Snatching Victory from the Jaws of De Feet

[MikeJ19]

Larry,

This is really cool. The map is so familiar, yet different from the one in my games. In my games, Cherbourg was a supply source for the Germans. You may want to check that out...

Have fun,

[2clicks]

So another turn and I am amazed at how fast the allies are getting troops ashore and moving them up quickly. I've tried to blow as many bridges as possible. I might be going over the top but there you go. Reinforcements are starting to arrive so I was lucky that the air was not as full of enemy planes and some movement was done without to much trouble.


I've made a few attacks against the British paras however the loses are high so I'm not sure if that's the best move. Hopefully the reinforcements can help the infantry on the coast. I may be wrong in my thinking but the best thing might be just to defend and slow down the allies if possible until more units arrive and hopefully take up better positions. I would say counter attack on any weakness but I'm not sure what that might be as these small para groups seem to cause me so much trouble let alone huge numbers of tanks.

Artillery is on tac support but would people recommend some aggressive bombardment? Especially if a unit looks surrounded and all hope lost maybe just lob as many shells out as possible? It would fit my WW1 mindset[:D]

[larryfulkerson]

ORIGINAL: MikeJ19
Larry,

This is really cool. The map is so familiar, yet different from the one in my games. In my games, Cherbourg was a supply source for the Germans. You may want to check that out...

Have fun,

So what happened...you played a different version of this scenario? A different scenario entirely? Steve Sill has a good one called "D-Day to the Ruhr" and it's got landings and a fight all the way to Germany. I have a vague memory of playtesting it. Or at least having played it before. A couple of years ago. But this game is good...I've got no complaints. I hope Andrew is having fun.

My paratroops have no firepower but they are holding their place on the front lines just like everyone else. The Germans are starting to descend from Cherbourg and form a front line just north of my units. I'm gusssing he's not going to try to push me back into the sea. I've got an armored division coming in T8 that I'd like to deploy in the west for the push north. I'm thinking that Cherbourg is a supply point for the Germans like Mike said and I want it for my troops. The supply levels would be better if I had it.

About half of the aircraft are red or yellow or orange and can't fly this turn. I've been really hard on them the past turn or two. I'm going to have to pace myself with the planes. They represent my firepower on the battlefield. I want the planes to do most of the work. The ships are gone now so that just leaves the planes for support. Besides the front is moving so far inland the ships can't reach any longer. No targets for them. I'm parking them out of the way for now.

I haven't developed a plan per se, I'm mostly just pushing everybody south on the east side concentrating on the Caen area and on the west side we're waiting for the troops to refit and for the supply levels to rise a bit. I feel like I'm falling behind schedule.

[larryfulkerson]

ORIGINAL: 2clicks
So another turn and I am amazed at how fast the allies are getting troops ashore and moving them up quickly. I've tried to blow as many bridges as possible. I might be going over the top but there you go. Reinforcements are starting to arrive so I was lucky that the air was not as full of enemy planes and some movement was done without to much trouble.

I've made a few attacks against the British paras however the loses are high so I'm not sure if that's the best move. Hopefully the reinforcements can help the infantry on the coast. I may be wrong in my thinking but the best thing might be just to defend and slow down the allies if possible until more units arrive and hopefully take up better positions. I would say counter attack on any weakness but I'm not sure what that might be as these small para groups seem to cause me so much trouble let alone huge numbers of tanks.

Artillery is on tac support but would people recommend some aggressive bombardment? Especially if a unit looks surrounded and all hope lost maybe just lob as many shells out as possible? It would fit my WW1 mindset[:D]

I like the way you think Andrew dude. I've got a theory that firing the artillery until it's cherry red just wastes supply. The offensive firepower of an arty unit that's so low on supply that it's red is miniscule I'm thinking. It's firing but getting no hits and you wonder why. I like to treat my arty more realistically and let it rest when it turns yellow. I fire it only when it's green and when it turns red and the position is giving way I move the arty out of the way. Arty is valuable for holding a position or storming a target position but it's almost worthless if it's got no supply. That's the theory. I wish one of the developers would clarify this for us.

I see you moving your German troops south from Cherbourg and forming a line just north of my troops and that's a good thing. No need to rush into anything. You're taking the time to stage your units before moving them adjacent....I do that too. If you're defending you might want to put the lessor units on the front line and back them up with the stout units on tac support in the next line back. Less losses when the enemy attacks and the stout unit can sometimes prevent a breakthrough. There's another school of thought that says use the "crusty defense" where most of the firepower goes on the front lines in huge stacks that are hard to push around. The Soviets do that a lot in east front games. I like the weak units backed up by stout units better.

