Further RB Ideas for the Russian

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The first week the Russian gets a battering while the German tools up and generally causes havoc.

Whats to be done ?

Russian:

DON'T BUY MILITA: Lax/ slow and crap leaders
BUY LOTS OF MINES:
Yes I know they are expensive 18 FFP for 1 x 6 AP mine.

Believe me a few mines with the odd wire will turn the German into a raving lunatic. They are HIP
what a pity that they are NOT revealed at scenario start up

Buy 2 x HW platoon early and pray u get a full one.

What u do with these is HIP everything, an entire Pl costs - just - 12 HIP points. Peanuts

2 50 cal's in BB18 stops a river assault in its tracks, combined with a -1 or -2 leader. You can also consider some totally awesome FL action. You can even consider - gasp- a bunker !!

The next thing is how to fall back causing the German as much trouble as possible while keeping YOUR forces alive.

THE UNEXPECTED

Tunnels, HIP, fortified buildings (and bunkers/wire)

the first 4 are HIP

You MUST drive the German insane with unexpected maneuver and attacks - tunnels behind factory walls allow safe rally, or street crossings. Not forgetting the totally HIP stack with 9-1 ldr and 3 x 527 that pop up BEHIND enemy lines ( somewhat similar to night).

Combine this with a 3-6 hex mine belt further strengthens this defense and - by causing the German further casualties to continue that attack.

The other plan is more strategic but must be done with equal finesse.

The Russian must develop a picket style defense - to strip G concealment - of no more than 2-3 companies, all SW here must be less than 4 pp. The main issue is to have 9 - 12 MMC units within
2 MPh of your MLR. Your reserve.

WAIT TO SEE where the German blows will come THEN move into blocking positions. DO NOT
form linear defenses on /at the MLR as this just invites OBA.

The last idea is to continually develop 2-3 strong points. The classic case is BB18.

Here trench lines, wire , mines and tunnels should be developed also consider DI tanks ..

Good luck
 

witchbottles

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Although your thread offers some suggestions for a Russian player to consider at the strategic level of this Cg - I am not sure your post has anything to do with design, modifications of a design or SSRs / variants / House Rules one might incorporate into the design. Might I hazard a guess this thread would be better served in the open forum?
 
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Although your thread offers some suggestions for a Russian player to consider at the strategic level of this Cg - I am not sure your post has anything to do with design, modifications of a design or SSRs / variants / House Rules one might incorporate into the design. Might I hazard a guess this thread would be better served in the open forum?
Ahh I was wondering how to get in touch with the ASL Forum people who can add a forum.

If anyone knows please do tell.
 

Jazz

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Although your thread offers some suggestions for a Russian player to consider at the strategic level of this Cg - I am not sure your post has anything to do with design, modifications of a design or SSRs / variants / House Rules one might incorporate into the design. Might I hazard a guess this thread would be better served in the open forum?
You're correct. This post/thread has absolutely nothing to do with "design, modifications of a design or SSRs / variants / House Rules one might incorporate into the design."

I'll find someplace more apropos..... And before anybody asks, the management (members of which the moderators are NOT) does not create subforums willy-nilly to indulge the flights of fancy regarding the game. There are many much more deserving subforum topics that have not been so blessed....
 
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witchbottles

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The first week the Russian gets a battering while the German tools up and generally causes havoc.

Whats to be done ?

Russian:

DON'T BUY MILITA: Lax/ slow and crap leaders
As the Russian player, Militia RGs have a purpose. For the first few days, they are almost mandatory to prepare an adequate defense in depth via cheap meat plugs and reserve buys in order to ensure that any early penetration of the front does not become a catastrophic schwerpunkt.

From about 20 October on, they are the main force defenders in the factories and should be. Let these brave 436 fanatic guys take the heat from the overload of DCs, FTs, OBA, and kill stacks of 3 x HMG directed by 10-3's and 10-2s. Save the 4-4-7s as much as possible for late game by using them as your "reaction force".

