Register a SA Forums Account here!
JOINING THE SA FORUMS WILL REMOVE THIS BIG AD, THE ANNOYING UNDERLINED ADS, AND STUPID INTERSTITIAL ADS!!!

You can: log in, read the tech support FAQ, or request your lost password. This dumb message (and those ads) will appear on every screen until you register! Get rid of this crap by registering your own SA Forums Account and joining roughly 150,000 Goons, for the one-time price of $9.95! We charge money because it costs us money per month for bills, and since we don't believe in showing ads to our users, we try to make the money back through forum registrations.
 
  • Locked thread
alex314
Nov 22, 2007

I'll throw my b vote in. I was never any good at those games, so it's nice watching someone good playing.

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

Kangra
May 7, 2012



USSR Force Review

In 1944, we held off the last incursion of the Axis into our territory, and begin to push them back into their hole.


The 1st has stayed solid on offense. They've been kept back in some engagements, but have seen enough combat in the past year to earn two more stars.


The 12th have seen more fighting than the 1st, and now exceed them in experience.


The 51st were promoted to Bridging Engineers as well, and are now the finest infantry the Soviets have.


The 45th Guards are our newest recruits, but are doing just fine in combat.


The 31st BT-7 has made it through the war with five stars now.


The 13th is the luckiest crew. They are very happy in their powerful new T-34/85's.



Our other two T-34's are fairly effective too.


We have effectively one ground recon unit, and the T-70 should make it to five stars by war's end.


The 7th see almost no reason to upgrade from the KV-1, as it's served them so well for several years. They might get placed in T-34's or IS-2's if the need for skilled crews arises.


The Cultists can probably stick with their KV-85 model.


The 19th is proud to be driving the cream of Soviet tank production, the IS-2.


The 8th AT unit has mostly been used to plug holes and guard the lines, but is enough to scare off any Panthers that face it.



Our other two ISU-122 units are right around one star each.



The SU-122 has done well to keep our mobile core safe.


The ISU-152 might be useful when we actually want to bombard some tanks.



Otherwise, the 15.2cm guns are there to round out the artillery corps.


The 6th Yak-9 is doing fine in its fighters. Its long kill list is testament to the skill of our pilots.



The 18th makes the most of the La-7 and performed admirably, while the 30th hopes to get up to speed quickly in our top fighters.


Our Sturmoviks are nearly at five stars, making them deadly against ground targets. Thanks to recently checking the numbers, they'll get upgraded to the Il-10 soon.


The Pe-8 is a nice upgrade for the 57th.

Available Units

Infantry


Again, no changes for the infantry. Guards and Engineers are the only units we'll go with.

Tanks


The Soviet roster of tanks has been pared down, but there's only a few we really want anyway.

Recon


The BA-64 is the only recon unit, and it's still not worth putting into the core.

Anti-Tank


There are many mobile AT units now, with the -122 being the best. The SU-100 is a strange one, as it's roughly equivalent to the British Achilles. Technically it is our strongest AT unit against hard targets, it's only one point better than the others, which are much better at engaging infantry.

Artillery
The artillery we have is basically all we want.


Katyushas were never of use to us in the war -- a single unit is too weak to really be combat-effective.

Anti-Aircraft


The single anti-aircraft unit we have doesn't have much ground attack, and is not that great against air units either. We never really used it.

Air Defense


The 7.6cm has been the standard AD gun, and was our only means of dealing with the Luftwaffe early in the war. Nowadays we only use it for rear-line defense just in case the Germans break through or make a quick raid.

Fighters


Since the early days we've developed a number of decent fighter planes. While they aren't as effective against the very best German fighters, our force typically outnumbers them to the extent that we can win the air battle by attrition.

Tactical Bombers



For some reason I thought the Il-10 was a worse bomber than the Il-2, but it's actually a strict improvement, so I will be switching to it.

Strategic Bombers


The Pe-8 is perfectly serviceable as a strategic bomber, especially as lately it just needs to survive flak rather than enemy fighters.

While the Western Allies have one or two more advancements to roll out, there will be no new Soviet units. Although as with the other sides, there are two scenarios left, so we'll still have a chance to see any units in action if you'd like to request something that hasn't been covered.

Voting went for option b, so we'll see the Americans next as they reclaim lost ground in the Ardennes.

Beamed
Nov 26, 2010

Then you have a responsibility that no man has ever faced. You have your fear which could become reality, and you have Godzilla, which is reality.


Chiming in to say this is a great LP; I've been enjoying reading the methodical turns, it reminds me of an old game called People's Tactics I used to play.

Kangra
May 7, 2012

This hasn't died! There's still a war to finish. Dealing with computer upgrades and then I decided to tweak my upload script, which took a few weeks more than expected. Things are pretty much back on track and new updates will be coming - the mopping up after the Battle of the Bulge should begin in less than a day.

Kangra
May 7, 2012

So of course that means my computer promptly starts to die again right when I don't have a good backup state. Two days later, here we are.

Kangra
May 7, 2012



Just as we were settling in for a slower season of fighting in winter while building our supply lines in Europe, the Germans attempted a bold push into our lines in the Ardennes.



Curiously enough, the briefing doesn't seem to mention what we're doing here: Cutting off the German forces with a counterattack that should quell any chance of offensive action on this front.

American Campaign: To The Rhine
December 26 , 1944
15 Turns


Minor: (Dinant), Rochefort, (Liege), Laroche, (Libramont), Houffalize, Wiltz, Monschau, St. Vith, Dasburg, Prum, Trier, Bitburg
Major: All objectives by Turn 10


This is one of the largest maps the Western Allies are placed on, and after the last few it's refreshing to have a lot of space in which to work. None of the objectives are smashed up against an edge, and there are a lot of towns that need to be fought through. This forces the commander to either commit a lot of troops to control them in protected pockets, or simply maintain good front-line discipline. The strategic view really gives the sense of a salient bulge being squashed in from either side. Also of note is that the Rhine is nowhere to be seen.

As I mentioned a while back, getting a Major victory here can be fairly difficult for the Americans. The hardest objective to get to is Bitburg, tucked far away from the battle and up against mountainous terrain. Our set-up is on the south side of the map. We're all set to liberate Bastogne, but have farther to go if we want more. The British auxiliary will have its hands full dealing with the Germans on their side of the battle, and can't simply be ordered to move out towards the objective without leaving their lines exposed.

The positioning of the town objectives does mean that it's typically easy to 'cut off' the Germans even in a game without realistic supply lines, although given a chance and enough strong units they can build up a rallying point that takes a while to wear down. Allied air power is, as usual, quite important, but as it is nearly January, we cannot expect the weather to be our friend.

As far as I know, it's not possible to start a scenario with snow already on the ground, or at least it never happens in the campaign. It's kind of a shame that none of the maps were designed to be a full snow battle the entire time (though Kharkov can come close).

pre:
Unit Name           Unit Type [Transport]      Exp [OS]

Land Units

1.1st US Bridge Eng      US Bridge Eng [M2]          599[11] 
2.10th FFR Mtn Inf       FFR Mtn Inf [M2]            599
3.32nd US Rangers 43     US Rangers 43 [M2]          332
4.16th US Bridge Eng     US Bridge Eng [M2]          128[11]
5.29th US HW Inf 43      US HW Inf 43[M2]              0
6.3rd US M4A3E2          US M4A3E2(76)               580[11]      
7.5th US M4A3E2          US M4A3E2(76)               599[15]
8.35th US M4A3(76)W      US M4A3(76)W                 42
9.21st US M36            US M36                      553
10.28th US M36           US M36                      244
11.11th US M4A3 (105)    US M4A3 (105)                 3
12.31st US M4A3 (105)    US M4A3 (105)                67
13.30th US               US 8" Gun                    30

Aux (quantity)
1                        US Inf 43                   300
1                        US Inf 43[M2]               300
2                        US Inf 43[M2]               200
1                        US Inf 43[M2]               100
2                        US Inf 43[GM Truck]         200
1                        US HW Inf 43[M2]            300
1                        US Para 43                  200
1                        US Para 43                  100
1                        GB Inf 43[Bren]             400
2                        GB Inf 43[Bren]             300
1                        GB Inf 43[Bren]             200
3                        GB Inf 43[Bren]             100
1                        GB Inf 43                   300
1                        GB Inf 43                   100
1                        GB HW Inf 43[Bren]          100
1                        GB HW Inf 43[Lorry]         300
1                        GB Bridge Eng[Lorry]        100 
2                        GB Crom VII                 200
1                        GB Chal A30                 300
1                        GB Comet                    300
1                        GB Sh Firefly               300
1                        GB Sh Firefly               100
1                        GB Church VI                200
1                        GB Church VII               300
1                        US M4A3                     200
1                        GB AEC II                   200
1                        GB AEC III                  300
1                        GB Achilles                 200
1                        GB Archer                   200
1                        US 57mm ATG(GM Truck)       100
1                        GB M7 Priest                200
1                        GB Sexton                   200
1                        GB 7.2" Gun(Lorry)          100
1                        GB 155mm Gun(GM Truck)      100

Air Units
1.6th US P38 Ltng        US P38 Ltng                 599
2.13th US P51H Mstg      US P51H Mstg                515
3.26th US P51D Mstg      US P51D Mstg                141[11]
4.23rd US P47D Tbolt     US P47D Tbolt               370[11]
5.36th US A26 Inv        US A26 Inv                  185
6.22nd US A26 Inv        US A26 Inv                  409
7.Sir Baboon McGoon      US B17G FF                  599[11]

Aux (quantity)
1                        GB Spit IX                  300
1                        GB Spit XIV                 300
1                        GB Hur IV                   300
1                        GB Lancaster                200
Core Slots: 1
Aux Slots: 1
Starting Prestige: 3392 (4232 before upgrades)

With all our aircraft up to date, we can afford to spend some prestige upgrading the ground troops. The 3rd and the 5th get the tanks with the 76mm gun; it performs better against the German armor (although they stock less HE ammo to use against infantry). We also set up the 16th as Bridge Engineers. They'll likely be used for actual river crossings where we need them. The M36 becomes the motorized AT unit of choice, as well.

