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This is getting unbearable.

Winter of 1941 and still some ground to be covered before Stalingrad. For some reason my eye is fixed on Zid to pull a rabbit out of the hat. The Axis coastline is very long and UK still travel pretty much as they like.

In the last update the UK was leaving France, given the erratic behaviour of the carnage group in general and Zid in particular (in this carnage AAR atleast) I would literary not bat an eyelid if UK forces were liberating Leningrad.

This has been one of the most thrilling carnage adventures, the pendulum of war swings mercylessly.
 
Well this soviet collapse happens very frequently in MP aars.I think one of the very big problems is that soviet players place their army right on the polish border.They can't hold it,have to retreat disorganized fashion and have difficulty setting up a second organized defence.


images by Konigstigere, on Flickr

I think the use of this defensive line is far superior,yes u can say wtf u are abandoning minsk and kiev without a fight,but i think for soviets its irrelevant as they lose these anyway if they deploy further west.

Greatest advantage is that the entire defensive line[almost] is behind a continous river line allowing you a good advantage to negate german superiority.

2 things to keep in mind.The multiple direction attack penalty.
This means if any province in your defensive line on this side of the river can be attacked from 2 or more provinces u get this penalty.3 directional attack is a nightmare,so u must at least build level 1 forts to negate this penalty in these provinces as much as possible.

Second,large use of garrisons.2GAR 1 AT is a division u would want on every single province of ur def line.Garrisons cost half ic,low mp,dug in are almost as good as inf.The AT brigade is crucial for soviets.I start at 36 so put one of these in every province those starting in 38 may have to do a alternate province thing.
The low IC of garrisons is really helpful for soviets.

I usually build 3 x inf to man the line,backed up by assault/counterattck 2infx1 art and special tank buster divs 2infx2AT.Any panzer breakthroughs need to be countered by these tank buster squads.

Onto armour.Spread out light[alternately as much as possible along the line usually penalty provinces and and heavy armour[on key points] .Medium armour behind for counterattack.

The idea is to let the german army come to you over the large swathes of bad logistical territory stretching its supplies then fight from behind solid obstacles.Air force doesn't get much priority in this strategy though.Only job of bombers is log bombing on potential german attack prov[if that is allowed].Bad supply i think reduces attack efficiency.

The 2 danger spots in ur defense line are crimea and smolensk region.U have a dangerous chance of getting cut off in crimea.

images by Konigstigere, on Flickr

Here u see the 2 dangerzones.The no riverline opening near smolensk in the middle[circled] and the chicken's neck joining crimea with the rest of russia.If u decide to adhere strictly to the riverline defense a german atatck on the chicken's neck may cut off forces stationed in crimea.Better to abandon crimea and straighten out the line on ur southern front,while this will mean a couple of provinces without rivers[maybe a fort if affordable or more stacks]

I urge to build more 3 brigade divs to properly man such a vast defensive line.
Another key thing is briatin and america must supply as much supplies as possible to soviets in trade so that soviet player can ignore this slider for IC as much as possible.This is imp as AT brigades and ART brigades built enmasse cost supplies.

Anyway thats just a theory of mine,on maybe a new way to defend the soviet lines.

Axis have pretty much won this i think,but it was a great fight especially from britain.:(
Looking forward.:)
 
I think the use of this defensive line is far superior,yes u can say wtf u are abandoning minsk and kiev without a fight,but i think for soviets its irrelevant as they lose these anyway if they deploy further west.

The flaw of this strategy is that you lose a lot of territory in no time. Furthermore, like with city walls in middle ages, you have to breach only one or a few places and the line crumbles. Look at how Germans, in this AAR, crossed rivers facing numerous opposition in France and recently at Moscow.
 
The Soviet Union player has to be careful when withdrawing in MP. Their needs to delay the Germans and empty provinces aren't very good at that, so it's a balancing act between giving territory and units (GARs, especially) and gaining time. Also, in MP the Germany player will immediately notice that there are no defences in the border area and will plan accordingly.

We should keep in mind that the Germans are very strong in 1940-1941 and the Soviets are rather weak, so making a breakthrough in one place isn't very hard for the Germany player.
 
I think that AUSTERLITZ has some merit in his reasoning. However you need to contest the germans all the way. IMO pulling the main line further back prevent the germans from free intelligence as to where they should place their Schwerpunkt. In addition it gives the USSR player time and opportunity to focus his heavier forces at the main assault.

To use the ongoing game as an example: Zid has raised a lot of eyebrows by playing unpredictably. He doesn't pack much punch, but he end up making the opposition looking over their shoulder.

He gave up on India to control the Med. and as a result he can pop up anywhere and cause mayhem (well, maybe not mayhem, but make a nuicance of himself)
 
If you intend to do a staggered retreat, you'll need a lot of units, so the first line can fall back on the second and so on. It might actually be a good idea to field lots of GAR divisions to hold important areas. However, in the end only an advanced (in terms of technology and doctrines) Red Army can hope to stop the Axis.
 
