Matrix Games Forums

Im playing the grand scenario for the first time as the germans and I needs some help

Its about 21:00 on day one

I just received my 9th SS neblewerfer battery

Should I attach it to 9th SS HQ?
Also...what is the range on this unit?
I want to leave it on call...but I dont want to put it too far away...but I want to balence that with not letting it get ambushed by a para unit


Now to the more important question
I just received the 10th SS panzer division

The paras are in osterbeek in force and are slipping around my isolated units...im afarid I may lose Arnhem at this pace
But....im torn

I want to put the 10th SS in Elst to have them wait for XXX corps
Is this a good idea?...this will of course mean that they will be doing nothing for several days...and they could easily hold the roads between osterbeek and arnehm and prevent the paras from getting to the bridge for a very long time...but this would mean I would have to rely on a patchwork of other units to hold XXX corps and all that combined fire power

Whats your advice?

Im going to lose the rail bridge soon..they used the ferry and are across the Rhine and attacking it from both sides...and all I have are the garrsion and flak platoons guarding it
Im going to have to fight like hell to get that back

Originally posted by Fallschirmjager
Im playing the grand scenario for the first time as the germans and I needs some help

I haven't played it from the German side, only from the British, but I'll do my best

Its about 21:00 on day one

I just received my 9th SS neblewerfer battery

Should I attach it to 9th SS HQ?
Also...what is the range on this unit?
I want to leave it on call...but I dont want to put it too far away...but I want to balence that with not letting it get ambushed by a para unit

Well, if you attach it to an HQ then you will lose control over where it gets positioned and where it fires, however the fires will be more responsive and you can influence its position by what orders you give the Div HQ.

You can check the range on any unit by selecting the unit, then selecting the Bombard order ("b" key) and looking at the blue range ring. Press ESC to cancel the order without setting a target.

Now to the more important question
I just received the 10th SS panzer division

The paras are in osterbeek in force and are slipping around my isolated units...im afarid I may lose Arnhem at this pace
But....im torn

I want to put the 10th SS in Elst to have them wait for XXX corps
Is this a good idea?...this will of course mean that they will be doing nothing for several days...and they could easily hold the roads between osterbeek and arnehm and prevent the paras from getting to the bridge for a very long time...but this would mean I would have to rely on a patchwork of other units to hold XXX corps and all that combined fire power

You currently have the luxury of free movement across the river via the Road Bridge. If you lose that bridge, then you will find it much harder to move forces South to block XXX Corps, or North to block the Paras. So keeping the bridge in your hands is critical.

You have a few days before XXX Corps arrives; if you can wear down the paras in that time, you may be able to hold them away from the bridge with poor-quality units, and concentrate your stronger units on XXX Corps. On the other hand, if your good units all get tied up with the paras, you may find it hard to pull them out of line to use against XXX Corps.

Im going to lose the rail bridge soon..they used the ferry and are across the Rhine and attacking it from both sides...and all I have are the garrsion and flak platoons guarding it
Im going to have to fight like hell to get that back

If you are lucky, the bridge garrison will blow it. If they don't, then you have a problem because even if you keep the Road Bridge, XXX Corps will have another avenue to cross the river and occupy Arnhem.

Oddly enough if you do retain the Rail Bridge intact, it still poses a problem as well as an opportunity. You'll be able to use it as well as the Road Bridge for moving troops around, but you will also have the responsibility of defending it so the Allies can't take it back. If it gets blown, although you lose the route, if you hold the Road Bridge it will actually be making your job a lot easier.

Just remember, the paras are only important as long as they threaten to take either main bridge. Once you've stopped them doing this, allocate just enough troops to keep them from becoming a threat again, and throw everything else against XXX Corps.

Cheers
33

Originally posted by Golf33

You have a few days before XXX Corps arrives; if you can wear down the paras in that time, you may be able to hold them away from the bridge with poor-quality units, and concentrate your stronger units on XXX Corps. On the other hand, if your good units all get tied up with the paras, you may find it hard to pull them out of line to use against XXX Corps. If you are lucky, the bridge garrison will blow it. If they don't, then you have a problem because even if you keep the Road Bridge, XXX Corps will have another avenue to cross the river and occupy Arnhem.


Cheers
33 [/B]

Thanks

This is what im afraid off...ill use them to attack the paras....they will take losses....and ill have trouble pulling them off the line...and when they get to elst they wont have time to dig it..and XXX corps will slaughter them

I play as the Germans more than the Allies so I'll try to assist as to my basic strategy.

It's rare to be able to hold the bridges so don't worry too much if they are captured in the early stages. Try to inflict as heavy casualties as possible at the Road Bridge (I normally position Harder's unit on the North end) and then extricate when appropriate. I've found that having the Rail Bridge blown doesn't make winning any easier so if it goes, it goes ....

Depending on where the Paras land (I'm normally playing one of the 'Double Drop' scenarios) I adjust my tactics accordingly but my overall strategy remains the same. I use the more powerful units to firstly secure a number of the objectives in and around Arnhem itself. From there I launch a series of sustained attacks towards the Road Bridge itself. Each individual attack has only a modest objective, once achieved I allow the unit to dig in - changing the order to a 'defend' order only once the full 'battlegroup' has been deployed. I then rotate to another battlegroup (or -groups) to order their attacks and so forth until the North end of the bridge has been secured. I deploy the artillery units to the north and north-east of Arnhem (check the range of the units to guage the appropriate positioning - the morters and rocket-launchers have a much shorter range than the AA and field-artillery). I always detach them from their 'superforces'. It's worth using the weaker units from 9th SSPz to screen them against 'wandering' para units.

As regards the Rail Bridge I normally use the units from Tettau's corps to screen them off from disrupting my assaults into Arnhem proper. The AI will often reinforce Arnhem via the bridges so once the Rail bridge defences have been weakened I then use the opportunity to launch an assault and capture this bridge too. If not, it's not that important.

I like to achieve the above objectives and decimate the paras before the arrival 30 Corps. With the Road Bridge held and the Rail Bridge cordened off 30 Corps will effectively attack into a 'killing zone'. I try and hold Elst with one of 10th SSpz battlegroups but then withdraw north once the casualty rate becomes unacceptable. The rest of the divisions battlegroups I pull towards the flanks and let the artillery go to work. I rotate the battlegroups holding the North end of the Road Bridge at night as trying to achieve it in daytime is practically suicidal.

Finally, with 30 Corps worn down and all my reinforcements deployed I counter-attack. If all goes to plan (and sometimes it doesn't) 30 Corps will surrender sometime on Day 9.

I hope this helps in some way.