Status Check for GC

[TSPC37730]

I need another 88mm FlaK and a new 105mm for sure. The 88 will have to wait, as it would be useless against the Maginot Line and all the forts the briefing is warning me about. As always, I am open to suggestions and advice.

The Maginot Line is the chance for my Fallschirms to shine. "Fortkiller"! Heroes are coming for sure! Those three Amigos are going to sweep the map. They will take a little walk, with arty and level bomber support.

On the contrary! 88's in the AT mode are great against forts. They can move in from a safe distance & then blast away. A unit with overstrength & experience can often take one out with one shot. Using a green unit isn't bad either. It won't be as effective but this is a good way for the unit to gain experience. The only caution would be the gun emplacement forts. They can easily take chunks out of your 88's. Use your SB's to counter this. If you can reduce the gun down to 1 unit of ammo the amount of damage it can do will be limited.

This is also a good scenario for the FJ units. The fort killer trait is very handy. I like to drop one in the north and let it work down the line. Watch out for mines & bring some pioneer units. This is a great chance for a pioneer unit to get some kills. As mentioned elsewhere, green units are just as effective as veteran units for clearing mines. True story: I once heroed up a brand new pioneer unit at the Gazala line by doing nothing but clearing mines! Admittely, that was something of a game flaw that I took advantage of. But then that scenario is so hard I didn't feel too badly about it at the time.

[AnalogGamer]

Thanks for that tip. I bought a fresh 88 and it is whipping butt. My Pioneers are clearing mines while my Fallschirms waste forts.

[AnalogGamer]

Maginot Line was a bonus cakewalk. I took some serious hits due to over-confidence and exposure to big forts, but still walloped them. Killed everything and took it all with two turns to spare. The 88 and Fallschirm were wonderful.

Went in to '41 with over 19K prestige. Caught an SE PzIIIG to start the campaign section. Now that is a good omen.

[goose_2]

Maginot Line was a bonus cakewalk. I took some serious hits due to over-confidence and exposure to big forts, but still walloped them. Killed everything and took it all with two turns to spare. The 88 and Fallschirm were wonderful.

Went in to '41 with over 19K prestige. Caught an SE PzIIIG to start the campaign section. Now that is a good omen.

So based on your play what is your favorite unit/units and why?

What are your plans going into 41?

[AnalogGamer]

For Maginot Line, it was Fallschirm and those 88s. They erased forts in an orderly, proficient and military manner. As a regular owner of railguns, they were a nice preview. My very first experience with mines, and the pioneers made short work of them.

I was most impressed by the 88 FlaK. I usually go full-on self-propelled. But that was in the vanilla campaign with limited time and number of battles. By using the 88 as an sort of a sea anchor, it keeps me from getting strung out as well. I have two now, and they pile on experience quickly. Erasing planes, and slapping any armor foolish enough to be drawn into my LOS traps. Heroes will determine their fate.

My new favorite as of '41 is my StuGIIIB with the range hero. Upgrading the Sturmpanzer was the right call. I waltzed through the first battle with a decisive and turns left.

What I want to do is keep adding to my force as I also gain heroes for existing units. Experience is easy to earn, and replace. Trying to find the balance between planning for the future, and winning in the present. I am currently maintaining my "two star" rule. Regular replacements, on or off the field, as long as they do not drop the unit below two stars. It helps maintain my prestige.

Tactically, I need to learn to slow down, maintain my formations, and let them come to me. Currently I begin in formation, wrap and engage, spread(form ZOC line), defend, engage(erase, vaporize) mobile forces, re-form. Repeat. This leads to losses that turn out to be unnecessary. I need to maintain the arrowheads and just constantly advance with my modern Spartan phalanxes. Those defense heroes work, so I need to put them to better use.

After all these years of PG and PC, I am still a neophyte at causing surrenders. The sadistic map makers have terrain that prevents timely surrounding. I either erase them, or they run. Maybe more strat bombers and artillery and less hand-of-god infantry attacks. Also a function of my speed of advance issues. Tac bomb, arty, infantry, blap. Recon takes the hex, and having writ... moves on with that arty and armor following right behind.

Unit-wise, I am unsure what to do with captured equipment. My captured armor is currently equivalent to my core tanks, but that will not last. Matilda is a rock, but is a slow boat to China. Char is hardy as well. The captured 105mm with a truck is fine for the rest of the grand campaign as far I am concerned. As long as it gets decent heroes, there is always a place for a rapid-fire support weapon. No captured tank has a hero yet.

I bought a nebel to start this campaign, to begin the wurf line. Always have at least one Wurf in my core and on the field. Hopefully it heroes up better and faster than one of the 105s in-waiting.

