SPI's corps-level simulation of a hypothetical Russian invasion of Manchuria, THE EAST IS RED, presents almost a pure attack/defense situation. The Russians must mount and sustain an overwhelming offensive to capture their objectives, while the Chinese seek to stop them, not so much through the use of counter-attacks, but rather by continuously reforming and strengthening their defensive line.

The key to winning at THE EAST IS RED, as in most other games, is the understanding of the inherent strengths and weaknesses of each side. A successful player uses his strong points to exploit the enemy's weak ones. Thus an examination of Russian and Chinese strategy and tactics should reveal the interrelation between the Russian ability to conduct a good offense and the Chinese ability to conduct a good defense.

THE EAST IS RED is a well-balanced game, with the last turn often the deciding one. But individual skill must dominate the abilities ofeach side. Understanding your advantages, and making them work for you, are two different things.

RUSSIAN STRATEGY

The Russian player's first big strategic advantage is one of deployment. In every scenario the Russians begin the game with an equal or greater number of combat units than the Chinese. In addition to this, the Russians can break down a limited number of their corps into divisional units. Thus the Rusians can have perhaps 1 1/2 times as many counters as the Chinese at the start of the game.

Due to the fact that Manchuria, in relation to the USSR, forms a giant salient, the Russians also have the option of attacking from many different directions. With their numerical superiority in units, the Russians can post a powerful striking force in one area, and still have a good number of division to place along the rest of the frontier. These divisions can then move through the mountains and come upon the Chinese from behind, since the Chinese cannot guard the entire border without making themselves too weak to resist the Russians main body.

The offensive capability of their army is the second Russian advantage. While their army's total printed attack strength averages only about 22 points higher than that of the Chinese, the Soviets also have air support, the terrific firepower of their artillery units, and the ability to make nuclear-assisted attacks. These factors combine to make the Russian army a powerful assault force, in the face of which the Chinese will find it difficult to hold their defensive line.

The third Russian advantage is derived from the fact that most of their units are mechanized. Using the mechanized movement phase, the Russians can make a hole in the Chinese line, advance into it, and then move through it to cut off large numbers of Chinese corps, all in one turn. The Soviet mechanized units also have a faster movement rate per turn, with the ability to cover eight hexes of clear terrain to the Chinese six.

With all that power and speed the Russian army would seem ia,be an unstopable force. And it is; but only for the first four turns of the game. The factor that prevents the Russians from overrunning all of China is their supply problem. On Turn 5 the rate of the Soviet advance noticeably decreases, as they can no longer move or attack at full strength without a supply unit nearby. Since there are only four supply units in the game, and these must come all the way from hex 0701 or Vladivostok, the Russians simply cannot sustain a fully-supplied offensive after Turn 4.

Coupled with the supply problem is the lack of reinforcements. During the game the Soviets will receive at most only three 3-7-9s to match the 17 4-6-6s which the Chinese get. As with the supply units, there is an unavoidable time lag in the arrival of the Russian divisions at the front due to the remoteness of their entry hexes.

In general the physiography of the campaign area is favorable to the Russians. Although the Manchurian Plain, which contains the Russfan objectives, is ringed by mountains, these are close to the border, so that the Soviets can fight their way through them during the four turns in which they are fully supplied. However the Russian player will find himself hampered by the belts of industrial hexes on the plain itself through which he cannot move until their intrinsic strength has been eliminated.

Finally, a quick glance at the game board will reveal that north and east of Shenyang there are only 20 industrial hexes, while the Russian player must cut off a minimum of 23 in order to win a marginal victory. Accordingly, at least three industrial hexes in the sixteen-hex Shen-yang complex must be held by the Russians at the end of the game.

This fact, which is known to the Chinese as well, means that the PRC army will stand and fight before Shen-yang is reached. The Russian player will find it difficult to destroy them then, due to his supply problems and due to the fact that the Chinese can usually form a stronger and more solid defensive line before Shen-yang than they can nearer the border.

To sum up, the Russian advantages consist of their numerical superiority in units, the favorability of the terrain, and the offensive capability and mechanization of the Russian army. Their disadvantages are their lack of supply after Turn 4, their meager reinforcements, and the necessity of fighting their way through the Chinese industrial areas and into Shen-yang.

Now let's look at the four main avenues of approach which the Russians can use to invade Manchuria, and examine them to see which one is best fitted to the strategic advantages and disadvatages of the Russian army. First, the Russians could move south from Outer Mongolia through the Greater Khingan Range towards Peking.

