KCDennis wrote:How do you estimate how much general supply an enemy force uses per turn?
For example, from a recent battle I know that the Army of North Virginia has approxiamately 11 full divisions, and 24 supply elements. If I cut off his supply lines, how long will that last? I know the lights at the bottom of the marker provide an idea what the current supply status is, but I'm trying to figure out how long he can last without new supplies.
Also I know what most of the symbols on the city display mean, but I can't find anywhere what the little covered wagon means.
If I had to figure this out, I would use these numbers.
24supply elements = 6 (4elements ea.)full units @ 80supply when full = 480supply at most.
11 full divisions = 30-40 supply usage/turn. Lets use 35 and arrive at 385 usage/turn.
The units themselves have their base supply of each unit which is 2 turns worth. So around 770 (385x2turns) for what the Army is carrying with them and not what the supply wagons are holding if fully supplied prior to being cut-off.
Factor how much supply reside in the towns in the area that their Army can draw supply from. Some towns like Richmond or Nashville produce significant supply each turn. This should be the towns, harbours and depots the enemy are in control of or adjacent to. Check the regions towns to see if their supply is showing any surplus or not.
A basic review of these factors will give us this picture.
If the Army had full supply prior to being cutoff:
480 (supply wagons, if full) + 770 (carried by Army, if full) = 1250 supply total
Add to this what supply the Army has available in towns/harbours/depots they control and what the towns themselves will produce per turn.
The Army will consume around 385/turn based on its 11full divisions estimate. So without much existing supply or production of supply in the towns, they will be nearing depletion in 3 turns, and likely taking hits by the 4th turn.
Hope this helps.