Quick Sov Tactics or "Steppe Dancing"

[Farfarer61]

I have settled into a hybrid Sov strategy with aggressive, but prudent 1941 attacking by a few armies using Tank Divs and the Cossacks with good leaders who later will be assigned to Fronts, but not now. While the ants are off doing speed bumps, fort lines, ZOC swamps, the Attackers strive only to unbalance the Axis drive, inevitably in the South.
The lure of the Don Bas and AGS split is strong. Some Axis players will bypass the Crimea if your Steppe Dancing ( that's now patented BTW) is delaying them too much. You then have an ulcer in their side. You can always bug out by sea.

The cost of delaying the Axis in say 2 of 17 turns can be annoying to the axis effort. Occasionally, you can get a bonus "rout due to no retreat path".
Good Axis players take operatinal pauses on their own terms, one taken on your terms is unwlecome, especially if it isn't really a pause.

If your Axis opponent is simply too good, just make sure 1 point of every factory is sent to the Far East as your dire emergency plan.

Generally, your Cav won't get surrounded and be lost to you for the Blizzard. BTW, Blizzard does not equal "Banzai".

Little things add up, like an aggressive "rally plan" using all those Corps HQs to get your ants back in the game even if they are next to useless. They are more useless Routed.

HQ Relocation - if you are isolated and doomed, relocate the HQ on your turn, particularly if a Front or important Army. The leader may die or not, but you can guide the relocation location by covering the closest (useless or dangerous towns) with 3 units. Now YOU can plan your comeback on your own terms.

When you get to 1943, you will rue every lost truck, so never let your Motorized divisions get captured. Always rally them, and always get them to safety. There is no higher AP priority ( other than that Fort on the port of Leningrad and stuffing it with AA so Feld Marschall Pelton can't bomb it closed

[Farfarer61]

1941, every diverted Axis division is a little victory.

The Baltic islands have ports, you can put airbases in them, VVS is best, and supply partisans deep in the rear even with crap early war planes. Those "FBD-created one rail line wonders" are vulnerable, for some reason in particular that one hex dip south of the baltic rail zone that most axis players use. (As axis, I leave a regiment there having been burnt too many times - may be a partisan-attack-choice-code-thing). Dig in on the crossing points. Pull the aircraft out and relocate the base when the jig is up.