Soviet counterattack preference?

[Robert Olesen]

I'm reading Allan Clark's Barbarossa to give me some background info for ROQC. Due to the work entailed in udating ROQC and other obligations, I have only managed to get a bit over halfway through.

I noticed, however, that he mentions several times that the Soviets had a preference for doing local counterattacks (during German offensive operations) at night. Is that a true observaton, and does it apply to the whole east front theatre (there obviously weren't any major german offensives late in the war, but they did have some relatively large attacks).

[Grisha]

Robert,

The Soviets became quite adept at night operations as the war progressed. Possessing some night combat experience from the Tsarist years, the Soviets started collecting experience in WWII during their breakout attempts in 1941. From that point it continued to expand. From 1944, one Soviet historian calculated that a full 40% of Soviet offensive operations began at night. Forward detachments often operated at night, and some even preferred it. Reconnaissance by fire was usually a night operation.

Would Soviets have conducted night operations as counterattacks? Yes, they did this to upset German timetables which usually kicked off at daybreak.

Some things need to be kept in mind though. Night operations were meant to either surprise, or to facilitate maneuver. These advantages need to outweigh the disadvantages of night operations, which are C&C degradation, no air cover (which can be a good thing, depending), reduced visibility. Fortunately, the Soviet conducted operations that were heavily planned - at least on the outset. This reduced C&C problems, so long as reconnaissance/intelligence data was up to date and comprehensive. By late 1943, such data was usually provided.

[Robert Olesen]

Thanks, Grisha. I need this info to provide a reasonable probability in ROQC of a night attack when the Soviet's are attacking. It's a good mechanism for adding spice to the campaign, provided it's a reasonable simulation.

I read from your answer that Soviet Probes are another candidate for night attacks.