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Official Walkthrough Assault on Communism


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Thanks abukede,

- Yes this answers my questions :) . I think most questions I may have will answer themselves with turns unfolding. A stupid one though: is there any naval units involved ? Not that I need/want them, just curious about that ^^ .

- About the game it looks good (scale, units variety, AI thinking...). One thing though, since it's focused on the eastern front and the map is huge: isn't it lacking more eye-candy locations (can't scroll the map so I'll admit I can get a wrong idea about this :P)?

- Maybe just a small square in tiles with a name showing when mouse is over that tile. Or maybe something like the tile grid in the menu, where you can hide/show more geographic locations (nobody wants an overcrowded map).

Location2.jpg

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To answer the multiple strategy question....

1st off remember no A.I. will every be able to beat a competent human on its own. Not untill A.I. can think for itself on a game of this scope and complexity. But What I did is took 10 games of experience with one of the best wargamers I know + another 10 from other gamers that were very good and came up with some realisitic strategies for the A.I. for both sides. When I write A.I. I try to have it do the best play to win the game.

The strategy involvement in the game is very in depth player vs player. In my 20 play test games I still have more options to explore. There are certain paths you can take but these paths get changed depending on the pace, how well your opponent adjusts, and the strategy he plays.

20 games wasnt enough to discover all the variations. The nature of the engine, some adjustments I made to the game, and the new units really changed how this plays. Technology and timing are very important. The game is balanced where you never have enough to do everything you want which I feel simulates war fairly accurately and adds a level of good anxiety in the game.

In my last game the German player basically got to historical lines. By the spring of 1942 both sides where spent and exausted. The whole game and every aspect of how we played it created an interesting, and seemingly historical, 1942. I even learned something new about German strategy in this game.

I don't detail more because I think you all should have the enjoyment of figuring out how to beat the other side. It will be equally tough on the Germans as the Soviets. The learning curve is not hard, but not moderate either. One really has to put in some thought on their play.

To answer the naval question.... yes there are some navies but their impact on the game is negligible. This is a campaign of the Eastern Front and the naval war is inconsequential.

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Al, Thanks for your reply and you are right. Played enough strategies will come up that will need fixed at times and the reason for patches. I do love what you do and in fact most of your games they are competitive against the computer as well as an AI can be set. Keep up the good work and thanks for another great scenario as it will get plenty of usage on my system over time. $25 is cheap for such an investment of time, and would pay much more for such long-term enjoyment. Saying that, no reason to raise the price though!

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Addressing the strategy question... I've played around 30 PvP games and there are a ton of strategies to pursue. The map is so huge that one single strategy will not win the game... especially against a player. The player needs to approach the game with a dynamic strategy in mind that is flexible and adble to adapt to the unexpected. Many 0times circumstances develop in such a way that both opportunities and challenges are presented... sometimes at the same time. As I said this is a thinking game... frequently I find myself studying the map prior to making my moves. This is a very fun game.

As to the AI... I think that on the hardest setting the AI can be a real challenge. So don't discount it... no matter what BigAl says. :P

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I got a quick turn in. I will try to get another tonight before we head off to Disney World.

Decisionevent.jpg

Got a very interesting decision event this turn. I would recommend saying “no” to this one. You will need medium bombers more than strategic bombers. In theory strategic bombers could come in very handy, however as Soviet air defense grows the bombers will be flying deep into enemy territory unescorted... meaning a strategic bomber force would not only be costly, but a cash drain the Germans can not afford. I have not yet elected this option in a game… I have deep misgivings about it.

Turn wise… the Soviets performed a series of strategic withdrawals, while at the same time striking forward in a few areas. My attacks struck the Soviets particularly hard. I managed to bag a number of armies.

T6SouthFrontA.jpg

In this image you can see the Soviets pushed forward in the very south hammering my Romanian allies pretty hard. I intend to make them pay.

T6SouthB.jpg

As you can see I am moving to encircle those units that struck me with an objective just east of Odessa.