Going into Mataxis with 49 +4 units. 20k prestige. Need to think this one through. The "easy" days will be coming to a close soon. What do I buy? when do I buy it? How much, of what, will I really need in the future? I am staying at about double what I can deploy as I progress.

Help me Obi-Wans... you're my only hope of not running into a steel wall of Russians.

EDIT - First double-hero was last battle as well. SE Grenadiers are now +1 Def and +1 Move. Rock on.

[TSPC37730]

Help me Obi-Wans... you're my only hope of not running into a steel wall of Russians.

If nothing else, be sure you deploy the recon Rudel unit during the first Russian scenario. Otherwise you will miss out on the super Rudel unit.

[AnalogGamer]

Bought a new grenadier for Mataxis, and earned a captured Matilda on my way to a decisive.

Going into Crete with about 21k and plans to buy more units. Saved at the "pre-purchase" point for both airborne and naval versions, while I decide on course of action.

Wurf is available, and of course I am getting one. The question becomes... do I upgrade a 105 then buy a fresh 105, or buy a fresh Wurf? Do I wait until after Crete to see if the Hero Gods make my decision easier? Big ticket item.

A nice new Do217E is coming on now for sure. Ships to kill, experience to earn. That will go well with the He111 pair.

Never used a Flamm before, and may either convert or buy afresh one soon.

I seem to be averaging one new unit per battle, and a captured one every few. It is keeping me at just under double the unit count that I can deploy. The three SE Pz IIIH and the SE Grenadier help a lot.

[captainjack]

A range hero Stug is really good in 41 and 42. Tons of ammo, decent armour and 110%ROF and faster than the Sturmpanzer.

Artillery gains the first two stars so fast it's usually better to buy new rather than converting out of family - unless you want to benefit from a hero (eg range on a Stug or nebelwerfer/wurframen) or convert SPArt with a move hero to towed (nice on a 15 or 21cm nebelwerfer).

Here's my current practice with captured tanks:
Matilda is a useful blocking unit and good for helping infantry take out pillboxes but too slow for longer term success, though I've used them as front line tanks into 42 if they have good combat heroes but after 41 they normally stay in the reserves or get converted. The KV1A makes a good replacement - better all round.
Char B1 are good for second line work (anti-infantry, artillery and AA clearance and against early tanks) unit well into 42 and early 43, but the KV1B and C are better all round (well the KV1B loses one point of SA) and can stay useful into 44.

You do get quite a few captured units (mostly tanks) and some special units which usually have useful heroes (not just tanks) so may not need to buy much more, and might be at the stage where you start bringing some of the 2* units up to 3*.

How to deal with the Russian wall of steel? Use the spotting heroes or recon, use reasonable sized battlegroups and try to maintain your advance party in some kind of formation. History (and the AAR section and my last playthrough of Nico's More Panzer Corps mod) is full of stories of isolated units getting cut off and coming off very badly.
Also, read the briefing and check the strategic map. I learned a lot about that by watching Braccada's videos.

[TSPC37730]

A nice new Do217E is coming on now for sure. Ships to kill, experience to earn. That will go well with the He111 pair.

The DO217's are a personal favorite. Good fuel and ammo. They will earn experience quickly if you use them. I'm not sure that a third SB is needed. You might want to consider upgrading one or both of your existing SB's instead. SB's are very difficult to hero up. With all of the naval units in the Crete scenarios, you must bring at very least 1 along.

Wurf is available, and of course I am getting one. The question becomes... do I upgrade a 105 then buy a fresh 105, or buy a fresh Wurf? Do I wait until after Crete to see if the Hero Gods make my decision easier? Big ticket item.

I would wait until you get a hero before upgrading. It's also hard to get a second hero on artillery, so, your first hero may determine a possible upgrade path. You want to avoid buying a unit, then upgrading it, getting a hero, and then facing another upgrade decision point.

Never used a Flamm before, and may either convert or buy afresh one soon.

Ah yes, I was planning to mention this. The Flamm Panzer II's become available during the Crete scenarios. With their high ROF, they are simply delightful units to play with. They are also engineering vehicles, so, they ignore entrenchments. They are particularly effective against dug in conscripts & regulars. They're also great against AA units & towed artillery.

Their weaknesses are AT units & of course enemy tanks. You must scout ahead before employing these units, or you won't do very well. Always keep in mind the following equation:


Flamm Panzer II + T34 = You Lose


Remember that the AI absolutely loves targeting these, so, you must be very careful. They are, IMO, essential in the early years, so, you have to find ways to work with them. They will rack up kills quickly, but, their usefulness becomes questionable as you get into '43 due to the abundance of enemy tanks. At that point, you can shelve them until you decide on an upgrade. They should have a hero or perhaps even 2 to leverage by then. I insist that you buy one going into Barbarossa. If you're not 100% satisified, please disband the unit at the end of the scenario and send me the bill for a full refund.

