Ben Knight recently asked me if I got my idea for "Slick and Sick Tricks" from Nuts & Bolts' "Tricks & Treats". This hadn't specifically occurred to me, but after some reflection I concluded "Tricks & Treats" probably was my inspiration, as I had greatly enjoyed these and wished there had been more. (I don't apologize; after all, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.) In any case, I was soon scrambling for my N&B notebook to reacquaint myself with these oldie-goldies. It turned out there were even fewer "Tricks & Treats" than I had recalled, numbering only six in all, with five appearing in issue #10/11 and one lone trick (or was it a treat?) showing up in issue #12. No author is credited. For this month's "Slick and Sick Tricks", I'd like to review these Nuts & Bolts classics, along with some commentary on their applicability to current play of SE.

Trick #1: FItE Soviets

"Base elements of the Baltic Fleet in forward positions. The Fleet can add tremendous power to the defense of Riga. Such ships do not run the risk of destruction until they withdraw back to Leningrad. A Battleship and a Heavy Cruiser can add seven points to the defense (not to mention the additional flak). Basing Fleet elements at Hango is counterproductive as the Fleet must sail back to the Soviet Union for replenishment.

This is indeed a tactic which a Soviet player determined to wage a forward defense and hold Riga into July might wish to employ. However, as written above, this trick contains a major misconception, namely that Such ships do not run the risk of destruction until they withdraw back to Leningrad.

Ships in the Riga hex must either be "at sea" or "in port". If "at sea" they not only risk destruction via Luftwaffe tactical bombing (SE optional rule 38E is especially useful for this task), but are further susceptible to the slings and arrows of Baltic Restrictions Rule 28B5. This would argue that the units be declared "in port," but then they run a 33% chance of being scuttled (Rule 28134) if the Germans take the city. And, of course, ships can be bombed in port, also!

Taken together, this leaves even a BB with poor prospects of making it back to Leningrad afloat. Smaller ships would almost surely perish. My personal opinion is that this is extremely shortsighted strategy. Such losses in the Red Banner Fleet for the sake of holding Riga an extra turn or so could ultimately cripple the more crucial defense of Leningrad.

Another apparent misconception is the implication that the AA of any ships present at Riga would aid in the defense of the city itself. Not so! Rule 22Bb clearly excludes ships from firing their AA except in certain specific cases involving naval bombing missions. In fact, any ship AA in Riga would not be allowed to fire with the non-ship AA at a ground support mission attacking Riga!

There is one very good point mentioned here. The replenishment rule (28B3) specifies that Soviet ships may only replenish at Soviet-owned ports in the USSR. However, Hango, per rule 3H, is not part of the USSR! This means that to replenish a ship in Hango would require periodic excursions through the dangerous waters of the Gulf of Finland. Some people overlook this nicety and base Soviet ships in Hango, only to see them sunk by U-boats or scuttled from lack of replenishment later.

Trick #2: FitE Soviets

"Attempt to hold Hango. Basing a righter there will disrupt the I attempts to airlift or transfer German equipment or planes to the Arctic Theater. Remember Hango is the only ice-free port on the Finnish coast."

Well... you can try this, but the only probable result will be the unnecessary loss of a fighter. With a patrol range of only two hexes, it is hard to imagine a lone Soviet fighter disrupting Luftwaffe transfers to the Arctic.

On the other hand, if Hango could somehow be retained by the Soviets until winter it would block the naval transfer of Axis RPs and other cargo into the only ice-free port in Finland on the Baltic Sea. Unfortunately, the chances of holding this port until cold weather defy reality.

Trick #3: FitE Axis

"Occupation of hexes 1B:2024 and 2125 will deter a Soviet amphibious landing breaking the rail line."

Oh boy, can't you see it? Ships of the Red Banner Fleet moves umpteen hexes through U-boat infested waters to reach one of the above hexes. After checking for damage they remains in the hex where they disembarked their cargo. While there, the Luftwaffe can bomb them mercilessly. As a reward for this bravery, the ships must then move another umpteen hexes through those same U- boats in a vain attempt to get back to port. And the purpose of all this is to interdict two rail hexes which don't amount to much anyway, as the Germans will undoubtedly have alternate supply and rail routes to the Baltic States running from Kaunas through Riga and/or Daugavpils. I once played against an Axis player who was so conservative that he garrisoned these two hexes. He later conceded the game on the Aug II 41 turn. Scratch this one!