While this method, if successful, could result in a decisive Soviet victory, it is inadvisable because it negates the Russian player's advantage of deployment, At most, only one Russian corps can set up in Outer Mongolia. The rest would have to start in Russia and take two or three turns to reach the mountains. Since the Russians must strive to destroy as many Chinese units as possible in the first four turns, this delay would allow the PRC to form a defense which would prove unbreakable in the long run.

The Second plossibility is to attack south from the headwaters of the Amur River toward Ch'i-ch'i-ha'erh. But the mountain range there is particularly wide, allowing the Chinese to hold better defensive positions for a longer period of time. The Russians can be prevented here from reaching the Manchurian Plain by the end of Turn 4.

A third route for the Soviets could be northwest from the Vladivostok area toward Ha-erh-pin and Ch'ang-Ch'un. Very often a moderate assault will succeed here, but only if greater pressure is being applied elsewhere to draw off the Chinese forces. Generally the Soviets attack in divisional strength along the lines of the roads and railroads in the mountains, especially through the industrial hexes 2826 and 2927. A full-scale attack will still be slowed down by the numerous rough terrain hexes between the border and the Manchurian Plain.

The best direction for the major Russian thrust is westward from the Khabarovsk area. The Russians can either force a path down the Sungari River Valley, or they can breach the mountain barrier around hex 291a, where it is only one or two hexes widei In all scenarios the Russians can be in position to attack Chinese units in the mountains there by Turn 2.

Thus we can see that the fourth route is the optimum one. It allows the Russians to strike quickly and strongly, and provides the shortest route onto the Manchurian Plain, where the Russians can best use their greater mobility/turn and superior firepower. However all other routes should have diversionary units attacking along them, especially the roads running south from the Amur, which are particulary numerous and thus corespondingly hard for the Chinese to block with their limited number of units. The Russians must also deploy sufficient strength in the Vladivostok area to prevent the Chinese from capturing it or interfering with air units stationed there.

RUSSIAN TACTICS

The use of the mechanized movement phase is the most important tactical element in keeping the offensive going. With most of their units either mechanized infantry or armor, the Soviets can count on moving virtually their entire army twice per turn. Thus their best play is to punch a hole in the Chinese line and then pour through, usually on divisional scale, to cut off other Chinese units. The 4-6-6s, once surrounded, are virtually helpless due to their low attack strength and the relatively high defense strength of the 1-2-9.

Another method which creates the same effect, (i.e. the surrounding of the Chinese) is the use of what might be called 'accordion attacks'. Since units may retreat onto friendly units in enemy ZOC, if that is the only course open to them, the Russian player can sometimes create a situation in which he forces the Chinese to retreat so that they overstack. If the Russians then surround the Chinese with ZOC, the overstacked units are eliminated by the end of the Chinese initial movement phase at no cost. The remaining Chinese, who cannot move if they are surrounded by ZOC, and who usually do not dare to attack for fear of getting an "Ar", can be disposed of quite simply.

The Russians take most of their losses during the game through exchanges, often having to give up two 3-7-9s for only one 4-6-6. Exchanges, therefore, must be avoided at all costs. This means that the Russians, if they want a sure kill on a surrounded Chinese unit or group of units, should attack at 3/1 where there is only one chance of an exchange.

Now suppose that three 4-6-6s have been cut off in the mountains by the Russians. The Russian player can eliminate them most efficiently by placing two 1-2-9s so as to surround the Chinese. The addition of an artillery unit, together with the doubling effects of nuclear and concentric attacks, brings the odds us to 56/18, or 3/1, which guarantees the elimination of the Chinese in only one attack. If there is an exchange, then the Russians lose only two 1-2-9s for the three 4-6-6s lost by the Chinese!

Concentric attacks, wherin the attackers are doubled in strength if the defender is entirely surrounded by the attackers' ZOC, are of course advantageous tactically. Still, due to the high defensive strength of the Chinese 4-6-6, the doubling effects of rough terrain, and the Russians lack of supply after Turn 4, the Russians will find themselves forced to use nuclear weapons for most of their attacks as well. Any resulting contamination, of course, means that the Russians cannot use their mechanized movement phase to exploit the gap in the Chinese line, but without the nuclear weapons they will often be hard put to create a gap in the first place.

Where feasible, nuclear-assisted attacks at 4/1 or 5/1 should be voluntarily reduced to 3/1, both to lessen the chance of contamination and to avoid an exchange.

Soviet air power, which becomes available on the second turn, is also an important factor in maintaining the offensive. Air strikes can often add the few needed points to make an attack a success. However the amount of airpower is limited, so that only the most important assaults can receive it. In addition to this, one air unit per turn should be devoted to interdicting the rail lines southwest of Shen-yang, at either hex 1426 or 1626. This means that the Chinese reinforcements will be forced to spend an extra turn in reaching the battle area, as they must cross the interdicted hexes on foot.

