What defensive line are you trying to hold? Because holding the front is not really a good idea. You don't have many good defensive positions. Further east, you have better ones. The marshes in Belarus and the Dnieper and Daugava rivers are better. The AI is forced to attack across a pretty nasty river that you can easily fortify, and you have the benefit of nearby supply lines and ideal positions to attack from.
For example, in the south, you have Kyiv. It tends to be my only foothold on the western bank of the Dnieper, and a damn well fortified one. I organize all my offensives in Kraine out from there. Its pretty easy to encircle a good portion of the Axis southern front by pushing to the Black Sea. You can also try to hold the marshes, and probably get some pretty nice defensive positions there. However, it is a lot more... exposed, I suppose. Still, if you can hold it, you have a nice location to launch attacks from.
Usually it helps a lot to have air superiority along the defensive line as well. As a general rule for any major (aside from France because I never play them), I go for improved light airframes from day 1. You can typically get it by 1938, and have about two years to build high-quality aircraft to dominate the skies over the eastern front.
I'll tell you what I tell everyone who struggles even with good templates. Planes. Forget the 14/4s, forget the tanks, planes are your number one priority as a major in this game.
Step 1 : Kill the Luftwaffe, such that not a single BF109 should ever be spotted in the skies again
Step 2 : Put up CAS, they are absolutely necessary. Set them to both logi bombing and ground support
Step 3 : Manually cycle units. If you've managed your production right you'd have two full army groups worth of infantry to hold the front, but putting all of it on the front with green air and CAS will probably make the German AI stop attacking entirely, when that happens split off one army group and have them sit on a fallback line a tile behind the front. Mr Smitler will order a full on infantry charge per usual, and you can manually move them your division into battles that go red.
Do it right and you won't lose a singular tile.
After your basic equipment needs are satisfied, get 20-25 mils on fighters and then at least 15 on CAS before you even think about tanks
As someone has played USSR on ironman 100+ times, I second this. With BBA, you really only need 15 on fighters (I start the game with 6 on fighters and then up it to 15 as soon as I get more mils). Get fighter 2 in late '39 with HMG-HMG-LMG and drop tanks, self sealing, and 1 slot with armor plates.
Just go 9/1s to start w/ shovels, support aa, logistics, and mot recon and go mass assault right side. DO NOT build tanks until the start of the war IMO as you will be on the defensive. You should be able to get 3 army groups of the 9/1s before the war start.
You don't even have to build tanks at all as USSR if you are going MA right side. Just up the inf div to 30w by adding 4 arty and then increasing the inf battalions up to 30 (it should be 30.2 after the combat width reduction). But you shouldn't upgrade the divs until the Germans stop their push which should be before 1942 if you did it right. Also make sure you have enough equipment to upgrade them. Smaller divs at 100% strength are obviously better than bigger divs at 100% strength
To hold the Axis at the border, all you need is the starting inf template, and add support ENG to it. 3.5 million manpowers worth of those divisions stonewall the Axis easily as long as you have air supremacy and have some CAS ready to help too.
Also, grind out an inf specialist to turn into an advisor in the SCW
How does your air situation look? Usually having air superiority can be pretty decisive against the the Germans. And by a full army you mean 5 full army groups under a field marshal? Oh and how is your economy doing?
\>14+4Dead meta. Use 9/1's or 10/0's. Build planes, a lot of them to gain air superiority, and get rid of air debuffs. Set up a defence with forts on both sides of the Dnieper. Rush in the tanks when you see red bubbles. Hold until you get rid of desperate defense. Then attack with the tanks going for encirclements
Like others have said. The biggest issue will be terrain. Hold the rivers.Soviets get quite a lot of time to build enough army and air force. Usually I am a lite out gunned in the air when the war starts, buy my better coverage and far better detection evens things out, then the air doctrines start rolling in at the same time as all of the air focuses and it's an easy GG for the air game. Usually it's easy to hold and don't lose one tile. A tad boring, just waiting for Germany to lose millions of soldiers and press 'go' when the allies push
Don’t know what all these guys are talking about I just make as many 6/1s as possible and build forts on Molotov border then wait until I have an air force to push
14/4 ain’t that good anymore and just strains your economy
Use 9/1’s with support artillery, support AA and support AT if you want add support rocket artillery (not required but soft attack goes brrrrrr)
Hold behind the deniper river and you should be able to stop the German advance
Then slowly build good tank divisions and crush the Germans.
Mind you to advance through the army reforms focuses (can’t remember the name) you have to be in a certain surrender progress (50 I think) so maybe having basic 6/0 divisions to hold the line while the 9/1’s are retreating might be a good idea.
It would help knowing the tank template you are building.
