Slitherine

This is the typical composition of a Russian cavalry corps:
At the beginning of the war, Red Army Cavalry Corps had 2-3 Cavalry (or mountain cavalry) divisions in each. In the corps was:
Personnel More than 19 000 people

Horse 16 000 horses

Basic weapons and equipment 128 tanks
44 armored cars
64 field, 32 anti-tank and 40 anti-aircraft guns
128 mortars

During the war the battle of the cavalry corps has been significantly strengthened, it began to enter:
3rd Cavalry Division
Self-propelled artillery, anti-tank artillery and anti-aircraft artillery regiments
Guards Mortar Regiment Rocket artillery
Mortar and separate anti-tank battalions.

In some wargames concerning the end of the war (like "Victory Roads", about Bagration operation), soviet cav corps are considered exactly as armor corps (so with many tanks). They are just less powerful than other armor corps but the rules are the same (breakthrough, exploitation, ... ).

Thanks for all you do for GS mod.

There's even a specific military unit symbol for this type of units we're talking about. Mechanized cavalry symbol:

GS has mechanized corps. Those will be well armored late game and perform well all around. They're less powerful against tanks than a true armor corps, but against everything else the mechanized corps is very strong.

So the distinctions between armor, mech, motorised, cavalry and infantry aren't 100%. There could be a discussion whether a unit is this or that. In CEAW armor units tend to be heavy armor units late game while mech units maybe are
more light armor. Still, mech units existed as panzergrenadiers with half tracks and wheeled armored vehicles. In the real war the panzer divisions had different types of tanks. Not all of them consisted of Tiger or Panther tanks. Pz IV was the work horse of the panser divisions beint used right up to the end. A panzer division had a combination of light tanks, medium tanks and heavy tanks. Tactical wargames usually let the panzer divisions consist of regiments or even battalions where the Tigers could be a heavy panzer battalion. So the stack of a panzer division would typically be 2 panzer regiments, 1 motorized regiment and 1 heavy panzer battalion.

Here is a link to how each panzer division was setup at the start of the battle of Kursk in 1943:
http://www.niehorster.org/011_germany/a ... -07-01.htm

The panthers and tigers were added to the panzer divisions as heavy panzer battalions.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_he ... _battalion

In a game like GS we see that with tech upgrades the tank units become heavier and heavier. However the good old tanks from the beginning of the war still got produced (in some upgraded versions). So it becomes wrong to think that tank units were heavy tank units. The heavy components of the new tank types, Tiger, Panther, King Tiger etc. got added to the divisions as independent panzer battalions to give the unit more firepower.

Fortunately the tech upgrades in GS seem to work well and the unit types have roles to play that make each of them worthwhile getting. There are simplifications done to the corps and army units, but they work game wise. That is the main thing. Most wargames do the same thing. We see units getting more firepower through the year without having to make new units. E. g. you can't upgrade a Pz III into a Pz V. You can only do minor modifications to a panzer model. So tanks built couldn't be upgraded that much. You can add Pz V's as NEW tanks to a tank formation as decribed above to increase the firepower. In games we let the image change to the highest level of tanks in the formation even though just a small fraction of the tanks in the formation is of that type.

For regular infantry it was in a way easier to get upgrades because you could just give the soldiers newer and more powerful rifles, machine guns, antitank weapons etc.

What's important is that the addition of mountain, motorised and cavalry units gives the players some variety. E. g. will the Germans have a slightly easier task with 4 motorised corps in Case Yellow than he had before with 2 mechanized corps. The extra mobility of 4 motorised units seems to be worth more than the extra firepower you got from 2 mechanized units. Especially when breaking through the French line moving through ZOC.

Cavalry units are nice to have when the units are on the march. They burn no oil and perform a little bit better in battles against defenders in open terrain, especially against garrison sized units. So the Germans could benefit from getting a few of these for Barbarossa. Russia could return the favor when the tide turns and use cavalry against German units in open terrain.

Mountain units become vital for breaking rough and mountain ranges. E. g. in the Caucasus, Alps or Italian center. So all countries would prefer to have some of those. They are also excellent partisan hunters in Greece and Yugoslavia.

These new units won't be a game changer regarding balance, but you get more options with your builds and variety in combat and that is good.

All these unit types have production limitations similar to armor, mech, air and naval units. So you can't build hordes of them.

