In RB the initiative and momentum are squarely in the hands of the German player. Coordinated, combined arms attacks are the call of the day. They can absolutely devastate Russian positions especially early in the game when the Russians are spread thinly over the board. The German player must avoid at all costs a head-on battle of attrition. It's meeting the Russian on his terms and doesn't take advantage of the German mobility, initiative, and the striking power of the combined arms.
Attrition will kill the German in RB. Maneuver will win the game. The German enjoys a tremendous qualitative advantage, and can purchase inexpensive, effective armor as well. The T-70 is more expensive than a PzIIIH--while the PzIIIH is wildly more effe ctive. German leadership is more plentiful and more effective than Russian, and gives the German force extra staying power. The Germans have better, more effective and more plentiful support weapons than the Russians as well, not to mention Stukas, and superior smoke capabilities.
The Armored Blitz is an option available on Turn 1 of CGI or CGIII, and again on 23 October. Basically, the German player purchases a platoon of tanks (preferablly StuGs), and a platoon of halftracks, or two platoons of tanks (PzKwIIIs and IVs) and one o f halftracks. The tanks are used to punch a hole through the Russian defenses in the open terrain of the NE corner. As soon as a breach develops, the halftracks go through loaded for bear (4 SPW with 6 squads, and 4 crews with the LMG off the SPWs) and have them capture every strategic location they can. Since the Russians can't defend in depth on day 1, the blitz has a high chance of success against the standard Russian CPP purchases.
On following days the German consolidates his gains with infantry purchases, knowing that the Russian may have to use a valuable attack chit in an effort to regain territory. The Russian, with 8CPPs, has few options: purchase ATGs or INFs on Day 1, and be susceptible to an infantry attack, or purchase infantry and be susceptible to the blitz. Note that the Russian player has few anti-tank weapons available on day 1 (2x ATR, 2x 45LL ATG), and well-placed smoke rounds from pre-registered OBA or StuGs may neutralize the guns.
If the Russian expects the blitz, then 3 trenches in hexes V5, X5 and Y3 along with an A-T ditch in W6 may hinder the penetrations. The cost is 42 FPP, not cheap. Or seal off the whole board by adding trenches at F7, E9, D10, and C12 - still without spe nding CPP. But the Russian then has little left for dummies, and the soon-to-be-captured trenches give the Germans good terrain. Don't forget that all entrenchments are placed on map. (This is one of the advantages of using roadblocks; the disadvantage being that roadblocks can be cleared during play.)
This is the standard German strategy in RB. The Sturm company hoofs it onboard under cover of smoke from preregistered OBA. Kill stacks take on the Russians in the NE corner with a feint in the NW corner or vice versa. The assault must carry over open ground so smoke and armor are crucial to crossing the terrain. In this strategy the goal is to kill as many Russian squads as possible, as early as possible. Try to achieve a kill ratio of 2:1 or better. Disrupt the Russian defensive positions through coordinated assaults. Each time the Russians retreat they will have to invest CPP into home improvements. These are CPP not spent on infantry. This can be really wasteful if forced back every day.
The Armored Blitz is a risky but fascinating strategy. Risky because the tanks may suffer recall on day 2, and because it's like putting all of your eggs in one basket for a 13 or 30 day CG. The Hybrid Strategy gives the German more leeway in the attack . For this strategy, the player purchases 1-2 tank platoons, Stukas, OBA, 81mm MTR, and uses the remainder to purchase either halftracks or additional infantry. The infantry probes the defenses for weaknesses with the AFVs giving support and breaking th rough where possible. The halftracks carry forward but only in a limited drive to kill as many Russian squads as possible. Note that the German player doesn't have to enter his entire force. If the blitz routes are closed, save the SPW for later and atta ck in the NW corner.
German kill stacks are a necessity early on, but after the strongpoints have been broken, spread out to avoid the effects of OBA. The German usually accumulates enough MG that a multi-location firegroup is possible (giving away the -1 or -2 leadership mo difier). However, there are also times (within the factory, for example) when you'd rather be in a stack than spread out. While OBA is a concern, so is the sniper, and a -2 leader needs that stack to protect him from the sniper.
A good rule of thumb is to never (rarely) stack more squads with a leader than the leader's negative modifier. Thus, 2 squads with a 9-2 leader. As long as the kill stack's leader doesn't break it's great. But once the leader breaks or becomes wounded, then the stack will generally fall apart.
Concentrate on killing as many Russian squads as possible. Use those high FP kill stacks. Remember, too, that the German has more range with his MGs than the Russian.
OBA is a good purchase. At 2 CPP, you won't find a RG that gives you more firepower and flexibility than Battalion Mortar. Off-Board Observers and Pre-registered hexes are nice extras. On Day 1, the German will almost always attack on two axes--the right and the left. Having the OBA you bring down on turn one as smoke is a great way to eliminate Russian DF options. Smoke will undoubtedly help you on the first day, and remember you can call for an FFE on turn 1 with a pre-registered hex. The greatest pro blem with OBA is, unlike Armor and Infantry, it doesn't help your ELR situation when it becomes critical.
