@krieghund Your answer and the FAQ are super helpful – thank you!
Caucasus = dead zone?
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So Im in the midst of a round 2 Russia Turn….and I’m left debating what to do with my front line. I currently have it split between Caucasus and West Russia with a total defensive punch around 46…however, I have noticed that Germany can bring a pretty big force into these territories…4 tanks, 3 inf, 4 ftrs, 1 bomber plus a transport and a battleship so throw in another infantry and tank…the same can be said for west russia minus the transport and battleship.
I have the North slightly cut off and steady, 4 British units in Norway with 2 inf holding Karelia 1 inf in Belorussia (the territory west of west russia) No German transports in the Med, I have 3 british transports but those could be gone depending on Germany’s play.
So heres the question…do I dead zone Caucasus and leave 1 inf and stack West Russia for the counter. Do I leave a baited Caucasus with a few infantry…and so forth
what do you guys think
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Never leave it totally free.
And don;t leave an AA behind if you don;t defend it.
If you ahve good force in West Russia, and that is the area that Germany can bring the least force to bear, then stack there, picket Caucuses, move the AA to West Russia, build your new forces in Moscow, and then in your next Russia turn (the one after your opponent takes Caucuses) move back in en masse from Moscow and West Russia (and bring your AA back from West Russia)
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Thats what I decided to do, except for the AA gun, I left that there and 4 infantry, 1 had to be there and it may have been a dumb move on my part but I figured with 4 infantry he wouldnt be able to do a “strafe” style move and take it with minimal forces
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Aa not a major issue… unless you plan to use your Russian figs on the re-take, or unless you can prevent Germany from strafing your West Russia force by threatening his FIGs with an AA…
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buncha things to do.
1. Totally abandon Caucasus, strip it except for the industrial complex. This only if you have UK and US bombers nearby to strat bomb, AND if there aren’t any targets for the Allied bombers to hit - like German navy. This is rare.
2. Stick a few infantry in there, move AA gun out. Only good if Germany’s air is some distance away. If Germany DOES take the Caucasus with infantry/fighters, its fighters are forced to land on the eastern front, giving the UK and US navies some breathing room in the Atlantic. Only to be used if you know EXACTLY what you are doing. Of course, if Germany attacks with infantry/artillery or tanks, you can kill Germany’s forward placed mobilized units, which ends well for Russia.
3. Stick a few infantry and the AA gun in. Pretty much as above, but this is if Germany has better placed fighters. Now, though, if Germany attacks, it risks losing its precious fighters. Russia should not risk fighters in the counterattack; Russian fighters hit the Ukraine, and the bulk of Russian forces from Moscow and West Russia counterattack into Caucasus. This leaves the Germans free to go north into Karelia/Archangel, but that route can be cut off in turn by UK transports.
Things to watch out for:
A. Japanese fighters landing in Caucasus.
Those are just a few options. 2 and 3 go together (the “Kar/Arch” route risk applies to (2) as well as (3)). But GENERALLY, that is the Caucasus. Basically, I think Russia can afford to let Germany capture Caucasus early (depending on the Jap fighter situation); but Russia MUST be able to counterattack without fear of German retaliation. That usually means that Russia cannot afford to let Germany capture Caucasus on G4 or G5 because by that point, there will be a big stack of German infantry in Ukraine or Belorussia, or even Karelia - if Russia counters a Caucasus capture, Germany can re-take the Caucasus from Ukraine and kill the heart of the Russian offense; or move into West Russia from Belorussia and force the Russians to attack German infantry and Japanese fighters, or head east from Karelia and take Archangel, which means that Russia has to pull back from Caucasus, and leaving Russia with no counterthreat.
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Depending on the stage of the game, Japan ARM from India or Sinkiang could also be an issue, or INF from Persia, or from Africa via TRNs if the Suez is open.
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