Detailed Combat Example (Full Version)

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Barthheart -> Detailed Combat Example (8/29/2010 12:31:36 PM)

Some people have asked questions about how the game plays. So this is how I go about planning and executing an attack.

This example is from Case White and I’m going to try a “Blitzkrieg’ style attack - combined arms assault and armoured breakthrough.

Shown here is the area near the northern Polish border and the city of Bromberg. It’s worth 1 VP and I want to have II and XIX Corps of 4th Army try to capture it with minimal losses to my troops.

I could do an all out assault and attack every Polish unit I see but instead I’m going to save my men for later battles by trying to punch a hole through the Polish lines.


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Barthheart -> RE: Detailed Combat Example (8/29/2010 12:32:21 PM)

First I want to see what I’m up against.

This Polish unit is in a hex with a high recon value (>400) so I can see all the info about it.


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Barthheart -> RE: Detailed Combat Example (8/29/2010 12:33:10 PM)

For the next one the recon value is only 199 so I don’t have complete info on it.

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Barthheart -> RE: Detailed Combat Example (8/29/2010 12:34:01 PM)

This last hex has a very low recon value, 14, so I can only see that something is here but not what it is.

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Barthheart -> RE: Detailed Combat Example (8/29/2010 12:34:50 PM)

So I’ll use my recon air unit to raise the recon value of the area around Bromberg.


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Barthheart -> RE: Detailed Combat Example (8/29/2010 12:35:40 PM)

After selecting the unit and clicking the recon button, small plane symbol, I get this view. All the greyed hexes are hexes this unit can reach. Since I’m zoomed all the way in you can’t see it’s full range. The small plane symbol you see are hexes that this unit can reach to try to intercept enemy air units in your opponents turn.

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Barthheart -> RE: Detailed Combat Example (8/29/2010 12:36:28 PM)

Select a hex you want to know more about ....

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Barthheart -> RE: Detailed Combat Example (8/29/2010 12:37:18 PM)

Then click the check mark button to execute. Since there were no enemy air units that intercepted or flak nearby the flight went without incident.

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Barthheart -> RE: Detailed Combat Example (8/29/2010 12:38:17 PM)

Now I have full info on this unit and more info on nearby hexes. Also some more units have appeared. This is because the recon flight affects the recon value of more hexes than just the target hex.

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Barthheart -> RE: Detailed Combat Example (8/29/2010 12:39:07 PM)

Since the air unit still has some AP, action points, left I’ll fly some more recon missions to different hexes around Bromberg to see what else is around.

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Barthheart -> RE: Detailed Combat Example (8/29/2010 12:39:54 PM)

So this is the result after I exhaust the AP’s of that recon unit. It’s a thin line of Polish troops between me and Bromberg where the local Polish group HQ happens to be located.


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Barthheart -> RE: Detailed Combat Example (8/29/2010 12:40:35 PM)

So I think I’ll try to blast a hole in their line at this point.

First I want to soften up this unit before I attack it with my infantry.

So I locate some nearby artillery. Artillery has a range of 2 hexes. I think I’ll use the 32nd Inf. Div.’s artillery regiment and a unit of 4th Army’s artillery for this bombardment.

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Barthheart -> RE: Detailed Combat Example (8/29/2010 12:41:18 PM)

To make the bombardment, select the target unit, click the bombard icon, small canon icon, then assign artillery units to the attack.

Notice in the yellow circle is “Stack Points”. This is a measure of the amount of ordinance targeting the hex. If you assign more than 100 points worth of artillery to any one attack you will get diminishing returns and means that you’ve wasted some artillery better used elsewhere. This helps avoid huge stacks of artillery destroying whole divisions by themselves.


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Barthheart -> RE: Detailed Combat Example (8/29/2010 12:41:57 PM)

Click the attack button to execute. You’ll see this display as the attack takes place. Each attack has 10 rounds and the number at the top is the current round. Rounds proceed automatically until round 10 is complete or one side retreats.

The symbols in the center are still fighting, while those near the outside edge have withdrawn from this battle. The white dots are counts of each troops type. Red dots mean kills.


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Barthheart -> RE: Detailed Combat Example (8/29/2010 12:42:41 PM)

You’ll see this at the end of an attack.

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Barthheart -> RE: Detailed Combat Example (8/29/2010 12:43:28 PM)

If you select “Detail” you’ll get very detailed stats on how each troop performed in each round of this battle.

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Barthheart -> RE: Detailed Combat Example (8/29/2010 12:44:09 PM)

Now looking at the Polish unit you can see it’s effectiveness has dropped substantially. It’s readiness has dropped from 100 to 19 and it’s entrenchment has dropped from 23 to 0.


