USSR Winning Strategy

[InfArmMot]

• Playing as USSR
• 1936 Scenario
• Standard game on normal against the AI
• Patch 1.05.1
• Using counters, otherwise no changes.

Very short on the winning strategy:
Produce as many tank divisions as you can, before the war against Germany.
Red Army will attack Germany, when Germany is occupied in the west.

• Before the outbreak of war with Germany, no land or air units will be build.
• Also, no industrial capacity will be build.
• No Anti Air or Air Fields will be build.
• In fact, nothing but a few naval units, that is 2 Heavy Cruisers and 2 Subs, both on a serial production, will be build. This during a period of 4 years!

• Investments go to Transport Capacity and not Research.
• Land Doctrine "Mann Power Focus" is abandoned and "Mobility" is researched instead.
• Interventionism has first priority, not Hawk Lobby.
• No changes in the minister cabinet.

Everything is thrown at upgrading the army and especially converting the entire cavalry force, of some 30 Cavalry Divisions, into Light Tank Divisions. This will provide you with 34 Tank Divisions, plus brigades, all in all amounting to some 9500 tanks at dawn of the assault day, 22th of June 1940. A thousands less, however, if you keep upgrading your first Light Tank model to the next. Because each new tank model has less units per Tank Division.

• No assault on Finland or the Baltic states.
• The Ribbentrop Molotov deal is on. This so the Red Army can be in a better attack position.
• We support the Nationalist Chinese fighting the Japanese invasion.
• We also support the Communist Chinese with techs and perhaps a few supplies. This in order to keep China and the far east unstable, while we conquer Germany.
• We also support Republican Spain, but not enough for them to win. Stalin wants to have the Red Army socializing the Iberian peninsula, later on, instead of the Republican Army.

At scenario start first thing to do, is to accumulate a good deal of supplies. Aim for the "Desired Amount". Hereafter reducing dissent has first priority. A process that could take 1½ year in total. If you get the Purge early, consider you self lucky. Because then you should be able to get rid of all dissent, before the summer of 1937.

Now to some screens

Scenario Start, 1936, I go for full supply before starting to reduce the dissent. This in order to sell supplies. USA, France and I think it was Honduras are good to sell to. But also Turkey, Greece, The Czech Republic and Lithuania. Note the Production table. What you see here, is all that will be build, until late 1940, or early 1941.

 

[InfArmMot]

In the summer of 1937, ALL the dissent has been eliminated. Including the insane number from the Purge.
My Cavalry Divisions will soon be converted into Light Tank Divisions. Meaning I will have 34 Tank Divisions already in 1937!

The Land Doctrine Research is on schedule. Mikhail Tukhachevsky was killed in the purge I think, so a new team came to be; The General Staff Academy.
I used it from here on to 1941.

Infantry model 1939 will not be researched before at least 1940, maybe first in 1941. It is not needed anyhow. Only thing that matters are Tank Divisions. Tons of them.

And here in 1940 we have them.

More to follow:

 

[InfArmMot]

I stupidly deleted my save file, so I do not have a lot of screens. But since this is my first attempt, to use this preemptive strike strategy, I still want to show how the scenario went. Because in my mind, there is no doubt that this is the wining strategy for the USSR. Both against the AI and probably also in terms of multiplayer.

As mentioned above, I attacked Germany on June 22th 1940. My plan was to attack Germany, when it attacked the allies in May 1940. At that point, however, the upgrade process of the Red Army infantry, from the 1931 model to the 1936 model, was still not completed. Also, the process of filling up the infantry reserves was not complete.

But the Red Army Tank force was upgraded, filled and ready to go. Had been so since the fall of 1939. I prioritized all Tank Divisions for upgrades.

With the lack of screens from the opening of the war, at dawn, June 22th 1940, we move straight into the first third of July 1940.

July 9th, 1940
The assault through the thin grey line of German troops in Poland was so easy that already 2½ week later, Berlin was in sight. The German offensive against France halted as the Wehrmacht started to move troops to its new eastern front. All done in haste, unable to create a solid line against my 8500 tanks on the move, followed by a few millions troops, of Red Army infantry.

July 14th 1940
West of Warsaw the first big pocket is starting to form. South of the Polish capital. At least four Tank Armies, with 24 Tank divisions took part in the encirclement.

Still July 14th 1940. The first look at Inflicted losses is a nice experience. Red Army is doing very well. Wehrmacht having fought at least 8 nations already, has of course inflicted more losses on its enemies, but since this is still only 3 weeks into the war, the USSR will catch up soon enough. When playing the game like this, it is easy to see how pressured the German AI is. Imagine to be a human player, playing Germany at this point. Tough game.

