What to buy as the Soviet Union in E40 when neutral?

[Suppressmeajumma]

Hey guys, I have been playing Europe 1940 solo because of the pandemic and my anxiety that tells me people I play with judge me when I do weird things even if they know I have not played this version a lot.

What I was wondering about is, what do you guys like to buy as the Soviet Union on round 1 (and possibly round 2 if Germany declares war on G3 OR has Italy attack one of the border territories first (like Eastern Poland or Bessarabia) and reinforces it with them to get the 5 IPC NO for not being at war with the Soviet Union)? In the games I’ve played, I’ve tried out the following:
3 Tanks and a Fighter in response to Sealion (Germany bought a Battleship G1)
6 Artillery and 1 Mech
4 Infantry and 4 Artillery

I was wondering what you guys were thinking the Soviet Union should be buying when it’s neutral on the first turn AND Germany made a purchase that is good for a Barbarossa attack because it makes 28 IPC’s when neutral instead of 37 in Global.

[Gentlegamer]

3 Tanks
2 Infantry
1 Artillery

Possibly vary by buying 1 less tank and 2 more infantry.

The point is to be able to defend well with tanks and be able to counterattack when the time comes.

[Suppressmeajumma]

Thanks for the input! I also like to counterattack even if it’s just a strafe so that I can keep my tanks alive and slow down their offensive. I like your suggestion though because those purchases can all be placed in Leningrad and Ukraine, meaning that once the Axis attack, the purchases are already at the front. Sometimes when I would play I used to think that I should wait until I’m at war to buy tanks once I start getting NO money but never mind.

[Admiral_Nimitz]

@Gentlegamer I think your buy is too aggressive. The Germans (assuming they play well) can break through that fast. Infantry is the most effective defensive unit.

I usually buy a defensive-counterattack mix as the USSR. In the event that Germany attacks on Turn 3:
1st turn buy - 2 mechs, 2 artilleries, 3 infantry.
2nd turn buy - 1 fighter, 1 mech, 1 artillery, 3 infantry. (Fighters are effective to “deal the damage” and let your infantry soak up the hits)
3rd turn buy - 1 mech, 1 artillery, 3 infantry, 1 fighter

About the same for turn 2 German attack, just that you can swap out an infantry to a mech or a artillery

[Admiral_Nimitz]

Here’s a mild modification to your buy @Gentlegamer. I think this will suit you too @Suppressmeajumma

1 Tank
3 Infantry
3 artillery

[Suppressmeajumma]

@Admiral_Nimitz Thank you for the post! I have usually been buying 1-2 tanks every round. I’ll try out your turn 1-3 buys since in my solo games, Germany usually attacks G3 and sometimes goes the northern route if it made a G1 purchase that makes Sealion possible (like the destroyer, aircraft carrier, submarine purchase).

I am interested by your suggestion to buy a fighter on turn 2 since I like waiting until I am at war to buy planes using the NO IPC’s to help cover the costs. It could possibly help with dealing with the German navy if for some reason they don’t take the necessary steps to protect its ships from a possible scramble from Leningrad or they leave them vulnerable to an attack.

[Admiral_Nimitz]

@Suppressmeajumma why do you buy tanks? Seems like mechs are better for the cost (when paired with infantry). Could you tell me the reason? Also, the fighter on turn 2 is for this reason:

During one of my games, I had 32 infantry defending Moscow, along with a few assorted units such as artilleries and mechs. The German panzers took Moscow. Another game, I had 15 infantry and a few fighters (5-8) and I successfully defended my capital.

I also think that fighters are more flexible. You can use them for strafing counterattacks along with infantry and artillery. My opponents in A&A games usually attack on turn 2 after mopping up France, so their playstyle might differ from your opponents… Personally I think turn 2 is the best turn for the Germans to strike. I’m 2 rounds into a game that I just started (meaning turn 3 coming up) and so far I’m doing pretty well. My strategy is to leave 1 unit in each territory when retreating (to prevent blitzing) and launch small strafing counterattacks against ill-defended positions of the front line. My opponent is going all-out on Leningrad and is giving me counterattack chances in the south. So if you try my buys you might want to check out this strategy. Please tell me if it works. :grinning:

[Suppressmeajumma]

Best of luck in your game! I like to buy tanks since they attack @3 but cost less than fighters. There is the draw back that the tanks have to stay in the territory if I successfully capture one just like any other ground unit. But in my first few games that I played, I was able to get away with buying tanks since Germany would break a few units from its stack to capture certain territories (whether that be Western Ukraine, Rostov, Stalingrad). This would enable my tanks to counter attack territories and still be there by the beginning of my next turn. BUT, since Germany is picking up on the fact that breaking its stack to capture as many territories as possible is not always the best move so I will have to adjust accordingly as well.

[Gentlegamer]

@Admiral_Nimitz said in What to buy as the Soviet Union in E40 when neutral?:

@Gentlegamer I think your buy is too aggressive.

That’s how I roll, baby!

The idea is to defend while preserving the ability for strong counterattack. You want to be trading territory in Poland, not the outskirts of Moscow.

You gave an example of a huge stack of Soviet infantry failing to defend Moscow and a force infantry and fighters being able to resist conquest. This is sound; but if you are at the point of defending Moscow that way, you have already failed, in my opinion.

Perhaps you are working a war of attrition on behalf of the Allies, but the key to victory in the European theater is putting Germany on the defensive.

[VictoryFirst]

What do you thinkk about:
First Turn:
1 Tactical Bomber
1 Tank
1 Artillery
2 Infantry

Second turn and beyond:
1 Tank
1 Artillery
lots of Infantry

[Rommel21]

Or, just build infantry in Moscow and pull everything back except the first line.
This is a strategy that will make Moscow nearly impenetrable. As Germany treks across the Russian territory that has only one infantry each spot except the front line, Britain will be pouring their entire strength into invading from the opposite side.