It is a good plan. BTW, spelling is critical to use the search function, but I finally found both Yoskar Ola and Guriev. Your CAV in the north can bleed off into the swamps to protect your northern flank from counter-attack. The counter-attack will come from direction of his capital (is that Sverdlovsk?). Surrounding Stalingrad instead of the typical AoD player who "bashes at Stalingrad" is a far superior blitzkrieg having huge potential rewards - and huge risk if lacking proper units or battle tactics. The key concept about this mini-blitzkrieg to get the envelopment you described ( good area size/terrain and probable enemy actions) is that your southern pincher runs past the south of Stalingrad while MTN or INF protect the southern flank by getting the hills just north of the Caucasus. You don't want to push him into the Caucasus. But you do want to cut off the Caucasus while Stalingrad pocket is reduced and eliminated. Then later go into the Caucasus mountains. The trick is closing the pocket east of Stalingrad while 50-100 enemy divisions are threatening to fight towards Berlin. This requires speed - and there is nothing faster than Fallschirmjäger (paratroopers) to make the final connection as north and south pincher are about to meet. And in this truth was the gist of my whole debate with Pang and what I consider is his limited idea of what really are the "fast units". I don't care that they fly or however they might be categorized. I do care that they are the fastest units to achieve what is called "closing the gap".
Yes, it could be a monstrous failure with loss of PAR (if you build any), the spearhead (possibly your LtARM) cut off and annihilated, or the majority of your forces enveloped instead - or worst - a Red break out towards Berlin.
No risk...no gain is very true. After all, it is a game... and how else can one learn to run a proper blitzkrieg without starting somewhere. Believe me, when I started I also "bashed at Stalingrad". But "blitzkrieg" is the ultimate juggling act of "force balance over great speed" and avoiding enemy action to counter that. That is best done with an air force that has FTR to operate effectively there to protect the brigaded TAC (and a steady stream of airbases providing 1 new one every week) to keep FTR in range as SU will have a raft of INTs in Stalingrad. Avoid them. They are to be driven off their airfield and not fought in the skies.
No problem. It is German for paratrooper. Even though this is the English forum, I make a few tiny exceptions when it comes to giving "game flavor" to what is - arguably - AoD's finest unit. Of course, all the MPers and 90% of Forum might disagree, but they have yet to master "15 days until Moscow seized". I stress this because - in the end - there is only beating one's self set goals if playing SP.
So I applaud you for taking the risky challenge of pocketing Stalingrad instead of smashing Stalingrad. However, in 1942 - after a year of war with SU - expect Stalin to have different idea.
Haha, as always Commander, well said. Stalin indeed may very well have another idea. I wipe out a zillion Russian divisions when starting Barbarosa but Stalin has monster sized reserves.
Oh....I see!. I've never used paratroopers before. How do you use them? You need those huge transport airplanes I suppose? Can you drop the paratroopers anywhere within range of the transport airplanes? I would guess you need at least a couple of fighter squadrons to protect them? Is that right?
I'm very interested Commander. How do they stay in supply when/if they land behind the main Russians lines? That's a very wild idea,,,,,,please respond my kind sir.