July 28th 1940
I decide to expand the encirclement west of Warsaw, to everything east of the Oder River.

July 29th 1940
A nice surprise. Romania, or the backstabber, as we call this nation in Russia, decide to change side. This is really good, because Germany has just send 5 or 8 Panzer Divisions into Slovakia, attacking north in direction of Warsaw. Now their rear is open. Next stop Fascist Hungary!

Apparently, the German AI, had deployed a good deal of Romanian troops in the west. With the new political change, these troops are still loyal to the new socialistic Romanian government. They start to form pockets here and there. We will not do anything to help them. Only watch them fighting to the end, while they disrupt German deployments.

July 30th 1940
The Wloclawek pocket is formed.

Later on the same day, the first double encirclement is formed, creating the huge Oder Pocket, with some 30-50 German divisions.

More to follow

 

[REDrake]

Romania is one of Darkest Hour biggest mistakes. Historically they were initially a neutral favorable to the allies. Polish Army and government retreated in September 1939 through Romania and their oil production was sent to British until late July 1940.
After August 1940, Romania was forcibly included in the Axis, by placing a military junta as leaders. Even then Romania did not participate in the invasion of Yugoslavia and Greece in the spring of 1941 and only entered the war in June 1941 with Op. Barbarossa.

In Darkest Hour they are from the start sympathetic to the Germany and it is very easy to have them join the Axis as early as 1938.

 

[InfArmMot]

I completely agree. Romania should be better historical portrayed. Also, I am not from Russia, but this is how the USSR Russians perceived the Romanians. I guess, to a certain degree, they still to this day.

Not sure if the DH developers decided to go unhistorical, due to the difficulty level, for both the AI and the human player, in relation to getting Romania onto the side of the Axis?
Then again, even if Romania was coded correctly, forcing it onto the side of the Axis, could probably be made as a chain of events.
In terms of Poland, retreating to Romania, this was in fact a core part of the Polish defense strategy, against Germany. But due to the massive communication problems, between the Polish army commanders, their strategy of the organised combat retreat, to the southeastern corner of Poland, only worked out for a part of their army.

 

[InfArmMot]

August the 3rd 1940
We are taking the nest of the Nazi snakes, Berlin.

The redeployment of the Wehrmacht forces from France, is starting to cause problems for my spearheads. I may be forced to fall back and wait for the infantry to follow up?
A German attempt from the Wloclawek pocket, to break out from the trap, is initiated. However, as you can see on the map, it will fail. Too many Red Army infantry forces will soon strengthen the trap of the German Nazi snakes.

August the 9th 1940
A smaller army sized German force was in fact destroyed in Stettin, but I never got a screen of it. This German defeat lead to the next phase in the destruction of the
Oder Pocket. Also not seen on the screen, my Close Air Support units was decimated over Stettin, by the Luftwaffe. So I pulled them back to Minsk.

August the 12th 1940
After some bitter fighting, where the trapped force of Germanic Nazi snakes, tried to break out, we are finally strangling the snakes, with a constant assault of fire and
explosives. In total 32 divisions will be eliminated. A great victory for the Red Army and its wise, humble and just leader, Joseph Stalin.

August the 13th 1940
France is still fighting on. However, it seems that it might fall anyway. Maybe I should have attacked the same day the Wehrmacht launched its Fall Gelb?
On the other hand, a defeated France will only be happy to receive its liberation from the proud people of the USSR. A fact that will also strengthen the just cause of
centralised socialism in the capitalistic and decadent west.

August the 14th 1940
The last remains of the Oder Pocket is eliminated.

August the 17th 1940
As the German army arrive in force, I start to realize that the time has come to start the production of new infantry units.
First production run will be garrisons with military police, second run by infantry with artillery. But this also mean that my Manpower pool will be depleted faster than
I had planned. Perhaps it will even force me to initiate a partial mobilization, already here in 1940?

August the 24th 1940
The Oder Pocket has been eliminated. Maybe 50 divisions destroyed, not sure. But it was a huge force the German AI lost. This means time to exploit and so I go for
Arnhem and Denmark. In the south, not shown on the map Vienna is soon in reach.

More to follow

 

[Eugenioso]

Might i suggest you doing a historical setup next AAR you do? Breaking the game so early as the SOV is really not a challenge.

