MCLV Initial AARs

[Grenadier]

The campaign medal is awarded immediately on starting LV. The other medals and awards are won by a series of criteria, including but not limited to;
victory types, total of points vs total possible points, individual actions, and injuries sustained in battle to A0 or B0.

[mao]

So far, I'm really enjoying MCLV - it's nice to play these battles in-between Guadalcanal and the desert. I seem to be getting the same results as everyone else - I crossed the river in the first 2 scenarios with DVs, then tried to help the Brandenburgers on the bridge (I got a draw here, and not a good one at that, but if I had 2 or 3 more turns I could have got the bridge).

Radziechow was fun. I advanced quickly in the center and soon spotted a large amount of Russki AFVs - luckily for me the Russian commander, Comrade Ai, was taking all those heavy tanks across the center of the map, through the worst terrain; so i had some time to set up.

In the north the town fell quickly, although right to the end of the scenario my infantry and supporting Pz IIs were battling Russian tanks (with some success <img src="biggrin.gif" border="0"> ). My infantry managed to immobilize a KV-1 and KV-2 and destroyed a lot of smaller tanks. The stupid Russians tried to bring their heavy tanks into the town - with predictable results.

In the center I started well by wiping out something like 10-12 T-26s in 2 turns (with 3 tanks), it was a massacre - but so much fun <img src="smile.gif" border="0"> . Further south, in the central center area I destroyed most of the light tanks and armored cars at long range, then picked on the T-35s (which were weak) and the T-28s as they crossed the river and, finally, concentrated on the KV-1s and KV-2s as I moved in to closer range. I just pounded away at the hulks with 37mm, 50mm and 75mm rounds until the crews bailed. The final battle was at 2 and 3 hex range right on the river - no mercy was shown as I wiped out Russian tank crews. Towards the end of the scenario I rushed about 8 tanks and halftracks onto the SE hill area and, with the loss of only 1 immobilized halftrack, I easily routed the defenders with MG fire.

In the south I was never in trouble, although the battle was tense. I saved my bombers for a good target (they never seemed necessary in the center) and it came in the form of a large amount of tanks <img src="biggrin.gif" border="0"> which were bombarded with everything I could throw at them - 75mm, 105mm artillery and my 4 Bf-110s. Even so, some tanks reached the southern ridge area, under constant artillery fire, and did break through (the ownership of the ridge changed hands for a while). But they were too few and I either destroyed or routed them all - I really managed to hold them off for most of the battle with 2 PzIIIs and some supporting infantry. The Russian commander threw a lot of artillery at the defenders in this area - but we held.

The vaunted new Russian tanks are strong, but KV-1 and KV-2 crews did not seem very good and the T-34s seemed to be easy meat for my 50mm rounds at medium ranges. I suspect, though, that the crews' quality will improve over time.

In the SW a group of Cossacks were easily destroyed by 3 of my halftracks and my own A0 squad.

Not only did I get a DV it was a GOOD DV - something like 1500 to 150.

[Killerdaffy@gmx.de]

I like the MC as well so far except for some very annoying bugs, ghost units and reinforcements never showing up. (e.g. node7, scen 24 the four 88s never show up. great if you consider that you simply do not have enough ammunition with the rest of the smaller ATGs to chew up the HUGE number of russian tanks).

Also my air support has the annoying habit of shooting up my own vehicles, even if they are on the other side of the map and not on the path I mapped for the plane. Is this a feature or a bug? I mean I see that it's sometimes hard to identify stuff from the air but I'd like to know about it...

What I especially like is the fact that your decisions affect the gameplay on multiple levels - so not only the next battle but sometimes far later.