Our auxiliary is rather sizable, and we have quality British troops moving in from the north. They ought to be able to tackle anything the Germans have. The British tanks exceed ours in power if not experience. We still rely on air power to keep us rolling forward, and both our core and the auxiliary will have no problems dealing with whatever remains of the German fighters. It's only the clouds that concern us at the moment.



The spearhead of our attack will go through Wiltz, Dasburg, and Prum on the road to Bitburg. The other force will be used to destroy German positions and guard the advance group's rear until we control the rest of the objectives. The British can be counted on to attack along the line, with the focus of their assault pointing at Houffalize. At the fringe of the battle, we'll need to retake Trier with a fairly small force. If it is found to be well-defended, we'll probably have to divert some of our air units in that direction.


Our core is deployed into these two groups. At the start we want to make sure nothing slips by us, but after the initial containment we ought to be able to send more troops east.

Yes there's a mistake on this image; the 5th armored unit is marked with a 5 instead of a 7. I didn't want to hold up the update because of this; it'll be fixed eventually.

Allied Turn 1: December 26, 1944
Clear(Dry)


Our initial attacks bring us close to Wiltz. We're now nearly in sight of the elements of the 101st Airborne that are under siege at Bastogne.


The Germans have thrown some of their best armored units at us in this battle, but at this point they've nearly exhausted their supplies and ability to keep pushing at us. We see Tigers, Panthers, and a new class of anti-tank unit.


The Jagdtiger combines the massive gun of the Jagdpanther with the extreme armor of the Tiger II. It is very slow, but if it sits in one spot, it's not likely to get dislodged any time soon.

Hold on a second...


As it turns out, this one is in a class by itself.
This is a bug (in the scenario set-up), and an annoying one. These units are pretty tough even without getting ridiculous bonuses.


The newly-refitted 16th Bridge Engineers prove themselves worthy in their first city engagement.


The British begin clearing a path on their side, but their opposition consists of heavy tanks as well, including a Tiger II.


The 101st at Bastogne don't seem to be in much danger of being overrun.

Axis Turn 1: December 26, 1944


The Germans send their tanks to hit the British hard near Stavelot, north of St. Vith. They clear out an Archer and weaken the rest of the line.


The Jagdtiger fires off at our M36's.


The rapid response of our artillery manages to destroy several of them as they move out of their defensive position.
In case it's hard to read, that's an adjusted attack strength of 41.

Allied Turn 2: December 29, 1944
Clear (Dry)


We get our plan in motion as we capture Wiltz and clear the road to Bastogne.


The British continue their drive and liberate Houffalize as well. There remains a significant amount of armor still to the east. Inside the closing pocket the Germans are also heavily fortifying Laroche, and the rest of what we didn't destroy near St. Hubert is pulling in to defend Rochefort.


We send out our planes to get a view of what's across the river. Down at Trier, our infantry make it across and capture Echternach.

Axis Turn 2: December 29, 1944


The Tiger II and Panther combine to destroy a unit of Sherman Firefly tanks.


The guns at Laroche eliminate one British infantry unit near the town. The German tanks form a line to cut off Houffalize and keep the British armor from advancing.

Allied Turn 3: January 1, 1945
Clear(Dry)
The New Year begins and the weather stays clear for us to keep bombing.


New aircraft also arrive. The P47N is an excellent upgrade for the Thunderbolt. It's very capable in air combat and has a wide spotting range, making it a perfect plane for scouting. Not to mention that it is a very good ground attack design too.


Air raids commence over the river to suppress the sizable German force south of Dasburg. We'll need to eliminate resistance at Clervaux before crossing.


The push to contain the Germans continues as Rochefort is nearly cut off. The Jagdtiger continues to confound us, but bombing has reduced its ability to fight back.


The British tanks may struggle with the Panthers and Tigers, but they can still take out the Panzer IV's.


Monschau is cleared out, and we isolate the Tiger II behind our lines. Later an American infantry unit gathers the tanks after the unit surrenders.


While the tanks were squaring off with each other, Allied infantry marched on St. Vith and surprised the weak German troops garrisoning the town.

Axis Turn 3: January 1, 1945


There is still fierce fighting on the line as the Germans eliminate another British infantry unit.


The Germans shift their defense to face us, and strike out wherever they can. This includes even abandoning Clervaux to hit us before we overwhelm it.

Allied Turn 4: January 4, 1945
Clear(Dry)


We get a good view of how Trier is defended, and feel safe preparing our troops while the city waits.


The anti-air guns rushed in to hold St. Vith and fire at our ground troops. They put up a stiff defense, but we eventually break through and capture the town.


The advancing British armor clears their lines and finally take out the Panther.


The 101st continue to participate in the battle and go after the AT guns at Noville, north of Bastogne.


Our force captures Clervaux while over at Dasburg, the bombing continues unabated.


Rochefort is close to surrendering, which leaves Laroche (with a goodly number of Axis tanks) the only real opposition in the pocket.
Not counting Super-jagdtiger.

Axis Turn 4: January 4, 1945


The Germans reveal that they actually do have fighters in the area. They have held back, but are now attempting to protect the Normann-Ross airfield as they support the ground troops.
Not sure what the name of that airfield corresponds to in real life (it's probably not the swimmer or fictitious New Zealand store owner); I found a Pvt. Norman Ross who'd fought in this battle, and a tail gunner who changed his name from Rosenberg because of the spies, but no mention of having an airfield named after either. This airfield seems a little too far south to be Elsenborn, but it may have been adjusted for game purposes.


The German soldiers at Trier are eager to get into the war, and try to knock out our artillery trucks in a daring raid across the Moselle. It's a critical mistake, however, as it will allow us to enter the town easily.


The Jagdtiger repels us again and seizes the bridge at Amberloup.

Allied Turn 5: January 7, 1945
Clear(Dry)


Our core makes its way across the river, but Dasburg is not yet captured.


The British continue to clear the Germans out to our north. This includes engaging their fighters.


Laroche is slowly being reduced. Rochefort hasn't fallen yet.

Axis Turn 5: January 7, 1945


The British AEC scouting ahead for us is caught by another Panther that was being held in reserve.


German troops capture St. Vith, but then make a bad move when trying to press the attack into the face of the British tanks. Even at half strength, the Fireflies send them packing. We should have little problem retaking the town.

The containment of the German offensive has gone rather well so far. We have been a bit surprised by the number of tanks they brought to this front, but it hasn't been enough to stop the Allied advance into Germany.

Kangra fucked around with this message at 02:57 on Jul 15, 2014

Tevery Best
Oct 11, 2013

Hewlo Furriend
Nice to see you back.

Beamed
Nov 26, 2010

Then you have a responsibility that no man has ever faced. You have your fear which could become reality, and you have Godzilla, which is reality.


Great update! This LP has had me interested in purchasing the game.. but then I see the price tag.

zetamind2000
Nov 6, 2007

I'm an alien.

Beamed posted:

Great update! This LP has had me interested in purchasing the game.. but then I see the price tag.

He's actually using a remake of the game called PGForever. You can download the most recent version here.

Beamed
Nov 26, 2010

Then you have a responsibility that no man has ever faced. You have your fear which could become reality, and you have Godzilla, which is reality.


RZApublican posted:

He's actually using a remake of the game called PGForever. You can download the most recent version here.

Really? I was under the (apparently false) impression from the OP he was using a modified version of Allied/Panzer Corps. Thanks!

Kangra
May 7, 2012

For a moment I thought that was a very funny joke about the price of wargames being even free. Although I guess it's almost as funny being (sort of) true.

But entirely coincidentally Panzer Corps is 50% off this week, making it only US $9.99. Panzer Corps also has a Grand Campaign add-on with a whole bunch more scenarios. PC: Allied Corps is still just the base game, which only has the Western Allies.

I know neither of those are the game I'm LPing, but it does support the developer of PGF in some way, and they're fairly close in terms of gameplay. Something I got wrong in this thread (because I only played PG2 on a friend's computer and had mostly forgotten it) is that Panzer Corps is more of a remake of Panzer General 2* in terms of its mechanics.


*Unless you're in one of the countries where 'Allied General' was released as Panzer General 2, which is just confusing.

Kangra
May 7, 2012



American Campaign: Western Europe

The closing off of the bulge in our lines continues apace.



