Ivanov

Hi Rankorian, thanks for your comment. The upcoming changes won't shift the balance too much in favour of the Reds. While you're right that in general it's always more difficult to be on the attack, in the RCW campaign it's actually quite hard to manage the forces as the Bolheviks, who start being on the defence. The White strategy is pretty simple - there is no other option than pressing forward. In case of the Bolsheviks, initially they cannot face all the threats at the same time and the player needs to decide about the priorities. That requires perfect application of the force economy principle and is not easy, especially if you don't know this capaign very well. I also think, that small changes will help to make some strategic choices a little less obvious.

The crossing of Narva by a Bolshevik unit, came as a nasty suprise to gen Yudenich: -"We thought that the terrain there was impassable but this red pestilence will always find the way"! But in strategy for every action there is always an appropiate contra action, so new orders have dispatched to the units: In the mean time, the storm is approaching Moscow from the South. The Southern White Armies and the Urals troops under adm. Kolchak form a united, massive front. While the Bolsheviks are busy in Baltics, it seems that their capital has been left at the mercy of enemy...

An extremely interesting tactical situation has developed in the Baltics. It seems that Bolsheviks are going full throttle here, hoping for an easy and resounding success. Given their 2:1 numerical superiority, it may seem like they have quite good chances of achieving an easy victory. It would certainly help them to restore faith in the combat capabilities of Red Army. Unfortunatelly for them, the Whites here have one trump in their hands and that is the difficult terrain, which they may use to their advantage. It is practically impossible for the attackers to advance on the broad front and take a full benefit of their superior numbers. The potential attack routes are separtated by Lake Peipus, what the defenders may fully exploit, if they employ their forces in a rational way: Anyway, gen. Yudenich is delighted: -"I remember our defeat in Prussia in 1914. Now is the time to prove that we can learn from our enemies"! From a broader, strategic point of view, the Bolshevik adventure in the Baltics may cost them dearly. The armies of Southern and Urals Whites are getting each time closer to Moscow and it seems that the Reds are incapable of organizing any serious defence on their path. The Army Group Moscow has captured lightly defended Orel and Mr. Trotsky himself got into trouble! The Kuban Cossacks were delighted with an opportunity to chase his HQ. They remember very well who was polotting to take away their freedoms and land! As to the Makhovists, well those nasty peasants will be dealt with accordingly. A division of Ukrainian nationalists has already clashed with them on the outskirts of Hulaipole and the town is now cut off by the security forces.

Hi Rabelesius. I don't entirely agree with the main thesis of your post. RCW is a balanced and playable campaign, spiced with a lot of historical flavour. If we wanted to make it 100% historically acurate, then Whites shouldn't have ANY chances to win and the war should be over by the end of 1919 in each game. Also, the Whites shouldn't be allowed to purchase nor build new units. I'm going to ask a rethorical question here: would that be fun? Let's not forget that RCW is not a simulation but a game and as such, should allow for ahistorical outcomes. Having said this, it doesn't mean that the campaign is inacurate and unrealistic. The Whites are allowed here to grown slightly stronger than in reality but the Reds have a considerable chance to win too. So far, I've played as the Bolshevik twice and managed to win each time. In both cases the games were decided by the end of 1919, allowing for a very historical result. So as always, a lot depends on the gameplay. Admittedly, commanding the Bolsheviks requires a lot of skill, especially in terms of applying the force economy and it's recommended to try various strategies first. May favorite, is to crush the Urals Cossaks first, then the North Western Whites, leaving Denikin for a dessert - so far it has always worked. And yes, I always start with replacing the Bolshevik HQ's with better commanders - it significantly improves the combat performance of the Red Army! In regards to the combat mechanics, RCW works a little different than the WWI campaigns. Namely, it is more offensive-orientated, which I think feels just right. Again, if you wanted to be 100% accurate, then few consecutive attacks against one enemy unit should be dissalowed, especially on the corps/army level. In reality it was impossible to coordinate the attacks of few operational size units under the conditions of that war. If this rule was to be somehow introduced, then all the fun would be taken from the players, because people just love to fight and destroy enemy units:) After playing many test games and some discussion with Bill, I can just say that some changes are underway to slightly buff the Bolsheviks - mostly the combat performance of their units, so please stay tunned for this

