First of all, let's examine the panzers. The panzers' job is to disrupt enemy defensive positions and hold key wedges in the enemy line so that continued defense of the sector becomes impractical. Their focus should not necessarily be aimed at the strongest part of the enemy line, but rather that section of the line through which the widest hole can be punched. Leave the basic attrition to the powerful infantry corps.

Moving and attacking with a panzer group is usually the easy part, but there are some basic points to emphasize. For instance, what should a properly balanced panzer group look like? Three to five panzer divisions, plus two or more motorized divisions, several motorized AA and AT units, and some motorized artillery constitute a formidable panzer group. The Germans fields four of these initially and by concentrating reserves and borrowing a unit here and there, a fifth panzer group can be created by September.

Operating five panzer groups over a wide front will put tremendous pressure on the Soviets. This is of utmost importance, because only by threatening a broad front can you minimize the Russian double line trick. One very strong 11 to 15 division panzer group is very easy to stop. Where else can the German be threatening if all his eggs are in one basket? The Reds merely double line the panzer spearheads, and proceed to use their own armor to effect against the Axis infantry elsewhere.

Guess who wins this trade-off? Seven factors in front of a panzer unit is all that's needed to negate the potentially deadliest aspect of the unit - its 10 overrun movement points. So to repeat, don't put all your panzers into one sector; push in several sectors at once with 30 to 60 factors of panzers and motorized infantry, supported by motorized artillery and air support. The German must push forward on ALL fronts in order to spread out the Red Army, otherwise it will simply gather in front of his main drives.

Let's now assume that one of your panzer groups has moved and attacked properly and made a rupture in the Soviet front. Now what? The really difficult part of running the panzers involves the exploit phase, how much territory should be grabbed and what units should be used for the job. Putting other parts of the Soviet line out of supply and gaining ownership of territory past the point of breakthrough are central to Axis success. Once the panzers break through the line, advance divisions and regiment-size units to gain control of as many hexes leading into the area as possible. If the German doesn't grab any territory near the breakthrough, the Russian can effectively bring up new troops to form his double lines. It is very easy to stop panzer breakthroughs when the Russian can admin and rail into the hot spot.

The quickest way to undermine an enemy defensive position is to restrict the response of his reserves. After breaching the front, drive toward the rail lines the enemy must use for bringing up reserves. Several 1-10 or 1-8 motorized units should exploit behind the enemy line and sit on these rails to choke off the front.

Ownership of territory is determined at the beginning of the phase, so if a battalion is sitting on a rail at the beginning of the next enemy movement phase, that rail can't be used for the entire enemy movement phase. Meanwhile, break down a 6-10 motorized division into two 3-10 regiments and send these forward to gain ownership of potential enemy defensive hexes. (It may prove advantageous to break down the 6-10s unsupported to gain the HQ unit if an extra o/m unit will make the difference in seizure of more territory.) After gaining control of as much territory as possible, bring the regiments back and reform the motor division if desired. Divisions may also make effective sweeps for purposes of hex ownership.

Protecting the Panzers

A clumsy exploit can allow the panzers to be neutralized quickly by a good Russian player, especially once the Red Army gains more exploit- capable troops at the front. The Germans must end his exploit with an airtight screen to stop Soviet raids, engage the Soviet line, and at the same time keep the tanks safe from counterattack. This can prove a tough challenge.

Keeping all the panzers of one sector in one stack is very poor utilization of the units, plus it becomes harder to stay in contact with a maximum extent of the enemy line. However, spreading them out exposes them to risk of counterattack.

What to do? First, be sure there's a friendly unit for your panzers to retreat onto. Any Russian who stands and fights during the first three turns is going to lose most of his attacking unit the following turn. The Russian will be unlikely to risk a pitched battle when there is a high likelihood of the panzers slipping away unharmed. EXs are also dangerous for the Russian. Loss of the units which are also doubling as a screen for the withdrawal of the rest of the line can totally undo his plans.

A lone panzer division without friendly units in adjacent hexes is too vulnerable to attack by the Russian. Therefore, concentrate at least 25 defensive factors in any panzer stack forging ahead into a surroundable position less than this is well within the Russian ability to hit, even in 1941. In general, lunging ahead with big panzer stacks isn't such a great idea. All the Russian has to do is send a few 3-6's to bog down the stack and the panzers will have little mobility left, and it's the mobility of the panzers which creates the most havoc for the Russian.

No matter what the defensive chore, the 2-10 mot hv AA regiments are the secret weapon of the Wehrmacht. These regiments are full ATEC, have 4 points of flak, and are fully motorized with 10 MPs for exploit. Add to this the fact that they only require infantry points for replacement and can be brought on at any city in supply at the front once rebuilt and you have the perfect tool for aiding the defense of your other c/m forces. Use them wisely.

Delivering the Blow

Killing lots of Russians while losing few of your feldgrau, white, and blue cardboard cannot be understated. You simply must keep the Soviet juggernaut from developing for as long as possible. To accomplish this you must make good attacks.

The composition of your attacks must be very efficient. How the Germans assemble their units into effective stacks during the first summer campaign may very well determine its outcome. The counter mix within a stack can be crucial in obtaining the +1 or +2 modifiers necessary to achieve your aims.

The order in which attacks are carried out is also a major factor. When resolving combat, coordinate attacks such that the biggest enemy stack is hit last and without a retreat route. Russian cadre-less units die without retreat routes, and the number of units available 'o the Russian with cadres are few in number this early in the game and also very easy to overrun once reduced. When hitting an enemy line, the highest odds attacks should be spaced at least two hexes apart. Advancing into each hex should put ZOC's around the center hexes which can then be attacked at lower odds.

What happens when Russians try to retreat through ZOCs? They die. So high odds are frequently not as important in a series of attacks as the cutting of retreat routes.

AEC is negated against major hex cities; however, almost all units are halved when attacking. So IF there aren't any antitank units in a city, the German may be better off hitting the city primarily with panzer divisions supported by a few infantry divisions, which provide cannon fodder in case of an exchange. A 12-10 halved is two points stronger than an 8-6 infantry division - multiply that by several divisions and your odds may be raised with a tank-heavy assault.

Using engineers against cities, especially if there are NKVD political troops stationed there, is a luxury the Axis usually can not afford. The city will probably be fortified, so the engineers won't be able to cancel a negative modifier entirely anyway. A 7:1 (-2) without engineers is much better than a 4:1 (-1) with them. Why the lower odds when attacking with engineers? To get the engineer proportion of 1/5, a lot of heavy units will have to be excluded from participating in the attack.

If NKVD units are in the city, the probability of an exchange is increased and the German can't afford to take at least half of any exchange losses in engineer regiments, as mandated by the required losses rule. Combat engineers are much better against forts in clear terrain: they negate the fort's modifier and usually attack with better odds than against major cities. A DE result at the higher odds will eliminate the effects of any NKVD.

German Play in 1941 Part One Hints on Playing Fire in the East

Introduction
Panzers and Breakthroughs
Complicating the Red Retreat
The Northern Campaign
The Finnish Theater

German Play in 1941 Part Two Army Group North and the Leningrad Campaign

Army Group North
Clearing the Way
Dash to the Luga
The Parnu Parameter

Germany Play in 1941 Part Three The Final Chapter

Army Group Center
Army Group South
The Rumanian Army