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The German defences on the beach comprised of a fortified unit plus a regiment level or weak division .... One hex behind these was a reasonably strong division, either para or panzer .... This was mostly the condition from Normandy going north. I bought into Rommel's argument of moving the troops close to the shore. I started the fortified units early in the game and gave them all the "volunteers" I could to assist with building.

The image of units is a bit misleading as it includes the strong second line units from adjacent beaches to the north. I moved them over upon seeing the armada, and ever though two hexes provided the symbol for a determined attack as I selected attacking units .... couldn't attack squat.

Relative to the Air assets, I had turned it completely over to the AI (which Paul keeps reminding me not to do) ..... I was suprised that it indicated I had higher interdiction levels than the Allies over the invasion site .....

So Dave's bad experience on the beaches of Normandy have

1) Little to do with my prosess
2) Gives George Marshall his shot now

Dave, we can re-start or if Joel has Torch in the near term horizon, I'll get it and you can kick my arss .......

And Joel is correct, the Allies have way more VP's due to garrison issues on my part. However, I wouldn't describe it as ignoring the requirements unless you consider a single city short by 1 pt (9-S instead of 10-S) as ignoring it .... Couldn't seem to get the right combination of units down there .... Everywhere else, the garrison reqts were met ...... This had been the case for some time .... can't remember back to the beginning though but don't recall anything being way out ....

Does the garrison reqt's operate on a linear scale where miss it a little and get a little penalty or miss it a lot and get nailed .... Or is it digital where miss it at all by any amount and get pounded ?

ORIGINAL: scout1


Dave, we can re-start or if Joel has Torch in the near term horizon, I'll get it and you can kick my arss .......

Yes, let's restart. This time though either Dday or May start. I don't really feel like going through the whole Sicily/Italy thing all over again

I'm game .... you want the Allies ?

The garrison requirements are harsh, even a small shortage can mean big points. Remember, it's not just cities, it's also garrison regions. Both requirements have to be met. Also, you can score points with excess garrisons, so you should always have some excess. If you cut it too close, then a change in OBs or weakening of units through normal attrition can leave you short. Also, requirements change over time, so best to look and plan ahead. You really have to see the garrison requirements as absolute minimums, and try to keep extra. One way to be safe is to keep a division or two near the 4 corners of the French garrison zones. That way, if something happens and one area falls below requirements, you can easily adjust. Of course doing this will mean you have less units to defend with in Italy and less units to put on or very near the beaches. These are major reasons for the rules as it forces some high command interference and prevents total 20/20 hindsight.

I was going to suggest you guys go to a 44 campaign so you get right into the action for your next game.

I bet the forts on the beach were also a big factor. Forts in a beach hex make a huge difference.....too much IMO. I can elaborate, but I feel the impact of forts needs to be lessened vs amphib landings, or they need to not be built.

Good advice on the garrison requirements Joel, thanks.

Yes, that's what I'm going to set up. I've slogged through the Italian campaign enough times just trying to get to that point

I'm either going to set up Dday or the may start and go from there.

ORIGINAL: Joel Billings

The garrison requirements are harsh, even a small shortage can mean big points. Remember, it's not just cities, it's also garrison regions. Both requirements have to be met. Also, you can score points with excess garrisons, so you should always have some excess. If you cut it too close, then a change in OBs or weakening of units through normal attrition can leave you short. Also, requirements change over time, so best to look and plan ahead. You really have to see the garrison requirements as absolute minimums, and try to keep extra. One way to be safe is to keep a division or two near the 4 corners of the French garrison zones. That way, if something happens and one area falls below requirements, you can easily adjust. Of course doing this will mean you have less units to defend with in Italy and less units to put on or very near the beaches. These are major reasons for the rules as it forces some high command interference and prevents total 20/20 hindsight.

I was going to suggest you guys go to a 44 campaign so you get right into the action for your next game.

Ok, this disaster is done, and I've started a new multiplayer with Scott with D-Day start. Let's see if I can redeem myself.

Couldn't seem to get the right combination of units down there

The Bordeaux site with the fortified zone can be a pain. Commit a panzer division (that isn't withdrawing) and you can forget about it.

I took a look into saves Joel sent me. German NI around amphibious zone is quite high (2-4). Undamaged ports nearby and lack of AS under the amphib landing zone could make it happen. It might be possible to switch 8th AF to support D-Day.

You can see how large the changes have been when NI of (2-4) is quite high! On release it was usually (8-9)!