Slitherine

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ORIGINAL: SigUp

Hello everyone, I am new here, just playing my second GC as Germany against the AI (normal), so plenty of rookie mistakes. I have a particular question about how to break open Leningrad. As can be seen in the attached picture I just closed the land connection to Leningrad at Schlisselburg. Now I see that the hex next to Pavlovo where I intend to cross the next few turns is heavily fortified. 3 Rifle Divisions in Level 2 forts (the soft factor here is morale). Now, facing this fortified position I am unsure how to break it open and hope the experienced guys here can lend me a hand. Thanks.

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ORIGINAL: HITMAN202

Pelton's the man, but a few comments. Hasty soak off attacks across the Neva are costly. Also to use them to trigger Soviet reserve activation in that setting can be ineffective. It costs 5 MP to make them across a major river and with a division with 12 MP's broken downed to 3 regiments, two attacks per regiment x 3 regiments equals 6 hasties. I'm estimating, but with 2-3 Soviet Corp HQ's in Leningrad with 3-4 divisions each , reserve activation will occur roughly half the time. It's also an estimate, but six hasties (in the example above) will trigger roughly half of the potential activations. So the soak off attacks will help only 1/4 the time (triggering activation). But it doesn't mean that it will make the planned major attack succeed. Again, it's an estimate, but I think 6 hasties (in the above example) will increase success only 10 %. Again these are very rough estimates.

Now hasties in open terrain can be a game changer. A 12 MP infantry division can make 15 hasties (3 regiments, 5 hasty attacks (it costs 2 MP's in terrain without rivers) each equals 15... you keep 2 MP's to move the division out of the way of the major attack.) Now I'm making a very complicated situation simple, but I hope I'm not being too confusing.

My point is that instead of figuring out soak off attacks across the Neva, focus on.... 1) air assaults that cause causualties 3 times. I think this is far more effective than 2 attacks that don't cause casualties. And making "effective" preliminary delierate attacks.

Again it's a guess and it depends on the situation, but in the situation examined, I think it's better to make a deliberate attack with infantry units that "could " be placed in reserve mode. Now with armor units, it's possible to do both, but again it gets complicated and they have to have the necessary MP's.

Pelton's the man, but I think this is a better( and most importantly, an easier) way to skin a cat.. I mean the Soviet bear.