 

[InfArmMot]

Sure. Still, historical or not, this strategy is without any shred of a doubt, the winning strategy for the USSR. Perhaps even regardless of doing the preemptive strike, or waiting for Barbarosssa to fire. Think about it; in 1937-1938, I already had 34 Tank Divisions. Before June 22th 1941, I could produce 34 more. No way can the German AI, or a human player overcome such a wall of steel. Ill give it a try and make the AAR.

In regard to the preemptive strike, this is what Stalin had planned all along.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_offensive_plans_controversy

Btw; it seems easy but the German AI is in fact putting up a tough fight. Ill show you later in the AAR.

 

[InfArmMot]

September the 3rd 1940
On the Jutland peninsula I decide to clean it for Axis forces, before going for Copenhagen. Reason is my poor intelligence capability. I am unsure whether there
are German units in the city or not. I want a secure rear for my tanks. Although I do have some 8500 of them, I haven't produced any new ones, so loosing just
a few of them will be a disaster for my mobility.

Sadly for me and Stalin, from here on, operational problems start to appear. See, the bulk of my infantry is way behind my tanks. The only little I have in the rear are
scattered Romanian infantry units. These having escaped from a prolonged but loosing battle in Hamburg, when my tank corps, simply happened to pass by.
Also, I did not expect to see any real German opposition up here, I mean, after the massive defeat of the Oder pocket. But as you can see, the German AI has
forces left in the area, and so they manage to cut me off.

In fact much worse than this, what I am about to learn, is that the bulk of the Wehrmacht is heading north from France, to retake Berlin. This with a much larger force than the one I just destroyed east of the Oder river. And all I have west of the Oder, are some 15 light tank divisions, one infantry corps and scattered Romania units.
But before we take a further look at the developing threat, lets see what happens further south, in Slovakia and Romania.

September the 10th 1940
Down here the situation has been fragile. It was here Germany counterattacked first. An attack so strong that it forced me to retreat both north and east.
However, after Romania joined my side, the German forces lost their rear. So slowly but surely, and with the constant support of most my airforce, I managed to stop
the counterattack and encircle the German forces too. In Stryj some 1500 German Panzers!
As you can see, the bulk of my infantry is way behind my spearheads.

September the 12h 1940
Back in Jutland my convoys ensure supplies and oil for my tanks. I try to take the most northern province of Frederikshavn, but am unable, even though I try two times.
I decide to go for Copenhagen, since Im starting to get a bad feeling about what might be on the way from the southwest; the bulk of the Wehrmacht.
Only positive news are the upgrade of my Tank divisions. The process is well under way.

September the 14th 1940
Southwest of Berlin my tank army heading for Arnhem, meet the spear of the Wehrmacht. So even with 12 Tank divisions I am forced to defend. As more and more
Wehrmacht units arrive the pressure build up. Not to mention the Luftwaffe, it too is gaining strength in the region. I have no air units available, they are either fighting
in Slovakia or receiving reinforcements back at home. The battle of the Oder pocket did decimate quite a few of them.

September the 28th 1940
For the next 14 days the German counterattack gained strength along most of the line, and the battles raged on.
I had to decide for a strategic withdrawal. I wanted to get my important tank units behind a river somewhere, while my infantry at the same time, moved up
in orde to participate, in what now seemed to be a forced strategic defense. I had no naval transports available for my isolated tanks in Denmark, so I decided
to convert 50 convoys into 5 transports. But the model I got was so old, and so behind, that I did not dare to use it. After all Germany would probably have a
submarine fleet ready somewhere. So instead I defended the island of Fyn.

September the 30th 1940
Instead of being forced to retreat I decided to give the order my self. And so the Red Army faced its first strategic defeat against Nazi AI Germany. Stalin was not pleased
but the word was that this was all part of a big deception. Stalin wanted the Germanic Nazi snakes to belief they could win back their eastern territories.
Stalin, our great leader, wanted to repeat the Oder pocket once again, only this time on a much larger scale.

​

 

[Alizon]

wow that was fast

 

[InfArmMot]

October the 5th 1940
In the Berlin area the Wehrmacht counter offensive is gaining even more strength. At the same time I have started to loose supply convoys to Copenhagen. In order
to counter the naval threat, I send my tiny Baltic fleet, from Leningrad to Copenhagen. Setting it on Naval Scramble, focusing on the sea zone south of the city.
Only a day or two after it get involved in a naval battle, against the Kriegsmarine.
As you can see my 6 surface ships are completely outnumbered.
Somehow I win the battle. No units are destroyed, and my own vessels are fairly damaged. But it is clear as day, that my vessels will not survive in the long run.
Not with these odds against them.

