OK, I’ll continue KJF articles series after more than a year …
This article is linked with the former ones of USA and UK, and is meant to work for a KJF without India and Sinkiang ICs
Since you are not going to have other reinforcements in Asia than soviet units, you need plenty of units. Movement of units and managing the trades is also critical, but also you need create many deadzones making good use of Red Airforce and those nasty T-34 tanks
1) How purchase
That’s more tricky than seems. There is not an easy rule: if you buy only infantery, you will find that you cannot counter the german stacks because lack of offensive punch. If you buy too many tanks, you will find that you have not enough manpower to hold against the japaneses. As any other power, in fact the best approach is having a bit of all. Suggested buy for USSR 1:
5 inf
1 art
1 tank
This means you have many units (7) and a decent offensive punch. Also you have one valuable artillery, and you are going to need it soon or later. The downside is that you lack the movement that a 3 inf+3 tanks buy can offer to you … in fact 3 inf+3 tanks is also nice if germans did something bad and you can exploit it to take and hold Ukranie, but you cannot count with it
Later the mechanic is: buy always one tank, 2 if you can, and buy art if you think you are going to lose the last one you have. Also, buy a 3rd fig if you have enough income and germans are not pressing too hard: you will not regret that 3rd fighter. With the rest, buy inf
Don’t buy bombers, they are a waste for soviets: a fighter is better at defense, is cheaper and anyway you are not going to SBR anyone … even a undefended axis IC will be better bombed by the USA’s bomber. Oh, and don’t go naval … this is not AA42 after all :wink:
The infs will give you the manpower you need, the tanks will create the deadzones you need to halt the axis advance until UK stops the germans and Pacific fleet starts taking valuable island. Art and fig will trade territories
Deploy tanks and figs at Moscow, the rest at cau first. Pretty obvious
2) First round attack
I don’t like a full Ukranie attack for a KJF, even without : you are risking valuable tanks and art at Ukranie and without doubt you will lose more dudes at Wrus. Any case, you probably will lose almost the same units as germans after the counter, and you need ensure that you lose always less units than germans, that’s vital!
A strafe on Ukranie can be good but is risky … I’d only risk if I want change a bit: if good can be devastating, if bad bad, you are toasted
So the best here is Bel+Wrus or simply Wrus, and as much Wrus+ strafe Ukr. Have in mind that you want save as many soviets as you can, not making a 1-2-3 punch on Germany
3) Round 1 NCMs
Ensure you have enough to hold Caucasus (landing figs for defense there is a good trick). Evacuate SFE and bury, you will need save as many dudes as you can. Send siberians to west but the 2 dudes at Novo should go to kaz, not to Moscow. You want keep the chance of doing a India+Sin IC strat, and those 2 inf at kaz can reach to cau, per and sin
Remember leave one tank at cau, you never know when you’ll need retake India for UK
Also, move the sub to protect the UK fleet and continue doing this until end of game or the sub is killed in defense … as obvious, if allied fleet is attacked, kill the soviet sub first since its only role is cannon fodder
4) Picotear (trading)
“Picotear” is the spanish word for trading in A&A context :-D You need more income for soviets, but saving the ocasional UK can opener to let soviets take Norway, you need trade. Also you want keep cau and rus safe from attackers
The chances are you will need trade at least 2 or more probably 3 territories each round, and will be 4 or more if Japan is near. I’ll not say much about trading mechanics since that is well covered in many other articles, but soviet case is special: they can afford as much buy one more fig in the whole game, and the moment of buying it is round 2. You cannot do it before and you will not have much chances later. So soviets need a cheap substitute for that 3rd fig. You have 2 available:
UK trades Karelia or ark from north
Use artillery
So the idea is easy: have always at least one art or better two art on the board. If not, you risk having to sacrifice one tank. Also, don’t trade sink because USA will not colect the money
5) The deadzones
Much has been said and many said in KGF strats is valid as well for KFJ. Buying 1-2 tanks each round ensures you can react to many points. The territories that must be dead zoned are the same: Novo, Per, Bel, Ukr, Kar …
6) Small resume
In fact, soviet tactics remains the same to KGF (trades and deadzones). The thing that changes is the strategic approach. Instead of killing germans as crazy, your goal is survive and preserve as many soviet units and territory as you can until UK from west and USA from east can come to the rescue and use allied economic advantage to win the game
My plan when I do a (so-called) KJF is not trade Moscow for Tokyo. I always try hold the germans enough to make Japan irrelevant and then, without losing Moscow, turn the tide and kill the germans
