Slitherine

Stormchaser wrote: ↑Thu Dec 03, 2020 1:31 pm And I still need to actually get all those Overruns to get Steamroller on Sturmer in the first place before I can even begin any sort of mass Steamroller plans.

Haha, good point. It may take all the way until 1944 and 1945, and by that time every experienced unit will likely be a beast.

Tassadar wrote: ↑Thu Dec 03, 2020 2:09 pm

Stormchaser wrote: ↑Thu Dec 03, 2020 1:31 pm And I still need to actually get all those Overruns to get Steamroller on Sturmer in the first place before I can even begin any sort of mass Steamroller plans.

Haha, good point. It may take all the way until 1944 and 1945, and by that time every experienced unit will likely be a beast.

I sure hope it won't take that long.
I have had some success already using Sturmer to pick off 1-2 Strength targets to proc Overrun, something I very much doubled down on once I noticed Steamroller in the Awards list. And the P1 Breda, while not exactly great at it's job against enemy Tanks, can make pretty good mincemeat out of the lighter armored Recons, especially Bilbaos. Honestly, If I can get Steamroller before the end of SCW so I can let Sturmer take a break and not have to pit it against the heavily armored French Tanks I'll probably be satisfied.

AO: SCW-Malaga
Starting Prestige: 14727 (11345 after purchases and repairs)

Hero:

With the highest Hard Attack of my tanks for the near future, Armadura seems like an easy choice for this Hero.

Core Purchases and Upgrades:
PzAbt.301 'Schlachtschiff'-T-26 recruited.
As outfitted with He 112
Windschatten outfitted with He 112
Himmelsfeuer outfitted with Ju 87A

Starting Army Composition:
Core:
Tanks:

• PzAbt.101 'Vorhut'-BT-5-*, Unstoppable Offensive, Artillery Support

• PzAbt.102 'Dragoner'-BT-5-*, River Assault

• PzAbt.301 'Schlachtschiff'-T-26

• PzAbt.S01 'Armadura'-AT Support

Recon:

• AufkAbt.101 'Wegbereiter'-UNL-35-*

• AufkAbt.102 'Pfadfinder'-BT-6-**

Anti-Tank:

• PjAbt.201 'Sturmer'-Panzer I Breda-Overrun

Artillery:

• ArtAbt.101 'Trebuchet'-152mm M10/30 (SdKfz 7)

• ArtAbt.102 'Katapult'-152mm M10/30 (SdKfz 7)-*

• ArtAbt.103 'Ballista'-152mm M10/30 (SdKfz 7)-*

Anti-Aircraft:

• FlakAbt.101 'Schrapnell'-2cm FlaK 30 (Horse Transport)-*, Camouflage

Fighter:

• I./JG1 'As'-He 112

• II./JG1 'Windschatten'-He 112

Tactical Bomber:

• I./SG1 'Himmelsfeuer'-Ju 87A-*

• II./SG1 'Feuersturm'-Hs 123a-*

• III./SG1 'Hagelsturm'-Hs 123a-*

Reserve:
Tank:

• PzAbt.103 'Husar'-Bt-5-*

Anti-Tank:

• PjAbt.101 'Wachter'-45mm M1932 (Horse Transport)-Hit and Run

• PjAbt.102 'Verteifiger'-3.7cm Pak 36 (Horse Transport)

Fighter:

• III./JG1 'Schall'-He 51

Tactical Bomber:

• I./AG1 'Alderauge'-He 70 Rayo

Strategic Bomber:

• I./KG1 'Stratus'-Ju 52 Bomber

• II./KG1 'Kumulus'-Ju 52 Bomber

• III./KG1 'Zirrus'-Ju 52 Bomber

Auxiliary:
Infantry:

• 7 CTV Infantry (Truck)

Artillery:

• 2 105mm 105/28 (Horse Transport)

Anti-Aircraft:

• 2 20mm M33 (Horse Transport)

Fighter:

• 3 CR.32

Tactical Bomber:

• 2 SM.79

Shrapnell makes it's triumphant return as the air force gets a much needed upgrade, unfortunately that eats into all of the Core Slot extension I got this scenario. At this point I've grown tired of waiting on Slot Space and just bought a T-26 and let Husar take a break. For those wondering why I didn't just make Vorhut or any of the other BT-5s a T-26, well, the short answer is rp shenanigans with how I set up my unit numbering and callsigns.
In other news this is the first scenario where I manage to fill up every (Ground) Deployment Hex... Yay...?


Gotta love a good old traffic jam.

AI Ally pathfinding, gotta love it.

I swear this thing mocks me. A 152mm that I would love to capture, in a location where it would be absurdly easy to set up a capture, and yet you can't actually capture it because the moment you take the Victory Hex next to it the scenario ends!

“Never interfere with your enemy when he is making a mistake.” -Napoleon. That quote about sums up my reaction as every unit except for the AAC and 152mm in Malaga moved from their 9-10 Entrenchment Close Terrain positions to attack my much larger approaching force, allowing me to crush them with much greater ease.

