[WarInEur] RE: WarInEur Digest, Vol 39, Issue 11

[Chuck Sutherland]

Wardall Clark wrote:
>
> NOTE for Chuck Sutherland:  I blew the detail. The ZOC of the back 
> line 1-4 prevents Overrun by an OOS unit.  However, My10-8 commanders 
> use Spare Movement points to
> get back into Supply whenever possible so your proposed defense line 
> needs to be three
> hexes further out of Axis supply than you orginally may have planned. 
>    Also the line you describe should have no gaps for precombat 
> pentrations. If it is solid then the Multiple hex combat Kent points 
> out would take place.  If it has gaps then I will target the 2nd line 
> unit with combat along . Take my loss and move into the hex. In the 
> Mech phase I overrun other  frontline unitls no longer 
> protected, which may now make the back line vulnerable.  Furthermore, 
> If Greg gets the simultaneous Overrun procedure working then the ZOC 
> of side by side units would no longer protect both from overruns
>  
> As I work hard to get MSUs in front of the Rail Heads by the 3rd Mech 
> Phase, Your temporary line is going to need to be mighty deep into 
> Russia mighty early in the game. Such a Stategy of limiting German 
> Casualties is probably not the best idea given the new attrition 
> option , but
> I must say that FOG of War makes it especially attractive in forested 
> areas.  

1-4 oos defense begins at 7mp from max supply range. 7-10 and a 6-10 in 
supply can go 6mp and overrun, 6+2zoc+2 overrun in clear terrain. Of 
course the 10mp units can go zone to zone so you have to watch out for 
them if optional units are in play. 5 mp range for mech units to keep 
from getting overrun. Of course you can shorten that distance by using 3 
strength points in the first hex but that defeats the idea behind the 
defense as those 3 units will get OOS attacked.

As for surrounding units, not going to happen since you can only attack 
the front unit in a every other hex defense and depending on how you 
place them you can stop any surrounding.

And for depth into Russia, city loss is not the issue for the Russians, 
its net manpower loss. If I take a ton of losses saving Lenningrad, I 
may actually lose the game because of my limited production ability to 
replace those losses. If I give up Lenningrad and even Moscow but save 
the army then I free up production to build out 5-5 and 8-6 for defense 
and then later attack. Its the army losses that kill the russians, not 
city losses.

Yeah collapse has to be avoided and I would use up some of my armor 3-5 
or 2-5 and a 1-3/1-4 to stop cities from being lost to soon but once the 
collapse time line is done its get out with everything you can. I've 
played a game where we did not use severe weather, but fog or war and I 
lost Lenningrad, Moscow and Vorenzch in the first summer because he 
attacked at the start of march! By the time of the last turns of summer 
my 4-4 force was being used to defend Rostov! I made smart attacks in 
the winter to bleed him and avoid losses like I did in the summer. 
Giving up territory instead of allowing myself to be bled down. I 
managed to win the game anyway because I had enough left to attack. 
Granted he made mistakes in the game like allowing Hungry to be taken 
out during the movement phase and that opened up a huge hole that I 
forced marched into late in 44 to trap about 20-30 divisions of germans 
and kill them.

The point is, its troop losses that kill the russian not city losses! 
The ZOC defense is designed to suffer as little loss as you can even if 
you give up additional land to do so.