T6CenterB.jpg

In the center you can see an interesting development around Gomel. This is the beginning of a powerful blocking line. I actually smashed into the front of it… already destroying a couple of armies.

T6NorthA.jpg

More troubling are the ever increasing defensive positions in the North. I will be forced to breakthrough this line. I also intend to take Riga.

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T6NorthB.jpg

The army in Riga is pretty well dug in. I used my 3 arty shots to knock down the entrenchment level before assaulting the city. I dedicated the medium bombers to strike the army on east of Riga. That is where I will break the enemy defensive line and exploit beyond it.

T6NorthC.jpg

As you can see there was a lot of heavy fighting. I was able to break the line in 2 places. In the coming turns I need to push through and see how many armies I can bag.

T6FinlandB.jpg

There was some fighting in Finland this turn as I assaulted Viipuri.

T6DetailedLossesB.jpg

Here are the detailed losses. You can see the number of destroyed soviet armies spiked this turn.

T6DetailedLosses.jpg

The soviets have dropped to 84 units. I want to see if I can get them below 50. If I can’t there will be some hard fighting over winter and the war will easily go into 43.

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T6ResearchStatus.jpg

Just thought you might like to see research status around the middle of July.

T6StrategicOverview.jpg

Here is an overall view of the entire front. You can see I am now beginning to gain ground. The soviet armies… though putting up a stubborn defense in a number of areas is still reeling before my offensive drive.

In the coming posts I will discuss strategy a bit more and will also post a bit about supply.

Things should really begin to get interesting over the next few turns. Stay tuned!

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As promised here is the next turn.

A lot of fighting this turn… Germany’s 7th. I was able to break through enemy lines in the North to nail a fighter!!! It made my day. I also destroyed a number of armies and a couple of light armor units. I believe the Russians only have 3 or 4 more light armor at best. I hope to take down a couple more next turn.

T7South.jpg

I was able to finally begin closing in on Odessa this turn, while working to trap a few units. I expect to be able to close the bag this coming turn. There is a pretty strong defensive position rapidly forming east of Odessa. Note the two paras… I want these units badly. They are just too dangerous to leave around. As a player, I would recommend carefully hoarding paras till a real opportunity presented itself and then use them in conjunction with a major offensive.

T7CenterSouth.jpg

I am closing in on Kiev. Supply is good and I should be able to push forward toward the outskirts of the city this upcoming turn. I expect the defending unit will be well dug in.

T7North.jpg

In the North, I was able to completely break the line east of Riga and broke out into open terrain. There is a powerful force, really the southern anchor of this line, around Ovinsk. My next objective will be to try to see if I can encircle these units before the artificial intelligence begins to pull them back. I hope I can catch a number of them in a bag. Soviet armies are much easier to destroy when their supply is limited. I have noticed Soviet unit morale and readiness steadily increasing. As a result, I am taking additional casualties. So once again… anything I can do to reduce my casualties the better. You have to think long haul in this game… it’s not simply break the enemy line like a bull in a china store… it is more of a marathon approach… and you have to manage your resources as such, because cash is limited. I can’t harp on this enough. Poor management will lead to defeat.

T7DetailedLosses.jpg

The Soviets took a real beating this turn… I have now destroyed and shattered 87 enemy units, including 29 armies and still the Russians are fighting! Germany is 7 turns in!!! Think about those losses for a moment… and compare that with other SC games…

DetailedLossesChart-1.jpg

Notice the chart… in the last 3 German turns I have destroyed over 1000 MPP per turn. The soviets on their turn are hovering around 200 per turn for the last 3 Russian turns. Very heavy losses… This loss ration should continue for some time to come… requiring the Soviet player to carefully manage things so that you don’t lose too much too early while slowing the Germans down. It is a tricky balance.