Ending Prestige: 13933 (+2588)
Thoughts: I think the only time I didn't pick the Malaga route was the very first time I played SCW. And I can attribute that to the fact that I am very much not the biggest fan of assaulting heavily fortified positions with an army of Tanks...Although in hindsight with the Auxiliary Force if there every was a setup where I probably wouldn't mind it as much this would be it... Anyways, too late to change it now so let's just keep going.
For all that I don't like Bilbao, I do really enjoy how Malaga is designed, with the mountain ranges forcing you to divide your army in 3, or push through the quickly cramped center and risk the forces to the north and south swinging around behind you. The cramped quarters of the north and south passage also make maneuvering tricky and encirclements nigh impossible. It also makes this more of a brawling slog of a fight in places, and gives fewer chances for encirclements and captures to boost my Prestige, but I earned more than last scenario and have yet to lose Prestige so I'm not complaining too much.

AO: SCW-Brunete
Starting Prestige: 16033 (12700 after purchases and repairs)

Event:

Now that I'm actually using T-26s, extras are always welcome. The I-16s on the other hand would be considered less useful with the arrival of He 112s last Scenario and the upcoming arrival of Bf 109s in the near future, but with the Italians still using CR.32s they will make a fine Auxiliary unit to support my Core Fighters.

Hero:

Muller is assigned to Wegbereiter to double up on adjacency bonuses.

Core Purchases and Upgrades:
Schall outfitted with He 112.
Stratus outfitted with Ju 86
Kumulus outfitted with Ju 86

Starting Army Composition:
Core:
Tanks:

• PzAbt.101 'Vorhut'-BT-5-*, Unstoppable Offensive, Artillery Support

• PzAbt.102 'Dragoner'-BT-5-*, River Assault

• PzAbt.301 'Schlachtschiff'-T-26

• PzAbt.S01 'Armadura'-AT Support

Recon:

• AufkAbt.101 'Wegbereiter'-UNL-35-*, Leadership

• AufkAbt.102 'Pfadfinder'-BT-6-**

Anti-Tank:

• PjAbt.201 'Sturmer'-Panzer I Breda-Overrun

Artillery:

• ArtAbt.101 'Trebuchet'-152mm M10/30 (SdKfz 7)-*

• ArtAbt.102 'Katapult'-152mm M10/30 (SdKfz 7)-*

• ArtAbt.103 'Ballista'-152mm M10/30 (SdKfz 7)-*

Anti-Aircraft:

• FlakAbt.101 'Schrapnell'-2cm FlaK 30 (Horse Transport)-*, Camouflage

Fighter:

• I./JG1 'As'-He 112

• II./JG1 'Windschatten'-He 112

Tactical Bomber:

• I./SG1 'Himmelsfeuer'-Ju 87A-*

• II./SG1 'Feuersturm'-Hs 123a-*

• III./SG1 'Hagelsturm'-Hs 123a-*

Reserve:
Tank:

• PzAbt.103 'Husar'-Bt-5-*

Anti-Tank:

• PjAbt.101 'Wachter'-45mm M1932 (Horse Transport)-Hit and Run

• PjAbt.102 'Verteifiger'-3.7cm Pak 36 (Horse Transport)

Fighter:

• III./JG1 'Schall'-He 112

Tactical Bomber:

• I./AG1 'Alderauge'-He 70 Rayo

Strategic Bomber:

• I./KG1 'Stratus'-Ju 86

• II./KG1 'Kumulus-Ju 86'

• III./KG1 'Zirrus'-Ju 52 Bomber

Auxiliary:
Infantry:

• 6 CTV Infantry (Truck)

• 1 IT Bridge Eng (Truck)

Tank:

• 2 M11/39

Anti-Aircraft:

• 1 75mm Vickers M31

Fighter:

• 1 I-15

• 3 CR.32

Tactical Bomber:

• 2 SM.79

With a lack of Core Slots to upgrade the other members of SG1 but unwilling to just waste the upgrade opportunities, the Reserve air force gets a tune up.


Always nice when the AI parks most of their planes in range of your AA and Fighters, giving you an easy time shooting them out of the sky.

Despite his inability to be directly Suppressed, an Encirclement weakens Lincoln's forces all the same.

Vorhut continues to impress by surprising me with another Award.

"I have returned! Stronger than-!"

"...Fuuuuu-!"

Ending Prestige: 17519 (+4819)
Thoughts: Brunete is a mission that I always go into thinking it's going to go horribly wrong thanks to that mass of enemy units right on top of the position you're supposed to defend, but in actuality while it is challenging you do have enough time to make it to Brunete before things get too bad, mostly because the enemy seems to preoccupied clearing minefields instead of attacking things that can attack back.
Vega is finally finished off and will no longer plague me in future scenarios. I feel like a possible personal challenge for another run someday could be not killing any Nemesis until their last appearance. A while back (Around the time I found out about the whole returning in later scenarios gimmick) using, ah, certain commands I decided to see when and where he shows up if you don't beat him here. I don't remember much about his fourth appearance, but I do remember him showing up as part of the Communist army in Madrid 39 in his OT-133 with maxed out experience and the addition of the Consolidator Trait bringing him up to 20 Strength, plus his usual skills of Survivor, Butcher, Tenacious Defender, and Ignore ZOC. If that's the kind of escalation future Nemesis will get when they are allowed to live past the first meeting, suddenly having a few of the more broken Heroes and combos don't look so bad.
Speaking of Nemeses, I'm pretty sure their presence has been mentioned regarding 1940, but are there any in 1939? I remember a few Hero French Tanks with names in the first French Mission, and a few Hero Cavalry throughout the Poland scenarios, but are any of them actually Nemesis, or did Nemesis's not really come into play do to the constant switching of what country we were fighting? Hmm...Might be a good idea to compile a list of Nemesis appearances at some point...

