Tempe: pulling tight the nose

[lian]

Well, I need some advices for this scenario. I play the German and I have to get the town south to exit my troops. The briefing says the Allies have to slow me down and they have no problem because the huge troops they get [:D]. I have to defend myself instead of attacking ! Somebody can give me some hints ?
Thank you.

[RedDevil]

Hello,

Just so you know, I have started playing this scenario. I am currently playing Day 3 0600, and to be honest with you the situation seems rather gloomy. So, I would not count on advice coming from me, but at least I will keep you company asking questions [:D]

Here's the status (showing only my HQs for clarity)

[Renato]

Moving by night when possible, I outflanked the Allies on the left and on the right and succeeded in exiting 35 units with 53 VP; however, this was not enough for a draw because I got only 73 VP against 100 for the Allies.

A draw should be attainable with more decision even if the AI seems to be everywhere, but a breakthrough in the center seems impossible.

You cannot always win! [:)]

[RedDevil]

Quite right Renato, given the presence of all those matildas and the usual deadly arty the Allied has got, it is impossible to breakthrough the centre. You need though to keep some pressure on the third checkpoint because the last thing you want is for the allied to dig in around Larissa making it impossible to exit even a single unit. Maybe they would not (depends on the allied objectives and I have not opened a game as Allied yet) but it is a big risk.

I completed the scenario once and got a marginal defeat. I might try again, but I do not think this scenario is designed to be won by the axis. I quite liked the nasty surprise you get (particularly when you play it first as the axis) but once the surprise has waned, this scenario is probably not the most balanced [:)]
It is a shame not being able to change the objectives halfway through the scenario. Timed objectives would spoil the surprise, but what I think is to have objectives that force the axis to advance as quickly as they possibly can in the first two days and then, in the second part of the scenario move on the defensive and prevent the allied to push them back to the river, or something like this.

Ciao,

RedDevil

[Renato]

ORIGINAL: RedDevil

You need though to keep some pressure on the third checkpoint because the last thing you want is for the allied to dig in around Larissa making it impossible to exit even a single unit.

Sure; at first I kept here 143 HQ and II/143 with I/143 near the east swamps. Then it was no more necessary to keep the pressure because the pressure was kept by the AI itself. At the end I had Matildas everywhere north of the third checkpoint up to Makrykhorion (besides Larissa of course). I reacted with my last reserve II/141 and with II/143, not so much to retake the two objectives (they are not worth much and anyway I did not retake them), as to keep open the supply lines.

What I should have done was to exit my best artillery (I exited only 77/200 bombardment points), but I think that more than two days are required for that and this means to forego these most precious units for about half of the time.

It is a shame not being able to change the objectives halfway through the scenario.

Please don't ask Arjuna for that, lest he immediately stops the development of BFTB and give us a Patch 4 with a completely new metastrategic level for the AI, able to dynamically allot VPs during gameplay. Remember that patches don't make money.

Let's simply realize that, this time, Generalfeldmarshall Wilhelm List was overly optimistic and assigned us a Mission Impossible. Yes, I understand that, after our best efforts, his AAR words were a bit hard, but wargaming is sometime unfair; did you never see things like that in real life? [:)]

Ciao,

Renato

[Arjuna]

[:)] rest assured I hope I have just put out the last COTA Patch 3 build today. touch wood those testers don't discover anything untoward. I want to get the first BFTB build out asap.

[RedDevil]

ORIGINAL: Renato

It is a shame not being able to change the objectives halfway through the scenario.

Please don't ask Arjuna for that, lest he immediately stops the development of BFTB and give us a Patch 4 with a completely new metastrategic level for the AI, able to dynamically allot VPs during gameplay. Remember that patches don't make money.

[:D][:D] You are absolutely right! I will wait for better times to raise this request.

Back to the game, I have decided to give it another try in "cheat mode".
Since I know by now that there will be an awful lot of tanks in the Allied lines, I gathered a huge AT task force picking from every Bn and HQ assets (7-9 units) and deployed it in line near the check point 3 (or 2?), had them dug in and ready for a nice welcome party. It worked although maybe it worked too well and the AI decided that there is no shame in a orderly retreat. At the same time I also gave away my outflanking attempt so now I expect troubles as I push South...
My last save is Day4 03:00 (that's when I give the order to rest and dig in to my troops so that they are ready to for when the day breaks and arty shells start to fall).
Will let you know how it goes.

Cheers,

RedDevil