Core forces

Bradock78436 · Post by **Bradock78436** » Thu Jan 10, 2002 4:06 am

WHat's the suggested core force? I started the 'long road to victory' campaign. I chose a ranger company, two rifle company, engineer company and some artillery. Only had 1800 points. Bought tanks for support. Was this a wise descision? I got to the air strip with infantry, my tanks were either destroyed or immobilized by massive air strikes. And when I was finally making progress the Panzer 3's came.. I ended up with two VP's, a draw. Retreat after that went well.

Gallo Rojo · Post by **Gallo Rojo** » Thu Jan 10, 2002 8:51 am

Usually I buy:

1- Tank Co
1- Motor Rifle Co (if I don't have enought point as to I buy a Co buy Platoons in equal quantity)
Note: be sure to have some heavy MG in your infantry force.

Recon forces: an infantry recon plt + jeeps or some fast vehicle + armored cars

a couple of 50mm mortars (you can upgrade them to 81mm or bigger during the campaing)

Bradock78436 · Post by **Bradock78436** » Thu Jan 10, 2002 9:09 am

What kind of tank company? Medium tanks? Tank destroyers?

skukko · Post by **skukko** » Thu Jan 10, 2002 10:18 am

Buy medium tank company, delete last platoon of it and buy platoon of tankdestroyers <img src="wink.gif" border="0">

Plain battlegroup works fine if you buy mechanized infantry to support it. Buy also one engineer platoon. (<-at least some of your guys then have engineer capability)

Light mortar -section and some recons.

Also FO would be important to get into core.

I usually buy motorised infantry company and company of tanks. This Tank CO I then cut to consist only 6 tanks. Its cheap core and capable for all campaigns in all fronts. But its my opinion <img src="wink.gif" border="0">

mosh

Bradock78436 · Post by **Bradock78436** » Thu Jan 10, 2002 11:14 am

Sounds like a lot for 1800.

skukko · Post by **skukko** » Thu Jan 10, 2002 12:41 pm

So many camps to play...

Ok, I did buy core, saved and will play this. I have wanted and started to play it before but never couldn't go more than first battle due to updates and other work.

Here is what I did buy with all preferences On and as default is:

Hq

7 M4A3 Shermans

Mech infantry Co, (rarity ate my infantry mortars)

I did cut that tankdestroyer -halfie out and did purchase

2 Wolverines.

Forward observer and last something fun to test;

2 M6 37 GMC AT-trucks. These I will update to something if they are not good.

Shermans and Wolvies will have update later, sherman to one with 17pounder (or alike) in -44 and Wolvies to Jacksons when they are available ( -44? ).

Infantry trackers will have slight updates if I do have spearpoints. Infantry will stay as is to M-9 bazooka time, ( -43? )

Artillery I'll take from support-points as engineers if needed.

To first battle I didn't buy infantry, but two AA-trackers, section of 105-howitzers with trucks and ammotrucks to feed them my small arms if needed.

so by now, Africa calls.

mosh

Bradock78436 · Post by **Bradock78436** » Thu Jan 10, 2002 12:52 pm

Well, my setup is off, guess I should restart. Mission three counter attack. 6731 to 3331 (something like that) me. Draw.. I had two shermans and four wolverines. Those tanks must have took down 8-10 German tanks befor reinforcments came. Another 5 or 6 panzers and stugs!! Wolv took one with it before it was knocked out. Ambushed the other tanks at VP's, broke the German force morale. One VP was to far away. Ranger special forces captured the vp to their rear. Had both hills and the one closed to my deploy. After fighting off their spec ops. The one on the road in the middle of the mountains was where I was heading. One more turn and I could have gotten there. Do you think Spec ops are good to have in core force? 30% of them don't make it in infiltration so your constantly replacing them.

Bradock78436 · Post by **Bradock78436** » Thu Jan 10, 2002 2:00 pm

Tactics primer advised against motor infantry.. Would it be better to go with mechanized? Armor, power and mobility.. Or is that to expensive? Mobility and price are more important with inf.. But is one company of infantry enough? Only eight tanks.. I saw the germans with atleast a dozen tanks, plus mechanized infrantry adn a little art. Don't see how even the AI can afford all that. Also, is off board art and air support given? or do we have to buy it?

bigtroutz · Post by **bigtroutz** » Thu Jan 10, 2002 4:40 pm

edited to give exact composition w/ ver 7
hi again

my core force at 1800 pts:

4 wolverines
2 m3a1 stuart light tanks

use scouts and MGs from rifle co to mount on above armor or on SPAA
4 81mm mortar(elite)
2 60mm sp jeep mortar
1 forward observer (decreases lag time on arty)
2 rifle companies w/ hmg option on one (delete included 60mm mortars) use w/or w/o AT platoon
8 gmc CCKW medium trucks

END or CORE

use medium trucks or halftracks above to upgrade to halftracks or tanks after battle

SUPPORT PURCHASE
1 platoon engineers
1 155mm offbd arty batry
1 105mm " " "
12 gmc CCKW medium trucks
2 m15 spaa or more (buy em last) these are good as light tank destroyers as well as infnatry support and AA
1 jeep 60mm mortar

END of SUPPORT purchase
replace above heavy arty with tanks if you prefer
leftovers go into more arty (81mm mortar) or tank sections, or more engineers, depending

upgrade infantry to airborne or rangers after the 1st battle, look for "assault" troops, those suxers rock, buy em if you got em, plus they mount on heavy tanks (7 men per squad)
upgrade snipers/scouts to tanks/TD then use "support" to buy em from then on (2 man scouts = only 10 pts)
upgrade trucks to halftracks (look for those with 2-3 MG mounted eg m3a1) or tanks

save as much "support" purchase for airstrikes or heavy arty as possible

i try to replace minor arty or MG units with rockets when they come available, rockets are devastating but will NOT fit on any amphib unit that i have found, so wait till after sicily (not that they are available till after then, as i recall. 4 rocket units = heavy casualties, stalled offensives

[ January 10, 2002: Message edited by: bigtroutz ]</p>

Gallo Rojo · Post by **Gallo Rojo** » Thu Jan 10, 2002 7:33 pm

Originally posted by Bradock78436:
What kind of tank company? Medium tanks? Tank destroyers?