Stormchaser wrote: ↑Thu Dec 03, 2020 5:17 pmI swear this thing mocks me. A 152mm that I would love to capture, in a location where it would be absurdly easy to set up a capture, and yet you can't actually capture it because[/i] the moment you take the Victory Hex next to it the scenario ends!

Same here, luckily it's not any unique equipment type, but the 152mm is rare enough that I can see you could use some parts for your 3 units. I'm not sure how your current supply looks like on these, but the more, the better.

Stormchaser wrote: ↑Sun Dec 06, 2020 1:23 amSpeaking of Nemeses, I'm pretty sure their presence has been mentioned regarding 1940, but are there any in 1939? I remember a few Hero French Tanks with names in the first French Mission, and a few Hero Cavalry throughout the Poland scenarios, but are any of them actually Nemesis, or did Nemesis's not really come into play do to the constant switching of what country we were fighting? Hmm...Might be a good idea to compile a list of Nemesis appearances at some point...

No, there are none in 1939. There are several named units with several extra abilities at once or just with abilities but no names (some of the more challenging is Kurzeba in Bzura battle on a Artillery Support/Tank Killer cavalry that can decimate unaware tanks in the open filed or the Fast Deployment 85mm in Raate Road that can appear out of nowhere and almost one-shot a tank). I think it did not come into play exactly for this reason of switching fronts, but also since Vega was getting disposed of relatively easily. Looking how No Surrender will probably be a must have ability on all future nemesis units and hopefully they will also be used in circumstances where they appear alongside other forces, not just storm in alone and get killed.

Tassadar wrote: ↑Sun Dec 06, 2020 7:51 am Same here, luckily it's not any unique equipment type, but the 152mm is rare enough that I can see you could use some parts for your 3 units. I'm not sure how your current supply looks like on these, but the more, the better.

Stocks are pretty good for how uncommon the guns are. Helps that they are Artillery and thus usually behind the defensive line and near AA to ward off bombers.
But it's the principle of the thing.

No, there are none in 1939. There are several named units with several extra abilities at once or just with abilities but no names (some of the more challenging is Kurzeba in Bzura battle on a Artillery Support/Tank Killer cavalry that can decimate unaware tanks in the open filed or the Fast Deployment 85mm in Raate Road that can appear out of nowhere and almost one-shot a tank). I think it did not come into play exactly for this reason of switching fronts, but also since Vega was getting disposed of relatively easily. Looking how No Surrender will probably be a must have ability on all future nemesis units and hopefully they will also be used in circumstances where they appear alongside other forces, not just storm in alone and get killed.

Mmhmm, that's what I thought.
Makes sense even if it makes me concerned for my forces safety, but hopefully they don't show up in unique units at least.

AO: SCW-Zaragoza
Starting Prestige: 9635 (6188 after purchases and repairs)

Event:

If I want Galland and every other remaining rewards (Spoilers: I do.), I have to take this.

Hero:

That's...not exactly a Hero I could say I wanted, but he'll probably get some work in Shrapnell, especially once I finally have the Slots to make it into an 8.8cm or something.

Core Purchases and Upgrades:
Shrapnell outfitted with 8.8cm FlaK 18 (SdKfz 7).
Feuersturm outfitted with Ju 87A
Zirrus outfitted with Ju 86

Starting Army Composition:
Core:
Tanks:

• PzAbt.102 'Dragoner'-BT-5-*, River Assault

• PzAbt.103 'Husar'-Bt-5-*

• PzAbt.301 'Schlachtschiff'-T-26

• PzAbt.S01 'Armadura'-AT Support

Recon:

• AufkAbt.101 'Wegbereiter'-UNL-35-**, Leadership

• AufkAbt.102 'Pfadfinder'-BT-6-**

Anti-Tank:

• PjAbt.201 'Sturmer'-Panzer I Breda-Overrun

Artillery:

• ArtAbt.101 'Trebuchet'-152mm M10/30 (SdKfz 7)-*

• ArtAbt.102 'Katapult'-152mm M10/30 (SdKfz 7)-*

• ArtAbt.103 'Ballista'-152mm M10/30 (SdKfz 7)-*

Anti-Aircraft:

• FlakAbt.101 'Schrapnell'-8.8cm FlaK 18 (SdKfz 7)-*, Camouflage, Cheap Replacements

Fighter:

• I./JG1 'As'-He 112

• II./JG1 'Windschatten'-He 112

Tactical Bomber:

• I./SG1 'Himmelsfeuer'-Ju 87A-*

• II./SG1 'Feuersturm'-Ju 87A-*

• III./SG1 'Hagelsturm'-Hs 123a-*

Reserve:
Tank:

• PzAbt.101 'Vorhut'-BT-5-*, Unstoppable Offensive, Anti-Infantry Veteran, Artillery Support

Anti-Tank:

• PjAbt.101 'Wachter'-45mm M1932 (Horse Transport)-Hit and Run

• PjAbt.102 'Verteifiger'-3.7cm Pak 36 (Horse Transport)

Fighter:

• III./JG1 'Schall'-He 112

Tactical Bomber:

• I./AG1 'Alderauge'-He 70 Rayo

Strategic Bomber:

• I./KG1 'Stratus'-Ju 86

• II./KG1 'Kumulus-Ju 86

• III./KG1 'Zirrus'-Ju 86

Auxiliary:
Infantry:

• 7 CTV Infantry (Truck)

Anti-Aircraft:

• 1 2cm FlaK 30

• 1 8.8cm FlaK 18

Fighter:

• 1 I-15

• 4 CR.32

Tactical Bomber:

• 2 SM.79

Remember how I said Peter would be more useful when Shrapnell was upgraded to an 8.8cm? Since I had already decided to send it to Reserve to make room for another Ju 87A upgrade, I decided why not go ahead? I also decide to swap Vorhut out for Husar, as It's relatively close to unlocking Unstoppable Offense and I think I get more Core next Scenario anyway, so might as well give the veteran a break and let Husar get a head start on catching back up to Vorhut and Dragoner in experience. The OT-133 is tempting to help deal with entrenched Infantry so common in Spain, but do to limited supplies I think I'll save that for the streets of Madrid or if I get certain Heroes that would combo well with it.


