The Belorussian Front HQ - (Darius)

[Colwyn]

2nd June 1941

Brest-Litovsk, Minsk, Bialystok, Vitebsk are my primary towns with backup from Smolensk, Bryansk, Kaluga, Tula, Moscow, Kalin and Gorkiy.

Hah the facist horde are weak we have more guns, tanks, planes, men and the communist ideal.

[Colwyn]

Our millitary might

And just look at what our Armourments Industry is producing.

This is a train on its way to Minsk.

[greeny]

The best I have done on this front is to still hold Smolensk (just) when winter hits, halting the Axis advance. This took a huge commitment of recourses and troops, incuding artillery to take out all the tanks massed around the city, as well as loads of defensive troops. It was worth it in my game however as it put me in avery good position for the winter offensive and it enabled me to keep Smolensk and therefore Moscow safe for the rest of the game.

[EZRhino]

Dont forget Vitebsk

[Colwyn]

Yes I know I have a nearly impossible front

to hold, huh maybe you will all let me have some reinforcements then.

Vietbsk? have you been successfull in the past with this city?

Don't forget we are playing MGE not FW the RF plays very differently b/w these versions!

[Shaka Naldur]

Re: Yes I know I have a nearly impossible front

Originally posted by Colwyn
to hold, huh maybe you will all let me have some reinforcements then.

Vietbsk? have you been successfull in the past with this city?

Don't forget we are playing MGE not FW the RF plays very differently b/w these versions!

I was able to defend Vitebsk without lots of problem
I pillage a road in the "highway" from vilnius to vitebsk and I also the pillage the fortress and the road in the same square,
it was harder to defend smolensk than vitebsk

[H Tower]

Re: Re: Yes I know I have a nearly impossible front

Originally posted by Shaka Naldur
I also the pillage the fortress and the road in the same square,
it was harder to defend smolensk than vitebsk

pillaging of fortresses is also not allowed, it's supposed to mess up events or something like that

[Shaka Naldur]

Re: Re: Re: Yes I know I have a nearly impossible front

Originally posted by H Tower


pillaging of fortresses is also not allowed, it's supposed to mess up events or something like that

man
didn't know it was important in red front, usually i pillage the fortress but well...

[our_man]

Holding both Vitebsk and Smolensk is tricky, but definitely possible. Obviously its crucial to get reinforcements there - I take all the NKVD and AA batteries out of Moscow and move them up. Using the Labor Brigades from Moscow together with cover provided by a bomber I build a minefield and pillage the road in the gap within the forest between Minsk and Smolensk (it's the square with the fortress in it).

As it takes lots of movement points to cross forests and minefields, this really slowed the German advance out of Minsk down for me. All you have to do is watch out for those pesky SS troopers (all as road) and Stukas...

[Shaka Naldur]

but in my opinion is basic to defend both cities, if one of them fall the germans will attack moscow, and then you'll have the axis will get too far

[CannonFodder]

Smolensk and Vitebsk would be nice, but we need to decide what fronts we're going to concentrate on before we try to defend both.

[greeny]

Front Priorities would be a desision for the Marshall.
However I would suggest that we proritise the Belorussian front in 1941 so we can stop them short of Moscow (in Smolensk and Vitebsk), with careful unit management Leningrad should be able to hold out without much support. While the Southern front had plenty of land to trade for time before the key cities of Rostov and Stalingrad are reached.

In 1942 the focus will switch to the southern front to defend aginst operation Blue (push towards Staingrad)

[EZRhino]

The cities are right next to each other Cannon-fodder. The thing is, the AI generally bypasses Vitebsk and instead goes right through Smolensk on its way to Moscow.

[Colwyn]

Reality?

About 10% of the time I can hold this cities outside moscow and thats playing with the same rules we have here.

No pillaging fortress's (if you had and been successfull) then this game is going to be different.

No playing phantom turn (this is the biggy as if you do you can reinforce most fronts with 3-6 good units, these we will not have.

Still think it will be a easy thing to have smolensk/vietsbsk in soviet hands?

Let me know if you have played with our rules and what success's you got.

[EZRhino]

With a little luck, mass AA and KV-1s will hold those cities without excessive amounts of loading.

Edit: But I agree, it is much less risky to try to hold them at Moscow instead.