FACTORIES ON FIRE I: Another Look at The Red Barricades

Russian leaders are valuable. They're far more valuable rallying squads than leading kill stacks. As a general rule of thumb leaders should only direct fire if they have -2 or better modifier. Don't waste leaders by taking them into CC or by getting them killed or broken in combat. Use them to keep the squads rallied and fighting, and to get those buildings burning when necessary.

Defend the perimeter. Be sure you can defend your perimeter before buying Reserve companies. The perimeter is more important than saving a few CPP early in the CG. Ideally the Russian will have 1 squad per hex of frontage, but 1 squad per 2 hexes is practical early in the game. The German needs local superiority at the point of attack (at least 1.5:1). The German will not break through with equal numbers. However, the Russian can counterattack elsewhere if the German thins his static lines too much. One squad per 2 hexes does not allow for much depth. Most of the depth comes from MG nests behind the lines. 1 squad per hex does allow for good depth with maybe 40% in the front hex or two and the rest behind that line. Avoid concentrating troops too much for a well placed OBA FFE can smash the defenses. Yet, in some areas you'll have to bunche up to keep the Germans from breaking through. For example, the Northern Foundary Hall is only two hexes wide so to defend it requires units to concentrate. By buying on-map companies along with two modules of OBA, you reduce the risk of an early German breakthrough. By preventing a German breakthrough, you prevent your squads from being committed piecemeal to the German attack. You also pressure the German into buying more expensive infantry instead of the other nifty reinforcement groups (AFVs, OBA, Stukas & guns).

Counterattack as the defender. One of the most important lessons to learn in ASL is when to counterattack and how to plan for it. (Many thanks to Brian Youse for his series replay in the last annual, where he discusses counter- attacking as the defender. [NB: But be wary, Brian lost in part to his counterattack. -jds]) As the defender, you don't have to sit back and just defend. Be aggressive sometimes and the Germans will be kept off guard. If the German overextends himself, then rip that area apart with a local counterattack. If the German is strong in one area, try to neutralize that area by counterattacking in a weakly held area. The German must also defend his perimeter even though he may have better long range FP, the Russian should have the numbers! Punch a hole in the lines and watch how fast the German moves units to close it up. These units are taken away from where there most wanted. If the German still has off-map reinforcements, make him commit them into the threatened area. Make him reinforce failure instead of success. (Or else he'll watch you recapture some serious killing grounds.) Expect some factories to change hands 8- 10 times if you counterattack.

Maintain local reserves. These reserves should be located behind each sector of the perimeter, and they should contain a leader and 2-3 squads ready to commit to any German breakthrough. They should be far enough behind (5-8 MF) the lines to be out of LOS from likely German kill stacks and OBA observers. SW are useful, but not essential for these squads. Use 527s or 628s if the expected combat range will be two hexes or less. Otherwise use 447s, or 458s. Do not use 426s as local reserves; they cannot support an active defense. The leader should be at least an 8-1 or a commissar. There will generally be units for the leader to rally so keep the better leaders ready to bring in the reinforcements. Local reserves are a must on Day 1 simply because the lines are thinly extended. Don't underestimate their importance.

Keep the heavy support weapons back. They should be far enough behind the lines to prevent their loss if their manning squad breaks or is eliminated. Resist the urge to put them 2-3 hexes behind the front lines in a fortified location. The SW will either be lost or the Russian will spend an inordinate amount of time and effort to retain it. Captured German MMG are ideal for a frontline defense because squads can rout with them!

Learn when to pull back Concede territory to avoid having your rout paths cut. Delay is fatal, but early withdrawal can be, too. Squads, leaders and SW are quickly lost when they are unable to rout or are trapped in areas from which they cannot fall back. Routing to an upper level only delays the inevitable loss, and generally does not buy extra time.

Be ruthless with fire. Torch buildings on the day you expect them to fall or earlier if those locations will be entirely behind your lines. Deny their use to the Germans. Blazes are a fool-proof barrier that neither side may penetrate. The key buildings to burn are the Northern Manufacturing Hall (O6), buildings B12, B17, B23 and X9. Use molotovs in these buildings instead of SW. Molotovs will cause a flame one third of the time in either the user's location or the enemy's location. Make those entering German units spend the extra MFs to cross rubble or risk taking the low TEM routes around the burning buildings. If the buildings are left standing, the Russian will pay a high price later to upper level German kill stacks with LOS over rubble or hindrances.

