First time Soviet player - need advice

[baluku2002]

I'm playing the Soviets for the first time. I also happen to be playing against a human player who has not yet played the Germans successfully against the AI. We aborted an initial attempt. He was leaving too many gaps as he advanced so I was cutting off his lines of supply repeatedly. We started over around Turn 7.

He's learned from the aborted attempt and tightened up his advance. It is now very difficult or me to slip around flanks to cut off his armored and mobile units from supply. He also happens to be pushing me back slowly and steadily. One stack of armored units has reached the first river crossing up north, east of Riga, though I don't expect him to be able to do much with that by itself.

Nonetheless, I think he's making sufficient progress and forcing retreats and routs sufficiently to take Leningrad before the mud comes.

So, I am unclear about the following:

- Most of my armies only have a CV of 1. I don't expect that to change soon. When I played as the Germans against Soviet AI, I recall stack after stack of units that seemed to be able to hold. How I do that when even a stack of 3 divisions may only have a combat value of 1-3?

- I finally understand what I was reading from other players around Soviet fortifications. I belatedly realized after building several that the fortification bonus doesn't necessarily happen the following turn. It may take several turns. Is that correct?

- And fundamentally, I know the historical situation. Arguably, I'm still in a better position in late July than the Soviets actually were, but he seems to be making enough progress and it does not appear that continuing to put units in his way, even where I have tried to establish defensive lines along rivers, swamps, etc. is doing much good.

Any suggestions?

[jabgamer]

My main suggestion would be to check out the War in the East forum at Matrix Games. It is here: https://www.matrixgames.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=10546 Although it's not as busy as the War in the East 2 forum, you're more likely to get an answer there. Also, there is a War Room sub forum that has lots of posts re strategies for both sides. Good luck!

[trooperrob]

have you tried arty, lots of arty, or more likely mortars. They might disrupt the attacks.
I currently tend to play soviet from 1943 on, but, I think you may have problems creating much arty due to shortages, mortars may be easier to build.
I think the fortresses need to be built at the choke points well back.
I think there is a bonus for building forts near cities.
I think 1941 is just a case of playing speedbump.
hopefully the further he gets, the more logistical strain he will be in.
if you can break the railways. Or wait for general winter.
I presume there is little point in changing leaders at this point because they will get so many defeats they would either be captured, killed, or replaced.

[baluku2002]

Thanks for the replies.

Jabgamer, thanks, I'm familiar with the forum and have read many of the posts in the War Room. Some of it's helpful, but some of the suggestions assume the reader already knows HOW to do some of the things that the writers advise

For instance, Trooperrob, you suggest building mortars. I know how to the change the general production percentages and how to change the TOE for individual types of support units, but how do I change or specify the production of certain types of weapons?

[trooperrob]

I thought mortars were created automatically, and field guns needed factories, sorry.
But the build cost of a 120mm mortar is 9
The build cost of a 122mm howitzer is 60.
So if you are short of production points, you can build a lot more mortars than artillery.
This is just a suggestion, I think I saw it elsewhere a long time ago.
I see mortar as cheap artillery. Not sure if they have less ammo requirement and supply, but possibly.
Those are built automatically, so if you build a new mortar unit it will create them at less logistic strain, and if you lose them early war, it isn't such a big problem.
It is something to try.

[baluku2002]

ok, thank you.