[Gen.Hoepner]

The friendly air fire is a feature of the game.This occurs when the visibility is not that good or when your ordering unit did't give the right coordinates(this reading through the lines).
I started LV today.Havin' such a fun......First scen <img src="biggrin.gif" border="0"> V.Now i'm in the 2nd one and at turn six out of 15 i'm still stuck on the walls of the castle,pinned down by students fire(they fight very well,isn't true???!!).Took the southern hill,but the school and the town are still very far from here,and my men are now being loading on the opel blitzs.....quite large losses,especially in the companies in the northern sector.StgIII.....i hate them.....almost useless without any mg!!!Well,if this is only the 2nd scen.....in italy there's a kind of idiomatic sentence that says:"se il buon giorno si vede dal mattino..." which means:"if a good day can be seen by the morning light....."....well,this is gonna be a wonderful day!!!

[Phil Buster]

Hi everybody.
I´m fighting in the Dubno sector. A wide offensive with PzII, III and IV, some AT and Arty and Infantry support.The day is cloudy but visibility is enough. My troops began the day advancing in four columns, with the infantry support mainly on the flanks and some recon units and Sdkfz ahead. My arty openned the way till the river that crosses the front from left to right. The center and right columns reached soon the first objectives ant other side of the river. A pair of Pz 38t and some Sdkfz took positions in the village on the russian side of the river with their right flank covered by my Stugs. The left flank met those damned russian KV quite soon, sothe ATs and Pzjg adopted a defensive position while my Pz II and III tried to pass them through the left wing. Soon we found a pair of big caliber AT, but became no problem.
Our main problem where those KVs. Eight or nine of them advanced to us and lur 50mm guns didn´t seemed to have much effecto on them. A pair of PZ IV did a good job and contained the first wave, but any advance was impossible til our 150mm fell on them. Some crews abandoned thei KVs and some others routed. Now, the inf. squads are reaching them and the firs one just blowed his first.
Things became worse on the right flank. A little bug added some difficulties. My inf. squads mounted on Sdkfz literally vanished when dismount to face russians. Where did they go? Seven turns later I still don´t know it. They disapeared. So We found with no infantry support on the right flank. Stucked on the left by enemy KVs, containing a strong counterstrike to the positions taken across the river in the center, there was no hope of support to the right wing, mainly formed by the Sdkfz squads and a pair of Pz II. Fortunately, reinforcements are arriving right now to both flanks. My Stugs have run out of ammo and retreating to the ammo trucks recently arrived and moving slowly through the russians roads, so my center has been weakened and some infantry squads try to resist on the village where the PZ 38t have blown due to the arrival of new KVs well supported by B-10, T-26 and russian infantry.
Hope this 88s recently received but still on my rear and the PZIV squads and engineers I´ve just been noticed to have received will reach the front in time...

[Phil Buster]

Oops, if I hab few problems, now the soviets try to flank me by my left. And there is not only 8 or 9 KVs. There is a company! I´ve engaged 20 al least (most KV1, but a lot of big caliber KV2 too)...
ON the other hand, my first reinforments are pushing hard in the center. I can´t believe how am I having such a good time while having such a bad time <img src="biggrin.gif" border="0"> <img src="wink.gif" border="0">

[Larry Holt]

Originally posted by Killerdaffy:
...

Also my air support has the annoying habit of shooting up my own vehicles, even if they are on the other side of the map and not on the path I mapped for the plane. ...

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Have you tried setting the planes path BEFORE you set the target. Set the path so that the planes do not over fly your troops before they hit the target.

[Gen.Hoepner]

I got to the third battle:Reconaissance at Radziechow.Two DV the first two battles.Now i'm facing probably an entire reinforeced armoured battaillon of red tanks.Is there a way to win here??????Those kv1 are almost unvulnerable to my guns.And i saw also with my scouts some t-34......I lost only 2 tanks and taken more than 15 or theirs,but only the light ones.......BTW it's really a great challenging game!!!!!!I'm having so much fun!!!!!

[Larry Holt]

Kill off the light tanks at long range, that way the Soviets can't kill you. Once the heavies are isolated, drop arty on them, they will rout or otherwise not be able to shoot back effectively. Move to their flanks then close to adjecent to their rear and you can kill even a KV2.
Enjoy, I got a DV