[WarInEur] The russian front and more of the Mogadishu mile

[Hansen]

Terry wrote:
I proposed a change that gave the Germans an option to advance a single RR
unit
by one hex during each strategic cycle.  (on a dice roll 1=AGN; 2,3 = AGC;
4,5,6
= AGS).  I haven't had chance to try this out yet, but it would at least
give some
uncertainty to how far the German supply will reach.  The average of 2 extra
hexes forwards would mean a bit of a scrap in front of Moscow in 1941.
 
John wrote:
Let me see if I have this idea right. Assuming a 5/3/41 kick off, during the
6/0/41 strategic cycle, a die roll would allow one RR on a rail line
designated for the north, center or south to be advanced an additional hex.
This would happen again on 7/0/41, etc.

My first question would be what about mud or snow strategic turns? I'm not
sure what this would do adding this in, but it might make the winter a bit
more interesting.

Second question is while this would re-draw the ultimate end point for
supply, it wouldn't change the dynamic (except for reaching an objective
like Moscow if you got lucky and received the couple of extra hexes. The
biggest impact would be where the Russian puts down forts in what he thinks
is OOS territory. Other than a couple of strategic areas like Moscow, I
suspect this means that the Russian just cedes a few more hexes before
plopping down his line.

-John


Steve wrote:
The attrition option tends to add one more nail in the coffin of the 
mentioned tactics.

Units tasked under heavy repetitive movement orders tend to pile up 
attrition, wear and tear, so the classical Soviet tactic of cut and run 
is not quite so obviously beneficial.

Units fleeing in front of the Germans are apt to reach the new MLR 
before Moscow in nearly as bad a state as the pursuing Germans.

This is a feature that I am grappling with at the moment. The germans 
are rapidly closing the moscow outskirts, and although pretty weak, are 
faced with exhausted retreating units, and green, newly formed reserves, 
in no state to trash the german drive.

This holds every prospect of enabling the Germans to push out the boat 
and try for the city...and other key areas, not being completely 
crippled as they are oos in the standard games. Time will tell what 
effect this has on the historical feel of the game, but it does lead to 
an interesting new dimension.

-|steve|-

John wrote:
I'm not sure how attrition would change things, though I freely admit that
I'm not familiar with the attrition rules.

Let me summarize how I would see things happening. First, assume that the
initial attack scenario is as stated (All the front line army is destroyed).
The Russian knows with mathematical certainty exactly how far the German's
reach is. Depending on his proclivities, he can start building the line with
a 3-0 fort and a 1-4 garrison at the line where any attack is OOS at the end
of the summer, or he can put in a flexible line of 3x1-4 (so they can't be
overrun) and just step back as the supply moves forward. With attrition, I
think the form a line and sit makes the most sense so that you don't tire
your army out stepping back a hex.

So while these are green troops, they have time to sit while they wait for
the German's to reach their ultimate objectives. And while the soviets are
building themselves up, the Germans are tearing themselves down moving
towards them. The result I suspect is a trade off or slightly to the
advantage to the soviets. 

I don't doubt that the soviets aren't going to counterattack and snip off
the German lead units, but why would they be able to be relatively worse off
with the attrition rules?

-John