Russian squads should seek close combat of 1:1 odds or better unless CX. Russian squads are stealthy if first line or elite. This is a significant advantage in CC (-1 ambush dr). Even concealed militia have a net -1 drm for ambush (- 2 concealed, +1 inexperienced). Don't forget, an even trade in CC is a Russian win. As per Brian Youse's rule-of-thumb, the Russian should initiate 10-15 CCs per campaign day. CC is the easiest way for the Russians to kill German squads and AFVs. Russian squads are much cheaper to replace than the expensive sturm squads, and 628s and 527s rule against 467s and 548s.

Concentrate on killing the German's best leaders and any unsupported armor. Use Russian HMG or MMG kill stacks; they pack a strong punch. They're the only reason to risk leaders under enemy fire. Your 9-2 leaders will tend to have rather short lives as a result, but the payoff may far exceed their loss. Remember, too, that the German has more range with his MGs than the Russian. Either put your kill stack within normal range (typically 10 hexes) of the German expected setup locations or else keep them more than 16 hexes away. Avoid putting your heavy weapons either 11-12 hexes away (when the German inherent FP is still within long range but your inherent FP is not) or 13-16 hexes (when his HMGs are at normal range but yours are not). Keep the firepower exchange as close to even as possible. Putting a 16FP stack up against a 24FP stack is a losing proposition. The Russian cannot afford for the German to have several well-led and well-positioned kill stacks. Learn to guess where the German kill stacks are likely to start and position the HMGs and MMGs to nail those locations. One trick is to give Russian kill stacks HIP, and thus give them two consecutive attacks (DFPh and next PFPh) before taking a return attack.

Lesser support weapons are useful. Don't discount their utility. As the campaign progresses, the Russian will have an abundance of 50mm MTRs. This mortar has a 20 hex range, so use it to advantage. Give a single 447 or 527 two mortars and set it up on a 2.5 level rooftop well behind the front lines (and preferably out of the 13 hex range of the German 50mm MTRs.) First exhaust the ROF of one mortar then switch to the other mortar. Don't worry about losing acquisition. The high ROF means there will be plenty of shots, and each will strike fear into the German when they're unleashed. Sooner or later these 50mm shells will score a big hit! It's very disconcerting to have a unit (especially an AFV) take 6 or 7 consecutive attacks that might be a critical hit or an effects DR low enough to harm it. The eastern side of the map offers the most quality and quantity of locations for this tactic, but the roof locations of K27-K30 and P33-P34 give excellent views of other sections of the map. T21.R has a good view to the northeast and west. Who knows if it might surprise a Kraut in open ground in A21 or so?

Battle harden units for manning the critical SWs. You'll want enough 458s to man every HMG and MMG. After that, you'll want 628s to help in the factories. The 458s extend inherent range by 2-3 hexes plus add an additional 14% to surviving a NTC. Since most of heavy weapons are not in the factories, the morale boost is even more important for their survival. [NB: There's plenty of room for disagreement here. Several people prefer to BH Conscripts and for very good reasons. They gain a MP, they no longer +1 Breakdown to SW usage, etc. -jds]

Use MTR, INF, and ART for SMOKE. With the Heavy Weapons platoon, the Russian player has access to the 82mm MTRs and smoke. If the 82mm MTRs are placed on factory rooftops out of German LOS, then use an HIP 426 as its spotter. The factory rooftop still gives the factory morale bonus and a conscript does just as good a job of spotting as an elite unit. Locate ART or INF guns with a LOS to probable German kill stack locations, then neutralize them with smoke. This tactic is often overlooked by overly aggressive or less experienced players. Don't let the German be the only one neutralizing strongpoints. And since roofs are playable locations, a level 1 building does not block your LOS to a two story building! The sleaze move is to fire smoke at the roof and bury the level 1 location in smoke without the enemy getting any return shots at your gun. The only negative is you must add +2 for using area target type against a hex without known enemy units (to the firer). That's no worse than using spotted fire.

