Demonstration of the use of light vehicles (Soviet)

This is a replay I had earlier today which involves using light vehicles to win.

I chose this replay since it showcases very well how I think players should be using their light vehicles. Many players I see use their light vehicles as more of a lesser tank, throwing them into a fight and pushing the enemy with them until they lose them. I believe a light vehicle's greatest weapon is its speed. Your mobility is a weapon since you choose when and where to fight. Using light vehicles to break my opponent where they are weakest and quickly retreating to avoid damage is what I was going for here. Notice how I never have my light vehicles out in front unless I need them for a specific purpose. I do get careless and lose some squads, but I think overall it is a good demonstration of the use of light vehicles to win a game.

Below are the highlights:

4:00 use of light vehicle to avoid grenadiers and go straight for mg team

4:44 forced back by grenadiers. retreat light vehicle.

7:03 unloaded scout car and left engineers to cap in order to save the vehicle. Enemy 222 gets lured into a trap.

8:25 uses m3 as a logistics unit to bring conscripts to the front.

10:40 use of m3 to bait grenadiers into a trap. Another 222 is looking to hunt it down.

11:08 conscripts protect sniper from the 222

13:54 T-70 and Panzer 4 on the field. My task at this point is to avoid direct confrontation with the panzer 4 and use the T-70 to harass everywhere else.

14:46 I nearly sacrifice a conscript squad to disable the panzer 4. My T-70 is now free to harass.

15:31 Attacking panzer grenadiers with T-70 as the panzer 4 cannot do anything.

18:03 Use of T-70 to harass the machine gun on the left. Again, the panzer 4 can do nothing.

I agree with all the points raised by you, but i must say i'm just a noob. you left me frustrated in various clashes we got i will download it and take a closer look. anyway WP

Perhaps not the highest level of play, but a nice replay and I agree with your points.

Nice use of both the scout car and the T70, I like the safe or defensive play way you use them, raiding and picking up the kills you can without losing anything yourself.

Your opponent seems to be challenged in using fausts though, so that made it perhaps a little easier.

It seems to me that this T1 strategy relies a lot on doing damage early and denying fuel in order to not get caught out by the Pz4. Do you agree?

You end up not having AT guns nor Su85 available when he brings it out, but by then you're so far ahead that you have time to backtech.

If the game had been more even would you still have chosen to go for the T70? It worked well here since his tanks were delayed so you could use it to punish his pzgens.

Overall it was an enjoyable replay, thanks.

Thanks for being a good sport crj. You were put into some frustrating situations with this strategy. For what it's worth, I thought you were a competent player. Both of us, like most people, can get better.


"It seems to me that this T1 strategy relies a lot on doing damage early and denying fuel in order to not get caught out by the Pz4. Do you agree?"

Yes, I mostly agree. The build orders for soviet are conventionally T1/T4 or T2/T3. I didn't mean to exemplify the build order itself as much as the use of light vehicles in general.

I will say as a side point that I am having a hard time utilizing t2 effectively in 1v1. The lack of early game map coverage is really crippling for me.