Soviet player here for some concluding remarks also from Comintern perspective.
As we have seen, our hopes of destroying Germany by a two-front-war were crushed as they (with some help from the other Axis powers) were able to destroy France and hold their ground in the east. One reason for this was of course the extraordinary offensive play by CptEasy, but what about the Soviets?
The suggestion to broaden the front is interesting. I considered it several times, but we must also remember that my forces were under (almost) constant stress. I wanted to keep the pressure up on the Germans, to avoid too many troops moving to the West. But as it turned out, just holding the line was a real challenge, especially with all the Italians present (including their Air Force). Opening a new front was deemed to dangerous, as that would give more possibilities for counterattacks by the superior Axis forces.
After BArbarossa was stated, it was basically over. Already in the initial attacks could I see that I was doomed. This was a combination of great offensive play by CptEasy (again...), poor quality of the Soviet troops (due to how the research etc works, as discussed earlier in this AAR) and my inability to adjust from the offensive to the defensive setup. As most of my troops were on the line when we clashed, my chances of organizing an ordered retreat were meager.
I believe the strategic misstakes were the worst. I was quite happy with my production and army composition (forts were not used in an optimal way, but I did not dare ure the IC for troops due to MP issues).
Once again, great play by Axis!
As we have seen, our hopes of destroying Germany by a two-front-war were crushed as they (with some help from the other Axis powers) were able to destroy France and hold their ground in the east. One reason for this was of course the extraordinary offensive play by CptEasy, but what about the Soviets?
The suggestion to broaden the front is interesting. I considered it several times, but we must also remember that my forces were under (almost) constant stress. I wanted to keep the pressure up on the Germans, to avoid too many troops moving to the West. But as it turned out, just holding the line was a real challenge, especially with all the Italians present (including their Air Force). Opening a new front was deemed to dangerous, as that would give more possibilities for counterattacks by the superior Axis forces.
After BArbarossa was stated, it was basically over. Already in the initial attacks could I see that I was doomed. This was a combination of great offensive play by CptEasy (again...), poor quality of the Soviet troops (due to how the research etc works, as discussed earlier in this AAR) and my inability to adjust from the offensive to the defensive setup. As most of my troops were on the line when we clashed, my chances of organizing an ordered retreat were meager.
I believe the strategic misstakes were the worst. I was quite happy with my production and army composition (forts were not used in an optimal way, but I did not dare ure the IC for troops due to MP issues).
Once again, great play by Axis!