Matrix Games Forums

ORIGINAL: sandman2575

ORIGINAL: loki100

Strong suggestion GA-interdiction trumps GA-unit attack almost every time.

There are times you might want to do a unit attack, in connection with, or to replace GS for an attack but in general its interdiction that hurts.

As the Allied player you don't see the harm you are doing as most of it never gets reported as a battle report. But anything that moves in that hex takes losses. So trucks, fresh manpower, supplies, ammo etc all get degraded (& that is if no counter moves). Units moving into a hex, reserve reactions from a hex, retreats all give you move losses.

This is good to know -- I do wish the game made some of this visible to the player, though.

Any suggestions for effectively using FBs for interdiction? I get that FBs are the best interdicting aircraft. But I'm also seeing my flights of FBs getting shot to hell by concentrated AA. I made the mistake initially of sending in interdiction strikes at 6,000 ft. That was a bloodbath. One sortie of 24 Thunderbolts lost all 24 aircraft. I boosted it up to 16,000 ft. and the losses are less severe, but still substantial.

Is that just par for the course -- i.e. concentrated interdiction strikes with many hundreds of FBs over a relatively small area, say, 5x5 hexes, over stacks of heavily AA defended panzer divisions, is going to be costly no matter what? I suppose the answer must be yes. But would love to know how to mitigate these losses somehow.

ORIGINAL: loki100
You may still get blocked in Italy (I think in the campaign the AI over-commits) but your reward will come in France, or when the Hammer and Sickle hangs off the Reichstag.

I hope you're right -- although at the moment France is shaping up to be another deadlock (...and I haven't even taken Caen yet).

As bomccarthy says, if you set your FBs for 15,000' they will dive on the target, so that is a good default option. Broadly 8-12,000' is asking for trouble ... I forget the exact parameters but its at this pt that both heavy and light flak can hit you.

Its worth trying things out, go in at 1,000' and see. You don't have Il-2s designed for this sort of attack but this cuts out a lot of flak (but you pick up more operational losses) and your FBs can really hit their targets (esp if they carry rockets). There's a lot of odd quirks in the air game and being willing to play around (and sometimes get a complete battering) can be very informative.

edit: For France I've started to think that the area on the Normandy/Brittany border is a good target. You don't have the protection of the bocage (but of course don't have to fight your way through it) and all that clear terrain helps your air power. Other creative spots are at the mouth of the Seine or even the Pas de Calais (the good thing here is it is so close to the UK that your airpower is fully maximised - no need for fuel tanks just take bombs [;)]

But in the main its good to fight the Germans where you are well surprised, it can be tricky if they retreat in good order back into Belgium as your supply lines get badly stretched.

ORIGINAL: GeneralDad

..

It is a really good AI - really an accomplishment for Gary and the team to have written it.

I just broke through on the east side of Italy - the AI hit back hard - my guys retreated. Then the big surprise - the AI pulled back 3 hexes (2 north of Rome) on the west side even though I was stretched thin there. So I will take Rome on historical schedule after all.

Does the AI or the Axis get more movement points? My fully supplied 1st Armored div has 44, the AI has two stacks with 66 and 75. None of my Armor has more than 50 mp. The Schmalz PzGr brigade is sitting isolated in Regio Calabria (tip of the boot) - it teleported there from Lido di Roma when I invaded Salerno - even though at least one rail hex was destroyed.

GeneralDad

the enemy stacks show attack cv-defend cv (regardless of your own display options), so nothing can have over 50 regardless of other issues.

Appreciate the excellent tips. I will be putting these into practice tonight.

ORIGINAL: sandman2575

Appreciate the excellent tips. I will be putting these into practice tonight.

Agreed, lots of good tips. I finally broke out, captured Rome and am now closing on the line of forts at the top of the boot.

... Started trying interdiction, it probably helped keep Axis units from moving to halt my breakouts.
... I used a simplified version of tips from this site to blast an LW base with great success.
... Luft-what? The LW is down to less than 250 planes, I don't remember the last time they flew even a single sortie.
... ??? The AI has an almost three-deep line of forts at the top of the boot. Do they have that many admin points or is this a bug?
... sandman2575, I think the Italian scenario is easier than Italy in the full campaign game. Still hard, though.

GeneralDad

ORIGINAL: GeneralDad

ORIGINAL: EddyBear81

In Italy, stick to the coastal roads, bring the TFs in hexes adjacent to the ones you attack (they will bring a heavy artillery support which is very efficient), be very selective with interdiction (mostly only 1-hex missions, targeting bottlenecks in the mountains), and do not fear having to try several times to succeed in an assault (and possibly resupply by air assaulting units, if they lack ammo, they won't do much next assault)

It's difficult. It's fighting in Italy.

I have had mixed success with the TFs, the AI usually strongly defends the coast. They helped me twice, but the first time they suffered high damage in spite of being in an air superiority zone. I still don't understand in game terms why interdiction is better than blasting units in a few selected hexes. Does the interdiction stop the reserve units? Usually I need to beat down an Axis stack to have a chance with the attack and the only way to do that quickly is to bomb the units I intend to attack (but there is a lot I need to learn about the air game).

"It's difficult. It's fighting in Italy" - but I am falling a little bit behind history so either my failings as a gamer, inexperience with WitW, or the game favors the defensive over history. I think that the Axis, or the defensive is a little too strong - and the forts too weak since they hardly changed the crawling pace of my advance.

Please how do I do air resupply? I have a bunch of air transports doing nothing.

GeneralDad

For the TFs, do not leave them in hexes adjacent to enemy units. They come to help for the attack, and then head back to port to rest for the end of the turn. They should not take significant damage

For the air resupply, it is explained in the manual (17.3.7. AIR TRANSPORT OF FREIGHT). It probably explains it better than I do. It may takes you several tries to get it right, but in the end I find it very useful to send the attacking units a boost to attack a second time. If you cannot manage (it's a little bit complicated), just ask again !

Oh, and one more trick for you in Italy : do you use the ability of "Multi" units to move one hex after they are converted (no matter what terrain, combat delay or what not...) ? If not, use it, it's a game changer in Italy.
=> Just put them in a combat or HQ unit. Convert the Multi unit close to the hex you just clear but cannot get into (eg. Mountain hex)... and ta-daaa ! You can now move your small unit in the hex (and boost it with support units so it's not too vulnerable to counter attacks). Do it, and you will love the French goums !
=> Again, this is a little bit complicated (especially because of the stacking limits). Feel free to ask !

Thanks EddyBear81 for the tips. I understand 1 and 3 (thanks for the tips), but #2 still eludes me as to how to do it - what mouse clicks are needed.

As for the AI - the Beta AI over values ports and is throwing stacks of units away by staying until they become isolated. So maybe the campaign will be a little easier for me because of AI losses.

GeneralDad

Keep track of Loki100's current AAR covering the 43-45 GC as the Allies (http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=4429752) - he will show some good tips on how to handle the German AI in Italy.

I have found that while the AI will leave behind strong units isolated in ports, you can still advance ahead of the historical schedule with the first mainland invasion near Bari (AI withdraws to MLR running from just north of Salerno or even Naples to north of Foggia) and the second invasion just to the west of Rome (AI abandons Rome).

As for those AI losses of units isolated in ports, they seem to come back all too quickly.