Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Every time I think of completing my Brits, I sigh a little, and think "maybe later", but the Sovs have been on my mind for a while, so I've got a few questions regarding them.

1) Is it worth me even considering anything until Desperate Measures is released? With Red Bear being released 2 years ago, I can see DM perhaps re-jigging a few things purely due to being more up-to-date, never mind the time of the war it's focussing on.
2) If there are some things I could consider before DM, I assume the PSC T-34 battalion deal would be one of them? It's hard to imagine a tank company without T-34s as its backbone and rib-cage, even with the changes DM could bring.
3) Should I even be looking at breakthrough assault guns at all, considering that I'll need 7s to hit most of the things I'll be firing them at anyway (since I doubt there'll be any Veteran infantry that aren't concealed and gone to ground by the time I can fire at them)? Unless most of the German lists in DM are Trained, coupled with the hope that people drop their Veteran Germans in favour of them, it seems like a waste of points. Unless DM drastically changes the cost of heavy assault guns, I can't even see them being useful as AT, especially when 100mm AT guns outrange them, cost less, and have better AT ratings. I feel as if I'm missing something huge.
4) Is there anything that, barring an unprecedented change in DM, you would not ever recommend to be taken in a tank company?

I've only ever played one game of FoW and that was with my Brits, so please excuse any ignorance.

Simple fact is you need something to deal with dug in germans. Yes dug in, gtg, concealed, etc. is a pain to work with and against, but it will need to be addressed at some point. Better to have a plan.

That plan should involve recon. Soviets don't have a lot...thier doctrine seemed to revolve around the idea that if a penal battalion disappeared that ment you had found the enemy. However, FOW needs some element.

BA-10s can be useful here given the size of the unit you can get. If you can use your recon to remove the bonuses, you are no longer hitting on 7's.

To do the hitting, I find the SU-122 is an amazing buy. Cheep breakthrough gun, good FP rating and two shots, plus the ability to reroll misses. Everything about them is good. They also have the speed to stay with any assaulting unit...tanks or infantry and I think are pretty much available to 80% of all Soviet lists.

In a similar idea, SU-100s are an amazingly cost effective heavy tank killer.

The thing to remember about Soviet's is that there is no real dual purpose to their units. The StuG is much more flexible due to its machine gun. Soviet assault guns don't have that luxury. Each Soviet unit has a purpose, and usually one purpose only. The exception being, in my experience, T-34-85s. They have the gun and numbers to deal with heavy tanks if needed, and the MGs to assault infantry as well.

T-34s to a lesser extent in late war fill that slot as well, however I find them to be much more useful if you use their fast tank ability and their wide tracks and use them as a probing/flanking unit. Use woods and cover to get into the enemy arty park or to force an opponent to be honest about defending both objectives.

Don't, however, mix 34s and 34-85s. You ruin the speed and dilute the firepower then.

From what I've seen, people prefer to infiltrate units using Spets instead of using BA-64s. What's your opinion on that?

The main downside of the SU-122 from what I've seen is the fact that it has 1/3 less range than pretty much every other BTG. To me, it's a pretty big downside, as to get the re-roll and full RoF, they'd have had to be sitting comfortably inside AT range for at least 1 turn - perhaps 2 or even 3. Given their cardboard armour, can I expect them to survive long enough to take advantage of their greater RoF and Volley Fire?

I think BA-10/64 armoured cars are very viable as not only can they lift gtg but they can go after artillery easily too.

When I've played infantry vs soviets, their game plan tends to involve either moving up masses of men and hoping quality of quantity means you ignore the defensive fire. Or use scouts to lift gtg and use volley fire breakthrough guns to kill the infantry.

However a smart German player will have Pak 40's and mortars to shoot you and then smoke after shooting. So take two platoons one to kill the mortars/Pak's once they've shot. Be careful assaulting Germans with tanks in late war, you'll normally be trained so only hit 50% of the time and by LW lots of German infantry all have fausts so will ruin you on the countercharge - and disrupt your charge too!

1) Red Bear has just been revised, how that revision will play out is still up for debate. I'll have my first post revision game tomorrow I'll have a better idea then.

2) I'll have nine T-34s and four SU-100s in my list, I think the lower price T34s will be popular.

3) SU-122s are much loved. They're not really my thing.

4) Not sure yet, my list is a Forward Detachment and has the following at 1750 points:

HQ with T34/85 with Commissar and jeeps.

8x T34/85 Tank Company

12x SMG Tank Rider Company with HMG

3x DsHK AAA Trucks

2x SMG Spetsnaz with captured half-tracks

4x SU100

4x Katyusha with additional crew

Limited Air Support

I think the mixed t34 tankovy is much more practical then the dedicated t34-85 company.

Reason being is we're always trained..which means no matter what,when that company is targeted we're going to be hit and probably take losses.
Having some cheaper t34/76's mixed in to take the hits and potentially the kills is just more point effeciant, since you have to expect your always gonna be taking some losses anyways..their lower armor means they're the default assignment for hits unless they gun tank leaving you more t34/85's left to counter with on your turn.

as well if your infiltrating with the t34's ingeneral they're a threat that can't be ignored while your su-122s roll up into volley fire position,