Help required playing as the russians in the Grand Campaign

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Help required playing as the russians in the Grand Campaign

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All Forums >> [New Releases from Matrix Games] >> Gary Grigsby's War in the East Series >> Help required playing as the russians in the Grand Campaign

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Help required playing as the russians in the Grand Camp... - 9/22/2015 9:50:23 PM

smudge56

Posts: 667
Joined: 1/17/2009
From: UK
Status: offline

I did ask in another thread so it's may get missed.

Now I consider myself a accomplished war gamer, even though I've had the game a while I've only just started to get into the game again. I've played the scenarios and done not too badly. Though saying that I've tired quite a few time the grand strategy from the soviets side. No matter what tactics I try and different ideas, I cannot for the life of me stop the Germans from rolling my forces up like a nice bit of pastry. They get demolished. What in the hell can I do to survive until general winter turns up. I can never get that far without most major land, cities etc being over run.

I could do with some help in over coming this problem please. I wish to be able to play as Russia some how.

< Message edited by Blighty56 -- 9/22/2015 11:13:06 PM >

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AKA - Smudge

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RE: Help required playing as the russians in the Grand ... - 9/23/2015 12:47:27 AM

charlie0311

Posts: 941
Joined: 12/20/2013
Status: offline

Run,er,"tactical withdrawal". How far?, you may ask, that's the fun part. My answer is further, until you "know" the Axis is close to its supply range limit. You can screen the advance somewhat with expendable stuff, like the NKDV units.

Leave your low morale units, <45, 10+ hexes distant from where you think the axis will be before your next logistics phase, that's after the axis move and combat etc. They quickly gain morale and exp that way.

< Message edited by charlie0311 -- 9/23/2015 1:50:54 AM >

(in reply to smudge56)

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RE: Help required playing as the russians in the Grand ... - 9/23/2015 6:37:15 AM

Gabriel B.

Posts: 501
Joined: 6/24/2013
Status: offline

Turn 1.
Set corps level suport to 0 ( all except for airborne and cavalry vould disband ) and toe to 50%, Army level support to 1 , Front/ military district suport to 0, Stavka to 9 , excess arty and aaa would move first to army -turn 1 , than front �turn2, last to stavka �turn3. You will need these unexperienced su to equip the 30 armies raised to replaced corps .
Rebuild Northwest front to 28 combat ready infantry / mot infantry divisions (9 divisions per army-1 at front ) by asigning divisions from disbanded corps asigned to STAVKA or military districts.
From the frozen armies in stavka rezerve identify the best infantry divisions , set them to refit to 100% toe , you will need them to defend Smolensk .
Use the airborne brigades to block the Nepr and Dvina rivers . Relocate western front armies HQ from encirclement or rail them behind the Vitebsk �Moghilev line.
If your oponent does a Lvov pocket in turn 1, the SW front overload problem would be solved , otherwise you need to strip sw front from quality infantry, to create reserves. Either way you need to RUN behind the nepr and ocupy kiev fortifications.
Keep the recon aircraft on the field to maintain continuous recon capability. Historical the axis put 3 armored divisions against AGN backed up by 3 mot and 21 infantry divisions � keep track if it reinforces this sector . if it does you will need to act in turn 2.
Agc -9 armored +6 mot divisions +1cav can push all the way to the nepr- dVina bridgehead in turn 2, so the units blocking the ulla � berezina rivers must be expendable .

(in reply to charlie0311)

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RE: Help required playing as the russians in the Grand ... - 9/23/2015 12:01:50 PM

chaos45

Posts: 1889
Joined: 1/22/2001
Status: offline

For Soviet early play its all about Zoc creation and limiting German MP.

Only against exhausted German units do you have any chance of holding ground....and even then you need fortifications/terrain to actually stand a chance.

Panzers/motorized units will prefer movement on open ground as it conserves Movement points for exploitation moves.

Thus in the easy game the Soviets have to fall back and form defense/Zoc lines to delay the German advance preferrably using terrain to also limit/canalize german movement to the direction you want them to go. You cannot stop the Germans in the early game of 1941 not until really mud and after will your units be up to snuff and enough of them to start putting up solid frontlines.

So the Soviets have to be flexible and bend to the German offensives- you will lose troops to german encirclements just like historical its almost impossible to prevent due to how fast the German units move and you cant just give up all of Russia as you need to buy time for secondary strong points to get dug in and to evacuate factories.

Alot of Soviet play is all about being able to anticipate when and where the Germans will strike and be able to guess how well fueled their panzer/motorized divisions.....as once they have refueled you cant hold the area short of in bad terrain by Moscow/Leningrad.

The next thing you need to learn is in early 1941 the Germans will break any line you build just a matter of when they break it.....so think of your frontline mainly as a screen to slow the German advance buy your time/make them spend movement points....your best divisions usually need to be kept more to the rear of the main line in strong point areas you know the Germans will need to advance through. As then by the time the germans hit them they might be dug in well and the german units low on MP/fatigued so those rear units can buy you a turn to fall back and dig a new main line of resistence. When looking for back up strong points- clear river crossing sites and areas where its clear for only 1-2 hexes but woods swamps to either side are good positions for these blocking forces....because if you can hold the easy to move through open terrain it forces the German mobile forces to go around in the slower moving bad terrain...again achieving the objective of buying yourself time.

Also Zoc management as the Soviets is huge. Make sure you have picket lines of zocs in your rear area to prevent German units that breakthrough from unhindered movement in your armies rear...also all Headquarters either need to be far enough back not to get overrun- unlikely....or be place with a combat unit so they at least have to be attacked to be displaced. If your HQ unit isnt with a combat unit a good German player can get through move next to the HQ unit which then displaces it and you lose the benefits of command and control on units for entire sections of your line at that point.....which means your units will fight much less effectively and it makes it very easy for the Germans to just crush them and get an even bigger/easier breakthrough...no command and control probably means your units fight about 50% less effectively.

So thats some of my takes on early Soviet play.

(in reply to Gabriel B.)

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RE: Help required playing as the russians in the Grand ... - 10/10/2015 10:15:01 PM

smudge56

Posts: 667
Joined: 1/17/2009
From: UK
Status: offline

Sorry I havent replied just got back from my holidays. Thanks for your replies. Are there any good guides, aar etc I can read to help me out? I love the game but as I've said playing as the russians i seem to have zero luck

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(in reply to chaos45)

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