At a loss

[Preuss]

On only 8/10/41 I find Leningrad gone...(it fell on 7/27!) Vyazma and Velikye Luki fallen (as well as the entrenched line of corps connecting them) ...I'm seriously considering early capitulation. I've lost before...but never so quickly.

In this game, I tried the hedgehog defence...stacking the major cities along the rail lines with one tank div, 4 inf. divs, and as much arty and anti-tank weapons as I could find. Each city fell in one turn, not even causig a hiccup in my opponent's advance.
He's at the end of his supply range...but that hasn't seemed to slow him since his spearheads have ended up in hexes with supply of 1 or 0 during the entire advance. I've lost 37,000 squads, and countless other arms. The infantry replacement pool stands at a paltry 1,300. I have perhaps 20 divisions south of Voronezh

In previous games, I've either thrown up short defensive lines...3-7 corps in length (depending on anchors) which, while slowing an opponent down, have only given him more grist for his mobile mills (leaving me too little for operations after the blizzards). The end result of one of those was to fall in the summer of 42'. The others are still ongoing in the first blizzards.

I've piled on the airpower at threatened points, only to find my air units virtually destroyed, and my corps either vanished or pushed back. The only successful part of my operations has been avoiding having my hq's overrun.

So, I'm thinking there must be something I'm missing. Anybody got any contructive criticism which may help? Or, am I doomed to join the numbers who say that nothing can stop a determined and experienced opponent besides rail?

[Bernard]

Want help from me ??:D
nice to see you consider early capitulating with "only" 37.000 squads lost.
that makes 23.000 less than what i lost.
did you dig some units around moscow ? that would be to be reinforced ?
what about german's losses ?

[g00dd0ggy]

You clearly have not read my thread on Soviet strategy

Hedgehog doesn't work - nothing does until you reach defensible lines.

These are Leningrad - Novgorod - Demyansk - Vyazma - Rzevh - Orel

Any further west is a waste of men and equipment. Defend in depth at these lines and you should be able to hold for a while (though Demyansk is a bit of a pocket waiting to happen).

In the South hold the Dnepr line for a month or so, then run like hell. All the while you should be redeploying troops from the South to the centre and to Leningrad.

Up to these lines German advance is dictated only by rail conversion. They will advance at the same speed whether you fight like hell or run away, and running away is the only way to conserve the manpower to man these lines effectively.