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Then you will have a bunch of Panzers sitting around with no gas and no enemy anywhere close to them.

Very true. I will have to see how I can avoid this dilemma.

T3 - Start of Turn Overview

The two major pockets held which is good news. The small pocket in the center was breached which is slightly annoying because some of my tanks did not receive supplies. On the other hand I have to wait for infantry anyways. Griefhead sets up a checkerboard defense in the South. In the center he tries to defend the landbridge.

ORIGINAL: Michael T

The problem is he can withdraw and just stay out of range. Soon you will reach the end of your supply tether. Then you will have a bunch of Panzers sitting around with no gas and no enemy anywhere close to them.

There is always the hope that he will play in to yours hands and try to fight you in the south. But a quality Soviet is not going to do that.

Good luck [:)]

Chances are his enemy is not best of the best so he has some hope left

our friend Pelton, ever the optimist [:'(]

But looking at the standard checker board in south he is screwed.

Standard SHC

1. checker board south
2. turn off refit to southern units
3. build wall of steel from north to south

yup its over

Some guys are no fun, having reduced this lovely game to simple mechanics.

Hi Guys,

And from the land of make believe, Matrix Games at the behest of the man himself (Gary G), is most pleased to announce the start of "be nice to Pelton" week. Besides, picking on Pelton is my job, it's in my contract.

Why turn off refits to southern units? The Soviets can afford to refit everything early on, with ease. The only limiting factor is manpower, easily addressed by disbanding excess airbases and HQs. The armaments are certainly there to do it.

(This assumes rifle refits only, to be sure. No refits for mech units anywhere.)

Why turn off refits to southern units? The Soviets can afford to refit everything early on, with ease. The only limiting factor is manpower, easily addressed by disbanding excess airbases and HQs. The armaments are certainly there to do it.

(This assumes rifle refits only, to be sure. No refits for mech units anywhere.)

This is also my impression. I am very selective which units get replacements but turning everything off is downright counterproductive.

T3 - North

Pskov is taken by frontal assault and the surrounding hexes are flipped. I have not made a decision which approach I will take towards Leningrad.

T3 - Center

The pocket was broken and is resealed now. Waiting for infantry.

T3 - South

Axis recon reveals that Odessa is only protected by one unit. The approaches to Odessa are only lightly defended. There is a large gap with only two HQ units in it. Odessa itself is only defended by a fortified zone and falls to a hasty attack. Damage to the port is only 44%. I also take Ochakov which has a damage of 74%. These numbers are important. The Ochakov number is a very lucky dice roll.

T3 - OOB

Still heavy fighting in the Lvov pocket. Those troops in rough terrain and mountains put up heavy resistance.

I don't like that Soviet defense up north at all. Notwithstanding all the doom and gloom here over the Axis chances. The Soviet is overweight in the center and underweight in the north, this doesn't look like the Great Wall of Russia to me.

Odessa was also mismanaged by the Soviet. That should have had at least 2 rifle divisions in it by turn 3.

The doom and gloom is reliant on Soviet proficiency, which may not be the case....

I have always funneled replacements since the first game I played as Soviets I witnessed Leningrad get overrun with hasty attacks haha

My theory was the troops in the south run a bigger risk of getting surrounded or beat up by the extra panzers so why make them stronger and waste resources?

ORIGINAL: Ketza

I have always funneled replacements since the first game I played as Soviets I witnessed Leningrad get overrun with hasty attacks haha

My theory was the troops in the south run a bigger risk of getting surrounded or beat up by the extra panzers so why make them stronger and waste resources?

The key in the south is to screen with junk and throwaways and even weaker mech units -- things you don't care about and aren't being refitted. Rifle divisions being deployed further to rear. I see no reason to starve them just because they are in the south. Once east of the Dnepr, you won't be losing them. If you are throwing them away west of the Dnepr...you're simply doing it wrong.

ORIGINAL: Flaviusx

ORIGINAL: Ketza

I have always funneled replacements since the first game I played as Soviets I witnessed Leningrad get overrun with hasty attacks haha

My theory was the troops in the south run a bigger risk of getting surrounded or beat up by the extra panzers so why make them stronger and waste resources?

The key in the south is to screen with junk and throwaways and even weaker mech units -- things you don't care about and aren't being refitted. Rifle divisions being deployed further to rear. I see no reason to starve them just because they are in the south. Once east of the Dnepr, you won't be losing them. If you are throwing them away west of the Dnepr...you're simply doing it wrong.

I actually think this a counterproductive (and unfun) view of Soviet strategy in more recent game iterations. With the end of the flying fuel cans of death fighting in the South isn't necessarily a death warrant, and at the end of the day there are only so many hexes up north you can pack troops into. A reasonable fighting withdrawal in the South can keep things from getting out of control and (for those who care) is at least plausibly realistic. Also...with milder winter taking back 300+ miles of South Russia/Ukraine cannot be taken for granted, so one might not want to give it up so easily.

Flaviusx is spot-on (as always) and as far as Soviet defenders, you can't have enough in AGN and AGS sectors if you rest and rehab units (as you must.)

I have found that a mass of Soviet cav divisions make a near impenetrable barrier in the southern half of AGS and by turn 8, a solid retreating soviet D line east of the Dnepr, effectively using the multiple rivers and keeping out of reach of deliberate German infantry attacks , makes AGS safe and secure.

I guess we all have our own ways of doing things. I think all of the options mentioned here work.

[&o]