October the 7th 1940
At the Slovakia front, my masses of infantry have managed to create another pocket in Tarnow. This one containing at least 5 motorised German divisions.
In Stryj, my units are constantly attacking the German Panzer pocket. My Air Force is on it day and night, with very few losses. Down here, the Luftwaffe has not showed it self.
In Copenhagen, however, Luftwaffe started to attack my navy with a force of four 1938 Naval Bombers, all with escorts. An attack that damaged my ships and the habour so much
that I had to send either my interceptors, or fighters to the city.

October the 10th 1940
In the Berlin area, I am slowly pushed back to the eastern bank of the Oder river. In Copenhagen my navy had another contact with the submarine fleet of the Kriegsmarine.
Again in the sea zone south of Copenhagen. However, this time I pulled my small fleet out of the battle as soon as I could. Send it straight back to Copenhagen and changed
the Naval Scramble order, to focus on the sea zone north of it. This time the result was positive; no more contacts with that deadly submarine fleet. Instead, I
started to get contacts with transports and smaller vessels, like seen on the screen. Small naval contacts that I could win.

October the 11th 1940
Tarnow pocket and its 5 Motorised divisions is destroyed. The Stryj pocket, having hold out against my attacks much longer than this one, should fall soon.

And yes, later at the very same day, the Stryj pocket fall too. Lots of German panzers destroyd. Perhaps the AI morale took a hit, after Tarnow?

October the 19th 1940
Regardless of the losses in the south, the German Nazi AI is still going strong. In the Berlin area it initiate its first attempt to cross the Oder River. This first attack was directed to Meseritz. But at this point my tank formations have had almost two weeks to reorganize and reinforce. So they are ready to support the defending infantry divisions.
And because the infrastructure in this part of Europe is very high, moving tanks from one province to another, takes no time. This infrastructure bonus, proofs to be the solution against a sheer wall of German attempts to cross the Oder River. An offensive that last all the way to February 1941.

Note that my infantry armies finally have arrived. My tanks reached the Oder in July! ...maybe I should not have used all that infantry, to destroy the Oder Pocket. Maybe I should only have left
enough infantry to keep the pockets trapped. Could very well be that this was my operational mistake? Because had it arrived a month earlier, I would have had enough infantry to defend Berlin.

 

[InfArmMot]

wow that was fast

You mean the pace of my offensive, or the fact that I had to retreat this early?

 

[InfArmMot]

December the 12th 1940
Throughout October, November and now December, the German attempts went on and on. It simply kept on attacking one province after another, trying to cross the Oder.
Each time I used 2 or 3 Tank armies as support for the defence, thus everything beteeen 12 or 18 Tank divisions. My infantry divisions took a lot of casualties, loosing
around 100.000 men. But nowhere did the German Wehrmach break through. The line hold.
On this screen you can see the attempt the British AI made, to invade Holland (Netherlands) and northwest Germany.

December the 22th 1940
10 days after the British invasion had reached its peak. Hereafter the Wehrmact pushed the British back into the sea.
The Oderfront had shifted focus from north to south. We now fought on the control of southeast Germany and Austria. A fight that was just as tough as the one,
in the Berlin area, however, down here, my infantry armies made better progress than up there.
At this point I had also triggered the partial mobilisation.

 

[InfArmMot]

February the 20th 1941
Although I did receive the Chit event in December or January, I never used it. The Germans was constantly on the offensive, so I had no room for launching my
own offensive. Eventually the German attacks stopped. This somewhere during January 1941. So for a while the frontline was rather peaceful. Both sides reinforced
and I reckoned that the AI had used up too much manpower and assets. I therefore regrouped and started my own winter offensive in the south (without the Chit).
This in mid February 1941.
I used the undefended province of Cottbus as a diversion, hoping my capture of it, would draw in German reserves. I used one of my best Tank armies and while
the German AI defeated its tank divisions, I started my assaults near Vienna. These assaults proofed costly but successful.
At this point I had also managed to move my Mountain army, to the Austrian border. At first it participated in a supporting role, against the German front,
covering the access to Munich and Regensburg. But after the German front broke, I send it towards Klagenfurt and the Italian mountain border. The German Nazi AI,
had no units in sight when I got there. With this my game stopped.

