Tips for Soviet side...

Gary Grigsby’s War in the East: The German-Soviet War 1941-1945 is a turn-based World War II strategy game stretching across the entire Eastern Front. Gamers can engage in an epic campaign, including division-sized battles with realistic and historical terrain, weather, orders of battle, logistics and combat results.

The critically and fan-acclaimed Eastern Front mega-game Gary Grigsby’s War in the East just got bigger and better with Gary Grigsby’s War in the East: Don to the Danube! This expansion to the award-winning War in the East comes with a wide array of later war scenarios ranging from short but intense 6 turn bouts like the Battle for Kharkov (1942) to immense 37-turn engagements taking place across multiple nations like Drama on the Danube (Summer 1944 – Spring 1945).

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vinnie71
Posts: 966
Joined: Wed Aug 27, 2008 7:32 am

Tips for Soviet side...

Post by vinnie71 »

Ok I went over to the dark side... [:'(]

Well I'd like some help with these issues....

a) what is the fighter of choice for the Russians at the begining of the war. The LaGGs seem to be almost uselss (although they have the best range), the Yaks seem to be the 'best' fighter there is (most balanced speed and range) while the MIG 3 though short legged seems to get most kills. Frankly I'm not sure which one to employ en masse..

b) Looking at the LaGGs, does anyone use them for ground attack due to their rockets? Would you equip ShaD units with Laggs rather than Sturmoviks? Incidentally, initially a few squadrons with Laggs had quite a number of kills but when I tried to convert a number of squadrons to Laggs in ground attack role, they didn't seem to fly or score kills.

c) can anyone tell me exactly which airbases fly what a/c? I mean I understand that IAD's and Shad units fly fighters and tactical bombers respectively, but can the former be used for tactical bombers? Which are the best airfields for tactical bombers besides the Shads and which for level bombers? Also airbases are supposed to gain guard status (with the high kill requirements, I'm not sure I'd see one converting by the end of the war!). Do the squadrons convert to guard status as well and what are the advantages in doing so?

d) What is the best use for the long range fighter bomber PE3? Will it fly bomber escort missions?

and now to the ground war...

e) I noticed that I made a huge mistake of allowing my cavalry to remain in divisions rather than combining them into corps in December. Only 6 divisions got Gaurd status. I also tried to combine them with Tank brigades, but none of thiese brigades actually reached Guard status. Is this normal in '42? Is it easier for Tank formations to get Guard status in corps form? And how do you use the tank brigades?

f) do naval infantry brigades (and for that matter, infantry brigades) ever get guard status? What about para units?

g) I've also had quite a number of SUs turn into guard units. Do they gain any particular advantages by doing so?

h) what is the treshold for armies to gain Guard status?

i) and last but not least... Do Shock armies gain Guard status? They do seem to get addirional bonuses on the attack and I guess that they could be the first in line to gain guard status.

Thanks in advance!
Scook_99
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RE: Tips for Soviet side...

Post by Scook_99 »

Well, in my limited experience as Soviet....

a,b,c) Early war is chaos, and as such, if we have men, and we have machine that fly, they go in them! Our men need experience, and what better way than flying bi-planes no longer in production, but we have a ton of them? Stalin would approve. The airbases, much like corps HQs, will work themselves out by winter (ie: disbanded). I generally don't look at what my units fly until December, and whoever has good morale/ experience gets the better aircraft.

The whole airbase converting to guards, it can happen if that base gets...I think...... 50 (75?) victories.

d) PE3's, great for supplying partisans, escorting seems pretty useless for these.


e) From what I remember, it takes 3 cavalry divisions to make a cavalry corps. The tank brigade can start being combined into tank corps in March or April 1942. The best uses in the Winter offensive of 1941-42 is to exploit breakthroughs and use them to attack Germans out of entrenchment. They both have the movement to push behind the lines and get those encirclements that ruin any Axis' day.

f) I am pretty sure it's a no to naval brigades, and yest to para units. Naval brigades are great at combining into other offensive units that need more men.

g) +5 to morale, iirc

h) Edit: from the manual:

9.2.2. Creation of Soviet Guards Ground Units
Under certain conditions, Soviet combat, support, and corps and army HQ units may become guards units. When a unit achieves guards status, it's TOE will change to the appropriate Guards TOE and it will change its name and be renumbered as a guards unit.
9.2.2.1. Guards Number Limits
While not exact, there are limits to the number of each type of unit (infantry, armour, mountain, artillery, etc.) that may become guards units. The size of the unit may impact the percentages, with larger units having more impact than smaller ones. There is no limit on the number of cavalry or airborne combat units that may become guards units.
The limit for motorized type units is approximately 35 percent. For non-motorized type units, the approximate percentage limit varies by year as follows:
 1941 – 5 percent
 January - June 1942 -10 percent
 July - December 1942 – 17 percent
 1943 – 25 percent
 1944 – 30 percent
9.2.2.2. Guards Status Conditions
In order for a unit to become a guards unit, the three following conditions must be met:
Condition One:
 For non-motorized units, the unit’s number of wins plus the year modifier must be greater or equal to 8 plus random(8).(see glossary for definition of random(x))
 For motorized units, the unit’s number of wins plus the year modifier must be greater or equal to 12 plus random(12)
 For Corps HQ units, the unit’s number of wins plus the year modifier must be greater or equal to 15 plus random(15)
 For Army HQ units, the unit’s number of wins plus the year modifier must be greater or equal to 75 plus random(75)
Condition Two:
 For all units, the unit’s number of wins plus the year modifier must be greater than 9
Condition Three:
 For all units, the unit’s number of wins plus the year modifier must be greater than 2 plus the unit’s number of losses
Year Modifier: The Year modifier is 3 in 1941, 2 in 1942 and 1 in 1943-45.
9.2.2.3. Corps Combat Unit Buildup and Guards Status
When the Soviets combine combat units to form a corps combat unit, if two or three of the units are already Guard units, then the Corps formed will be a Guard Corps. Otherwise the Corps combat unit will not have a Guards designation or the morale bonus.

i) Yes, but bonuses do not stack, so essentially it converts to guard status.