Know thy terrain. Determine which buildings dominate a sector. For example, whoever controls building X9 makes defending the Northern Manufacturing Hall untenable. BB18 controls much of the ground in the east if a powerful kill stack or gun is setup there. Even X15.1 with a kill stack can reach out and touch German reinforcements moving around hex O4, 16 hexes away! That's close enough to strip concealment and possibly have long range fire at -2 DRM or better. Mortars on the roof of P34 have a view of nearly half of the western map edge. P18.2 or .R has a LOS both to M6 and into the X9 area. An OBA observer or kill stack here can dominate a lot of vital territory. Study the map to find the upper levels that will help you control the ground. The time to hurt the enemy is when he must cross open ground, shellholes, debris, and orchards. The greater your field of fire, the more you can push German squads into your killing zones. Conversely, there are times where you want a limited field of fire to create a choke point. For example, G22.1 does not have any great LOS to the ground near it. But it can be painful for any Germans moving from the F row buildings towards the Northern or Southern Foundary Halls.

Use sewer movement shamelessly. Not to squanders a tremendous Russian advantage. Conscripts emerging from the sewer still have a net -1 drm to CC if entering concealment terrain. Nothing is more satisfying (other than killing the Germans outright) than seeing sturm squads self-break to avoid CC with a concealed conscript emerging from the sewers. Of course, the German doesn't always know if the concealed squad is a 628, or a 426, and most players aren't about to risk being ambushed with a net -3 ambush drm and hand-to-hand CC sure to follow! Of course you'll gladly exchange a 426 for a 548! And don't forget that sewers provide excellent avenues to attack armor.

Militia squads are not all trash! Use them to hold the factories and advance into CC against German units that are not in ambush terrain. They move through the sewers easily too. Try to have the 426s give their SW to first line or better squads during the initial RPh, or risk having their support weapons break (+1 DRM for inexperienced infantry). One tactic the German can try is to attempt to capture the conscripts in CC (-1 for inexperienced, A20.221). Captured units can be interrogated to disclose HIP positions.

Beware the 10/23/42 campaign date. It allows the German to enter along any hex of row A whether controlled or not! Thus, the Russian frontage grows from maybe 45 hexes to 68 hexes overnight. This sudden increase can force the Russian to thin his lines, and may, in effect, cripple him for the remainder of the campaign. To counter this threat place a Reserve militia company in every +2 and many +1 TEM hexes in the A hexrow with one or two more Reserve companies (rifle and SMG) backing them up in rows B and C. Typically, these Reserves are from A25 to A45 and three rows deep. Add a few squads with a MMG or two in upper level buildings behind them as local reserves and to provide covering fire. Then dare the German to enter here. Remember that a unit may only exit the map from a hex edge that is currently controlled, and is so at the start of the scenario! If German squads enter here they unleash a firestorm, and have no place to rout (CG13). Thus, any German unit forced off the map will be eliminated. While probing HSs can strip concealments and give the German temporary advantage in the ensuing CCPh, thereafter they face encircling fire from the activated Reserves, much of it as PBF. To have a reasonable chance at holding this beachhead requires the German to commit one or two companies with armor support as a minimum. If the Russian has OBA support available if needed then the German may face the unenviable choice: retreat or die? This situation is ideal for placing Reserves where they really can do a useful job. Either they will be activated in quantity if needed, or they protect vital ground if not challenged. To defend against a potential an Armored Blitz on hexrow A, one may be able to place an AT gun, a T-34 M43 and several ATRs and a number of MGs. These pieces are placed to cover the more open areas that are not accessible to street fighting. If the German expects to hold his gains here, he must commit a large number of CPP including armor, two companies, and an off-board observer to this sector.

Hoard attack chits for the mid game. When you start a campaign game manage your resources so you can counterattack over several consecutive days starting around 10/29/42 through 11/2/42. This period may be the only time when the Russian can rebound enough to drive the Germans back and reshape the perimeter to the advantage. Remember that the Russian can only take one attack chit per 4 CG days completed (O11.6231). During this time the German may only buy 1 company or less per day while the Russian may buy 2 to 4 companies per day. The German will probably have to take idle days during this period, so plan for some night attacks at a time when your gaining in relative infantry numbers. The goal must be to infiltrate the German lines to recapture lost territory, to kill enemy units and to isolate significant amounts of German infantry and armor. Don't forget that the Germans are lax at night, so even conscripts will be even on ambushes. Be sure to have the 82 MTRs and OBA fire IR to support the attack. Night scenarios give the Russian his best chances to force the German into very large numbers of close combats. Night is also the ideal time for that gloriously massive human wave.

More discussion on this topic is planned for the future!