Simulating tactics

[Carl G. E. von Mannerheim]

Im not sure if the game at this point displayed each countries tactics. For some player countrolled countries its easy to recreat (Blitzkreig) but when you declare war on russia their infantry is still too strong. When the germans invaded they still used large scale frontal assaults.Against german machineguns(killer rabbits)lol. Does it simulate the french tendancy to stick to the roads?

[ June 29, 2002, 09:11 PM: Message edited by: Carl Von Mannerheim ]

[Carl G. E. von Mannerheim]

Somenody reply, i;d like to know your thoughts

[Stalin's Organ]

I think your examples are way beow teh scale of SC, and also are stereotypical rather than factual.

There's plenty of evidence that Soviet infantry in 1941 were brave adn tactically skilled - they just couldn't march as fast as panzers could drive and couldn't fight when they weer surrounded - much like, say, the german 6th army at Stalingrad.

russian armour similarly was occasionally skillfully handled.

And since there are no roads and France is a fairly small area anyway (comepared to say Russia in hte game!!) I'm not sure what you'd achieve by simulating any perceived reluctance to move off-road (which IMO all armies had wherever thre weer roads to move on!).

Nah - sorry, the effcts are unsubstantiated myths rather than anything real AFAIK.

[Carl G. E. von Mannerheim]

Stereotypical, perhaps to some. But their is method to my madness, you make a good point on an army functioning while surrounded, but with the intiatial onset of operation barbarossa, the red army still did use the frontal assault. And to my comment on the french, its written in books that one of the reasons the french and british were so taken by the germans in belgium following the invasion, was that they were stuck in a "trafficjam" if you will on the belgian roads that were clogged with refugees, i now this may not fit the scale of game. I know we all want that game to come out as soon as possible, i do too, i dont think my comments will slow the release of this eagerly anticipated game.

[Stalin's Organ]

Hmmm....well I think you'll find that teh problem was the refugees, not an over-reliance on roads.

all armies of the era relied on roads where there were any. Mot German artillery was horse-drawn, for example, and going any significant distance off-road wasn't an option!

where there were not roads all armies slowed down, unless they were completely mechanised.

In some cases the unimproved landscape was flat enough and hard enough so roads weer not such a requirement (parts of the desert and steppe), but they were exceptions.

Russians did not solely use frontal attacks either. and when they did it was generally because the troops were hastily mobilised reserves with little training and inexperienced commanders.

Most of the reasonably trained Russian "regulars" were sewn up in surrender pockets in het firs t6 mths of the war, so their replacements made do with whatever leadership and training they could get - which was often inadequate.

In SC I think this is reasonably well simulated by the Sov's raising lots of Corps rather than armies when first invaded. To my way of thinking the Russian Corps can be thought of as about army sized but under-equipped and hastily trained - hence cheap. But consequently not as effective.