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T7CenterSupply.jpg

We are going to briefly take a look at supply. As I said “Supply” is critical in AoC. Ignore it at your peril. This turn I was compelled to take Mogilev for a supply base. The nearest town is Minsk… several tiles back… with scorched earth… it will be several turns before Minsk begins producing good supply… but still Minsk is too far away to really help with breaking this defensive position. So I needed to take Mogilev… for near supply. Without that town it would be much more difficult and costly to break this defensive position.

T7-CurrentSupply.jpg

Here is the current supply. As you can see it is terrible.

T7ExpectedSupply.jpg

This is the next turn’s expected supply. It is not much better… but it is improving. Notice Mogilev’s immediate effect of becoming a 4! Unlike other SC games… scorched earth does not automatically set a city or town to 0… Give it a couple turns and that supply source will begin radiating out.

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I am off to Orlando for the weekend. We’re doing Disney… so you will not be hearing from me for a couple days. Before I went I wanted to leave you with one more thing.

StrategicMap-1.jpg

I have found that when I get to these positions it is very easy to become distracted and lose focus. The map is huge. Turn after turn you are only looking at little parts of it. From hard PvP experience I have learned that when I reach those positions I have to take a pause assess my entire strategic position and begin reorganizing my army.

Typically I have taken a beating casualty wise, my units being understrength badly need repair and rest. Supply at this point becomes a real problem too and it typically takes a turn or two to catch up.

I think it wise to take a strategic pause. I know it sounds crazy… in the middle of summer to pretty much halt your offensive… but this does not mean you stop advancing in all areas or simple stop everything you are doing. What I mean is that for me… this is typically the point where I reorganize/repair my army and set objectives for the second half of the summer and fall. I also allocate the force I feel is needed seize these objectives.

This is the point where I typically switch to XYZ objective before winter. My main objective is still to break the Russian army, but I feel a few benchmark cities and towns are important to firmly hold before winter strikes. (when I get to this point… I will explain why.)

A strategic pause at this point usually trips up the Russian player. They don’t expect it and at first are grateful for the reprieve. Then when your armies move again… it is usually with a focus in different directions. I typically move my armor (operational movement) around to support my new direction of focus.

Depending upon the strategic and tactical position and where I want to be, the Russian player could suddenly find himself facing 8 armor in the south instead of the 4 that were there to begin with along with the majority of the German air force.

The force I currently have around Gomel can also easily join this focus, by breaking through and linking up with the force that will be taking Kiev or it can turn and drive for Moscow with the Kiev force pushing in the same direction and supporting it.

This means the German player can easily put a very powerful (really a sledge hammer) force directed toward the goodies in Southern Russia or Moscow. When this happens, I have found that the Russian player typically goes into scramble mode to try to stop/slow me and has to pull forces from elsewhere… like the Leningrad front, making it much easier to take Leningrad with the reduced forces I have on hand in the North.

So my advice for pvp games is that if you see the German player take a strategic pause in the middle of the summer… prepare for a new axis of advance.

I will see everyone in a couple of days. o/

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I’m back from Disney… I survived!!! Well back in South Florida only a few days left of vacation. :)

Turn wise… it was a very interesting turn with heavy fighting on both sides but the Germans clearly getting the better of the Russians.

T8SouthA.jpg

You can see my ring around Odessa is now complete. I have also pushed back the line to the north.

T8CenterSouthA.jpg

I pushed up to Kiev and launched a devastating combined arms attack knocking back the Soviet defenders and hammering the defending unit in the city. I should take Kiev next turn.

T8CenterA.jpg

Here is my position in the center. I conducted a number of attacks but due to supply issues did not advance much.

T8CenterPredictedSupply.jpg

I thought you might find this predicted supply for next turn interesting. This should allow me to begin advancing again and really hammer the soviet defenders.

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T8CenterNorthEncircle.jpg

Here you can see me clearly working on a large encirclement movement designed to trap large numbers of Soviet defenders. I expect some of the soviet units to pull back out of the bag that is forming. Thank you improved artificial intelligence! Let’s see how many I can catch.

T8DetailedLosses.jpg

You can see Soviet numbers are steadily dropping.