Dragoner follows Vorhut's lead and earns Unstoppable Offensive.

I thought I had more time before reinforcement waves than I did at one point, which almost resulted in a dangerous situation.

And the Steamroller Awards continue to roll on in.

Ending Prestige: 7109 (+921)
Thoughts: Zaragoza, or as I like to call it: Proto-Ebro. Rush to defend the AI who is under siege, check. 4 different places enemy reinforcement waves can spawn from, check. The Ebro River, check. Jokes aside this is another defend the besieged AI missions that as I've stated several times before benefits greatly from the extra units you get through Auxiliary Force. Unfortunately this time it didn't help prevent the AI from draining my Prestige on repairs as much, but it's still a net positive so I'm content.
Dragoner had been around since the start with Vorhut and I'd been monitoring and working to farm Overruns for Armadura and Sturmer since I got them, but I was somewhat surprised to see Husar earn Unstoppable Offense as well. Must have had a bunch already under its belt before getting put in Reserve. I also attribute Sturmer's Award in part do to the sheer number of times a 2-4 Strength enemy that should have died instead retreated with 1 Strength remaining but was luckily still in Sturmer's range to pick off.

AO: SCW-Teruel
Starting Prestige: 8859 (5680 after purchases and repairs)

Event:

An extra unit on the battlefield is always handy, something I've come to understand very well during this run.

Hero:

As I said with my first River Assault Hero; would rather put on an Infantry Unit, but it will work with Husar.

Core Purchases and Upgrades:
PzAbt.401 'Inferno'-OT-133 recruited.
AufkAbt.103 'Grenzer'-AAC-1937 recruited.
ArtAbt.104 'Skorpion'-152mm M10/30 (SdKfz 7) recruited.
FlakAbt.201 'Spuckfeuer'-SdKfz 10/4 recruited.
PzAbt.104 'Kataphrakt'-Panzer IIA recruited mid-scenario.
As outfitted with Bf 109B.
Windschatten outfitted with Bf 109B.
Hagelsturm outfitted with Ju 87A.

Starting Army Composition:
Core:
Tanks:

• PzAbt.101 'Vorhut'-BT-5-*, Unstoppable Offensive, Anti-Infantry Veteran, Artillery Support

• PzAbt.102 'Dragoner'-BT-5-*, Unstoppable Offensive, River Assault

• PzAbt.103 'Husar'-Bt-5-*, Unstoppable Offensive, River Assault

• PzAbt.104 'Kataphrakt'-Panzer IIA

• PzAbt.301 'Schlachtschiff'-T-26

• PzAbt.S01 'Armadura'-*, Unstoppable Offensive, AT Support

• PzAbt.401 'Inferno'-OT-133

Recon:

• AufkAbt.101 'Wegbereiter'-UNL-35-**, Leadership, Overrun

• AufkAbt.103 'Grenzer'-AAC-1937

Anti-Tank:

• PjAbt.101 'Wachter'-45mm M1932 (Horse Transport)-Hit and Run

• PjAbt.102 'Verteifiger'-3.7cm Pak 36 (Horse Transport)

• PjAbt.201 'Sturmer'-Panzer I Breda-Unstoppable Offensive

Artillery:

• ArtAbt.101 'Trebuchet'-152mm M10/30 (SdKfz 7)-*

• ArtAbt.102 'Katapult'-152mm M10/30 (SdKfz 7)-*

• ArtAbt.103 'Ballista'-152mm M10/30 (SdKfz 7)-*

• ArtAbt.104 'Skorpion'-152mm M10/30 (SdKfz 7)

Anti-Aircraft:

• FlakAbt.101 'Schrapnell'-8.8cm FlaK 18 (SdKfz 7)-*, Camouflage, Cheap Replacements

• FlakAbt.201 'Spuckfeuer'-SdKfz 10/4

Reserve:
Recon:

• AufkAbt.102 'Pfadfinder'-BT-6-**

Fighter:

• I./JG1 'As'-Bf 109B

• II./JG1 'Windschatten'-Bf 109B

• III./JG1 'Schall'-He 112

Tactical Bomber:

• I./AG1 'Alderauge'-He 70 Rayo

• I./SG1 'Himmelsfeuer'-Ju 87A-*

• II./SG1 'Feuersturm'-Ju 87A-*

• III./SG1 'Hagelsturm'-Ju 87A-*

Strategic Bomber:

• I./KG1 'Stratus'-Ju 86

• II./KG1 'Kumulus-Ju 86

• III./KG1 'Zirrus'-Ju 86

Auxiliary:
Infantry:

• 9 CTV Infantry (Truck)

Anti-Aircraft:

• 2 SdKfz 10/4

Fighter:

• 3 G.50

Tactical Bomber:

• 2 SM79

Vorhut returns as planned, while the Airforce gets another upgrade, that they unfortunately won't be able to use this scenario. Italy gets new Fighters which is nice since I'm relegating the air superiority to them this time. If I were to go back in time I would have gladly treaded the Italian planes and Auxiliary SdKfzs out for more Infantry and other offensive units, but old habits die hard and I didn't quite remember how badly it snows here.
Meanwhile Pfadfinder gets benched do to having reached the maximum experience it can during SCW. I would have done the same with Wegbereiter but since it now has Overrun I want to have it working on earning Steamroller.
And with my personal Airforce benched, not only do a lot of old faces come out of Reserve but several new additions are recruited.