February the 22th 1941
It stopped because I stupidly deleted my save games, so this is as far I got, during this really fun, first attempt to use a preemptive strike, as offensive strategy against the German AI.
A strategy that in my mind, is the winning strategy for the USSR. A strategy that Hitler and his generals feared, when they engaged their Wehrmacht in France.

The core of this strategy was based on converting all my cavalry units, into light tank divisions. Without those 34 Tank units, I would never have reached the Oder River.
In fact, I would probably have been defeated in several pockets, by the much faster and better fighting German Panzer divisions.

I have played many games as the USSR against the AI. This is the only game, ever, where I was in control of the war, most the time. As Patton once said: The best defense, is to attack.
Hence a preemptive strike as the winning strategy against Germany. I have no doubt that had I played on, I would win before 1942. I am going to play this setup again.

In terms of the screen below, it show how difficult it was, to fight the German Luftwaffe AI. The Interceptor Wing I stationed at Copenhagen, to defend my small navy, was
reduced to a dangerous low level. In fact many of my air wings was reduced.

Im thinking of making another AAR, from the same 1936 scenario. Again playing as the human USSR versus the German AI. But this time being on the historical defense,
waiting for Barbarossa to fire and then see if I can survive the German onslaught. In fact I have already started to play it and made 15-20 screens, from 1936 to spring 1942.
Although all three cities are threatened, I have still not lost either Leningrad, Moscow or Sevastopol.

This defensive scenario has been a much harder fight than the preemptive scenario. But because I have based it on the same production strategy, focusing on tanks and upgrades,
I have managed to hold the line and not getting trapped in too big pockets. Tank armies are great for combat retreat. I had around 35 tank divisions when Barbarossa fired.
All positioned in front of my infantry.

Time wise the scenario has now reached March of 1942, and here the German AI did get a possibility, to trap 22 of my infantry divisions. But so far it has not done it,
thus I will now move them into safety. I seriously doubt a human player would have made the same mistake.

Also, the Finnish AI, it captured Murmansk rather quickly in 1941 and trapped all my mountain divisions in the province just east of Murmansk. Around 10 divisions digged in.
But even though it has 20+ divisions in the surrounding provinces, it has not attacked. A human player would have attacked. This is important in terms of the strategy I used.
Because when focusing on upgrading all those Cavalry Divisions, into Light Tank Divisions, it meant that I did not start building infantry divisions, before late in the scenario.

Against a human player I would probably have abandoned Murmansk, before Barbarossa fired. A move that would have given the Axis side more units to attack Leningrad from North.
This attack has therefore not materilaised in this AI German scenario. An attack that would have forced me to move troops from my Riga front to the city, thus weakening the front against the German side.

In regard to tank divisions, I have 40+ now, in the spring of 1942. Of those, at least 10 or 12 are the T-34 76mm model. A model that really made the first real battle difference.
It does not loose the same amount of tanks as the other models have. Some of them had ridiculas losses, like 477 against very few Germans.
My total tank losses, has so far passed 15000, but I still have around 12000 in service, with 700 more being produced, every 4-5th month. New T-34 tank divisions that is.

Since this is also my first game ever, using the Tank Strategy as a defending USSR, I am not sure, if it would work against a human player? But I feel confident in its potential.

Ill start posting the other AAR in this thread, since both games are based on the same production strategy: tanks, tanks and more tanks.

 

[Maciej-Kamil]

Interesting AAR. I'm waiting for it!

 

[VonMudra]

It honestly does say something about how increda-op Germany is in HOI games that you can literally wipe out about half their army, have them in a two front war, and they still fully stop you with half of Germany under Soviet control.

 

[InfArmMot]

Maciej, I haven't had time since last play, so thus far I only have a few screens available. When I get time again, ill make the AAR. But it is a tough game against the German AI, although still not impossible.

My strategy is still the same; tanks, tanks and tanks. No IC or nothing, until the outbreak of war, or the year of 1941. And in January 1938, I have 35 Light Tank Divisions. Apparently I forgot 1 Cavalry Division in the former game.
View attachment 445449
So already in 37, I am closing in on the 10.000 tanks.
View attachment 445450
And yes VonMudra, the German AI is very difficult to fight.
In regard to whether Germany has been boosted more than it should, or not, I am not sure?
After all, the Wehrmacht was the best fighting formation the world has ever seen. It fought against most the world.

 

[TheExecuter]

I bet you could have easily defeated Germany with an infantry heavy army...supported by motorized divisions with tank brigades.

The main point being to take advantage of the German deployment to the west.

