Soviets

[MikeJ19]

Good afternoon all,

I want to try a scenario as the Soviets. The challenge of the long command cycles intrigues me. Any suggestions for an initial attempt?

Thanks,

[StuccoFresco]

I found the tutorial mission rather hard.

Eyes Ears and Teeth is interesting as you start at a severe disvantage until reinforcements arrive. I tried Pied Piper too but only a modded version, so EE&T is the only "original" one i tried.

[MikeJ19]

I'm going to try one with the Soviets defending - should help me get used to the idea of the long command cycles.

I'm going to try "Back to Town"

Have a good day

[KungPao]

"No plan survives first contact with the enemy" -----Helmuth van Moltke
"But you still have to make a plan at the beginning" ----- Armchair general KungPao


So, make a plan, a good plan. Then adjusted it , best case scenario is slightly adjust it.

Issue orders to all your units, adding time delay if you don't needed them rush to the front line at minute 1. However if any unit has low combat readiness/ammo at the beginning of the game , please have them R&R before sending them to the front line.
Cross attach your Mech Inf and tank. Build up an ideal battle formation and assign correct task to it. And reinforce it with SPAA.
Assign a formation as 2nd echelon. Let it move to a safe place close to your planned breakthrough point, R&R. Then move forward to explore the scheduled breakthrough, (or add target to NATO's turkey-shoot game)

Make sure your formation is under the protection of SPAA units

My 2 cents

[MikeJ19]

KungPao,

Thanks for the suggestions. I agree, a good plan is essential and I will be going through the thought process over the next few days. I like your ideas about regrouping the units - mech Inf and tanks. Depth and reserves are important. Time and space are going to be very important - given the long command cycles.

This is going to be fun,

[DeletedUser1676996457]

Nice ideas KungPao. My strategy is pretty much similar playing with the soviets. Get close using the terrain putting it simple. I am getting back to the game after a break so I am rehearsing my skills with the reds.

[StuccoFresco]

Yeah, exploiting the terrain to set up upcoming fights at close range is a must. BMPs can be deadly too at close range, even the horribly inaccurate 73mm Grom gun can do wonders at 500m. Unfortunately, i find WP infantry very weak even in favourable conditions.

Hinds, to my surprise, can be very effective anti-helicopter platforms too.

[DeletedUser1676996457]

Indeed Stucco. Overcome the IR from NATO is a key point. Slap them in its face is the main chance of success for WP......I do also find the WP inf weak, not sure if this is intended or just my feeling. They need to be used very carefully. Love the Hinds, beautiful beast in real life for me. They used to be more powerful in previous versions of the game, but still a good platform in the recent version. Will pay more attention to the anti-helicopter role, interesting. Cheers!

[z1812]

Very good advice above. You may also consider the following.

As the Soviets Artillery is a great asset. Attach some as direct support to recon elements and try to sneak them into covered positions with clear lines of sight.

Place your Air Defense units in covered areas as well. Also with good lines of sight.

Organize a small mobile reserve to reinforce problem areas.....................blow any relevant bridges and try to create bottle necks along obvious Nato approaches

But most of all........................have fun!!!

[DeletedUser1676996457]

Indeed! Fun should be in the first place. Cheers!

[IronMikeGolf]

ORIGINAL: Rincon

Indeed Stucco. Overcome the IR from NATO is a key point. Slap them in its face is the main chance of success for WP......I do also find the WP inf weak, not sure if this is intended or just my feeling. They need to be used very carefully. Love the Hinds, beautiful beast in real life for me. They used to be more powerful in previous versions of the game, but still a good platform in the recent version. Will pay more attention to the anti-helicopter role, interesting. Cheers!

Here's my 2 cents (OK, pocketful of change) on this:

It's not just about overcoming the Thermal Imagers. There are several factors that come into play that give NATO (in general) a larger standoff range. That's what to pay attention to. You want to have your opening range be 2000 meter or less. Meaning terrain blocks until NATO closes to that range.

In this scenario, the main VP locs you need to defend are well inside Westerbrook (2000m +). So, you are in good shape to run a reverse slope defense. You have a Recce unit with thermals (Recce/283 MRR) and 3 x BRDM units with MGs (rest of that Rgt Recce Co). Get those Recce units position to overwatch the NATO approach, but off expected attack axes so they don't get run over.

Given the amount of trees and built-up areas SW of WESTERBRUECK, I'd try to get the thermal one on the high ground west of WESTERBRUECK and north of the LAUTERSEE lake. I'd have a gun BRDM along with as a replacement of it gets killed. The other 2 I'd put on the high ground just west of BOFFZEN. SA-13s defending each recce group. The east group might get split to cover deadspace/poor visibility areas remaining for the approach to WESTERBRUECK from the southeast. Consider using the tank co as a recce reserve. They are more mobile and survivable than the mech inf.

Set the arty on FSCC and you can do DS with the recce units. Or not. The main thing for using DS in this sort of plan is if you want to weight the fires to one sector or the other. I'd be setting things up so the only folks seeing anything on the approaches would be recce and their supporting MANPADS. Smoke: almost everything the Germans have here has thermals. Except the ATGM sqd in the mech inf plts. Remember to smoke them.

Your fires are limited to one mortar bty for the first 30 min. I think I'd get them as far forward as possible without being seen from outside town. Now, look how far the mortars can shoot and the terrain. You're not likely to see targets on the west side and center owing to built-up areas and woods. So I'd look at pushing the mortars east-ish in WESTERBRUECK. Manage time and space so you pull them back in time, like as soon as the howitzers come online for you.

WP does best when it can create a knife fight in a phone booth. I think you can set that up and have at least some a NATO step into the phone booth missing a tooth or three.

[MikeJ19]

Hi All,

Thanks for the advice. I really appreciate it. As I go through my planning, I will be referring to these posts. I'm off for the weekend, but I will be thinking about the best ways to employ my forces.

Have a good weekend,