@Mnplastic.Let's face it in MP aars soviets get attacked by mid-end 1940.At this juncture axis have huge time in their hands,time is not that great a factor,neither is territory as long as u hold moscow.The absolute key is the survival of the red army.The one thing i notice in these aars is negligible use of the 'strategic depth' of russia.Its always better to bring the huge numbers of axis forces over the pripet marshes and bad infrastructure deeper into the soviet union and have them attacking u from 90 infr provinces.
If u stay at the border u will lose the border battles anyway and on top of that now ur disorganized massed retreating forces will be unable to set up a proper defensive line.There will be enicrclements and u will mostly concentrate on saving troops rather than territory which u lose in short time anyway.The whole thing usually comes down to a massed retreat followed by a last stand near moscow.

Now by deploying further interior.You get some good advantages.
Germans have little intelligence on ur defensive system.
They can't deploy their forces after identifying the schwerpunkt .
When they arrive near this defensive line they are arriving piecemeal,the panzers first followed by stacks of infantry.Now to assault it they must reorganize their entire offensive structure,identify the schwerpunkt then assault them.When they arrive they are the ones thats disorganized with increasingly stretched supplies without having touched a hair of the red army.
Luftwaffe needs to operate from captured airbases,in russia airbases are sparser than in the border.Also this puts additional supply strain.
Third and importantly,with this method between arriving,setting up and attacking u can expend a large amount of time when the initial barbarossa effect for germans is active.Thus the initial german oomph is smaller.

Now onto the defensive line itself and why prospect of breakthrough is much smaller.
1]rivers
2]Forts
3]backup sector armour and tankbuster infantry reserves.
4]supply problems

This coupled with proper use of AT garrisons and occasional 3 brigade inf units to get more divs enables a good chance of holding this line.
Also this front is far wider and thus unlike in the polish border a breakthrough on 1 or 2 provinces doesn't threaten an entire sector.

My 2 cents.
 
@Mnplastic.Let's face it in MP aars soviets get attacked by mid-end 1940.At this juncture axis have huge time in their hands,time is not that great a factor,neither is territory as long as u hold moscow.The absolute key is the survival of the red army.

Germans get "Destiny" bonus it lasts 5 months. So time is very important. If Germans fly through Ukraine even without using "Destiny" as there is no resistance then they have 5 months to defeat Soviets from the Don river. The fighting retreat is better which allows the Soviets do build more units with the "Motherland".
 
I have no experience with MP, and only little with SU. the one time the German (AI) attacked me, I was in Berlin by spring 1943. apart from better building, obviously, and researching doctrines, how different is MP?
 
I have no experience with MP, and only little with SU. the one time the German (AI) attacked me, I was in Berlin by spring 1943. apart from better building, obviously, and researching doctrines, how different is MP?

Well, you mentioned better unit comps and tech, but tech is not just doctrines. It's often times rushed tech on infantry, tanks, supply throughput, and air power. The easiest way to think about it would be to say that in MP, the German player is 25% better in everything than the AI. But it's not a linear equation. That 25% better across the board adds up to an opponent that is 100% better than you would find from the AI. And they are unpredictable to boot. Once you play the AI so many times, I think you would be surprised how conditioned your thinking becomes on countering it.

You have to remember in MP, the German player has one objective, and that is the destruction of the Soviet Union. The research, IC, units built, and strategy are all finely tuned for that one express purpose, starting at the very beginning of the game. In SP, the German AI has many objectives, and its IC and research is dispersed accordingly. In SP, Germany hitting the Soviet union is a 22 oz Eastwing hammer. In MP, it's a 9lb sledgehammer of pure Krupp steel.

On the topic of Soviet strategy, Austerlitz has some points, but I believe his thinking originates from many people's inability to conduct a successful fighting retreat. IMHO, conducting a fighting retreat is the single most difficult strategy to successfully execute in this game. I think being a successful Soviet player relies on mastering that skill, not trying to find a Maginot of the East. That being said, if you wanted to try a straight up defensive stand, I think Austerlitz's line is about the best you'll find.
 
That was the line Soviets formed in our game. And extensively using Militia, which is good for sacrifice.
But that truly is last border Soviets can form, so I believe best plan is to fall back to former Soviet line and leave only Poland empty, retreating from there.
Soviets also should closely monitor their leadership, and not overbuild units, instead keeping some almost finished units at end of queue and deploying if leadership allows.

As for this MP, it is too late to form such a line. All Soviet forces are probably moved to defend Stalingrad as it holds high VP value.
Also Caucasus and nearby area has good defensive terrain, plus couple of airbases near Stalingrad mean Soviets could achieve air superiority, unless Germany has many Multiroles. Soviet manpower is irrelevant now, it should be enough for win or lose in year's time.
 
Carnage al Dente

Just because you are such great readers and since last chapter was a little short, I'll post an extra weekend-chapter.



Chapter XXII - Free the Frog, 3rd try






Players: Players: UK, 0.5 USA, 1.5 USSR, GER, ITA, JAP, HUN(2nd half of this session)







Recap: Stalin is dead. Soviet should have fallen. But it did not. It remains. The Red Army remains. And now the Brits attack France for the third time.

















1-11.jpg

November 11th, 1941

On this date, United Kingdom’s third attack on France begun with an attack on Niort.