I manage to seize this airfield right before the first few turns of snow ends, downing the I-15 before it can even move. One of the few moves I made that actually went as well as I'd hoped this mission...

The ambulance manages to remain unmolested long enough for me to finish clearing it's path back to the rear.

Ending Prestige: 5175 (-505)
Thoughts: This is the first mission where I've really noticed the Auxiliary force's biggest drawback (0 experience) coming into play as the the enemy has significant numbers of experienced units on this map. The enemy also having plenty of entrenched units that make attacking with my more experienced Tanks a foolhardy approach as well would make this scenario a tough nut to crack, but fortunately I have the experienced and Overstrengthed Spanish Cavalry charge to clean up entrenched Infantry and AT guns for me. The fight is still a slog at times and is the first scenario I've lost more Prestige than I gained, but overall it wasn't as bad as it could have been had I been on my own.

Again bonus points for unit recolor, this time the medical truck. I need to pay more attention to flavorful details like this - I already applied changed camouflage in my Pazermon run according to the country from which the equipment got captured, but feel further inspired to further tweak this in both the Little Tanks run (purely on aesthetics there as it's the most free from one) and then try and use a more historical approach to the historical Retrograde version.

Tassadar wrote: ↑Tue Dec 08, 2020 5:24 pm Again bonus points for unit recolor, this time the medical truck. I need to pay more attention to flavorful details like this - I already applied changed camouflage in my Pazermon run according to the country from which the equipment got captured, but feel further inspired to further tweak this in both the Little Tanks run (purely on aesthetics there as it's the most free from one) and then try and use a more historical approach to the historical Retrograde version.

Glad to inspire, lol. Honestly, a little fun with camo shenanigans goes a long way when the stress of the run and tedium of this being my 5th or more time playing through SCW.

I debated tweaking Vega's camo to help identify him, but the first 2 encounters he was in a very distinct Tank and the 3rd time the moment he showed up I zeroed in and hunted him down.

AO: SCW-Aragon Offensive
Starting Prestige: 6925 (4848 after purchases and repairs)

Hero:

Suddenly Cheap Replacements doesn't look so bad. Gonna be honest, with Prestige being a bit tight between the Prestige Sink and the last few scenarios not allowing for any real gain, I think it will be more useful to have Schmid get transferred back to Germany for some extra funds than actually serving with any of my forces.

Core Purchases and Upgrades:
Schall outfitted with Bf 109B

Starting Army Composition:
Core:
Tanks:

• PzAbt.101 'Vorhut'-BT-5-*, Unstoppable Offensive, Anti-Infantry Veteran, Artillery Support

• PzAbt.102 'Dragoner'-BT-5-*, Unstoppable Offensive, River Assault

• PzAbt.103 'Husar'-Bt-5-*, Unstoppable Offensive, River Assault

• PzAbt.104 'Kataphrakt'-Panzer IIA

• PzAbt.301 'Schlachtschiff'-T-26

• PzAbt.S01 'Armadura'-*, Unstoppable Offensive, AT Support

Recon:

• AufkAbt.101 'Wegbereiter'-UNL-35-**, Leadership, Overrun

• AufkAbt.103 'Grenzer'-AAC-1937

Anti-Tank:

• PjAbt.201 'Sturmer'-Panzer I Breda-*, Unstoppable Offensive

Artillery:

• ArtAbt.101 'Trebuchet'-152mm M10/30 (SdKfz 7)-*

• ArtAbt.102 'Katapult'-152mm M10/30 (SdKfz 7)-*

• ArtAbt.103 'Ballista'-152mm M10/30 (SdKfz 7)-*

Anti-Aircraft:

• FlakAbt.201 'Spuckfeuer'-SdKfz 10/4

Fighter:

• I./JG1 'As'-Bf 109B

• II./JG1 'Windschatten'-Bf 109B

Strategic Bomber:

• I./KG1 'Stratus'-Ju 86

• II./KG1 'Kumulus-Ju 86

• III./KG1 'Zirrus'-Ju 86

Reserve:
Tank:

• PzAbt.401 'Inferno'-OT-133

Recon:

• AufkAbt.102 'Pfadfinder'-BT-6-**

Anti-Tank:

• PjAbt.101 'Wachter'-45mm M1932 (Horse Transport)-Hit and Run

• PjAbt.102 'Verteifiger'-3.7cm Pak 36 (Horse Transport)

Artillery:

• ArtAbt.104 'Skorpion'-152mm M10/30 (SdKfz 7)

Anti-Aircraft:

• FlakAbt.101 'Schrapnell'-8.8cm FlaK 18 (SdKfz 7)-*, Camouflage, Cheap Replacements

Fighter:

• III./JG1 'Schall'-Bf 109B

Tactical Bomber:

• I./AG1 'Alderauge'-He 70 Rayo

• I./SG1 'Himmelsfeuer'-Ju 87A-*

• II./SG1 'Feuersturm'-Ju 87A-*

• III./SG1 'Hagelsturm'-Hs 123a-*

Auxiliary:
Infantry:

• 7 CTV Infantry (Truck)

Anti-Aircraft:

• 2 SdKfz 10/4

Fighter:

• 3 G.50

Tactical Bomber:

• 2 SM.79

I once more seem to be caught up on upgrades for the time being. Meanwhile, with the weather allowing for proper use of aircraft again, a lot of the new units from last Scenario get shuffled into the Reserve with the old residents to make room for the returning planes.


