More help needed with Husky

[Slush]

Hi

I played WitE a bit, but I’m new to WitW and I still try to find my way round the changes. So, I watched a few tutorials, read a lot of tips and tricks and I played Husky three times now.

Everytime I failed to take Messina. I’m slowly getting better, but not there yet, so I hope you gents can help me out. Here’s what I do:


TURN 1

I turn amphibious support on in the air doctrine screen and let the AI handle everything from there.

I also recombine the US and British paratroopers into divisions and set new drop hexes just NE of Etna to turn the German flank once they withdraw up there.

Then I launch the amphibious invasions, I transfer the most important support units from theatre and army group command to army and corps command, and I move all combat units as well as corps and army HQ’s into port. Sometimes I ship them up to the invasion fleet, sometimes I let them wait in port.


FOLLOWING TURNS

I change the air doctrine back to no amphibious assault and give both tactical and strategic air the objectives: 1) interdiction, 2) bomb ports, 3) bomb ferry crossings. I also give air superiority top priority.

Generally, I attack with British XIII driving towards Messina up the Eastern coast with XXX corps on its Western flank. US II. corps attacks across Sicily and then turns East to support the attack on Messina, while 2-3 units under the Provisional Corps (commanded by Ridgeway), attack the Western ports.

The assault division all get artillery and armour under direct control, and I try to preserve combat power whenever possible. I also most times remember to use my TF’s to support combat.


THE RESULT

In my games the Germans often succeed in stopping me near Etna. The para drops help out a bit, but once I finally breach their line, it is often too late to capture Messina within the turn limit. Even the attacks against the Western ports often fail to reach their objectives.

Now, I suspect the problem here may be a wrong handling of air doctrines and naval interdiction, since Axis units don’t seem to be overwhelmed by supply issues, but I’m not sure what to do.

What would you do differently?

[loki100]

few bits that occur to me.

I wouldn't hit the ferries, the Messina-Reggio crossing was meant to be the most flak heavy region in W Europe so all you are doing is degrading your airforce for no discernable gain. EquallY I'd drop the AS, if it has a bomb then let it bomb. Your Fighter bombers will flip back to fighters if attacked. The Italians are low morale/exp and there are not much LW.

You can up your naval interdiction by sailing your TF around, it leaves a trail of about level #4 behind it so with care in route planning you can fully cut off the western ports and hamper freight to Messina. You can combine this with the support for ground attacks you are doing.

A small quirk, if you put the TF next to a possible reserve activation stack (& you can often do this around Etna and still support the main combat), you stop it having the chance to react.

I wouldn't drop the paras, either T1 as set or later. You take losses (inevitable) and that sheds VP. Use them as air mobile and air lift them to a captured airbase, timed right it can allow your tanks to push on.

Your broad land plan sounds sensible but I'd send a bit more to west.

One issue is that at start its really hard to read the CV and what they mean. You're used to some of the oddities in WiTE1 such as low experience units can shed more cv during the fighting than high exp ones. The problem in this scenario is the German stuff is nasty, PzrGr and FJ backed by an elite Pzr division.

But there are tricks to hand.

A GA-unit mission will disrupt, those disrupted elements then get fatigue (so that is a bit off the score), a GS mission disrupts as the first step in the battle sequence, those disrupted elements don't then fight and don't count in the final cv comparison. So on balance GS trumps GA.

Second size matters. An elite regiment will not hold vs 3-4 divisions regardless of the apparent odds. I found this a huge barrier in early games, esp as the game system via the VP push an Allied player to be loss adverse. I guess the key bit is yes preserve combat power but you are preserving it for a purpose (ie to use). So hit something hard, if it holds it'll be in a mess (elements out of use and also shed a lot of MP), so can you repeat? Even better can you repeat with some fresh units. If it retreats, it will be relatively weak for several turns.

So don't be deterred by what the cv might be implying, this is esp so around Etna and the final assault on Messina.

[Slush]

Thanks loki100! That did the trick.

Messina and the western ports all fell by turn 6, and the last, stubborn Panzergrenadiers in the mountains east of Etna surrendered by turn 7. I guess I'm ready to move on to Westwall now and get to grips with logistics. [:)]

[cfulbright]

The one thing I'd add to Loki's excellent advice is that when you're attacking with two stacked divisions, attach a tank or armoured brigade to one of them, attach an engineer bn along with SP artillery to the other. If you can stack a third one, attach another tank or armoured brigade, don't have it in the initial attack, but have it advance into the empty hex, and if possible have it attack forward, then convert the attached brigade and advance it into the second empty hex. That will definitely turn a line.

Cary

[GeneralDad]

I turn amphibious support on in the air doctrine screen and let the AI handle everything from there.

The AI does a bad job of managing your air force. You very much will do better, much better, with your own air directives. If turn 1 air phase 1 is not resulting in more LW losses than your own, you are not there yet. Keep trying different air directives and don't fly anywhere without fighter escorts. With your own control of the air attacks you won't waste bombs in the Italian troops. If a bomb is going to get someone, get the Germans, like HG division. You may need to rebase and reorg the air force to get as many planes flying effectively as possible.

I run coastal naval directives out to and over the amphibs to maintain sea control, then a/s directives over them to protect those amphibs a bit.

The losses popup has a bug and does not report all enemy air losses, so check it in the metrics screen. I am basing my ideas on the bigger scenarios - I have not played Husky in quite a while.

Gen Dad.