Official Walkthrough Assault on Communism

[Amadeus]

With all due respect for your playing skill I hope that atleast a few casualties will apear at your forces with the Siberians. Anyway there is still some space for Hubert and Bill for the AI to make it even better.

btw. very good AAR you make. I'm loving it...

[steel32]

Respectfully I see it different at this point Amadeus. Germans in the beginning of September in the real war were a little further at points then Abukede is. And in fact in the beginning of October the Red Army was in shambles after the battles of Vyamza and Bryansk. Casualties as Abukede has pointed out have been there just no units destroyed which I believe was also true.

However I am also curious to see where it goes from here to see some more of the AI skill and the mud soon to come.

Abukede what skill level are you playing this at?

[abukede]

Amadeus,

You can't really approach this game unit counting. I know... I did it for the walkthrough because it was a simple way to show the type of units I wanted destroyed. Once we begin approaching winter, German supply begins to suffer the soviets really become dangerous... wait until they start getting tech! Speed wise... I am going very slowly... however my pace is picking up... the Red army is in pieces but is rapidly rebuilding herself... she will be much more dangerous.

I am playing 1 level below the most difficult... experience and difficulty wise.

Off shortly to drive.

[abukede]

Back home… exhausted from the road trip with 4 girls… wife included. Thought I would get in a quick turn.

Turn wise there was a lot of fighting in the North and South. I was able to break into the backfield and over-run a Red Air Force tac air.

In the south my offensive continued to roll onward. There were a lot of enemy units to kill around Poltava. The Soviets are throwing everything they have in my way to slow me down. Poltava should fall this coming turn… and then its forward to the rich resources just beyond that city.

In the North I was able to roll up that line blocking my way and now it appears the road to Leningrad is mostly open or should be next turn. FYI… I have no idea what is just beyond my vision.

German reinforcements began arriving this turn. (builds that I made at the beginning of the game.) The Partisan war is also ramping up… more on this later.

I will try to get another more detailed turn in later today.

[abukede]

Turn 16.

The Soviets are beginning to get loads of reinforcements now and are managing to keep up with the number of units I am killing per turn. Once their patriotic funding runs out… it will be harder for them to do that, but it will also be much more difficult for me as winter will be arriving around that same time.

In the south I am making fantastic progress with my offensive. Later when you look at the strategic map you will get a better sense for that. I was able to nail another Russian bomber this turn as well. It is getting more difficult for the soviet player to maintain lines. The front is very large.

In the center I have isolated the units around Smolensk by capturing the railhead at Bryansk. The only way out is to walk. The Soviets have put up one heck of a defense around Smolensk but after several turns of fighting it is beginning to crumble and will soon become untenable.

In the North I am beginning to make good progress and expect to be on Leningrad’s doorstep by the middle of October. It is the middle of September currently.

The Italians are purchasing a diplomatic chit for Turkey. Over the next few turns the Germans will begin buying too. I waited until now for a very specific reason. Once soviet patriotic funding runs out it becomes much more difficult for the Soviets to find extra cash to invest in diplomatic adventures… which means that between the Italians and Germans, with any luck, Turkey may swing to my side and join the war in 43 or 44. The Turks arrive with a good sized army… so if you are playing against a player… it creates a lot of additional anxiety when the Axis begin pressuring Turkey and may also bring about a preemptive Soviet invasion of Turkey, opening up all kinds of possibilities depending upon the state of the game… more on this later.

As a side note last turn the Soviets invaded and conquered Persia. It is more of an occupation.

The strategic position to give you a better picture of what is developing.

[Big Al]

So you are mid September I presume.

[Strategiclayabout]

@ Big Al:

- Yes it is :

Turn 16.

In the North I am beginning to make good progress and expect to be on Leningrad’s doorstep by the middle of October. It is the middle of September currently.

@ Abukede:

- Thanks for the strategic map ! With the situation at Smolensk threatening to degenerate in a complete disaster, the southern flank of Moscow seems open. I also wonder what kind of defense awaits you at Leningrad...

