DAR: GE Long campaign - small core

[Brian61]

Battle #30 is coming up, its a defend battle with KG Krafft coming to the aid of an understrength Slovak battalion caught in the path of the Soviet hordes with no engineering support. (15 build points for trenches though - they did have shovels!)

I'm still figuring out a defense plan, I'm thinking of establishing a static defense with the Slovak forces (see attached picture). One company will deploy at position A the other at position B. Positions C and D will be the AT defenses with the one at C including an antitank ditch to force any vehicles to go off road. KG Krafft will enter at position E and eventually launch a counterattack along the path of the black line.

I've attached the turn 0 save file so you can see the forces available as well as terrain details. I wouldn't mind some advice on this one - it looks hairy!

Brian

[RERomine]

I took a look and it does look like it will be complicated. With the objectives scattered, it will make holding them difficult. The infantry on both sides should be equally green, so your foxholes should help, but the Soviets will have numbers on your side. Much if this depends on whether or not you have it set up as AI Tank Heavy. If yes, you will probably face a battalion of infantry and somewhere between 1-2 battalions of armor. On the other hand if no, you will see about a battalion of tanks and at least two battalions of infantry. Your ammo situation in your StuGs could be a problem if the AI throws two battalions of infantry at you, because you don't have nearly enough HE to deal with them. The inexperience of the Soviet troops could help here, however.

In the defend I just fought, the AI seems to put most(90%+) of its units in one half of the map. It even did that in a test set-up with the numbers you expect to face. Your plan might work but you might also have to be flexible. If a major push comes in the northern half of the map, maybe your push east along the road with your core and have your allied infantry at B take the hill. You can also have them go to the hill if your core goes there as well. Another possibility would be have them move up to support the infantry in A. Once they get there they can double up in the foxholes. Also, unless things have changed in one of the patches, I've seen tanks go over the trenches. They pick their way through like infantry moves through dragon's teeth. Be prepard for the enemy to get tanks through, just in case.

You will win or lose this battle based on what your core does or is capable of doing. Their capability should be well know to you, so that is the difference will be in this battle. Don't get them bogged down in a slug fest or the AI will zero in with artillery. An immobilized StuG doesn't make a good pill box. If they have been in position for more than four turns, think about moving them to some place else. Move forward, move back, just don't stay in the same spot. Expect the AI to field something along the lines of two battalions of artillery, more or less.

Strike aircraft aren't likely, so deploy your AA guns to engage light tanks and infantry. If you have the CD version, use the filter option or at the very least cut the range down to self defense so you can control what they shoot at. Them firing at at T-34 just makes for a mad enemy tank.

No matter what you do, you are going to have a very difficult battle on your hands.