A game the size of Scorched Earth will have as many differing strategies of play as there are units. Here's another twist on how the game can be played from the Soviet perspective, acknowledging the impossibility of formulating a perfect plan. Each point raised in this article will have a counterpoint, which is part of what elevates SE above other board games. Presented will be a general overview of Russian abilities, opportunities, and a basis for a sound tactical doctrine. This particular doctrine is based on a strategy of giving ground slowly, and may not be applicable to other types of strategic play, such as the "Run and Hide" concept.

A successful long range strategy in SE requires consistent pursuit of tactical short term objectives in order to achieve a specified Main Strategic Objective (MSO), and one's course of action should lead to this goal. Having tactical objectives that disregard where one wants to be in the Fall or Spring is a strategic mistake. Local tactical objectives might be diversionary bait the enemy has left open or vulnerable. (Diversionary pitfalls are generally more of a problem for the German early in the game. Later in the war diversions take on a different character.)

MSO's for the two sides differ greatly in 1941. For the German, MSO's include capture of cities, destruction of enemy units, rail conversion, and seizure of various locales such as the VaIdai Hills. In order for the German to achieve his MSO's the first summer he must adhere to a very tight time schedule. Time and space are the biggest problems the Germans have to overcome, and these increase with the headaches of supply and winter. The Russian can tailor his MSO's around these German handicaps. Understanding what the German has to do in order to win is as important for the Russian as deciding where he will defend. Thus key Russian MSO's are railroad, airbase and port destruction, plus disrupting German infantry advancement. After the German reaches the interior Russian stop lines, the Soviets may switch from scorched earth tactics to harassing the flanks of German spearheads. However, never forget that in 1941 the foremost Russian MSO is survival!

On day four of the campaign in Russia von Manstein reached the city of Dvinsk (Daugavpils). The city was in flames due to Russian units exercising a scorched earth policy during the first week of the war. The Russian player should echo this historical precedent in the game starting on the very first turn. Blowing up everything in sight will have an impact on where the German stands when the snow flies. Scorched earth is a detailed plan of destruction and delay, the price coming in units lost accomplishing the deed. Consider a cavalry division that blows three rail hexes while cutting across the path of the advancing Wehrmacht, thereby denying administrative movement to masses of infantry, and finally ending in a position that puts a ZOC on several enemy stacks. Accomplishing all three of the above: rail destruction, ownership of territory, and ZOC impediment is worth the loss of the unit, even if isolated. Weighin g the loss of a unit which can accomplish only a third of the above becomes a tactical decision, one that will have to be made every turn.

The decision will be based on how fast the enemy is advancing and how much has already been destroyed, or if enemy units will be put out of supply. Other conditions for sending units to their death arise from these questions: What can the German hit this turn and are you ready for the attack? Will one more turn be enough to get reserves into position if the unit screens the line? Will advancing enemy infantry have previous ownership of hexes that will allow administrative movement to within striking distance in their next turn? If things are too bad, the line should be abandoned and a screen left to cover the retreat.

Isolated Russian units on the first two turns should advance west, impeding infantry, destroying railroads and airbase capacity, regaining ownership of territory, and if possible compromising Axis supply. Moving isolated units west toward the German rear forces the enemy to turn around to exterminate them. Also note that dispersing units in suitable terrain will make them harder to kill than if they remain in a single big stack.

Rail conversion is a German MSO and to reduce attainment of an enemy MSO is a victory for you! Figure it out: six FIR engineers at a maximum of 4 hexes per turn for 7 turns equals 168 converted rail hexes as a theoretical maximum. What the Russian has to do is reduce that 168 to much less. Use tactical air power to blow rafl lines in front of FIR engineers and put harassment hits on hexes the engineers are going to convert. If partisans are avaflable, German security will be required to clear the way. German units cannot end their move on a partisan, and if the partisan is sitting on the last hex to be converted it will cut into the 168 hex maximum, especially if a rietermined partisan campaign is waged against all six FIR engineers. Even when using Rule 33C, the vicinity of the RR engineers is usually the most fruitful area for attempted rail breaks. Long range harassment bombing of other engineers is also effective to slow repair. And in the south the Russian has plenty of space to withdraw into, so blowing rail lines east of Kiev can slow German rail conversion when he breaches the Dnepr river.

