Modestus said:
I understand what your saying but I fail to understand how it works. I am assuming that having a blitzkrieg doctrine narrows the frontage of an armored unit and this then allows more units to fight in the front line but only because you can stay below or equal to the maximum frontage level.
Am I now to assume that if you exceed the maximum province frontage level a certain doctrine may also mean that a certain type of unit will deploy to the front line?
Assuming that your are nowhere near the maximum frontage for a province whats the difference between (5 PZ divisions + blitzkrieg doctrine) V (5 tank divisions + Infantry support doctrine) as regards frontage?
What's so difficult about this?
Perhaps a picture would help?
Inf + + Inf + + Inf |
-------------------|
Arm + + Arm + + Arm |
The divisions are similarly constituted in terms of numbers of Bde's. There is no terrain factor. The maximum frontage allows all of the Arm to attack, and all of the Inf to defend. Result: the Arm will probably win, even against well-dug in infantry. Techs and Leadership might just sway it in favour of the Inf. Little difference to HOI2.
The Arm now have blitzkrieg doctrine so that they can concentrate in a narrow frontage:
Inf + + Inf + + Inf |
-------------------|
+ + ArmArmArm + + |
All of the Inf CANNOT be brought to bear against them. Maybe all of the central Inf Div and one brigade from each of the other two. When the central Inf collapses, there is a chance that the other two Inf will more fully engage as they try to move inwards onto the narrow front. But as the Arm are faster than the Inf this chance should be small. Result: the Arm are more likely to win the battle than in the first example.
How do you prevent it? Operational reserves in the province, might increase the defenders chances:
Inf + + Inf + + Inf
Inf + + Inf + + Inf
-------------------|
+ + ArmArmArm + +
Or a defence in depth:
Inf + + Inf + + Inf |
-------------------|
Inf + + Inf + + Inf |
-------------------
+ + ArmArmArm + + |
The tactical reserves in the adjoining province, just behind the frontline, are ready to counter-attack the Armx3 after they have suffered some org loss.
My guess also is that the frontage rules will only apply to frontline combat brigades: infantry, armour. If the Inf Divs include Art brigades, then these can be brought to bear regardless of the frontage rules. I estimate the smaller provinces are about 30km, so there is no doubt that the Art Bde's of the flank Inf Divs in the second picture above could still fire on the narrow attacking front of the Arm. If that's the case then the Arm will by no means have a walk-over.
So here's how you do a proper defence with a two province frontline:
Inf ++ Inf |
Arm + + Arm + + Arm |
Inf ++
--------------------------------------|
Inf + + Inf + + Inf |
Inf + + Inf + + Inf |
--------------------------------------|
+ + ArmArmArm + + |
Inf + + Inf + + Inf |
Keep a tactical reserve of Arm Divs ready to counter-attack if a breakthrough comes in either of the provinces. Forget mobility, brigade all of the Inf Divs in the frontline with 2 x Inf, 1 x Art and 1 x AT (if possible), and get them to dig in to the maximum. Forget combined arms for the Arm Divs, brigade them with 1 x Arm and 1 x Mot, for maximum mobility to reach the breakthrough province as quickly as possible. You've then got something like the defensive formation that Zhukov applied in the Battle of Kursk to stop the German Panzers.
Because of the frontage rules the Germans, even with their Blitzkrieg doctrine, can't counter this by just massing more and more Arm Divs together in the Schwerpunkt. Which is as it should be - IRL when Barbarossa was launched in July 1941 the 4th Panzer Army under Gen. Hoepner had under command two Panzer Korps. The forward divisions of these two Korps - three Panzer Divs and two Mot.Inf Divs - formed the Schwerpunkt for Army Group North's offensive towards Leningrad. They launched their attack over a frontage of less than 40km (8 km per Div). Even more concentrated was the attack of the 4th Panzer Army in July 1943 in the Battle of Kursk. By then under Gen. Hoth, it was the strongest German force ever put under a single command during the War. The Schwerpunkt of this Army consisted of 5 Panzer Divs and 4 Mech.Inf in an attack frontage of less than 45km (5km per Div).
In HOI3 terms that should mean limiting the attack of an armoured formation with Blitzkrieg doctrine to no more than 5 or 6 Divs along any axis. A non-Blitzkrieg country with an infantry formation should be limited to say 3 or 4 Divs along any axis. It soon becomes clear that stacking 20 INF in a province is completely wasteful in terms of ability to use these in combat.
I like really really like the inclusion of the frontage concept in HOI3. Fantastic work Paradox. Now all we need is a proper logistics set-up so that those superstacks disappear once and for all.
