Hi all. New to Panzer Corps having just bought the Gold edition, and I am sort of feeling my way around the game via the "Italy" scenario as it has lots of things going on - air, land battles, seaborne landings and so on. This is subtitled Operation Husky but is much more than just Sicily - it has the Allies (which I am playing) attacking in Sicily as I would have expected AND about 4 other landing zones on mainland Italy as well. Has anyone else played this scenario? My biggest problem (other than fighting half a dozen fronts at once) is beating off the Luftwaffe that comes barrelling out of the skies all over my landing beaches and ships, with only a handful of fighters to defend myself?
Does Presitge allow you to purchase new units at any point in a scenario like this, because I really feel like a need a whole bunch more Spit's and P-47's if I am going to have much chance...
Playing on Lieutenant level of difficulty, all other settings as defaulted (fog of war on, etc.).
Many thanks...
PC Gold "Italy - Operation Husky" Scenario
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captainjack
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Re: PC Gold "Italy - Operation Husky" Scenario
If you are playing a campaign, you can have any number of units you like, but you can only deploy a limited number - this means you can have a big tank force, but keep them in reserve if you have a lot of rough terrain, or keep your aircraft in reserve if expecting poor weather or a lot of AA. When you play a single scenario you get given all or most of your core units.
You can buy new units during a scenario whether a part of a campaign or on its own, but there are some restrictions:
You need a free core slot; you need enough prestige; you need a friendly city (for ground units) or an airfield (for air units). You also can't buy units until you have held a city or airfield for two turns and you can't buy units in a city if an enemy unit is in contact with it.
The simplest way to check if you have a free core slot (on a PC) is to hover over the $ symbol. If it shows a number >0, you have at least one core slot free. Otherwise, just try to buy something and see what happens.
Initiative makes a bigger difference for air attack than most ground combat, so be prepared to swarm enemy fighters with every aircraft that can attack, because mass attacks reduce the defender's initiative. If your aircraft are still getting nowhere against enemy fighters, it may be worth trying out some AA units. AA units provide defensive fire to neighbouring units (which can discourage enemy air attacks) and can also fire to weaken aircraft before your own fighters attack. Mobile ones are usually better for defensive duties. Playing Soviet Corps is possible with three AA units and no aircraft (more would be better but you start running a bit low on combat units if you use more than three AA).
The extreme position is to play no aircraft or AA, accept you will take some casualties from air attacks and play extra ground fighting units (and pray for cloud or rain).
You can buy new units during a scenario whether a part of a campaign or on its own, but there are some restrictions:
You need a free core slot; you need enough prestige; you need a friendly city (for ground units) or an airfield (for air units). You also can't buy units until you have held a city or airfield for two turns and you can't buy units in a city if an enemy unit is in contact with it.
The simplest way to check if you have a free core slot (on a PC) is to hover over the $ symbol. If it shows a number >0, you have at least one core slot free. Otherwise, just try to buy something and see what happens.
Initiative makes a bigger difference for air attack than most ground combat, so be prepared to swarm enemy fighters with every aircraft that can attack, because mass attacks reduce the defender's initiative. If your aircraft are still getting nowhere against enemy fighters, it may be worth trying out some AA units. AA units provide defensive fire to neighbouring units (which can discourage enemy air attacks) and can also fire to weaken aircraft before your own fighters attack. Mobile ones are usually better for defensive duties. Playing Soviet Corps is possible with three AA units and no aircraft (more would be better but you start running a bit low on combat units if you use more than three AA).
The extreme position is to play no aircraft or AA, accept you will take some casualties from air attacks and play extra ground fighting units (and pray for cloud or rain).
Re: PC Gold "Italy - Operation Husky" Scenario
Thanks captainjack.
This is one of the scenario's listed under the "Scenarios" tab of the "Wermacht Campaign" list - not part of a campaign as such, so I haven't bought any units, just have what's given to me. Initially (and therefore?) there aren't any open core slots although now I know what that means:)
Does a 'friendly' city include one you've taken? And how would a unit that has taken over an enemy city get its supply? So (as the Allies) if I've taken a port city like Selerno on the Italian mainland, does the unit I move into there, and units nearby with no enemy ZOC getting in the way, get supplied automatically through that port?
