Slitherine

quote:

ORIGINAL: randallw

Seriously though, you can move east faster than the Axis can repair the rail lines; making a defensive line only 3 or 4 hexes from the first turn is too close.

Against the computer I made a line behind the Goryn and Zbruch rivers; i'm about 17 turns into the game and the computer is threatening to slowly cut off the rear, along the Dnepr as it runs southeast.

Your forces north of the marshes are not as good as the ones south of it.  Trying a line at the Berezina is hard to form a full line before it gets hit.  It might be better to try it at the Drut or even Dnepr, extending to Vitebsk, then either north to Velikie Luki or north east.

Are you using command points to create construction battalions for your lower HQs?  Apparently it's a good use of the points.  They help build fort levels while avoiding getting killed.

quote:

ORIGINAL: randallw

Ok then, you haven't been hurt as badly as I would expect.

quote:

ORIGINAL: randallw

Withdrawing an air force is a tactic that does happen in real life, such as when American planes fled the Phillipines after getting pounded on for a few days when the war began.

quote:

I hit Lehr with infantry that was adjacent,first attacks failed. I pulled those 2 infantry divs out,plugged in 2 fresh Infantry Div and sent him retreating. I moved an armored corps in(2 armor divs and a mobile dive)they didn't have enough movement to attack. So didin't widen the salient or have room to put in another div to complete the isolation move.

quote:

ORIGINAL: ComradeP

I don't place any AA units in cities (but won't buy out those already in cities), they're much more useful in regular HQ's. Bombing ground units isn't very effective in most cases and bombing units in cities will just lead to high losses due to AA fire so I'd strongly advise against doing so as the Axis. If Moses does so, he'll just lose lots of aircraft from operational damage for little to no gain.

Getting the forts in Leningrad to level 3 or 4 is the minimum if you want to hold the Germans. I'm not sure if Leningrad can be captured by brute force when good forts are present.

I'm assuming you mean 1 sapper battalion or 1 artillery regiment for every division assigned to a HQ, as you can't assign support units to divisions. How much you assign to each HQ depends on the number of HQ's in the area. The higher the density, the fewer support units are assigned per HQ. Some artillery and some sapper regiments should do. The support units mostly even out anything the Germans bring, aside from that they're not much of a force multiplier.

quote:

ORIGINAL: BigAnorak

The defence of Leningrad is a race against the clock, as a good Axis player can be at the gates of Leningrad in less than 8 turns, so you have to be building a defence line that protects Leningrad's supply lines from turn 2 onwards, to stand any chance of getting lvl4s by the time the Axis arrive. Hexes 83,16 , 83,17 and 82,17 guard the port on the West bank of Lake Ladoga. In my test Pbem with Trey (el hefe) he failed to fortify here, and allowed me to cross the river, get the port, and isolate Leningrad by Turn 13.

83,18 ,84,18 , 84,19 and 85,19 have the main rail line into the city, and should be held for as long as possible.

If your support units can match the Axis support units, then Leningrad can put up a good fight. Upping the AAA will help too, as a good proportion of Axis air losses are from Flak.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Grotius

Great AAR!

Er, could I ask a couple newb questons? Which units should be building the forts at Leningrad? Once they start building, they'll keep going even after the fort level increases by one, right? Forts are "fortified regions" for which you're charged Admin Points, right?