Free France Campaign

[bru888]

Um, there will be a delay of Normandie-Niemen. My original idea was to have the Battle of Kursk going on below the fliers and I actually did reconstruct it to some extent. (If you want to try it, to see who wins, you can download it below.)

The problem is, the human player is waiting 10+ minutes per turn while these goliaths, the Germans and Soviets, battle it out. While it may be interesting to some, I think to most players, myself included, it's going to be boring as heck.

Back to the drawing board for a different approach. I have some ideas in mind that will not require automation of 200 land units.

11Normandie-Niemen.zip

(141.69 KiB) Downloaded 76 times

[bru888]

Sometimes it goes like that. I hate, really hate, to crumple something up and throw it out after spending so much time on it. But so far, each time that has happened, the product that replaces it has been much better. Already, after only a little while spent tearing it down and thinking about alternatives, I have a feeling that this will be no exception to that pattern.

Best idea yet: Instead of automating the Battle of Kursk as a backdrop, paint it. A static snapshot of the battle in action, so to speak. The targets will still be there, and it will be the struggle in the air that determines the success or failure of destroying or protecting them. That, and fully activated AA guns on both sides.

[ColonelY]

10MarethLine:

POSSIBILITY TO ADD SOME GERMAN TIGER TANK UNIT IN THIS SCENARIO!

Plausible? Yes!

A quick look at these links may be convincing: https://www.defensemedianetwork.com/sto ... n-tunisia/ & https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/501st_Hea ... _Battalion
... moreover, we now even have a possible name for this unit: "501st Heavy Pz Bn" or something!

So, indeed, as I've already written once:

[...]
• Brigade légère motorisée of general Leclerc (the L Force!) -> it has joined the British 8th Army in Libya
Mainly with old French material from the 1940’s campaign… Despite this, they’ve held strongly the Grande Dorsale (Tunisian mountain range) at the beginning of the campaign! The Germans facing them had as tanks: Tiger I, Panzer III & Panzer IV!
[...]

Which unit model from OoB? The PzKw VI Tiger H (name from the Navigator Tool - may be a little different in the Editor, perhaps... but doesn't really matter here!) may be the best suited according to dates, but the PzKw VI E Tiger may look better (the flag in the back!) and has the same stats...

[...]
About the possible single enemy Tiger unit in the scenario 10MarethLine:

'Could be spawned already depleted (to avoid unbalancing all even if putting some warbeast there!) when the first town is taken: El Hamma or Gabès!
Spawned several hex in the North of these locations (out of immediate sight, that is!), and aggressively moving South following basically some road or put on S&D...
Spawned perhaps at 5 or rather 6 strenght points... 'Coming together with an event as soon as it becomes visible for the player...
'It's a strong unit, so to avoid the AI replenishing it directly, better spawning it when the time comes instead of re-deploying it from start!
'Not to be put near the Mareth Line itself to avoid partly unbalancing this part of the scenario...
The French have had their big B1... what about bringing a depleted dreaded Tiger? As it seems that it could definitely have been there anyway, so...

Having taken a good look at the links I'm providing here, I would say some Tiger tank appearing from the North of this map would be perfectly plausible historically; definitely (at least) a "could have happened, for sure" thing!

I've (double-)checked: there is no Tiger on this scenario yet (but several Pz III N and IV F1, with several StuG IIIG).

After having put some (required) good garrison in both El Hamma and Gabès, now with this new addition (which should be rather efficient even if starting quite depleted ), then you may consider adding perhaps two extra small turns for the player, for comfort and (perhaps even) fairness reasons.


Et voilà !

[ColonelY]

10MarethLine:

Two other points:

1. The entire German group near El M'Dou has no XP at all!

2. There are only Italian airstrip on this map... why not having few of them converted to German ones?
(And, while at it, directly adding another one, either Italian or German, somewhere more in the North of the map? )

[ColonelY]

[...] Best idea yet: Instead of automating the Battle of Kursk as a backdrop, paint it. A static snapshot of the battle in action, so to speak. The targets will still be there, and it will be the struggle in the air that determines the success or failure of destroying or protecting them. That, and fully activated AA guns on both sides.

'Sounds very good to me!

[ColonelY]

You guys think I should release Battle of the Mareth Line as a standalone scenario? I've got a feeling about it that it's special enough to deserve such treatment.

It's an awesome scenario so, well, why not?

But I would say there's no hurry and, to perhaps avoid some small inconveniences (comments on two different subjects, you have to "juggle" between them, etc.), I would suggest at least waiting a little longer... being sure to have a final version, or almost, before doing so.

