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I genuinely believe right now that while pocketing is important in this game, the benefits to routing is also really useful. While there is a unit left behind that can ZOC, it is extremely weak until it is given replacements. Doing this will clog up the soviet supply network. If they are sent back to the reserve to fully reinforce that will take multiple turns and the unit will have low experience, forcing you to leave it in the reserve box to train it up or send it to the front, taking up rail capacity and becoming a free meal for my units. Pocketing ties up units and in the open spaces of the south where lines can get stretched, I need to keep my units concentrated and every turn there has to be damage dealt and threats the Soviet player must respond to.

Routing/shattering all those Soviet units on T1 costs a lot of CPP and lets large numbers of men escape. If they are pocketed then the pockets can be reduced by some dedicated 'pocket reduction' divisions while a good part of the army charges forwards as fast as possible. Killing unpocketed forts lets a lot of their manpower escape.
True, the routed units have little combat value for a few turns but I expect HLYA to protect as many as he can and then you will be facing a larger Soviet army come mid to late summer.
Taking Ventspils on T1 is also important to isolate the units in Courland, it just takes one unit from a broken down Mot division.
Maybe you will prove me wrong with your strategy, good luck with it !

Exactly, Mountain Units have 5 points higher morale. They also have no GUARD limits and don't count toward infantry limits.
That's really it. But that's useful.

If you are playing REALLY long term, they also come into play in 1944 when you are back in the Carpathians

Ventspils can be isolated via naval interdiction, no need to waste mot regiment.

ORIGINAL: Q-Ball

Exactly, Mountain Units have 5 points higher morale. They also have no GUARD limits and don't count toward infantry limits.
That's really it. But that's useful.

If you are playing REALLY long term, they also come into play in 1944 when you are back in the Carpathians

Very useful

ORIGINAL: loki100
Seminole - why do you think that mtn divisions are better in the blizzard turns? Is that something from WiTE1 but because they have no particular advantages in snow etc in WiTE2

Didn't realize they no longer have the weather advantage, that was a nice tool in the box.
They are elite units, with a +5 morale bonus. Don't know how their TOE stacks up, but in my observation they offer good CV and I like to have them on a hardpoint in '41, or more often behind a few hexes to counter attack and stop any bleed through.


12.1.2. ELItE UNItS
Both the Soviets and the Germans fielded units that were regarded as elite. These units gain a modifier to their respective national morale as:

Special Bonus
§ German regular (or LW) Elite units +15
§ Soviet Guards +10
§ SS Elite +5 in 1941, +10 in 1942, +15 1943 and later

Also some units gain a potential morale bonus due to their
type (the type bonus and the special bonus can be added
together):

§ Cavalry, Mountain, Airborne and Air Landing +5
§ Axis Allied motorized units +5
§ German Motorized Units +10

Note this includes formations such as the Gross Deutschland and the Hermann Goering Panzer Division

§ Soviet Motorized Units (from Sept 1942-August 1943) +5, Soviet Motorized Units (Sept 1943-end of war) +10.


Example: a Soviet Motorized Guard unit in 1945 has a net +20 modifier (+10 motorized in 45 +10 Guard), while a Soviet Guards Cavalry unit would have a +15 modifier (+5 cavalry +10 elite).

I used a naval patrol to cut off the port units in Courland so they are still isolated.

ORIGINAL: Rosencrantus

I used a naval patrol to cut off the port units in Courland so they are still isolated.

Yup, true statement! Frees up the Moto unit to go elsewhere.

ORIGINAL: Seminole
....

12.1.2. ELItE UNItS
Both the Soviets and the Germans fielded units that were regarded as elite. These units gain a modifier to their respective national morale as:....

§ Cavalry, Mountain, Airborne and Air Landing +5
....

its amazing what you find in the manual, I'd honestly never noticed that effect ... I shall go and tell off the author for not warning me [;)]

ORIGINAL: loki100

ORIGINAL: Seminole
....

