Situation:
Germany strafed the Belo stack, and retreated to East Poland with the surviving arts and tanks.
You are Russia, and must choose between two targets.
You may strafe the german stack in E.Poland and trade cheap infantry against german tanks. Germany have 33 units with 90 defence points, and you have 35 units with 80 attack points. With average luck you will kill 13 units of 55 IPC worth after one round of combat. You will lose 15 units of 45 IPC worth. This is a net win of 10 IPC in your favour if you retreat after the first round. Doing this you will also keep Belorussia for one more turn.
You may attack and conquer Karelia. Germany have 8 inf, 1 tank and 1 ftr. You will kill units of 40 IPC worth, and lose units of 20 IPC worth. A net win of 20 IPC in your favour. In next round your tank will blitz to Norway and give you 3 more IPC. And Archangel are secured. But you cant hold Belorussia, so the Belo stack must retreat to Moscow.
What would you do ?
Please answer this, help a poor player.
Situation:
You are Russia, and must choose between two targets.
trying to get a clear picture of the board and troop locations in my head. Why is it that you can’t attempt both? (edit) what is the overlap of units utilized in the two options? example-4 tanks, 3 fighters…
My first impression is to say take choice 1) and stay out of Moscow another turn. Gives you more time and flexibility in Russia. Once in Moscow you’re praying for those crack Siberian troops and Russian winter to arrive and it’s all too desperate.
As to the 2nd option, what’s the condition of UK or even US in the Atlantic–are they in a position to take Norway even though that’s IPCs for them and not for USSR, it would mean less for GER.
safe side says #1, but I’d kinda like to take #2 and take Karelia. Then on next round turn right around and throw it all at Belo (which I will assume GER will take) and retreat into Moscow if I don’t have the edge. Depending on what you still hold as USSR, you could hit from places like Lenin, Stalin, Ukr, Turk, Russ, and Mosc itself. Belo is like a big barrel you dump fish into and Ka-boom!
the edge probably will be defined by what GER could bring to Belo on their next turn. If it’s all tanks from Germany, they’ll have to stop in E Poland again and not be able to help what was moved into Belo.
So you effectively took both option 1 and option 2 and made Germany react to what you did and even made them choose what you wanted. Draw them into long supply lines, encircle and crush them.
If you take # 2 and hit Karelia with all your tanks and planes and the adjacent infantry, wich is the option with the biggest short-time profit, then you must retreat from Belo leaving 1 man.
Next turn germany may trade Belo with a man/ftr, and move heavy into Ukraine, and later clean up Caucasus, Mid East oil, Stalingrad, Turkestan etc, because your tanks are out of position.
But if you dont take Karelia, then the german stack may move into Archangel and close your 4 IPC convoy income, and take Moscow from behind.
Next turn germany may trade Belo with a man/ftr, and move heavy into Ukraine, and later clean up Caucasus, Mid East oil, Stalingrad, Turkestan etc, because your tanks are out of position.
But if you dont take Karelia, then the german stack may move into Archangel and close your 4 IPC convoy income, and take Moscow from behind.
In next round your tank will blitz to Norway and give you 3 more IPC. And Archangel are secured.
Taking Karelia will end the German occupation of the entire northern peninsula and GER moving into UKR instead of Belo allows USSR tanks to return to their position because GER hesitated towards Moscow.
USSR should have something left in each territory Cauc into Mid East which will slow GER advance there. If GER wants Middle East, they’ll get it, no real way to stop them there, and should be able to get it with the Med fleet and troops out of Italy.
The real crux comes from the other allies. Where are they? I’m guessing in your game they must not be too close if GER thinks they can take their time in USSR. But every turn there should be help on it’s way to USSR in some form and ought to be decent by the time GER could get into Belo.
If I were GER and was gonna hesitate stepping into Belo, I wouldn’t go heavy into UKR, but more moderate–that would possibly make USSR split forces more as I can threaten north toward Lenin, Moscow or west to Stalingrad from Cauc while reinforcements from Germany are collected in E Pol army.
L.D. you are one hell of an analyzer :-)