I was looking at your core posted earlier as well. A range hero on a StuIIIB is a great combo. It greatly enhances its usefulness. You should pair it with your AT units or infantry as you advance. It will soften the blow of an attack and help for suppression during your turn. Can't beat the ammo count either. Hopefully, your next hero will be an attack hero for more punch. They are a must once you get to Stalingrad.

You have quite a few infantry units with HT's. When you get to '43 the upgraded infantry versions become available, and the upgrades are a must and not an option IMO. '43 infantry paired with HT's, however, aren't far from the 400 prestige per unit threshold. This, along with the availalbe newer tanks and fighters that you also must have, mean in turn that you will soon run into soft cap problems. Not a big deal for '41 & '42 but it's something to keep in mind as you progress. I'd consider using some infantry units with either trucks or no transport to keep costs down.

You'll run across quite a few capturable tanks in the '41 scenarios. No spoilers other than that. By the end of the year you will have plenty of tanks to either upgrade or sell.

Good luck & keep us posted on your progress.

[AnalogGamer]

Well, made it past the naval invasion of Crete with a decisive and a wad of 3s and 4s left in my trail. I took everything and killed everything with time to spare, but my boys paid for it.

Barbarossa. And so it begins...

Just shy of 22K prestige. This looks like an upgrade, rather than purchase, deployment phase. My towed Nebel got turned into a Wurf for a discount, Had 2 stars but no hero, so it is a wash. Had a surfeit of Pz IIIHs, so one with a +1 Def hero went Flamm. A pair of 105s turned into 17cm.

Without going into stars and heroes, here is the new updated OOB... 56 total units, 4 of them SE.

Infantry - 12 units
2x Wehr
2x Gren(1x SE)
2x Pioneer
3x Fallschirm
2x Gebir
1x Bridge

Armor - 11 units
4x Pz IIIH (3x SE)
2x Pz IVF
2x Matilda II
1x Flamm
1x S35
1x Char B

A/T - 3 units
3x PzJagar

Recon - 2 units
2x 8Rad

AA - 3 units
2x 88mm
1x 7/1

Artillery - 9 units
2x 105mm towed(1 captured)
2x Sturmpanzer
1x 15cm towed
2x 17cm towed
1x StuG IIIB
1x Wurf

Air - 15 units
6x Me109e
2x Stuka(Rudel becomes a man today)
4x Me110D
2x He 111
1x Do 217e

For the life of me I have no idea what else to buy. This force looks tight to me.

[captainjack]

The S35 has probably reached the end of its usefulness - the IVF has equal armour and better gun, so probably time to check the hero(es) and convert or cash up.

I'd be tempted to convert the 150mm gun into another 170. The 170 has 80% ROF, same as the 150, but the 170 hits much harder (enough to damage KVs) though you lose 1 ammo.

The Panzerjager should still be useful for a bit longer especially if at 3*, where the +6HA will be helpful, but may need to be retired once you get a lot of T34s - you can convert them to Stugs later but waiting until Elefants are available is more cost effective as you only have one out of class upgrade.

Otherwise it looks a good mix.

[AnalogGamer]

Thanks for the input captain.

Yeah, the S35 is looking long in the tooth, but disbanding seems so wrong to me. It will become a PzIV.

The 150 is going to be a 170 soon, unless it gets a hero to make it worthy of being self-propelled, I bought it as a 150 early for the punch, and want to get some use out of it.

The three jagars are building to be StuGs. Elephant is a ways down the pike. I am not that much of a Scrooge. My boys are worth it.

[BigRedJuan]

I'd recommend a couple more StuGIIIB's because they are so versatile. In early Barbarossa you can drive them right up to a close terrain hex and bombard Soviet infantry with relative impunity, which negates the 1 range. They are also great at providing defensive artillery fire for advancing armor. It might not seem like a lot, but that defensive fire suppression will regularly save you a lost unit or two, so it is a prestige saver over time. And because it has good armor for the time, in a pinch you can use it to cover a flank. And if it dies? Oh well, it's cheap and gains experience amazingly fast. It's a really good unit that becomes great if you luck into a range hero.

[AnalogGamer]

Thanks juan, I will seriously consider a non-range StuG.

Barbarossa got off to an epic start. Decisive on turn 14. The Gustav showed up in time to let loose one round at the fortress that was already out of ammo, bereft of entrenchment and being nibbled to death by ducks. Day late and a dollar short. Didn't need it. Strat bombers and artillery did the job.

The instructions to take airfields were followed zealously. My "Three Amigos" Fallschirm went to work with vim and vigor. They hop-scotched all over the map taking almost every mid and deep airfield within 8 turns. The rear airfields were too protected. I am unsure what the trigger was for the enemy air to appear. Could have either turns or zone or number of airfields left. Only two showed on turn 10, then two more next turn. I took the last airfields while vaporizing the enemy air, and that was it.

