Which French Invasion site do you prefer?

[tiger111]

Of the 3 main choices Normandy.Le Havre-Dieppe and Pas de Calais which one do you think is best in terms of accessability and ability to maintain/enlage/ and why.

Personally I think that the Dieppe area is best because
Short-ish channel crossing.
Airbases are close SE England.
Le Havre port
No bocageGood river on right flank.

Downside is the lack of coastal airbases.

Anyway that do you prefer?

[marion61]

I don't choose a landing site till I know his dispositions thru recon, the situation in the Med., my objectives, and what year and time of year. You also left out the area around Amsterdam, which Liquidsky is trying, and the area around St. Buriec.

As for a favorite, mine is the one that I can successfully invade at the time, but there's really only those four areas that are feasible in the time available.

[Q-Ball]

ORIGINAL: meklore61

I don't choose a landing site till I know his dispositions thru recon, the situation in the Med., my objectives, and what year and time of year. You also left out the area around Amsterdam, which Liquidsky is trying, and the area around St. Buriec.

As for a favorite, mine is the one that I can successfully invade at the time, but there's really only those four areas that are feasible in the time available.

Yes, do tell, which French invasion site do you prefer?[:D]

It seems to me they all have plusses and minuses to recommend them.

[marion61]

Now you know why I didn't elaborate.[;)] No free intel! I promise to tell you in a few more turns Q if that helps any? Or maybe just showing you would be best for all of us? I'm sorry that my response was vague to your question, but several ongoing operations could be compromised by my answers at this time.

[decourcy2]

I prefer Normandy all things being equal. I feel that the further the Germans are from their main supply sources the easier they are to interdict, bocage is easy when the Germans have no bullets.

[leopoldo]

Not played a lot of games but..in my last one Bretagne was a nice place. Cover the back with airbone and all set.

[LiquidSky]

One of my alternative invasions sites was Denmark. It has a nice choke point that I can hold/fortify while I build up the air bases. It is a bit far from Britain for the initial stage, but then there shouldn't be more then a couple divisions in the country, and you can interdict the neck.

It could be a death trap though.

[Q-Ball]

ORIGINAL: LiquidSky



One of my alternative invasions sites was Denmark. It has a nice choke point that I can hold/fortify while I build up the air bases. It is a bit far from Britain for the initial stage, but then there shouldn't be more then a couple divisions in the country, and you can interdict the neck.

It could be a death trap though.

If the LW is in good shape, which it should be by this point, isn't that risky? That's a long way from England.....

[LiquidSky]

If I had to go with only France, I would be strongly inclined to invade Normandy because the trouble with invading is not the actual landing, but surviving the first couple turns after. Bocage helps nicely against panzers.

If I thought I could land and stick on my own, then I would probably pick Pas-d-Calais as it greatly increases the power of my airforce if it doesn't have to fly too far.

[Balou]

Alabaster Coast (Dieppe-Le Havre). Although it looks like this, no joke ! It's the equivalent of the cliffs of Dover on the other side of the Channel.

[LiquidSky]

I will give my troops elevator shoes

[Balou]

... and send the new tanks (Cliffhanger MkI)

[HMSWarspite]

I thought there were a few too many invasion beach options on the north coast! Although we need to be careful, because each hex probably only needs a gap of about 1-2 miles in cliffs to be viable. 20% of the coast being gaps should probably be a viable beach hex, but the defence would in RL have a huge advantage - only need to defend the gap, rather than the whole 10 miles...

[Chuske]

Yes I often felt too that there is too little differentiation between good invasion sites and impassable beaches, its all or nothing. I agree that you don't need good beaches for whole 10 mile hex to be able to invade but obviously the more good flat, firm beaches in a hex the better it is for invasion.

[HMSWarspite]

I would suggest we need a new terrain type - poor beach maybe. With a defence bonus for units attacked in it, but still a valid invasion site. Then much of the coast around those cliffs could be this 'half beach'. Maintains variety for the WA targets but helps refect the reasons for the choice made and the realism. Just putting more cliffs in would feed the 'forced play' argument that the 'Middle Earth' thread has turned in to.

On that subject, someone is going to have to point out the page in Tolkien that covers the subtle strategic guesswork and feints, rather than the massive head on clash![:D]

[Q-Ball]

ORIGINAL: LiquidSky



If I had to go with only France, I would be strongly inclined to invade Normandy because the trouble with invading is not the actual landing, but surviving the first couple turns after. Bocage helps nicely against panzers.

If I thought I could land and stick on my own, then I would probably pick Pas-d-Calais as it greatly increases the power of my airforce if it doesn't have to fly too far.

Another benefit to Normandy is that you should be able to secure Cherbourg very easily. Just land on both sides of the Cotentin Peninsula, maybe drop paras in the middle, and you should have it easily.

While it may be tough to kick the Allies out of Normandy, they'll also get stuck in that bocage trying to breakout....

[Numdydar]

Is that a suggestion to meklore61 [:)] I'm sure he will now take that under serious consideration [:D]

[marion61]

My strategy is to hit you where you aren't or where your weakest. When I land I want to hear, "AWE! ****" all the way from Chicago!

Someone mentioned Denmark, right?