A problem which the Soviet player will face is that of keeping up with the Chinese. As the PRC army withdraws, they will often either move out of range of the Russians, so that the Soviet units cannot come close enough to attack next turn, or they will interpose barriers consisting to detonated ADMs, militia units, and/or undestroyed industrial hexes.

This means that the Soviets will have to move quickly to catch up to them. Since the artillery units are 6 MP slower per turn than the others, and cannot move during the mechanized movement phase, the Russians will oftem have to delay their assault on the Chinese line until the artillery comes up. Closely connected with this is the problem of stacking or unstacking, either of which will cost the Russians an extra MP, which they generally cannot afford to spare. Stacks of units will have to stick together for much of the time to move at their best speed, and should be formed so as to be as self-sufficient as possible. Thus a typical Russian stack miqht consist of a 7-4-9 or a 4-6-9 for attack strength, and two 3-7-9s for defense strength. Artillery units are rarely stacked because of their ability to attack from two hexes distance. Of course a penetration group such as a 3-7-9 which breaks down into three 1-2-9s in order to exploit a hole in the Chinese line, will have to unstack to spread out but this cannot be helped.

Besides creating holes in the Chinese line, a major goal for the Russians should be to try to destroy at least two 4-6-6s per turn, so as to offset the Chinese reinforcement rate. Obviously, if the Russians can negate the effect of the PRC reinforcements. they can maintain a consistent numerical superiority, and thus continue the offensive at a highter rate of advance.

If the North Koreans should intervene, extra units must be moved onto the border mountains near Vladivostok to protect the air units, incoming supplies, and reinforcements. However, in the games I have played one rarely sees the North Koreans intervene, mostly because the Russians player will not agree to it. After all, he gets nothing out of it except two more Chinese units to deal with. Possibly a variant rule could be made up, whereby the Russians get more reinforcements or less strict victory conditions to match the entry of the North Koreans.

Finally, the Russians in each of the four scenarios receive a 2-2-6 Marine infantry division. Since it would not be of too much use in regular combat, it might as well be held in reserve at Vladivostok for coastal landings. Such a landing could of course be used to outflank the Chinese in some cases. If this situation does not occur, however, the 2-2-6 can be landed at either hex 0428, 0528, or 0627 to block the rail line leading east and temporarily free the Soviet air unit which normally performs that task for ground support duties. Of course the 2-2-6 has only a 2/3 chance of capturing the industrial hex on which it lands, and it will probably be wiped out in the following turn by the Chinese reinforcements, but on the other hand it isn't going to do you any good sitting in Vladivostok.

CHINESE STRATEGY

The main Chinese strategic Advantage is the fact that they are operating on interior lines. In the face of the Russian army, the Chinese will be forced to withdraw almost continuously. Whenever they fall back, the length of the battle front decreases and makes it easier for them to hold. They can switch troops along the front much more easily than the Soviets can, and once they reach the Shen-yang area they can generally anchor both ends of the line or rough terrain hexes so as to prevent any Soviet flanking attempts.

The fairly high defensive strength and large quantities of the Chinese 4-6-6s are also important. since the Chinese must take such a passively defensive stance in the game, wherever possible, defensive lines should be formed around rough terrain and major city hexes, so as to obtain the doubling and tripling effects on defense strength.

Their third advantage is the fact that they deploy after the Russians. Once the Russians take up positions on the border, they are unable to switch many of their troops into another area. The Chinese player can assume that where most of the Russian units are is where the main thrust will cone.

Accordingly, since he deploys second, he can pick the best defensive positions for that particular area, and set up so as to deny the Russians any chance of slipping behind him on the first move.

The Chinese must realize that in most cases they will be unable to hold the mountain perimeter against the major Soviet assault, due to the Russian 'supplied' status and the distance which the Chinese reinforcements must travel. The mountains at best will only serve to delay the Russians, and the Chinese player, while seeking to create as much delay as possible, must also save enough corps to withdraw in good order and form a solid defense line on the Manchurian Plain. This line, as mentioned earlier, must be set up and held to the last corps somewhere outside of Shen-yang so as to deny the Russians a marginal victory.

If the Russians put most of their units into one area, and leave only a few on the border, the Chinese could find it worthwhile to station a 4-6-6 where it could cross the frontier and cut the Trans-Siberian railway. In some instances this will force the Soviet supplies and reinforcements to make long detours before reaching the front.