It's May of 1920 and it looks like a massive Bolshevik counter offensive is underway in the Baltics. Gen. Yudenich and his bad-ass moustache are not too preoccupied with the situation: -"Finally some action"! Apparently he said. There were some talks with gen. Gough an emergency plan of action has been outlined. Either way, the Reds cannot count on an easy victory there! In the South, the Army Group South Ukraine has been renamed to simply Army Group Moscow. It's objective is clear - to capture the Bolshevik capital! Without any elaborate preparations, it's main forces captured Kursk in a splendit coup de main. A Red corps have been destroyed there and another one is completely encircled now: Note the number of the British and US air squadrons involved in the operations. Also, the heavy artillery is arriving into the theater. It will help to overcome the Bolshevik field fortifications, especially, when the allied air power will be gone. The Urals armies of gen. Kolchak are simply advancing to the West. It seems like there are not many Red units on their path: *** The Bolshevik operations in the Baltics certainly pose a serious threat but they may actually backfire. The main White armies are advancing from the South and from the East. Let's not forget that they are constantly growing stronger. Up until now, about 40% of gen Denikin's forces were engaged in the siege of Tsaritsyn. Now they are ready to strike north. An all out offensive against the Norht-Western Whites may simply mean a defeat somewhere else. The things become clearer if we have a look at the map:

No image from the battlefields this time. There was not much actual fight last turn but the Armageddon is due to kick off soon. For the upcomming campaign, the White HQ has issued a new propaganda poster: It is obvious that our struggle is perceived by some in a very apocalyptic terms. And there should be no doubt who the good guys are! It seems that a massive Bolshevik counter offensive is underway with an objective to relieve Petrograd. The White forces in the theatre are small, so a decission has been taken to withdraw in order to shorten the front line and take some more defensible postitions. In the South and in the East, the White armies are regrouping and rearming. It all depends on the wheather now but we are more less ready!

I would like to blame low Bolshevik morale but it looks like a bug:) Let's see what Hubert has to say about it.

Yeah, as a Red player, I'd rather try to deprive the South Whites of an additional income as long as possible. But if the Bolsheviks manage to organize their forces properly, they may also try to capture Ukrainian resources. The thing is, that from my experience it's hard to achieve in 1919.

Hi Ghost, So are you volunteering for making an user made RCW strategy guide? That would be great, however I don't think that there is only one, certain way to win this campaign. For example I agree with you on Ukraine, but under some circumstances and depending on the Bolshevik strategic goals, the early attack may be also beneficial.

Hi Asepo Very true - I think that initially the Reds should focus on buliding their potential This is also true but I personally would go for the Urals Cossack. I usually send comrade Trotsky with few corps and arty to deal with them. After they are finished, gen Kolchak's froces from advancing from Ekaterinburg can be blocked and pretty much ignored. After the destruction of the Cossacks, the Trotsky's forces can be used to reinforce the southern front and the Baltics. The Southern Whites are too strong to deal with them in 1919 and appopiate force needs to be build first to overcome them in 1920. NOTE: Personally I wouldn't go for the early invasion of Ukraine. Ukrainian MPP's adds up to the South Whites production. Also, in order to convince Ukraine later on, the Whites also need to pay for it. Without having Ukrainian resources at hand, the Denikin forces cannot seriously think of any purchases like the arty and it's hard for them to replenish the loses.