I plan to do my next playthrough as the Soviet Union...but my play against AI Germany as France did not inspire much fear in me.

 

[InfArmMot]

I bet you could have easily defeated Germany with an infantry heavy army...supported by motorized divisions with tank brigades.

I do doubt that. Look how slow my infantry was, reaching the Oder. Bulk of my tanks go there in July, while the bulk of my infantry reached it several months later.

The main point being to take advantage of the German deployment to the west.

Yes, and with an infantry heavy army you might still be able to pull it off, however, without tanks it could easily be a slow win. Basically, a Pyrrhic victory.

I plan to do my next playthrough as the Soviet Union...but my play against AI Germany as France did not inspire much fear in me.

Well, regardless of playing France, Soviet Union, Germany or whomever, playing against the so called AI, is only for testing out strategies. The real game is multiplayer.

Looking forward to see if the idea bear any fruit.

 

[InfArmMot]

• Playing as USSR
• 1936 Scenario
• Standard game on normal against the AI
• Patch 1.05.1
• Using counters, otherwise no changes.

Very short on the winning strategy:
Produce as many tank divisions as you can, before the war against Germany.
Red Army will defend the USSR against the German Barbarossa.

• Before 1941 no land or air units will be build.
• Before the war, the following will not be build; industrial capacity, transport capacity, naval base, air base, land fortification, radar, rocket test site and nuclear reactor.
• Except for situations where the "Reduce Dissent" event, through investment in Transport Capacity, is the only event available, no infrastructure will be build.
• In fact, nothing but a single serial of Anti-Aircraft batteries and two serials of 2 Heavy Cruisers and 2 Subs, will be build. This during a period of 4 years!

• Investments go to Research, not Transport Capacity.
• Land Doctrine "Mann Power Focus" is researched. Not abandoned.
• Hawk Lobby has first priority, not Interventionism.
• Maybe a few changes in the minister cabinet?

Everything is thrown at upgrading the army and especially converting the entire cavalry force, of some 30 Cavalry Divisions, into Light Tank Divisions. This will provide you with 35 Tank Divisions, plus brigades, all in all amounting to some 10-12.000 tanks at dawn of Barbarossa, May 4th, 1941. A thousands tanks less, however, if you keep upgrading your first Light Tank model to the next. Because each new tank model has less units per Tank Division.

• Finland is attacked, however, the objective is a white peace as soon as possible.
• The Baltic states are annexed.
• Bessarabia is annexed.
• The Ribbentrop Molotov deal is on. This so the Red Army can be in a better defensive position.
• We support the Nationalist Chinese fighting the Japanese invasion.
• We might support the Communist Chinese with techs and a few supplies. This in order to keep China and the far east unstable, while we defend against Germany.
• We also support Republican Spain, but only with the event focusing on supplies and money. We will trade with them if we can benefit from it.

At scenario start first thing to do, is to accumulate a good deal of supplies. I aim for either the "Desired or Maximum Amount".
Hereafter reducing dissent has first priority. A process that might take 1½ year in total. If you get the Purge early, consider you self lucky. Because then you should be able to get rid of all dissent, before the summer of 1937. Remember that with the exception of one unit, Moscow HQ, the Purge delete all other HQ units.

• My defensive 1941 strategy is based on fielding six Light Tank Armies. All except one, composed of 6 light tank divisions. The last has 5.
• At least three LTAs must defend the Baltic States and the Leningrad Axis. One must defend Odessa and the Crimea - Rostov Axis. The last two must defend the Minsk - Moscow axis.

The six 1941 Light Tank Armies are to be used in the following manner:

1. From the outbreak of war, all LTAs will be deployed in front of the infantry. This so the infantry will have the time needed to dig in, preferably reaching level 30 - entrenched.
2. The LTAs will conduct a controlled Combat Retreat, breaking the individual battles, before the enemy force them to do so.
3. If and when possible, counterattacks will be conducted.
4. Tank losses up to 80% are acceptable.
5. When necessary and if possible, the LTAs will support the infantry defending or attacking key provinces.

The defensive strategy is based on the assumption, that the AI Wehrmacht will be able to push the Red Army back to the outskirts of Leningrad, Moscow and Sevastopol. So until winter arrives, a retrograde campaign is key. Depending on the overall situation the Red Army may, or may not, launch a counter offensive during the winter of 1941-1942.
On the operational level, the Retrograde Campaign is divided into several stop lines. Depending on the military district, the first three are:

1. The Stalin Line.
2. The Daugava river and or the Dnieper river.
3. The Don river.

The bulk of the infantry will fight prolonged battles at these lines. The Air Force will as much as possible, focus on supporting the Light Tank Armies with Ground Attack missions. The objective is to take out as many German tanks as possible, before they reach a stop line.

