Matrix Games Forums

It's June 1942 and I'm experimenting with different strategies to defeat the Moscow fortress.

I've read the various suggestions for defeating Moscow that have popped up in the forum but I'm wondering if any new learnings have come to light as players have gained more experience.

I'm playing against the Russian AI with difficulty set to normal.

I took Leningrad in 1941 and I surrounded and isolated the three Moscow hexes in May 1942.

My first question is how to use the Luftwaffe. Luftflotte 1 has more than 760 bombers at hand to throw at Moscow with ample fighter support.

A couple of players have suggested bombing the railyards, which I've been doing. I've achieved 100% railyard damage to all three hexes of Moscow and am keeping it there with regular raids. It seems to be reducing the stored supplies in each of the hexes, but very slowly.

I've also experimented with bombing the units in the garrison, hoping to disrupt a good portion of them, however this appears to have no effect. I read somewhere that non-ground support disruption by aircraft does not carry through to the ground combat phase. Is this correct?

My second question is the ground assault. Am I correct to assume the best strategy is to ensure my assault force is loaded up with pioneers, artillery, combat preparation points and supply and accept that it will take several attempts with horrendous casualties?

"My second question is the ground assault. Am I correct to assume the best strategy is to ensure my assault force is loaded up with pioneers, artillery, combat preparation points and supply and accept that it will take several attempts with horrendous casualties? "

Yep, my examples here: https://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=5100641

At that time air bombing was not useful. That is why I was not using it. But with 0.19 patch it seems like it doing much more damage.
Get good leaders, arty, pioneers attached directly to a divisions, make sure they are in one army, army group and attack. If you can gather enough troops for the second attack you can second attack in the same turn.
Repeat until it is taken

Thanks very much, Stamb.

Yes, I've taken careful note of your examples.

Interesting observation about the 0.19 patch increasing air effectiveness. I'll push on with my railyard bombing and see if that helps down the track.

By the way, this amazing game, with its incredible depth of detail, is a real feast for an Eastern Front fanatic like me. It has the most challenging AI I've ever encountered in a computer wargame, and at 63 years old, I've played a few. Congratulations to all involved, and you certainly have me hooked for future expansions.

if you have Moscow isolated, a certain amount of ground attack missions can be useful. You'll take heavy losses and its not so much to do damage but that consumes Soviet ammunition and thus reduces the Soviet freight stocks - not going to be decisive but every little helps.

Sequence in terms of air attacks is:

a) disrupted by GA mission - gain fatigue before ground phase
b) disrupted by GS mission - don't count for battle win/loss then gain fatigue before next battle

if they are low on supply/isolated, that fatigue will clear very slowly if at all, so again not going to turn the situation around in one turn but it all adds up

Thanks for your contribution, Loki. I've been a keen follower of your advice, especially when I was first learning to play the game.

I didn't realise that ground attack missions would consume Soviet ammunition, and therefore reduce freight, so that's good to know.

If they have high level forts, I think switching to fewer but heavier aircraft bombs might help