It's been gone over many times before, but, assuming you're facing the AI and don't want to squish Germany early, who do you justify on and eat as the Soviet Onion in the early game? I believe the meta strategy is Poland and Turkey, but I'm wondering about what other wonderful pieces of cheese you could cut yourself with other countries like Belgium. Or is Iran the only other option?
Early Soviet Strategy
- Thread starter Bunnytob
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Doesn't SU have to spend a lot of time getting their ducks in a row and maintaining stability? I would be more interested in a historic playthrough until Barbarossa but an also wondering what the best Soviet strategy would be, especially with Focuses.
I like to play historical, so I don't do anything they didn't do but you can build pure civ factories till about 1940. Then switch to building full military. Ez stomp of Germany.
Vs the ai on normal vanilla? As an experienced player you can do pretty much whatever you want?
Iran is the easiest target, plus it gets you Indian ocean access, control of Iranian oil, and adjacency to the rest of the Middle East oil and India.
Finland, take Petsamo for access to Sweden, then Sweden and you open the northern door to Germany.
Romania for the oil obviously.
Against a slider buffed Axis, Iran is the way to go. Deny Germany and Italy oil and it doesn't matter how much you move the sliders.
Iran is the easiest target, plus it gets you Indian ocean access, control of Iranian oil, and adjacency to the rest of the Middle East oil and India.
Finland, take Petsamo for access to Sweden, then Sweden and you open the northern door to Germany.
Romania for the oil obviously.
Against a slider buffed Axis, Iran is the way to go. Deny Germany and Italy oil and it doesn't matter how much you move the sliders.
I watched the AI Soviets take, via focus or justifying, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Turkey, then puppet them all, (in no particular order). I think Turkey was first. They annexed istabul / the straits, and puppeted the rest. Which is really smart because they will occupy the rest of eastern Europe just by annexing the European border portion.
This was because Germany I guess was afraid to declare. The Soviets were afraid to declare on Germany. Or maybe there was a massive defensive build up on both sides by 1942-43.
But it worked out really well for them because it basically added a third front in Turkey around Istanbul / Bulgaria, and also allowed the Soviets to expand into North Africa when the war came. Everything that Italy steals in 1939-1940 can be yours later on.
Granted this isn't always possible because the German AI might declare in 41.
But I think it worked ok because the Germans went absolutely nowhere.
Obviously theres a lot of USSR specific stuff, the purge, etc.
This was because Germany I guess was afraid to declare. The Soviets were afraid to declare on Germany. Or maybe there was a massive defensive build up on both sides by 1942-43.
But it worked out really well for them because it basically added a third front in Turkey around Istanbul / Bulgaria, and also allowed the Soviets to expand into North Africa when the war came. Everything that Italy steals in 1939-1940 can be yours later on.
Granted this isn't always possible because the German AI might declare in 41.
But I think it worked ok because the Germans went absolutely nowhere.
Obviously theres a lot of USSR specific stuff, the purge, etc.
I think fascist Russia is an underrated playthrough. I would stick with the meta of justifying on Turkey and Poland if you think you can fight three countries at once. The more countries you can keep out of Germany's hands, the better. If you switch your ideology from communism to fascism fast enough, you can spare Mikhail Tukhachevsky in the Great Purge without having to fight a Trotskyist uprising or military coup. With your new ideology, you can compete with Germany for the allegiance of countries like Italy, Finland, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Yugoslavia. At the same time, you can team up with Japan to carve out a Chinese puppet to ensure that you never run out of manpower (a bigger problem for Russia than you might think) all the while making your name even bigger on the map.
The game ended up with an interesting Cold War scenario...
The game ended up with an interesting Cold War scenario...
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Right, so if I slider-buff the axis way up, then the "best" thing to do is to sync justifications two of Iran, Turkey, and Poland. Sure it takes a while to get (you're looking at mid early-37 as well as a large chunk of PP) but it gives you the most reward.