Bitter Pill

A bitter pill the Russian must learn to swallow is the requirement to hold hexes directly adjacent to Odessa and Kiev to prevent the German from bringing full force to bear against those cities (i.e., fewer hexes to attack from). Avery pleasing change in the rules allows new units to exceed stacking limits during the initial phase, aiding the defender to retake any adjacent hexes the enemy fails to occupy. Sometimes reoccupying such a hex will even put the city back in supply. Possession of Kiev and Odessa creates a bottleneck for Axis rail conversion and blocks administrative movement corridors for infantry. Be sure to blow the bridges across the Dnepr (if the German wants to play without using the bridge and partisan optional rules, he had better be willing to make concessions in other areas).

Riga, Daugavpils, Kaunas, Wilno and maybe Minsk can all fall on the first turn of the game. Here are more high speed corridors for Axis infantry to advance administratively through. Block them if at all possible! The Germans need infantry and artillery to break your second line of defense; therefore, delay and destruction becomes MSO's for the Russian. Putting antitank units in these cities is a good way of forcing the German to bypass with his panzers; this leaves infantry to assault the city, thereby slowing them down further. This delay is important to sectors like Narva and the Luga river line - in the north the Russian has to gain time. If successful in interdicting supply, retaining ownership of territory, and tearing up rail lines, it may take an extra turn for the German infantry to catch up. They will be needed to storm the defenses, so slowing them up a turn leaves the panzers flapping in the breeze. So while rear guards delay, concentrate on destroying as many of the narrow gauge rail hexes in the Baltic States as possible. Also be aware the road from Pskov to Dno is a prime candidate for upgrade to railroad status for the German. Here's another reason to destroy the Baltic rail net - give the enemy engineers something to do in the north besides assisting the RR engineers and building forward airfields for the Luftwaffe.

Now that river flotillas are no longer the super units they were in EAE, they are more expendable. One naval repair point rebuilds a flotilla, plus they are only good for about 7 months of use each year. In the north the flotillas can carry amphibious forces to cut supply and generally be a pain in the 18th Army's behind. Lake Peipus is very seldom garrisoned properly; some Germans even fail to gain ownership of the west bank hexes. Also the river through Tartu reaches far into the German rear. Opportunities abound here; take advantage of the weak logistic tail of the Wehrmacht. Harassing the German timetable makes the loss of a flotilla and a few good men a reasonable price if a strategic gain is realized.

To summarize briefly: reducing the high speed corridors available for infantry to move at double speed and not allowing maximum rail conversion will see the enemy infantry left far behind the panzers.

Panzers

Attacking the panzers directly will not upset the German timetable; however, continually hitting German infantry will. The number of infantry divisions the German lets you attack before turning the panzers against you depends on nerve; this is one way to relieve the pressure the panzers are putting on a crucial sector. Another is to strike their logistics tail.

Putting the panzers out of supply is a very effective way of slowing up the German. The panzers are too valuable to risk in low odds attacks, so putting them out of supply can greatly reduce their tactical advantage for a turn. What's one turn? The German has 6 or 7 turns of good weather in 1941 to accomplish his MSO's, so reducing the effectiveness of a panzer corps for one turn can be decisive. Therefore, analyze where the German is converting railroads. Chances are that by late August defense of some of these lines might be stretched pretty thin. The quickest way to relieve the pressure of a strong panzer army is to cut its supply route; always be ready to exploit such an opportunity should it arise.

German Panzers have the ability to retreat through enemy ZOC's into a hex occupied by friendly units. Most competent German players will move panzer formations such that leading elements will have just such a hex to withdraw to. The 0-1-10 It. flak and 1 - 10 AT battalions are good units for this tactic when placed in non-overrunable, non-attackable rear hexes. The Russian should attack these little units whenever possible. As the panzers drive further east these screening troops become harder to replace. Many a panzer driver will extend his panzer division while trying to breach a line and rely on these little guys to cover the supply line to the rear or keep a retreat route open. So take these troops out; eventually the panzers will be exposed to attacks without retreat routes. There is quite a bit of controversy over the ahistorical use of ant troops swarming behind enemy lines solely to destroy railroads. Well, let them; just be sure they are eliminated while isolated. Don't overrun these swarming railbreakers. Units eliminated while isolated yield no special replacements, and taken in the context of a long game, this removes over time the abuses of players who constantly send troops on suicide missions.

A consistent strategy of attacking infantry will continually dilute the German main effort. German infantry should always be attacked; a stack with engineers and artillery is an absolute priority target. The German simply cannot replace large losses in artillery and infantry; he can replace armor at the expense of infantry, but not both. When the Russian concentrates on attacking infantry using combined arms tactics, he can generally save his own tanks by advancing his infantry and leaving the tanks in place. This will screen the tanks for withdrawal the next turn. And if rescuing the beleaguered German infantry compels the panzers to come after the assaulting units, the German will hav(.*, been diverted from his very tight time schedule. It the German has to react too many times to what you are doing, it will be impossible for him to achieve his MSO. If the Russian is picking away at the flanks, the German will have to turn north or south to get at the attackers, and that's = moving east. If the German is reacting to what you are doing, the result will be reduction of pressure at crucial sectors of the line.

