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So for my first multiplayer game I decided I'd try the 1944-45 campaign as the Axis. Probably a mistake, but the scenario felt most comfortable to me for some reason. I only need to think about strategy a year ahead, and I know Soviet objectives fairly well from what I've read about the 1944 summer offensive in the past. Hopefully I'll last as long as historically!

Just sent my turn 3, so I'll have screenshots up for turn 4 once I get that. In the meantime, anyone have advice for a newbie?

Advice: don't try to mix it up with the Reds. You'll get your clock cleaned. It takes only a few turns of exciting, freewheeling action, Panzers vs Tank Armies, for the weight of the Red Army and its now monstrous Guards Rifle Corps to break the Panzer arm. Instead, you must mostly play for time. Withdraw some, most every turn, on most every sector. A withdrawal of a single hex tends to dislocate the attack of the infantry masses, and in winter, a withdrawal of just one hex can prevent some of those huge corps from launching any deliberate attack.

Any time you do decide to stand and make a fight of it (on a river line, say, or in a forest belt), keep Panzer reserves on hand and set to reserve, and keep every hex of your second and third line garrisoned. With an infantry regiment, if nothing else. What you cannot have is Russians just motoring into the rear and setting up pockets. Often, the first line isn't really the main line. It's a buffer zone. The Russians can attack it and drive you back, but you don't much care. The next hex is where you make your real stand.

River lines, of course, must be held where they are, and you might have to counterattack to restore them. But don't hang on too long. Remember what happened historically at Korsun.

heawy panzer bats to your ss divisions. The normal panzers gets weaker by time and have lower base morale.

as shermanny said. use cities,rivers,swamps,rough terrain to defend. dont try to defend in the open. hexes that can be attacked from 3 soviets hexes, better withraw from if not fort lvl 3.

- move airplanes to airbases so they get 10 units each, disband the empty bases

- try to keep romania in the game as long as possible

-If AGC retreets to much u must withraw AGN to Riga-Dougavina lINE before its to late.

-disband the fbd units and road construction units.

-in later 44 when u have AP over start building forts around berlin and use rebuilding divisions as builders.