Early Soviet Strategies

Kharkov: Disaster on the Donets is the latest strategy title from the award-winning team at Strategic Studies Group. A synthesis of the very best elements of two critically acclaimed and top-rated game systems, Decisive Battles and Battlefront, and a successor to both, the new Kharkov: Disaster on the Donets brings to life a campaign of epic scale and dynamic battles on the Eastern Front of World War II.
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Avatar47
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Early Soviet Strategies

Post by Avatar47 »

What are the best options for the Soviets' first turns in the Kharkov scenario? This short article of mine will explain in layman's terms what can be done, what the options are. In general, the Soviets absolutely need to be aggressive virtually everywhere eary on. Below are the attack-axis' as I see them, with some light analysis. Feel free to comment, to add to, or to criticize!


Soviet Forces attacking from east of Kharkov towards:
->Lipsty
North of Kharkov, this objective is very difficult to grab unless you have a clean breakthrough in the north, and even then, Lipsty should be heavily defended by some/all of the 79th and 294th Infantry divisions. I encourage the Soviet player to try and take this objective however, because german counter-attacks in this area are relatively easier to fend off, and harder to mount. A panzer division in the area will have a lot of territory to defend should you have a breakthrough in the area.

->Chuguyev
SE of Kharkov, also very difficult to grab. The Wehrmacht has 2 Infantry Divs, 297th and 44th, guarding the city surroundings. Some say this is the better alternative to Lipsty, I disagree. Taking the city is difficult, and the 38th Army is not as well endowed as the 28th. By all means put pressure here, but a word of caution when overextending yourself in this area.

->Kharkov
The most difficult of all 3 objectives in the Kharkov area, Kharkov itself. The city will most likely be tenaciously defended from direct assault by the Germans at all costs. Its urban environment makes any artillery strikes ineffective, and that means low odds and heavy casualties for any russian advance. Obviously it is a prize to capture, but more likely than not you won't capture it often. Still, put pressure whereever you can, it is important to spread german forces around as much as possible, so that he'll be weak at least somewhere.

Analysis: IMO, either an attack towards Lipsty or Chuguyev must be done in order to draw off either panzer division and independent 6th Army battallions, as well as a simultaneous attack towards Kharkov itself. Liptsy is probably the better alternative to Chuguyev because of the 'breakthrough' possibility on the northern side of Kharkov. Theoretically, if the Soviets can encircle Kharkov from the north, and link up with a southern thrust, there's a good chance to encircle, and possibly destroy, a good bunch of german units. Although this is the goal, it is most likely never reached in human vs human games. It is still important however to try because the Kharkov assault is needed to take pressure off the more fluid battles around Krasnograd.

Soviet Forces attacking from east of Krasnograd towards:
->Krasnograd
SSG's game should have been called Krasnograd:DoD. Krasnograd should be your main objective in the game as the Soviet player. If taken, hold it at all costs, and you have a great chance of winning the game, especially if you delay the fall of Izyum. Krasnograd is not the easiest to get, but it is infinitely easier than Kharkov, and should be strived for with any and all means. It definitely helps to encircle Krasnogad in your effort to capture it, but a direct assault with small breakthroughs can be enough as well. Your progress around Krasnograd/Lanaya is heavily influenced by whether you choose to devote the 21st and 23rd Tank Corps to this sector.

->Lanaya
Can't take Krasnograd because the Germans pile everything there and the hexes around it? Then take Lanaya, it's a more-than-adequate runner up. 3 Div reinforcements, plus 25pts/turn, not bad. Lanaya is a very exposed location, but its strength is that the Germans can hedgehog there.

->Borki
25vps/turn, should be taken as quickly as possible. It's easy VPs. Once you've take it and formed a line on the south side of the river north of Borki, then you can consider outflanking the German defences south of Kharkov. If the Germans decide to heavily reinforce Borki and the adjacent hexes, then surround them and bypass it. The Wehrmacht can't be everywhere.

->Pereshepino
Easy points, easy to take, very little reason not to. If the Germans (or Rumanians) decide to put up a fight here, it just means you'll have an easier time taking Krasnograd/Lanaya. If you want, send over a couple units towards Dneprepotovsk and at the minimum force the Germans to guard it with forces that are probably needed elsewhere.