Proper dispersal of units along the front, and understanding when the balance of power has shifted are key ingredients for Soviet success. Similarly, it is critical for the German to know when the balance has shifted away from him to avoid a Stalingrad. During the first winter, the Russian comes out in force trying to achieve tactical objectives, marking the first time in the war that local balance of power will shift away from the German. Picking the proper objective for the Russian winter offensive is key. The objective must be something the German will stand and fight for, otherwise he will simply fall back. A diversionary offensive should precede the real one, such as attacking a critical supply junction to draw reserves the German may have in the area. Remember that the German will have very few lateral (north/south) rail lines converted during this period of the war to shift reserves. The Russian also has to consider where his offensive will leave him in the spring, will the position be a salient just waiting to be encircled, or a trap for an unwary German?

Until winter the German chooses where the main effort will be, via moving panzers toward tactical objectives. The Russian counter to local German superiority is to attack with armor where the enemy is weak. Save the tank divisions to attack in conjunction with artillery, infantry, and assault bombers. The German will usually counterattack the softer infantry and try to bag the armor; however, the pocket will tie up the panzers and may expose them to counterattack. At the very least, they will be tied up for another turn eliminating the pocket, unable to move East. And if the panzers attack the tanks directly, it will usually be with a negative modifier to the die roll.

A good way to attack panzers is with infantry, artillery, and 1/7th AECA (a net -1 modifier) especially when the panzers have no retreat route open. The infantry advances while the armor stands with the artillery, able to withdraw on the following turn. Don't advance your artillery or unnecessarily waste them as their replacement rate is not sufficient to replace heavy losses. A look at the conversion chart reveals that a number of artillery units will be needed to assemble the artillery divisions later in the war, so recognize early which artillery units aM expendable.

When the Russian concentrates against the panzers, the number of attacks made that turn will fall off sharply. The massive number of troops necessary to kill the Panzers or simply require them to retreat will be out of proportion to what is gained, which is a hex. But, when Russian tanks with supporting units hit the extended flanks full of infantry, the total number of attacks will increase due to lower odds required for success. Attacking and killing several stacks of infantry with artillery will have more effect than one successful attack against a single stack of panzers. When attacking infantry, odds as low as 1:1 or 1.51 are sufficient because of the plus modifier for AECA. A war of attrition can't be won if your targets are a few panzer divisions.

Russian offensives in '41 develop slowly; the first attack will be with what is at hand. If the German fails to react, it's safe to commit a few more troops. After the third turn if the German still hasn't reacted, the Russian offensive may begin to take the shape of a major attack. Initiate a lot of probing attacks to see where the German is sensitive.

Meeting the panzers head-on allows the German the opportunity to destroy your assault units while continuing on a predetermined axis of advance, with flanks secured because your best assault units in the area have just been bagged. The panzer spearhead is still going in the same direction with as much force as it started with. Forcing the spearhead to dilute its strength by securing it's flanks will reduce the impact of the spearhead on its chosen axis of advance. Picture the fort line that has just been breached by a panzer corps: the corps advances and exploits behind the shoulders of the gap. The Russian can concentrate his assault units against the panzer corps to contain the breach. Or, he can use the assault units to strike the panzerless Axis infantry outside the fort line, thereby threatening the supply route the panzers are using. Contain the panzer corps with a double screen of nonoverrunable units laced with antitank. Even it a trick is brought in with the corps, the panzers will be forced to turn around to secure their supply route. It takes nerve to ignore an Axis breakthrough, but hitting it head-on will only slow it down. Nailing the flanks and the supply route may turn it around. The next time the German assaults your fort line he might just keep a reserve panzer corps outside the breach to ensure his supply route. This reduces the number of units available for exploitation when he does try to break the next line.

