Allied: Battle of the Bulge

[uran21]

Please post here your comments about this scenario.

[omegabet]

Hex [24,31] is glitching if units drive near it (from left direction)

[Kamerer]

13b) Bulge – beta 2

Level: Rommel
Begin pp: 0. End pp: 450. Net +450.
Result: Triumph 18/18

Core Changes:

• Received: None.
  Disbanded: None
  Purchased: None.
  Upgraded:
  • 1x Challenger to Comet tank.
    1x Spitfire to Meteor
  Lost: 1x SE Tempest
  Auxilliary: Deployed 1x Greek Mtn. Infantry

Problems:

• • None noted.

General Impressions/Comments:

• • This was a challenge to organize and really engrossing. Needed all the units, to re-embark the 101st, and the aux mtn. unit out scouting distant hexes to really pull it together.
  • Lost a really good SE Tempest to the savage early FW attacks. Other a/c badly damaged, too. And I was being careful!
  • Great scenario, as good as some of the best.

[RobertCL]

Level: Leutnant
Excellent scenario: 2 more turns and I captured all VHs.

SE US Ranger unit has no sound while moving on foot.

[sgocart6298]

Level Sgt Beta 3

Found it extremely easy (cakewalk) with no resistance even in the snow. Historically, the weather prevented airborne attacks but not in this scenario.

[Rudankort]

Level Sgt Beta 3

Found it extremely easy (cakewalk) with no resistance even in the snow. Historically, the weather prevented airborne attacks but not in this scenario.

Well, on Sergeant difficulty every scenario is supposed to be a cakewalk.

[sgocart6298]

Level Sgt Beta 3

Found it extremely easy (cakewalk) with no resistance even in the snow. Historically, the weather prevented airborne attacks but not in this scenario.

Well, on Sergeant difficulty every scenario is supposed to be a cakewalk.

LOL

[produit]

Beta3, FM, Chess mode, Triumph 16/18, cleared the map, ending prestige 618.

Difficult map, especially at the start. I restart the map after the first 2 turns, after losing 2 Bastogne defenders. A strange thing is that heavy enemy armors in the South, tried to hide near St. Hubert. As a result, it was really easy to destroy Tiger II, Elephant and Jagdtiger in the forest using Rangers. Enemy airpower is quite good, Meteors are really needed to destroy enemy FW 190.

I was pretty surprised that no enemy armors were attacking Bastogne. Thus, getting there a support of 2 Crocodile and 1 Calliope was completely sufficient to destroy the enemy.

I got quite a big number of nice weather turns, hopefully. Air power (Tac + Strat bombers) were really needed to destroy enemy armors.

[monkspider]

Battle of the Bulge
Beta 3
General level
DV 18/18
Ending prestige 176
Losses: 1 Green SAS unit

Well, I had reached the branching point, and am going to start off by going the historical route. This a very challenging scenario and one of my favorites of the campaign. There are just so many different disparate objectives, and enemy resistance was quite challenging. The Luftwaffe was a major threat, and even seemed to have the better of me for a while. As I recall, Hitler saved up a large force of fighters to use for this battle, so the increased presence is historical. I managed to barely, barely eek out a DV on the last turn. The balance on this one seems pretty perfect, challenging but not frustrating. The only thing I will say is that prestige feels very stingy since D-Day. It was perhaps a bit too generous, if anything, on the desert part of the campaign, but definitely since the return to Europe, I have felt very strapped. It would probably be wise to increase the prestige during those scenarios by say, 15-20%.

My only real disappointment was that there was not a real defensive element to this scenario. I wished we could have faced the opening rounds of the Bulge and maybe had to fall back and then counterattack. This was perhaps the most perfect of all battles to integrate both defensive and offensive elements, and I was sad that there were not any. Being a lover of defensive scenarios above all else, this was my most anticipated battle. And even though the scenario is superbly designed, I was still left a bit disappointed.

[uran21]

Thanks to all for the feedback so far. Some AI scripting was improved on this map but no significant changes. In general all late war scenarios got increase of prestige.

[Moltke71]

All air comes far too early. Airfields were socked in until 12/25 0r 26. The Germans had no tac ait at all and the Jabos were grounded.

[billmv44]

Beta 4. General. Starting prestige 7619, ending 378. Triumph on 18/18.

A tough battle. I decided to concentrate south of Bastonge and try to break through as quickly as possible. The German armor near Libramont was a challenge and caused me considerable losses which again rapidly drained my prestige. I have been over strengthening my units (which is costly) but that over strength has been the difference between having a badly shot up unit versus a completely destroyed one. The Germans are very tough and the AI is making good use of counter attacks. I was just able to take the final VH on the last turn. An SE Panther almost stopped me but the weather cleared for on last round of air strikes and the VH was mine. The balance seems about right here.