While Bill has taken a short break ( he'll be back next week ), I'd like to encourage a discussion regarding the Russian Civil War campaign. What is your personal experience with it, what strategies would you recommend both for the Reds and for the Whites? Anything else? We are waiting for your comments

Gen. Denikin looked at the incoming intelligence reports and wondered about the strategy for upcoming months. Overall the situation seems to be quite optimistic. It turns out, that the Reds took enormous loses in 1919 fighting, especially compared to the casualties suffered by the Whites: Unfortunately due to the enormous manpower reserves and a big industrial capacity, the number of combat units fielded by the Bolsheviks has been relatively steady: As mentioned earlier on, the good thing is that thanks to our recent territorial gains, the Bolshevik industrial production, has dropped significantly from it’s peak at the beginning of 1919. As it can be seen on the chart provided by our intelligence, the total Red industrial output has been reduced by about 25%: This is certainly a good indicator for the future and our goal in 1920 should be to inflict further, systematic attrition upon our enemies, while trying to avoid at the same time unnecessary loses on our side. *** As to the most recent developments, it seems that the Reds are planning some relief operation in order to help besieged Petrograd, so it’s hard to predict if North-Western Whites will be able to maintain the siege of the city, while fighting the Bolhevik armies rushing from the south. Due to that, gen Gough and Yudenich have already made some adjustments to their front lines. Other than that, the city of Belogrod has been liberated in the Ukraine and Penza has fallen to gen. Kolchak troops rushing from the east. The relative lull in fighting finally allowed our troops to rest, replenish the loses and improve combat tactics, that would help us to overcome the hated enemy. A decisive year is ahead of us! The White troops march confidently towards the final victory:

The year 1920 brings us hope and some new challenges aswell: Currently our troops are nowhere near to Moscow, but they have besieged Petrograd. Due to that our Political Standing will be affected from now on - at least unless we advance closer to the Bolshevik capital or capture the cradle of revolution. This poses an interesting strategic dilema to the White High Command. Faster advance means bigger risks, exposure to the counter attacks and higher rate of loses. Unfortunately our economic potential and manpower are still limited and we should rather carefully manage those scare resources. Slower adavance means the drop of Political Standing, but it woudn't casue any harm to us in a long time. The PS of Southern Whites in 97% and the ones of Northern and Ural Whites are above 100%. The capture of Petrograd would resolve this problem once and for all, but besieging this enourmous city is one thing and assaulting it's fortifications is a completelly different story. All pros and cons need to be reconsidered but by now, a more systematic approach, that would drain the Bolshevik resources, seems to be more appealing to us. The balance of power is slowly shifting in our favour. According to the intelligence raports, after the loss of some industrial centers ( Tsaritsyn, Kharkov, Perm ) and due to the blockade of Petrograd, the total Bolshevik production, has fallen form it's peak of over 400MPP to less than 300MPP. If we manage to maintain in 1920 the 1919 level of attrition, the Reds finally won't be able to replace their loses suffered on the battlefields. The representatives of adm. Kolchak and the Allied officers have met to discuss the common strategy for the upcoming year: *** Some good news reached us from the south - despite the freezing weather conditions, the city of Kharkov has been captured and the last remnants of Red Army after the Tsaritsyn fighting have been eliminated.

Unexpectedly the last month of 1919 has been quite dramatic and the cradle of Bolshevik Revolution is in real trouble now! The Reds managed to mobilize frantically a whole new front for the defence of the city, but it's future still doesn't look too optimistic. The attack of Baltic Corps at Narva has been only a diversionary operation. Unbeknownst to the Bolshevik HQ, gen Yudenich and his evil moustache have been laying in wait in Pskov. Their objective was the city of Luga, that has been captured without a fight after a Red division left it, lured by the advance of Baltic Corps: This course of action is probably more than gen. Gough and Yudenich were hoping for. With the capture of Narva and Luga, the Whites have established firm supply bases, just in the vicinity of Petrograd. They will help them greatly to conduct the future operations! From the other hand, the supply situation of new Bolshevik front is expected to worsen dramatically. Thanks to the rapid advance of leadnig Baltic Corps units, all the rail lines leading to Petrograd have been cut off! Because the enemy forces in the city are very considerable, the best option will be probably to let the hunger and frost do the job before embarking on the direct assault on the city... The troops and civilians in Petrograd await anxiously their future... There was not much action going on other fronts. The Army Group South Ukraine has repositioned it's units before the final attack against Kharkov. We value the lives of our soldiers ( not to mention that the White manpower pool is limited ) and we would like to spare them excessive casualties, that would certainly occur during the frontal assault against the entrenched and well supplied enemy. In the east, armies of gen Kolchak are slowly but surely advancing towards Penza and the last pockets of resistance left after the Tsaritsyn fighting are being wiped out. It has been a good year...

