cross the crest to face it's wrath. Seems like Brad is up for some tough decision making soon enough. If he does advance using his numbers, it may well get very bad for him. Or, he may well get lucky... who knows for sure? Well the IS-2 and Panther G from the picture is locked in 1v1 deadly combat. Both are hull down and both probably has ~20% chance to hit each other. No other tanks can get LOS to that area, so should be a good fight. BTW the Panther G is a veteran. SITUATION ANALYSIS – Turn 18 In my right flank, I have got 40 men. They consist of a platoon of Rifle 44 squad, one MG, one tank hunter and one panzerschrek team. In my center flank, I have : 27 men in a Rifle 44 platoon 58 men in a Pioneer 44 platoon 2 MG42 teams (10 men) 2 tank hunter teams (4 men) 1 PzS team (2 men) Totals to 16+85 = 101 men 3 Panther G’s 1 Tiger 1 75 mm ATG In my left flank I have 1 SMG platoon of 29 men 1 MG42 team (6 men) 1 Company HQ (6 men) 1 PzS team (2 men) Totals to 14+29 = 43 men 2 Tigers 1 Panther G 1 75 mm AT gun So my effective fighting force consists of 101+43+40 = 184 men, 7 tanks and 2 ATG’s. The infantry force consists of : One Company HQ Two Rifle 44 Platoons One Pioneer 44 Platoon One SMG Platoon 4 MG42 teams 3 Tank Hunter teams 3 PzS teams It can be called a reinforced company with heavy weapons and some AT support. Its hopes of survival cling on the tank support and close assaults. My tank force consists of : 4 Panther G’s 3 Tiger VIE’s And my ATG’s are 75 mm German guns. The Panther tanks are my best asset. Their strong frontal armor, good optics and great penetrating power sure makes them a great menace for the Ruskies. The Tigers have to be used skillfully. The ATGs can do some real good job if used with this combined arms force. They have nice penetrating power and the optics are good. They’re also well dug in. My far left flank is covered somewhat inadequately. I have noticed some of the OPFOR infantry sneaking in there. My Tigers have got LOS there, but I’m not so sure if they’d be able to stop these infantry. Neither can I shift my infantry there, because I need them where they are and they are dug in well. That might be called a weak point. It was tough for Brad to break in through the left, so he gave up. He lost 4 tanks and I lost none (though one lost it’s TC). It’d be quite tough for Brad to break through to the centre, though I’m still not that sure. A little luck can change a lot. But if his assault fails in the centre, it’d be really tough for him to come in the town. The right flank is not well protected but I believe the infantry there can delay the Russian force sufficiently for my armor to move in. But I must say the right flank is not that strong. The centre covers the right to a great extent, so it should be tough for Brad to move right. My tanks cover his route to the right. Now let’s talk a bit about Brad’s forces. He has got : 14 tanks and SPGs (probably 4 SPGs) At least a company of infantry (I can see 2 platoons) – most of the infantry seems to be still trailing the tanks as all of them are still in the left flank. Brad’s artillery seems to have been exhausted. It did cause some damage and knocked a 76 mm (Russian) German ATG off and panicked one MG42 team. Brad probably will receive some reinforcements on the form of 4 SPGs. The game is still on! None still knows who’s gonna win it!

Hi all, I have a question I wanted to ask for some time. How long do you usually take to play your PBEM turns? In my case it really is variable. I sometimes take 10-20 minutes and sometimes take 2-3 minutes (the average I suppose for me is 5-8 minutes. But I am a new PBEM player (playing for about 2 months now). So it’s not that I always strategize. I sometimes become confused over a single unit’s move for quite a long time and keep hesitating. I read in one of Fionn’s AARs that he gets an overview of the map and what he needs to do next in 1-2 minutes. Then he spends 2-3 minutes placing the orders. That’s really incredible. I guess that comes with experience. For me it isn’t really that easy. Sometimes I ask myself if I’m strategizing or just pretending to. One phenomenon that is nearly completely eliminated now is ‘forgetting’. Initially, when I started my PBEM gaming, I used to ‘forget’ things and would only remember them once the turn movie started to show. But now it just doesn’t happen. I would also take this chance to ask you for tips on how to perceive the overall map situation efficiently and how to plan my moves. Your tips would be most welcome! It’s much more rewarding when you see a well planned turn play out successfully.

The 100 mm gun - it's damn powerful. Why didnt the Soviets used it more? Also, had to say, those German 75 mm guns are DAMN accurate. Is it my bad or are they really very accurate?!

The 100 mm gun - it's damn powerful. Why didnt the Soviets used it more?

Getting in seems to be the real problem. Also, reducing them to rubble makes life tougher. Any tips on factory fighting would be very helpful.