->Kharkov
Push north towards Kharkov, with the dream objective being the encirclement and destruction of all German units in and east of Kharkov. Highly unlikely, but if you're having good momentum, by all means press on. Surrounding any panzer divisions like this is golden, because then they are very much movement restricted. Your progress here is somewhat determined by where you devote the 21st and 23rd Tank Corp.

Analysis: Overriding goal for the western prong of this area is to take Krasnograd and/or Lanaya. Make your northern prong there head from Borki to attack Kharkov from the south. The 21st and 23rd Tank Corps can go either North or West, but I would hesitate to split them up into both areas, they are much stronger together. Don't bother attack the Rumanian units on the southern end of this AO, they are usually not worth it unless you can destroy 3+ of them. Your units are needed near Krasnograd instead.

Soviet Forces attacking from south of Izyum towards:
->Slavyansk
Another objective reachable in the first 3 turns, it's capture is the most unlikely of all. There is no reason for the Germans not to defend it early in the game. However, once the assault begins on Barvenkovo, the Germans might have shifted some forces from here to the left/center flank of their main attack and leave the right flank relatively bare (this does happen). You might then be able to mount a quick attack on Slavyansk and surpise him.

Analysis: Better to conserve your forces early on in the South, and keep the option to use your strength here to take Slavyansk later. Most likely, however, you'll end up using them in general defence roles.

General Soviet advice: Always try to imagine what your german opponent will do on his turn. Watch where you leave your troops after attacking. If they can't entrench, then find at least a hex which is partially protected by a river, or in a Forest, or both etc etc etc. Leaving unentrenched units with 3 or 4 sides attackable is not very bright, and will leave you wondering why your opponent is so 'good' and 'lucky'. The Germans get a big tactical shift attacking from 3 sides, while the Soviets need to attack from 4 to get that same shift. Don't use all of your artillery in the first minutes before Close Combat begins. You might need some later on. Try and figure out which units you want to attack before you use your artillery, and then attack that unit with your best/heaviest artillery; this applies very much to the 1st turn. Luck evens out in this game, there are a ton of die rolls from start->finish.

I'll do another article in a short while about the Germans' options in the first turns.
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RE: Early Soviet Strategies

Post by Wallenstein »

Nice article!
 
I might want to add an important helper for the Soviet opening --->  the early activation of the 21 and 23 Tank Corps by capturing the hexes 20,32 or 22,29. By default both formations become active at turn five, but the capture of those hexes releases them at the following turn - 3 in most battles I guess.
 
 
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RE: Early Soviet Strategies

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Regarding that point Wallenstein, I would like to ask your opinion on German strategy for that matter. Is it worth it, does it make sense, for the german player to defend those hexes and prevent 21 and 23 from activating? I'm not sure whether to advise against or for the defence of those hexes. The delayed activation of 21 and 23 is a big advantage for the germans no doubt, but at what cost? Against the AI I can defend them almost indefinitely, but against a human I'm not so sure, and haven't done so yet.
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RE: Early Soviet Strategies

Post by Wallenstein »

I don´t defend those hexes. I think anything standing on them would be blown to pieces. I like to conserve my forces for the counteroffensive during the second half.
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RE: Early Soviet Strategies

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I completely agree, I think it seems rather rash to defend those hexes. Soviets should overwhelm any early defenders there, artillery and sheer numbers. The only way I do see a possible defense there is if the german player devotes a whole panzer division to the defense, and even then, it's probable that the soviets are delayed possibly 1 turn from taking the objectives. Not enough to warrant the commitment of a panzer div imo.
 
Would Gregor have any enlightening reason for defending those hexes? Can anyone argue in favour of dending them?
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RE: Early Soviet Strategies

Post by JSS »

ORIGINAL: Avatar47

...Can anyone argue in favour of dending them?

No! My Panzer divisions usually are a little busy to drive into an ugly situation like this.

The scenario design is very well done by Troutie (IMHO). The design provides a clear Operations Order to the Russian player: Quickly clear the area with your Rifle Divisions! Once clear (or turn 5 if you're bogged down), two Tank Corps will be released to exploit openings created.

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RE: Early Soviet Strategies

Post by Gregor_SSG »

ORIGINAL: Avatar47

I completely agree, I think it seems rather rash to defend those hexes. Soviets should overwhelm any early defenders there, artillery and sheer numbers. The only way I do see a possible defense there is if the german player devotes a whole panzer division to the defense, and even then, it's probable that the soviets are delayed possibly 1 turn from taking the objectives. Not enough to warrant the commitment of a panzer div imo.