- Interesting diplomatic stunt, do italian chits have the same chance (%) to hit as the Germans have ?

[abukede]

Strat,

Yeah... the Russians are in trouble around Smolensk. I am hoping there is very little waiting in front of Moscow... however experience has taught me different. I am confident there is a good sized force waiting there... and more concerning are the missing Siberians... I have yet to see them in the field. The Russians have gotten two shipments of them with more coming. I think I will either find them in front of Moscow or near Leningrad. These are very dangerous units... to make matters worse last turn saw the beginning of a rebuilding of Soviet morale. The allies opened up a southern lend lease route... winter is coming and when it arrives German supply vanishes nearly overnight. I need to take those production cities in the South quick... and create a buffer to hold off the Soviet winter offensive... (more on this later)

I hope you are enjoying the walkthrough.

Best regards,

abu

[abukede]

Strat,

Forgot to answer you on the diplomacy. Yes the Italian and the German diplomatic efforts weigh the same. Compared to other SC games it is a much smaller chance of success. Each Chit represents just a 1% chance. A diplomatic approach is a long haul effort and seemingly takes forever.

abu

[abukede]

Turn 17

Heavy fighting this turn… though the Soviets are in near complete disorder across much of the map. I do not expect this condition to last long.

In the South you can see I was able to take three my objectives this turn… the three cities marked. Kursk was a bonus… I was expecting to take it next turn… but Kharkov fell so easily that I decided to take a risk and shoot for it. You can see there was heavy fighting for the city of Kursk. I may pause a turn before going for Stalino, but it really depends on the tactical situation. Regardless this was a huge blow to Russian production and will prove to be a nice boost to the Germans.

In the center, Smolensk fell. As you can see mud arrived this turn… the weather is beginning to turn and it slowed both supply and movement. That said the Soviet forces around Smolensk are in trouble.

In the north… the mud slowed me down a bit there too. Hopefully conditions will improve so I can continue my advance on Leningrad. The Finns have been slowly preparing an offensive. I hope to time it to begin as the Germans begin their final assault.

Tech wise… I was rewarded with Armor 1 and Anti-Air 1. Both critical techs and they arrived early!!! I may push ahead with some of my armor this turn, without stopping to upgrade them… opting to upgrade later when conditions are poor and there is little fighting. I will have to see what develops on the Russian turn.

Still worrying are the missing Siberians and the Soviets received another shipment of them this turn. The war is clearly going into 42... and an assault on Moscow is unlikely. I am opting for Leningrad instead. Shortly things will get desperate for the Germans and I need to prepare for that... more later.

[Strategiclayabout]

Yes I'm enjoying the ride abukede, thanks for that and the answers .

Given how soviet forces seemingly desintegrates in the south and how close you are to Leningrad, your strategic choices make sense. If you're lucky, all those nasty Siberians will gather at Moscow where Germans won't be ! Nice to have time to plan your critical upgrades like armor !

[abukede]

Turn 18 and it is the middle of October. I feel I am making good progress now. Again… surprise surprise… there was a lot of fighting… however it was mostly one sided as the Soviets are in complete disarray. Soviet numbers broke 80 for the first time in a while… which is does not bode well for me. I need to keep destroying Soviet units faster than they can be replaced.

In the South I took a brief strategic pause… next turn my offensive will strike southward toward Stalino. Once Stalino is secured, I will push eastward toward Rostov and then Stalingrad… though likely I will stop my advance well before Stalingrad sometime in winter.

In the center you can see a real interesting situation has developed. I have effectively trapped 2 HQs and a number of other units are in a serious position, all with low supply. Reducing this pocket will hold up my advance on Moscow by a couple turns. I feel it is well worth it… especially since I have already made the decision to make Leningrad my main objective and then shoot for Moscow in 42.