[ColonelY]

Possible pictures for event Tiger in Tunisia:
https://www.google.ch/imgres?imgurl=htt ... egUIARCvAQ
or
https://www.google.ch/imgres?imgurl=htt ... B0AAAAAEA4
(Here we see the cacti that have already appeared on a picture... a little wink for players having a good memory! )

And of a captured Tiger (this one not by Americans, as it seems):
https://www.google.ch/imgres?imgurl=htt ... egUIARCnAQ

[ColonelY]

Pre-11Normandie-Niemen:

Um, there will be a delay of Normandie-Niemen. My original idea was to have the Battle of Kursk going on below the fliers and I actually did reconstruct it to some extent. (If you want to try it, to see who wins, you can download it below.) [...]

No stress.


Thanks, nice to have the possibility to take an early look... and it does look really nice, with seveal various objective to achieve, etc.

Really nice map, with many great units... we can almost feel some tension already...

But it's a work-in-progress scenario as for example nothing is set for the validation of secondary objectives as the destruction of an armoured train or of some heavy gun...

Not many pictures for events right now either.
*******
To help a little bit about this aspect, I've made a little research and here's what I suggest already related to this:

List of our objectives:
Qualify at least one ace pilot => there is already a picture!
Destroy 8 armoured vehicles => add the picture 3 with a (short) event if completed
(When I write the "picture 3", for example, I'm of course refering to the picture mentionned at the 3rd point just here below in this text/post. )
Destroy 8 fighters or bombers => add the picture 2 with a (short) event if completed
Lose no more than 4 fighters
Lose no more than 4 bombers => add the picture 5 with a (short) event if failed (this time, yeah)
Qualify more than one ace pilot => there is already a picture!
Destroy an armoured train => add the picture 1 with a (short) event if completed
Destroy a heavy gun


Suggestions about some extra pictures for Nomandie-Niemen :

1. On completion of the German armored train destruction objective, then this picture may come in handy:
https://www.google.ch/imgres?imgurl=htt ... egUIARCbAQ
(an armored train destroyed – Russian apparently! – clearly by some bombers…)

2. If enough enemy fighters are shot down, then this may serve as basis for a cool picture:
https://www.google.ch/imgres?imgurl=htt ... B0AAAAAEAM
(in the skies of Russia, precisely)

3. From Erik’s Germany East 1943, 07KurskN -> the picture: outcome_2_0.png would be great here…

4. If lost too many of our bombers, from the Panzerkrieg dlc, scenario 12Kursk -> picture: event_air_superiority.png may be great here…
*******
As briefing, we may imagine some cool chat between our good old Admiral Portier and one or more Soviet famous commanders (we've tons of them available). I would say that involving at least some Russians within this briefing may be really cool, perfectly appropriated to this scenario and a nice little touch for this campaign as well!


Et voilà !

[terminator]

Normandie-Niemen - French fighters in Russia during WW2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnM_Mtyp0uY

[ColonelY]

Normandie-Niemen - French fighters in Russia during WW2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnM_Mtyp0uY

Excellent video, with great content. Thanks a lot!

[bru888]

Guys, don't put much time and thought into that scenario included in a post of mine above. Only the background land battle was finished in that one and, as soon as I tested it, I realized that it was definitely the wrong approach. Just look at it if you want to see both sides of the battle automated (and you really have nothing else to do ). The rest of the scenario, including the objectives, text, and images, is going to be changed significantly.

Colonel, this is a great idea: "As briefing, we may imagine some cool chat between our good old Admiral Portier and one or more Soviet famous commanders (we've tons of them available). I would say that involving at least some Russians within this briefing may be really cool, perfectly appropriated to this scenario and a nice little touch for this campaign as well!" I doubt that Admiral Portier would be flying to Kursk during that battle. He may, however, be on a junket to Moscow and be discussing the battle with some high-ranking Soviets . . .

[ColonelY]

[...] I doubt that Admiral Portier would be flying to Kursk during that battle. He may, however, be on a junket to Moscow and be discussing the battle with some high-ranking Soviets . . .

Yes, indeed.

[ColonelY]

Ksar Ghilane, March 10, 1943...

Thinking back, it is not at all anecdotal...

Well, the Free French of the L Force won a defensive victory there, that's one thing... that it was so bad over there that Monty even thought Leclerc was dead, that's another thing...

But the main point is that it "prevented their opponents from discovering the concentration of New Zealand troops preparing to attack the Mareth Line" If the Axis forces had known this, they would have known that this left hook was going to happen... or, at least (if they had known it through spies or something like that), that it was going to happen much harder!

Consequence: Their leaders would have either reinforced the flank defenses even more to negate the effect of that left hook, or they would have directly abandoned the Mareth Line by withdrawing their troops north... and in that case, the ability to envelop and thus capture much of the Axis forces in the area would have disappeared.

Thus, this victory of Leclerc's troops could have been far more important than one might think at first glance.

From this point of view, the Free French may have had, once again, an effect similar to that of the battle of Bir Hakeim on the course of the war!