I could try to get more precise, but the coffee is just entering the system, and I won't have time to pull out the manual.
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AFV
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RE: Tips for Soviet side...

Post by AFV »

a) Keep an eye out for P-40s. Those are available (low quantities), so you can use on at least a few units. They are a pure fighters.
I also use the Hurricane too.
glvaca
Posts: 1312
Joined: Tue Jun 13, 2006 12:42 pm

RE: Tips for Soviet side...

Post by glvaca »

ORIGINAL: Offworlder

Ok I went over to the dark side... [:'(]

Well I'd like some help with these issues....

a) what is the fighter of choice for the Russians at the begining of the war. The LaGGs seem to be almost uselss (although they have the best range), the Yaks seem to be the 'best' fighter there is (most balanced speed and range) while the MIG 3 though short legged seems to get most kills. Frankly I'm not sure which one to employ en masse..

b) Looking at the LaGGs, does anyone use them for ground attack due to their rockets? Would you equip ShaD units with Laggs rather than Sturmoviks? Incidentally, initially a few squadrons with Laggs had quite a number of kills but when I tried to convert a number of squadrons to Laggs in ground attack role, they didn't seem to fly or score kills.

c) can anyone tell me exactly which airbases fly what a/c? I mean I understand that IAD's and Shad units fly fighters and tactical bombers respectively, but can the former be used for tactical bombers? Which are the best airfields for tactical bombers besides the Shads and which for level bombers? Also airbases are supposed to gain guard status (with the high kill requirements, I'm not sure I'd see one converting by the end of the war!). Do the squadrons convert to guard status as well and what are the advantages in doing so?

d) What is the best use for the long range fighter bomber PE3? Will it fly bomber escort missions?

and now to the ground war...

e) I noticed that I made a huge mistake of allowing my cavalry to remain in divisions rather than combining them into corps in December. Only 6 divisions got Gaurd status. I also tried to combine them with Tank brigades, but none of thiese brigades actually reached Guard status. Is this normal in '42? Is it easier for Tank formations to get Guard status in corps form? And how do you use the tank brigades?

f) do naval infantry brigades (and for that matter, infantry brigades) ever get guard status? What about para units?

g) I've also had quite a number of SUs turn into guard units. Do they gain any particular advantages by doing so?

h) what is the treshold for armies to gain Guard status?

i) and last but not least... Do Shock armies gain Guard status? They do seem to get addirional bonuses on the attack and I guess that they could be the first in line to gain guard status.

Thanks in advance!

a: Yak1's, or Migs are best, Lagg isn't useless but it all depends on pilot quality. I wouldn't disregard your airforce at the start, with some targetted upgrades in the most hotly contested area's of the front, you can make it very difficult for the Axis to use his airforce. P40's are gold, only for a limited number of your best units.

B: never tried, stick to IL2's. b

c: I think this was changed down the patches, it seems all airbases can fly anything now.

Aurelian
Posts: 4031
Joined: Mon Feb 26, 2007 2:08 pm

RE: Tips for Soviet side...

Post by Aurelian »

I currently have almost all the FBs as bombers. Rather they cause some ground losses/fatigue than a few enemy a/c.

I do keep a few as fighters though.
Watched a documentary on beavers. Best dam documentary I've ever seen.
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Encircled
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RE: Tips for Soviet side...

Post by Encircled »

One thing that I would highly recommend is that you keep track of Axis Panzer and Motorised Units.

If you know where they are all the time (especially after the first three or four turns), you can co-ordinate your defence much easier.

vinnie71
Posts: 966
Joined: Wed Aug 27, 2008 7:32 am

RE: Tips for Soviet side...

Post by vinnie71 »

Thanks for the tips

Yes I have seen that the P40s are gold - I've concentrated them into a Russian version of the Flying Circus. They are doing well. The more I look at my fighter regiments, the more the Migs seem to be effective. Hurricanes do not seem to achieve much except against unescorted bombers or down south against the minor allies.


So basically the airfields can fly anything? Good to know
Aurelian
Posts: 4031
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RE: Tips for Soviet side...

Post by Aurelian »

I dimly recall though that the PVO bases should be fighter only. (You can base and use what you want there, but the AI will only use fighters.)

Could be wrong though.
Watched a documentary on beavers. Best dam documentary I've ever seen.
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kfmiller41
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RE: Tips for Soviet side...

Post by kfmiller41 »

Also look out in 42. In my most recent game we are in June 43 now but I lost 800,000 men and 66 divisions/corps surrounded and destroyed in a massive pocket when my opponent massed every panzer unit he had down south and crushed my 3 layer defense. It was like a death star and I have never recovered. Always recon and know where these units are at all times because the German player has mobility you can only dream of. Also, having read a ton on the eastern front, i find it very odd how strong the German side remains throughout the winter of 41. Because you cannot really do the damage you could in earlier versions, the German side will come thru the winter very well, if your opponent knows what he is doing. The German side had 3.5 million men in June 43 and I have almost no chance or pushing him into Germany in 45, considering he is still in the Caucasus not far from Maikop:-) Yes he has beaten me like a drum and I am not a rookie player, it is just the changes in the game have made what you did in earlier versions as far as defense obsolete IMHO.

Oh and I have played 3 full campaigns as the Russian player thru to 45, all draws. This one will not be for sure.
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