T8UnitLosses.jpg

Notice the number of soviet armies destroyed, along with the number of light tanks. There are only 2 or 3 still running around. The soviets losses are beginning to become extreme.

T8StrategicMap.jpg

A look at the strategic map for you.

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Turn 9 for the Germans and it is the beginning of August. Lots of fighting as the Germans work to destroy the soviet army. I am making pretty good progress.

T9OdessaCapture.jpg

As you can see Odessa is firmly in Axis hands. There was a lot of fighting around Odessa. The soviet navy even made an appearance.

T9KievCapture.jpg

I was able to also secure Kiev after very heavy fighting. The soviets struck me hard on their turn. My counter attack pushed the soviets back with serious losses. Soviet defenses in the south are beginning to show weakness. I have a sense that with a little more push they will collapse and I should be able to surge forward.

T9Center.jpg

In the center, an interesting situation has developed. The artificial intelligence pulled a couple of units out of the pocket that was forming. I was still able to destroy the rest. I marked where the pocket had been.

Take a look at the defensive position that is in the process of developing. I need to press this new position in the coming turns before the soviet forces can dig in. Note my pair of damaged panzers. These two panzers will need to be pulled back and refitted. It is a terrible time to take them out of the fight, but I need to keep their strength and experience edge up. Remember… this is a long haul game.

T9Disparity.jpg

Thought you might find the disparity chart interesting. Even with soviet reinforcements the soviet army is weakening.

T9Build.jpg

I managed to finally build all of my divisions. My next focus will be filling out my fighters and medium bombers, followed finally by corps. I will also finish out the garrisons, which I will need to counter partisans. My divisions should begin arriving at the beginning of september. When I begin building corps... my goal will be to have them all arrive before spring.

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Turn 10

Lots of fighting on both sides… though I am sensing Soviet weakness in several areas… simply put there are just not enough units to go around to defend everything.

T10CenterSouth.jpg

I have exploited forward just a bit past Kiev, dividing the Russian forces. Notice the air units I brought up. The fighter alone gives me a great picture as to what is waiting for me. I wanted supply to build up before I move forward and attack soviet positions next turn.

T10CenterB.jpg

Note how I am going around Gomel. A couple turns back it looked like I would immediately assault and take Gomel once I had good supply. Instead, I side stepped northeast… took Mogilev and Karma. I am now working at coming down and behind Mogilev, trapping the forces located there.

T10Center.jpg

In the center I broke the enemy line north Polostk and am now driving deep into the back field. I am now threatening to carve out and encircle several enemy units. You can see I tried to break the line in 2 places but the soviets held… this is partly due to low supply.

From the German perspective it is almost like you are cutting up a large steak. It is too big for the fork by itself, but if you cut it up one slice at a time the streak is easier to manage.

T10DetailedLosses.jpg

Soviet losses continue to mount. I have now destroyed 112 units. As a side note… when you play the soviet side… it takes some getting used to… for the first 20 turns or so you find yourself taking horrific casualties. In fact, a good portion of the first year of the war can be quite discouraging. A bit more on this later.

I prefer the Soviet side because I think it is more of a challenge.

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Strat,

Thanks... I feel I am moving a bit more slowly than I normally do... though I expect the pace of conquest to speed up shorty.

I view the railgun as more of a luxury... I know several other betas who love it and purchase it sooner rather than later. That said, I will likely get the gun after all of my corps are purchased.

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Back from a nice evening in Miami with family. Thought I would get in a quick turn before I turn in.

Turn 11… middle of August 1941. Limited attacks from the Russians… Instead Soviet forces conducted a number of strategic withdrawals in the far North and far South, while holding position elsewhere. I found a couple cities empty with no garrison… that is a very encouraging sign that the Russian player is beginning to struggle. There were very heavy German assaults on Russian defensive positions.