It seems like I just have to take my lumps from the German fighters and tac bombers, because I don't have nearly enough fighters available to cover all the places in this scenario that my troops open in, certainly not on that western Italian coast line anyway. I certainly can't 'swarm' anyone in this particular scenario! I suspect if I was playing a campaign from Sicily through Italy I would have done it the same as the Allies originally did - Sicily first, then crawl the way up the boot bringing air power with me, and maybe do the whole Anzio thing to try and cut off the Axis forces and bypass some defences. In this scenario though there are two sets of troops on Sicily with more en route from two directions, a beachhead at Salerno with convoys of more troops on the way, another couple of div's stuck down near Reggio di Calabria (the corssover from Sicily to Italy) with it looks like a convoy heading to them, and a para raid at Taranto - all at once!
This is one of the scenario's listed under the "Scenarios" tab of the "Wermacht Campaign" list - not part of a campaign as such, so I haven't bought any units, just have what's given to me. Initially (and therefore?) there aren't any open core slots although now I know what that means:)
Does a 'friendly' city include one you've taken? And how would a unit that has taken over an enemy city get its supply? So (as the Allies) if I've taken a port city like Selerno on the Italian mainland, does the unit I move into there, and units nearby with no enemy ZOC getting in the way, get supplied automatically through that port?
It seems like I just have to take my lumps from the German fighters and tac bombers, because I don't have nearly enough fighters available to cover all the places in this scenario that my troops open in, certainly not on that western Italian coast line anyway. I certainly can't 'swarm' anyone in this particular scenario! I suspect if I was playing a campaign from Sicily through Italy I would have done it the same as the Allies originally did - Sicily first, then crawl the way up the boot bringing air power with me, and maybe do the whole Anzio thing to try and cut off the Axis forces and bypass some defences. In this scenario though there are two sets of troops on Sicily with more en route from two directions, a beachhead at Salerno with convoys of more troops on the way, another couple of div's stuck down near Reggio di Calabria (the corssover from Sicily to Italy) with it looks like a convoy heading to them, and a para raid at Taranto - all at once!
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Cerberus51
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Re: PC Gold "Italy - Operation Husky" Scenario
I just had a look at this scenario and, quite frankly, it is not a good place to learn the game. There is too much going on and it is unlike virtually anything else. It attempts to cover in one scenario what takes 9 in US Corps, most of the 43 campaign. You would be better off learning step by step. If you don't want to play through the tutorial campaign or particularly want to play as the Allies then have a look at Allied Corps, it starts pretty easy. Also lieutenant is quite easy and may lead to habits that will give problems when you move up to colonel.
If you are determined to play this scenario then you have 21 turns so you don't need to do everything at once. Most of your fighters are short range Spitfires, you can only refuel one per turn using the carrier so you need the airfield at Taranto to support air units over mainland Italy. The paras should be able to take it with bombardment from the nearby warships.
The Germans have good fighters including FW190's and most of your fighters can't stand up to them. Try fighter traps - put a bomber where the enemy can see it and one of your better fighters in an adjacent hex where it can't be seen, German fighter goes for bomber, your fighter gets free shot.
I would concentrate on clearing Sicily and seizing Taranto and its airfield then move the ships off Taranto to support the units trying to take Reggio di Calabria. Move the units at Salerno into the towns and let them dig in, if they get eliminated it is no big deal. Organise the troops in transports north of Sicily to land at Salerno around turn 8 but keep them out of sight offshore to start with. If the Axis take Salerno land somewhere else on the mainland. Delaying that landing will allow you to concentrate your air units in fewer locations at once.
Good luck!
If you are determined to play this scenario then you have 21 turns so you don't need to do everything at once. Most of your fighters are short range Spitfires, you can only refuel one per turn using the carrier so you need the airfield at Taranto to support air units over mainland Italy. The paras should be able to take it with bombardment from the nearby warships.
The Germans have good fighters including FW190's and most of your fighters can't stand up to them. Try fighter traps - put a bomber where the enemy can see it and one of your better fighters in an adjacent hex where it can't be seen, German fighter goes for bomber, your fighter gets free shot.
I would concentrate on clearing Sicily and seizing Taranto and its airfield then move the ships off Taranto to support the units trying to take Reggio di Calabria. Move the units at Salerno into the towns and let them dig in, if they get eliminated it is no big deal. Organise the troops in transports north of Sicily to land at Salerno around turn 8 but keep them out of sight offshore to start with. If the Axis take Salerno land somewhere else on the mainland. Delaying that landing will allow you to concentrate your air units in fewer locations at once.
Good luck!