We're seeing that the Germans can still muster up some good units to throw in our way as we head toward Bitburg and beyond. The core will mostly try to get units forward to secure Prum and move on from there. But in order to make sure there aren't reinforcements to flank us, some of them will need to clear out Dasburg too. Back in the pocket, it's just a matter of making sure the enemy units can't escape and then reduce them until they lack both supplies and the will to fight.

Allied Turn 6: January 10, 1945


The British infantry are slowly clearing the towns to the northeast. They don't have anything heavier than recon vehicles out here yet. The bulk of the auxiliary armored force is recovering strength near St. Vith.


Air attacks against the German tanks may prove to be very effective, if they can duplicate successes like that of our P-38's at Marche (near Rochefort).


The British ground troops move in to Rochefort, although they do not destroy the Panther there.


Part of our core advances on Prum as Dusburg is taken.


When the Germans moved out of Trier, they left it wide open for our soldiers to come in from the north. They ended up exposed to our fire and forced to surrender when they tried to retreat back to the city.

Axis Turn 6: January 10, 1945


The remaining troops near Dasburg try to delay our advance as much as they can.


The forces at Prum, meanwhile, are either pulling out or desperately trucking in more troops.

Allied Turn 7: January 13, 1945


The 23rd takes command of the new P47N model. This should allow them a great view of the battlefield.


Prum appears to have received reinforcements, but it will soon be hit from both sides.


We prepare for the final assault on Laroche, as it's the last bastion in the pocket.

Axis Turn 7: January 13, 1945


Our Mustang pilots have the skill to avoid both flak and an attack by Focke-Wulf 190's.


The Stug near Dasburg moves to intercept the convoy of troops rolling forward to support our advance.

Allied Turn 8: January 16, 1945
Snowing(Dry)
We've been blessed with several weeks of very mild weather. Now, the weather has finally turned.


Bitburg appears to be well-defended. With no good roads and the snow falling quickly, capturing it by next week may not be possible.


To move through Prum, the Rangers were forced to attack at half-strength. They charge at what they expected to be poorly-equipped German soldiers that haven't seen a firefight for 4 years. But it ends up being a bitter and confusing fight in the snowstorm, and the Rangers unit is scattered and lost.


The area is brought under control in short order as more American soldiers arrive. There is a Tiger that the British should be able to distract while we move forward.


The snow is rapidly deepening, making progress at Laroche difficult. But we do get some units in position to cross the Ourthe from the south.

Axis Turn 8: January 16, 1945


The M10 that made it across is attacked by the Pak40, and is unable to pull back in the snow.


The British lose a Priest M7, but they have managed to draw the German armor away from our forces.

Allied Turn 9: January 19, 1945
Snowing(Frozen)
The snowfall worsens, and we have to report that we do not expect to reach Bitburg before the end of the month.


The British simply surround the German armor, even if they can't attack it head-on.


Even without enemies blocking us, advancing in the snow is slow, and we can see that Bitburg is only increasing in strength.


The Jagdtiger has managed to make it to the German lines at Laroche. The town is being drained of supply, but the Allies are having a terrible time attacking in the snow.

Axis Turn 9: January 19, 1945


The German heavies manage to eliminate one of the British Firefly units.

Allied Turn 10: January 22, 1945
Overcast(Frozen)
Finally the storm slows enough that we can resume air operations.


Laroche surrenders today once our troops have a clearer view of the enemy positions in the city and eliminate them.


We've poured plenty of men and tanks into this side of the battle, but they are slowed by the conditions and can't get to Bitburg any faster. Bombing begins to deplete the supplies of the flak guns there, and we expect the British to soon capture Eberhardt Field to the north, which will make the air raids even easier to conduct.

Axis Turn 10: January 22, 1945


The Panther holding the hill side of Bitburg repels a British M5 tank. Up at Monschau, which has been quiet for most of this month, the garrison troops are surprised to spy a German scout car outside of the town.


It's a bit disappointing that the weather put an end to our plans for a swift counterblow to the German offensive, but we can at least say that their attack is now over. We only need to ensure that we can make some progress toward Berlin despite the snow, as it's dead certain the Russians have the same idea.

Kangra fucked around with this message at 08:08 on Jul 18, 2014

Kangra
May 7, 2012



American Campaign: Western Europe

Foul weather slowed our counter-offensive. As January draws to a close we will finally open up a path into Germany.



With the snow making Bitburg difficult to reach by direct assault, the British will be sent around on the roads to take an advance position in Germany.

Allied Turn 11: January 25, 1945
Overcast(Frozen)
The ground stays cold and white, but we're still able to keep the air force flying.


There is only a small amount of skirmishing at Bitburg. We prepare for a coordinated assault with the British, who will swing around and hit the city from the north.


Finally the 16th Bridging Engineers destroy the last of the Jagdtigers.

Axis Turn 11: January 25, 1945


The German flak defending the town does minor damage to our aircraft, but we have so many to replace them.

Allied Turn 12: January 28, 1945
Clear(Dry)


A series of attacks strips Bitburg of almost all air defense, and the British all but destroy the artillery.


Monschau is basically a stalemate. We don't dare venture out after the armored cars, but can hold our defensive position as long as we want. There does not seem to be more than this one German unit.

Axis Turn 12: January 28, 1945


The 29th HW infantry seized the airfield at Bitburg but lacked the time to prepare defenses against tanks. The Germans make a rapid strike and cut them down before they can pull back.

Allied Turn 13: January 31, 1945
Clear(Dry)


The British hold a solid position across the Rhine, ensuring that there will be no retreat from Bitburg. Our tanks find a way through the hilly terrain west of the town to bypass the Panther and weaken the infantry in the city itself.


With the mildest weather we've seen in a few weeks, heavy bombing raids eliminate almost all remaining German opposition.

Axis Turn 13: January 31, 1945


The Panther destroys a number of our artillery guns before they pull into Bitburg to make their final stand.

Allied Turn 14: February 3, 1945
Clear(Dry)


The bombers head out early to keep the Germans from getting comfortable in their defenses, after which it is easy for our tanks to drive them from the city.


This lets us finally hold on to the key objectives.

In the end we didn't get the best result, but we've shut down the Germans on this front. Now we are ready to take the fight into Germany and all the way to Berlin.

Ending Prestige: 1008
Result: Minor Victory (2600 prestige awarded)

Kangra
May 7, 2012



British Campaign: To the Rhine

The Germans launched an offensive in winter, at a time when our core is trying to rebuild.



High Command apparently doesn't wish to acknowledge the German offensive any more than the Americans did.

British Campaign: To The Rhine
December 26 , 1944



The hope for us is this: our strongest units should still be able to make a dash for the objectives and get to Bitburg. Newly-created units will be tasked with holding the initial position and stopping the Germans from moving north. It'll be key to protecting our advance that the flank of our spearhead is secure; that means we'll likely need to take St. Vith.
The American auxiliary is sufficiently large that they ought to be able to squeeze the German units to the point that the few harder units can be taken care of. We'll let them use some air power as needed for this, though the bulk of it is naturally supporting our advancing core or protecting new units.



There is no question about it - the core is hurting. We begin the battle with 5 open unit slots. Our infantry aren't that bad, but we desperately need armor. Lack of experience will make it difficult to deal with the tough German heavy tanks.


An experienced Firefly can engage even the Tiger II on an almost-equal footing, though it had to dodge artillery fire to get close to the tanks.


I don't know if I show off results like this often enough. A strength-15 Mosquito is not just unthreatened by most flak, it's often the best way to eliminate it.



The core is rebuilt with better tanks. We go for a Sherman Firefly, a Comet, and even a Churchill VII. The last which will serve us well for this defensive location, and can be replaced when need a more rapid advance. We also add one HW infantry unit, and a mobile Cromwell gun.


The Germans move at first to engage our tanks, but as we make breakthroughs elsewhere they are forced to draw their forces apart, and we even cut off the Tiger.


The Americans do a good job wearing down the weaker Germans, and liberate Bastogne early on.


The new Spitfire model arrives. It is a deadly machine in air-to-air combat, with its main weakness only being a low-ish amount of ammo.


Although some of the tanks had to stay behind to defend our supply lines, we run into little resistance advancing and capture Prum on January 4.


The remaining group sows chaos in the German lines; their strongest units here are mostly gone.


Advancing forces stalled out once stronger German tanks arrived. But the Achilles manages to hold them off, allowing the AEC to sneak into their rear.


The Americans have done well. Almost all of the pocket is in our control. They only need to cross to Dasburg and Trier to complete their objectives.


It takes a week for the rest of the core to catch up and finally make some progress toward Bitburg.


The Americans cannot in any way harm the Super-Jagdtiger. (It's not much of a problem given that they can just surround it and wait out the rest of the battle.)


However, they are running into problems with the assault on Dasburg. We've sent troops south on the road to attack it from behind.


January weather has been quite mild for us, and there is actually a chance that Bitburg can be taken before the end of the month.


The AEC III was a worthwhile upgrade from the Daimler.


We do capture Dasburg. We will leave it for the Americans to defend.


With some of the American air units freed up to focus on Trier, it falls fairly quickly.


