Allied Corps Cobra

[demyansk]

I got wrecked on this battle and received a "Loss" By the way, also on this scenario a certain plane is shown on the map as a tactical bomber but it has all "Zeros" It is able to move but no attack value.

[The_Drill_SGT]

That is a Forward Observer Westland Lysander http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westland_Lysander

You can buy them.

They play just like Recon units (e.g. Good spotting and split movement.) Use it in advance of your Breakout armored thrust.

[heinkill]

Really need help with this one.

First, the objectives, need to capture and hold at least 7 towns, but I can only see 5 that are enemy held (ie with bright rings around them). Does that mean I need to lose and then regain a couple of my own towns?

Second, mix of forces - I have tried my usual mix of tanks (mostly Brit Churchill VIIs as the yank tanks don't seem to be able to take more than one or two hits), infantry, strike bombers and arty, but it isn't enough to hold back the German tanks as they all seem to be 3 star or better SE Panthers! Plus the Germans have about ten field guns, which are killing my infantry - I guess there is no point having infantry in this scenario?

Third, strategy: is it better to try to hold your weakly defended west coast towns and then go for the breakout, or let them fall and go for the breakout south and east immediately?

Fourth, German air. I thought the Luftwaffe was all but beaten in 1944, but I keep getting hammered by 3 star or better SE FW190s. I've carried over some nicely experienced Spit IXs and throw them against these guys, but they get slaughtered. V frustrating!

Any advice valued, as this one is breaking my cool.

[hertzstepper]

Hi,
first of all - hi Forum - i´m new here (but PG veteran since the first version and utterly happy about the revival of the spirit in Panzer Corps). The good and friendly spirit in the forum and the fact that i just bit may way through Cobra last weekend (Colonel difficulty on Ipad) left me no choice other than to reply to this thread.

I failed miserably in Cobra the first time i tried.
I divided up my force up in several minor battle groups to cover all the deployment clusters and tried then to frontally attack - my casualties were horrendous.

The second time lead to success when i focused my force to north east and the south west (basically avoiding the bocage center towards northwest).
East: The key to break through the eastern fortification frontally was combined arms with a focus on artillery and inf. (Especially 5* Churchill AVRE did amazing job - so did the Crocodile (i have two of them in my core and absolutely love them vs light targets)).
I hammered my way through the defensive line with arty and combined arms - progressing slowly.
For the Panthers, you need to weaken them with Tac bombers over and over again and finish them with the Firefly.
The key is, that you have time on the eastern front - you only need to capture the two eastern cities with your eastern assault group - as the southern cities will be taken coming from a small, but highly mobile force from the west.
So advance slowly, use the terrain and keep your force covered by arty as much as possible.

West: The western force should have a focus on on Tanks and AT (i had two 4* Sherman Firefly and 2 3* M18 Tank Destroyers among others - forget US Tanks). Rather than starting a frontal assault, it prove to be key for me to escape southwards in the beginning - leaving the western key cities only weakly garrisoned (by the aux troops).
After several rounds the AI will start several attack waves after each other to the western cities with his elite armor - however each wave only consists of several armor pieces - and those you can kill effectively by flanking in from the south with your elite armoured core!
Even if you loose a key city, you should be able to recapture it, when flanking in. That strat was really key for me.

Meanwhile a small and highly mobile force (i used one self propelled Arty, two recon tanks, vanilla M18 + 2 British engi units) moves south quickly from the very beginning and captures on city after another in the south.
My airforce focused on the Panthers in the beginning and then assisted to defend my cities from some minor german pushes to my key cities in the bocage later on. (the ground units defending the bocage were Paratroopers and Recon). I have five fighters that chewed up the remains of the Luftwaffe with ease.

So i fought essentially with three battle groups.
1.)The mobile on going west to south quickly
2.) An armour focused one on the west to flank into the AI armour waves in the west from south
3.) And all the combined arms slowly hammering their way through on the east.
I hope that helps...

[heinkill]

thanks a lot, will try.

just to be clear (i think the most confusing thing in PCorps is working out what your objective actually is sometimes) as long as I command 7 of the 'objective' towns at the end of the game I will win, even if I lost some of them and then took them back again?

The challenge I have after losing three rounds, is that if I stay and defend my key cities, I run out of time to take the Axis towns. If I advance in the east and south-west to take the Axis towns, the German forces with all their Panthers take my garrisoned towns with ease.

H

[hertzstepper]

just to be clear (i think the most confusing thing in PCorps is working out what your objective actually is sometimes) as long as I command 7 of the 'objective' towns at the end of the game I will win, even if I lost some of them and then took them back again?
H

Yes, as long as you possess all 7 "objective" towns at the same time - within one round - you win.