The Flamm is hilarious. The Wurf/ranged StuG IIB combo is fun. The new Rudel is the act of an angry pagan god.

I feel like I am home again, on the steppes. Room to maneuver and do MY thing. Sweeping, aggressive maneuver warfare.

Going into Smolensk with 23K and a lot of wounded boys. 54 +4 units. getting some fair heroes along the way, but nothing major yet.

EDIT - This will be tried...

Kampfgruppe AG -

Uber move Pioneer w/HT
SE Gren (move/def)w/HT
Stug IIIB w/range
Wurf
7/1 AAA
T34/40

[captainjack]

The Kampfgruppe looks good.
I have used similar ones with a flammpanzer in place of the pioneer.

I'd be giving Rudel a mission of flattening any T34s threatening this.

[BigRedJuan]

This is a tactic thing, but the StuG is also fun to park in a city/close terrain hex backed up by rocket artillery (or two). Conscripts and SMG Infantry (and regular infantry in snow/rain) happily rush to their deaths attacking what looks like a tempting target. And even if you take losses, StuG's are so cheap they are practically disposable.

[AnalogGamer]

The Flamm is a better choice for KG AG. It is just too funny to watch it walk right up to infantry and barbeque them right off the hex. Prep fire from arty and a tac or level bomber always helps with the comedy show.

I have GOT to stop playing my "vanilla" campaign tactics. There is no reward for coming in early, as the regular campaign gives us. I am leaving blood on the highway in my sweeps across the Ukraine. Prestige is still going up every battle, but I see what I am leaving behind when I use elite on-field replacements. That I never really needed anyway. Or needed to incur in the first place.

I get swept up in the advance, and expect the eternal miracles to keep happening. Hmmmm, where in history have we seen this before?> I come out of it at the far side of the map with a swarm of 7s and 8s, leaving a trail of tears and 3s, when I see that I still have four or five turns to go. W T H?!? But I have crushed my enemies, seen them driven before me, and heard the lamentation of their women. A 1 -strength enemy that runs away to become a 10 is tac bomber food for a 10-kill one-shot next turn. "Please run!" I say. Surrender earns once, this way earns twice, or more. Need the payday with my tactics. I will purposely chase/milk a unit over multiple turns for the experience and kills and hero roll. Bat it around like a cat with a half-dead bird.

The friendly units that get smacked earn their avengers sick experience and kills, while creating a hole in the enemy lines. Drawing two or three enemy off their entrenchment is worth it some cases. I tell myself that as my uber three-hero Pioneer limps to the rear as a 3. Sorry boys. My bad.

Smolensk will be the test of Zen and the Art of Blitzkrieg. No leading with my chin... no ZOC lines. Nice groups. I will need the prestige soon enough, so time to stop d*ckin' around.

[captainjack]

I like your attitude (not sure your troops would agree!). It will be a challenge maintaining that enthusaistic aggression through and beyond 1942, but you might as well give it a go.

[AnalogGamer]

Yes, I will be using Rudel and my uber Me109e to cover KG AG. Put that package in motion to sooth my aggressive tendencies, while the other groups stay sane.

To address the 150mm vs 170mm debate...

My 150 is the largest towed artillery that has a Hanomag. The 170 has a Prime Mover. By using my self-propelled arty and AAA as backup, I can send my 150 much farther forward. I can punch harder, farther, sooner. That Hanomag has taken out a 1-strength enemy more than a few times as well. A 150 in a Hanomag, backed by a Wurf, 7/1 and a fighter is a wonderful trap as well. That is a next-turn air kill for no losses. I wouldn't send a 170 into that. Even I have acceptable levels of risk.

Each unit has its place on the battlefield. I have seen plenty of valid statistical reasons to prefer either the 105 or 170. To which I reply, academia is just fine... but the real world is the real world.

I have dumped the old recon Stuka and replaced it with a shiny new PzJagar. This should be interesting ramping his squishy butt up on the Eastern Front.

Looking at the two lists of upcoming awarded specials, and possible captures, I am having trouble finding a reason to buy anyone else. The fourth PzJagar was thinking ahead to '44 when a JagdTiger gets vaporized and I need another handy.

[TSPC37730]

Looking at the two lists of upcoming awarded specials, and possible captures, I am having trouble finding a reason to buy anyone else. The fourth PzJagar was thinking ahead to '44 when a JagdTiger gets vaporized and I need another handy.

Pretty hard to vaporize a JagdTiger. If that ends up happening, I'd hate to see what's left of the rest of your corps. In the big picture, I think having several AT units at this stage is a good idea. If you get one with a movement hero it's the obvious choice for the upgrade.