Winning Strategy

[Chisai]

War In The East: My formula for success

I stopped playing the Barbarossa or 1941 till XXXX scenarios. Too easy and you'll never reach Moscow or the Caucasus oil fields due to Logistics.

I've had 80% success rate when I follow these tactics

Start in the 1942 - 1945 scenario

1: DO NOT GO TO STALINGRAD
History - don't repeat it

2: Send all your allies to Army Group A to help capture the oil fields or rear area guards.
2a - The Allied units are lower quality and so are most of the Soviet forces being raised in the Caucasus.
2b - Use the 6th Army to guard the Don river and keep the Soviet Armies being raised in Stalingrad occupied until the 1st Panzer Army can succeed in the south
2c - Use the 17th Army to attack on both sides of the Don river to free up the 1st Panzer Army for the attack.

3: Take Voronezh and keep the 4th Panzer in the area to threaten the Soviets with attacks to the north or the Don river.
With a panzer army, use the infantry to anchor your front and mobile units to counter any attacks.

4: Once 1st Panzer Army crosses the Don river, drive to the Volga EAST of Stalingrad to cut the rail lines from the Caucasus!

The winning formula to War in the East is

A: Take the Caucasus Oil fields. Miakop, Grozny and the rest...

B: Cut the rail lines from the Caucasus to Stalingrad then drive north.

C: Once you start capturing the oil fields, you can reactivate your static units.

[JoeLewis]

The 1942-1945 scenario is too easy for the Axis. The Soviets have barely any cavalry corps and get so many units surrounded on turn 1 that the Germans are at the Volga right away. In addition, the Soviets have few internal reserves since so many units are stuck on STATIC mode. It is easier for the Axis to win this scenario than the 1941 grand campaign.