2-10.jpg

November 16th, 1941

It seemed like a similar strategy as the previous ones. They had done some initial scouting and knew the defenses. Even though Axis was not particularly surprise, it was simply difficult to cover up for these rapid landings. Italy quickly pulled some air force and sent some additional divisions.

The determined defense in Niort gave the Axis some time to react.

Authors note: As Hungary lacked player initially, AI-Hungary gave its western forces to be lead by Germany.















3-10.jpg

November 21st,

As massive amounts of British troops poured on the defenders, Italian fighters started to engage RAF in earnest. Even though RAF was still the better, the Regia Aeronatica obviously had the strength of hurting them.

During the rapid landing, Germany lost about 2 divisions. One of them might have been a panzer division caught in an ambush during retreat, but the Italian leadership never got sure.















4-11.jpg

November 25th, 1941

Italian reconnaissance spotted huge amount of marching enemies in Bressuire, massing up as the Brits attacked Poitiers. Two brave Italian divisions attacked as much as 8 enemy divisions and locked them in battle. The going would be tough, no doubt, but the British troops ended up in a chaotic position where they could not make use of their numbers.















5-10.jpg

November 28th, 1941

In three days, the Italian soldiers continued their attack into Bressuire. There were Brits everywhere, as more and more poured into the province, but they were in such chaos they could not use their numbers to their benefit. Still, the Italian troops lacked proper AT-weaponry and they had difficulty really hurting their opponent who was supported by a range of light tanks and tankettes as well as Archer tank destroyers. Nevertheless, when the Italians pulled back, the Brits had bled the most and lost a lot of vehicles. Probably more important, the Axis forces had gotten precious time to prepare the defense.















6-10.jpg

November 30th, 1941

The Brits seemed shaken by the chaos in Bressuire and ended up in a similar situation in Poiters as their forced once more clumped together in the roads. A joint Axis attacked charged right into them, as they had just launched an attack northwards against Chinon, which was only defended by tired Italians and Hungarians.















7-9.jpg

December 3rd, 1941

The British leadership obviously realized they could not bash their way through this one and several divisions in the rear had retreated out of the province. Up north, the Italian-Hungarian forces, including the Brit-hating Zingales, had left Chinon. The Brits in Poitiers, however, would not be able to turn this one to a victory. The two light armor divisions went through a tremendous battering as the Army Corps planners did not managed to move reinforcing units to the front.

Behind the German frontline, more and more German infantry, as well as some Italians, had arrived. For the third time, the situation seemed to stabilize.















8-9.jpg

December 5th, 1941

The Brits tried desperately to hold Poitiers but they simply did not manage to bring in any reinforcements, strange as that might seem, and the two light armor divisions were crushed by the Axis infantry after defiant resistance.

This Axis victory effectively marked the end of the British momentum of the third attack on France. Several units had been forced to retreat out of the area, two divisions in such bad shape it would take time before they could be used efficiently again. During the battle of Bressuire and Poitiers, the Axis had gotten ample time to pull their defense together.

The Brits were not beaten, however, and the Third Battle of France far from over.















9-8.jpg

December 6th, 1941

During the intense battle of the West, the German leadership had had difficult times to really make a difference on the Eastern Front. They were fighting far away from Berlin and it was winter once again, making movements slow and cumbersome. Some lands had been taken but no enemies had been captured, except a garrison division in the south.

This was all very frustrating as the USA was closing in on the war, with harsher and harsher statements. Had the Red Army surrendered, the situation had been completely different. Now, the majority of the Wehrmacht were bogged down in battles that could only be won by killing every single Soviet soldier. It was quite the moral-buster. And time was running out…















10-8.jpg

December 6th, 1941

Realizing the Wehrmacht would not come storming to the rescue from the north as originally planned, the Japanese soldiers in Iraq instead started a retreat towards the ocean. The Red Army pressed on relentlessly from the north, threatening to cut them off. It was slow going and as the British units were faster it was also very dangerous. Very little happened here that brought any pleasure to the Axis.

It seemed the Axis machine of war had halted. Like Carthagian hero Hannibal, the Axis had won some tremendous victories, but just when they were about to deliver the killing blow, things just got confused and the momentum got bogged down.

Il Duce saw this all play out but had little he could do to change things, the few excess troops and planes he had was locked in combat in France. Something needed to be done to strike at the British confidence; to get them off balance so that Germany could concentrate on the East and the Japs pull back from Iraq in good order. And there were only one place Italy could strike. A sudden idea was quickly shaped into a roughly designed Operation….










.... to be continued.
 
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What a surprise! Thanks for the quick update!

I think that CptEasy will try to take Suez and encircle the British troops fighting in Iraq. I don't really see any other possibility that would draw the attention of the UK player.
 
very nice. I think Cybvep may be right. Suez or malta, possibly Tel Aviv and jerusalem, would be my choice too.
 
Great to see that Axis weakness, and finally closing to surrender... You are change propaganda to free press law?

But honestly CptEasy(and other writers) can put some other map too?
Like resources, air, navy. It's great to see more details about situation.

Thank you in advance and waiting for more:)