Slitherine

Few thoughts for the save game Kursk

When viewing the strategic map on turn 70, it is easy to understand the real challenges of the Kursk 1943 save game.

The most obvious reason is that the overall front status, with the exception of North Italy, resembles axis positions gained by a normal game human player in late 1942!

But the above map is in turn 70, a picture from spring 1944, just three turns before D-Day, allied invasion in Normandy. Hence, the core problem of the save game, TIME!

Is running out for the player really quick and soon is faced with challenges and battles all over the east, west and Mediterranean fronts. Not to mention the allied absolute air superiority, especially because Sicily falls early in the save game.

A fact which triggers excessive amounts of air units in the West, with some of them going to the East to bomb to Ploesti and other locations.

Prospects for victory at turn 70 - save game Kursk

The most logical outcome of the Kursk save would be a draw, since, there is a serious TIME constraint and the player seems to do not have enough of it, to defeat the Soviets, in the East.

But, if you replay, when you feel necessary, a Marginal Victory is more doable.

In my case, I reloaded when I reached turn 78 and by mistake lost a Moscow airport, which resulted in Finns, surrendering !!!.

So, I reload at turn 72 to avoid this and correct the overall strategy. The most important different decision I made, was to disengage ALL Luftwaffe planes from West front.

This, because, after D-Day, I lost a couple of fighters and others were severely reduced in strength.

In my replay, all planes go to the East, since, I do not want to pay for any repairing costs and most importantly, the East decides if there is going to be a Marginal Victory or not.

In that sense, I prefer to lose prestige due to bombings of the main objectives, rather than lose prestige and experience by fixing planes.

Remember, oil crisis is present in Kursk save and in 1944, every unit loses three point of exp, in each turn.

As for the outcome of the game, we shall see how things look like in turn 80