Strategic Command WWII: World at War – Barbarossa Tips

Tips for Operation Barbarossa

Timing is an important element to this game. There is a tendency to want to do something every turn and sometimes the best course off action is to wait. This tends to be more true for the Japanese, whereas the Germans need to learn when to peel off units from France, for example, before it is completely conquered, and start sending them to Italy. Move aircraft, an HQ, and paratroopers to southern Italy as early as you can when you see that France has broken and it becomes a mop up operation. I also buy a rocket artillery and ship it to Sicily to soften the Malta defender before attacking with bombers. One paratrooper is for taking Malta when it is clear and the other two paratroopers jump into Greece. Ship in an Italian HQ to Albania to provide supply.

I don’t attack Yugoslavia. I use diplomacy to bring them to my side. This provides extra units and avoids having to garrison for partisans.

I usually build the German carrier, because the cost is small and I try to maintain a quality German navy that will upgrade over time and be available to strike out if an opportunity presents itself. The key is patience. When you do venture out, use submarines to screen your fleet and hopefully ambush the Allies.

Your submarines will be your best killers for the first half of the game. They have high resiliency and do a lot of damage if ambushing a careless Allied player. Look for opportunities to pick off wounded ships then retreat and repair.

I take Denmark via the event, but lately I have been experimenting with not taking Norway.

Plan for an early attack on Murmansk, either by marching troops up Norway if you take it, or clearing the Baltic and shipping German units and an HQ to Finland, then railing them to Petsamo. After taking Murmansk, march south towards Archangelsk. Get close enough to setup an airbase for your bombers and use German special forces. All of this will be easier to do at the beginning of the war, before the Soviets have built up a big army and researched technology. They should be feeling pressure on multiple fronts.

I normally use Infantry, airpower, and the rocket artillery in Army Group North for the advance on Leningrad. The airpower also helps sink any naval units, as needed.

Army Group Center is mostly infantry and one tank. Taking Moscow early is not a priority for me.

Army Group South has the rest of the armor, fighter cover, best HQs, and Armies. Taking Kiev, the mine, and Dnepropetrovsk fast is important. Until Dnepropetrovsk is taken, Germany will suffer -150 morale a turn due to food shortages.

Germany and Italy should purchase their maritime bombers as early as they can and use both submarines and airpower to help clear the Mediterranean, striking out with surface ships to finish off weakened Allied ships, and then returning to port for safety. If needed, considering sending two tanks to North Africa under Rommel, instead of one. Take Egypt and move into the Middle East and southern Russia. Break off Italian troops to clear Sudan and join their brethren in East Africa.

Use auto-assist on the HQs and make sure your frontline or key units are attached. Germany will feel strained for lack of HQs and I usually build at least one before the invasion of the USSR. You will eventually want to get an extra HQ into Western Europe to command the defensive fighters and the reaction force.

Try to preserve experienced units. It’s often wise to move them back and repair them in the rear, rather than repairing them on the frontline, where they will have weaker morale and readiness from repeated attacks.