Miku
Posts: 10
Joined: 7/31/2000 Status: offline
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OK, I also finished the first scenario in this campaing. I spent quite a time modifying my core:
HQ+M3 Scout Car, FO+M3 Scout Car+Jeep 60mm, 2x M10 Wolwerine TD+M4a2 Sherman+M16 AA, 2x M8 Greyhound+Jeep .50cal+US Recon Patrol+Bazooka Team, 2x M8 HMC Scott+Arm Inf Sqd+M3A1 HT+(.30cal MMG/.50cal HMG), 76mm AT+M3A1 HT, 2x2 US Ranger Sec (1 replaced w/ US Scout team due lack of points).
As you may spot, there is clear split to two "battle groups". I usually like 3 (saving one as reserve), but even now I felt that my core was light on armor (and was right on that!).
As support I bought 3x155mm OB ("crowd pleasers"), 2x81mm Mortars (waste of points), 3xEngineers, 1x57mm AT (would not have bought if I had known about AUX having these) and 1 sniper.
I deployed my 2 core groups on upper 2 roads, and the support stuff on lower road town (this was mistake, as all action they saw was lone PzFaust-team...). The Mortars were waste of points because most of time they were out of contact, I think I got 2 bombardements out of them. Fortunately 155mm more than compensated :-) Now with hindsight I would ditch the mortars and AT-Gun for tank or two.
My core teams advanced well, lower to that small town and upper to the forest left of larger town. My AUX were killing GE tanks with those 57mm AT's (as everybody has said, these guys need medals :-), and only problem I has was that my 60mm Jeep broke it's axle (yes I play with all options on, including breakdowns and C&C; I guess I am masochistic :-). Btw, when those 60mm Jeep guys managed to fix their car and move it to range, their mortar malfunctioned after one salvo; talk about useless unit ... :-)
Over all, I got 2 vehicle break downs and 5-6 weapon breakdowns, still bearable but any more and I would have turned breakdown off (lost one Shermans main gun to breakdown, ouch!)
My troubles started when those Stug's started apperaring from above and those Panthers from below. I lost Wolverine, M16, Greyhound and Scott to Stugs, and Sherman got immobilized (and lost its main gun to breakdown). Some of it was purely bad luck, some of my stupidity.
Lost 2 HT's to Panthers, but otherwise my 76mm AT ate those ****cats alive :-)
After I stopped those side attacks, I bombarded city with those 155m's (those definetely saved my game), and when I moved in with infantry the Germans were mostly running back home. Final score 8364-1358, which surprisingly was still Crushing Victory for me. I lost 4 AFV's, 2 APC's, 2 Jeeps and 119 men. Germans lost pretty much everything, with 28 AFV's, 7 APC's, 2 artillery and 496 men.
I even lost one victory hex to that sneaky German MG-42 (did not notice this during battle!). I really thought I was losing at one point, but my last Wolverine and those AT-guns aided by Bazookas managed to stop German armor.
Great fight! Thanks to you, WB!
Mika
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