Hi!
I’m in difficulty… I’m at the gates of Leningrad since last turn (13), and I don’t know what am I doing wrong… so far I bombed twice the hex that leads to Osinovets (the fort 2 hex), I put my best divisions to attack… do you have any suggestion to take this city? I’m running out of time, it’s turn 14… Do you think I can take this city before the winter?
Half of my mobile units have not enough mp to attack through the major river, do you have an idea about how to make Leningrad running out of supply?
Hi!
I’m in difficulty… I’m at the gates of Leningrad since last turn (13), and I don’t know what am I doing wrong… so far I bombed twice the hex that leads to Osinovets (the fort 2 hex), I put my best divisions to attack… do you have any suggestion to take this city? I’m running out of time, it’s turn 14… Do you think I can take this city before the winter?
Half of my mobile units have not enough mp to attack through the major river, do you have an idea about how to make Leningrad running out of supply?
- Take Sviritsa, but I guess that is no longer an option.
- Sacrifice the Luftwaffe to bomb Ostinovets port, but you may have had to start that earlier.
- Don't use all those infantry divisions to face his Volkhov line... He is not going to launch an offensive before mud...; Have another 2 Corps at least in the hexes behind your assault Corps (you can have 2 divisions in each ehx to make rotating easy), so you can rotate fresh divisions in after a failed assault to do another one the same turn. You should have enough MP most of time to do this I think.. Make sure all Corps involved in the assault on that hex are stacked with Engineers and heavy artillery. Have the engineers directly added to the divisions.
- Also, if you not assaulting towards Sviritsa; What are your mobile divisions still doing here? They should be putting pressure on Moscow.
I guess isolating Leningrad by capturing ports east of it is now out of the question?
Bombing port in Osinovets may be an alternative solution, but it will require many turns of bombing before it will cease to work (due to 2 bombings per turn limit and smaller impact on the port than in the past). I guess it would take time until Blizzard or even until New Year.
Maybe you could try to capture all hexes of the city south of the major river, including Leningrad proper, and then attack the hex currently in the center from 3 sides? You'll have to send your best infantry, full of pioneers, under best available leader to do it.
I don't remember this now, but the "level 2" hex east of the city is not a swamp hex (and is no longer a level 3 fort), so you'll get more CVs per counter if you'll attack it with panzers, not infantry. Get your best panzer leader to do it, give him 6 strongest panzer divisions, send them extra supplies (remember to put an airbase in nearby hex) to get their ammo over 100%, and give them as much support units as possible (with pioneers/flame tanks or highest CV that you can find). Before the attack, bomb the hex relentlessly with all available airpower. Perhaps launch some spoiling attacks first, but you need to be able to put some units across after the attack will succeed, so perhaps some units have to stay at the river line and don't move (or even don't participate in attack).
The general requirement is for 3 infantry units of 80+ morale, all in the same corps. Appoint Model to command the corps. Put 2 or 3 pioneer units in each division, and put Stug battalions in any leftover spots. Put 3 arty and 2 heavy arty in the corps HQ (and nothing else). Bring the Army HQ within 5 or fewer hexes of the battle hex and put 5 SUs of your choice into it. Do 1 heavy attack per turn, and if you can, swap out some divisions and attack again with other units.
Bombing Osinovets is pointless. Too many losses for too little impact. Don't bother. If you get across, 1 failed hasty attack against Osinovets will do more damage to the port than 6 months of Port bombing.
Don't get caught up in trying to encircle all the ports on Lake Ladoga. A player would never let you do it. And the direct Assault across the Neva is good practice for any unavoidable Assault (like Sevastapol).
Fall 2021-Playing: Stalingrad'42 (GMT); Advanced Squad Leader,
Reading: Masters of the Air (GREAT BOOK!)
Rulebooks: ASL (always ASL), Middle-Earth Strategy Battle Game
Painting: WHFB Lizardmen leaders
I finally got the fort 2 hex into a fort 1 hex... Maybe in the next turn I will be able to get across it...
I couldn't turn the mobile divisions against Moscow unfortunately. My opponent put everything and more to defend Leningrad, and only in turn 13 I got the encirclement, using all these mobile divisions... I had to break two lines of level 2 forts every turn, and every time he retreated some of my divisions... To have an idea about what happened so far see the Pelton vs Saper AAR, then you'll see how long it took me to get here where I am.
Anyway it's very difficult... Do you think that to attack across a major river is better to use only infantry or also mobile units?
Infantry divisions in 1st and 2nd Corps should have nothing but pioneers assigned to them. Heavy artillery ans siege artillery in Corps HQs. Best leaders for 1st and 2nd Corps. Prepare attack with two massive bombing attacks. Would be useful to transfer Ju87 north because they are now awesome. Tanks in second line on reserve to support the attack.
This will be very difficult. He has an airbase in the upper left corner so even if you take Osinovets he can supply the pocket and you will face X combat value in Leningrad for many turns. I always do this and it greatly delays the Axis. Even if the airbase is displaced he can supply the units in the city and the surrounding hexes by air. Make sure you have night fighters enabled close to the city to make him pay if he supplies the pocket by night. Transfer extra fighters north if you have to.
Use reserves on offense. If you have high MP divisions with good leaders in reserve they will join in to help reduce forts and support a successful attack.
I've even gone so far as to attach LVI Panzer corps to 18th army (better reserve activation when in the same army). Manstein has an 8 or 9 initiative rating and a strong panzer/motorized division joining in as reserve can also tip the balance.
A turn or two of this will break down the forts and give you a successful crossing.
Thank you very much! I never thought you could post in this thread...
I will try soon. In the long years of alpha testing I never had these problems to take Leningrad. I was an experienced line-breaker (I used to destroy 2 fort 2 lines every turn) and I never experienced this hell.
I just took it in a game first attack with higher CV.
I have posted several times on how its done, plus I have a new WitW trick in the combo and the new trick seems to win 100% of the time in my testing vs about any CV across a major river.
You can take it NP during first few 42 snow turns as I did vs Chaos.
PLUS with all the MT divisions now you can hold and 24 hexes you want during 41/42 blizzard.
You will take it dispite zero player skills in March 42, problem is this is Russian win even if you take it in March 42.
At a min you need 5 elite Infantry divisions 12 engs/12 siege art units and 3 panzer units.
You do not need to bomb ports (but you can do that also using a work around:) saving that trick for another day)you can simply assault across the major river using my old school tactic withen 3 turns.
It will drop the fort lvls 1 pt per turn so you win withen 4 turns max.
