Pekkavilamoura wrote: Tue Sep 08, 2026 12:26 pm
Sounds good. I'm currently playing Axis, we are in April '45 (turn 199). First time ever got this far in the game! Prague, Budapest about to fall but confident to be able to keep Berlin and reach a draw or maybe even more.
Would rank myself as medium level. I play a historical game, no gamey moves. Expect it from Russia as well: once had somebody doing crazy cavalry kamikaze moves to cut German supply lines in July '41 - ridiculous.
Well, Rommel was available after the Africa adventure so he might be sent to East instead of West at some point.
Pace is OK, I can do it after the initial heavy rounds.
Rules OK as well.
Let me know if interested,
Cheers
Yes, the Soviet Red Army frequently sent cavalry units deep into German-occupied territory to harass supply lines, destroy communications, and disrupt logistics during the chaotic fighting of 1941.While many view World War II purely as a mechanized conflict, the vast, roadless Russian terrain—which turned into thick mud during the autumn rasputitsa and deep snow during the winter—heavily restricted tanks and trucks. The Red Army leaned heavily on its horse cavalry, expanding the arm from 13 to 82 divisions between July and December 1941. They functioned as highly mobile elite infantry who used horses to bypass clogged roads, cross frozen landscapes, and hit vulnerable German rear areas. [1]
Key Cavalry Raids of 1941Dovator’s August Raid: In August 1941, during the Battle of Smolensk, Major General Lev Dovator led an isolated cavalry group (composed of the 50th and 53rd Cavalry Divisions) deep behind the lines of the German Army Group Centre. For over two weeks, his horsemen penetrated up to
100 kilometers into the German rear, severing communications, ambushing supply convoys, and forcing the Wehrmacht to divert three infantry divisions just to deal with them.
The Battle of Moscow (Winter 1941): During the Soviet winter counteroffensives starting in December 1941, Dovator’s 2nd Guards Cavalry Corps executed daring, deep-penetration raids through heavy snow. Armed with traditional sabers and modern PPSh-41 submachine guns, they sowed terror among German logistics units, capturing supply dumps and cutting off retreat paths.
Belov’s 1st Guards Cavalry Corps: Led by Major General Pavel Belov, this legendary unit specialized in striking the German flanks and rear. Following successes near Moscow in late 1941, Belov's corps broke through German lines in early 1942, spending a staggering five months operating deep inside the German rear near Smolensk alongside local partisan units.
How They FoughtSoviet cavalrymen rarely executed Hollywood-style mounted saber charges against entrenched enemy positions—when they did, as the 44th Cavalry Division disastrously did at Musino in November 1941, they were devastated by German machine guns and artillery.
Operational Mobility: They rode horses to travel swiftly cross-country, through dense forests, and across swamps where German panzers got stuck.
Dismounted Combat: Upon reaching a German logistics hub or supply convoy, the cavalrymen would dismount and fight on foot as heavily armed, well-trained mobile infantry.
These deep-penetration tactics exploited the Wehrmacht's overextended supply lines and bought the Soviet high command crucial time to reinforce major cities like Moscow.