Tophat1812(REDS) vs Moses(Krauts and friends)

[randallw]

The mountains behind the Pola river have some 'rough' sections; those will be a good place to make a line.
 
Playing against the computer i've noticed it's better to move a out of an area where they've dug in, if they isolated, and move to a place where they can trace supply again.  They'll be more vulnerable to retreating/routing but at least they get a chance to run away, rather than surrender.  Not sure if this works vs a human opponent.

[Tophat1815]

The 12th PzDiv and Lehr bdge areabout to be isolated yet again. I'm looking at ways to isolate some more mobile units east of Smolensk and hopefully buy myself a turn as moses straightens the line and chews-up what I put in his path.

[sillyflower]

Have read your posts with great interest. Have been playing soviets vs AI just to learn. Hadn't realised about the manpower issue where factories have been moved to back East. A bit of a b#gg~r especially as I have given high priority to rail out as much as possible. My other known mistake is to play too quickly and not pay enough attention to command levels/distances -a bad habit I will need to cure before taking on a human. I have sacrificed some airborne units too but am not convinced that's a major sin. After all, I reckon the trade off is worth it and I can beat-up the Nazis the old fashioned way later - it is not as if that many have been destroyed.

Based on my experience:

Take every chance to use cut-off forces to get in the way of his supplies - and isolating if possible. Try and repeat against same units for more than 1 turn. If you can't disrupt supply, try and disrupt his admin movement instead. Slowing the inf is vital.

IMHO it's really not worth attacking as much as you have, but using minimum forces to degrade supply and slow admin movement is a worthwhile sacrifice. Don't bother attacking Hun/Rum etc allies - they aren't a threat and you need the troops elsewhere. Just wait for 12 turns of blizzard ! The wait really is worth it.

I used fortified areas to garrison Finn stop lines ( but now see that border guards are better where availiable and a few to fortify a couple of lines W of Moscow, + some of Ilmen river line to protect Leningrad. I bought new support units where availiable and swapped a few of the weaker commanders. Am doing more swapping since I realized about the 500 point cap. At least I will be able to create lots of corps in a couple of turns.

I also disbanded Corps HQs as quickly as I could after putting at 0 support level for 1 turn to get rid of support units. I'm not sure what happens to them if still attached to corps when I disband, and I've been too lazy to check how to remove them by hand.

[randallw]

Corps HQs get disbanded automatically through the summer of '41.  Attachments in disbanded Corps HQ are suppose to move to the higher HQ they answered to.

[kfmiller41]

Your doing really well Top, from what I can see. Your losses are about the same as mine, maybe a little higher but your opponent is more aggressive than mine at the moment. I just sent in turn 8 and it seems your opponent is pushing from a different direction than mine. Mine seems to be heading more south and north, not directly at Moscow, and your opponent looks to be trying to move the center more. I doubt you will be able to hold the Dnepr along the entire length due to your troops quality, I couldn't even with 3 turns to dig, but maybe you will have better luck.
I put those shell divisions in an army right away and refit them for at least 2 turns before I send the army to the front. Of course if you don't get the time then station them around moscow and let them dig[:D]

[Chad Harrison]

Just wanted to say that I am playing as the Russians against the AI, and all you have to do is survive until the mud hits (turn 17 IIRC). Yes those shell divisions arent the best, but fill them up and throw them in front of the panzers. All you are doing at this point is buying time. 1st winter is *brutal* for the Germans - you can regain a *lot* of ground during those three months of blizzards (Dec-Feb).

Keep up the good fight! Just hang on for 10 or so more turns - then its your turn [:D]

[Tophat1815]

Thanks Chad,that is basically what I had decided on doing. Trying to funnel him on toward Moscow....deep in the MOTHERLAND. But I do want to keep Leningrad so hope he pours it on in the center.

[Tophat1815]

Holding in place and buying some time for another turn in the GREAT WHITE NORTH! I was shocked to see my divisions not only hold but stay in good shape.

[Tophat1815]

Starting to Form the Leningrad Redoubt....waiting for Mud then Winter to hurt the Wehrmacht! Moved tank and a good deal of armament production out of Leningrad already.