Leningrad

Securing Leningrad in 1941 is a critical Russian MSO. After the spring of 1942, the importance of the city is reduced. The German 1942 MSO, if successful, can decisively shift the balance of power in his favor for the rest of the game. The fact that the German cannot win in 1941 is obvious to anyone who has played FITE/SE. Most German players are well versed in what went wrong for the Wehrmacht in 1941. Historically the German High Command didn't realize a single MSO in 1941, nor understand fully why they had failed. Therefore they led their army down the same path the following summer. The Germans need to secure Leningrad the first summer, or not at all. The city has to fall or be isolated before taking Moscow. If the German picks Leningrad for his second campaign, it will be too late. There isn't anywhere to go after Leningrad falls, and the Finns become useless. Plus, it will take too long into the summer for the German to shift forces for an advance on Moscow. Unless, of course, the MSO for 1942 is simply Leningrad and the German believes that he can take Moscow in 1943. This wpuld be a mistake, because in 1943 the only way the German can beat the Russian in tactical play is in fluid battles, not frontal battles of attrition, a la Kursk. In 1943, the pendulum begins to swing away from the Germans - decisively!

In order for the Russian to hold Leningrad in 1941 he will have to severely check the Finns in order to upgrade the Petrozavodsk road to a rail line. The Russian will need to use what little rail cap he has on the first turn to rail in as many units as possible. Fortifying the road south of Lake Ilmen is also of paramount importance; next, build forts to the south and east. Leave the factory in Leningrad, even if the city becomes isolated; there are major advantages when disbanding occurs. If the German is willing to assault the city before isolating it, a lot of feldgrau troops will be lost in the process, never taking the city. Keeping the city from being flanked will require securing the Leningrad-Moscow rail or securing the Petrozavodsk road and upgrading it to a railroad, especially if the VaIdai is lost. Sending Russian armor up here is ineffective due to the terrain. Plenty of cavalry and artillery with a lot of defensive tactical ground support will make the area expensive to take.

Using Leningrad airfields alone won't be enough frontline air capacity, and the Russian simply can't afford to build permanent fields, so build plenty of temporary bases with your construction regiments. After the initial 40 resource points are used, the Soviets need to keep about 15 construction units engaged.in fort construction and railroad upgrade. The rest should be used to build temporary airfields. The far side of the many lakes which litter the map make great airbase locations. The Sea of Azov, Lake Ilmen and Lake Peipus are just a few of the areas where aircraft can be based fairly close to the line and still be safe from overrun. Defensive air support is one of the best missions to fly in the game, and for the Russian to play without it is like playing with a third less defensive combat factors.

The German can't simply roll into Russia and hope to win without taking her cities, which means just taking Leningrad won't be enough. The German will also need to take control of as many cities in the south as possible. Taking Voronezh in 1941 will do as much for the German as taking Leningrad, if he can hold it. Total rail capacity and infantry replacements are decreased if the German can take all Soviet cities from Voronezh to Rostov. The Germans took Rostov historically, and it is definitely possible in a. However, the Axis advance must include several axes of advance. A single major thrust is too easy to stop; even two concentric advances can be diverted. But four or five mutually supporting advances are very difficult to stop. Therefore, the Russian just can't give up the south or the center. Proper allocation of reserves along the front will prevent the Germans from a single thrust because of their vulnerable, long flanks.

The order of battle shows a number of units that enter the replacement pool. When the disband rule is property used, many of these units can come into play. Use the motorized cadres to destroy rail hexes, airfields, and bridges. Do not use them for attacks or put them in jeopardy. On July 11, disband as many of the troops as possible; the 2-1-8 tank brigades can exploit after combat or if adjacent to an enemy unit, which makes these units much more effective than the cadres. Disbanding a single 4-2-8 cadre yields 2 x 2-1-8 tank brigades which can be used to add 1/7th ATEC or AECD. Disbanding one RE for two RE's is a good deal. The militia should begin disbanding as soon as possible for replacement as 3-6 rifle divisions. The added infantry replacement point is the major reason, plus you get added mobility.

The last topic I will address is the use of diversionary bait. The German may tempt you to attack a weak point in his line, while staging powerful mobile reserves nearby. Beware! However, it will be the Russian who has the best opportunities to manipulate the attacking German into traps. As any panzer jockey knows, the quickest way east will usually also be the route least critical to the Russkies. Many times the Russian is simply too weak to defend everything. Therein lies opportunities to draw the German into avenues which eventually mire into stalled offensives. An example would be to leave a gap in the line between Orsha and Mogilev. From Mogilev south is fairly open tank terrain, while the Vitebsk, Orsha, and Smolensk triangle is defendable for a turn or two. Letting the panzers cross the upper Dnepr River between Orsha and Mogilev doesn't give up anything important and leaves the panzers with a questionable supply route. In 1941, the German will almost never have two waves of armor, so if the first wave goes helter-skelter without regard for its lines of communication it may find itself in a severe bind. A good Russian player must be very much aware of what the German can do. Tricking him into doing more than he should can be to your advantage, comrade.