I am playing the '39 scenario as the Allies at normal setting. I built as much as I could as the Russian, while spending some on research. Besides 1 tank, I only built Inf armies and corps.
The Axis AI attacked in May or June '41 - cutting through my front armies like butter. I had even pulled back 2-4 hexes from the border, in defensible terrain.
By late November Leningrad is almost gone, I am barely holding on to Moscow, Sevastopol is going and Rostov has fallen.
I am starting to get Siberians, but they will barely help me hold Moscow.
The problem is that the initial Russian setup plus peacetime production does do not have enough initial units to both have some kind of a front line screen as well as have a few reserves to hold cities back from the border.
Replacing killed armies takes 4 turns (8 weeks) -which is too long. Perhaps replaced armies, as well as being cheaper (which they are), should be built faster (2-3 turns).
I fired up the Barbarossa scenario and the initial Russian forces are at least double what I could muster starting in Sept '39, plus the research points were almost double what I had managed to scrape together in my game.
Why such a difference in the Russian armed forces between the Barbarossa setup and the '39 forces plus the allowable builds '39-'41? I expected some differences, but not by a factor of 200%.
I am an old wargamer so I know how to play the Russians in defense.
Any ideas?