Soviet Rifle/Naval Infantry and Airborne Brigades

[Dereck]

I'm just curious what other Soviet players tend to do with these units. I have a use for the Rifle Brigades but really can't see any major use for the other two.

Thanks

[56ajax]

Well it is 1941 and against an experienced Axis player just about every Soviet unit has the stopping power of wet tissue paper.

So why waste a division of say 14k manpower when a brigade of say 4k has exactly the same effect ie acting as a minor road block.

[chaos45]

All of them can be attached to soviet divisions....the airborne are esp important because you can convert them to guard rifle divisions in 1942 and then to Guards airborne divisions later in the war

Also at full strength the naval brigades are actually decent CV to add to your divisions....yes they cant get guards but your brigade limits will drop so only so many rifle brigades to go around.

[FortTell]

I'm just curious what other Soviet players tend to do with these units. I have a use for the Rifle Brigades but really can't see any major use for the other two.

Thanks

Airborne brigades:
- speedbumps in strategic locations for a small loss of men in the early turns
- as was said, a source of Guards divs in spring 42
- can all become Guards (Guards% limit is 100% for airborne and cav)

Naval rifle brigades:
- very strong 41a ToE with tons of good mortars, good in combat
- do not get Guards, letting you concentrate your Guards on divisions and corps
- solid combat performance all game
- do not drop to 45 morale in late 41, so can be used on-map and do not disintegrate

Rifle brigades:
- solid combat performance all game
- do not drop to 45 morale in late 41, so can be used on-map and do not disintegrate

[Dereck]

Well it is 1941 and against an experienced Axis player just about every Soviet unit has the stopping power of wet tissue paper.

I'm playing against the AI. Would ANY experienced HUMAN player put the OKH HQ right behind the front line behind a weak unit where, after one attack I could attack it and kill Franz Halder who was replaced by Fedor von Bock? Since it's the 1941-12-21 turn I'm taking that as a Christmas present for my Red Army.

[Dereck]

Also at full strength the naval brigades are actually decent CV to add to your divisions....yes they cant get guards but your brigade limits will drop so only so many rifle brigades to go around.

I'm playing my modified scenario where I took build limits off. Still not building wild (I have a spreadsheet where I have how many of what I want for a Front, Army, Corps so that's my build limit. I just don't want to build things I may not really use.

[Wiedrock]

Well it is 1941 and against an experienced Axis player just about every Soviet unit has the stopping power of wet tissue paper.

I'm playing against the AI. Would ANY experienced HUMAN player put the OKH HQ right behind the front line behind a weak unit where, after one attack I could attack it and kill Franz Halder who was replaced by Fedor von Bock? Since it's the 1941-12-21 turn I'm taking that as a Christmas present for my Red Army.

Nooo, who's now going to make certain documents disappear while organizing them post war in/for the US?

[Dereck]

I'm just curious what other Soviet players tend to do with these units. I have a use for the Rifle Brigades but really can't see any major use for the other two.

Thanks

Airborne brigades:
- speedbumps in strategic locations for a small loss of men in the early turns
- as was said, a source of Guards divs in spring 42
- can all become Guards (Guards% limit is 100% for airborne and cav)

Naval rifle brigades:
- very strong 41a ToE with tons of good mortars, good in combat
- do not get Guards, letting you concentrate your Guards on divisions and corps
- solid combat performance all game
- do not drop to 45 morale in late 41, so can be used on-map and do not disintegrate

Rifle brigades:
- solid combat performance all game
- do not drop to 45 morale in late 41, so can be used on-map and do not disintegrate

Rifle Brigades - I'm assigning them to Rifle Divisions and later Rifle Corps as well as Cavalry Corps (for now).

Naval Rifle Brigades - have very few on the map but using them to build up fortifications in major cities with fortified zones and garrison them.

Airborne Brigades - didn't quite know what to use them for so been taking them off the map when I can replace them with a rifle division and waiting to convert the ones remaining after some disband to Guards units.

[Dereck]

Well it is 1941 and against an experienced Axis player just about every Soviet unit has the stopping power of wet tissue paper.

I'm playing against the AI. Would ANY experienced HUMAN player put the OKH HQ right behind the front line behind a weak unit where, after one attack I could attack it and kill Franz Halder who was replaced by Fedor von Bock? Since it's the 1941-12-21 turn I'm taking that as a Christmas present for my Red Army.

Nooo, who's now going to make certain documents disappear while organizing them post war in/for the US?

Sorry (not really) ... I always try to attack HQs just for that reason and WHY the OKH was behind the lines instead of safely in Berlin. An opportunity I just couldn't pass up and after the - pardon my language - ass beating the AI has been giving me up to now serves them right.

[Kelblau]

I tend to use them

Rifle brigades : mostly as replacements for battered infantry divisions and corps, and for Inf corps building.
Naval brigades : as support unit attached to Inf div / Inf corps to beef them up
Airborne brigades : 1/ airborne assaults 2/ Late-war guard div 3/ support unit as naval brigade