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Turkey and by extension Romania is a complete screw job on Axis oil. They lose access to over-land oil trade and their convoy shipping from USA or Venezuela, while annoying, can be intercepted reasonably easily even with planes + radar (which you can also use to dominate their attacks). They won't be able to contest you in the air if they don't have fuel, and they won't be able to get fuel because you keep bombing out their convoys.
In that sense using a war to grab something like Denmark (which is trivial to hold) or Ireland (even easier to hold) is also beneficial since you can just NAV bomb German convoy shipping from there.
Poland gives more industry but I don't think it's as crippling to to the Axis war effort as ruining their access to fuel.
Germans don't declare on Romania by default so you can leave them out of the war as a puppet to narrow the front if desired.
In that sense using a war to grab something like Denmark (which is trivial to hold) or Ireland (even easier to hold) is also beneficial since you can just NAV bomb German convoy shipping from there.
Poland gives more industry but I don't think it's as crippling to to the Axis war effort as ruining their access to fuel.
Germans don't declare on Romania by default so you can leave them out of the war as a puppet to narrow the front if desired.
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I like this idea, but won't a puppeted Romania continue to trade their oil to Germany if they are left out of the war? I was thinking the only way to get puppets to stop trading with your enemies is to bring them into the war.
Maybe the work-around in that case would be to grab all the Romania oil for yourself? That should be possible as their overlord.
Yeah you get priority so you can trade up all the oil if that's an issue, and/or just pull Romania in when ready.
The only problem with leaving Romania as a puppet is that they're still free to do whatever - like turning fascist.
Which is only useful with the default tree.
Which is only useful with the default tree.
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Don't puppet Romania. Germany may not get a wargoal against them, but Hungary is programmed to justify against them if they are significantly stronger. Which Hungary will be in the initial months after you puppet them. Nor will you be consulted when the decision to cede north transylvania to Hungary or south dobruja to Bulgaria is made.
Just take the land yourself if you want it.
Just take the land yourself if you want it.
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Thanks for this info. Sounds like the only way is to keep the land you acquire from Romania is to annex all of it.
Well, I've tried a game where I ate Turkey, Romania & Iran. Took me 2 months of war with the purge debuff.
The only problem is that it shot WT up to 55% which, when combined with an early Claims on Yugoslavia from Italy, is going to result in a WWII starting in 1938. Joy...
The only problem is that it shot WT up to 55% which, when combined with an early Claims on Yugoslavia from Italy, is going to result in a WWII starting in 1938. Joy...
Germany will still take a long time to declare on you with high WT starting WW2 early though, and while it will take around Benelux somewhat faster it won't take them immediately, so it will spend some time suck with Maginot choke and possibly UK stacking up in France.
You can guarantee Commie China then let them kill Chiang Kai Shek to get into a war with regular china which is a curbstomp. then with Commie China in your Faction you will get an early war against Japan.
Which is also impossible to win quickly, what with Japan's massive navy and everything.
And you also need to carve a path to China itself, which requires a justification of its own.
Still, it is a way to potentially remove an entire major from the game by 1940.
And you also need to carve a path to China itself, which requires a justification of its own.
Still, it is a way to potentially remove an entire major from the game by 1940.
Naval invade from Vladivostok to Ninjiang for China, they still have penalties and para drop into Japan from Korea, Sov already starts with all the tools researched. China is a push over due to the lack of navy to disrupt you supply and its bad national spirits.
I have have done this strat it works
Ah right. I just kinda assumed that Nanjing would be garrisoned (it's the AI) and I'm used to not being able to use paratroopers as the Soviets because I don't generally change or disband the mountaineers.
Might be easier to take out Japan before China, as most of their stuff will still be in China when you paradrop. Pack lightly...convoys will get picked off by Japan most likely so you want your stuff on Japan to be able to mostly survive off of victory point supply when possible.