T11South.jpg

You can see by this picture of the south that I have begun consolidating the Luftwaffe in the south. Remember I mentioned a coming refocus? This is the beginning of that change of focus. I have stripped much of the north of aircraft to support my coming push in the south. The medium bombers will be critical to speeding up my drive in the south by de-entrenching fortified enemy positions… essentially softening up hard point. I need to gain ground and fast before winter. More on this later.

T11Center.jpg

You can see the near entire collapse of the Russian defensive position in the center/north. There are still a number of units to be mopped up before my force splits, with one part going for Leningrad and the other pushing for Moscow. I expect a significant strategic withdrawal by the Russians in this area.

T11UnitDisparity.jpg

You can see Russian numbers have dropped to 74 units, with the Germans at 116. That is a 42 unit differential! In my opinion, whenever the differential swings +30 units in favor of the Germans… that translates into trouble for the Russians. To win, I need to rapidly increase this differential before significant numbers of Russian reinforcements begin to arrive making it more difficult for the Russians to pull together a strong defense. Those Russian reinforcements should begin arriving within the next few turns…

T11DetailedLosses.jpg

I was able to nail one of those dreaded paras… and another light armor this turn… also a number of armies. I am very pleased with the number of armies I have destroyed.

Does anyone have questions? Anything specific unit wise you would like to see? Please feel free to ask.

:)

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T10DetailedLosses.jpg

Soviet losses continue to mount. I have now destroyed 112 units.

Is that right? You incur no losses at all. Seems a bit boaring to me...and very unhistoric too! The Wehrmacht has about 500,000 casualties only in the first 12 months of Barbarossa.

613px-WW2.gif

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Amadeus,

I was wondering when someone was going to ask that question. Just because I have not lost any units does not mean that I have not taken any losses. The fighting has been pretty desperate and at points intense… and soviet forces have come very close to destroying a couple units of mine. I have been very careful to keep this from happening too early. Slip up and Germany can lose a lot of units quick… especially during the first winter. Against a player, I probably would have already lost 5 or 6 by this point. Late game, as the Russians become more capable, the wastage factor increases significantly, which is why I am being sooo careful.

T11-LossesGermany.jpg

This is a look at Germany’s income, production and loss in MPP value for the current turn. You can see Germany has lost more than she has made, by 1,654. Also note the losses turn by turn and you can clearly see the increasing level of effectiveness on the Russian side by the increased casualties they are inflicting upon me. (on their turns when they have counter-attacked!) Please note that the bigger spike are the German turns... remember the German army is much more capable and effective than the Russian side at this point in the war.

T11-LossesRussia.jpg

Here is the Russian income, production and loss in MPP value. Note the huge difference… A 6,133 differential. During the game Russia is virtually forced to rebuild her army!

Also note Russia’s income is much higher than Germany’s. This is due to the patriotic income boost which will be running out soon.

Against a player I think the wastage rate would be about 1,500 lower. But still, it is pretty huge… and playing the Russian side is a real challenge, especially during the first summer and fall of the war. Survive that and you have a pretty good chance to make it into 43 and even winning.

Once you get into winter, the unit disparity and lost value in MPP in lost units begins to narrow. As I have said this game is very different than previous releases. It plays very differently and it is anything but boring! Against a player… on either side, the game is very nerve wracking because the combat area is just sooo huge you do not know what you opponent is going to do, usually until he does it.

I hope this explanation helps.

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Another thing to consider... should the current trend continue for the Germans... and should I prove not able to increase my income... it will become impossible for me to replace my battle losses at an effective rate.

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Turn 13 – The soviets counter attacked in the center and there was some desperate fighting. A couple of German units were forced to retreat and brought to 2 or 3 steps. On my turn, the Germans hammered back. Heavy losses for the Russians, while the Germans suffered moderate losses. The Russians are becoming more effective.

T12-SouthernPrep.jpg

Southern prep is continuing. I am about built up, reinforced and most units are up to strength. I took another turn to edge up to the Russian positions, and allow supply to get better along with morale and readiness. Next turn should see the kickoff of a powerful push in the south.

