How important is Gasoline?

[SeaWolf_48]

I have readed in "Stalingrad to Berlin" the fall of the German Wehrmache in the east, how Germany lost the oil from Romania in Sept 44, and only had oil from Hungury and synthetic fuel made in Germany (about 30% of their needs). They were still producing 3000 fighters a month but unable to train pilots or attack with Panzers because of the shortage of Gasoline. Is there anything in the game now that would reproduce this aspect of shortages in the Axis movement phase? In 44 the Americans tried to bomb Ploiesti several times to destroy the refineries, and their production. If in SC the Allies bombed the oil in Romania would this effect Germany as the Allied leaders felt it would do? If there was a strangle hold on the Third Reich, it was oil. England's choak hold was supplies by convoy, so the US built the Liberty ships, 2700 of them from June 42 thru Dec 44 (three every day), the most of one type of ship ever built. But when the 8th Air Force and Bomber Command put Oil refinning as number one on the list of ten most important industries to destroy in Germany, and destroyed all the refineries in german (they started building refinnig facilities underground) and Russia captured the oil in Romania, it was the end. That happened in Sept 44, and after the small resevers were gone the Wehrmache had on gasoline, Germany had no oil left the last 8 months of the War. The battle of the bulge proves that, many undestroyed german tanks left on the battle field with dry fuel tanks. Part of the reason Hilter attack around Budpest in Dec 44 was that oil refinning facilities in that area were important to the Germans.

Gasoline shortages were the same for the Allies. Not that they did not have enough oil, but because thier armies outran the supply of Gasoline. Both armies, Anglo-American and Russian armies were slowed down in 1944 because of supply shortages, mainly because they couldn't get gasoline to the front lines. Gasoline was shipped from Texas by Tanker Ships to England, where it was transfered by pipeline under the English Channel to Normandy, there it was put into tanker trucks on the 8-ball express to be shipped to the front lines. The American and British Armies had so many vehicles that gas had to be rationed to both armies. Monty wanted it for His drive into Germany, and Patton wanted it to get over the Rhine first. Ike biggest problem was where to put the gasoline rations, north to the Brits 2nd and Ca 1st armies, or south to the American 1st, 3rd, 7th or 1st FF armies.

Russian drives in 44 into the German fronts were never deep because of there lack of gasoline supplies getting to the front formations.

Should this be an important aspect to SC?

[JerseyJohn]

SeaWolf

Exactly! And we aren't faulting Hubert in particular because no wargame ever covers this aspect of reality. Good point to bring up.

Shaka of Carthage had a forum with an idea toward combining Oil and Mineral resouces in defining a nation's potential production. I'm not sure if he also discusses oil in it's role as a vital (at least back then) transportation fuel.

I hope this idea is developed and ends up being adapted into future revisions of SC. It deserves to be.

If oil had a destinct function in unit's movement ability, the whole strategy of the game for both sides would be significantly altered, as you've mentioned in your entry.

[ February 11, 2003, 06:48 PM: Message edited by: JerseyJohn ]

[Shaka of Carthage]

SeaWolf48

You are correct, in that oil is one of the two critical shortages that Germany faced (the other being manpower). Currently SC does not reflect this. As JerseyJohn mentioned, I offered a possible solution for SC (not SCII). Short version being that the current oil wells would produce oil points, and the mines would produce mineral points. Each MPP required a certain number of those "raw materials"... so if you had a shortage, it would have effects. Oil shortage would reduce the supply level of the nation and Mineral shortage would reduce the MPP's you could produce.

This way, the Allies could target the mines or oil wells of the Axis and if they were reduced thru strategic bombing (or captured), could cripple the Axis economy.