Denmark was invaded and conquered by Germany just one turn after the Fall of France. Norway was skipped for now.

Air campaign over England started in early August 1940 (turn 18) and at first it was poorly effective. London PP's suffered little from the couple of Luftwaffe strategic bombers stationed in Germany. This way, and for the sake of gaining some effectiveness, RAF fighters weren't activated until September 1940 (turn 20) when first dogfight combats occurred scoring a 3:3. By that date, London was down to 6 PP's. Then, it came bad weather which implied a temporary stop in operations. An unusual fair weather turn in November 1940 gave Luftwaffe the chance of resuming air attacks with dogfight combats this time favouring Luftwaffe 3:1.

Air operations weren't resumed until fair weather came back again in early February 1941 (turn 27). This time, Luftwaffe strats were quite effective and they dropped London PP's from 7 to 2 in a single turn:



Once London production was heavily downed, only 1 of the strats hit UK capital each turn. Dogfight combats continued anyway, slightly favouring Luftwaffe.

Luftwaffe air operations didn't stop in mid 1941, usual date for launching Barbarossa, but they have spanned all the summer of 1941. This has made that London has not recovered its production since it was much lowered at the start of the year. RAF-Luftwaffe air superiority moves have been frequent, sometimes inflicting heavy losses to each other (dog fight combats followed by direct attacks to air bases).

Just for the record this beta game version is internally called GS v3.20k. We have the final release candidate internally called GS v4.0 just ready for beta testing.

Changes between this GS v3.20k game and GS v4.00 is mainly with leaders.

We have separated command range and quality into two abilities. Command range is shortened to simulate the real range the commanders had in the real war.

Corps commanders have a command range of 0
Army commanders a command range of 1. Panzer group commanders the same
Army group commanders have a command range of 2-3 (some exceptions with 4).
Supreme commanders have a range of 4 or 5 (Eisenhower).
Front commanders have a command range from 1 to 3 dependent upon how many armies the front commanded.

Unit graphics have changed so you can spot the command range of a commander on the counter at zoom level 2 and 3 as a white number within a red circle. The quality is shown as a white number within a blue circle or as the color of the HQ icon itself.

Leaders are also changed so they all arrive for free at a certain game year. The game year is the same when the real leader got his highest rank command.

For example will Germany start with Bock, Leeb, Rundstedt and Reichenau in the 1939. Below you see a screenshot where these leaders are placed.

Bock is in the north with a quality of 5 and command range of 3. Leeb has the same stats in the center. Reichenau has a quality of 6 and command range of 1 also in the center. Rundtstedt is in the south (offmap in the screen shot) with a quality of 5 and command range of 4.

As long as later in the war, Yugoslavia is to be considered part of the Eastern Front, we start here.

Yugoslavia was DoWed after the Vienna Treatys in September 1940 (turn 20) and offered little resistance. Overwhelming Luftwaffe air support with several tac units gave no chance to Yugoslavian army that surrendered in the very following turn.

As you know, it was a late Italian entry at war and so it was the activation of this scenario. Also, Egypt-Irak activation occurred soon, by July 1940 (turn 17).

Italy reinforced only slightly Libya by bringing a corps unit. British sub watched this:



After a not much brilliant Syrian campaign which lasted more than usual, New Zealand unit joined British 8th Army forces that had advanced to Libyan border. Previous air reconnaissance moves allowed to spot a not strong Axis presence around Tobruk. Conditions for a probing attack were met and so it came the assault of British armoured to Italian positions:



Attack counted with intense air support from 2 fighters (carrier unit did a spotting move) and it achieved what it was expected with Italian unit being forced to retreat and ending at 4 steps of strength.

Thanks for the aar.

One question about Mot and Cav : is it possible to transform (or "upgrade") a Inf in Mot or a Mot in Mec as it was done in real war ?

I have read many times that battered corps units were often reconstituted by adding to them fresh new divisions. As long as those divisions could be motorized or even armoured, sometimes the reconstituted corps unit had little to do with the old unit. Let's think that losses sometimes could be really high, so reconstituted units could well have much more of the new stuff than of the old stuff. In some cases, they could be basically a new unit keeping the old name or with a new name. For this reason, I think that current system of purchasing units works well for representing that fact, not to mention the extensive testing that would be required if an upgrading of units system is implemented.

