SUBSIM Radio Room Forums - War in the East 2 (WitE2)

I never did pick up 2, but I've played WitE extensively. I don't know if what I might say regarding the first game will carry over to the second, but if there's anything in particular you like to focus on post it up. My tips would be rather generic without a specific topic.

Logistics is probably the most fundamental part of it, especially as the Germans. If I were advising a player in that game I'd say the most important part is understanding the logistics and supply model rules. But of course I don't know how much the second game mirrors the first.

In my WitE runs I focused of course on that, on getting the right leaders in place, on 'attachments', and on formation integrity and command overload.

By attachments I mean the support units like artillery battalions and independent tank battalions. These could be shifted to where they are needed most. Again, I don't know what carries over or is still relevant. But I could use OKH as sort of a clearing house, sending them there when their purpose had been fulfilled and then parcelling them out to other fronts as the needs arise. For example when Sevastopol was done, much artillery was transferred to Leningrad, and when that fell, these units were sent once again to a different place.

By formation integrity I mean learning the rules and executing your moves so that each unit is within supply and command range, that headquarters aren't overloaded. It's surprisingly easy to let things get out of control, in the literal sense, especially when you consider the massive number of counters you push around in the grand campaign. Maintaining that integrity as you execute offensives and encirclements is a challenge in itself.

People often call these games strategy games, but they're not really that, I think grand operational is a more accurate term. And that means being able to see many turns ahead, having a plan and getting on with it. Supply, reinforcements and theater departures are all things you'll need to see well in advance. Rail lines in the first game were immensely important. You had to identify which lines you wanted to develop (or convert the gauge actually) and then execute the plan, all while protecting the vulnerable spurs from partisan attacks. A single partisan attacking a rail line in your rear can bring the offensives at the front to a screeching halt.

I see from your screenshot you're playing the Germans. Always be mindful of the approaching winter. Have a plan for what you'll do, and the positions you'll occupy when first the mud, then the blizzards arrive. To be caught unprepared will be some bad mojo haha.

One more thing as I could write pages. For me, in WitE mind, the key focus was bagging Ivan. Locations are important (especially Leningrad and Rostov, for reasons) but the priority was to tie a noose around as many Russian formations as possible. Encirclements are an art form in these games and it takes time to learn how to do things right. But I'd suggest not focusing on taking territory, but to kill and capture as many enemy as you can. 1941 is your time to shine, as the Russian will start to recover during the blizzards and in to the 1942 campaigning season. The goal should be to eliminate as many enemy units as possible. Not just damage them, but to destroy them so you don't have to fight them again. In the real war, Russia's ability to reconstitute shattered forces and to mobilize shocked the Germans, and it's true here too. In WitE killing and capturing at least 4 million Russians in 1941 was considered the target in order to set the Germans up for a good 1942 campaigning season. And to bag numbers like that it takes encirclements. To be successful you need to master the art of the breakthrough and the exploitation phase that follows.

Again, this is a different game, War in the East, and there are surely many differences. However, I wrote an AAR of one of my German runs at SimHQ. Maybe you could take something from it?

https://simhq.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/4450738/1