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Trucks, schmucks. The Red Army walks! [:'(]

Definitely, I am pulling back the 1st Shock Army (Panzer "threat" in the center) and send them to the south [;)] I will bring a regular Stavka Reserve Army to replace it, just in case.

EDIT: oh, on next turn I will be creating my 3rd Guards Rifle Corps, precisely in this Shock Army [:)]

I have also noticed that the Leningrad Front has way too many men. Yes, that IS a vital objective which MUST be protected, but I don't think 2ndACR is planning agressives moves here: only [harmless] infantry.

So I think I will be diverting around 10 divisions (Guards are prioritary) to Stavka HQ itself. More strategic reserves that is!

Oops! This last screenshot has been useful! Some Front HQs were NOT locked. Fixed [8D] I set the support to 0 when I tried to kick the RR Brigades to Stavka HQ. And I forgot to lock them again.

P.S.: by the way, it didn't work, NO RR Brigades left these Fronts.

Magic Trick done [8D] The Shock Army has disappeared. The 10th Army (4 Rifle Divisions) replaces it.

Oops, the Guards Cavalry Corps you see on the sreenshot will also be sent to the south. Remember: best units => sent to critical places (and there are 6 Panzer Divisions concentrated in the south)...

Ok... in the South I have finally sent (this turn):

- 1st Shock Army
- 9th and 10th Tank Corps
- 1 x Guards Cavalry Corps
- 1 x Regular Cavalry Corps

+ (already in place here):

- 43rd Army
- 2 x Tank Corps

These will be (along with the Southern Front Reserves: 3 RD + 1 CD + 2 Tank Brigades) the reserves which should help to contain the fascists [:)]

You should have noticed how overloaded Leningrad Front was.

Randall, in this case or area I knew -accepted- I had an overloaded Front. This is Leningrad approaches. I did not want to take any risk here: prioritary. Now I'm pretty certain the area is safe so I divert divisions to places where they might be more useful [:)]

Diverted Rifle Divisions (from Leningrad Front):

- 6 Guards Rifle Divisions
- 3 Rifle Divisions

Which makes 9 rifle divisions, not too bad [8D]

I don't have enough APs. I will assign them to Stavka HQ on next turn.

In fact, now that I'm thinking about it... I might divert between 15 and 20 Rifle Divisions from the Northwest, Kalinin, Bryansk and Southwesten Fronts. Quiet places so far.

I will wait, I have enough reserves if I am not mistaken.

LOL

What I said! I'm way too impatient! Rifle Divisions diverted from the Northwest and Kalinin Fronts:

- 4 Guards Rifle Divisions
- 6 Rifle Divisions

And Sevastopol! Nice fortress! I suspect 2ndACR does not want it, which is ok. He controls the Kerch thing so he has nothing to fear. At least in 1942 [:)] Notice the lousy offensive values of the minor allies.

Coastal Army HQ is here: 5 Rifle Divisions + 1 Mountain Division + 1 Naval Infantry Brigade.

As for the Air War, all the Fronts have plenty of planes (perhaps at 90% of their capacity). They fly and kill enemies. I still have 284 air units in the National Reserve [X(]

I said I wanted to have (per front) 1 x IAD + 1 x BAD etc. etc. I have that.

Maybe from now on I might have (per front) 2 x IAD + 2 BAD etc. etc.

Oh, as for the modern western planes (P-40 etc.), I haven't assigned any of them. They are still in the National Reserve. I think I should assign at least one of these units to each Front (IAD Air Bases). Yes, that's what I will be doing in the next future.

Notice these guys, assigned to Bryansk Front. The IL-2s even managed to shot down an enemy plane. Double ration of vodka! [:)]

And possibly the best fighter squadron. Attached to the National Reserve. I might send them to the front with modern planes though [:)]

[center]Turn 55[/center]
[center]2 july 1942[/center]

Well, good news. I have harvested LOTS of Guards units this turn. I don't remember exactly the Guards rule but I suspect I had the maximum number of Guards allowed (until x date, I guess): 57 Guards Rifle Divisions (by the end of Blizzard, in fact I think I had harvested 2 or 3 after the winter).

The thing is now I have 82 Guards Rifle Divisions! [X(] From the 58th to the 82nd, all them harvested on THIS turn [:)]

I think the recently arrived Italians will be supposed to cover the Dneprowhatever town area. They should protect -in my very wise, but totally subjective, opinion- the flanks of the advancing Panzers... Or 2ndACR does not trust the minor allies? Chicken! [:D]

In the Velikie Luki area aka Panzer Threat #1, 2ndACR keeps advancing. And we can't have that

Therefore I mass:

- 2 x Guards Rifle Corps (the ones I had created on these last 2 turns) [:)]
- 1 x Guards Cavalry Corps
- several divisions of the 2nd and 3rd Shock, 4th Army and Volkhov Reserves

... and the aforementioned troglodyte...

A success.

Notice the high number of Soviet planes flying. Only 4 German fighters appear...

And look at Orel [:)]

Captured by the fascists during the Blitzkrieg, recaptured during the Blizzard Massacres. Manpower = 13. Damage is now down to only 29. Almost repaired! Let's hope I don't lose this city during the summer!

You can also put units into reserve mode, such as rifle corps resting behind the immediate front line.

A rifle corps unexpectedly joining a defensive battle will be an unhappy surprise for 2ACR.

That's indeed an option, Randall [:)]

But so far I only have 2 [Guards] Rifle Corps. This turn I'll be creating the 3rd one. These corps are attached to "important" Stavka Reserve Armies: Shock and Guards. Given that I have few, I want them to be active, not passive. This means if I see a weak spot in the enemy advance, just like I did on these 3 last turns in this Velikie Luki area, I will use the Corps as an offensive tool. And of course, after these attacks, I pull them back. Therefore NOT enough MPs to be used as "reserve". In other words, if I want them to be a defensive tool I should NOT use them offensively in the first place. And I think I prefer to choose WHERE and WHEN they will be fighting, as opposed to a random decision.

Now, I am reaching a new frontier. Once all of my "important" armies will have a Guards Rifle Corps each, I have to think what's my next objective. I could of course start creating one rifle corps in EVERY army... Especially in active Fronts. But this means they would be sort of stuck: imagine the Germans attack elsewhere.

So I have been thinking that perhaps the next Rifle Corps should be assigned to Stavka itself: strategic Reserves that is. This would give me more FLEXIBILITY. I could send these rifle corps to any place, to reinforce a defence / attack. So that's what I will be doing methinks. Two or three or maybe four Corps would be perhaps enough. Only after that I might start creating corps in every army.