T-34 model as the strategic weapon
From the outset of 1941 we will begin to train a tank corps of 3 divisions, of the famous T-34 76mm model. This production line will be put on serial and shall become our strategic offensive weapon. However, operationally speaking, probably not before 1943. So initially only a tactical asset, influencing battles in individual provinces.

But in 1944 the T-34 (76 or 85) should have become our primary strategic weapon, consisting of at least 25.000 operational units. Twenty at the front and five in reserve. This will be the year where we will take the strategic initiative.
Depending on the situation, the goal is to have 30-35.000 operational units in 1945. This so we can start liberating the rest of Europe, from satanic capitalism and fascism.

​

Now to some screens
Scenario Start, 1936.
From the first day in the game, I go for full supply, before I start to reduce the dissent. Reason is to have something to sell.

November the 7th 1937
The dissent has finally been reduced to zero. The conversion of my 35 cavalry divisions, into light tank divisions, are almost completed.

January the 1st 1938
Soon after, in the very beginning of 1938, we have them. The program is a success.
Imagine this situation in a multiplayer game. Against a human USSR player, what would you do against this potential wall of steel? From 1938 that is. What can you do?

And in numbers, those 35 light tank divisions, plus the myriad of tank brigades, now accumulate into 12644 operational units.
A number, as we shall see later on in the campaign, is lost before the spring of 1942.

November the 30th 1939
Almost two years after, in November 1939, just before the attack on Finland, the numbers has been reduced with around 1000 tanks.
This due to the upgrading into the next model of light tanks.

Same date, now a peek into the production screen. As you can see 10 Anti Air batteries has been produced.
What can also be seen is that I deiced to convert my old naval models, into convoys. Hence, reducing my navy.

Armor and Artillery research on schedule. Next tank model to research, will be the T-34 76mm.

Infantry research also on schedule.

Land Doctrine research on schedule.

THE SHORT WAR AGAINST FINLAND

I don't have any screens from the war. All to be said, is that I could have won it but since this game is supposed to be following the historical pattern, I went for a white peace.

Now to OOBs in some of the different military districts
The Red Army deployment against Finland in the Northwestern military district.
It is on purpose that I have made my deployment this weak. Well, except for Leningrad that is. Here I have positioned all my 6 LTAs. 35 Light Tank divisions ready to smash
the Mannerheim Line. Note how I decide to upgrade only a pair of tank armies per run.

OOB at the Western and Odessa military districts. My Tank Armies did in fact participate in the invasion of Poland. All 6 of them. It was a walk in the park. I lost around 700
troops and a few tanks. But now, all tank divisions have been moved to Leningrad. So both districts are rather weak. All units upgrading. Some of them are prioritised.
The OOB in the Moscow military district can just be spotted in the upper right corner.

Losses Taken in the war against Poland.

OOB the Urals military district. All units upgrading but not prioritised
Image will follow from Sverdlovsk

OOB Siberian military district. But essentially the same situation as in the Ural MD. In a multiplayer game, this is one of the districts to focus on, should a war with Japan erupt.

OOB in the Far East military district. As you can see, troops have been removed, since Japan is not a threat. Not for now at least.

The war against Finland ended as planned, with a white peace and thus back to status quo. During this short war I lost both ground and manpower, Including my entire
paratrooper division. My tanks could not reach it in time, so the Finnish AI ...finished it off.
Ah well, plenty of reserves, so who cares about a single division anyway. This is after all, good old mother russia.

Numbers from the wars against Poland and Finland
Since I only lost a battalion in Poland, these numbers perfectly describe how difficult it was to fight the fanatics from Finland. In total 67.000 men lost. Well, around 60
when we subtract my little adventure with the Paratrooper division. But it did destroy the Finnish air force.

BARBAROSSA

Barbarossa opens on may the 4th, 1941. A bit before I had hoped. Massive attacks along the entire line.
Northwestern district. This time my weak deployment is not on purpose. I do not have enough troops to cover the entire line, in a solid manner. So - I am gambling on loosing Murmansk.

Western military district. As planned my tank armies have been deployed in front of the infantry, of which the bulk is located around the first Stop Line,
the Stalin Line. The infantry is 1.5 dug in. Still quite some time to level 30; entrenchment.