CHINESE TACTICS

The initial Chinese line should be set up in the mountains near the border so as to delay the Soviet advance as long as possible. If the Soviet player has deployed in strength in one area, and left other units deployed elsewhere along the border, the PRC army will be unable to both guard the border and resist the attack of the Russian main force. Most Chinese units mwst be set up to do the latter, and only a few left to slow the Russian flanking movements.

Where the Chinese army initially concentrates for the defense, they should try and set up so that as few units as possible can be attacked on the first turn. 4-6-6s should be stacked in groups of two wherever possible, to offer more resistance. A continuous line will be difficult to create, so the Chinese player will have to content himself with having his units one or two hexes apart. This means that if a unit is destroyed the Russians will,be able to pour through the resultant gap in your ZOC.

Obvious weak spots should have units stationed a hex or two behind them so as to provide a defense in depth, although this defense will not hold for more than one turn. The Chinese will take horrendous losses in the first four turns, because they must hold the mountains as long as possible against the fully-supplied Russian army. Ideally the Russians should not be able to attack Ha-erh-pin until Turn 5. Many Chinese units will be surrounded because they have no opportunity to retreat; this us unavoidable. But if you can keep the Russians away from Ha-erh-pin until Turn 5 and save enough corps to form even a shaky line, their lack of supplies will give you a definite breathing space and a chance to feed reinforcements into the line.

When withdrawing the Chinese must conduct their retreat with care, so that the Russians do not slip through or around the retreating units and surround them. A firm line of ZOC must be maintained at all times during the withdrawal. Militia units can often be left behind to delay the enemy, since they are automatically replaced on the following turn.

In addition to this the Chinese can retreat behind the belts of industrial hexes near Ha-erh-pin and Ch'ang-Ch'un, forcing the Russians to blast holes in these before they can continue their advance. During retreats and when forming a line, the 5-3-6 tank corps units should not be left without a supporting 4-6-6 as they are too weak to resist any kind of attack. They can be used, in the event of a Chinese counterattack, for slipping around the flanks of the Russians to cut them off or put them out of supply.

The Chinese, unless the Russ ians make a serious mistake, will rarely find themselves making any kind of concerted assault. Sometimes attacks will have to be made to recover an industrial hex or to try to save a surrounded unit. But the low attack strength of the Chinese and the high defense strength of the Russians generally preclude this. Mass attacks will, of course, help the Chinese player, but only if the odds when a mass attack is made become 5/1 or 6/1. Otherwise, the risk of losing the attacking units is too great.

However, if the Chinese get a chance toiattack a Russian artillery unit, mass attacks can be made at 4/1 or even 3/1, since the loss of any artillery will cripple the Russians badly. Surrounded Chinese units should generally not try to break out unless they have help from outside the pocket, as they will rarely escape even if the attack is successful due to their inability to move in the mechanized movement phase. If the Russians are forced to attack them, this will generally tie up an artillery unit for a turn and delay the Russian advance.

As the Chinese fall back closer to Shen-yang, they will be more and more able to form a continuous line due to the narrowing of the mountains to the west. Here the Chinese resistance should stiffen, with the line falling back hex by hex only when forced to do so by a Russian breakthrough. If a major city is incorporated into the defensive line, the Chinese should occupy the hexes around it to prevent a concentric attack by the Russians. Most of the time the Russians will have to make a combined nuclear and concentric attack in order to cleaFa major city, and if the outlying hexes must be occupied before the concentric attack can be made, the Russians will be slowed up even more.

The placement of the Chinese ADMs is often a source of frustration to the Chinese player, as there are simply not enough to do everything that the Chinese want. ADMs are most effective in blocking supply lines. Before the game begins the Chinese should decide where they will form their strongest defensive line, and then place the ADMs so that they interdict the hexsides through which the Russian supply lines will have to go for the attack.

For example, if the Chinese decide to form their line around the bastion of Ch'ang-Ch'un, then possible AMD placement might be hexsides 2224/2325,2224/2324, 2325/2324, 2326/2325, 2326/2425, 2325/2425, 2224/2125, and 2124/2125. When the Russians have cleared the outlying hexes and are ready for their concentric attack on the city itself, they will find that they can only supply one or two of the attack hexes with each supply unit, instead of the usual five in clear terrain.

Finally, since the Chinese have the last move, they can sometimes turn a marginal defeat into a marginal victory by recapturing the Shen-yang industrial hexes which the Russians may have seized. The Chinese player, if he is losing, should be prepared,to make any and all kinds of desperate attacks on the last turn if they will afford even a meager chance of victory.