In the North, my two offensives are close to coming together for the assault on Leningrad. Note the 2 arties in the picture. These will be critical to reducing the enemy defenses around Leningrad. I may also shortly concentrate my air force in the north to support this key objective. Also note the Finnish preparations. The Finns will begin assaulting Soviet positions next turn. If I can take Leningrad it will free the Finnish army, which when fully built is quite large. Losing Leningrad can be potentially a catastrophic loss for Soviet defenses. More on this later.

A look at the strategic map… note all of the units in the very rear… these are new builds which have begun arriving in large numbers. The Germans and minors now have 134 units deployed to the Soviet 84. I estimate the soviets are deploying at least 12 units a turn now… so to keep the current disparity I need to destroy at least 12 each turn. The problem I am facing is that with the coming winter the Germans get hit hard… and I mean hard… supply, losses, etc. And that does not even take into effect the Soviet winter offensive!!!

It is very easy for the Soviets to rapidly outpace the Germans with units on the field. Likely by spring the Soviets will have more units deployed than the Germans. I am doing everything I can to keep that from happening. Taking Leningrad will help with that effort.

Still no Siberians sighted.

[Big Al]

A.I. prepping for Winter beat down with their better units... muhahaha.

[abukede]

I have been doing a lot of traveling for work this week. I hope to be able to get a turn in tonight and several this weekend.

[abukede]

Okay... turn 19... I was pretty socked in with mud this turn. I was able to conduct a few attacks, bagging an HQ and several armies. I was also able to take Stalino. The Finns also conducted major attacks in the north nearly taking Virpurrii. I took heavy casualties with my assaults this turn... primarily due to the mud. I am also on the gates of Moscow. There was not much movement this turn... so only one image.

I noted where Moscow is located. You can see my units in the south are not that far from it. That said... Moscow is an objective for the Spring. We are almost into November... and I have to race to capture Leningrad and Stalino. Soviet numbers jumped this turn reaching 92units.... more Siberians arrived too. Things are about to get very difficult for me.

[Amadeus]

Do you received any casualties so far?

[DrunkenLuftwaffe]

Is it just me, or does that front line look not cohesive at all? There look like there are holes you could drive a truck through...or a couple of Panzer Corps...

[Big Al]

He has fog of war on

[abukede]

Druken,

Yes... the fog of war is on... so those huge empty spaces you see... likely lots of enemy forces hiding and waiting for a chance to spring a surprise offensive on me.

As to Amadeus' question... I have not specifically lost any units yet... but I have taken some pretty serious casualties... which I will post some screen shots on when I do my next turn. I have been playing a very conservative game... likely I will shortly begin to lose entire units as the soviets are getting more organized. I almost lost a couple last turn.

[abukede]

Turn 20

We are now into the beginning of November and the weather is really starting to hamper my operations. Already I have seen a marked decrease in German combat effectiveness as supply begins to be affected by the deteriorating weather. The time of major offensive drives capturing large tracts of territory is now over. Major offensives are now measured in miles and close at hand objectives.

In the south you can see I almost succeeded in capturing Stalino… almost. Soviet defenses have strengthened. Note the Red army tanks in view. These are heavy armor and Siberians. Gulp! You can see the artificial intelligence is preparing an offensive. It likely will not be as effective as those I can expect in the coming turns. Note the Soviet infantry with tech for the first time!!! I also saw a Russian armor this turn with tech!

In the center I continue to work to close this pocket… trapping the HQ and infantry. Note the poor weather… what would have taken me a short time to reduce this pocket a couple of months back is now a much more involved process.

So here are the Russian losses represented in MPP. 21786 in actual losses. You can also see where Russian income is. This income level will grow over the winter as Soviet Industry rebuilds.

Check out the German losses. 9674. Against a player my losses would likely be around 12k at this point in the game. It may not seem like a lot of losses but for the German army these are horrendous losses. Much of my army is understrength and I barely have the capability to maintain my forces where offensive operations are ongoing. Pretty soon I am going to have to cease offensive operations and focus on rebuilding my battered army. The problem will be that the Russians will likely not let me take that break.