Would Gregor have any enlightening reason for defending those hexes? Can anyone argue in favour of dending them?

I never defend them, and the AI isn't told to defend them either, although it may get caught in the vicinity by accident.

The reason the trigger hexes are there is to reflect the historical requirements of the Soviet plan of attack. Once those requirements were in the plan, they were not easily disregarded or changed. Contrast the Soviet's AO restrictions for their Tank Corps, with the almost total freedom given to the two Panzer divisions in Kharkov. That's a reasonable approximation of the differences in doctrine and command ability that both sides would have experienced during the battle, and that's how the AO system works to recreate a vital part of history.

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RE: Early Soviet Strategies

Post by Avatar47 »

I do concur that the Soviets have a far more restricted freedom of movement over the panzer divisions. However, this restriction could have been implemented for the 21 and 23 Tank corps without the Objectives no? That, or it seems the objectives were placed a little too close to the Soviet front line to be worth considering defending by the german player. To be somewhat critical, they should have been a little further to the north and/or west, closer to Borki. Then a decision worth contemplating to defend them or not could be made. As I see it, in no game will the 21 and 23 be waiting til turn 5 to be released; I still have yet to see such a game.
 
One thing I cannot critize however is the AO system. It very much allows an expert scenario designer to truly recreate a battle with all the restrictions that real life commanders had to deal with (ok, not all). A seemingly insignificant enhancement, it is quite the opposite, a definite plus to a game system I have been playing since Ardennes Offensive (which you guys should also redo!). Keep up the good work SSG, don't anybody tell you otherwise!
 
 
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RE: Early Soviet Strategies

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The picture below is a good example of how the Soviet attack east of Kharkov should look like at the end of the 1st turn (minus possible interdiction). You'll notice that counter-attack possibilities for the germans are relatively low, there being no outstretched units pass the line of advance. I typically see newbies advancing tank units (worth 50vps each) past this line of advance, and them being easily wiped out, with few/no german losses. Don't do that, it's much better to take it a little slower and use those units throughout as much of the game as possible. The Soviet player will have casualties, they can do little to avoid that. Advancing requires you to move into non-entrenchable territory, and so you are very open to counter-attack. You can, however, minimize the tactical shifts by placing large stacks/steps next to each other. The german player will need to have equal or greater than that number to get a tact shift, and the german player has far less steps/units to play around with. A good 1st soviet turn will have the germans do 1, a maximum 2 counter-attacks in the Kharkov area. 2, if you're not destroying at least 3 german regiments/battallions on the 1st turn near Kharkov, you're doing something wrong. I can destroy around 3 regiments + 2-4 weaker units there with a decent 1st turn, sometimes more. You need to destroy as many as possible, as this will create serious holes in any determined german resistance line, making your advance much easier.

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RE: Early Soviet Strategies

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And here's an example of a decent opener for the Krasnograd area. Much weaker resistance here, a breakthrough in every direction is pretty much guaranteed. Destroying and encircling all german units defending the 1st line is possible. Of special importance is encircling the entire 62nd Inf division. Do not let any of its regiments escape. Bypass their hedgehogs if you wish, but make sure they do not escape west to help out the defence of Krasnograd.

Don't over-expose those 6th Army Tank units too much; if the germans do decide to move 3rd or 23rd Panzer south to counter-attack, those early unit losses will hamper your advance later on. Personally, I decide to use the interdiction in the Krasnograd area to dissuade the germans from counter-attacking or moving troops to the area. Some prefer to use interdiction to hamper german attacks near Kharkov. Matter of choice of course :o).

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RE: Early Soviet Strategies

Post by mariovalleemtl »

Again a good German player Avatar, you will loose, at least, 8 units with this type of opening in the north. I saw that many time.[/align]Personally, I never go further then the original Russian position at the end of the first turn. I attack one or two [/align]German units and I go back to a safe defense position. The German artillery and the two panzer division of Kharkov could smash you galore on there first turn. Never ever let any Russian units over there without at least one entrench un top of them. [:)][/align]
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RE: Early Soviet Strategies

Post by Avatar47 »

I do agree, the russians will lose some units if they advance even 1 square, but the key words you use Mario are 'two panzer divs'. If the germans use 2, then they will not have enough movement to move to either to Krasnograd. Many good players prefer to not counter-attack, and send 1 entire division south to Krasnograd. The Soviet player can also use interdiction east of Kharkov to impede a counter-attack. Also, if the russian player does not move forward, then the germans will have a very good defensive line, short and strong, near Kharkov.