If you notice, there are several icon styles in the scenario list for Soviets. Like: 1. a red star in a black background, 2. then an yellow outlined star in a red background 3. and then a red star with the hammer and sickle emblem (probably for partisans) 4. then an yellow outlined star on a black background So, what does all these icons mean?

Umm, not really, the major ones will do.

I am looking for some good info on the battles fought by the 4th Pz Army and the 12th SS PzGrdr HitlerJugend. Any link will be appreciated. Thx!

Do they represent different machinaries and obstacles normally present inside a factory? Do I get any cover bonus if behind them?

Hi all, I recently played a PBEM in deep snow (Finns vs Ruskies) where the troops got tired VERY fast. I thought it was absurd. But recently I came upon this para from Guy Sajer's 'The Forgotten Soldier' : "Running through snow isn't easy. In less than two minutes one is lathered with sweat, and after twenty it is almost impossible to breathe. Within an hour one's lungs feel bruised by the pressure of one's ribs, and everything is dancing with colored lights. The weather wasn't very cold, and the effects of our gymnastic efforts nearly suffocated us. " Just to share it with you.

Yes, they do target them OK and fire shots at them, but does infantry get killed or even suppressed by the powerful bullets?

Jason, Pls resend your mail to monwar1982@yahoo.com. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Black Max, I would like them too. Addy : monwarhREMOVETHISPORTION@bdonline.com

Excellent work Dorosh. THANK YOU!!

Hey Jason, I sent you a mail, got it?

Also I have heard many times that by 1945 the Soviet army was by far the most disciplined army in the whole world, due to harsh fighting and brutal treatment from army officers. OTOH the US army wasn't as disciplined, but did work well as a unit. But as Andreas said, the laxes in C&C sometimes resulted in operational mishaps. In the case of a US-USSR war, it might well be the deciding factor for a swift victory by the Soviets.

OMGH this is gonna rock wayyyyyyy too much. JasonC is my mentor in many ways even if he doesn't know it. Good luck Jason, and make me proud! AND keep updating this AAR thread!

Thanks for the replies guys. Great posts! All things being said, I would still say that the Soviet confidence was very high and they had a matching force. Also remember they didn't have a very trivial airforce, their planes numbered in the tens of thousands by 1945 (I read somewhere ~30000 planes) whereas the Luftwaffe was easy kill for the allies. Also, the nukes aren't that big a factor as they were in early production stages and building new nukes took quite a long time (~9 months?). The Soviet Union is such a vast nation I think the effect wouldn't have been so harsh as for smaller countries. Remember that they relocated a large part of their industry (nearly as big as several nations' combined) in 1941-43. But yes, for the Soviets to have a victory, the war had to be fast and furios, clean and short, with well defined objectives. In one strike they had to decapacitate the Allied armies (which, though some other posters might disagree, were quite smaller). Otherwise if they let it turn into a battle of attrition it would not be very pleasant for them. But still you can't surely say the Allies would win as the Soviet people has shown extraordinary enduring power.

Hi Fnord, Are you from the Quill, the HOMM fan site?

An excerpt from a TOAOW doc : "[...]Only the defeat of the Red Army would win the war, and with each year that passed, it was an army that would become stronger and stronger until it was largely invincible at the end of the war, the strongest military force on Earth. If Patton had gotten his wish to deal with the Russians at the close of World War II, it is very likely that the Soviet generals would have handed him his head!" In a hypothetical situation, IF the USA kept fighting against the USSR after WW2, what would have happened? IMO, I think the Russians would have won with their 7 million+ infantry, 18000+ tanks (with 4000+ IS 2s, not to mention the IS-3s which would be used) and 200000 arty pieces, but it would have been a great war of attrition vs the US's 5 million soldiers, 10000+ tanks (the pershings and super variants would see much use probably) and comparable number of arty. It would have been a great fight, that's for sure. I think the logistics would support the USSR better as their resource base was closer than the Soviets. Would really like to hear from the grogs.

Hi all, Wasn't there a scenario on the CD which featured a lot of Ferdinands vs the Russians? I have forgotten it's name and can't find it. (I replaced my scenarios with new ones from the Depot and now rearranging them). Can anyone help me with the name?

Targetting off map arty before I see the target and then moving into position, will it help the target time? For example an Italian 104 mm FO doesn't have LOS to a location and will take 7 mins to call fire. But by the next two turns it will surely move into LOS. Will that reduce time?

Thank you very much Kaiser!

I am very interested in knowing all the soldier languages. I mean when the Russians say 'Mashih, mashih', what do they mean(mercy, mercy?). Any links would be appreciated to.

In some of your scenarios I have found out with delight those small unit battles. Right now I'm PBEMing some of them, including the Sapristi. Fun and thx! Can you list some others here?