Improbe brigade or...

[Fossiili]

The battle:

USA advances, Germany retreats, 7500 and 4500 points. Time: September 1943. Visibility 26, length 24.
Map 190, "Western Europe, Large Hill WBW", Random victory locations and random starts.

The result for me as commander of US forcies was CD[:(]

My army:

Reconnaissance:
Scout Teams 3, US Scout Team with M20 Scout wech. 3, US Recon Patrol with Jeep 8, US Recon Patrol and M20 Scout wech. 2, Scout Team with M3 Halftrack 3
(19 in all)

Armor:
M8 Greyhound 7, M5A1 Stuart 2, M4A1 Sherman 2, M4A3 Sherman 22, M10 Wolverine 4
(37 in all)

Infantry and SP:
Arm Inf with M3 Halftrack 31, US Rangers Sec 24, M7 Priest HMC 2, T30 75 HMC 2, 37 mm AT gun and Halftrack 3, 60 mm Mortar with Jeep 4
(11 in all)

Pioneers:
US Arm Eng Sqd 18, US FT Eng 4
(22 in all)

Artillery:
Fwd Observer 2, FO Jeep 3,
155 mm How BTY 15, 4.2 inh M1A1 Mortar 12

Should I have been able to reach a better result

[azraelck]

You appear to have a lack of infantry in your force, there. Looks like you went with a single company of
rangers. With the points you had, 3 companies of infantry. Possibly three mechanized companies could have been bought. 7500 points is a lot.

There is also little point to such varied recon forces and vehicles. The 8 patrols with Jeeps for transport are quite enough in the scope of most maps. The FO's also count as well. Using regular infantry companies would net you three scouts or patrols as well, per company.

You could also do with only 1 company of engineers IMO, just make sure to give them armored transport and hold them in reserve in a centralized location, so if you encounter mines they can be brought forward quickly.

Your core is inordinately armor heavy. The armored cars IMO are useless in a direct advance, they are best in armored recon operations, not direct assaults. I find less use of them then too, preferring Jeeps. 24 Shermans is very expensive, particularly in Enhanced (where they cost more than a Tiger). Drop that down to a single company, using a single platoon of M4s to support each company of infantry. Expand your tank destroyers, however, in order to counter German armor. You may even want to manage your op fire by setting range or turning off weapons, so your Wolverines are the ones dealing with the Tigers and Panthers.

For Artillery, you can never have enough artillery.

3 Inf Cos (9x Rifle squads, 3x Platoon HQ, 1x Co HQ,  2x MMG,  3x Recon)
1 M4 company (M4A3 (76))
3 Platoons M10 Wolverines
9x  Jeeps for recon transport
1 co Engineers, Mechanized.

Artillery can remain the same, as I said, you can never have enough artillery. I'm assuming your using 15 batteries of offboard 155mm howitzers, and a dozen 4.2inch (105mm?) mortars . Also get some transport for those mortars, to keep the relatively close to the avance, and divide them out by company.

[vahauser]

Fossiili,

Here are some suggestions:

1. Buy on-map artillery instead of off-map artillery. Buy an ammo dump to resupply your on-map artillery. I would get rid of all those 155mm batteries and replace them with 4.2" mortars on map using an ammo dump.

2. Attack along a very narrow sector. I usually take a 6 hex sector of the map and blow a hole using all my artillery. Then penetrate deep into the rear. Then roll up the enemy flank from the rear.

3. Advance along a board edge until you are ready to roll up the enemy flank. This protects one of your flanks as you advance. Don't advance into the center of the enemy since he can shoot at you from all sides.

4. Use lots and lots of smoke to screen your advance. If you buy lots of 4.2" mortars, they have lots of smoke. Use all of it.

5. You don't need lots of tanks. Good infantry (I prefer airborne armed with SMGs and bazookas) riding in halftracks is more cost effective than tanks. Tanks are just expensive targets.

6. The enemy cannot have minefields in the kind of battle you described. You don't need any engineers. Buy good infantry and put them in halftracks instead of those engineers.

7. Jeeps and recon teams are the best recon units you can have. Load the jeeps with the recon teams and send them into the area you just blasted with all your artillery. When they spot something, then send your infantry riding in halftracks in to close assault whtever you found. If you do this correctly, then you will slaughter the enemy and suffer almost no casualties yourself.


If you want me to give you a demonstration battle, ask me and I will be happy to show you.

[Fossiili]

ORIGINAL: vahauser
Fossiili,
The enemy cannot have minefields in the kind of battle you described. You don't need any engineers.

There was a lot of mines, a thick belt from North to south. I had too few engineers.

[vahauser]

Fossiili,
 
I misunderstood.  I thought you said that your battle was US Army Advance vs. German Delay. 
 
Did you mean that your battle was US Army Assault vs. German Defend?

[azraelck]

And a delay means no mines...? A good commander would use anything he has avaliable to slow the enemy. Remember the purpose of a delay; to slow the enemy for a set amount of time and then withdrawl. A thick belt of mine would certainly do that.

Assumption is the mother of all screwups.

[Twotribes]

In the game code the AI will NOT buy mines if their mission is delay.

[azraelck]

I also did not see where it said Wild Bill was required to not purchase mines for the retreating Germans when he designed the map . It wasn't a long campaign, as stated by the TC.

It also appears, since that the TC knew how many points both sides had, that it was a PBEM. Again, that little thing about a competent commander using what he can?

[Riun T]

Wild Bill is natorious,nasty for his use of all the versitility this game can offer to someone who practices with the editor and has his determination,,, PLay more of his scinarios,You'll see mines turnup fairly often!!

[azraelck]

Wild Bill is hands down my favorite scenario designer for this game. Which is somewhat rare, since most strategy games i can't name who designed my favorites! 

[RockinHarry]

Don´t understand the mentioning of Wild Bill here that often! He made the map mentioned above, which is nothing that would cause any extra trouble to any attacking player! Maps don´t include laid minefields and in the case of map 190 (Western Europe-Large Hill, By Wild Bill Wilder, A large map with a large hill dominating the center of the map. There is one small village and moderate trees. A small stream is to the lower left and a marshy area to the lower right.) there ain´t any.[;)]

If there´s no special agreement or rule to exclude excessive mines from a game like this, then you always need to be prepared to deal with them. As attacking US player at least a platoon (or more) of engineers would have come handy. Unfortunately there´s not yet any minerollers in september 1943, but artillery (reducing the minefields some and/or shielding the minefield clearance parties by smokescreen) and engineers should be sufficient, although deception measures should be taken into consideration so that your opponent will not smash your breaching parties with heavy artillery concentrations. Easier said than done normally.

Purchase of some commandos (infiltration) or paratroopers might be a nice option to occupy your enemy behind his frontline, finding his units, distracting him somewhat from your minefield breaching operations. Not the least expensive of solutions though.

Fossiili, so how was the victory point distribution at games end with regard to victory flags (not) taken and losses on each side? Which of the enemies units caused you most trouble (and losses)?