INTRODUCTION

Playing FitE/SE for the first time can be a daunting experience. Even for players who are not overwhelmed by the game's enormity and detail, it is difficult to grasp the dynamics of a system this large. Its sheer size precludes learning the finer points through repeated playings in a short time span-meaning that most new FitE/SE players must usually dedicate months or years to become really good at the game.

This column is aimed at speeding the learning process for those gamers new to FitE/SE, whether or not they have other wargaming experience or even other Europa experience. The discussion of game concepts (strategy and tactics, optimum use of units, how to conduct specific operations, etc.) will give new players the system's basics as well as its nuances, and may even help veterans hone their game.

The idea to present the fruit of my experiences originated as a result of my initial game of FitE/SE as the Soviets. During that game I made a long list of notes under headings like: "things to do differently next game"; "sneaky Axis tricks"; etc., as well as analyses of such topics as the inflow of new Soviet forces. Some observations (like, "Soviet mortar brigades are the vulnerable choke point in the formation of artillery divisions") are based on objective fact, others are subjective based on painful experience gained against one of the better veteran Scorched Earth players. Your personality type will largely determine your style of play; the ideas given here will hopefully provide you with a solid foundation of FitE/SE gaming skills upon which to base your style.

A SOVIET OPERATIONAL DOCTRINE FOR 1941-42

Like all modern, total warfare, the struggle on the Eastern Front is essentially a prolonged battle of attrition. In games between experienced, competent opponents, a long-term view of the situation must be taken. Barring freak weather, very few games should be decided in 1941. (Note: Horror stories of the Axis being "stuffed" on the border, or of the Soviets being annihilated in 1941, are true, but in all the cases I've investigated these contests were between Europa veterans and raw recruits-guess which group won?).

Within certain limits, the following are battle-tested axioms to remember during the first 30 turns (i.e., the first two summers):

The Axis can go anywhere, but it can't go everywhere.
The Axis can kill anything, but it can't kill everything.
The Soviets can't defeat the Axis, but they can defeat themselves.
It is more important to preserve the Red Army than to hold ground.
Time is on the side of the Soviets.

Two historical methods to gain time are available to Soviet players. Against Napoleon, the Russians were able to successfully trade space for time. Against Hitler's more modern armies, the Soviets chose to trade men for time. In game terms, the first of these methods is known as "The Runaway Defense", the second as "The Forward Defense".

The Runaway Defense has the virtue of initially preserving the bulk of the Soviet army, thereby allowing a relatively attrition-free build-up. The biggest drawback to this strategy is that it allows the German army to quickly close on the Leningrad/Valdai/Moscow defenses, where they can force the Soviets into an unfavorable battle of attrition while they defend vital territory. (Note: if a modified version of the Balkan Front administrative movement rule is used, German infantry can march to Kalinin by August 1941. In 1942 it's the German panzers that benefit most from this rule since they will be able to shift fronts and stretch the Soviet defenses to the limit.)

Another drawback to the Runaway is that it is more difficult to conduct a thorough scorched-earth campaign. Further, the German railheads will advance at their maximum rate. And finally, the Germans may reach your intended Main Line of Resistance (MLR) before you have time to prepare it with forts, airfields, and troops to man the forts. At this point, you have no room for errors; any significant mistake could prove disastrous.

The Forward Defense has several appeals: the German railheads might be decisively delayed; the time available for the Germans to assault the MLR in clear weather may be greatly reduced (especially on the vital northern front); the MLR can be fortified in non-clear terrain and supporting airfields built; a complete scorched-earth campaign can be carried out; and a buffer zone exists to compensate for any errors made during this time period (summer 1941).

The main objection to this strategy, and it is a big one, is that it usually subjects the Soviet Army to a enormous attrition rate. If the mud is late arriving in the fall, the Red Army could find itself in a highly dangerous condition; even if it survives, it may lack enough mass to launch a successful winter counteroffensive, and may be so weakened that the Axis is able to give it the coup de grace in 1942.

For all the benefits available from a determined stand in a Forward Defense, the risks are so high that it is probably best not used, especially against an aggressive, skillful Axis commander. What strategy, then, is to be followed? A combination of the above methods, reaping most of the benefits of each while reducing the drawbacks.

