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Hi,

I am playing the full campaign as the Axis against the AI at normal difficulty. During Summer 41, I did a pretty good job and successfully capture Leningrad and Moscow. To ensure a good supply flow I actually build my front line at boundary along Moscow, Kursk, Orel, Karkov, D (nothing more east than that). In the south my front is about 10 hexes west of Stalino. I tried to build my front during the mud turns like a straight line to decrease the numbers of one hex salient. I also focus my panzers in town hexes since I think it has some protection when winter come.

When winter finally come, the Soviet still crush my front. By the mid of Jan 42, the area around Orel is pretty much fully crush and a big hole is created. My south front is kind of crushed too but my Romanian able to move back to the hole to cover it with virtualy no defense value since it move.

So here come my question about strategy:

1. Should I try to conquer as far as I can during the summer time to give a buffer zone when winter comes? (In this case without any fort and with poor supply I will be pushed back for sure but I have some extra ground). Or should I stand fast earlier and build fort and dig deep during the mud turns. Currently this is what I have done but I still cannot defense the soviet when the first winter come. My Romanian only have defensive CV around 5 to 8 in the south while my area around orel is having some supply shortage (yellow square, I wonder I should reload earlier turns and move those units even further west) .

2. Does fort help? If so how early should I start to build fort? Of course, the early I build, the more to the west of the frontline will be.

3. Should I make sure all my units are in good supply (no yellow or red highlight during Nov) to welcome December? Again this will make my frontline more to the west.

4. Do reserve units help? I have barely have enough units cover the front so I do not know how to use them in this case?

5. Does HQ buildup helps to pull supply just for defensive purpose?

Any strategy is advise. Now I am pretty screw as many soviet troops have pour into my Orel hole and I cannot move forces away to block them without lose more grounds. My Mocow defense is pretty tight though. Note that even my north front is very fragile and I think that it will be broken soon too. I am just moving troops to cover holes but without the fort bonus it won't last.

Should I reload my October turns and retry again?

Thanks for any advise again!

I am no expert at the game, and I am sure some of the guys that play German a lot can add more, or may tell you the best approach to defending in the first winter.

1. If you can take Moscow and Leningrad in 41, I would do it. Just know it may be hard to hold on to Moscow when the Russians start their counter attack. On the plus side, you capture manpower centers, factories and have more space to trade for time when the attack finally happens.

2. Forts are essential to defending. I would start preparing your defense several turns before blizzard starts, if you can, that way you have a good line without bulges, and can be entrenched.

3. You want to think out your rail lines ahead of time. Try and insure your rails follow the direction you plan on attacking. The better the supply situation, the better the units will perform.

4. Yes, especially mobile units behind the front can add in on defense and potentially save units in a combat that would otherwise loose. You want to protect your mobile units, try and have them in a city to limit the blizzard effects. If its close enough to the action, they can use reserve mode to help the front line units.

5. I don't believe this is a good use of build up, if the unit is already in short supply, a build up wont be effective. But hopefully someone else can correct me if I amn wrong here.

I think you have to be ready to give ground. Just stubbornly retreat as little as possible, and insure you don't allow units to get isolated. When the campaign season starts in 42, you will retake the lost ground, and hopefully win the game.

move all your SU's to OKH and leave them in Germany during the last snow turn, this be a huge savings on armaments and manpower.

If you have taken Leningrad have the fins defend to the no move line then 2x stack south to Oka.

You have 2 MT divisions split them into regiments.

If you have taken Moscow you can easly hold it by putting MT regiments to north and south of Moscow + if you have taken it Stavka will be to weak to do much of anything Oka north.

South of the Oka retreat 2 hexes during Dec and 1 during January and hold during February.

Generally speaking you will not have time to make defences other then FZ's as you should be attacking until the blizzard hits. They need to be built 4 turns before MUd of don't bother

If possible try and put your best six to 12 Infantry divisions in towns or citys,
chance are if you can put 12 in game will end the following yr.

+

Only play server games

For the first point, you mean to put all support unit to OKH starting the last turn of Nov and lock the OKH until blizzard is pasted(Dec is blizzard not snow)? If I lock OKH isn't it support squads will not transfer among HQs also?

Thanks for all the tricks so far!

Does someone counterattack successfully during December and January with standard blizzard? I am not able to give ground without fighting...

I'm playing against myself the blizzard turns while waiting 1.05 (standard blizzard not mild one) and I found that the Soviets can't advance very fast... The most quick units are the mobile brigades (the rifle divisions are strong when deliberate attacks are made but not able to advance a lot after that) and these mobile brigades are the weakest Soviet units so there are some chances to push them back with some good deliberate attacks...
What is your counterattack experience as Axis during winter?

I am able to do a little bit of counter attack where the soviet is the weakest. But since I am not moving forward to leave my defense it did little strategically. The AI is is capable to find my weakest spot (the area around Orel, where my unit are in yellow box with supply problems) and concentrate all their attack there. They pour in many units there now. I see tanks there for sure. Probably 2 to 3 hexes deep now and 4 hexes wide with high defense value. For now I still cannot find of a way to deal with that hole.....still thinking.

Always keep at least one hex between you and the russians

Abandon any idea of a continuous front line.

Your CV grows from 2 in dec to 3 in jan and 4 in feb .

A german 3 division strongpoint puts up 6 cv , 9 cv and 12cv progresivly.

It is not posible to hold anything in dec but by jan, one such stronpoint might held against a deliberate atack by a soviet 3 division stack .

Counteratack soviet brigades that try to envelop your strongpoints.

use the axis allies as cannon fooder ( fill the gaps between german strongpoints ) and security units north of Orel .

Do not listen to these cowards and traitors! The German soldier does not know the meaning of retreat! Not one step back! The Luftwaffe will drop supplies by air! This is a Fuhrerbefehl!

ORIGINAL: elxaime

Do not listen to these cowards and traitors! The German soldier does not know the meaning of retreat! Not one step back! The Luftwaffe will drop supplies by air! This is a Fuhrerbefehl!

The by all means give them easy guard experience. [;)]

ORIGINAL: c00per

ORIGINAL: elxaime

Do not listen to these cowards and traitors! The German soldier does not know the meaning of retreat! Not one step back! The Luftwaffe will drop supplies by air! This is a Fuhrerbefehl!

The by all means give them easy guard experience. [;)]

Such things cannot stand against destiny. What matters is an iron will.

Thanks for all the advice! I reload my turn back to mid Oct 41. Let's see whether I can do better this time. One thing is sure. Dividing the MT units really helps! Thanks Pelton for that.
I build a lot of forts until I broke. They helps a bit too.

Those mountain troops are priceless and doing regiments in reserve is a great tip. Doing Axis "defense" is a key art. KUDOS to Pelton.