[okiemcguire]

Battle of the Bulge - Beta 4

Level: General
Prestige Begin: 5871 At Deployment: 369 End/Victory: 529/+4018
Results: Triumph 17/18

Comments: This was my first time on this scenario and I admit I started it twice. As you can tell, I used a lot of prestige over strengthening my deployed units. It ate up alot of prestige and had to refuel many times to cover the map. I did sweep the map clear. Thank goodness I had good weather and air support. I was expecting a more heavy armor presence...but I guess that would have happened a little earlier before this mission.

Air corp consisted of 2 SE Meteor, Tempest V, Hurricane IIC, 2 Mosquito VI S2, 1 Lancaster III, and a B-17. They provided support where ever needed. Used the fighters to provide cover for the bombers and artillery.

Force Deployment and Plans:

South Forces - SE Ranger, 2 x M4A3(76)W, 2 x M36 Jackson, 1 Churchill IV, Calliope, and 155mm M12 GMC. The 2 M4A3 tanks and Calliope will move north from Montelange to Bastogne. After defeating surrounding forces, they will head East to take Clerf and Wiltz. Then they will head east, crossing the Clerf and Our Rivers. Their destination will be Bitburg and the airfield. They will head North from there for the final assualt on Prum.

The Jacksons, Churchill, Ranger, and 155mm will first meet and defeat the armor NE of Libramont. They will then take Libramont with it's airfield. From there they will head north to support the assualt on St. Hubert.

Dinant Forces - Engineer, Churchill IV, Crocodile, Sherman Firefly, and 2 x BL 7.2 inch. Move SE taking Celles, Rochefort, and then support assualt on St. Hubert. Watch out for armor between Celles and Rochefort.

Marche Forces - Engineer, Churchill IV, Daimler Recon, and 155mm M12 GMC. Support assualt on Rochefort then cross through the forest and take La Roche.

The forces from the assualt on St Hubert and La Roche will then move East to take Houffalize (just North of Bastogne). From there they will move NE to St Vith and then East to Prum.

Small Force NE of Hotton - HW Inf, Churchill IV, and M7 Priest will cross the forest and bombard Manhay. They will remain SW of city until supporting armor has been weakend and the defending Inf and artillary reduced. After taking the city and airfield, they will then move NE to support the assualt on Trois Points with the Stoumont forces.

Stoumont force - Commando, Churchill IV, and Sexton will retake Stavelot. They will hold off several attacks by infantry and armor. Then assualt Trois Points. The force of Hotton will join this force and move NE and take Malmedy and then Bullingen and the airfield.

[Moltke71]

Far too much air at the beginning.

[produit]

Beta 4, FM, Chess mode, Triumph 12/18, Ending prestige 988.

The first 2-3 turns are the worst. In the South, you have to damage sufficiently the three bad units (Elephant, Tiger II and Jagdpanther) to survive the counter attack. I had to restart, because I deployed too many tanks in the North West and lost an experience Comet directly.

Enemy air is quite heavy in the beginning(4 FW190 and 1 Bf109), a note in the briefing saying that the enemy airforce is there in force, but that no German reinforcement should be there, could be important for the player, to make him deploy a sufficient number of fighters. If he deploys only 1-2 fighters, non Meteor fighters with only 1-2 star of exp., the air battle will be difficult at the beginning.

After 2-3 turns, the rest of the map is a piece of cake. You just have to survive the first armored counter attacks.

It is strange on this map that there are so few enemy air defense. As an example, Manhay does'nt even have an air defense.

[Raven_427]

Started Beta 4, finished RC1

As in the previous scenarios, it's hard for me to add anything new .. so just my 2ct:

- Realizing, that it's already winter 44/45, i guess it's been to late for me to buy a bridging tank in the battle of the bulge? Anyways .. even when prestige is melting heavily, that doesn't hurt to much and perhaps it can be used crossing the rhine tomorrow ..
- At last, a decent british AT is available .. but sorry, my Achilles died in this one (2 Panthers), unexperienced as it has been. Making it my first core loss at all .. . But as it is weak compared to an american M36, there's been no use, buying that at all. My fault, having this AT almost from the beginning and trying to make use of it at last.
- Once again, misplaced my tanks. Didn't expect that much german armor next to Rochefort. Hey .. how can an Elefant AT get this far? When Bastogne still resists, so it has to take a long way around? But having more of my tanks here, they would be missing in other places.
- Luckily the Tiger II, Panther AT around 20/33 did not move the first turn .. same thing to Elefant around 14/23 .. otherwise, startup would prove a lot more difficult, being not easy the way it is.
- Left my AA at home. Winter 44 .. snow i'd thought, so no enemy fighters .. bad idea. My meteors had plenty of work the first turns.
- Lot's of Panthers all around made starting this one a hard thing .. difficulty increasing heavily after killing them.
- New bought Calliope proved to be quite usefull .. unexpected in some way.
- Did not have to much trouble having those defenders survive. In fact, they had not been in danger after turn 3.

DV @ 14/18
Thus far .. perhaps the best one. I like the confusion at the beginning, not knowing, where enemy troops are in what strenght. Will be easier a lot, when starting once again.

[Moltke71]

Ignore my earlier remarks about air. I just saw the scenario date and concur with the OOB, Sorry.