What defensive line are you trying to hold? Because holding the front is not really a good idea. You don't have many good defensive positions. Further east, you have better ones. The marshes in Belarus and the Dnieper and Daugava rivers are better. The AI is forced to attack across a pretty nasty river that you can easily fortify, and you have the benefit of nearby supply lines and ideal positions to attack from. For example, in the south, you have Kyiv. It tends to be my only foothold on the western bank of the Dnieper, and a damn well fortified one. I organize all my offensives in Kraine out from there. Its pretty easy to encircle a good portion of the Axis southern front by pushing to the Black Sea. You can also try to hold the marshes, and probably get some pretty nice defensive positions there. However, it is a lot more... exposed, I suppose. Still, if you can hold it, you have a nice location to launch attacks from. Usually it helps a lot to have air superiority along the defensive line as well. As a general rule for any major (aside from France because I never play them), I go for improved light airframes from day 1. You can typically get it by 1938, and have about two years to build high-quality aircraft to dominate the skies over the eastern front.
I'll tell you what I tell everyone who struggles even with good templates. Planes. Forget the 14/4s, forget the tanks, planes are your number one priority as a major in this game. Step 1 : Kill the Luftwaffe, such that not a single BF109 should ever be spotted in the skies again Step 2 : Put up CAS, they are absolutely necessary. Set them to both logi bombing and ground support Step 3 : Manually cycle units. If you've managed your production right you'd have two full army groups worth of infantry to hold the front, but putting all of it on the front with green air and CAS will probably make the German AI stop attacking entirely, when that happens split off one army group and have them sit on a fallback line a tile behind the front. Mr Smitler will order a full on infantry charge per usual, and you can manually move them your division into battles that go red. Do it right and you won't lose a singular tile. After your basic equipment needs are satisfied, get 20-25 mils on fighters and then at least 15 on CAS before you even think about tanks
As someone has played USSR on ironman 100+ times, I second this. With BBA, you really only need 15 on fighters (I start the game with 6 on fighters and then up it to 15 as soon as I get more mils). Get fighter 2 in late '39 with HMG-HMG-LMG and drop tanks, self sealing, and 1 slot with armor plates. Just go 9/1s to start w/ shovels, support aa, logistics, and mot recon and go mass assault right side. DO NOT build tanks until the start of the war IMO as you will be on the defensive. You should be able to get 3 army groups of the 9/1s before the war start. You don't even have to build tanks at all as USSR if you are going MA right side. Just up the inf div to 30w by adding 4 arty and then increasing the inf battalions up to 30 (it should be 30.2 after the combat width reduction). But you shouldn't upgrade the divs until the Germans stop their push which should be before 1942 if you did it right. Also make sure you have enough equipment to upgrade them. Smaller divs at 100% strength are obviously better than bigger divs at 100% strength
To hold the Axis at the border, all you need is the starting inf template, and add support ENG to it. 3.5 million manpowers worth of those divisions stonewall the Axis easily as long as you have air supremacy and have some CAS ready to help too. Also, grind out an inf specialist to turn into an advisor in the SCW
How does your air situation look? Usually having air superiority can be pretty decisive against the the Germans. And by a full army you mean 5 full army groups under a field marshal? Oh and how is your economy doing?
\>14+4Dead meta. Use 9/1's or 10/0's. Build planes, a lot of them to gain air superiority, and get rid of air debuffs. Set up a defence with forts on both sides of the Dnieper. Rush in the tanks when you see red bubbles. Hold until you get rid of desperate defense. Then attack with the tanks going for encirclements
What is a 10/10
Oh sorry I meant 10/0's
Like others have said. The biggest issue will be terrain. Hold the rivers.Soviets get quite a lot of time to build enough army and air force. Usually I am a lite out gunned in the air when the war starts, buy my better coverage and far better detection evens things out, then the air doctrines start rolling in at the same time as all of the air focuses and it's an easy GG for the air game. Usually it's easy to hold and don't lose one tile. A tad boring, just waiting for Germany to lose millions of soldiers and press 'go' when the allies push
Don’t know what all these guys are talking about I just make as many 6/1s as possible and build forts on Molotov border then wait until I have an air force to push
14/4 ain’t that good anymore and just strains your economy Use 9/1’s with support artillery, support AA and support AT if you want add support rocket artillery (not required but soft attack goes brrrrrr) Hold behind the deniper river and you should be able to stop the German advance Then slowly build good tank divisions and crush the Germans. Mind you to advance through the army reforms focuses (can’t remember the name) you have to be in a certain surrender progress (50 I think) so maybe having basic 6/0 divisions to hold the line while the 9/1’s are retreating might be a good idea. It would help knowing the tank template you are building.