T12-Center.jpg

You can see that there was very heavy fighting in the center. You can also see the center begin to split… with some German forces angling toward Leningrad. I reinforced several German units up to step 7. You may wonder… why not 10? German resources are limited and I’ve found that German units are very effective at step 7. Just try to not let them fall beneath that level. Also… most of my focus and resources are going into my coming offensive in the south.

T12-FarNorth.jpg

Here is another theater I have not really focused on much. As you can see I am approaching Leningrad from two directions. There has not been much in the way of enemy blocking forces and what was there was quickly brushed aside. I managed to destroy a soviet sub in the Baltic this turn too. You just can see the German DD where I got him.

I got my first tech breakthrough at the end of this turn… Industrial!!!

I will see if I can get another turn in later today. On Sunday we begin our drive home to Pennsylvania.

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Soviet forces launched major counter attacks this turn in the center.

T13-CenterA.jpg

I was hammered pretty hard by massive airstrikes followed up by ground assaults. Check out what combined air and ground did to this German armor. He held on by the skin of his teeth. When the soviets really get their act together such attacks can easily be devastating.

The soviets have begun the rebuilding of their air force and it was felt this turn.

T13-Partisans.jpg

Partisans appeared for the first time. I have to move to contain them before they become an epidemic. My garrisons will come in very handy for this. More on this later.

T13-Blue.jpg

The Blue division decision event popped… I said, “yes.”

T13-CenterB.jpg

This is how the situation in the center looked at the end of the turn. I brought that wounded panzer up to 10 and lost nearly all of it's experience. I will have to be careful with it to regain that experience. :(

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T13-North.jpg

For a better view of what the North looks like with the top of the center, here is a better shot. I will need to take a strategic pause next turn to reorganize the center/north forces before beginning my final push on Leningrad. I’ve kicked off my main offensive in the south… so the resources for reorganizing the north are now available. Further to the north in Finland there has been little movement or action.

T13-SouthA.jpg

My offensive slammed into Russian defenses hard. I used my medium bombers to de-entrench and demoralize the defensive line east of Kiev and then obliterated it by ground assault. Only the HQ’s stand before me as I have destroyed most of the units they commanded. I expect significant strategic withdrawals. Just to the south, I was able to reach the outskirts of Dnepropetrovsk and captured the first Russian mine.

T13-StrategicMap.jpg

A better view of the overall strategic position. I have marked general directions for my coming offensive drives. I have a long way to go and we just moved into September. I am now on borrowed time.

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Turn 14 … Beginning of September.

My offensive in the south continues onward east!

T14South.jpg

The soviets threw large numbers of cannon fodder in front of me this turn. It looked as if a number of units were fresh from production and had been operated in as speed bumps. I was able to push them aside as I continued my surge forward. I am now north of the defensive positions around Dnepropetrovsk. Shortly any defense of that city will prove untenable.

T14SouthB.jpg

I wanted to show you the economic prizes just within reach. 4 cities and a mine! That translates into 70 MPP of soviet production. I am taking a lot of ground now.

T14Center.jpg

I wanted to give you an idea of what is going on in the center. Gomel fell a couple of turns back. My units look a bit scattered but they are shortly about to form up and push eastward. Notice the 2 panzers in the bottom of the picture. These were the two north of Gomel several turns back. They will form up with the panzer to the north and head east. The HQ in the picture is Guderian, one of my best HQs.

T14-North.jpg

Take a look at the north. I split the enemy line and should be able to rapidly roll it up.

T14-DetailedLosses.jpg

The soviets are suffering horrendous losses. That said significant soviet reinforcements began to deploy this turn, including a batch of transferred Siberians. These Siberian forces continue to arrive in batches through December if I recall. They come with experience and are very dangerous units. Siberian reserves include regular armored units. No more easy light tanks!

This is likely to be my last turn for a couple of days. We are driving back to Pennsylvania on Sunday… just as soon as I can I will post another turn.

I hope you are enjoying this walkthrough!

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