Strategy

The Soviets should fight a delaying action, making judicious use of terrain to slow, not stop, the Axis rate of advance. Leave rear-guards in gaps in bad terrain; carefully calculate the maximum initial Axis advance limits, and place an overrun-proof line of c/m units just beyond it (e.g., if the Axis line could advance 10 hexes in the movement phase, place your stop line 12 hexes away to minimize his exploitation). The amount of manpower you spend in this effort should depend on the rate of progress you are making in achieving your other goals; but don't waste more resources on rear-guards than you must.

While the Axis drive east is being delayed, you should be primarily engaged in two tasks: conducting a thorough scorched-earth campaign; and fortifying and manning your MLR.

As in the above case, two schools of thought exist on how the MLR should be manned. One school calls for a double line of units across most (if not all) of the front, each line being just strong enough to be overrun proof. Reserves are usually massed to attack from behind this screen.

The main advantage to this approach is that it is remarkably "blunder proof", providing you man each hex adequately (7 factors in 1941, 8 in 1942). The Axis should never be able find a hole to exploithe'll be forced to grind away along the whole front, one hex at a time.

The drawback is that he will be able to assail the entire front, from the Baltic to the Black Sea, killing a fearful number of factors each turn. And you probably won't have the manpower reserves to sustain this casualty rate throughout the summer of 1942.

The second school believes that, "he who defends everything defends nothing." The aim here is to mass in selected areas, preferably in stacks of 15-20 defense factors per hex in poor terrain, so that the Axis can't routinely attack along the entire line. Typically, the clear terrain in the middle of the board between Tula and Kharkov is left undefended in 1941; the Luga/Valdai/Moscow/Tula line is fortified and heavily manned; and the MLR above the Sea of Azov is somewhat fluid, depending upon the Axis strategy and advance rate in the South. If the Soviets adopt this approach towards defending their MLR, the Axis will have to either make fewer attacks at high odds, or continue to make many attacks but at lower odds, getting fewer DE results and risking more EX and HX results.

In fact, some Soviet players have concluded that this is the preferred way to inflict Axis casualties during the first phase of the game: don't try to kill him, let him kill himself attacking you. They argue that since most of the Red Army units making such attacks will be exposed to immediate Axis retaliation, especially if the attacks fail, the Soviets should expect to lose these units. Even though the CRT seems to favor the attacker, if the Soviets attack at 3:1 or 4:1 and then lose their own forces in Axis counterattacks, they come out behind overall.

Instead, you should keep offensive assets in reserve behind the front and only counterattack to seal breaches in key areas. Otherwise, patiently build-up the Red Army's strength and mass on the MLR. More Axis attacks will then result in DR or even AS, and fewer in DE, reducing the attrition rate and allowing the build-up rate to increase. Axis losses through EX and HX results should generally be welcomed.

Whichever approach you take in your campaign planning, the key principle for Soviet players is patience. Time is on your side. Your forces will grow in quantity and quality as the campaign progresses, and should be quite formidable in 1943. Don't dissipate your resources through premature offensives or fruitless local counterattacks; keep in mind the overall balance of forces and the ebb and flow of the initiative, and take full advantage when the tide finally begins to flow your way.

Above all, don't do your enemy's job for him by killing yourself in attacks born out of frustration or desperation. The Red Army is an amazingly resilient animal, able to absorb a staggering amount of punishment and yet remain a viable force.

Allowed to absorb replacements, reinforcements, lend-lease aid, and factory production; to increase in effectiveness through upgrades and conversions; and to modernize its air force, the Red Army can take the best the Axis has to offer in 1941-42 and not only survive, but prosper. What it can't survive is repeated misuse and abuse by a Stavka that doesn't understand the proper way to employ it.

More East Front

Chapter 1: Advice for Soviet Players
Chapter 2: The Defense of Odessa
Chapter 3: The VVS
Chapter 4: The Transcaucasus Military District
Chapter 5: The Soviet "Other Forces"
Chapter 6: The Soviet Border Armies