Slitherine

quote:

6.2.8 Page 86
The more disruption the Allied player can deliver to ground troops, the easier it will be for Allied troops to cause a breakthrough (a breakthrough occurs when a permanent defensive line has been breached - ie , the Gustav Line, the Gothic Line, the Normandy Front, and the West Wall). The sooner the
Allied breakthrough occurs, the better chance the Allied player has to score points necessary to
win the campaign. But all is not as easy as it seems, for ground troops collect reinforcements
as play goes on (through a line of rail yards), which helps them to maintain their combat
effectiveness and hold their defensive lines.

There are several different ground troop types in Bombing the Reich:
(1) Infantry (divided between regular infantry (a box with a full X), static infantry (an empty box),
and parachute troops (a box with paratroop symbol). There are no real differences between
these infantry types; the difference is reflected in their Combat Values (see below).
(2) Panzergrenadier (a box with an X and an oval armor symbol) These units represent lighter
armored units, half-tracks, etc.
(3) Armor (a box with an oval armor symbol). These represent stronger and more fully armed
units.

quote:

Page 87
This damage represents a unit’s disruption level. During play, this disruption is alleviated by reinforcements and resupply, which are piped into the unit through connected supply-line rail yards. Attacking a unit’s supply line (which is reflected by a white line when you select the unit), can delay reinforcements and supply from reaching the targets, but will rarely ever permanently cripple the unit.

quote:

6.2.9 Page 88
The goal of the Allied player, through his coordination of the air war, is to try to deliver as much disruption damage to ground units as he can. The more disruption/damage he delivers, the better his invasion forces will fight and the better the breakthrough.

At the end of each turn after an Allied invasion has occurred (a message will appear telling you
when the invasion begins), the game determines the current state of the ground war by rolling
dice. The game makes a separate roll for each Axis unit on the map. The game compares the
combat value of the Axis unit against the roll, and if the Axis player wins, a breakthrough is
delayed by one day. If the Axis player fails the roll, then the breakthrough is accelerated by one
day.

There are four Allied invasion stages:

First Invasion Stage: Right after the Allies come ashore. Axis units start moving toward their
initial defensive line (the Gustav Line in Italy or the Normandy Line in France).

Second Invasion Stage: This is the Allies attempt at breaking through the initial defensive line.

Third Invasion Stage (delaying phase): After the breakthrough of the initial defensive line,
Axis forces withdraw to their secondary defensive line (West Wall in Germany or the Gothic
Line in Northern Italy). During this stage, there are dice roll chances that the Axis troops may
delay the advance.

Fourth Invasion Stage: This is the Allies attempt at breaking through the secondary defensive
line.

Fifth Invasion Stage: This is the period following the Allied breakthrough of the secondary
defensive line. If Allied troops break the West Wall, they advance towards Berlin and (ultimately)
win the scenario. If Allied troops break the Gothic Line, they advance towards Northern Italy.