Grand Campaign 1940 Preview

[Kerensky]

The Wargamer has an AAR of the map 'Wassigny' online:
http://www.wargamer.com/articles/after- ... -3110.html

Here are some of the highlights:

Of course new features wouldn’t be complete without new art assets to go with them. Here we have one example of a never before seen unit. It’s a French armored car, but with a German flag, colors, and markings attached. Unique graphics and unit names serve to help guide the player and help them easily identify mission critical units quickly and easily.
Captured General Giraud's unit, complete with German coloring


With good positioning, it’s possible for an inferior force to stall a superior force. Obviously with enough time, four French tanks and four French infantry will overrun the few defenders I have placed on this northern flank. But I don’t need to be on the offensive or even hold the line indefinitely. I just need to buy enough time to extract the VIP. Decisive victory and destroying 90% or more of all enemy units is no longer mutually exclusive. These units are part of my core, who have been with me for at least 15 scenarios at this point. Simply leaving them to die is not an option; it’s a careful balancing act of holding the line as long as I can, but doing so with the minimum amount of permanent casualties.
French attack forces are blocked by forces a fraction of their size. 4 tanks and 4 infantry units held up by 1 infantry, 1 artillery, 1 anti-tank, and a lot of Luftwaffe support


After 15 turns, the AI still has a bomber flying around, and more than enough units to potentially cause my forces serious harm. I might have lost control of the field, but that’s the intention of the scenario. It’s an advance, escort mission, and fighting withdrawal action all rolled into one single scenario.
Tactical map view of the end of scenario, note the extremely powerful rear guards who were not forced to retreat, but gave ground voluntarily to shrink and focus their defensive positions

[Szabtom]

Cool, very much looking forward to this.

[impar]

Towed guns and 2-hex infantry units would be a handicap. No?

[Kerensky]

If by Towed ATG you mean the 88. Not at all. There are a lot of Allied armor in the DLCs, and the only German unit in this period of the war with a high Hard Attack is the 88. I mean the *only* German unit. No other ATG, TD, Tank, or anything even comes close.

Having at least one, if not two, 88s is highly recommended.

What do you mean by 2-hex infantry though?

[impar]

Reading the AAR I got some impressions of the scenario being more mobile and the enemy units coming in waves.
Units caught inside a transport (all kind of towed guns and infantry) would be vulnerable. The 2-hex movement infantry would need to use more the transport than the 3-hex movement infantry.
And the allied units coming in waves would mean the player has to keep a solid line at all times.

[Fimconte]

I don't think it would be a issue, as you'll be on the defensive for the most part where movement is irrelevant.
And when it's time to fall back you'd use transports anyway, covered by Armour and SPAT.

Maps seem large enough as well that you'd need to use transports for 3 movement infantry as well when on the offensive.

There could be some advantage to using Gebirgs since there's seem to be a lot of hard terrain, but I think Grenadiers will be the best due to higher initiative and HA values.
Also Fallschirms could prove potentially very lethal as their SA 6 and Initiative 4 would be very useful.

[impar]

And when it's time to fall back you'd use transports anyway, covered by Armour and SPAT.

Thats the thing. I usually dont use self-propelled artillry or anti-tank.

[Kerensky]

Thats the thing. I usually dont use self-propelled artillry or anti-tank.

Neither did I.
Until I started playing the DLC campaigns.

We have quite a few surprised in store, (surprised that our testers really enjoyed!) so you may find yourself encouraged to pick up some SP Arty and ATGs now.

I generally use the Sturmpanzer less as an active artillery piece and mode as a mobile support unit, someone who can advance at the same rate as my Panzers but consistently provide fire support at the same time.

And with the plethora of Allied Armor and counter attacks, ATG (especially the 88 with the always nice switch mode) can really come in handy.
After all, Air Defense values have been normalized. That means a Stuka G does as roughly as much damage to an IS2 as a Stuka B will to do a Char B. (20% kill approximately)
While the 88 with it's amazing hard attack value is probably somewhere in the 50-60% kill range against The Char B or British Matilda II.

[impar]

Neither did I.
Until I started playing the DLC campaigns.

Ok...
Starting the 39 DLC to see for myself.

[Kerensky]

Neither did I.
Until I started playing the DLC campaigns.

Ok...
Starting the 39 DLC to see for myself.

Good luck have fun!
Even DLC 1939 has a decent amount of Polish Armor to combat(or French Made R35s the Polish purchased, as we know is historically true!) There might even be a possibility to encounter Soviet Armor too....
And of course, DLC 1940 has even more armor, with the full range of French and British tanks of the era thrown at the player, especially in the famous Tank battles of Stonne and Arras, which we have recreated here.