A paradrop and our attack along the river has Bitburg's defenses in poor positions. Their best AT guns are to the south, their artillery is exposed, and the flak is the only thing standing between us and the city proper.


Overwhelming air power reduces the city to rubble, and we are able easily fight our way in.

So, in a surprising result for such a banged-up unit, the depleted British core could actually finish this battle quickly.

Not shown, but I actually held off the win since if you get a Major it skips ahead in the campaign. This couldn't be played out as it was, because if I didn't win immediately I'd have lost the paratroops. I chalk this win down to very good weather, and the fact that the British have a straighter shot to Bitburg. I think it also helped that I played the American side first, and so had a better idea of what to do.

Ending prestige: 4403
Result: Minor Victory (2600 prestige awarded)

Kangra
May 7, 2012



It's been more than five years of fighting, and we're finally able to put our troops into Germany itself. This will be a fight for one of the remaining industrial centers of Germany. We've been bombing them steadily, but the only real way to stop them is to have ground units move in.



The end of the spring? It's still only February. Does High Command really think capturing a handful of cities is going to take that long? (Or that the Soviets are going to sit around and wait for us while we do it?)


British Campaign: Ruhr
February 1945
17 Turns


Minor: (Maastricht), (Aachen), Xanten, Krefeld, Dusseldorf, Wuppertal, Cologne, Bonn, Dinslaken, Essen, Recklinghausen
Major: All objectives by turn 12



The distance to cover is small, but once we get near the Rhine, it's all dense cities, and we can expect them to be well-defended. There is a fair amount of open ground past the Maas, but in the north at least it's not all easy terrain for vehicles. The Americans are moving out from Aachen into hillier terrain near Cologne and Bonn, which will only allow a few units at the head of the advance.

Given the size of the region, getting our planes to the target won't be an issue. We already know that they'll be dealing with a ton of flak protecting these cities, and we'll need every squadron we have. Adequate air support is also dependent on the weather being cooperative -- it is still winter, after all.

OOB
pre:
Unit Name               Unit Type [Transport]         Exp [OS] 
1.2nd GB Bridge Eng     GB Bridge Eng [Bren]          599[15]
2.The Silent 7th        GB Commandos [Bren]           534[14]
3.3rd GB Para 43        GB Para 43                    460[14]
4.15th GB HW 43         GB Inf HW 43                   50
5.27th GB HW 43         GB Inf HW 43                   71
6.12th GB Comet         GB Comet                       58
7.10th GB Sh Firefly    GB Sh Firefly                 599[14]
8.36th GB Sh Firefly    GB Sh Firefly                  75
9.47th GB Church VII    GB Church VII                 119
10.49th GB Crom IV      GB Crom IV                     63
11.23rd GB M5 Stuart    GB M5 Stuart                   96
12.9th GB AEC III       GB AEC III                    599[13]
13.22nd GB Achilles     GB Achilles                    92
14.14th GB Crom VI      GB Crom VI                    112
15.11th GB 7.2          GB 7.2" Gun [Bren]            168[11]
16.30th GB 7.2          GB 7.2" Gun [Bren]             59

Aux (quantity)

1                       GB Inf 43 [Bren]              100
1                       GB Inf 43                     200
1                       GB Bridge Eng [Lorry]         200
2                       US Inf 43 [M2]                200
1                       US Inf 43 [GM Truck]          200
1                       US Inf 43                     200
1                       US Inf 43                     100
1                       US Inf HW 43 [M2]             300
2                       US Bridge Eng [GM Truck]      200
1                       US M5                         200
1                       US M4A3E2(76)                 300
1                       US M4A1(76)W                  100
1                       US M4A3(76)W                  200
1                       US M4A3(76)W                  100
1                       US M20 LAC                    200
1                       US M18                        300
1                       US M36                        200
1                       GB M7 Priest                  100
1                       US M7                         100
2                       US 155mm Gun (GM Truck)       100
1                       US 8" Gun (GM Truck)          200

Air Units
1.8th GB Spit XVII      GB Spit XVII                 507[15]
2.20th GB Spit XIV      GB Spit XIV                  377[12]
3.6th GB Mosq VI        GB Mosq VI                    599[15]
4.21st GB Lancaster     GB Lancaster                  520[15]

Aux (quantity)
1                       GB Spit XIV                   300
1                       US P51D Mustg                 300
2                       US P47D Tbolt                 300
1                       GB Typohoon Ib                100
2                       US B25H Mitch                 200
1                       GB Lancaster                  100
1                       US B17G FF                    200
1                       GB B24D Lib                   100
                                                     
Core Slots: 1
Aux Slots: 1
Starting Prestige: 6314 (7003 before upgrades)


There's a decent set of ground forces in our auxiliary, since the Americans finally have some usable armor. They'll likely need it, as we must rely on them to take several of the southern cities quickly, and expect the Germans to be prepared to intercept them. We also get a British bridging unit to get us across the Maas, although reconnaissance leads us to believe the opposition near that river will be light.

In the air, we are ensured of continued domination thanks to a large contingent of veteran American fighter pilots. In truth, we'll probably need more of the armored bombers than the fighters, as we will encounter more flak than enemy planes.



As crossing the Rhine in most places will lead us straight into some well dug-in positions, we're instead goint to try and make use of the bridges to get to our objectives. That means that Duisburg, while not itself a key target but located right in the center of them, will become the focus of our attacks. Once across, our core will mostly turn north, with some units tasked toward Dusseldorf to the south.

The Americans will similarly make a crossing once they get to Cologne. They'll send as many units south to Bonn as can fit, with the remainder moving on the Ruhr from the south. Another of their groups will also be in charge of seizing the airfields near Munchen-Gladbach. (The field is incidentally named Novoukrainka, which is probably a desperate attempt by some German units to convince their superiors they are actually still on the Eastern Front).

Once again I'll point out that in addition to the mis-labelled place names, I'm sticking with the game's misspelled names as well. So Munich-Gladbach it will stay.



The bulk of the core will be able to move through Xanten quickly and then down the highway to the river. A few units are set up to clear the area south of Geldern. The airborne units will be dropped near here too, as we don't want to risk having them shot down, and there are few good places to land that aren't right into an urban area anyway.

A smaller chunk of our forces will advance on the more or less straight, albeit roadless, route to Krefeld. There are Americans here to cover this advance and help us cross as needed.

Allied Turn 1: February 23, 1945
Clear(Dry)


Our attacks initially meet with heavy resistance, but our forces are still able to overwhelm the inexperienced enemy defenders.


Crossing the Maas presents little problem. Forts that are set more deeply will slow us until we can send more bombing raids. Xanten is discovered to be well-guarded by German armored units.


The Americans get their assault underway and clear out most of the front-line positions.


Their fighters make a strike against the Novoukrainka airfield that catches many of the Messerschmidts still on the ground.

Axis Turn 1: February 23, 1945


The German tanks expend more effort than expected just to eliminate an infantry unit. They may be strong, but the men appear to be tired of the war.


In the south, the anti-tank units get into a duel, and a Tiger unit makes its presence known.

Allied Turn 2: February 24, 1945
Clear(Dry)


One Panther is destroyed, and the Tiger II is nearly taken out as well, but the Churchills can't act fast enough to destroy it before it retreats.


Our other group breaks a path to Klefeld. The Americans manage to get a recon unit to the abandoned Novoukrainka airfield and seize it. The FW190 that had been seen operating here isn't around; it must have retreated to defend in an area where ground defenses can support it.


Farther south, the main thrust of the Americans clears out a Jagdpanzer. They halt at the next bridge to wait for their bombers to soften up the Tiger on the other side. Little else is around to defend Cologne.

Axis Turn 2: February 24, 1945


In a serious underestimation of the Americans' strength, that Tiger attempts a counterattack over the river. It runs straight into in an M36 ambush.


The Americans drove their trucks quickly toward the Rhine. They were confident that the defenders of Munchen-Gladbach would not leave their positions to attack them. But they do, and while they inflict some casualties, it only means that cleaning up the town will go more smoothly.
Near Xanten, the Panther goes after our inexperienced Comet crews, and almost demolishes them.

Allied Turn 3: February 25, 1945
Clear(Dry)


The Americans advance on Cologne with a bit of caution, just in case there are more German heavy tanks being held in reserve. The bombers begin softening it up, but as there seem to be fewer units (and air defenses) down here, several of their bombers are being sent north to support us.


Our heavy tanks clear out the Panther (while the Comet limps out of the way to recover), and then the infantry tackle the town itself.


A Spitfire in the hands of a skilled pilot can even be effective at ground attack. We'll have to be mindful of the numerous 88mm flak guns already seen across the river if we want to keep using them.


The airborne troops clear out resistance in Klefeld, and it, too, is taken.

Axis Turn 3: February 25, 1945


A few of the less-disciplined German units continue to try to attack us rather than hold their defensive line. It has little effect and really only continues to help us out.


Allied Turn 4: February 26, 1945
Clear(Dry)


The comparatively weak gun on the Churchill VII means they're having trouble finishing off the German armored vehicles, but at least their thick armor is protecting them from taking much damage in return.


Cologne is captured without much difficulty. Bonn looks to have several dug-in AT guns, artillery, and AA guns ready to stop attacks of all kinds.