Medium tanks. Shermans. And armored cars are a good idea since you can upgrade them to tanks during the campaing (it will be a looong campaing)

and don't forget the Forward Obs as Sukko said ... I was forgeted to said you about this.

lnp4668 · Post by **lnp4668** » Thu Jan 10, 2002 8:07 pm

In the long road to victory, I used entirely rangers. Not realistic, but when those rangers got to elite level, they do roll over everything. <img src="smile.gif" border="0">

Bradock78436 · Post by **Bradock78436** » Fri Jan 11, 2002 1:07 am

If you can keep those rangers alive to that level. If you lose a good piece of a squad, do they get replaced? And do the replacements hurt their experience?

lnp4668 · Post by **lnp4668** » Fri Jan 11, 2002 1:53 am

Originally posted by Bradock78436:
If you can keep those rangers alive to that level. If you lose a good piece of a squad, do they get replaced? And do the replacements hurt their experience?

For infantries, they replenish automatically between battle without anly loss in experience if the squad do not get destroy. The trick is to withdraw the squad if they reduce to less than 50% in strength. So all mine are elite at the end, and I have tons of points left over. I only lost a few when the AI calls on a Katyusha bombardment over their own troop, wiping out 2 of my squads also.

Bradock78436 · Post by **Bradock78436** » Fri Jan 11, 2002 2:09 am

I tried it with Rangers, and quite a few tanks.. Close range one of my squads took eight casualties and dispearsed.. US troops come all the way across the Atlantic to assist the French.. And they get shot at for their troubles!! At the end of this game... France? No, no.. New America.

Bradock78436 · Post by **Bradock78436** » Fri Jan 11, 2002 2:14 am

Maybe I'm not using them correctly.. I had two company's, trucks, 5 shermans, 3 TD's and two stuarts. Plus artillery. They infiltrated to the back of the air field.. Where they ran into troops and lost.. Bazooka's and Mg's are moving in from the front with the engineer platoon. Bought trucks for all the infantry, maybe I'm just not using them correctly. What units did you use exactly and how did you use them? Now when I only used one comp against the german counter attack. Mission 3, they worked well.. Captured their rear VP location and destroyed their HQ in the process.

Bradock78436 · Post by **Bradock78436** » Fri Jan 11, 2002 2:16 am

Oh, and couldn't find armored cars, closest thing I saw was a jeep. You mean the GMC's?

lnp4668 · Post by **lnp4668** » Fri Jan 11, 2002 2:24 am

Originally posted by Bradock78436:
Maybe I'm not using them correctly.. I had two company's, trucks, 5 shermans, 3 TD's and two stuarts. Plus artillery. They infiltrated to the back of the air field.. Where they ran into troops and lost.. Bazooka's and Mg's are moving in from the front with the engineer platoon. Bought trucks for all the infantry, maybe I'm just not using them correctly. What units did you use exactly and how did you use them? Now when I only used one comp against the german counter attack. Mission 3, they worked well.. Captured their rear VP location and destroyed their HQ in the process.

I use the ranger as regular infantry back up with artillery. Artillery to suprress the enemy, then move the rangers in for the kill. However, this was before the soup up MG, so it may not work now.

Bradock78436 · Post by **Bradock78436** » Fri Jan 11, 2002 4:41 am

Wolves are always unavailable when I choose my core force. Also, any suggested approaches on the airfield? I'm trying to beat it with all victory locations. But those Air strikes knocked out a lot of my infantry.

bigtroutz · Post by **bigtroutz** » Fri Jan 11, 2002 10:12 am

Wolves are always unavailable when I choose my core force. Also, any suggested approaches on the airfield? I'm trying to beat it with all victory locations. But those Air strikes knocked out a lot of my infantry

[/b]

did you know that you can turn OFF rarity in preferences? there are alot of other settings in their that are REAL usefull as well, check em out.

Buy a few M15 SPAA units to shoot those planes down, they are good light tank and infantry killers too. dont bunch your units in a east/west line along that paved road

i use a 3 prong attack on that airfield:
1) from nw thru light woods & along north side of paved road to north of runway - the planes always seem to attack along this paved road, when i see em.

2) from due west thru light woods then along south side of runway & bldgs there

3) from sw up dirt road toward hangars then to ridge to east of reservoir

bigtroutz · Post by **bigtroutz** » Fri Jan 11, 2002 10:25 am

avoid casualties by bombarding suspect locations where you plan to move to next turn, eg buildings, groves of trees, etc. and certainly by bombarding ANY and ALL units you can see. use your FO to hit em before their turn to fire.

use those scouts and snipers to spot the enemy, pay attention to that little asterisk in the bottom left corner of the screen where it says "Ready" - it means that unit is under observation by the enemy - be careful dood, lol