Barbarossa is launched

It's May 13 1941 and Axis nations, Germany, Italy, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania, have declared war to USSR. A strong multinational army have crossed USSR borders and have made a massive attack to Soviet border units. Many of then resulted destroyed whilst many other ended pocketed without supply. Luftwaffe air support was strong with at least 5 tacs and 1 strat providing ground attack . Progress was faster in Lithuania (with Kaunas taken) and Eastern Poland. Soviet army defenses were completely overrun although Brest-Litovsk was not attacked at all:




In Southern sector, Italians took Rovno and a pocket of Soviet units was formed SW of Lvov that was taken by German mobile forces. Both Cernauti and Chisinau held. No attacks on Stalin Line fortifications yet:




Soviet main defensive reply was to strongly reinforce Vinnitsa area. Besides, a defensive line will be formed along the Southern Bug aimed at stopping Axis forces there. In the rest of the front, Red Army mostly made retreats.

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June 2, 1941. Wehrmacht entered and advanced unopposed in Belarus reaching and attacking Minsk. City held (swapping move with the garrison made here on last Allied turn) but it won't be long until is taken by German forces. A little bit north, Germans entered Latvia taking both Riga and Daugavpils. Fortified city Brest-Litovsk that had been left untouched last turn, was overrun and taken by Axis forces:




That was for the northern sector of the front. In the southern sector, 2 Soviet fortified positions were bypassed by the attacking Axis forces. Surely, exploitation moves of finished off garrison units helped in doing that. The fact is that a valuable mountain corps was amongst the pocketed units, the other being a garrison. In the rest, Axis forces are sort of struggling with Soviet defenses and progress is slow:




Soviets decided to stronly reinforce both Vinnitsa and Eastern bank of Soutern Bug river. Cherevichenko and Kirponos commanders, bought on last Allied turn, were respectively deployed in Vinnitsa an Kiev. Timoshenko has been initially tasked with defending Odessa. After Allied moves, Soviets achieved a sizable defensive position as it is showed in the shot:



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June 22, 1941. German cavalry unit continued its unopposed advance through Baltic countries taking Tallin. Pskov was also seized by Wehrmacht mobile forces. In the center, much weakened Soviet defenses in Minsk were overrun and the German reached the Dnepr at Mogilev:




In the south, a Soviet fortification hex defended by a garrison was destroyed but another one guarded by a mech, held. Hungarians crossed Southern Bug, NW of Vinnitsa. Both Cernauti and Chisinau were taken and Red Army defenses along Dnester river were disabled, a corps unit being destroyed there and another garrison was left unsupplied in a fortification:




Soviet reply meant first counterattacking action. Red Army calvary corps attacked and forced to retreat Hungarian Mobile corps, thus restablishing front line there. Soviet mech left Zhitomir for reinforcing defenses in Kiev:



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July 12, 1941. An update now of what's happening in Leningrad front. South of Joensuu, Finns started an offensive that made a corps unit to get adjacent to Leningrad. Vyborg was attacked again (it was attacked on last turn either) but held. A strong Kriegsmarine force has been sent to Gulf of Finland to provide support for the operations at land. Wehrmacht progress north of Pskov is not very fast but it's steady. There, a Soviet garrison was killed and a corps unit ended very damaged:




In the central sector of the front, main thing to note was that Smolensk was skipped for now so strong German armoured forces turned south, attacking and seizing the city of Gomel. Vitebesk defenders held at 1 step of strength:




Ukraine now. Another fortification hex (one guarded by a mech) was removed and a PzKorps unit crossed the Southern Bug forming a bridgehead. Defenses around Vinnitsa still hold but they are getting progressively weakened. 2 Soviet units in referred sector ended heavily damaged. Odessa was isolated from main supply:




Soviet turn was used mainly to repair units where it still makes sense to do so and to deploy Stavka garrison reserve units in key defensive spots both with the aim of delaying Axis forces. Govorov and Vatutin commanders, bought on last turn, were respectively deployed in Leningrad (corps unit) and Kursk (mech unit). Couple of Soviet mechs in Kiev, retreated east. On a side note, Soviet BB in Leningrad opened fire against German BB and got an excellent 3:1.