There has been a great deal of excitement in the headquarters of advancing White armies. The news of Bolshevik general retreat spread out quickly from the harsh peaks of Urals Mountains to the green steps of Ukraine! This fact proves more than words, that the Reds have been soundly defeated in the 1919 campaign – there could be no doubt about it! From the other hand, Mr Trotsky’s general retreat order, is perfectly sound from the strategic point of view. It will definitely allow the Bolsheviks to strengthen their forces through the winter and prepare some decent defensive positions. They may be event tempted to strike back, as early as the spring of 1920! We are convinced, that the campaign of 1920, will be a tough one and the opposing armies will be even more numerous and better equipped than they are now. It’s interesting to see that despite heavy loses, the actual number of Bolshevik units in the field is on the rise. Before the introduction of 1st Horse Army, the total number of Red units fell to 38. Right now, despite suffering constant casualties, it is already 43 and is expected to increase further: Those Bolsheviks are certainly a very hard nut to crack! In the short term though, the industrial city of Khrakov is expected to fall shortly and the Reds will lose an important industrial centre along with it ( 20 MPP per turn ). The Urals armies of gen. Kolchak are pressing west, hampered only by mud and bad weather and the Tsaritsyn pocket is expected to be reduced shortly. Mr Trotsky assessment of the fighting around the city is just an example, how twisted the Bolshevik propaganda can be! In fact, the forces led by gen Denikin, have besieged and defeated an enemy front, that was actually more numerous than the attacking White Caucasus Army Group! The total Red loses here, have been even greater, than the ones suffered in the Urals fighting. Soon the victorious Whites will be able to regroup and resume their attack somewhere else, spreading panic and terror among their fear stricken enemies! Something that the Bolshevik propagandists are trying not to mention, is the fact that their treacherous negotiations with the Czech Legion have failed! Not only the Reds are not going to put their dirty hands on the gold of our beloved Tsar Nicolas, but the elements of Czech Legion have already deployed in Ekaterinburg! Because the Czechs are a nation that loves beer and music, they have arrived even with their own field orchestra! This crack unit is going to be incorporated into the advancing armies of gen Kolchak and will certainly contribute greatly to our final victory! *** BREAKING NEWS!!! The elements of Baltic Corps have just broken through the Bolshevik front at Narva and their leading elements are already on the outskirts of Petrograd!!! More information on those events are expected to follow soon!

20TH OCTOBER 1919 ARMED FORCES OF SOUTH RUSSIA BULLETIN: TSARITSYN HAS BEEN RETURNED TO MOTHER RUSSIA!!! This is certainly a great news - after nearly a year of siege and innumerous loses on both sides, the Red Verdun has finally fallen! There are still some Bolshevik units dug in the area of Volzskiy, but their HQ is under attack, so the mopping up operations shouldn't last for too long. The Red propaganda was constantly praying comrade Stalin as the defender and saviour of the city, but to our suprise, he's nowhere to be seen. Gen. Denikin issued a special order regarding Stalin: "We must capture or kill him! Our agents tell us that within the Bolshevik party, this sneaky Georgian is considered very dangerous and one day he may try to overthrow Lenin"! And this is how the liberation of Tsaritsyn has been immortalized by one of our artists: Some good news have reached us also from the far north. Our British and American allies, have finally managed to destroy a Bolshevik army besieged in Emptsa. It was a miserable battle, where both sides were low on supply - a truly "poor man's war"! It was also probably the last major action of the Brits in the north, as due to the political situation in their home country, they will need to withdraw soon. Elswhere the rains have slowed down operations of the White armies. The Rasputitsa ( mud season ) is finally here!

