ORIGINAL: Red Prince
Trying to figure out which Soviets to rail/move this impulse, I had to go back 7 pages to find my original post laying out the basic idea I had at the time for a defense:
The purple front lines represents the "speed bump" defenders, cheap units that are quick to build, that create irritating ZOC situations for the Germans.
The blue line represents the "primary front" defenders, the place where my strongest INF and some heavier divisions (particularly AT or AA) will try to make their stand. This is also where the Soviet FTR force should probably begin the war, since it is far enough from Stuka range, but close enough to defend important targets.
The yellow back line represents the "mobile" defenders, such as fast MOT, MECH and ARM units, which can be used for counter-strikes, as well as some of the slower HQs. This is also probably where my long-range LND should go, well out of the range of the German bomber and fighter forces.
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[Image snipped for clarity - composer99]
Somewhere upthread Steve agreed this was a reasonable defensive structure. [:)] Yay me!
Unfortunately, take a look at the "revised" version of that same structure below. Compare the two. [:(] Boo me!
I should like to offer some specific recommendations regarding the USSR dispositions, with the understanding that time is short for the USSR and at least one impulse has elapsed since this screenshot was posted (meaning some movement has occured).
General Notes
I'm assuming the Germans end up having to launch Barbarossa in May/June in the event weather & short turns prevent them from being lined up in March/April. Based on the current thread on weather & average turn length, there will be on average approx. 9 impulses (so if the Allies go first the USSR gets 5 and the Germans get 4).
Baltic States
The capital cities of these minors are
not primary supply sources for the USSR. They are also easily bypassed (meaning any forces there can be put out of supply with ease).
As such, I recommend:
- a single-unit speed bump in Kaunas to slow the Germans down.
- two units in Riga to keep the single German stack that can reach there during surprise honest, with one of the units to withdraw to, say, Pskov during the following USSR impulse (unless you are willing to make the effort to keep Riga supplied by sea, which I doubt the USSR will want to do early in a Barb).
East Poland
East Poland has no primary supply for USSR forces, so what you are trying to do here is waste 2 Axis impulses just getting through East Poland, or half of their average # of impulses.
My recommendations are:
- cheap single units in Brest-Litovsk and Lvov as these are easily isolated
- 1 unit in Vilna and 1 unit in the forest southwest of it. The unit in the forest will keep the Germans away from Vilna during the surprise impulse (coupled with the unit in Brest-Litovsk) and Vilna will need to be cleared out during the 2nd impulse, although with Kaunas gone it will be put out of supply easily (if you think the Germans will not attack Minsk in impulse #2 the Vilna unit can retreat if it is able)
- 2 units in the forests just south of the Pripet Marshes at the border of E. Poland and the Ukraine to keep the Germans honest. One or both can be withdrawn during the USSR impulse after the German surprise impulse unless there is a viable threat vs Kiev which they could avert by staying in place.
Bessarabia & Odessa
Bessarabian cities
are primary supply sources for USSR units, so things are looking a bit better here.
Your defence will depend on the strength of the Axis land & air forces.
If the Axis forces could conceivably defeat 2- or 3-unit stacks in Cernauti and Chisinau on the surprise impulse, then both cities should have single cheap units to defend them.
The forces there at present don't quite look up to that task (1 HQ and 4-5 corps), so if it stays that way, I suggest the USSR doing the following:
- 1 cheap unit in Cernauti
- strong force in Chisinau
- 1 cheap, 4-factor unit in the hex southwest of Chisinau - unless my maths are off this unit cannot be overrun even during the surprise impulse so it will keep Chisinau from being encircled
- the force in Chisinau, unless it is all disorganized, can withdraw except for another cheap speedbump
Odessa is a factory city (even after the factory gets railed out) and should be strongly defended as a hero city.
The Ukraine
Not much value in putting units on the western side of the Dneipr except in Dnepropetrovsk and Kiev (although these two are obvious candidates for hero cities).
If it would make the difference of an impulse or two before the Germans can attack Kiev, a 4-factor unit which was positioned such that it could not be overrun (especially while the Germans have not yet taken Odessa) might be worth placing out in the clear as a speedbump.
IMO the USSR's aim is to keep the Germans at bay from the Dneipr until July/August and make them spend most of that turn getting across the river.
North of the Pripets
In this sector, the USSR has good supply and terrain to help it out.
I recommend:
- Pskov, Minsk and Vitebsk as hero cities
- speedbumps as required in the forests west of Vitebsk or in between Vitebsk and the Pripets to slow down the advance
- a strong line from Gomel, along the east side of the Dneipr to the north (with a strong blitz stack in the Mogilev riverbend) up to Smolensk, with cheap units in the swamps to ZoC germans trying to get around to encircle Smolensk
Here, again the USSR's objective, IMO, is to keep the Germans from reducing Pskov and Vitebsk until the start of July/August, and forcing them to waste time getting to the Smolensk line such that perhaps they don't even get across until the fall.
Obviously, given the circumstances of the additional Caucasus front, this is to be undertaken with (one hopes) an Allied intervention in Spain or France during the summer forcing the relocation of German ARM/MECH (and in particular Stukas) to the Western Front.