Continued fighting captures the western part of Duisburg. Allied bombers suppress the air defenses in preparation for more air raids and our assault over the bridges.
The lost HW infantry is replaced, and another Cromwell VI is added to the core. (These weren't added earlier because of how far away the initial cities are from the front.)

Axis Turn 4: February 26, 1945


Continued heavy bombing forces the units of Duisburg to pull out rather than attack. They haven't placed their powerful artillery guns here, which is a stroke of luck for our plan.


Allied Turn 5: February 27, 1945
Clear(Dry)


Bonn does have the strong K18 towed artillery, and an M18 probe is repelled.


Much of Duisburg is reduced to rubble.


We force out most of the defenders as our army begins to push across the river.

Axis Turn 5: February 27, 1945


At Bonn, the American lighter AT units are nearly destroyed before they pull away from the city. The fighters take heavy losses to flak, too.


Our new mobile artillery takes a hit when an AT gun at Oberhausen makes a strike across the river. The 3rd airborne is nearly lost: their attempt to hold the bridge failed in the face of fire from the veteran 88mm gun still holding the north end of Duisburg.

Allied Turn 6: February 28, 1945
Clear(Dry)


The Americans approach the Ruhr from the south, and make headway into Solingen.


Bombing raids do a number on those deadly AT guns. The Mosquito destroys an '88' with one attack, and the Lancaster suppresses Duisburg.


The Churchill VII continues to only push away units instead of destroy them (the surviving 88mm gun is just visible at the top right corner of the battle results).

Axis Turn 6: February 28, 1945


Bonn continues to hold off the Americans; they can't bring enough force to bear directly. Their artillery guns are getting into position, however.


The Germans shore up their defenses and mostly don't engage us today. One unit leaves Velbert (east of Duisburg) to finish off a weakened American recon unit.

As we make our way into the country of Germany itself, our plan is going smoothly. That doesn't mean it's been particularly easy going. Bitter street fighting has worn down many of our units. But we've destroyed some of the best remaining enemy units, and the Allies retain the upper hand.

blackmongoose
Mar 31, 2011

DARK INFERNO ROOK!
Speaking as someone with family in Mönchengladbach, I'm very disappointed in this game.

Edit: After some research, it appears the name was only changed in 1950, so the game is actually correct. I'm now very disappointed in myself

blackmongoose fucked around with this message at 02:57 on Aug 21, 2014

Kangra
May 7, 2012

I guess they actually got it right. Still no umlauts anywhere, but I guess that goes back to the DOS days.

The real thing to check is if there is a Ukrainian airport near your relatives' house.

Kangra
May 7, 2012



British Campaign: Ruhr
The first stage of the battle is over -- we've captured Duisburg and are ready to spread out into the Ruhr region. We must be making good time, as it's only the start of spring.



A good chunk of the core will cross the bridges over the Ruhr itself and then move north toward Dinslaken and east towards Essen. Another group, which includes the American forces in Duisburg, will head south to Dusseldorf. They'll coordinate with the Americans that moved up from Cologne, which should allow Wuppertal to be taken from the south. The rest of the American force will handle Bonn.

Allied Turn 7: March 1, 1945
Overcast(Dry)
March comes in with somewhat more dismal weather.


The Aussies in the Silent 7th spearhead the attack into Oberhausen, and the path toward our final objectives is clear. The Americans keep pushing toward Wuppertal from the south.


The American artillery opens up on Bonn, and one of the AT guns is eliminated.

Axis Turn 7: March 1, 1945


Dusseldorf digs in. They're content to just shell whatever soft targets they can spot.


The Wehrmacht troops in the north take a more active approach, and this time manage to destroy one of our green infantry units.

Allied Turn 8: March 2, 1945
Raining(Dry)
It's too wet today for planes to fly.


The American advance toward Wuppertal is halted by the poor weather.


Chaos and confusion reigns as we tear a path through several German units. There are still many pockets still held by the infantry.


One of the best successes is had by the Cromwell IV, which opens up the north side of the battle and goes on to secure Marl.

Axis Turn 8: March 2, 1945


Some of the best American troops are lost down at Bonn when the artillery catches them out on the river.


The guns of Dusseldorf continue to take their toll on the American infantry.

Allied Turn 9: March 3, 1945
Overcast(Dry)
The skies aren't clear yet, but the rain has slowed enough for us to resume bombing raids.


Our Comet has finally gained some experience in battle, and is now performing admirably.


The attack on Dusseldorf begins. The Tiger holding down the airfield will not be budged until we can eliminate the guns or bomb the place to bits, so we work on the west side of the city first.


With the north side opened up, we attack on the flank of Essen. Dinslaken is also captured today, although not without losses among our tanks.

Axis Turn 9: March 3, 1945


The Tiger of Dusseldorf eliminates the American tanks. We still have our Churchills here to hold the line.


Disaster takes place at Bonn. The American guns ran out of ammo and their position close to the Germans made it impossible to get them more supplies. This leaves most of their units undefended, and their forces near the city are all but destroyed.

Allied Turn 10: March 4, 1945
Overcast(Dry)
Dreary weather continues.


The Americans do briefly move into Bonn. This isn't a serious attempt to hold it as much as it is to force the Germans to engage the depleted anti-tank unit rather than the fresh troops coming from the north; this ought to allow the artillery a chance to resupply as well.


The Churchill makes good use of its talent for forcing retreats, and captures the Dusseldorf airfield (this one is just named 'Airfield', unfortunately).


Essen is taken and the Germans are down to just holding on to Recklinghausen in the north. At Dusseldorf, the squeeze is on.

Axis Turn 10: March 4, 1945


The Panzer IV is the only effective German armored unit at Essen. It's able to knock some strength off our Cromwell mobile artillery.


The Germans shift themselves to defend against the stronger British side at Dusseldorf, but this only leaves them exposed to the Americans.

Allied Turn 11: March 5, 1945
Clear(Dry)


Now that we've driven off the Tiger, Dusseldorf falls to infantry attacks.


Wuppertal, too, finally crumbles after some determined assaults from the American tanks.


The commandos get the jump on the German Panzers in Essen.


Recklinghausen is captured shortly thereafter.


Only Bonn remains to be taken. As the Germans did pull back to eliminate the M18, the artillery was able to get resupplied. Fully restocked, they fire on the town's defenders and weaken them significantly.

Axis Turn 11: March 5, 1945


The only fighting seen is an AT gun going after our Comet and inflicting a minor number of casualties.

Allied Turn 12: March 6, 1945
Clear(Dry)


Resistance at Bonn is eliminated.


And with that, the industrial heart of the Rhineland is secured.

This battle went surprisingly smoothly for us. Few losses, and despite our tank crews being new to their vehicles, we smashed the German armor fairly easily. Of course, we owe some debt to the air force for that. If this is any indication of our prospects in Germany, things are looking good for the post-war picture.

Ending prestige:
Result: Major Victory

Kangra
May 7, 2012



We're almost ready to take down Hitler, but have to deal with a minor incursion into our lines in Hungary.



Excellent news for our command; we'll be rolling all the way to Berlin once we handle this.

Russian Campaign: Lake Balaton
March 15, 1945
13 Turns


Minor: (Budapest), (Bicske), (Siofok), (Sarbogard), Mor, Szekesfahervar, Tata
Major: Veszprem, Papa



The terrain is mostly mountainous terrain, but there is a fair amount of open space up here as well. The primary objectives aren't that far away. A Major Victory requires a good chunk of the force to head past all of this on a narrow road to the west. The real problem here is that German offensive threatens our starting area (they can't be seen here, which can be a shock if you don't recon the first time you play this scenario). It comes down to how much time we spend eliminating the Germans in our area before we begin the offensive movement up the road. Take too long, and the last objective will be too heavily defended to capture in time.