To break resistance in most areas, however, you will need heavier OBA, and the price escalates rapidly with caliber. The exception is Rocket OBA, which yields a good attack at a low cost. Always buy a pre-registered hex with ROBA. You only get one fire mi ssion, but it covers a large area, and can be enough to breach the Russian line.
Don't underestimate the effect of an attack day where you buy nothing but OBA, sit back and hammer the Russian position--you can still win on CVP and the only way the Russian will win is by coming after you! This is an interesting strategy as it may buy time enough to reorganize for a major assault.
German OBA is much more expensive than Russian OBA for a similar HE payload on a per module basis. The German has a couple of advantages, though. German OBA has normal or plentiful ammunition on a modified DR of <= 8, with plentiful ammo on a mod ified DR <= 4. The Russian has scarce ammo on a final DR of >= 8. This seemingly small difference is actually quite large since the Russian does not usually have negative modifiers while the German often does. The German can expect 1-2 missions more pe r day with his draw pile than the Russian can expect, which reduces the cost per mission.
The German also has two options the Soviet player does not. First, the German player can buy an off-board observer for 1 CPP. An off-board observer always maintains battery contact, and he never breaks. He may be located in any map edge hex between N0 and AA45 provided that hex is German controlled at scenario start. The observer is treated as being at level three, but note that most of the map is level 1. The only disadvantage of the off-board observer is he can never adequately see the eastern half of the map.
Another option available to the German is the spotter plane. An observer in a spotter plane can move to any map-edge hex and trace a LOS to any hex subject to normal ariel rules. The spotter must make a sighting TC, but at least if the SR is on- map he can see it. The spotter plane is subject to weather restrictions and to directing only 100+mm or 150+mm OBA modules excluding rocket OBA. It's rare to see the spotter plane used. I suspect that between the contact DRs, sighting TCs and blind hex es, the spotter plane is risky for directing such an expensive asset. For certain cases though, such as a large assault from the east, it may prove useful despite the risks.
Not every OBA mission must use HE (EXC: 150+mm module). 80+mm and 100+mm OBA may fire smoke missions to cover the attack's avenue of approach. Also, barrages (HE or smoke) are availabe if that module has a pre-registered hex. The only requirement is th e barrage must be aligned on a hexgrain running north-to-south (i.e. all barrage hexes are on the same letter hexrow with the PR hex in the center of the nine hex wide FFE.) Smoke is often used to neutralize Russian strongpoints while the German infantry closes in or bypasses it. Rolling barrages are not available in Red Barricades. Don't forget harassing fire either. While harassing fire may not cause great casualties, it can hinder the Russian from shifting his forces to stop a German attack. Plus, any critical hit is still resolved as double the normal FP.
The primary disadvantage for the German regarding all OBA is its relative cost. 80mm battallion mortar OBA costs 2 CPP. 100mm OBA costs 4 CPP and 150mm OBA costs 6 CPP. Pre-registered hexes and other options add to this cost. Only Nebelwerfer roc ket OBA is relatively cheap at 2 CPP, but it lasts for only one mission and cannot be corrected. Thus, a pre-registered hex is usually considered a must with rocket OBA. What the German pays in extra cost must be offset by gaining an increased number of missions with minimum time spent with Spotting Rounds. Thus, the additional cost of a well located off-board observer and/or pre-registered hex may make the module much more effective than a similar Russian module especially in a 6-7 turn scenario where the second red chit is never drawn. For large caliber OBA, at least one PR hex is cost effective. Even if the first mission is taken as an immediate FFE requiring an extra chit draw, the German should attempt it in order to maximize his number of missi ons. 70% of the time, he will get the needed black chit too.
The German also has a much better radio than the Russian, so his observers are not necessarily forced to use field phones. Once the German player controls some level 2 buildings with dominant LOS', field phones will be used most often. Field phones are more reliable than a radio and the OBA observer is generally static in Red Barricades scenarios. However, in some circumstances a leader with a radio may be more useful. The radio option should be kept in mind, particularly if the German player breaks t hrough the Russian lines.
80mm battallion mortar OBA is essential if the Russian launches a night assault. For this reason, the German may want to take a module of 80mm battallion mortar OBA anytime he plans to go IDLE, just in case the Russian takes an attack chit. This techniq ue will be essential if the German player doesn't have 81* MTRs in his order of battle. (They are capable of firing IR too.)
At night the observer can place an Illuminating Round (IR) any multiple of 6 hexes away from his location even though he does not have a LOS to that point. If he has a LOS to an enemy unit or a gunflash, then he may position the IR anywhere along the LOS to the enemy unit / gunflash. For purposes of firing an IR, the chit draw is made but it is shuffled back into the draw pile after the mission is completed. Presumably, if a FFE were fired its chit would be permanently removed.
In conclusion, the higher cost of the German OBA is mostly offset by the higher number of expected missions per module. The German does have a wide variety of options to use to maximize his OBA effectiveness, such as HE, or smoke, barrage or normal FFE or harassing fire, radio or phone, PR hexes, off-board observers and spotter planes. By carefully choosing which of these to employ during any scenario, OBA should be effective in opening the Russian defense to exploitation by the German landsers and inflicting Russian casualties. The only decision the German must make is when to buy OBA versus some other necessary asset.