Well, that's a welcome start for this scenario.

And more medals are always welcome.

My Italian troops manage to retake Morella after the Republicans forced back the Nationalists that took it last turn. These Infantry filled mountains are a poor fit for my primarily armored forces, so I do my best to have my forces dig in to hold onto it.

As my main push approaches the Ebro River, I manage to encircle the first wave of enemies that charge out to meet me.

I overextend a bit by having Dragoner scout the road toward Vinaroz mostly alone, where it ended up getting jumped by more units than I expected it to.

Ending Prestige: 11188 (+6340)
Thoughts: I'd grown somewhat lax on capturing units outside of things like T-26s, BA-6s, and other things I actively use in favor of farming Overruns once my Prestige got high enough, but I went into this mission with the goal of capturing anything and everything not nailed down for Prestige. After all, Ebro awaits, and it hungers...
This plan is a great success, and I end up with a boost in Prestige that puts me at a much better position for next Scenario.
One thing that help was that while there were a number of experienced troops this scenario, they are limited to just a single star of experience instead of 2 and are less common overall than in Teruel.

Stormchaser wrote: ↑Wed Dec 16, 2020 8:21 pm Suddenly Cheap Replacements doesn't look so bad. Gonna be honest, with Prestige being a bit tight between the Prestige Sink and the last few scenarios not allowing for any real gain, I think it will be more useful to have Schmid get transferred back to Germany for some extra funds than actually serving with any of my forces.

In the long term in all AO he could probably save more than 1000 prestige, but that's in several DLC in a row. I somehow never got this hero ever, but it would require some huge calculations to see when he becomes worthwhile.

Congrats on the massive captures! This scenario terrain layout seems to greatly favor capturing if it's an active objective set from the start and this really proved amazing! I in fact expect that in terms of purely prestige captures you will be able to get massive results in the future as well. My Panzermon run was not nearly as successful in this scenario in terms of overall gains, but as time goes by it gets more and more about capturing specific units, not capturing in general, so I'm sure you will also enjoy more flexibility in your capture opportunities, adding to the balance needed to field more expensive auxiliary units.

Tassadar wrote: ↑Wed Dec 16, 2020 9:28 pm In the long term in all AO he could probably save more than 1000 prestige, but that's in several DLC in a row. I somehow never got this hero ever, but it would require some huge calculations to see when he becomes worthwhile.

Congrats on the massive captures! This scenario terrain layout seems to greatly favor capturing if it's an active objective set from the start and this really proved amazing! I in fact expect that in terms of purely prestige captures you will be able to get massive results in the future as well. My Panzermon run was not nearly as successful in this scenario in terms of overall gains, but as time goes by it gets more and more about capturing specific units, not capturing in general, so I'm sure you will also enjoy more flexibility in your capture opportunities, adding to the balance needed to field more expensive auxiliary units.

Cheap Replacements certainly saves Prestige in the long run which is why I kept that Hero when I got him back in Zaragoza, but Schmid (who I got this Scenario) has No Surrender. Not sure if you got it them mixed up since I mentioned Cheap Replacements here or if there is something about No Surrender that saves Prestige that I'm not seeing.
The problem with No Surrender for me is that for it to be useful you have to A) Have a Unit in position that the enemy could force it to Surrender, and B) Have that specific unit being the one you happened to give No Surrender to. It's just an awkward Hero that doesn't do much unless you mess up and then get lucky, so I'll take the 1000 Prestige instead.

And thanks, It helps that the enemy forces are both grouped up but those groups are then split up far enough that is you are careful you can focus (and encircle) them one at a time. I normally wouldn't be so focused on the capture game like this, but I really needed that Prestige (Especially considering what scenario is up next), an issue I believe you've mostly managed to avoid in Panzermon. And I blame that in part do to the sheer amount of Auxiliary Slots I have at this point. Who knew it would be so expensive buying your Core's worth in Auxiliary Units every Scenario.

I mixed them up indeed, makes sense now. Guess my reading skill at this hour are not at their best.

As for prestige gains, I indeed managed to pile up a large reserve in Panzermon, but not having to buy those auxiliary units each mission (especially so many of them) is a lot saved and also a smaller force is easier to control. I find it that in large scenarios with multiple units, especially auxiliary ones, I am less focused than in those small missions. This is something I need to figure out for Wunderwaffe run when I plan it out - Auxillary Force will be a must since a max overstrengthened units are double the slot cost and when I did some theory crafting, SCW units that qualify are 22 core slots alone! At the same time I would then play this without Trophies of War and other extra prestige traits, so I am reading this ARR with curiosity to see if I can also afford to take the new "Ruthless" trait or would I be safer with something less risky for such specific restrictions on units.