Soviet Core
pre:
Unit Name                Unit Type [Transport]    Exp [OS] 
 
Land Units
1.1st ST Bridge Eng     ST Bridge Eng [Truck]       401
2.12th ST Bridge Eng    ST Bridge Eng [Truck]       416[11]
3.51st ST Bridge Eng    ST Bridge Eng [Truck]       426
4.26th ST Regular       ST Regular [Truck]          207
5.45th ST Guards Inf    ST Guards Inf [Truck]        83
6.31st ST BT-7          ST BT-7                     567[11]
7.13th ST T-34/85       ST T-34/85                  599
8.21st ST T-34/85       ST T-34/85                  285
9.29th ST T-34/85       ST T-34/85                  196
10.52nd ST T-70         ST T-70                     490
11.7th ST KV-1/41       ST KV-1/41                  599
12.The Cultists         ST KV-85                    599[13]
13.19th ST IS-2         ST IS-2                     467[14]
14.8th ST ISU-122       ST ISU-122                  463
15.46th ST ISU-122      ST ISU-122                   98
16.22nd ST ISU-122      ST ISU-122                  108
17.10th ST SU-122       ST SU-122                    46
18.49th ST SU-122       ST SU-122                    91
19.28th ST ISU-152      ST ISU-152                    8
20.3rd ST 15.2cm Gun    ST 15.2cm Gun [Truck]       156
21.56th ST 15.2cm Gun   ST 15.2cm Gun [Truck]        75 

Aux (quantity):
8                       ST Regular                  100
1                       ST Regular [Truck]          100
6                       ST Regular                  200
4                       ST Regular [Truck]          200
1                       ST Bridge Eng [Truck]       300
1                       ST Guards Inf [Truck]       100
2                       ST Guards Inf [Truck]       200
1                       ST Guards Inf [Truck]       300
1                       ST Guards Cav               300
1                       ST SU-100                   200
1                       ST SU-100                   300
1                       ST SU-122                   300
1                       ST SU-122                   200
1                       ST 15.2cm Gun [Truck]       100

Air Units
1.6th ST Yak-9          ST Yak-9                     526[12]
2.30th ST La-7          ST La-7                       19              
3.18th ST La-7          ST La-7                      289
4.50th ST Il-2M3        ST Il-2M3                    487
5.57th ST Pe-8          ST Pe-8                      486

Aux (quantity):
2                       ST La-7                      300
1                       ST Yak-9                     200
1                       ST Yak-9                     300            
1                       ST Il-10                     200
2                       ST Il-10                     300
Core Slots: 2
Aux Slots: 0
Starting Prestige: 6695

We still have a ton of prestige, and even more units are being added to the core. Nothing gets upgraded, even though a few units could use it; this battle ought to give us a chance to prepare for the final push to Berlin, in which we'll get the best stuff we can.

The auxiliary is a pretty decent-sized force. It's lacking in tanks, but we will use the core for offense this time around, so the thickly-armored AT guns will suffice for them.



The core is positioned ahead of the initial German position, and will be responsible for taking the objectives we don't yet hold. In the north we can easily advance straight ahead, as the terrain is a barrier that allows us to leave gaps in the middle. A few core units will protect our advance in the south by cutting off the Germans from behind.

In the area in front of Budapest we'll stay on the defensive. Here we must rely mainly on the auxiliary, but we'll add a few new units in the open core slots. These forces aren't that strong, and this is probably the riskiest part of the plan, but as it's a fair distance between the German lines and Budapest, there should be enough time to react to any breakthrough.

Our air forces can't give us quite as much support as we're used to. Our fighters lack the range to make it to the far away objectives, and even our bombers won't be able to do much before needing to head back to base for refueling.


The northern group has a good part of the core aimed at Tata, in hopes of taking it quickly. With a slightly-more-forward airfield, and a path toward Mor from the north, we can then assist the smaller contingent of units that are circling around through Szekesfahervar.


The more mobile assault force will need to get quickly across the river and then head on to Veszprem and Papa. AT forces will guard their rear, and should be enough to contain the Germans that are on their way toward Sarbogard.

Allied Turn 1: March 15, 1945
Clear(Dry)


Reconnaissance reveals the German positions in the south.


We shift auxiliary defensive forces to defend Sarbogard. A T-34 joins the rear guard, as there are some serious armored units to deal with there.


Szekesfahervar is taken quickly. Budapest could be in danger, though, as the Germans are very strong here.


The fall of Szekesfahervar was made possible in short order thanks to the IS-2's ability to annihilate weaker units.


Our northern group makes a cautious advance toward Tata. Only a few recon units stood in their way and there isn't much holding the town. We hold formation to avoid taking casualties to any counterattack.

Axis Turn 1


The Germans send their Panzer IV's straight into the teeth of our artillery, and the Soviet infantry nearly destroy the tanks.


This kills any plans for the Germans to rush Budapest, and in the south, too, they appear to be attempting an orderly retreat. Perhaps they have already heard the news that we've taken Szekesfahervar.

Allied Turn 2: March 16, 1945
Clear(Dry)


The German infantry in the north are pulling out, but we intercept one unit at Bicske. Added to the core last turn at the end - Another T-34/85, and just for fun, a Guards Cavalry unit.


The ground is clear in front of us to Veszprem, but we spot two enemy fighters waiting to strike at our bombers if we don't escort them. Mor is guarded by a Panther and a Tiger, which might pose at least some challenge for the 19th in their IS-2's.


Our rear guard works on the weaker units first, while the stronger Tiger gets cut off by infantry.


The planes will be sent to soften up the strongest tanks. This keeps them safely away from the enemy fighters, and keeps the tanks from being able to do much damage.

Axis Turn 2


The Axis fighters fly out to engage our own interceptors, with varying results.


Due to a command mix-up, we rushed so fast through Szekesfahervar that we forget to protect it properly. The retreating Germans are able to take control of the town and drive us out.

Allied Turn 3: March 17, 1945
Clear(Dry)


The Panzer IV is no match for the stronger AT guns we're packing now.


This lets us quickly clear out almost all the units to the south.


Given that there's a Tiger waiting behind it, we opt not to attack the Panther yet (this is a speculative result).


The fighting at Tata finally heats up today, and we can expect to take it after another day or two.

Axis Turn 3


The German offensive is definitely done; they're hoping to rescue at least a few units, but find themselves cut off.

Allied Turn 4: March 18, 1945
Clear(Dry)


We didn't have the fuel to stay around escorting the bombers, which led to heavy losses. But we strike back quickly, as this is probably the only enemy fighter squadron in the region right now.


It turns into a bloody day for both sides as the planes clash over Szekesfahervar.


Tata does fall today, and we get the airfield up and running to allow more forward bombing runs. The units here can head south to cut off the rear of Mor.


The 19th engages the Panthers, and the results are about as expected. We can pull back to recover, however, which the Germans cannot.


We are on the outskirts of Veszprem, but will wait for more units to attack.

Axis Turn 4


There's not much to do for the remnant of the German offensive; they make a few attacks as they no longer have a retreat path.


It hasn't taken us very long for us to break the strength of the attacking Germans, and we're making progress on the way westward. With luck we won't have to do much more fighting to push the counterattack deep into their lines.

Kangra
May 7, 2012



Russian Campaign: Lake Balaton
We are about to clean things up in Hungary before we go for the big target of Germany.


The German offensive was quelled easily enough; all that remains is a bit of mopping up for us. Mor should fall easily as we hit from two sides. The final goal, then, is to get to Papa. We have some units on the way already, but will need more support, and hope that Veszprem will yield quickly so that all forces in the area can be brought to bear.

Allied Turn 5: March 19, 1945
Clear(Dry)


The attack begins at Veszprem with bombing raids to suppress the town. The rest of the core assault group heads down the road to Papa.


Mor should be in our hands once the heavy tanks are done battling it out in the streets.


Units from Tata are able to reach the back side of Mor. The 31st BT-7 is cautious enough to merely tie up the Tigers while we fight the Panthers in the town. Neither side takes any losses.


The units we've cut off will easily be rounded up and captured.


Our core cavalry unit saw its first taste of combat today.

Axis Turn 5


Only the Panther at Mor fights us today, with only minor losses for our infantry.

Allied Turn 6: March 20, 1945


The T-70's at the head of our column are ambushed by a Pak43, and will likely be destroyed by more of the Germans in the area.


Veszprem is captured without much more fighting.


Our bombers take out the last unit east of Lake Balaton that we're aware of.

Axis Turn 6


Our recon aircraft is shot down by the Flakpanzers around Papa. They did manage to report the presence of an elite Tiger II.

Allied Turn 7: March 21, 1945
Overcast(Dry)
Clouds are gathering and the weather suddenly takes a chilly turn.


Although the T-70 was lost, we send in our stronger units to clear the roadblock.

Axis Turn 7

No visible response. No doubt the Germans are trying to shore up the defenses at Papa.

Allied Turn 8: March 22, 1945
Snowing(Dry)
The clouds brew up into a snowstorm, making mountain travel even tougher than expected.


We rush our first units out of the hills and in range of the city before the snow worsens.

Axis Turn 8


This leaves the infantry in their trucks exposed to the German Panzers. The ISU-122 manages (just barely) to cover their retreat.

Allied Turn 9: March 23, 1945
Overcast(Dry)


We remain cautious in our attacks, as the Tiger II and the numerous artillery guns will make attacks difficult until we have enough units to overwhelm them.

Axis Turn 9


The Tiger for its part seems to be awaiting the right moment to counterattack.

Allied Turn 10: March 24, 1945
Snowing(Frozen)
The storm never really went away, and today more snow falls to cover the landscape.


Our supply lines were already stretched thin, and the snowy weather is certainly not helping. Although we've weakened the defender's guns, we still aren't any closer to mounting a real assault on the town.

Axis Turn 10


The Tiger seizes the initiative. The attack comes so quickly and powerfully that the T-34 is unable to do anything other than give up.


Emboldened by the success of the Tiger, the infantry in the town venture out to attack, but it has little effect.

Allied Turn 11: March 25, 1945
Snowing(Frozen)
The terrible weather is making it almost impossible to deliver enough fuel along the single open road to our front line. With less than a week to go in our planned operation, we are starting to feel nervous.


We patch up our lines, but still don't have a good response if the Tiger attacks us again, let alone a solid assault formation.

Axis Turn 11


Two light tank units are lost today, one of them a T-70 in the core. This battle is turning out to be more of a headache than we thought it would be.

