Updates on Utah-Rhine?

[Dagobert]

Well I pulled out a decisive in the first one. Had more than my share of lucky shots.
So feeling fairly cocky I thought that i would just waltz my armor done the broad streets of Carentin and within five turns managed to lose all of it, except for a pair of Stuarts. And every single crew as well!
Still managed to win a decisive after figuring out how an airborne squad and two Stuarts can take out one JagdPanther.
Now I'm heading into the bocage with green tankers and too little transport. Dreading what Hitler will pull out of his toybox next.
Another victory like the last one and I'll be finished. But it's big huge fun I will say.

[Pantherblaster]

Hi Dagobert,

the bocage is quite tough, look out for mines and fortifications in this one!!! Move slowly don't rush things if you don't have too. I could really recommend the airbornes for taking the city objectivesand keeping as many germans occupied as possible. Try too avoid a battle upfront against the germans if you don't have many tanks. Concentrate your armour as much as possible to try to breakthrough. Concentrated firepower is a GREAT asset. Use lot's of smoke screens!!! Good luck, have fun and may god (and your commander) have mercy on your soul (if you fail that is).
Regards,
Pantherblaster

[Lou]

Just finished the Hurtgen game and I must admit I'm pretty proud of myself. I bought extra paras to go along with my organic airborne troops. I dropped them at the furthest east victory hexes. Their presence had a channling effect on the advancing Germans. Also, taking a page from a commander at the Battle of the Bulge, I preset my arty so that it would form a "Wall of Steel" between my forces and the Germans. With the para holding on at the forward hexes, the rest of the gang came in behind and filled in the remainder of the victory hexes. Also, by taking the eastern most hexes, my mobile guys were able to reinforce trouble spots at will. Any Germans that made it through the arty curtain were hurting, if they made it through at all.

After reading a lot about the battles in the Hurtgen, no one was more surprised than me that I pulled off a decisive victory.

Lou

[Wild Bill]

Good going, Lou. There were some victories like that in the Hurtgen but few and far between.

Okay, you guys have given yourselves away. In the upcoming The Victors campaign, I'll be ready for those airborne warriors of yours. I don't think it's gonna be that easy

WB

------------------
In Arduis Fidelis
Wild Bill Wilder
Coordinator, Scenario Design
Matrix Games

[Lou]

Originally posted by Wild Bill:
Good going, Lou. There were some victories like that in the Hurtgen but few and far between.

Okay, you guys have given yourselves away. In the upcoming The Victors campaign, I'll be ready for those airborne warriors of yours. I don't think it's gonna be that easy

WB

Bring it on, Bill.

[Pantherblaster]

Originally posted by Wild Bill:
Good going, Lou. There were some victories like that in the Hurtgen but few and far between.

Okay, you guys have given yourselves away. In the upcoming The Victors campaign, I'll be ready for those airborne warriors of yours. I don't think it's gonna be that easy

WB

WHAT!!!! are you challenging me, I mean "US"!!! Hmmm, more flak, more second-line troops and patrol vehicles guarding key areas, barricades, mines on suspected airborne landing places or geograpical hindering, or..... all puttogether into one scenario/campaign. Please, Bill be so kind as too lift the tip of the iceberg so I can prepare for it, Ooops did I just write that??? Anyway I look forward to your "countermeasures" makes the game more interesting since my para's have been pulling off an amazing kind of work in this campaign (a bit too much I would have to admit). Oh by the way after al those DV's I got a draw yesterday when I met some Jagttigers and Co. In the end I came up short just one hex to make it a marginal victory, though. It was still a draw though. Unusual bad luck, two of four cargo aircraft shot down with just four shots!!! Bye Bye Para's, bazooka teams, snipers, recon and HMG's!!! (If those are the kind of countermeasures to the airbornes I will have to do some serious rethinking)Result: no german armour running into my ambushes. So, they got into position quite easy, though I shelled the living daylights out of them, and were waiting when my armour finally made the journey to his side of the map. For the first time this campaign started to lose vehicles on a large basis. I the end I could just repair and replace everything I had lost with something like 10 points left (incl. no upgrades). The battle after this one was back to usual though DV in six turns. For the Hurtgen forest my scor was 56838 vs german AI 991 points. Still love this campaign WB!!!

Regards,
PANTHERBLASTER

[Wild Bill]

"Loose lips sink ships!"

Those were some good ideas, PB. Thanks! I had thought of some of them, but not all.

Sounds painful, the loss of those cargo aircraft! Shades of D-Day, huh?

You are still doing quite well. Hey, maybe the AI figured out your tactics. Sometimes I think it is smarter than what folks might make us think

Wild Bill

------------------
In Arduis Fidelis
Wild Bill Wilder
Coordinator, Scenario Design
Matrix Games

[Pantherblaster]

Originally posted by Wild Bill:
"Loose lips sink ships!"

Those were some good ideas, PB. Thanks! I had thought of some of them, but not all.

Sounds painful, the loss of those cargo aircraft! Shades of D-Day, huh?

You are still doing quite well. Hey, maybe the AI figured out your tactics. Sometimes I think it is smarter than what folks might make us think

Wild Bill

I quess you're quite wright here, though I still look upon it as excetional bad luck. In the next battle I'll just change my approach routes for the C-47's.

PANTHERBLASTER

[kao16]

Having some fun with this campaign. Using the usual bash and crash tactics I have managed a draw, and several marginal victories for 7 points entering the scenario with the Elle river.

My current hero: a M4A3(75), the sole intact surviving tank from the senario involving La Foret and the road to Isingny managed to accumulate 8 kills (from 3 to 11) returning to their tank after twice abandoning it. Kills include at least, 2 x Stugs, 2 x MkIV, and one Panther (shooting from 6 hexes at the side).

In the opening stages of the new scenario (Elle river) I have already managed to destroy the concrete bridge (by the german VP marker) from an opening barrage from 8" how - I hope this isn't the bridge I'm supposed to capture

But on the good side, I've managed to knock out a panther with a single barrage from 105mm How's - the first time i've seen 105's knock out a tank.

I have just landed a Platoon of Rangers (by glider) below the city - it'll be interesting to see what happens. (Or to put it another way, how long they survive).

[Wild Bill]

Sounds intense, Kao. Take care of that veteran of yours. He is a real asset to your forces now. Who is the commander?

Keep us posted on this newest battle.

"16"...age, # of kids, or shoe zize?

Wild Bill

------------------
In Arduis Fidelis
Wild Bill Wilder
Coordinator, Scenario Design
Matrix Games

[kao16]

Originally posted by Wild Bill:
Sounds intense, Kao. Take care of that veteran of yours. He is a real asset to your forces now. Who is the commander?

Keep us posted on this newest battle.

Wild Bill

Commander is Sgt Stevenson. He survived the latest battle without a scratch - immobilised in the first movement phase and repaired in time to make 3 moves in the direction of the battle.

In this battle I had 1 afv kill from a US vehicle - M4(76) shooting into the back of a Panther as it left an artillery zone - every thing else was killed by infantry. And boy, was it a mess with all those infantry assualts from the Rangers.

Result: a 4200 to 2200 draw