[Tophat1815]

The terrain is a major bonus here and moses might find his armor much,much less effective in the forest and swamps south of Leningrad.

[Tophat1815]

not real pleased with my dispositions here,but I need another turn to straighten things out. He will of course be right on top of me in the center so more OPERATION: CAT-BOX can be expected next turn. Nothing goes as planned,but at least my armies are going to have my divisions in proper command.

[Tophat1815]

More operation Cat-Box......here at least I have a river barrier and some depth to my front. Around Rzhev,Orel,Moscow,Tula areas I have armies with routed and new filling-out divisions. These are the reserves for next turn forming.

[Tophat1815]

Kiev area being fortified,but if he gets in position for a north to south envelopment I will abandon the city and move east first.

[Tophat1815]

Still pulling back toward the river line. I'm curious if he'll try and slice into me or let me retreat in front of him some more.

[Tophat1815]

Not too bad on the coast. Odessa is building-up well,we shall see if he sends German infantry in to do the job or not.

Crimea area fortifying as well.

[Tophat1815]

I'm thinking of leaving divisions in all port cities to make him commit troops to costly city fighting. Correction,I am not thinking about it,that is the plan. Now for my WiTp turn with BL. moses updated to the latest build of WiTE so I will as well and then start working on that first German move BL.

[BLurking]

Get crackin' then!

Hey, are you doing any night supply drops to the partisan bands?
Seems like getting some of them active in the rear could play havoc with his forward deployment.
Gotta have reserves to chase down those annoying buggers, and I doubt he has any.

[Tophat1815]

ORIGINAL: BLurking

Get crackin' then!

Hey, are you doing any night supply drops to the partisan bands?
Seems like getting some of them active in the rear could play havoc with his forward deployment.
Gotta have reserves to chase down those annoying buggers, and I doubt he has any.

Been displacing backwards and trying to keep my pocketed troops in supply to force moses to actually fight them. I really need to read rules on partisans,I thought it was an under the hood mechanic and at a certain point they become active. Good catch! And worry-not,in our GC I'll have security divisions do just that,run security. There are also a bevy of axis minors that can help out.

[Tophat1815]

Time for a strategy Update:

1) Against the Finn's my Northern Front units are going to try and buy another couple turns. Why you ask? That is a very good question indeed. The more i am pondering it the more I believe I made an error. I need to use the NKVD units to fill the line at the Finn no attack point and free-up those 4 rifle divisions for Leningrad's defense! So on turn 8 operation: RUN FOR THE NO ATTACK LINE BEGINS!

2) Leningrad area.we are digging in,depending on the slogging progress the Germans make in the swamps more rifle divisions might join the delay force. Also serious look at conscripting civilian population to dig defenses.

3) East of Pskov.....good defensive terrain here I might actually build a few fortified zones to free-up static rifle divisions here.

4) Smolensk and central area.....Keep him pinned in the cat-box and weakening his panzer/mobile divisions. Keep throwing divisions into the path to Moscow. All routed/depleted divisions will pull back to Moscow area under a vacant army command to rebuild. Rebuilt units get fed back to the front.

5) Gomel area.......outpost the river line and look for that end sweep.

6) Kiev.....delay as long as possible,hope he tries to force a panzer division major river crossing.

7) Southern Front.....watch and see if there are any Germans really facing me....look for opportunity and keep on playing for time.

Air War........take a good look at what the "ai" is doing for me. See about supplying partisans and transferring more fighters from National reserve to keep attrition going on with the Luftwaffe.

Keep counting the AFV losses of the Axis....those panzers have to be feeling the strain soon.

Comments? Suggestions? Critique?

[kfmiller41]

Well top if I was the german player I would be going for a river crossing south of Kiev, he know this will probably force you to retreat from that bloodbath city fight for Kiev. Depends on how much force he has with that armor in the south and what shape they are in.

Also I hope you are sparing some divisions for a slid defensive line near Moscow, that checkerboard is nice but it will not stop him, only slow him down. I looked and realized he was not far from Moscow in my game and there were no troops around the city! Decided I better do that, just in case so don't forget about it.

Your defense looks really good though overall, at least to my untrained eye[;)]