Allied Turn 12: March 26, 1945
Snowing(Frozen)


We are making a desperate attempt to take the town as the snow piles ever higher.


As we wait for the weather to clear, we find that unless we can capture the airfield, we'll lose the Il-23's as well.

Axis Turn 12


The Tiger reappears to knock off another infantry on our left side, while the Panzer IV goes at units on our right side.

Allied Turn 13: March 27, 1945
Clear(Frozen)
**LAST TURN**

At long last the storm ends, and we are ordered to take the town today.


The Germans refuse to yield their position on the airfield.


A furious barrage of shells pelts the town when all our guns open up. The German defenders flee.


The Engineers are able to push the Flakpanzer off and clear the landing area to make it safe for our bombers.


Which allows us to score a Major Victory. Another feather in our cap as Hungary is under our control. Vienna and Prague are almost there for the taking, but this core will be sent to take the far bigger prize of Berlin!

Technically the planes would have been fine even if the mission had finished without us capturing the airfield. The out-of-fuel check only causes a crash once the fuel actually goes to 0 on a turn, but I don't exploit this on purpose.

Final Prestige: 4383
Result: Major Victory (2500 prestige awarded)

Kangra
May 7, 2012



After the completion of the battle in the Ardennes, the Americans make their own push into the Ruhr.

American Campaign: Ruhr
February 23, 1945



The American force is the stronger one here, and we'll be responsible for covering the most area. Supported by our air force, we'll head directly to Cologne. Once across the Rhine, we'll be able to move secure Bonn to the south, while sending the bulk of our force north to work our way to the Ruhr. The British, while they have less territory to cover, will likely encounter some tough resistance in the densely populated city of Essen. To help them out, a smaller, more mobile group will guard their flank and engage any German forces on this side of the river.


Our bridging engineers let us get a swift start across the river, and our fighters knock the Luftwaffe out of the skies early on.



Our crack tank crews clear a path to Cologne by blasting the Tiger, once the new B29 Superfortress has suppressed them with bombing.


Cologne falls within 4 days.


By the end of the month, the British are prepared to cross the river.


March heralds the arrival of the M26 Pershing, which is finally an excellent tank for our side. It's decent against infantry and harder targets, has a very solid defense, and doesn't have any real weaknesses in other aspects.


We're into Wuppertal and on our way to Dusseldorf, while our other core group is assisting with the attack on Duisburg.


The British clear a path in the north for their units to get to Essen. They aren't using proper bridges, so it is taking longer for them to make it.


We use our bombers at Duisburg while the British continue their slow advance.


A few days into March and a snowstorm blows through the continent. At Bonn, we're forced to send our ground troops to take the city. The defenders aren't all that strong, but they are well-positioned.


Dusseldorf surrenders on March 4.


Bonn is taken soon after, but there are still pockets of strong resistance.


The British encounter heavy artillery fire from Essen. We can focus the bombers on constant raids to help them now.


Even still, the fighting on the ground is bitter, and progress is slow. We won't be getting into the rest of Germany very quickly.


The cities are finally cleared out, but the British forces are too exhausted to secure them.


Fighting renews as we get more American artillery into the action.


All throughout this battle, there has been a minor struggle in our rear as the Rangers had to hunt down a unit of AT guns hiding out along the road to Cologne. They eventually defeat them as they tried to retreat across a ford.


Eventually the might of the Allies overwhelms the remaining German troops, and the Ruhr is secured.


This wasn't a perfect outcome, but we have a pretty decent core ready to enter into the rest of Germany in the final showdown in Europe.

Kangra
May 7, 2012



Couldn't let this one slip away right when it was about to be over!

The final battle in Europe will be for the whole of Germany itself. We can end it within the next month.



Our goals are to make our way across the entire country and secure as much land as we can to have a better position to deal with the Communists for the face of post-war Europe.

American Campaign: Germany
April 2, 1945
20 Turns


Minor: (Eindhoven), (Mainz), Frankfurt an Main, Nuremberg, Munich, Osnabruck, Hannover, Kiel, Bremerhaven, Hamburg, Berlin, Dresden, Prague, Linz
Major: All objectives by Turn 14



This map is filled with a lot of objectives in cities all around Germany and beyond. It's one of the largest-scale and detailed maps as well. There isn't too much density to the city locations, except around Berlin and Munich. Not a whole lot of defensive terrain to work through either. The mountains do make it more closed-in to the south. Austria in particular has some very confined paths (but only one objective). The north is more flat, but is filled with rivers and low-lying marshes that will impede rapid advancement.

The objectives themselves mostly don't have a lot of defensive terrain around them and can be attacked from multiple sides. In general, the terrain is just a block to straightforward maneuvering. Movement will be restricted mostly to the roads, at least if we want to move with any amount of speed.

This map also has the only sign of a neutral city. Switzerland is visible, with several locations marked, but we simply can't move ground troops into it.

Let's examine our final order of battle:
pre:
Unit Name           Unit Type [Transport]      Exp [OS]

Land Units

1.1st US Bridge Eng      US Bridge Eng [M2]          599[15] 
2.10th FFR Mtn Inf       FFR Mtn Inf [M2]            389[13]
3.16th US Bridge Eng     US Bridge Eng [M2]          416
4.39th US Bridge Eng     US Bridge Eng [M2]           68
5.37th US Rangers        US Rangers                   87
6.3rd US M26             US M26                     599[15]      
7.5th US M26             US M26                     599[15]
8.35th US M4A3(76)W      US M4A3(76)W                227
9.34th US M24            US M24                       58
10.21st US M36           US M36                      599
11.28th US M36           US M36                      359
12.11th US M4A3 (105)    US M4A3 (105)                31
13.31st US M4A3 (105)    US M4A3 (105)               102
14.30th US               US 8" Gun                    74

Aux (quantity)
1                        US Inf 43                   200
2                        US Inf 43[M2]               300
1                        US Para 43                  100
2                        GB Inf 43[Bren]             200
1                        GB Inf 43[Bren]             300
1                        GB Inf 43                   200
1                        GB HW Inf 43[Bren]          100
1                        GB HW Inf 43[Bren]          200
1                        GB Bridge Eng[Lorry]        200
1                        GB Para 43                  100
2                        FFR Infantry[M2]            200
1                        FPO Infantry[Bren]          200
1                        GB Crom VII                 200
1                        GB Chal A30                 200
1                        GB Comet                    200
1                        GB Sh Firefly               100
1                        GB Church VII               300
1                        FFR M4A1                    200
1                        GB AEC III                  100
1                        GB AEC III                  200
1                        FFR M20 LAC                 200
1                        GB Achilles                 200
1                        GB Archer                   200
1                        FPO 6pdr ATG (Bren)         200
1                        GB M7 Priest                100
1                        GB M7 Priest                200
1                        GB Sexton                   100
1                        GB 7.2" Gun(Lorry)          200
1                        FFR 105mm Gun(GM Truck)     200
1                        US M16                      300
1                        GB 40mm SPAD                300

Air Units
1.6th US P38 Ltng        US P38 Ltng                 599[15]
2.13th US P51H Mstg      US P51H Mstg                578[15]
3.26th US P51D Mstg      US P51D Mstg                214[12]
4.23rd US P47D Tbolt     US P47D Tbolt               442[14]
5.36th US A26 Inv        US A26 Inv                  266[12]
6.Sir Baboon McGoon      US B17G FF                  599[15]
7.46th B29 SF            US B29 SF                   263[12]

Aux (quantity)
1                        GB Spit XIV                 300
1                        GB Spit XIV                 200
1                        GB Spit XVII                200
1                        US P38 Ltng                 100
1                        US P51D Mstng               200
1                        GB Hur IV                   200
1                        GB Hur IV                   300
1                        GB Mosq VI                  200
1                        GB Lancaster                200
1                        US B26C Mardr               100
1                        US B17G FF                  200

Naval Units
1                        AF LtCruiser                200

Core Slots: 3
Aux Slots: 1
Starting Prestige: 7530 (8300 before upgrades)

The tanks get the upgrade to the Pershing, although one M4A3 is kept around as it moves slightly faster. We still have more prestige than we can possibly spend (were we to end up actually needing to spend that much, we'd likely be losing pretty badly). Nothing else really needs upgrading, as our planes are all about as good as they can be, and our infantry don't need additional changes either. We do have the chance to expand the core even more, and can call in endless replacement units, especially if needed for our British and French partners.



The plan is to take most of the core straight across the Main/Rhine to Frankfurt, and from there to drive east toward Berlin. Our approach will mostly be from the south, as we'll also take Dresden along the way.

The south end of our force consists of the newly-reformed French army, which will be responsible for most of the attack on Munich and then the push into Austria. They'll be supported by some of our core units and additional auxiliaries.

The British are responsible for securing the coast all the way to Kiel. Depending on how they fare, we may receive support from them in the final assault on Berlin.



Our core is gathered near Mainz, with a large group ready to attack Wiesbaden and Frankfurt directly from the south. A small unit will cross from Coblenz, a bit downriver from Mainz. Securing this sector is vital to get us additional airfields to use, as we have a lot of aircraft to support. It is hoped that the spring weather will remain mild enough that bombing raids can continue with the same intensity throughout the battle, as it's a key advantage of ours.