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Barthheart -> RE: Detailed Combat Example (8/29/2010 12:44:51 PM)

Now I’ll attack the unit with some air power. It’s very similar to an artillery attack. Select the target unit, then click the air strike icon, small diving plane. To make it easy to select air units that might be quite some distance form your target, click the list button to select from a list of units in range of the target.
I’ll select this unit as it’s good at destroying armour and I’d rather my infantry fought as few of those as possible.


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Barthheart -> RE: Detailed Combat Example (8/29/2010 12:45:30 PM)

This is the result of the attack. Not as good as I’d hoped but it did kill some more troops. This attack was less than it could have been because it’s raining during this turn (you get a message about the weather at the start of every turn) and that reduces the effectiveness of all air attacks.


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Barthheart -> RE: Detailed Combat Example (8/29/2010 12:47:18 PM)

Ok now for the infantry assault. I’ll use this unit, it’s the 1st Regiment of 32nd Inf. Div. Since it doesn’t have to move it will get all it’s AP’s to use during the attack.



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Barthheart -> RE: Detailed Combat Example (8/29/2010 12:48:01 PM)

But first I want to see if any of the HQ units of this formation has any way to help out with action cards.

Looking at the counter for it’s direct command, II Corps HQ, it has no cards available. Same for he next level up, 4th Army HQ.

But Army Group North HQ has this card which could help raise the experience of all the 32nd Inf Div. by 10 points. Experience increases the effectiveness of units. Experience is also gained from combat.


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Barthheart -> RE: Detailed Combat Example (8/29/2010 12:48:41 PM)

Clicking “Play Card” brings up this screen where you select the unit you want to affect. You can only play cards on units in the same chain of command. Selecting any part of 32nd Inf. Div. will affect the whole division. The affects last until the end of the current turn. (If I had played this card before my arty attack it might have helped the 32nd Inf. Div. arty unit do more damage.)

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Barthheart -> RE: Detailed Combat Example (8/29/2010 12:49:25 PM)

Now we see the unit’s effectiveness has increased.

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Barthheart -> RE: Detailed Combat Example (8/29/2010 12:50:08 PM)

To make the attack select the target unit again, click the land attack button and then select all the adjacent units you want to attack with.

Again stack points limit the amount of effective fighting forces in this attack. If you have more than the number on the right you will still do more damage but you will take many more casualties yourself.

The maximum stack value increases for each hex side above 2 that you attack across. So 1 or 2 hex sides it’s 100, 3 hex sides it’s 150, 4 is 200, 5 is 250 and 6 is 300. This simulates the congestion on the battle field.

Also notice the Concentric Bonus for attacking from more than 1 hex side and the Division Bonus for having more than 1 part of a division adjacent to the target hex - doesn’t have to be involved in the combat just next to the target.

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Barthheart -> RE: Detailed Combat Example (8/29/2010 12:50:46 PM)

Click the attack button to see the results. You can see here that I caused the Polish unit to retreat and the losses that we both suffered. Also note that instead of dots there are now numbers under each icon. You can change back and forth by going to the Prefs tab at the top of the main screen and selecting “Combat Numbers”.


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Barthheart -> RE: Detailed Combat Example (8/29/2010 12:51:31 PM)

Here you can see that the Polish unit has retreated directly away from my attack. Use this to predict retreat paths!

I can now select my attacking unit and advance into the vacated hex. This costs no AP’s since the cost was paid to make the attack. The small red arrows show hexes that the selected unit has enough AP’s left to move and attack. The grey hexes show possible moves based on available AP’s.

You can also see in the unit info area that it’s integrity and readiness have dropped a little since it took some losses in battle and it’s moral and experience went up a little since it won the battle. All of these affect how it will fight in later combats. If allowed to rest, ie not move or fight, it will recover it’s readiness.


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Barthheart -> RE: Detailed Combat Example (8/29/2010 12:52:12 PM)

So I occupy the hex. Notice on the very top line is some info about the hex. Most interesting right now is the AP penalty for this hex. Because it started the turn in enemy hands it cost 5 extra AP’s to move into and because a battle was fought here there is an additional penalty of 6 AP’s. The larger the battle the larger the penalty.

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Barthheart -> RE: Detailed Combat Example (8/29/2010 12:52:52 PM)

Now I can exploit the hole with my armour. Panzer Lehr moves first.


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Barthheart -> RE: Detailed Combat Example (8/29/2010 12:53:39 PM)

Then 3rd Panzer Div. will spread out through the gap.

You can see that I gain control of some hexes that I haven’t entered. This is because each unit exerts a ZoC, zone of control, and if my ZoC value on a hex is 4x the enemy value I get control. ZoC’s also make it more expensive in AP’s to enter hexes.


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Barthheart -> RE: Detailed Combat Example (8/29/2010 12:54:31 PM)

Then I move my Motorized units to help keep the gap open.

This is only one way to conduct an attack. There are many many more.

I hope this helps some newer players and shows some of the fence sitters ([;)]) how the game works.


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