Check out the unit disparity chart. The Germans have 138 units deployed… but a good chunk of these are on anti-partisan duties. The soviets do not have to worry about partisans… which means a good chunk of their army is on the front lines or hidden just out of view. Increasing numbers of enemy forces, Siberians, Russian units with tech… and deteriorating German supply, morale and readiness translates into a difficult time for the Germans in the coming turns… probably an understatement.

[abukede]

Turn 21 – Poor weather is the word of the day and a slow slog through the mud.

In the South I am struggling to take Stalino mainly because of the weather. The Russians are beginning to push a bit and launched a number of attacks which forced me to repair key units. They even forced back an armor! If I can get the weather to clear I should be able to take Stalino and destabilize the entire Russian position as they will lose their key source of supply in the area.

In the center… I am still working to close that pocket which I feel I have pretty much done. The weather is severely impairing operations. I only have a few more turns before operations will pretty much become impossible. I need to wrap up the center and prepare for that.

In the North, the Finns were able to take Viipuri… granted using my HQ… but that critical city is mine… and as you can see there is only a corps nearby to try to force me out. I would assume that it is unlikely with no nearby supply source. I used the German navy to bombard Viipuri over the last few turns to reduce the town’s effective supply so that I could overcome the defenders. Take note of that strategy. Fighting in the north is difficult during the best conditions and you need every advantage you can get. You can see the soviet navy is not willing to come out and face the Kriegsmarine. The Finns should be able to exploit this success and begin advancing on Leningrad from the north.

You can also see that my forces are now on the gates of Leningrad. Notice the two arty units. Those will be key in knocking down any entrenchments. Should I get good weather the Luftwaffe will add their contribution as well.

Just a quick heads-up.

With the impending release of AoC, I intend to end this walkthrough in just a few turns… around the time that the weather really gets bad and things turn ugly for the Germans. Why? I’ve shown you a peek at the early part of the game… provided you with a few strategies in how to proceed… really tackle the game… but the rest is up to you!

I want everyone reading this epic thread to discover the game in their own way… experiment…… make mistakes… try something different… and succeed on your own. Believe me there are a number of strategies to use with the Germans… mine isn’t the only one.

[Strategiclayabout]

No problem with you stopping here Abukede, thanks for the preview and tips .

[heyhellowhatsnew]

I was getting really worried about the lack of mud turns but i'm glad they are appearing.

[abukede]

Mud is pretty terrible in this game. It hampers everything and I mean supply... readiness... movement... in the north it is very difficult to move at the moment. Winter is much worse.

Turn 22. Lots of fighting. I was shocked to discover I got good conditions in the south for air and ground. I immediately took advantage of this good weather.

I was able to successfully take Stalino this turn with a combined air/ground assault. I also moved up a number of reinforcements in preparation for a Russian winter offensive. I will try to push the Russians back a bit to give me some breathing room before that winter offensive begins… but I am running out of time. We will enter December shortly… and then everything goes downhill.

In the center I was able to take Roslalv and further reduce that pocket. In the process I was able to nail 2 HQs, one level 6 and another 7. After I destroy these two corps I will reorganize my line to prepare for defensive positions.

In the North the Finns moved forward surrounding and cutting off a Russian division. The Germans heavily reinforced, brought up additional artillery in preparation for a final push on Leningrad. Should the weather deteriorate further it may prove impossible to take Leningrad this winter. That said I intend to give it a serious effort. I am hoping for no rain or snow next turn… to allow my air to fly.

Here is the overall strategic position. I estimate I have at least 3 turns left for effective offensive operations before the weather and conditions really turn sour on me… then the Germans struggle and I mean struggle to hold what they have.

We are into the last few turns of this walkthrough. Any questions on gameplay I can answer?

As a side note: In a few days I will be conducting a multiplayer AAR/Walkthrough for the massive AoD 1939 World map campaign. I think everyone will be pretty excited about that one!

[Big Al]

Mud and winter happen when they should and their effect on the Germans is pretty heavy. There is actually a tactic for the Germans and the Soviets to use during winter. I won't reveal it and let all of you figure it out.