"Over the town roamed the homeless moon. I went along with her, warming up in my heart impracticable dreams and discordant songs." Isaak Babel "Red Cavalry" *** The Reds have been boasting loudly about their new formation - the 1st Horse Army ( so called Konarmiya ), hoping that it may change the course of the war. It would be interesting to quote what gen. Denikin had to say on this subject: -Konarmiya?! They are just bunch of thughs infected with syphilis [ true story ]!!! This so called army consists mainly of deserters and peasants who ran away from their masters - I expect them to run away, as soon as our Cossacks appear on the horizon! *** Autumn has finally came at the end of September. It has been raining intensely through the vast spaces of our dear Mother Russia. Fortunatelly Ukraine is no Russia and the wheather there has been good. That allowed the White forces there, to continue their operations without any serious interruptions. As expected, the Reds have been sending reinforcements into the meat grinder near Kharkov, hoping to change the course of this brutal struggle. The Whites have adopted there a simmilar tactics, than the one that proved to be so successful in Tsaritsyn: they bypass the main defensive postitions of the Reds and instead of attacking them directly, they engage the Bolshevik reinforcements, that are rushed into the battle. Thanks to this, the Red front is being keept off balance and the new enemy corps, that has just arrived to the area has been destroyed: Note: the nasty armored train deatchment next to Hulaipole, has been completely encirceled, rather than assaulted directly. Without the supply, it's useless and as such, it can be slowly destroyed by some low cost unit. This is a good example how to implement the force economy principle in practice. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_force The last two armies of the Uralus Front have been destroyed near Syzran. The Bolshevik debacle there has been enormous. In total, Red Army have lost there a HQ and five armies. Of course the term "armies" is misleading. In fact they were rather corps size units and none of them numbered more than 20 000 combat troops. Still, in terms of Russian Civil War, the Red loses are huge. An American reporter have met some of those unfortunate men wandering in the field. It seemed like they just wanted to go home: Gen Kolchak was quite puzzled to see a new Bolshevik army striking his troops from the direction of Penza: If this was some kind of relief attempt, then it came too little too late. Also, sending one corps and one division against six enemy corps supported with artillery, does not seem like a good idea... Ah well those Bolsheviks - it's probably the revolutionary zeal still affecting them... In the north, the Baltic Corps is figting on the outskirts of Narva and a chaotic battle, where both sides are low on supply, continues around Emptsa...

As it turned out, the Whites decided to continue offensive actions through September and the Bolsheviks are hard pressed on few fronts like never before! The action in Ukraine, focuses around the cut off armored train deatchment: Yet again the tanks and aeroplanes were used in great numbers. A Red corps has been destroyed and the armored train unit has been nearly completely encircled. The White forces are approaching dangerously close the HQ of Mr Trotsky in Kharkov! Main forces of gen Denikin have assaulted the positions of a Bolshevik corps entrenched in the permiter of Tsaritsyn. The mass, frontal attack has been successfull here aswell: In the area around Syzran, the remaining troops of Uralus Front are being subjected to a merciless annihilation. The images from the battlefield are too horrific to be shown in public... BREAKING NEWS: Finally there is some news from the Baltics front! Led by a British gen. Gough and spearheaded by the bad boys from Latvian Freikorps, the counter revolutionary forces have suddenly struck the city of Narva! It's worth mentioning, that there are also Finnins Volunteers on the way and an Estonian division, making the so called Baltic Corps ( or simply Task Force Gough ) a truly anti-Bolshevik international! A Bolshevik submarine has been discovered in the process. Professionals from Royal Navy did the rest and the sub rests now on the bottom of the sea... The raid of Baltic Corps came as a suprise to all sides. Right now it's hard to say if gen Gough acted on his own initiative or the move is a part of some bigger operation. It is well known fact, that the White gereral Nikolai Yudenich is also building his army in Latvia. No doubt, that eventually he'll become another serious threat to the Bolsheviks. There is only a question when... No doubt that gen. Yudenich is a handsome and robust man. Apparently the Bolsheviks are terrified of his splendid moustache...