Tassadar wrote: ↑Wed Dec 16, 2020 11:21 pm I mixed them up indeed, makes sense now. Guess my reading skill at this hour are not at their best.

As for prestige gains, I indeed managed to pile up a large reserve in Panzermon, but not having to buy those auxiliary units each mission (especially so many of them) is a lot saved and also a smaller force is easier to control. I find it that in large scenarios with multiple units, especially auxiliary ones, I am less focused than in those small missions. This is something I need to figure out for Wunderwaffe run when I plan it out - Auxillary Force will be a must since a max overstrengthened units are double the slot cost and when I did some theory crafting, SCW units that qualify are 22 core slots alone! At the same time I would then play this without Trophies of War and other extra prestige traits, so I am reading this ARR with curiosity to see if I can also afford to take the new "Ruthless" trait or would I be safer with something less risky for such specific restrictions on units.

The rampant spending should calm down a little bit once I get out of SCW, mostly because then I won't have the preexisting allotment of Auxiliary Slots stacking with the ones from Auxiliary Force. After all, Auxiliary Force is supposed to give only half my Core Slots in Auxiliary Slots, but since SCW already gives you a third to half your Core in Auxiliary Slots I end up with almost the same amount of both Slots.
I've also been thinking about not actually using all of the Auxiliaries Slots if any in Catalonia, mostly because I'm not really sure I need them considering the nature of that Scenario.

Looking forward to that Wunderwaffe run, it sounds quite interesting. I wasn't planning on making another AAR anytime soon after this one, but then 1940 released those new Difficulty Options and General Traits and now I've got an itch for a Killer Team+Concentrated Force vs Heroic Showdown run.

Well, after a long new campaign+holiday break, I'm finally back.

AO: SCW-Battle of the Ebro
Starting Prestige: 13288 (9379 after purchases and repairs)

Event:

The only Commendation Reward I consider to be better than the Verdeja II, and considering I already took the Prestige Sink to get him refusing would be foolish.

Hero:

Between Galland and Fischer my Prestige situation is going to have some nice extra padding going forward.

Core Purchases and Upgrades:
Verteifiger outfitted with 45mm M1932 (Horse Transport).

Starting Army Composition:
Core:
Tanks:

• PzAbt.101 'Vorhut'-BT-5-*, Unstoppable Offense, Anti-Infantry Veteran, Artillery Support

• PzAbt.102 'Dragoner'-BT-5-*,Unstoppable Offense, Anti-Infantry Veteran, Heroic Defense, River Assault

• PzAbt.103 'Husar'-Bt-5-*,Unstoppable Offense, River Assault

• PzAbt.104 'Kataphrakt'-Panzer IIA

• PzAbt.301 'Schlachtschiff'-T-26

• PzAbt.401 'Armadura'-*,Unstoppable Offense, AT Support

Recon:

• AufkAbt.101 'Wegbereiter'-UNL-35-**, Anti-Infantry Veteren, Leadership, Overrun

• AufkAbt.103 'Grenzer'-AAC-1937

Anti-Tank:

• PjAbt.101 'Wachter'-45mm M1932 (Horse Transport)-Hit and Run

• PjAbt.102 'Verteifiger'-45mm M1932 (Horse Transport)

• PjAbt.201 'Sturmer'-Panzer I Breda-*, Unstoppable Offensive

Artillery:

• ArtAbt.101 'Trebuchet'-152mm M10/30 (SdKfz 7)-*

• ArtAbt.102 'Katapult'-152mm M10/30 (SdKfz 7)-*

• ArtAbt.103 'Ballista'-152mm M10/30 (SdKfz 7)-*

Anti-Aircraft:

• FlakAbt.101 'Schrapnell'-8.8cm FlaK 18 (SdKfz 7)-*, Camouflage, Cheap Replacements

• FlakAbt.201 'Spuckfeuer'-SdKfz 10/4

Fighter:

• I./JG1 'As'-Bf 109B-Adolf Galland

• II./JG1 'Windschatten'-Bf 109B

• III./JG1 'Schall'-Bf 109B

Tactical Bomber:

• I./SG1 'Himmelsfeuer'-Ju 87A-*, Legendary

Reserve:
Tank:

• PzAbt.401 'Inferno'-OT-133

Recon:

• AufkAbt.102 'Pfadfinder'-BT-6-**

Artillery:

• ArtAbt.104 'Skorpion'-152mm M10/30 (SdKfz 7)

Tactical Bomber:

• I./AG1 'Alderauge'-He 70 Rayo

• II./SG1 'Feuersturm'-Ju 87A-*

• III./SG1 'Hagelsturm'-Hs 123a-*

Strategic Bomber:

• I./KG1 'Stratus'-Ju 86

• II./KG1 'Kumulus-Ju 86

• III./KG1 'Zirrus'-Ju 86

Auxiliary:
Infantry:

• 8 CTV Infantry (Truck)

• 4 IT Bridge Eng (Truck)

Artillery:

• 2 122mm M10/30 (Horse Transport)

Anti-Aircraft:

• 3 SdKfz 10/4

Fighter:

• 3 G.50

The Bridge Engineer's are a bit of a gamble, as I'm hoping to use them before the far shore gets too crowded with enemies to send some of my armored units across the river to take out Artillery and encircle the enemies gathered around the various bridges.


I made a larger crossing on the south end of the map to help fight the blob of enemies approaching Benifallet. Past experiences have shown than getting your forces over the bridges there is a pain in the rear.