Do you have any planes at all yet? I've been abusing mine. When a plane is on INT missions it needs a lot of supply to fly several times during the enemy turn. Planes on INT missions can go through a boat-load of supply in one turn. When an aircraft unit turns from dark green to light green I switch it from INT to CS because CS is less of a supply hog. When they turn yuellow they rest. I've got a similar procedure for the troops so that they stay at least 50% supplied all the time. I like them to be combat ready at all times if possible.

Great game. Thanks for playing me.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's what the peninsula looks like now. The units are pushing and shoving but there's very little movement going on in the south corner of this area. I tried an attack and lost more than the Germans did so that's not working. I may have to go around and attack them from the south somehow. That's a long way around though.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's a section from the middle and there's a bug-a-bear in that there's a German hold-out and he's blocking the flow of supply to the next section of beach to the west. Those guys are out of supply. I've got to get rid of that German posistion ASAP. Very little progress in this area, very rough terrain to have to work in.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's what it looks like on T5 before I have moved anybody. I'm hoping to make some progress this turn since it's a daylight turn and the airpower has recovered somewhat. There was no INT last turn during Andrew's turn because the planes were too tired to fly. Some of them have recovered and are ready to go this turn.

I've parked the ships near the UK because they can't reach targets any longer.

[larryfulkerson]

The British paratroopers have finally captured the bridge and now maybe the supply will flow to the paratroopers area. They were out of supply since they landed.

A lot of German units are starting to gather near Caen and I'm starting to get worried that they will counterattack and try to drive me back into the sea. I don't think the landings are in jepardy just that the Germans are going to make a lot of trouble and hassle for the British when the British finally arrive at Caen. Which should be soon now.

The supply situation is great except where the British paratroops are.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's the condition of the aircraft units.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's how the two airborne divisions are doing. They don't have the firepower to go on the offensive so much but they can hold a place on the front lines. So far they've been holding back the Germans approaching from the west. The Germans COULD attack and cause all kinds of trouble but so far they have been standing off and just watching. I'm not complaining. I need an armored division to break the logjam.

[cpt flam]

Hi Larry
here pic of part of the problems for the 1st Inf Div
the battery comprised 4 bunkers with 150mm Marine Art
it was left on the 8th, with no more ammunition

[larryfulkerson]

Okay if I post a smaller version of that picture?

[2clicks]

The Germans are currently enjoying being able to march up and down without allied planes getting involved which is making things easier in terms of moving up troops. Still no planes of my own to speak of. I'm learning lots about proficiency though, definitely something I will take away from this game. Couple that with poor coop between regular and SS units and its a bit of a nightmare to attack anything.

However I have tried a few probing attacks but nothing much coming of them. The SS and other rag tag bunch of infantry are attacking the British Paras with some degree of success I think. Going through the middle of them to hopefully put them in smaller pockets to deal with and keeping that side of the river for me.

Also the lack of air attacks has meant that I have a bit more freedom in getting a defence around Cherbourg. Nothing amazing but I have been able to pull in isolated units that were scattered all over to one area. I am also aware that I have next to no troops in the middle of the map just a garrison to the north and reinforcements to the south so I will try to though up some defence to slow the allies down a bit.


Historically I believe that the Allies wanted to capture and link up the beaches D-Day plus 1? So my guys have held that off. Hope for me yet!

[larryfulkerson]

Here's the British sector currently. The British have pushed up against Caen and the German units there. There's been no pushing and shoving with them yet however, I'm letting my units rest a bit. It's been a hard fight for them to get where they are now. The supply level is fine and that reminds me that I need to get the RR engineers busy so that the supply level will be adequate further south.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's the American sector and there's been some progress of a sort. More work to be done yet.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's what it looks like in the peninsula currently. The 4th and 90th divisions are trying to push north while the paratroopers hold what they have.

[larryfulkerson]

I've been moving units and repairing bridges and this is what the British sector looks like now. I've decided that I don't have the firepower to defeat the Germans in urban house-to-house fighting so I'm going to try to find a way to outflank them. Besides I don't want to turn Caen into rubble. I'm going to have to get my RR engineers busy real soon now.

[2clicks]

Question for all, as far as defending rivers go am I better on the Hex or behind it?

[devoncop]

2clicks

Behind it...

Its a quirk of in hex rivers. In effect the Allies will be attacking from the river if that makes more sense.

Great job by the way..always good to keep Larry on his toes [:D]

[larryfulkerson]

Here's what it looks like now. German troops are moving north from the south part of this image and the German troops in the Cherbourg peninsula were moving around, maybe a big push is in the works. Supply levels are great so that's not a problem yet. My planes are perpetually alternating between green and yellow. Each turn I put them on CS and by the end of the turn they are yellow and need rest again. About half of them are yellow at the start of the turn and can't shoot. But the planes are doing a lot of the heavy lifting for the troops.