• I hate Soviet Tanks, they seem to just get destroyed in a counter attack…
    I usually just stick with Inf and Rtl, a fighter if you can’t live with out, it but I found it non-essential.

  • '18 '17 '16 '11 Moderator

    By about the third round of Russia buying tanks (and infantry of course) Germany should have a new impression of the T-34 Armored Fighting Vehicle!


  • The R1 buy that’s done me the most good so far is 3 tanks, 3 art, and 1 inf.
    Just my opinion,
    Thanks.

  • 2007 AAR League

    I usually buy 6 inf, 1 bmb because the bomber has range to be opportunistic on every front including China but I’ll also build 5 inf, 1 arm, 1 fig if Germany has a good opener and I need more defense.


  • I found that a fighter is NOT necessary for Russia (at least the first turns)

    A tank and an artillery to have a threat value for a counterattack and 7 inf for defence is the easiest way to go. Its conservative, but if playing russia patience is your best strategy.

    BTW an arty + tank are bought every turn - all infantry is reserved for desperate times…


  • I hate using Russian tanks for trading territory because you know (in most cases) that the Germans will kill it next round.  It just seems like an expensive way to trade.  That’s why I like buying some artillery for trading and then I use my tanks for defense OR capturing a territory that I know I can hold.


  • Its ok to lose tanks - just make sure you can afford it.

    Look at it the other way - if you have multiple territories with a single tank in each, Germany probably cannot kill all, and tanks as the last line of defense behind inf are a hard nut.

    Planes on the other hand are so expensive that you just cant afford to lose them. That means that they are totally lost on the defense. Now if i put 2 tanks in a frontline territory its a wave breaker. But if i put 2 planes in, its an invitation.


  • Tanks are STRONG!


  • 7 inf/art/arm is nice. In the 41 version Russia can get pretty burly pretty early, and Germany seems a little slower to the front with infantry. The round to throw down the armor with Russia is 2.


  • I’ve only played Russia once, and when I did, I bought all infantry and artillery. I decided that I’d absorb Germany’s opening offensive and hopefully take out their starting units with some punch. It went well and I ended Turn 1 holding everything except Eastern Poland, Ukraine, and Baltic States. On R2 I built tanks only, and managed to retake some territory. By G3 the Front in Russia had stabilized, Germany could take land once it’s troops came up (an excellent reason to build an IC in Poland, now I see the wisdom in that Cmdr), but it would be spread out for a counterattack.

    Unfortunately for me, the U.K. player (who usually plays Japan) wasted all his troops in fruitless assaults on Japanese territory, he island hopped with his Australian troops, and his small Pacific fleet was of course sunk on J2, and his 2 inf on Borneo isolated and destroyed, and on J3 both Australia and India fell. So the U.K. was on hard times, and the U.S. player amazingly didn’t do anything in Europe but moved all it’s ships and men to the West Coast, where they slugged it out with Japan. So by J4, the Japanese player was in position to take out my troops in Buryatia S.S.R. and by J5 had taken my 3 infantry in Soviet Far East and Yukut. As I had no more troops in the East they just walked all over. I had to divert troops Eastward which allowed Germany to take Caucasus and I was pretty much done by then. I was tempted to shout to my allies Stalin’s famous quote “When are you going to start fighting? You’ll find it’s not so bad once you start.”


  • If karelia withheld the first G berage I go all tanks R1. 2 i karelia and 4 in Cacasus to hoold for a turn till i can replace mytanks with men and position my tanks in russia for counteroffensives.


  • A plane must be purchased first turn or it’ll cost you too many units to trade territories. A bomber is nice but I understand if people are more comfortable with a fighter due to its superior defense. I do feel that a bomber is more effective when trying to take out 1 INF with just 2 INF and a plane, which Russia must be able to do. Depending on what Germany does I go with either 1 fighter and 4 tanks or 1 bomber, 2 artillery and 2 tanks. Second and third turns I purchase only infantry and artillery for future operations in India, China and Germany/Italy. After that, heavy with tanks and maybe a fighter if things are going well. You should have a good mix of units after 5 turns so if things are going poorly you’ve got some good defending rolls in Moscow. In the 1941 setup it takes a while before Germany mounts a strong offensive so take that time to build up units before your economy crumbles.


  • I do feel that a bomber is more effective when trying to take out 1 INF with just 2 INF and a plane, which Russia must be able to do.

    Well, this is true. However, you are only about 3% more likely to take the territory using a bomber as opposed to using a fighter (96% vs 93%), and I’m not convinced that this is worth the sacrificing the fighter’s defense and those precious 2 extra Soviet IPCs.


  • On the subject of Tanks, since land units can now retreat at the end of a round, is there any reason why Russia can’t hit large German groups with their Tank stack, then retreating them after both Germany and Russia have lost their Infantry buffer?  Russians can afford to replace their Infantry buffer as their ICs are close to the front line, Germany… can’t.  Infantry built on G1 don’t show up in Moscow till G5.


  • is there any reason why Russia can’t hit large German groups with their Tank stack, then retreating them after both Germany and Russia have lost their Infantry buffer?

    This is known as a ‘strafe’ attack, and has been a common tactic since Classic.

    And yes, it is quite effective. ;)

  • Moderator

    @Unknown:

    is there any reason why Russia can’t hit large German groups with their Tank stack, then retreating them after both Germany and Russia have lost their Infantry buffer?

    This is known as a ‘strafe’ attack, and has been a common tactic since Classic.

    And yes, it is quite effective. ;)

    Correctomundo.

    It is usually why German Tank Dash strategies fail.  A good Allied player will fall back and fall back, then if/when the tank stack gets too close, Russia strafes.  It works against advancing Japanese armor just as well.  It’s why you always need a decent supply of inf to cover your armor.

    Edit:

    I still like buying 5 inf, 3 arm or 6 inf, 3 rt on R1.

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