Artillery

[Charles22]

Mobhack,
Thanks for the advice, but I much enjoy playing a very large map like that, with as it turns out is a 3200pt force instead. I like having enough territory to where having fire brigades is of much more important value. I've played enough games where with a visibility of 40, in one turn reinforcements in the middle can fire at either pole of the map. It's really much better this way and not for the faint of heart (200X140). It does tend to make attacks slightly more boring, but then I spread out my force somewhat to make it more challenging, but playing defense, now that's where the fun and the fire brigades are needed. Maybe one day I'll lose my love for that style of play, but I've played way too many of the Cram-a-lot games to interest me much. Anyway, I'm used to playing that way with the last version of SPWW2 with no problem and unless the AI scheming was changed in a major degree, I've covered enough of the map to know that I should have ran into some by now. I will say however, that I have run into more opposition, but just not where I expected it, as apparently there has been some re-working to get them to cover some of the more rearmost grapeshot VP's.

Alright, I have confirmed now that my suspicions about there not being mines to pick is incorrect. I was somehow letting the fact that Germany was 'attacking' in an assualt leading me to believe that mines should be avilable to the attacker, when that just isn't so. I then started a campaign as Poland and saw the 'defends' do indeed allow for mines to be bought. It will be interesing after this German campaign where I'm not seeing any mines, and though there have been more forces further back, to just see what was going on with the lack of mines. Strangely enough I haven't seen a single type of improvement be that mine, BW, or trenches. This game no longer had dragon's teeth available does it?

edited - Oh, sorry, I didn't know what 'DT' means and it didn't occur to me till now that it would in fact be dragon's teeth. Doh!

Thanks again.

[pdoktar]

In Talin-Ihantala battles in Finland, finnish artillery several times finished off russian tank columns in massive integrated artillery strikes. Several times the whole defence dependend on artillery as finnish troops were badly depleted with all heavy equipment lost and facing tank and assult gun regiments head-on.

One story from the veterans stick to my mind, when a badly depleted battalion, with a few light AT-guns surviving had just beaten back a russian assault. After the attack ended they heard a tank regiment gunning it´s engines preparing for a overrrun attack in the next moments. However they were amazed when they heard a "freight train" (heavy artillery barrage) over their heads and after seeking cover, found it was going for the russians. In a few minutes some 500 shells struck the russian occupied forest and the tank regiment existed no more.

Heavy tanks, KV-1, T-34s, assault guns were destroyed, blown to pieces or just tipped to their side. Infantry and surviving tank crews had vanished.

And after seeing 120mm mortars and 155mm artillery in action I doubt that a Panzer III or IV or something armored could survive a well directed artillery strike.

[serg3d]

pdoktar said:
Heavy tanks, KV-1, T-34s, assault guns were destroyed, blown to pieces or just tipped to their side. Infantry and surviving tank crews had vanished.

Somehow I doubt validity of this report. There weren't any T-34 in winter war, and only five KV-1 were deployed in the last months of the war.

[narwan]

He might be refering to the continuation war, not the winter war?

Narwan

[serg3d]

narwan said:
He might be refering to the continuation war, not the winter war?
Narwan

Hmm, seems you are correct. Battle of Tali-Ihantala was in the continuation war.

[Charles22]

pdoktar said:
In Talin-Ihantala battles in Finland, finnish artillery several times finished off russian tank columns in massive integrated artillery strikes. Several times the whole defence dependend on artillery as finnish troops were badly depleted with all heavy equipment lost and facing tank and assult gun regiments head-on.

One story from the veterans stick to my mind, when a badly depleted battalion, with a few light AT-guns surviving had just beaten back a russian assault. After the attack ended they heard a tank regiment gunning it´s engines preparing for a overrrun attack in the next moments. However they were amazed when they heard a "freight train" (heavy artillery barrage) over their heads and after seeking cover, found it was going for the russians. In a few minutes some 500 shells struck the russian occupied forest and the tank regiment existed no more.

Heavy tanks, KV-1, T-34s, assault guns were destroyed, blown to pieces or just tipped to their side. Infantry and surviving tank crews had vanished.

And after seeing 120mm mortars and 155mm artillery in action I doubt that a Panzer III or IV or something armored could survive a well directed artillery strike.

Yeah, but these were mere 75mm's. Another poster showed how the top hit ratio is way too large. I can't say I noticed that, though it isn't small, but what I can say is if that the top should scarcely be hit at all when where the shell orginally falls isn't the same hex. I'm not sure how many of my units were the result of 'splash' from another hex, but with all the destruction it is disconerting to suspect the splash hits are just as high in hitting the tops as the original hit hex is.

BTW, I mentioned how I scarcely has any enemy to fight, and now I've run into a bunch more units, including two small seperate armored counter-attacks. It's just that the AI didn';t seem to buy any mines, or DT's, or BW, but they did buy at least two pillboxes. Apart from the artillery issue, it's a real nice first battle, as it's encouraging to see units where I didn't expect them, such that they are in places that the last version of SPWW2 wouldn't have put them. Very nice protection of some of the scattered VP's.