WiF platinum and fighting GER as SU

[unmerged(80988)]

Okay, I tried a game as Soviet Union using WiF platinum with the most hardest settings.

Everything went well until Germany attacked me. I had three lines of front garrisoned with infantry. Tanks were in the front line along with the infantry.
The problem is that they just overrun my lands and encircle some of my troops and I can't do nothing. When I lost too many provinces during '41 summer, I quitted.

So how to slow down and stall German advance? Leave some troops on first line and deploy other troops to Dniepr?
Help comrade in hour of need!

 

[Kernest]

WiF really makes it hard for Soviets I managed it so that i built level 10 forts and 100% infra to best defensive line.
In south, don't defend bessarabia but stay behind the rivers, try to keep all cities (they cause dissent hit if lost, also easier to keep due to urban territory). Try to defend marshes and avoid plains.
One good idea is to mass infantry and put them in 2 provinces deep defensive line, and both or 2nd line fully fortified.
After i had done all this i got royally screwed by forgetting to properly defend Finland since Germans sent some quality troops trough there, lost entire karelia and leningrad for a moment.

 

[Veer]

WiF makes it hard for everybody. See my 'After Moscow What' tread where I'm playing Ger vs the soviets.

AFAIK when the war starts the soviets get a massive dissent hit which lowers the fighting ability of their troops. Your only option is to trade space for time. Pull your troops out, avoid encirclements, as the poster above said defend cities even if encircled your troops can survive for a month or more in an urban environment. You may loose Moscow, and even Leningrad or Stalingrad, don't sweat it.

Build lots of those special 'ski' troops and wait for October '41 when winter starts. Then German get a large offensive & defensive penalty in winter. Counter-attack to retake Moscow and push the Germans back to Smolensk.
You can also concentrate on Finland, knock them out of the war early and puppet them and you should then be able to hold onto Leningrad.

Hold the line for a couple of years. In the South retreat completely to the Maikop mountain line. Hold Stalingrad if you can, lure the Germans into the maw of Russia and wait for winter.

Then hope the 2nd front opens soon. In my game it's late '43 and the US AI has landed in Denmark, and the UK AI in Southern Italy (I imagine Italy will be out of the war in a month or two).