German Campaign using War Cab

[Imp]

Originally Posted by sigeena

Chimed in to see excellent progress. Maybe in the last turn AAR we should have a quick discussion if Group Centre was required. I kind of think they lag too far behind and don't really get to contribute.

But sometimes the road axes only allow so many units to travel. Too much bunching up increases vulnerability to EN arty fire.

I like your maps with the sectors of LOS. It takes alot of effort to go back to the game and draw on the maps.

You are right the centre group grew to big, the group with the MGs getting LOS on the Orchard were a good idea.
The group that entered the field could possibly have smoked & ignored it completely however I was tempted by being able to spread out & engage units at other than close range. Ended up committing more units here as there were a fair amount of enemy units & LOS turned out to be problematic. By the time I wanted to shift them artillery was falling on the road.
I expected stronger resistance along the road as well, luckily the AI put the Churchills & squads West of the road junction (units that counterattacked X).
If we ignored the field the game would have lasted longer as those dozen or so units counterattacked & my artillery would be at risk. Several only have a range of 48 hexes so they need to move up during the game.

With hindsight my initial thought of a large North force that could spread out in the open ground behind the VHexes would probably have been the best option. Discounted as expected a traffic jam but they made it along the road unopposed.

It probably would not have effected the outcome keeping the Brits to less than 500 points from timed objectives was a tall order given the terrain.
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In your AAR I know several of your battles are on open terrain which helps but you normally do very well at restricting infantry losses in firefights.
I go to 3 man platoons soon so going to start using some Italians as AUX after the next battle, odd set up platoons have 4 LMG but only 2 squads carry them. If anyone knows fairly common tanks used by Italian Social Republic I could sell a few of mine & use some.

[scorpio_rocks]

Love the .gif - striking representation of progress

[Imp]

As said cannot take credit for the idea borrowed from Siggeena

[sigeena]

To be honest, I think the Timed Objectives is a good concept but we need to improve on it. I think anything more than 3 pts is too much.

I usually play with 3pts, rather than 6pts as you did. If it was 3pts, you would have won a Decisive Victory, rather than a Marginal one. I do think finishing an Advance by T22 should warrant a Decisive, barring taking high losses.

If we say that a turn is 3 minutes, 22 Turns would just be slightly over an hour. I rate that as pretty fast advance for a Battalion sized battle group.

What was the size of the EN overall? At least a reinforced Company with Armour. Military planning would probably require more than 1 hour to kill them off.

[Mobhack]

Timed objectives really only works with a scenario that is built for the purpose, methinks, not the ones thrown up in a campaign game.

[Imp]

There are so many variables in this game getting a feature like this to work will always be hit & miss. Size of map, position of VHexes, mobile or not, force parity, game length etc.
I think it works well as a means to stop you dawdling especially for meeting engagements, deters playing as a delay letting them come to you. 6 points works OK for me in this case. For attack & assault in particular it makes it very difficult in WWII unless you increase game length which defeats the point I normally just accept the default.

Main use is in MBT to make Vhexes mean more if you want a game where Vhexes are important not just forces destroyed. Its down to unit cost current era MBT can cost 500 points so delayed objectives giving a few thousand points is not a big deal.
This is where it comes into its own, if you want a battle where destruction of the enemy is the priority leave them off but if you want Vhexs to be important turn it as high as 15

To be honest as well victory conditions are the one thing I take with a pinch of salt, draw, victory or loss are all that I really look at. You can work out quickly enough what the result would have been without timed objectives or if you want or make up your own victory levels.
At the end of the day I know how well or badly I played & that's my real gauge on how well the battle went not what the game decides.

[FASTBOAT TOUGH]

Well said for both game realities. I don't get to play this game as often as I would like, due to my commitments to SPMBT outside of playing the game when I can there.

But again, well said and to my mind, worth acknowledging.

Regards,
Pat

[Imp]

11/1943 Mignano Italy Visibility is 41 hexes and while it is not snowing there is quite a lot of mud around.
Advance vs USA

We have sold 2 MkIVs & exchanged 2 for Italian StuG's - 105 equipped so infantry support based but with a passable HEAT round.


AUX
Spotter Plane
3 30cm Rockets
1 Platoon of Italian Fanteria Infantry
2 M-14/41 Medium tanks

Using the Italian units to get a feel for them, experience is 60 so not good scout material need to work with the Germans.
Infantry consists of 2 squads with 2 LMGs each & 2 squads with rifles & SMG,s. Unfortunately the platoon leader is is not LMG equipped so he can stay back out of trouble.
The M-14 are the equivalent of a fairly good Light Tank but with a poor rangefinder. That & experience means they are probably not that accurate.


Turn 2

Spotter Plane has located 2 Shermans & a squad.

In the North while the depression is tempting mud really restricts attacking from the woods or swinging above them. It would be slow going so a couple of units are just going to take up position as spotters to watch for any fire from the area.

Placed smoke to allow a quick advance & let us deal with the immediate area without ranged interference. Objective is to clear the hills & move the FOO on them once we have given artillery a chance to fall.

South units are behind the hill & will move out, if they encounter anything but minimal resistance along the road will forget it & just push directly for the Vhexes.

Meant to buy a couple more AA units in case US has planes which is quite likely.

[Imp]

Turn 4 - Units in yellow area still to move so you can see some Brits
Only arty currently plotted is on squad with LOS lines on.
Forgot to mention arty fell on the road at start hence the reason units were dispersed there.

Smoking worked well we have encountered 1 platoon & 2 Baz teams, 1 squad & baz destroyed. S - location squads retreated to.
Fairly confident once that squad is gone the hills are clear so after arty falls FOO will move up.
Squad targeted is the 5th so expect another platoon behind the smoke.

Discovered a few units in the North, will need to tackle with MGs or smoke. Not pressing an attack though squad can keep an eye on them till they start moving.

South is dead quite possibly something on the other side of the tree line however 2 trees on there own do not block LOS so maybe not till the orchards.
Going to head fairly quickly down the road & accept fastmoving losses to find out if anyone is there.
Shermans may be visible from treeline as elevated so orchard may not block LOS.

[Imp]

Turn 7 update
2 Airacobras attacked 1 was shot down the other attacked a squad killing 3 men, AA is working well this game.
CENTRE
Progress is slow now killed the ATG but there is another one so picking off North units as advance, there appears to be no AT assets there so armour is gravitating that way.
SOUTH
Killed 1 Sherman & found another before an ATG opened up here, its somewhere near the Shermans & far more dangerous. We decided to press on down the road as mud is going to funnel the infantry so it will get crowded.
Three of the units there routed anyway & there is a MG on the rough hex I think further down the road that can fire on central units so we need to find it.
Tempted fate saying progress was fast the ATGs mean we are advancing on foot.