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August 1, 1941. In the north, attack on Novgorod has commenced, the city resisting for now. Germans are pushing hard here, this resulting in 2 Soviet corps being killed. Battered Soviet garrison north of Leningrad was destroyed either. In the center, Vitebesk fell as expected, but Smolensk held. Anyway, main Axis offensive activity is in the south. A stong armoured and mobile German force attacked Red Army positions in Kiev, destroying a garrison, damaging a corps unit and taking Chernigov in the process. West of Zhitomir, things are getting really dull for the Soviets with the seizure of Vinnitsa by Axis forces. All of those garrison units could be left soon without supply. Attack on Odessa also started but city defenders, led by Timoshenko, held at 4 steps:




In Soviet turn, main action was the abandoning of positions around Kherson even leaving empty the city (in which it had been recently deployed Tiulenev commander). Usual Orel-Kursk-Kharkov defensive line is taking shape.

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August 21, 1941 (turn 37). Axis forces much reduced their offensive operations in this turn. Needed regrouping of units and the rebasing of Luftwaffe and Axis allys air forces could be the reasons for that. Anyway, Smolensk finally fell to panzer forces. In the south, seizure of Zhitomir meant the formation of a pocket of Soviet unsupplied units west of that city with one unit on referred pocket becoming a Guards unit. Odessa and Cherkassy both fell into Axis hands.

In Allies turn, Red Army finally has built its defensive line all along the front from Leningrad to Kharkov. Several mobile units have been purchased and along with the mechs that have survived Axis onslaught by running all the way to safety, they form the main offensive arm of the Soviets. Couple of corps units defending in Kherson have retreated all the way to Crimea. A mountain corps is now defending fortress of Sevastopol:

Barbarossa continues

It's September 10 1941 (turn 38), and Axis forces continue to advance deeper into USSR territory. Abandoning of the Southern front lines by the retreating Soviets meant the seizure by Axis of Krivoj Rog, Kherson and Dnepropetrovsk. In the center, Bryansk fell to German panzer forces and in Leningrad front, Novgorod was conquered either, Popov commander there being in R&R for 4 turns. Besides, assault on Kiev commenced and Soviet corps unit there was attacked by numerous Axis units. Anyway, city held and Kirponos unit became Guards. Finns also pushed in Vyborg, hitting hard a garrison unit there.

In Allies turn, Soviets completed their defensive deployment all along the front which is now all covered with units from Leningrad to Rostov. Western bank of Volkhov river was abandoned. Pics below are after Allied moves:




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Late September 1941 (turn 39) saw the seizure by panzer forces of the 2 main Ukranian cities, Kiev and Kharkov. Conquest of Kiev meant Kirponos will be for several turns out. The other Soviet Guards unit out of supply in a fortification, west of Zhitomir, was destroyed either. In Finnish front, Soviet garrison was finally killed this meaning Vyborg being left isolated:




Of course, later in Allies turn, Red Army made no counterattacks at all but stood and reinforce its positions. No retreating moves were made this time.

Blitz over London continues

Unlike other times, Luftwaffe has continued its strategic bombings over London no matter the start of Barbarossa. Air combats have been intense with many losses in both sides. Both Luftwaffe and RAF have made air superiority attacks over their respective enemy air bases.

German BB that has been harassed all the way by Soviet Baltic Sea sub, was finally spotted in Kiel port. RN mounted an attack operation over the naval base that started in turn 36 and continued in turn 37 as it is showed in the pic below:



As you can see German BB has ended with only 4 steps of strength after the attack. Check also the results of a successful RAF direct attack over a German fighter air base in Belgium.

When you exit the new version CEAW GS 4.0 beta?

I'm interested to make a new better Graphic megamod game units. A long time ago, that this great game is stopped.
If you upload the folder units, start doing

Now I'm working on this:
MEGAMOD-PanzerCorps v1.25-all bigunits land and air units
http://www.slitherine.com/forum/viewtop ... 47&t=70418


1-The artillery unit missing for CEAW-GS v4.0, artillery is an important unit in WWII is a unit need to put. Also a resource on the map of Factories, first target of the bombers

2-slider is an option more units? (See image 000CEW GS v3.2 Beta Purchase panel)

more units

A new mod I've been improving Commander Europe at War (UI and units), changes the game as the day to the night.
I still do I lack the shadows units to deams I've better translated into Spanish.