So, no, it was not anecdotal and therefore it does deserve to be mentioned, doesn't it?

On March 10th... The 10MarethLine starts on March 16th... 09Medenine starts on March 6th... so before the Mareth Line scenario... so it should be mentioned either as a historical event during 09Medenine (when does this scenario end, already? ) or as a campaign event between these two splendid scenarios!

[bru888]

Free France 1940-1945 v0.26 has been uploaded. It includes the following changes:

Campaign
- A Draw will now advance the campaign to the next scenario instead of requiring the player to replay the current one.
- Added a third Les Rochambelles message with the image of de Gaulle saluting them:

Screenshot 6.jpg (84.99 KiB) Viewed 1588 times

Scenarios
- In Dakar, added a warning about British air and naval units exiting once Vichy air and naval forces are destroyed. It is a note appended to the "Do not lose any Allied capital ships" objective.
- Despite what I said earlier, I added two more turns to Dakar (from 48 to 50) based on Jeff's recommendation, and I adjusted the deployment hexes turn durations accordingly.
- In Mareth Line, I added experience to the 15th Panzer units.
- Replaced two Italian airstrips with German equivalents.
- Added two more turns to Mareth Line (from 48 to 50).
- Added this (and I hope that it, and the 15th Panzer experience, does not throw the gameplay out of balance):

Screenshot 4.jpg (282.23 KiB) Viewed 1588 times

Screenshot 5.jpg (276.91 KiB) Viewed 1588 times

I did not want to use the PzKw VI Tiger H because it has the "unreliable" trait which will probably make it immobile. Instead, I pushed credibility a bit and selected the PzKw VI Tiger E. This thing is a bruiser. I hope you know what you are doing. Good suggestion as to timing: Not before either El Hamma or Gabès are taken because I don't want to make breaking through Tebaga Gap any harder.

- Added this as a mention of the action at Ksar Ghilane:

Screenshot 8.jpg (329.92 KiB) Viewed 1588 times

Screenshot 9.jpg (302.13 KiB) Viewed 1588 times

It was perfect for the "Activate NZ Corps 2" trigger, the second wave of the NZ Corps in which its Free French units make their first appearance.

Free France 1940-1945 (ten scenarios)

[ColonelY]

Awesome, thanks a lot!


I shall test again the Mareth Line scenario entirely.

[bru888]

It's not in version 0.26 — it will be in the next update — but I added scorch marks under the wrecks from the Battle of Medenine that are seen at the beginning of the Battle of the Mareth Line. This occurred to me while I was "painting" the land battle backdrop for Normandie-Niemen where there are also wrecks from the Germans having pushed back the Soviets north and south of Kursk. This old dog continues to learn new tricks.

Screenshot 1.jpg (585.39 KiB) Viewed 1576 times

[jeffoot77]

Hello Bru

i m just beginning the mission 03 (koufra) and i don't know if it is a bug or not but i can't deploy the rest of my troops on turn 2 ( i deployed only half on turn 1) . Maybe it's wanted , so we cannot have troops "in reserve" as in the previous scenarios ?

And thxs again for this hard and great work!

[ColonelY]

Hi!

[...] i m just beginning the mission 03 (koufra) and i don't know if it is a bug or not but i can't deploy the rest of my troops on turn 2 ( i deployed only half on turn 1 ( ) ) . Maybe it's wanted , so we cannot have troops "in reserve" as in the previous scenarios ? [...]

But you've enough hexes available to deploy all your units from start... so, damn, why only half of them?

So don't worry, it's not (at all) a bug, and this happens in many, many scenarios (and even a little everywhere within the OoB campaigns I believe)...

If you've kept some units in reserve, then you may be forced to wait having taken villages or towns (and fully taken them, I mean waiting that the flag is fully up in the sky - it should take about 3 turns, if I remember correctly!) before being able to deploy some of them at these newly captured locations. So, it means losing turns.

Anyway, trying to deploy them later near the initial deployement areas means losing turns (as well)... as they'll then need to move probably several hexes/turns to reach the other troops, to join them again... as immediate consequence, you'll loose time doing so! And you've already seen that handling time may become a little challenging from time to time...

So, I think you've better start (again) by putting all the troops you can deploy (or almost all of them at least) directly on the battlefield! Don't waise time from start! You can then always keep some "reserves", if you really wish doing it (and sometimes it could clearly be a good idea in itself), by keeping some units a little backwards from the actual frontline(s).

[jeffoot77]

the first two missions encouraged to keep troops, It is strange to deploy all units without keeping some for later...

[ColonelY]

the first two missions encouraged to keep troops [...]

Well, not necessarily I would say...

[...] It is strange to deploy all units without keeping some for later...

Noo, it's just a matter of habit... or even of point of view, because we can also keep them in "reserve" on the campaign map, if we (really) want!