Perhaps we should have a game :o). BTW, I notice you're from Montreal, so am I. Well, from Kirkland (not technically Montreal, but close enough). Living in Germany since 5 years now though.
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RE: Early Soviet Strategies

Post by mariovalleemtl »

I will be very please to try a game with you my Berliner
 
Vous avez le chois des armes.
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RE: Early Soviet Strategies

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Merci bien, moi je va choisir les.... Allemands... tu peux me montres comment les russkies faut etre jouex.... But let's do this privately, do not want to spam this thread :o). Email is true_avatar47@hotmail.com  . Feel free to send me the 1st turn whenever you want (secure or unsecure, i don't care).
 
If Mario considers himself an expert, and I consider myself an expert.... this should be quite the game!
 
Les jeux sont fait... les jeux sont fait....
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RE: Early Soviet Strategies

Post by mariovalleemtl »

Rien ne vas plus.
 
I just send you my email. I wait for your secure setup. Maybe it will be that last game before the patch.
 
Mario
 
PS: There is no problem if you take picture LOL!
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RE: Early Soviet Strategies

Post by Gregor_SSG »

Avatar,

For what its worth, as I am a long way from being the best player of our games, I agree completely with your Kharkov attack strategy. The Soviets must present a single defensive line, with four units per hex, and no stacks left isolated as easy pickings. If they don't, German artillery and counter-attacks will slaughter them.

Gregor
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RE: Early Soviet Strategies

Post by Avatar47 »

Thanks for the input Gregor. I also see the 4-stack/1-line offensive as the only realistic way to advance forward for the reasons you mentioned.
 
I have, however, started a game here against our friend Mario Vallee, and he has the unusual Soviet start of not advancing at all. He made as many attacks as possible advancing 1-hex, and then moved back to the start line to entrench. I understand why he does it, but I don't think it'll gain him much ground, and the going is too slow. The defense line for the germans east of Kharkov can be quite solid if the Soviets don't destroy or advance too much. It's a short and compact line, so I was easily able to send off 23rd panzer to help out Krasnograd.
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RE: Early Soviet Strategies

Post by Capitaine »

^ That is EXACTLY how I did in my "overwhelming victory" with the Soviets.  I only advanced when I had friendly territory to entrench in.  If you don't entrench, even if you're stacked 4 high, the Germans will take you out.  Mario's strategy worked for me.  Of course, I took Kharkov from the rear, and the AI had left a weak unit in the objective hex.  Were it a human, I imagine the objective hex would've been fortified to the max and never left relatively unguarded.
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RE: Early Soviet Strategies

Post by mariovalleemtl »

and because you send your 23rd panzer to help out Krasnograd I will now advance more. You see, I am very carefull near Kharkov. My only goal there is to pin the more German troups has posible. It's in the South where the Russians should take more objectif points.  I play with a Chinise guys last time who send to many units in the South. After a fews turns, I was in the streets of Kharkov with my cavalry.[;)]
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RE: Early Soviet Strategies

Post by hank »

ORIGINAL: Capitaine

^ That is EXACTLY how I did in my "overwhelming victory" with the Soviets.  I only advanced when I had friendly territory to entrench in.  If you don't entrench, even if you're stacked 4 high, the Germans will take you out.  Mario's strategy worked for me.  Of course, I took Kharkov from the rear, and the AI had left a weak unit in the objective hex.  Were it a human, I imagine the objective hex would've been fortified to the max and never left relatively unguarded.

This is how I've found you have to do with the soviets. If you don't entrench your conscripts with at least minimum 10 to 12 steps, they will be destroyed by the powerful Nazi forces through a combo of arty, air and assault. I also keep a line of units behind the front dug in just in case the front line gets disrupted and retreats from an attack. This method surely does not lend itself to deep penetrations through enemy lines without a lot of risk but you can keep from having your units assaulted/eliminated in a most horrible way. (I lost my entire 21st (or 23rd ??) Armored in a recent pbem doing a deep incursion toward Kharkhov ... a terrible loss it was)


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