Soviet brigades for newbs

[WingedIncubus]

I made it, I survived the Axis 41 onslaught and going through my first winter as the Soviets against the Axis AI.

I am alive and well, with the Germans stopped in front of the big three objectives with an earlier winter hitting on end of November 1941. My counterattacks have allowed me to retake Orel, Rzhev, Kursk, and even the whole of Crimea. That, I must admit, is a significant morale booster. Now beginning of February 1942 I keep the pressure pushing on the recovering Germans while salvaging my supply issues, making railyard repairs, merging map counters into Guards Rifle and Cavalry Corps, and preparing for when the Germans return on the offensive in 1942 most probably where I am the weakest right now and where I see the stronger German divisions massing in front of me : in the South.

However, now I face a new challenge: what to do with all those Rifle and Separate Tank brigades sitting in my Strategic Reserve? I know that I can merge them into Divisions in March or April 1942 and I no longer receive any new Rifle Division units, but in the meantime, what should I actually do with them?

I also extend my question for Ski Battalions, too.

I read in the manual that most brigades are multi-role so they can be coverted into SUs, but what does this actually do? If I convert a map rifle brigade into a SU and plug it into an Army HQ, or directly into a Rifle Division, does it actually increase its attack CV because it's now turned into a 1.5 rifle division? I tried to merge Tank Brigades into mechanized divisions but seems that I am not allowed to do so - only on Rifle divisions.

Thanks!

[56ajax]

'Ski' units have double cv in certain weather/ground conditions.

Some players stack the NF with them to free up more non ski units

[FortTell]

However, now I face a new challenge: what to do with all those Rifle and Separate Tank brigades sitting in my Strategic Reserve?

Use them, Soviet brigades are a very important support unit. They are best used directly attached to combat units, not HQs, where they compete with artillery for SU commited into the battle.

I also extend my question for Ski Battalions, too.

Just dump them into a TB and take more useful units out.

and I no longer receive any new Rifle Division units

Not a big deal, you can create new rifle divisions in 1942 for just 2AP, and that can be used to boost your OOB once you mostly run out of existing dead divisions.

I read in the manual that most brigades are multi-role so they can be coverted into SUs, but what does this actually do? If I convert a map rifle brigade into a SU and plug it into an Army HQ, or directly into a Rifle Division, does it actually increase its attack CV because it's now turned into a 1.5 rifle division? I tried to merge Tank Brigades into mechanized divisions but seems that I am not allowed to do so - only on Rifle divisions.

Yes, you do indeed get extra CV when you attach a brigade to a division or corps, in fact, this is a very powerful tool to get stronger exactly when and where you need it. A word of warning, I hope you have just mixed things up, but do not merge brigades into divisions, this will just disband the brigade. Attach it as a support unit.

Rifle brigades can appear anywhere instantly, provide offensive or defensive CV and help you win important fights. Then when they become low ToE, you just change their HQ to Stavka, and they refit to full there in a single turn (provided Stavka is in Moscow). Tank brigades die almost instantly (unless you fight something like Italians or a static division without AT guns) and are not great in defense, but can increase the enemy's retreat losses. And you get a lot of tanks to burn through, might as well use them.

[WingedIncubus]

Rifle brigades can appear anywhere instantly, provide offensive or defensive CV and help you win important fights. Then when they become low ToE, you just change their HQ to Stavka, and they refit to full there in a single turn (provided Stavka is in Moscow). Tank brigades die almost instantly (unless you fight something like Italians or a static division without AT guns) and are not great in defense, but can increase the enemy's retreat losses. And you get a lot of tanks to burn through, might as well use them.

What do you mean, they can appear anywhere instantly? You mean if they are deployed from the SR, or attached directly to a unit or HQ?

I deployed a bunch of ski brigades on the map by accident. They all appeared around Moscow. Even if it's early March 1942 I will send them to the Leningrad and Volkhov Fronts to attach directly to the front units, since it's where the winter lasts the longuest and starts the earliest.

[Wiedrock]

What do you mean, they can appear anywhere instantly?

As SUs they can teleport thousands of kilometers.

[WingedIncubus]

What do you mean, they can appear anywhere instantly?

As SUs they can teleport thousands of kilometers.

You mean when assigned to STAVKA?

[FortTell]

You mean when assigned to STAVKA?

Yes. Send brigades to Moscow, convert them to SUs in Stavka, on the next turn any division can get them instantly (excluding Crimea when it is cut off from the mainland). Then when the brigade is damaged enough or just useless in its current place, go to the brigade's unit card, change its HQ back to Stavka and it will teleport back to Moscow to be refitted.

[sil01]

Rifle brigades can appear anywhere instantly, provide offensive or defensive CV and help you win important fights. Then when they become low ToE, you just change their HQ to Stavka, and they refit to full there in a single turn (provided Stavka is in Moscow).

Hello, old friend!
Is this true, if the Stavka is in Moscow, refit to full there in a single turn?
In which hex of Moscow?
Another NCC is not suitable?
Where does this information come from?

[Q-Ball]

Rifle brigades can appear anywhere instantly, provide offensive or defensive CV and help you win important fights. Then when they become low ToE, you just change their HQ to Stavka, and they refit to full there in a single turn (provided Stavka is in Moscow).

Hello, old friend!
Is this true, if the Stavka is in Moscow, refit to full there in a single turn?
In which hex of Moscow?
Another NCC is not suitable?
Where does this information come from?

If you send the Rifle Brigades as an SU back to STAVKA, and set to REFIT, it will generally REFIT in a single turn, provided you have sufficient Manpower available. If you have lots of units in the Reserves also on REFIT, they will get priority, which may leave on-map refit high and dry. But aside from that, you should be able to refit that Brigade in one turn, allowing you to immediate send it back out

An example of how best to use Brigades: Take a CAV CORPS, and you can attach up to 3 Rifle Brigades as an SU; that will add 12,000 men to the Cav Corps, and considerable heft/staying power! You may choose to attach 2 brigades and an AT or Tank unit, up to you and what you want, but you should make liberal use of attachments.

You can also attach them to TANK Corps, but word of caution: When you do that, the Rifle Brigade will now require TRUCKS, which will be in increasingly short supply in 1942.

Another note: You absolutely should not build every unit the game gives you in the Soviet Reserves. There are many, many units you may end-up disbanding, no shame in that.

The SKI units, for example, are useful in WINTER when they have the multiplier, but the rest of the time they are just understrength brigades. You might choose to disband some in the summer, and re-build more the following winter.

Alot of unit types, like Separate Tank BN, should probably not be built. Why that unit? BN-sized cannot become GUARDS, and you have plenty of Tank Regts that can. There isn't really a point to Tank Bn. Disband them all.

There could be an entire section I think just on Soviet SUs