BUY LOTS OF MINES:
Yes I know they are expensive 18 FFP for 1 x 6 AP mine.

Believe me a few mines with the odd wire will turn the German into a raving lunatic. They are HIP
what a pity that they are NOT revealed at scenario start up
I agree completely. a Russian player should begin the CG with a weather eye to a savings/spending plan designed to allow a near total wall of AP mines between the big factories in the South and the Commissar's House. The area around the last big Southernmost major factory and the Commissar's house is where the CG will be won or lost. By the time the Germans get there, a solid wall of mines should meet them.


Buy 2 x HW platoon
early and pray u get a full one.

What u do with these is HIP everything, an entire Pl costs - just - 12 HIP points. Peanuts

2 50 cal's in BB18 stops a river assault in its tracks, combined with a -1 or -2 leader. You can also consider some totally awesome FL action. You can even consider - gasp- a bunker !!
I would be exceedingly cautious of investing such CPP into a single pair of MG nests that set up so far forward in the 18 hex coordinates, that they can be easily blinded by a Smoke Bn Mtr OBA or worse the pre-reg hexes for them that allow walls of Smoke Barrages to completely negate their firepower. the resulting FLs will not have any leader DRMs, and a single Pz III here can stop the FFMO DRM from any FL in the Smoke. This seems to invite a river assault, really, IMO. (Granted, that could be of some use to the Russian in the longer term, depending on other plans across the map and the CG.)

The next thing is how to fall back causing the German as much trouble as possible while keeping YOUR forces alive.
Absolutely a critical skill for a Russian player. This is a fallback defense in the most classic sense, trading space for time. If the Russian is not well-versed in such tactics, he will suffer too many losses in the early and mid-game and end up losing unexpectedly when he simply begins to run out of meat for the grinder.

THE UNEXPECTED

Tunnels, HIP, fortified buildings (and bunkers/wire)
the first 4 are HIP

You MUST drive the German insane with unexpected maneuver and attacks - tunnels behind factory walls allow safe rally, or street crossings. Not forgetting the totally HIP stack with 9-1 ldr and 3 x 527 that pop up BEHIND enemy lines ( somewhat similar to night).

Combine this with a 3-6 hex mine belt further strengthens this defense and - by causing the German further casualties to continue that attack.
As a German, I would never consider Tunnels, fortified buildings, wire, trenches or bunkers to be "unexpected." They are, in fact, a key aspect of any Russian mid and late CG defense. It is via Trenches, tunnels from pillboxes/bunkers, and sewers that the Russian can both move reserves up and move crippled units back, all out of the direct fire from any Stuka or OBA roaming around.(not to mention any*gasp* direct fire LOS's)


The other plan is more strategic but must be done with equal finesse.

The Russian must develop a picket style defense - to strip G concealment - of no more than 2-3 companies, all SW here must be less than 4 pp. The main issue is to have 9 - 12 MMC units within
2 MPh of your MLR. Your reserve.
Sound advice - a standard ASL style "skulk" defense. but change 2 MPh to 2-4 MFs

WAIT TO SEE
where the German blows will come THEN move into blocking positions. DO NOT
form linear defenses on /at the MLR as this just invites OBA.
Ditto, but remember that your advance routes MUST be free from any pesky FFMO or FFNAM DRM's or any direct fire LOS from enemy Death star kill stacks.

The last idea is to continually develop 2-3 strong points. The classic case is BB18.
Only build what you can afford to lose later. the 18 hex coordinate row will fall before the end game, any improvements will be lost to the Germans by then. Priority should be Commissar's house, then the southernmost large factory, then Bread Factory #2 area, then the long skinny mid-board factories.

Here trench lines, wire , mines and tunnels should be developed also consider DI tanks ..

Good luck
Fully agree with this part - Further, the Russian must keep a free leader and 4-4-7 around in the close rear, with matchbooks at the ready, to light anything in danger of falling to the Germans that is more than the ground level on fire before that scenario ends. This is a scorched earth, fall back defense - the strongest play the Russian has in a CG here.

KRL, Jon H
 
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