She could be also an imperialist agent. You never know

I think it would be illegal to post it here but I have another photo form a Russian High Hell Race competition: This skill may come handy in an urban situation, when they are about to be late for a bus or metro. And of course it's incredibly sexist...

Just for the record for all those who don't read the credits - Robert is the real mastermind behind RCW, as the campaign is of his design. So kudos to him!

Great post! The 2-4 will need to be looked at by Bill or Hubert and if it comes to the 1, I agree! Recently I have read an article about Russian women wearing high hills all year around, even in such a god forsaken places like Murmansk and it seems, that in summer the wheather and atmosphere there are pretty warm and friendly

Hi Ghost! We have discussed this aspect of the conflict with Bill and came to a conclusion, that in reality the White propaganda was really poor and that was one of the reasons why they lost. So I'm well aware, that a decent propaganda and some nice agrarian reform to please the masses of russian peasants, are essential to our war war effort Here our troops conscripting some local patriots in the Rostov Oblast: Stay tuned for more!

The memorable summer of 1919 is coming to an end. This time, there was no major action on the southern fronts. In the Ukraine, the White forces have been regrouping and reinforcing, because the recent fighting cost them dearly. Some of the units have been reducted to half of their nominal strength. Will the exchausted Whites be able to find sufficient will power for the finall push, before the bad wheather inevitably puts an end to any serious offensive operations during the winter? Right now, gen Denikin and his HQ are debating hotly, what should the the next move of the Armed Forces of South Russia ( AFSR ). The good news is, that the wretched Reds have suffered much greater loses so far. It is obvious though, that their manpower reserves are much greater than ours... If the fighting in the south has been inconclusive so far, there is no doubt that the Bolshevik Uralus Front, that has been pushed into a pocket around the city of Syzran, is suffering a horrible fate: It's units are completelly cut of from any supply bases, so it won't be possible to rebuild them, based on their experienced cadres and veterans. Syzran was captured by the Uralus Cossack forces and another armored train fell into their hands: While the Bolsheviks are still mainly focused on figthing Denikin in the south, the armies of gen.Kolchak are slowly emerging as the most successfull and best equipped of all three White factions...

First week of August 1919, has seen probably one of the last combat actions of the French Expeditionary Corps. Together with a White cavalry division, the troops in blue uniforms, chased and destroyed a Bolshevik Corps fleeing from Hulaipole. Their withdrawal may happen any moment, so the Ukrainians are slowly taking over front around Poltava. Thanks to the capture of Hulaipole, a rail line has been cut off and a Red armored train, is trapped now in the area. The 4th Crimean infantry division has received orders to dig in the newly captured town, just in case Mr Trotsky decides to counter attack. And if the Reds return there, they are certainly gonna get it! If it comes to our tanks, contrary to the Bolshevik propaganda, most of the loses occured due to mechanical breakdowns. Currently our machanics are working frantically in order to bring back to the service, as many of them as possible. Ordeal of the Red Uralus Front continues in the east: Treacherous Latvian, gen Vacietis has been captured, along with all his HQ near Symbirsk. Right now, the whole, massive Bolshevik front is slowly desinterating, suffering form lack of coherent command and control and poor supply. Gen Kolchak ordered the pocket to be eliminated as soon as possible. So far, it looks like the biggest White victory to the date and a major setback for the Bolsheviks. NOTE: historically gen Kolchak, was the first ( out of three, most famous White generals - Kolchak, Denikin and Yudenich ) to be defeated by the Bolsheviks. He was executed by his enemies on 7th of February 1920 in Irkutsk, in Siberia. *** In the North, Allied troops have received an unexpected help from the local insurgents, who have cut off the rail line connecting Emptsa, with the main Bolshevik bases of supply: There were also some skirmishes on the approaches to Tsaritsyn.