Decimated Divisions

[Warwick]

Often after a furious campaign I will review my command stacks for reorganization. I find divisions, generally assigned to a Corp, with elements eliminated. For example a division starts with 2 INF elements and an ART element after a series of battles the ART element is left and the INF elements are not even listed in red. The problem is the unit is still a division with a command point requirement of 6 so it is highly inefficient to keep this division.

Will the elements return if I retreat these divisions to a depot and leave them to rest? Or is the division shattered and now useless (or nearly so due to the cost for command)?

Thank you

[FightingBuckeye]

This can be a fairly common occurrence after a particularly bloody battle or series of them. If you're short on officers and/or men, it might make sense to just pull that division off the front lines and send it to the rear while a fresh division takes it's position within the corps formation. Though it might be better to pull the entire corps off the front as the other units have likely suffered heavy losses. As long as at least one element survives from a unit with multiple elements, the rest will eventually reconstitute. It helps if your unit(s) are inside a depot on G/G. You'll need to ensure you have the proper replacements in your pool and I think the other requirement is that that unit can't be moving at the start of the turn.

[Shri]

If your divisions have lost an element, better to rail them back to depots so that they regain those elements, usually takes 1/2 turns.
If it is just battle damage you can retain on the front-lines.

In general, unless you are in a terrible position and cannot do a retreat without destroying the entire front, better send the troops back to depot.

[HunterICX]

Seems I still have plenty to learn when it comes to AGEOD's mechanics, thanks for explanation as I usually didn't bother sending my armies/corps into depots and just left them unmoved for a few turns thinking the replacements would come to them eventually. (I really should start reading manuals huh :bonk

[Shri]

See - there are 2 types of losses.
One is the generic- loss of men, no need to send to depots.
Second is loss of elements in a division - say 1 or both infantry brigades are lost, in that case do send to a depot preferably "owned depot", i.e. Say you are Germany better to send to Frankfurt or the Rhine than Belgian depots. Also do buy chits preferably 1 greater than the replacements needed, within 2 turns your division will be ready for combat, do this always. Losing a division/corps is hell.

[FightingBuckeye]

Each infantry chit is worth one hit, so they're 'good' for replacing 20 lost hits. But there's a random chance with each use (1/20) that the chit will be completely used up regardless of how much is notionally left in the chit. And if you have an element that is completely gone, you'll need a complete chit in the pool before it will be reconstituted.

If your divisions have lost an element, better to rail them back to depots so that they regain those elements, usually takes 1/2 turns.
If it is just battle damage you can retain on the front-lines.

In general, unless you are in a terrible position and cannot do a retreat without destroying the entire front, better send the troops back to depot.

I haven't played much EAW. (muddling through my first game against Athena). But I have played a lot of AACW and CW2, so I have a decent understanding of those games and the game engine in general. Is EAW different in that you NEED to be at a depot before a lost element is reconstituted? I tend to send any unit that's heavily hit back to a depot anyway because that does help replace losses quicker and it gets them off the front where they might be wiped out.

[Shri]

@FB

Well, the thing is in 1914, you start with a decent amount of replacements and hence no problem in regaining strength or elements. But from mid 1915 or so the manpower bug hits esp. if you play CP or EE.
Since you are absolutely short on manpower you spend very very judiciously, result very little spare chits.
So if a big battle occurs, then the available chits are utilised by your armies and leaving less for badly hit corps but if these corps/divisions are on "home depots" they get prioritised and hence recover first.
Basically a gamey trick used by some players but it is necessary to preserve your divisions as building a new one costs a lot of time and money.

[FightingBuckeye]

Ok, thanks that makes sense. I haven't really gotten that far in my game yet. The rebels in CW can become pretty tight in trying to balance builds and replacements. Especially mid-late war.

[enf91]

The depot matters only if you've set Historical Attrition on. If you have the standard rules, you don't have to do that: replacements will be added to your units automatically.

[Shri]

Ok. Interesting, i always play with the attrition on.