The challenge I have after losing three rounds, is that if I stay and defend my key cities, I run out of time to take the Axis towns. If I advance in the east and south-west to take the Axis towns, the German forces with all their Panthers take my garrisoned towns with ease.
H

That is why i say - leave the key cities in the west unguarded or with minimum garrison (US 43 Heavy Inf with entrenchment of 8+ in city will be very tough for a tank to wipe out). Once the german armour comes - flank them from the south.
Flanking is important to kill their AA and Arty Armour vehicles, so that you can support your tanks and AT with Tactical bombers.
If you assault head on or if you defend their head on assault, the AI will always protect their AA and Arty with Heavy tanks (as you would do...). That´s why flanking is key.
For flanking, i recommend highly mobile vehicles like US M10 or M18 AT or the british Sherman tanks. Churchill VII, which you wrote you use have only limited reach (don´t have the exact stat at hand now) - therefor i´d recommend you to invest in some armour with higher reach...

You can keep your heavy armoured force on the west coast for the whole game - as south and south-east is not heavily garrisoned and protected - i think there was only one Panther G you have to destroy on the south route. Therefore take one or two M18 AT or tanks to knock out the few vehicles in the south, but your main armoured force should remain in the west ready for the deadly flanks to the several waves of german armour.

[heinkill]

Brilliant. thanks for the advice, well on the way now

H

[Anfield]

I found infantry in the West kings over german tanks. If you sit and wait the germans attack you in that bocage and youll chew them up. In the east, paitence is key, lots of german tanks so dont go rushing after them too fast. Let your airpower do its job first. Remember Shermans are infantry killers, not tank kills. Thats what M10s and Fireflys are for. I normally run one M10 for every 1 Sherman with the Yanks. The Brits get 1 Churchill and Firefly, plus a M10. The rest infantry artillery and airpower. Having alot of infantry I found this one one of the easier battles for the allies.

[heinkill]

I hate this one with a passion. Nothing I try works, including my attempts to use the above advice..



If I try the Hertzstepper Doctrine the Germans just follow along behind my south and east push and recapture the towns I have just cleared. No reasonable amount of allied air is enough to keep off the Axis aircraft which are all *** or SE.

If I try the Anfield Doctrine with lots of infantry and arty, I find I lose two allied units to every German unit of similar strength, even though I am dug in, because again, they are all *** or SE units. My air units are pretty much gone after 10 turns thanks to Axis fighters and mobile AAA.

In both scenarios, just when it looks like I might be getting somewhere, the Axis SE Panthers and Tiger in the middle of the map emerge and slaughter my Eastern line.

This scenario is seriously giving me the farkin irrits and I can't help feeling I can't get anywhere because I am coming into the scenario without the right mix or sufficiently experienced mix of forces so all my Allied units are facing off against stronger Axis units.

[Anfield]

I hate this one with a passion. Nothing I try works, including my attempts to use the above advice..



If I try the Hertzstepper Doctrine the Germans just follow along behind my south and east push and recapture the towns I have just cleared. No reasonable amount of allied air is enough to keep off the Axis aircraft which are all *** or SE.

If I try the Anfield Doctrine with lots of infantry and arty, I find I lose two allied units to every German unit of similar strength, even though I am dug in, because again, they are all *** or SE units. My air units are pretty much gone after 10 turns thanks to Axis fighters and mobile AAA.

In both scenarios, just when it looks like I might be getting somewhere, the Axis SE Panthers and Tiger in the middle of the map emerge and slaughter my Eastern line.

This scenario is seriously giving me the farkin irrits and I can't help feeling I can't get anywhere because I am coming into the scenario without the right mix or sufficiently experienced mix of forces so all my Allied units are facing off against stronger Axis units.

Whats your core look like, can you post a list, might help people give you some tips. But im guessing you are right, your core might be the issue.

[heinkill]

Thanks for all the help. I decided I was being too ambitious given my weaker core force, so played safe and went for standard victory. Played defensive and used inf in the west to chew up the panzers, with my breakout tank force attacking them from their flank. Held the west then broke out from the west and took the two VPs needed for simple victory. In the East I just focused on holding my two VPs, reinforcing as needed. Victory with 5 rounds to go, but only because the AI was not provoked to bring its central Panther and Tiger force into action. Glad that is over!

[wargovichr]

I'm just waiting for the AC DLCs. Just forget about the main campaign as you will do later anyway (and likely not play it again).

[Anfield]

Thanks for all the help. I decided I was being too ambitious given my weaker core force, so played safe and went for standard victory. Played defensive and used inf in the west to chew up the panzers, with my breakout tank force attacking them from their flank. Held the west then broke out from the west and took the two VPs needed for simple victory. In the East I just focused on holding my two VPs, reinforcing as needed. Victory with 5 rounds to go, but only because the AI was not provoked to bring its central Panther and Tiger force into action. Glad that is over!

Gald to hear you did well. Thats one thing about AC that is much different than PC I think. With the better tanks and larger Core force, PC lets you jump off and attack from turn one. While AC seems to require you take the first few turns spotting where the Germans are in mass and setting up to deal with them.