Moscow '42 balance opinions thus far?

[Dog Soldier]

Fall Kreml scenarios are far more subtle than one would suspect from a cursory review of the forces involved. As Strela mentions, there are a lot of different ways to approach these battles from both sides. All the approaches will have trade offs. There is no clear advantage at the start that can be easily maintained as the game progresses.

When the other side perceives the weakness, and there will be one, in your strategy, then things will get out of hand pretty quickly. As long as you are playing with the recommended set of optional rules, nothing will be certain, as it is in a real war, except for the artificial time limit of the game scenario.

The Germans have strong forces. But these are offset by a Soviet hard bunker positions, in depth, in most cases. These lines backed by powerful artillery, and air strikes from bases in and around Moscow. The Soviet air force called to defend the capital in M42 summer scenarios is not the meager force in S41 or K42.
The Soviets will not stop the German on the front lines. At least not everywhere. And where the Germans break the initial at start lines of the Russians, they will have paid a price to do so.

In several Fall Kreml scenarios I have been involved in, German pioneers are lifting mines under stressful situations where a company is nearly completely vaporized in a single day. ( 60% - 80% losses are possible with over 250 fatigue.) Leaving the engineers in battalions would seem a solution, except only 1/3 of the mines you need to remove in a day are now done. That alone slows your advance leaving you exposed to more artillery bombardments for a longer period of time. One does not want to stay mired in a Soviet bunker line for too long. You will need buckets to catch all the lead.
The engineer battalions can remove mine no faster than companies. They can still be very battle fatigued and lose 40% of their strength in a single day's action. These are very expensive troops in terms of VP.
Storming your infantry into the mines is not such a good idea either. Some bunkers can take several assaults to finally disrupt the Russian defenders. And a crafty Russian player can reinforce his bunker you have been pounding on all day at just the wrong time for you.
Meanwhile your infantry is being hammered mercilessly by artillery where fatigue of of over 100 points is easily reached dropping those A & B quality troops to B & C. Red fatigue before finally breaking through the initial bunker lines is not unusual. Think about plowing deep into the Russian rear with half your division units in red fatigue. Think very carefully.

Cumulative losses on the Germans do hurt. The Soviets have many units. Every time you have to pull a unit out of the line for rest and refit, allows the Soviets time to reform the defenses and harass your extended flanks. A good Soviet tactic is to attack in force when the Germans have thinned the lines to rest those units needing to recover battle fatigue. Now as the German do you rush back into action those units that were resting? Or end up with part of your division rested while the other part is now in need of rest repelling the Soviet hordes? Decisions, decisions.

Handling the Soviet forces in front of Moscow in the summer of 1942 a very different proposition than other PzC. These defenses around Moscow are in depth. Cracking bunkers open in the second and third lines can become a very tiresome job for the Germans. While there are times the Soviet player feels like a pinata, tenacity can lead to defeating the Germans by a death of a thousand cuts when they arrive at the last lines in front of Moscow, worn but ready to finish the job. And if the Soviets have been busy building additional bunkers, laying more mines, carefully hoarding a reserve like they did in Fall Blau, an exhausted German force may just be in for a repeat of Operation Typhoon. Out of strength on Moscow's door step.

BTW. Extend a panzer division at your own peril. PzII & PzIII tanks do not fair well against massed KV (Cave Trolls) and T-34 tanks.

I would not think the Germans have an easy time in any of the Fall Kreml scenarios. Not in my experience over the last two years of testing and playing M42.

Dog Soldier

PS
I look forward to goomohn posting his variant to the M42 CGs.