Slitherine

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ORIGINAL: gingerbread

The reserve you had planned is severely lacking in units that can be used to form a new line and expect to be lost. Most players would have problems with committing 10+ Guards Rifle to that job. That's why there should be more of the plain average (with some variations as per my previous post) rifle in the reserve and, since it is far easier to commit these knowing that they could all be lost if there are more in the pipe, why you should keep up building brigades.

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The crème de la crème of the '42 Soviets is not that creamy, and can not be counted on to achieve anything except their own destruction if committed vs. the German ditto. What the Tank & Cav can do is keep the Axis player honest in the sense that single unsupported German mech can be brought down (possibly even made to surrender if the Guards Rifle can successfully be moved to screen a rescue for a turn, but that is of course dependant on a lot of things beyond the Soviet players control) and that indirectly limits the pace of the Axis advance.

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Check this AAR as a suggestion on where to hold and where to yield ground - since holding Moscow (or rather holding the Oka river) goes without saying, the heavy defence of the Don near and some distance east of Rostov with the intention to hold against everything except a major Axis campaign (in effect a Case Blue) is what you could improve and prepare. Each F.R. costs a Rifle Brigade (4 AP to build and 1 to disband), but if you have diggers to commit, it could be a good investment to have level 3 along the south bank (also valid for the north bank of the Oka). Do guard the back door (Kerch) and have some guys in the cities to the east where you want to stop the Axis '42 campaign advance should saper choose to drive due east. It can look a bit like a large scale Cannae, but the Soviets will not be strong enough to close the sac.

The area between Oka and Don defensive lines could and should be thinned both to man these lines and to create the reserve.

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ORIGINAL: Pelton

I would station 3 of the 4 reserve armys near Moscow.

Hold the lines north to south.

GHC is building up their reserves for summer, which is a mistake. They should be hitting SHC whenever they can to thin out the fort belts.

Be ready to give ground from Tula to Rostov.

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ORIGINAL: HITMAN202

Staggering your fort line a hex apart Voronzeh to Voroshilovgrad seems dangerous in that this line can be breeched entirely in one turn, with hasties only needed to break that line. This could lead to the entire isolation of the southern defense. But goodness gracious, what a fort network !!! And turns to go.

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ORIGINAL: gingerbread

Abandon, no - trade for time, yes.

In fact, you have been tasked to perform one of the more difficult military operations: a fighting retreat while preserving as much of the forces available as possible. Same as you did in '41, except that the Axis supply situation will be better. Fun, eh?

The Recon by force suggestion were as you might have read met with a hailstorm of objections, so it's understandable if you have refrained from doing it, but the normal recon should still be doable, are you finding anything?