Air support, in the form of Stukas, is perhaps the best bargain of the CG. At 1 CPP, no other RG (including OBA) gives you a longer arm, or is more invulnerable to Russian counter measures. A player must, if possible, take every Stuka RG available to him during a CG. The Russian can only pray for rain.
Stukas essentially halt Russian movement. Your opponent must face either the necessity of purchasing RG on map or recognize that Stukas will hold up the RG on it's way to the line. They are HUGELY successful at this. For one, the Russian loses the ability to stack move his reinforcing company--robbing him of leadership bonus to the vast majority of his units and forcing units to lug heavy support weapons at a snail's pace. Remember Stukas pin target units when making a point attack. Further, the ability t o lay 2FP residual in four straight hexes with a strafing attack is a nice impediment to movement. The bombs are a nice deterent to the purchase of armored units as well.
Stukas are virtually untouchable. For HMGs or MMGs to fire AA, they must be setup outside a building, a risky venture for the Russian.
Stukas require a little patience to use effectively. Don't just jump on the first squad moving in the open, there are often bigger fish to fry. Another use for Stukas is to strafe factory rooftops for HIP OBA spotters at 2 FP (+0). Sighting TC may inte rfere with this though, but generally a known unit can be worked into the strafing run.
Stuka Advantages:
On idle days take infantry in reserve. Reserve restrictions are little more restrictive than No Move restrictions, should the Russian make a night attack. Saving CPP is a huge advantage for the German, as the German has a much better idea of when idle day s are coming than the Russian. However, be very careful about taking too many idle days.
ELR is a concern, but not an overriding factor. Taking an idle day before you have dropped at least one level of ELR serves no purpose, unless you've taken infantry losses you can only replace by taking an extra day. "Breathers" help the Russian much more than they help the German. Note, too, that ELR modifiers can and should be manipulated through purchases of low-cost armor and timely purchase of elite units.
Use your Armor. The PzKwIIIH is a tremendous bargain, at 3CPP. They are fantastic units for creating encirclements and destroying Russian strongpoints.
Use your armor with skill. But, don't give the Russian opportunities for an easy street fighting kill. Be aggressive, not foolish. Units can be locked up by a bypassing tank, allowing a half squad to waltz up (What do you expect Germans to do? Foxtrot up?) and place a demolition charge on the now-helpless unit. Tanks also cut route paths and provide mobile MG platforms for the attack.
Do this exercise: Buy a platoon of PzIIIH's, and resolve that you will lose them by the end of the day. Don't be foolhardy, just plain, old fashioned downright agressive. Drive them into the factories. Lock units in bypass. On the other hand, you mig ht try buying 100MM OBA and blowing up the offending T-34s! However, vehicles do not take stone locations--only infantry can do that.
To kill the T-34's, you'll need to purchase the PzIIIL, PzIVF2, and/or StuGIIIG. The PzIVF1 is an excellent value with 8MG factors, the powerful punch of the 75* (plus almost unlimited smoke, HEAT, and a good enough AT capability to kill T-70s). But to kill the T-34, you want that 75L gun. The F2 has the sweet MG, but the StuG has the low profile--always remember to cover the Stugs with a LMG, 467 stack (at least). If the T-34's have to worry about the 75L, they'll let the PzIIIJ/L slip past--and the J/L has plenty of punch to do kill them, especially from the side and rear.
Guns are generally a bad buy for the Germans. Why? Because they can't maneuver! Indeed, guns are virtually the same CPP cost at the tanks, yet they static! Nonetheless, there are times when the German will want to add punch to a strongpoint, or give a dded smoke-making ability to the troops. (Use MTR, INF, and ART for SMOKE.).
Guns also have a couple of advantages over AFVs. They can't be Recalled during the RePh. If in the proper terrain, they can set up HIP at the start of the day. They often have higher ROF than tanks. Their special ammo includes Smoke, and Heat, both of which can be effective in dealing with enemy tanks. Most guns can fire IR. Guns can also be notoriously difficult to attack with armor. The utility to the German player may be limited, but there will be opportunities to effectively deploy them.
German guns need broad fields of fire to be most effective. A LOS down a long city street can provide sighting for Smoke. Or a LOS into a series of critical factory hexes may ensure lots of action for the cannon. But don't forget that Conditional ROF, and doubled penalties apply to covered arc changes in building/factory hexes.
Other Tactical Tips for the German
To avoid Russian OBA, don't stack.
Use Smoke, AFVs, or VBM Freeze to cross open streets.
Reduce strong points with concerted, coordinated effort. VBM freeze can work well to neutralize a strongpoint, but Smoke can be just as or even more effective.
Avoid CC. The Russian has much more to gain. Sewer movement can be a painful reminder that CC is dangerous to the German.
Study the terrain to determine which buildings dominate a sector. Height advantage from the Chemist Shop, and Commissar's House can be devastating.
Use the 10/23/42 campaign date to your advantage.