I did start to produce land units when 1941 arrived. At this moment, on may the 4th the serial production looks like this:

• 9 infantry divisions model 1939. 0 brigades attached.
• 3 tank divisions model T-34. 1 brigade attached.
• 1 HQ division. 1 brigade attached.
• 1 Paratrooper division. 0 brigades attached.
• 1 Motorised division. 1 brigade attached.
• 1 Garrison division. 2 brigades attached.

Later on I will add 10 militia divisions on serial. All with 1 artillery brigade. The production of motorised divisions is to have a firefighter corps available, during the
Retrograde Campaign. Instead of having to use tanks all the time. Later on I might convert them into mechanized units?

My first strategic mistakes

• I still had troops available in the far east so my deployment could have been stronger.
• I did not go for general mobilisation, nor even partial from the outbreak of war. Only later on did I pick the partial.
• What I should have done, was to immediately pick the general mobilisation.
• I had forgot to promote my leaders.
• The Daugava - Dnieper Gap was too weak defended. The majority of the infantry corps consisted of only two divisions. This weakness proofed to be fatal. See, I had hoped that my production of new infantry units could make it before Barbarossa, but this was not to be. So these corps never got reinforced as planned.
• Vilejka, Pinks and Rowne should have been defended. This would have slowed the German assault further down, without risking my troops being overrun, in those provinces.

Red Army overview on May 4th 1941

Equipment on May the 4th 1941. Note how the numbers of tanks has increased again. This due to the upgrade from light to medium tank models.
Eventually they shall all be of the T-34 model.

June the 23nd 1941
The plan seems to work, when playing on normal. I do think, it could work against a human opponent too. What happens is that every time the German vanguard attack
my tanks in a province, I only fight until it get reinforced. Meanwhile my Close Air Support and Tactical bombers, are constantly striking the units of the German vanguards.
Simply in order to destroy as many tanks as possible. Grind them down before they reach the first stop line. My strategic air force attack the infrastructure between the
vanguards and their following infantry. This is how I slowed an otherwise very strong AI attack force down. It did cost me a lot of tanks though, but my infantry divisions
did not get overrun. A fact that became a victory in it self.
Note how the Daugava - Dnieper Gap is already broken this early into the campaign.

August the 3rd 1941
In the Daugava - Dnieper Gap, the German AI punch through and drive northwards, threatening to split up the Moscow MD and the Leningrad MD.
Otherwise, in the Western military district the retrograde campaign has worked out okay. For a first timer that is. I haven't played with this setup before.

The German vanguards was slowed down at both the Stalin and the Dnieper line. Loosing at least a hundred tanks in total and often fighting only a single infantry corps, consisting of three divisions dug in. Sometimes more infantry. Well, clearly not in the Daugava - Dnieper Gap, where I never managed to reinforce the line.

The Dnieper line lasted a bit longer than the Stalin line. Mostly, I think, because the German infantry at that point, was too slow getting to the front. But now, in the beginning of August
the infantry has reached the front. So my next target is to hold the Don river, the last planned stop line in 1941.

In the Odessa MD things are generally fine. The German AI did not attack at once, from the outbreak of war. It seemed uncertain to attack with all those tank divisions north of Bessaberia. eventually it did attack and from there on slowly pushed my infantry divisions back. When Odessa was lost, I turned my tanks around and recaptured the city. Situation in overall seems to be under control here.

In the Northwestern military district I am totally beaten by a very aggressive and efficient fighting Finish Army.
As you can see I am pushed back and it is only by a margin that I manage to get my troops out of the pockets
that threatened them with destruction. On the Kola Island my troops are in fact trapped. But the Finish AI do
not eliminate them. It got Murmansk and that was it. Perhaps due to lack of intelligence, I am not sure? It does not even try to attack.
In a multiplayer game, a human player would have destroyed my units. So clearly I need
to focus on Murmansk and Leningrad in my next game. Not so much the provinces in between.
It is also evident that I need transport fleets.

My 8 Mountain divisions are trapped. Dug In and supplied but trapped.

In the Baltic MD everything worked as planned. In fact the only place where the plan worked. This because of my concentration of tank Armies; 3 of them in the relatively
small area, that Lithuania is, when defended by 17 Light Tank divisions.

So at first the AI stopped attacking, after the first failures. Hereafter, for at least a fortnight, nothing happened. But things did develop in Belarus, which made me decide
to leave Lithuania and redeploy my tanks in the Riga area.