Favorite (a-historical) unit mixes

[Noah_Vaile]

I like to play Long Campaign(s) of 200 battles. I also like to buy most of my units at the very beginning. I rename the commander of each unit after an old friend, historical figure, pet or whom/whatever. I also like tanks. I like tanks a lot. I buy all "veteran" units at 120 experience and choose the maximum purchase points to begin with. (I also choose the max for the enemy.) I begin by maxing out on two-man sniper units and then fill-in the actual units I want for each slot. Therefore I make up my force as follows:

1) Tank units, about forty +/- each has been chosen as a two-tank company command unit so the leader is a captain or major. The second tank unit used to be changed to riding infantry but with the new movement penalty (MP) attached to mounting up they are now either a light scout vehicle or motorcyclists. The MCs are what I will be using as their superior movement allowance gives them the mobility needed to scout for their tank. This is especially necessary in wooded, city and similar infantry favorable environments. I also figure that since they are in essence a scout unit that will help with their spotting in the close quarters, and they are less likely to be wiped out (read killed) with one shot from an enemy tank or infantry a-t team. A vulnerability of light scouting vehicles.

2) Armored cars. Since I like to play Germans (I am enamored with their equipment) these are usually 231s (or 233/234s later on) and I have a dozen or so of these. I find that their ability to sit out two or three hexes and smash even entrenched infantry is very useful. If they can batter infantry into retreat or rout mode then they make it very easy for my MCs to kill the enemy units. They are vulnerable to both unexpected infantry and AP fire though so I have to be careful with them.

3) Motorcyclists. These are fifteen to eighteen (all in the "C" set- I like CEO, CFO, CIO as unit designations) Motorcycle company commanders who operate as advance scouts and often as assault infantry. They are out there with the armored cars killing enemy infantry, mortars and occasionally tanks in advance of the main force. I think of them as my "killer angels" as they move about the battlefield wiping out enemy infantry and clearing the way for my tanks. Because they are higher ranking officers I have to be careful about losing them and watch their manpower levels, withdrawing them when they are down to 50%.

4) Then there are a dozen or so units that are usually Wuhrferer-40s(?), the rocket firing half tracks that are quite efficient at killing infantry. And that is what they do. Due to their light armor they usually lay back, stay out of the line of fire of enemy armor and are only called up to wipe out/cripple concentrations of enemy infantry. Unfortunately their fire creates a lot of smoke, often masking crippled units, but their scatter fire allows for murderous indirect fire as well. (This especially so in SPWAW.) Sometimes these will include Flame-vehicles which I find very useful for wiping out strongpoints and enemy infantry as well.

5) Due to the inability to eliminate enemy airpower (almost) every unit other than the tanks has as a second member a mobile a-a vehicle. Thus I have about forty a-a vehicles which tend to pretty much negate enemy air power. As for myself I like to use aircraft, both fighter bombers on the first turn and spotter aircraft later on (when there is a later on) as spotters generally. Enemy artillery and a-a units tend to stay put and if I can spot them early on I can wipe them out easily.

6) Such long range wiping out can be done with my off-board artillery. We just came up with another post on this and I like both the 17c and 22cm guns. The 17s are almost only used as counter batteries and I usually have four batteries of them. The 22s can be used to focus on a-a units and immobile artillery and targets of opportunity I happen to find along the way. I have about a half dozen batteries of these latter. That makes a minimum of ten heavy artillery batteries. When I don't have any air and cannot spot the artillery exists solely as a counter battery force.

My tank units though are my favorites and everything else is subordinate to their getting into the fight. Sometimes I will choose elite mechanized infantry instead of a tank unit but that is for variety of unit mix in different campaigns. Then of course the command ("0") unit is the infantry one.

The first battle or three are usually kept to one turn, and I pile all the (mine mine mine) victory hexes deep into my territory. This assures that none will be taken by the enemy. It also assures that I will save time in not having to deploy my force and can rely on counter battery fire to wipe out/handle any enemy artillery, which usually focuses on those victory hexes anyway. This all enables me to build up enough points to transform those units I have into those that I want (tanks into MCs, various vehicles into a-a platforms, etc). Then I am ready to proceed.

I know this is all very idiosyncratic, eccentric and a-historical. But I end up with a fast moving game with lots of manouever and action and a highly personalized set of units I can even be a bit nostalgic over. Whether it be a childhood friend, an ex-wife or a lost cat the loss is poignant, and replaceable in the next battle. It makes it all personal.

Other things I do is limit the number of turns generally to two dozen or so, carefully choose the battle map for maximum interest or utility and pick fairly long visibility to maximize my tank's potential. Shock and awe baby! Shock and awe!!

I noticed this forum was getting a little testy and thought that a thread about how we, as individuals, tailor the game to suit ourselves might be of interest and in order.

I had been in touch with a guy who liked to set up maps with one big hill, KingTigers and lots of rocket launchers. He'd sit up there and just wipe out the enemy, battle after battle. Loved it. I can relate.

[pdoktar]

Oh man.. my ex-wife is on fire. If I hadn´t lost it(her) this time, I would´ve made it

I myself in SP2 once played as USMC vs NVA campaign, and named all my infantry sections after Full Metal Jacket´s and Platoon´s nicknames. It gave them some heart, as "Eightball" walked into an ambush and would´ve got wiped out without "Joker"´s and "Animal"´s support.

[Marek_Tucan]

Not much challenge I'd assume

Have to admit, now playing long campaign as British, currently in Somaliland against the Italians - their ATG's seem to be a bit too accurate, so my advance is depending mostly on my group of six Matilda II's with A13's and A10's playing mop-up of routed Italians... Not much sporty, either

[Noah_Vaile]

It may be a game. But it's also war. And sporting in war leads to death.

Not much challenge but a lot of fun. And the games (I presume) go quickly.

Unless you were talking about my games. Which in the longer run are virtually no challenge for the force as a whole. I usually will have three levels of difficulty based on the type of units I choose, PzIIIs, PzIVs, Panthers and/or Tigers. Yet my desire to keep each of my personalized units alive does create a certain level of challenge. All I really want in actuality.

[RecruitMonty]

"I had been in touch with a guy who liked to set up maps with one big hill, KingTigers and lots of rocket launchers. He'd sit up there and just wipe out the enemy, battle after battle. Loved it. I can relate."

wtf?!? That is just crazy!

[Noah_Vaile]

Why, exactly, do you think that is just crazy?