12.1.2. ELItE UNItS
Both the Soviets and the Germans fielded units that were regarded as elite. These units gain a modifier to their respective national morale as:....

§ Cavalry, Mountain, Airborne and Air Landing +5
....

its amazing what you find in the manual, I'd honestly never noticed that effect ... I shall go and tell off the author for not warning me [;)]

When you go tell them off please carbon copy us, we have a right to know of course ;-P

By the way what is the turn delay going to be? I might start my own AAR. If you update your AAR live I'm going to have to keep myself from looking at any of your unit deployment.

ORIGINAL: Rosencrantus

By the way what is the turn delay going to be? I might start my own AAR. If you update your AAR live I'm going to have to keep myself from looking at any of your unit deployment.

Depends on how I feel when I post. Some posts will be live some may not. But, you are "never" restricted from looking at my AAR nor posting in it. If I post it and you can use it to your advantage then it is my own fault for sharing it.

Just set what ever delay you are comfortable with on yours.

If that is so I'll impose restrictions on myself. I don't want any advantage like that. I should have to spend some recon planes for enemy unit placement [;)].

Playing Soviets in 41 makes me pull my hair out... Maybe I should contract my turns out to M60 Wonder what the going price would be for his services.

I totally misunderstood that rule thank u

ORIGINAL: HardLuckYetAgain

Playing Soviets in 41 makes me pull my hair out... Maybe I should contract my turns out to M60 Wonder what the going price would be for his services.

There are several ways to skin the cat, I need to get more comfortable using filters in the CR and making changes there in batches. I’m guilty of poking around to much ‘manually’ while brooding what to do.
If anyone has tips, especially with the air war, share in your AAR. Someone posted a nice how to on unit relocation across the mao which was useful, but I still haven’t spent time wrapping my head around the best purpose for AOGs.

What to do with the VVS in the early game probably deserves it's own thread. Not just cleaning up the devastation of T-1, but figuring out how to rebuild from there. The Polk re-sizing really helps a ton, when Polks go from 67 planes to 32 (August I think), to 20 (September)....that greatly simplifies what you are trying to do. It also helps to understand the differences between IAD, BAD, DBAD, SAD, etc, so you can deploy fighters and bombers together in places they can support each other. Also seems important to know when to deploy the VVS; the LW can really rip them up, but the Axis will to a point when they outrun
their aircover

There are other nuances....what to do with the Moscow Air Command? Central Front does not have a dedicated Air Group like all the other Fronts, what do you do about that? What do you do with Long Range Air Command? I could go on

Anyway, someone should start a thread because I'm sure there would be interest

ORIGINAL: HardLuckYetAgain

ORIGINAL: Rosencrantus

I used a naval patrol to cut off the port units in Courland so they are still isolated.

Yup, true statement! Frees up the Moto unit to go elsewhere.

I tried this tactic twice but my opponents did nothing to break the blockade. Can soviet player do something about it?

ORIGINAL: mrblonde1

I tried this tactic twice but my opponents did nothing to break the blockade. Can soviet player do something about it?

Soviets can counter interdict but it is literally impossible on T1. Maybe if German player do not fly during Soviet phase they can muster enough to break it.

ORIGINAL: mrblonde1

I tried this tactic twice but my opponents did nothing to break the blockade. Can soviet player do something about it?

Soviet player can create naval patrol air directives as well, but ineptitude of Soviet Air Force at this stage and likely distance to target could make it unlikely to succeed. Need a differential of 2 for blockade to be in effect. This blockade is for supplies, not strategic movement, however if the isolated units are depleted they can’t recover and utilize strategic movement, so they are in effect trapped and will ‘melt’ away in the logistics phase if not encountered.
I’ve seen rifle divisions gain 80%+ replacements in the port on Saaremaa, but supply flow seems hit or miss with version changes, so it’s a dangerous game to count on hanging out there.

I remember trying to use naval transport in tiles where there was enemy naval interdiction. You get a pop up saying a transport has been sunk and you end up losing a lot of men.