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Операция "Ой морозь морозь" - Maintain a high operational tempo through the winter, attacking weak points as able

6 (60%)

Операция "Не морозь меня" - Slow things down, making a few major and considered attacks without wasting strength

4 (40%)

Total Members Voted: 10

[Sheb]

We should try to make a run from Lublin to Danzig, trapping as many German divisions as possible. A second breakthrough should be focused on the Romanian, to obtain their surrender as soon as possible.

[Hyo]

We should try to make a run from Lublin to Danzig, trapping as many German divisions as possible. A second breakthrough should be focused on the Romanian, to obtain their surrender as soon as possible.

... Er, what? Breakthrough? Romanian surrender?

Well, it's certainly possible, but I heavily doubt it. Soviet formations seems like a defense-in-depth strategy to me. Are you planning on a Barbarossa with just a DoW from the Soviet side, or do you actually plan on attacking, Fishbreath? I'm not sure where that formation is a leftover from preparing for war last year, or that's how you actually plan to go about things.

That being said, since Hungary has taken Cluj-Napoca, it is possible to force a quick Romanian surrender through rushing along the coast, taking Bucharest and Plotesti as soon as possible. Of course, problem is that we lack divisions on the Ukranian front compared to the Baltic front - I'm not sure why you placed so many divisions there actually; were we hoping to see a rush to Berlin, similar to what Sheb was suggesting?

Our next course of action depends on two aspects; whether we'll be planning for a defensive strategy or an offensive maneuver. Second, if we are to go on an offensive, will we strike in the North or the South? I personally suggest South, to grab Romania and puppet Bulgaria. We have favourable terrain in the North, and while we might have some trouble in the Belorussian front, I find it easier to defend in the North and advance in the south than vice versa. Especially since we'll have to take the Germans head on if we strike North.

[Fishbreath]

I plan on attacking. Forces will be redeployed according to what we come up with plan-wise here.

[Hyo]

First of all, since being able to sustain an all-out offensive is highly unlikely as mentioned before, we should choose a front to focus on. I say the southern one.

My suggestions, and plans for this attack would be the following:

- 1 divisions in Lublin, Zamosc and Styrj, set on Scorched Earth policy. With only 200 divisions, unless our war machine starts pumping at a ridiculous rate, we won't be able to form an all-out offensive, and it'll be too costly to hold those provinces.

- 9 INF in all bordering provinces, excluding Lublin, Zamosc and Styrj and considering them Axis borders.

- A corps consisting of 3 MOT divisons every two bordering provinces; since there are 13, let's say 7 of such corps. These will act similar to a strategic reserve, and while the INF divisions are to dig in and hold out, they are to move around, provide assistance as possible, and plug in gaps left by the infantry. These divisions should constantly, and always be on offensive.

- The remaining divisions, should be focused on the southern front. Now, admittedly, we don't have much resources to devote to it after the defensive border maneuver: 30 INF, 5 MOT and 13 ARM. But there are some things to consider: Divisions in Beltsy can move into Iasi, Divisions in Ismali can move into Tulcea. The next depends on whether Bulgaria has moved into Constanta. or not. If Bulgaria has, leave it alone and move quickly into Braila - Ploesti- Bucharest and quickly demanding Romanian surrender. Hold the front for a while until Bulgaria switches sides. Then quickly move into Bulgaria and help them out with their civil war, and push further into Romania from there, using Soviet & Bulgarian divisions.

Note that the above procedure also should keep an overrun of bordering Romanian divisions as a secondary objective, considering that it's main striking force is going to consist of ARMs.

- In the North, a small-scale offensive should also be plausible, invading into Memel-Konigsberg to help shorten the number of bordering provinces. It also provides for an invasion of Suwaliki from multiple provinces, adding two powerful forest provinces to aid in your defense.

Of course, the above strategy is obviously editable and bound to be filled with flaws. But in any case, it's main objectives is to eliminate as many Axis divisions as possible from game start, with removing a large portion of Romanian and Bulgarian divisions from the Axis. This should leave a gap in the southern defenses, which can be exploited, or left alone to force Germany to send divisions from the north.

It also has the additional benefit of providing a easier reinforced front to work with. In this scenario, you are going after the Axis minors, consuming them one by one. Every time you annex a nation, you instantly gain the ability to deploy your divisions wherever you want in that country; even in the midst of battle. This can come extremely useful at times, with reinforcements reaching the front instantly or a few days at most, while an offensive in the North can make help hard to get.