Allied Turn 1: April 2, 1945
Clear(Dry)


Our aircraft clear a path for the units north of Frankfurt to cross and hit the Germans from the rear.


We weaken the defenses of Wiesbaden, north of Mainz, but don't get into the city itself. Some advances are made all along the Rhine as we make capture several bridges intact.


The British work on the remaining fortified line as they push out from the Ruhr.

Axis Turn 1: April 2, 1945


In the north, the Germans regroup and attempt to counterattack, but the British hold firm. (Eventually the Germans do manage to eliminate one Priest M7 by throwing almost every unit they can at it.)


The Germans try to make an attack from Wiesbaden rather than give up, but they don't have much fighting strength, and the attack has little effect.


Allied Turn 2: April 3, 1945
Clear(Dry)


The struggle continues in the north, but the Allies are able to replenish their forces more quickly than the German defenders. The Netherlands are finally cleared out today.

Visible in this shot is one of the units added to our core, an airborne unit. We also added another M4A3 tank, and more bombers in the form of a B32 Dominator.


We get closer to Frankfurt, and clear out the airfields. The city itself should be in our hands soon. The bombers make preliminary raids to suppress the heavy armor in the next places we'll be going.

Axis Turn 2: April 3, 1945


We got a bit lax with our bomber protection, and the Germans bring forward a fighter with a ground attack squadron as well. The fighters make a strike on our bombers.

Allied Turn 3: April 4, 1945
Clear(Dry)


The British begin to break through, reaching closer to Osnabruck and Bidefeld today. Bidefeld is defended by a Panther, so they may require air support to get past it.


The fighter we spotted near Frankfurt is the Dornier 335, a new model that's a pretty strong machine. Luckily for us there is real lack of experienced German pilots to fly it.


As we scout ahead, we discover another new fighter, this time of an entirely different type. The Me163 'Komet' has a rocket engine. We catch them at their airbase and destroy most before they can get in the air. Those that do make it are more than a match for the P38, however, and we lose some good planes.


The Do335 is able to hold off our Mustangs when we try to down the bombers (which are Messerschmidt 410's).


The Pershing is easily able to knock out Panther G tanks once they've been backed up to the river.

Axis Turn 3: April 4, 1945


The Panther in the north moves out of the town and attacks the British in the open. This should have favored the attackers, but they end up taking heavy losses.


Another new fighter technology is showcased by the Germans, with an Me 262 rushing in to prevent the destruction of the Me 163's. This one uses a jet engine, making it fairly formidable by the numbers. But the lack of experienced pilots proves to be their downfall.

Allied Turn 4: April 5, 1945
Clear(Dry)


Our capable crews destroy both the jet and rocket fighters with our own planes, however old their technology may be. An airdrop is prepared beyond the Elbe so that Dresden can be captured more quickly.


The British close on Hannover, while our core clears the road to Erfuhrt.
[Just in case you thought they were getting too accurate with their place names. Maybe it was renamed in Hitler's honor?]

Axis Turn 4: April 5, 1945

There is little action seen today. Stunned by our continued pressure, the Germans are retreating and rearranging their lines.

Allied Turn 5: April 6, 1945
Clear(Dry)


Nuremberg surrenders with little resistance, but it appears to be a different story at Munich. The French will doubtless need assistance.


Still more jet fighters, this time the He 162. They are wearing down our best squadrons, but there can't be many more German planes left.


The British have nearly controlled all territory up to the Weser, and a paradrop is seeking to seize the airfields near Bremerhaven.

Axis Turn 5: April 6, 1945


The Germans attempt to fight back as we move ever closer to their capital, but infantry against tanks backed by artillery have little chance of success.

Allied Turn 6: April 7, 1945
Clear(Dry)


The French made a brave assault on Munich and managed to secure the airfield there. But the mountain infantry that have served so well in our core have a tough time clearing out entrenched German positions at Augsburg.


We close on Dresden and scout Berlin. The Germans still have a considerable amount of heavy armor, with most of it holding back to defend their capital.

Axis Turn 6: April 7, 1945


The French get shelled by the guns around Munich, but their units appear to have survived as the Germans do not make any ground attacks.

Allied Turn 7: April 8, 1945
Raining(Dry)
The rapid pace of our advancement is reduced as the weather worsens.


The British get involved in a few skirmishes to assess the state of Bremerhaven and Hamburg.


Our faster tanks get across the Elbe and reach the outskirts of Berlin.

Axis Turn 7: April 8, 1945


The Germans send out some of their tanks at Berlin, but keep the best ones in reserve. What little combat ensues is inconclusive.


Down at Munich the French armor tangles with a Panther, and manages to acquit itself reasonably well. They aren't likely to destroy the German tanks this way, but they've shown they can at least hold their ground.


The French 1st infantry is isolated outside of Munich, but blunts an attack from the half-strength Wehrmacht soldiers.



Clear spring weather gave us a quick start to our assault on the enemy's homeland. But will the rain spoil our chances to capture the prize before the Soviets?

Kangra fucked around with this message at 00:29 on Nov 16, 2014

Kangra
May 7, 2012



The first phase of our attack on Germany itself has seen major gains across the country. But now that we've cleared out the weaker lines, the determined final line of resistance remains. As well the turn in the weather threatens to halt our progress.


Along the Elbe, we are preparing for assaults on several major cities. In the north, the British must take care of Hamburg, and then get to the sea. Our core's main target of Berlin will likely be tough on our own, although we will get support from some British armor. Dresden as well is another key point to take, as once it is cleared, we can split our remaining forces north to Berlin or south toward Prague.

In the south, the French may have to hunker down, as they are relying on our bombers to do most of the softening up of the Germans at Munich.

Allied Turn 8: April 9, 1945
Raining(Muddy)


The battle for Hamburg is slowed by the swollen rivers. But the Elbe is crossed up at Wittenberg, and it appears the northeast of Germany is only lightly defended.


Fighting is at a slower pace everywhere. Minor progress is made at Dresden when the airborne troops sneak up on the artillery from the rear.

Axis Turn 8: April 9, 1945


The French take casualties and lose a bit of ground.


Tanks continue to battle outside Berlin.

Allied Turn 9: April 10, 1945
Raining(Muddy)
More rain.


The French adjust their lines, but their position is tenuous. Their recon units take ground in Austria, and scout Linz.


We set up our forces outside Berlin, and wear down some of their weaker anti-tank elements.

Axis Turn 9: April 10, 1945


Worried about our advancing line of armor, the Germans order the Tiger II out in the rain.


But it turns into a disaster for them as their heavy vehicles get stuck in the mud. They fail to make any ground against our Pershings, and the entire unit is lost.


Dresden maintains a solid defense, and they are even steadily wearing our attack down.


Allied Turn 10: April 11, 1945
Overcast(Muddy)
We're desperate to get the assistance of the air force, and it is finally clear enough for us to fly.


This allows us to strike the German armor and make good progress toward the airfield at Brandenburg, outside Berlin.


The British still can't get over the Elbe, although the Polish troops have reached the sea at Rostock. This cuts off the north part of Germany.

Axis Turn 10: April 11, 1945


The Panther breaks through the French lines, and nearly destroy their artillery. More clear weather should allow our planes to finally suppress the Germans here.


An unseen air defense gun hits a paratroop transport plane which was seeking to capture airfields north of Berlin.

Allied Turn 11: April 12, 1945
Raining(Muddy)


Dresden's defenses weaken as the airborne troops destroy the guns. We also scout Prague, revealing heavy guns but fairly weak ground troops.


Intense fighting at Hamburg yields no advancement for the British. They're struggling for every square inch.


A Nashorn is destroyed outside Berlin, letting the Americans maintain control of the eastern approach at Frankfurt AO.

Axis Turn 11: April 12, 1945


The French continue to hold off the German attacks.


The Battle of Hamburg sees a turning point as a German assault is stopped and ends with the loss of their best front-line unit.

Allied Turn 12: April 13, 1945
Raining(Muddy)
The storm regains strength and with these delays, we can expect the Soviets will be pushing in from the east soon.


Bremerhaven surrenders today, although there is disappointment for the British as it appears Hamburg managed to salvage enough of the 88mm guns to rebuild the defensive line.

Axis Turn 12: April 13, 1945


The artillery at Berlin shells our infantry, which will slow our attempts to get at the city. We'll have to starve them of ammo to really have a chance here.

Allied Turn 13: April 14, 1945
Clear(Muddy)
Finally the storm passes, and we send up all our planes.


After bombing resumes, the French are winning at Munich.


A few tanks reach Prague, and quickly drive off the armored cars holding the bridge. The heavy armor at Dresden is being worn down.


As the weather clears, the British find that the defenses of Hamburg finally reached their breaking point.

Axis Turn 13: April 14, 1945


The German infantry in Berlin tries to make life difficult for our Rangers.


The 1st Engineers have little trouble holding their ground against the German armored attack.

Unfortunately the second week of fighting has not seen anything like the gains at the start of the month. We must pray that the clearing skies will give us a chance to capture all our objectives before the month is out.

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

Tevery Best
Oct 11, 2013

Hewlo Furriend
Yay, the Pollacks did something! :)

  • Locked thread