Balkans & Norway

[Syagrius]

ORIGINAL: Bossy573

ORIGINAL: targul

Many now ignore most of Russia they head for Moscow then on the Perm without worrying at all about the rest of Russia. They place small flanks to control the Russians but they dont require much since they can use Italians and minors for that job.

Just a aside, a few years back I read Hitler's Panzers East and the author, R.H.S. Stolfi, theorized that almost exactly this strategy would have won the Germans WWII sometime late in 1941. His basic premise was that taking Moscow would have so completely disrupted north-south communications in Russia that both Leningrad and the Ukraine would have fallen at a fraction of the effort the Germans actually put forth. Further, he stated that the post-Moscow capture of what I think he called the Moscow-Gorki space would have ended any chance at a resurgence and resulted in the disposal of the communist government and a quick Russian capitulation. It was an interesting read.
Anyway, Stolfi advocated, in general, the strategy some players are using to knock Russia out quickly in this game. So such a strategy would not seem to be as non-historical as it might first seem.

Very intersting, this must be very good read.

[HansBolter]

Many authors have speculated on what impact Moscow falling would have had on the Soviet war effort.

Several have also speculated on the German army's ability to have taken it without the Kiev pocket distraction.

Joseph Miranda, a well respected boardgame designer, authored an article on the subject in a recent edition of Strategy & Tactics magazine that focused on the issue (issue #244...I discovered I still had it in my briefcase). His conclusion was that he didn't think they could have pulled it off, mainly for reasons of supply, attrition, friction and the large Soviet force that would have been extant on the southern flank of the drive as a result of not having suirrounded them in the Kiev pocket. He goes on to point out that even if they had taken it, they would not likely have been able to hold it against counter attack for the same resaons stated above. I tend to disagree with Joe's opinion, but I respect it nonetheless.