Top ten things I have learned.

[PawelM]

I agree with all the statements above. The allied advantage in general was unquestioned. The same concerns the unit stregnth.

I cannot possibly speak for every scenario, but there would be situations when in local battles in the area size corresponding to CS scale this advantage was not always scaled to the overall ratio between the armies. I would take a chance that not too many designer would feel it worth an effort to design a scenario depicting a battle where the ratio was indeed 11:1 as propably it would not be too popular in the H2H section. So I think the designe trying create historical scenario would most likely choose a battle where the forces where in a relative balance to make it attractive for H2H play. For instance, I do not see to many players interested to command Romanian Cavarly division with scarce AT equipment smashed by 5th Soviet Tank Army during Operation Uranus :) Not my idea of balanced and fun to play scenario :)

On the other hand fictional scenarios have their own right and I think the designer creates them purely with fun and balance in mind so are different story.

Therefore based I am not surprised that not too many scenarios in DB reflect the overall imbalance quoted above...

All that said, I agree with the points on the strength ans amazing capabilities of some German units.

Your absolutely right on balance..........in most of my Kursk scenarios I only gave the Russians about a third to a half of the actual infantry and AT assets they had..........otherwise no one would play them.......as it is I have had a few complaints that the Russians are too strong...can you imagine how the actual German combat soldier must have felt at times?

VE

Yes I can. I have been just reading a book compiling some "unusual situations" (as author describs it) as experienced by german Gen. Erhard Raus in the eastern front. This touches on some surprising situations :)

I liked especially one of them, which occured when XI Corps was pulling back heavily beaten after Zitadelle towards Kharkov and Donets. Germans set up defesive position along a section of Donets river. They set up artillery and where waiting for Soviet attempts to cross the river.... Couple red army night attempts to built a bridge ruined by german artillery to start with , but then a surprise...... T-34s on the german Bank of the river but no bridge! Amphibina tanks?!

Only after repulsing the tank attack german engineers examined the river section to find that Russian simply driven t-34s into the river until it was enough to put logs on their tops (just under the water level) for more tanks to go over them :) It was something which never crossed germans minds before ....

I think thisis a good example of the german shock as well as how huger resources Allies had :)

BTW, can we add possibility of using t-34 for bridge building in CS