Trick #4: FitE Axis

"If the Soviets should leave any Baltic ports ungarrisoned, a Brandenburger unit can be inserted by air during the surprise turn and a regular division can be shipped in during the regular Jun II turn."

This is the best trick of the lot. To this day, unwary or inexperienced Soviets continue to get burned on this one. The most recent report of such a mishap came from a game waged at Europafest last summer. The port of choice is Parnu as Riga, Narva, and Tallinn all have mandatory garrisons in SE. Also note that in SE the Kriegsmarine commando can sub for the Burger. However, whether using a Burger or the KM commando, the mission must be PLANNED in advance. (Notice that this ploy works, while my sick trick from TEN #8 was illegal, due to the presence of the port at Parnu, which allows the German naval transports to land their cargo and remain in the hex in the friendly port.)

The lesson to be learned here is NEVER, EVER leave Parnu unoccupied in the opening deployment. Letting the Axis land a bunch of guys in your rear is equivalent to strategic suicide. Even one 0-1-10 lt AA II can wreck havoc with the transportation net and supply lines in the Baltic States, and allowing the creation of a division strength enclave in your rear is criminal.

The Soviets can readily garrison Parnu during the deployment of the border military districts with a non-divisional unit from the Baltic MD forces. More effective, however, is to play dumb and leave Parnu vacant during the deployment of the border MDs to sucker the Germans into committing a commando plan against the city. Then during the deployment of the interior MDs, a point of position AA can be stationed at the intrinsic airbase there. The Germans then have wasted a commando, since these 0-strength units can not displace the position AA, even though it is also a 0-strength unit.

Trick #5: FitE Axis

"If the Soviets should leave any airfields ungarrisoned, a Brandenburger unit can be inserted by air during the surprise turn. Using regular transport missions, then land unsupported infantry (as much as transport and the tactical situation will allow) during the surprise air phase. On the regular Jun II turn these infantry units may move their full movement allowance. This technique is a good way of getting infantry behind Soviet lines."

This one works, too, if the Soviets are foolish enough to let it happen. Most of the commentary for Trick #4 applies in this case also. Notice that Tricks #4 and #5 only work to good effect (if at all) during the Jun II 41 turn while the mechanics of the German double move are in force.

Trick #6: FitE Axis

"If the option is there, reduce a 7-6 division, rather than an 8-6, this will cost less to rebuild."

Who in their right mind would reduce an 8-6 in preference to a 7-6, all other things being equal? I suppose the point is to deploy your attack forces with this in mind. Or perhaps the trick refers to cases where losses amount to at least 8 points and there is a one strength point unit present which, along with a 7-6, could make up the 8 points of losses.

The 3-6 DG of a 7-6 division then would cost only 4 points to rebuild versus the 8-6 division's 5 points. But then there is also the 1-strength unit in the dead pile to consider... Well, you be the judge. 

Potpourri

"Handle them carefully, for words have more power than atom bombs."
--- Pearl Strachan

The recent summit meeting between President Bush and Soviet Leader Gorbachev was not the first high-level meeting to be held on Malta. On January 30, 1945, Churchill and Roosevelt met on Malta for a conference with the Allied Chiefs of General Staff. A few days later, Churchill and Roosevelt moved on to Yalta, where Stalin, referring to the separate meeting of the two Western leaders earlier, is supposed to have greeted his partners with the sarcastic words, "I said Yalta - not Malta!"

Finally, it should not pass without notice that FitE was one of only two games to be rated with four stars in Fire and Movement #63's anthology of WWII Eastern Front operational games. "Enormous in scope, meticulously researched, and lavishly produced, Fire in the East stands as the definitive operational treatment of the entire East Front." I couldn't have said it better myself!

Congratulations to GDW and John Astell.