SlowHand
Posts: 126
Joined: 11/5/2000
From: Denver, CO
Status: offline
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In my first game currntly, playing against CW on AI+ (which gives the Allies some extra replacements every turn), and as of December, 1941, the Axis forces are almost at El Alamein, and I feel pretty sure (having just decimated the SA and NZ Reinforcements) that I'll be in Alexandria in 2-3 more turns.
It could have been luck. I basically just pushed the Panzers through the coast defenses, and sent the Italians South to block and attack a few weak Commonwealth units. I left that flank open a bit. In response, the AI sent several units _and_ the 8th Army HQ around the south flank, apparently thinking they could cut me off. Instead this group of units and the HQ were easily isolated and destroyed after about 4 turns.
I was very aggressive with the German and Italian Mech forces, though I always used air strikes on any kind of Forces with strengths >20 or so, especially if their Readiness were greater than about 50-60. I tended to keep them 2-3 hexes apart (which allowed me to "spot" CW units coming to the front) as I sprinted through to the Gazala-Tobruk area, which isolated the Benghazi bend units. I encountered a few CW newly formed units and a few CW reinforcements, but they were being rushed forward piecemeal, and were easily defeated. This strategy was predicated on what I remeber from my History reading, that the CW shouldn't be getting substantial new Reinforcements until July-August, +/-.
I left the Arty and the Italian Foot to kill off the isolated group south. But I never attacked unless I was sure the Italians would win ... this improved their Morale and Experience. I then moved a few of them north to kill off the Benghazi units, and the rest as sort of a slowly plodding (3 hexes-a-turn) "Refused" Southern Flank.
Other things: at probably some risk, I displaced the PzrArmeeAfrika HQ and Air Units (especially) forward to ensure adequate supply. If you move Air units first, they often will still have enough APs to get in a decent strike.
From Italian Replacements (around turns 4 and 7, +/-), I made 2 new "Recon Units" from Ita Armoured cars (2x) and 10 Inf, which were very useful alongside and just south of the spearhead in scouting CW units that were coming forward.
Another thing: I very rarely sent replacements to my "elite" units ... just Infantry when they got down to around 10-12 --- because I didn't want to dilute Experience and Readiness. This allowed me to transfer 3 Trucks from my various Mech units back to HQs, which seemed to help with supply distribution (2/3 of any surplus at Highest HQ was transferred to PAA HQ).
I also only sent Ita Rifle replacements to Ita Foot after they had fought, and if it seemed likely they wouldn't be engaged for several turns ... which allowed their Exp and Morale to "recover."
I'll see what happens next time, but from reading the other posts, I suspect those having trouble vs CW AI are not being aggressive enough, and perhaps are worrying too much about a continuous front and such. Once I broke through, I never left the CW AI+ an opportunity to form a decent defensive line. Against a Human, I suspect I'd have had a few armoured spearheads broken off.
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