Star Value Within Ongoing Combat Display

[leftguard]

I'm currently playing through the historical 106 turn campaign as the Central Powers and am nearing the winter of 1915, so have watched many battle displays. (And I've had to do it all twice as an unplanned reinstallation of Windows 10 kindly removed my save file - yes I could have avoided that I know ).

I've come to realise that there's a part of the battle display that I don't understand, and that's the values that appear within the white stars immediately below and to either side of the swing-o-meter (if I can use that phrase). The value range seems to be from 1 to 5, and can apply to either side.

My guess is that it might be a count of hits being inflicted (or received), but I've looked in the manual and can't see anything there. Could anyone clear this up for me?

By the way, this is my first post in the new forums. Good to be back

[Husaria]

I've also wondered about the star values in the swing o meter during battle resolution, so I'll be following this post.

[leftguard]

No feedback with regard to the numbers that pop up in the white stars during combat resolution?

The battles are great as they are (especially the horrendously long ones, in which I hold my head in my hands whilst imagining the carnage unfolding, and watching the troop numbers fall), but I'd love to know what I'm missing out on.

As an update to my original post, I have now seen sixes appear in those stars

[Husaria]

I've seen sevens, however only when the defender was entrenched behind the walled entrenchment symbol!

[leftguard]

Husaria, thanks for your input - I thought about what you mentioned, and I'm now fairly certain that the star value represents the entrenchment level of a force that's being attacked during the combat resolution phase. As such it would give an indication of the defenders ability to withstand an attack on it's position.

I think this is why I've only just started to see sixes - my game is running mid 1916 at present, and level 6 entrenchment has only recently become available. Before that I had only seen fives at most.

I've played a few turns to check this theory, and it seems to play out. Gives some nice additional immersion.

[Husaria]

Yes I now also believe it is entrenchment level, as I've seen some eights also in positions I believe are level 8 trenches (mid 1918).