EDIT: What's our current IC situation? Is Yugoslavia still in the Axis? What's the fate of Constanta?

[Fishbreath]

Neither Bulgaria nor Yugoslavia is in the Axis. We have some 350 IC, and 120 IC worth of production right now--infantry corps (INF, INF/AT, INF/ART) at roughly 1 per month, and motorized corps (1 ARM, 2 MOT) at roughly 1 per month and a half. Extra civil spending will likely go into another long run of infantry corps (15 IC), with the remainder going into reinforcements and upgrades as necessary.

I've settled on the following plan, combining elements of both suggestions, which I will begin putting into effect tomorrow.

In broad strokes, it goes like this.

• Focus on the southern front:
  Romania is an obvious weak point in the Axis war machine. We can see roughly forty divisions facing us, and even if they have another stack on their capital, they won't be much above 55 or 60. We will deploy our entire armored/motorized force (41 divisions now, more very shortly as additional ARM rolls off the line) to the Romanian front, supplemented by 40-50 divisions of infantry, for a total of roughly 100 divisions against Romania, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia. That will give us approximate parity in numbers, and overwhelming superiority in doctrines and equipment.
  
  Additionally, we will support the attack on the southern front with the majority of our tactical bomber force.
  
• Defensive posture on the northern front:
  Germany has between 100 and 150 divisions on the Axis border, with presumably modern equipment and doctrines (according to our latest intelligence). We will concentrate our forces on the northern front into a single-province line, taking advantage of favorable terrain where it exists and stationing modern, well-equipped infantry where it does not, and yielding parts of Poland and the Ukraine to German forces, should they choose to attack.
  
  Our remaining tactical bombers and the majority of our fighter force will be stationed to defend the northern front, making and preventing air attacks on key provinces in the defensive line.
  
• Wheel to the north:
  Within two to three months campaigning against the Axis Minor Allies should come to a successful conclusion. We will then have some hundred divisions in striking distance of Austria and southern Germany. Between that and making a flanking attack and encirclement on the main body of the German army on the Soviet border, we should be able to find something to do with all those divisions.
  

Redeployment will take perhaps a month. The attacks will probably begin in early May.

[EuchreJack]

EuchreJack's Armored Division volunteers to spearhead this assault!  For the Motherland!

[Fishbreath]

I was planning to send that army in first anyway.

I think I'll try a different feel for the writeup this time.

*fishes out that history of the Battle of Normandy he's got lying around somewhere for style pointers...*

[Fishbreath]

Victoria 2 has, for the moment, sucked me in. It may be a few days before I wrap up the first couple of weeks of Operation Counterbarbarossa.

[Fishbreath]

So, the invasion went down on May 14th, and then on May 28th, just before the autosave, the game crashed and I lost my progress.

Those were two very instructive weeks, though, in that they showed that the Soviet war machine is not nearly as ready for the war with Germany and the Axis (which grew to include all of the Balkan countries including Greece, plus Italy and Portugal when I attacked) as I'd thought.

With the benefit of foresight I wouldn't normally have, I come here today to give you a voice in how we proceed. There are two things we can do: first, start the war with the Germans again, at which point it becomes a proper Barbarossa-like desperate struggle for survival until Soviet industry and manpower win the war; second, ignore the Germans for a while and bully minor powers in central and east Asia until we have a better chance at beating the Germans soundly. What's it going to be?

[Sheb]

Attack the German! How dare you doubt of Soviet Power?


P.S. Baltic states are LAtvia, Lithuania, Estonia and sometime Finland. :p

[Fishbreath]

I'm sure I don't know what you mean. That post has always said 'Balkan'.

[Sheb]

Then I got shit in my eyes, excuse me.

[Hyo]

I have no intentions of fighting a losing war, or to let those Germans take a step into Soviet soil, no matter the reason. I propose that we use this time to bash Turkey, Afghanistan and Persia. The latter two don't require garrisons as far as I recall, and Turkey gives another front to push through the Balkans, and assured safety of our Baku backdoor.

[Jopax]

Yeah, i'm all up for bullying the wimpy ones, germany can wait, let's just hope they share the patience and don't attack the the worst moment

[EuchreJack]

Bully for bully!