Eastern Front Tactics?

[Kevinorf]

I'm playing Soviet Union '41 to get my feet wet - fewer turns and counters than many of the scenarios.

Does TOAW IV play a bit like War in the East, in that, counterintuitively, you attack with infantry first, then move armor? Should I execute the infantry battles first, then move and attack with armor?

What is the best way to stretch out each turn?

What do I use engineers mostly for? Fixing bridges?

How do I use my reserves? Should I keep moving them up with front line?

Should I keep my headquarter units close to the front line?

Other tips on breaking through and creating pincer movements? On maintaining supply?

[hingram]

Keep your HQ's close to their units. It helps with supply.
Encirclement can be really beneficial. I like to combine armor and infantry units. Artillery is your friend in an attack(Tactical Reserve) but watch their supply.
Engineers repair bridges and fix rails. They can also help with river crossings.

[Curtis Lemay]

ORIGINAL: Kevinorf

I'm playing Soviet Union '41 to get my feet wet - fewer turns and counters than many of the scenarios.

Does TOAW IV play a bit like War in the East, in that, counterintuitively, you attack with infantry first, then move armor? Should I execute the infantry battles first, then move and attack with armor?

What is the best way to stretch out each turn?

What do I use engineers mostly for? Fixing bridges?

How do I use my reserves? Should I keep moving them up with front line?

Should I keep my headquarter units close to the front line?

Other tips on breaking through and creating pincer movements? On maintaining supply?

Be sure to check out my AAR I made years ago when I was testing Soviet Union 1941:

tm.asp?m=1893814

[Kevinorf]

ORIGINAL: hingram

Keep your HQ's close to their units. It helps with supply.
Encirclement can be really beneficial. I like to combine armor and infantry units. Artillery is your friend in an attack(Tactical Reserve) but watch their supply.
Engineers repair bridges and fix rails. They can also help with river crossings.

Cool. Pretty much what I thought but super helpful.

[Kevinorf]

ORIGINAL: Curtis Lemay

ORIGINAL: Kevinorf

I'm playing Soviet Union '41 to get my feet wet - fewer turns and counters than many of the scenarios.

Does TOAW IV play a bit like War in the East, in that, counterintuitively, you attack with infantry first, then move armor? Should I execute the infantry battles first, then move and attack with armor?

What is the best way to stretch out each turn?

What do I use engineers mostly for? Fixing bridges?

How do I use my reserves? Should I keep moving them up with front line?

Should I keep my headquarter units close to the front line?

Other tips on breaking through and creating pincer movements? On maintaining supply?

Be sure to check out my AAR I made years ago when I was testing Soviet Union 1941:

tm.asp?m=1893814

Awesome. I'll take a deeper look after work. I don't feel like I got as are as you the first turn (though I didn't do too bad), so I'll have to read what you did.

[RPKUPK]

Find the weakest point in the line. Use infantry to knock a hole. Use panzer and motorized units pushed through the hole and use "Ray's can opener" technique of hooking back to another weak point in the line where you form the other can opener. SURROUND** (all six hexes) AND KILL UNITS in the Kesselschlact cauldron thus formed. If used aggressively can collapse a large section of line allows big advance. Priority to kill is Russian armor, motorized, Guards. Strains Russian replacement system.
Keep supply lines: roads and rail. Capture/occupy these hexes, protect.
Give Axis Allies easy cleanup battles, increases their experience and therefore combat value, limits losses.
Repair rail so you can get reinforcements to the action quickly. Something is wrong with the railroad repair units, they repair very very very poorly -- this needs to fixed for all eastern front scenarios, in a patch.
Rest units when health color orange and red(!). Set them on roads for highest supply.
Move fighters way forward, set AA on top. Fighters set to air superiority; bombers and fighter bombers set to combat support.
Keep division units next to their HQ, find them with 'check formation.'