And the downside of the aggressive river crossing strategy makes itself known. Gonna be honest, I fully expected Grenzer to die here as the enemies kept coming at it, but they got lucky, allowing me to pull them back to safety.

A number of other Awards come in over the scenario, thankfully these aren't a sign of poor tactical choices.

Ending Prestige: 10699 (+1320)
Thoughts: Not sure if it was because of the long break or what but coming back and having to do Ebro straight off the bat was kinda stressful. Which is part of the reason I ended up delaying playing it (The other being a copy of AC Valhalla I got for Xmas), which of course only made things worse. And while it is a very difficult scenario, morale is as big of a threat as any Nemesis. But I finally sat my ass down and played it, and it didn't go nearly as bad as I feared.
I also did get very lucky in some ways. Almost every wave of enemy reinforcements came from the two central zones, which while that did make the center a very dangerous place it also allowed me to slowly sandwich the blob from the north and south in a way that prevented them from really being able to use their numbers effectively (I really should have gotten a screenshot of this when I had the chance, but didn't think about it at the time and the autosaves got overwritten by Catalonia.). During this time my bridge crews actually served a useful purpose besides bullet sponges now that I no longer really needed them for the river: Sentry duty watching the northern and southern reinforcement areas to at least give a warning against being outflanked that wouldn't arrive with enemy tanks rolling up to my Artillery which did save me when the enemy reinforcements finally spawned in a non-central zone. .

AO: SCW-Catalonia
Starting Prestige: 12449 (8654 after purchases and repairs)

Hero:

Surely my Hero luck has to get better at some point...right? Lars ends up being assigned to Spuckfeuer while I start trying to track down a goat to sacrifice.

Core Purchases and Upgrades:
PzAbt.201 'Blitz'-Trubia recruited.
PzAbt.202 'Donner'-Trubia recruited.
PzAbt.302 'Moloch'-T-26 recruited.
PzAbt.303 'Ungetum'-T-26 recruited.
PjAbt.202 'Brecher'-Panzer I Breda recruited.
PjAbt.203 'Scrapper'-Panzer I Breda recruited.
FlakAbt.202 'Scattershot'-SdKfz 10/4 recruited.
Grenzer outfitted with SdKfz 222.

Starting Army Composition:
Core:
Tanks:

• PzAbt.101 'Vorhut'-BT-5-**, Unstoppable Offense, Anti-Infantry Veteran, Heroic Defense, Artillery Support

• PzAbt.102 'Dragoner'-BT-5-*,Unstoppable Offense, Anti-Infantry Veteran, Heroic Defense+1, River Assault

• PzAbt.103 'Husar'-Bt-5-*,Unstoppable Offense, River Assault

• PzAbt.104 'Kataphrakt'-Panzer IIA

• PzAbt.201 'Blitz'-Trubia

• PzAbt.202 'Donner'-Trubia

• PzAbt.301 'Schlachtschiff'-T-26-*, Unstoppable Offense

• PzAbt.302 'Moloch'-T-26

• PzAbt.303 'Ungetum'-T-26

• PzAbt.401 'Inferno'-OT-133

• PzAbt.S01 'Armadura'-*,Unstoppable Offense, AT Support

Recon:

• AufkAbt.101 'Wegbereiter'-UNL-35-**, Anti-Infantry Veteran, Leadership, Overrun

• AufkAbt.102 'Pfadfinder'-BT-6-**

• AufkAbt.103 'Grenzer'-SdKfz 222-*, Heroic Defense+1

Anti-Tank:

• PjAbt.101 'Wachter'-45mm M1932 (Horse Transport)-*, Hit and Run

• PjAbt.102 'Verteifiger'-45mm M1932 (Horse Transport)

• PjAbt.201 'Sturmer'-Panzer I Breda-*, Unstoppable Offensive

• PjAbt.202 'Brecher'-Panzer I Breda

• PjAbt.203 'Scrapper'-Panzer I Breda

Artillery:

• ArtAbt.104 'Skorpion'-152mm M10/30 (SdKfz 7)

Anti-Aircraft:

• FlakAbt.201 'Spuckfeuer'-SdKfz 10/4-Resilient

• FlakAbt.202 'Scattershot'-SdKfz 10/4

Reserve:
Artillery:

• ArtAbt.101 'Trebuchet'-152mm M10/30 (SdKfz 7)-*

• ArtAbt.102 'Katapult'-152mm M10/30 (SdKfz 7)-*

• ArtAbt.103 'Ballista'-152mm M10/30 (SdKfz 7)-*

Anti-Aircraft:

• FlakAbt.101 'Schrapnell'-8.8cm FlaK 18 (SdKfz 7)-*, Camouflage, Cheap Replacements

Fighter:

• I./JG1 'As'-Bf 109B-*, Aerial Ace, Adolf Galland

• II./JG1 'Windschatten'-Bf 109B-*, Aerial Ace

• III./JG1 'Schall'-Bf 109B

Tactical Bomber:

• I./AG1 'Alderauge'-He 70 Rayo

• I./SG1 'Himmelsfeuer'-Ju 87A-*, Legendary

• II./SG1 'Feuersturm'-Ju 87A-*

• III./SG1 'Hagelsturm'-Hs 123a-*

Strategic Bomber:

• I./KG1 'Stratus'-Ju 86

• II./KG1 'Kumulus-Ju 86

• III./KG1 'Zirrus'-Ju 86

Auxiliary:
Infantry:

• 5 CTV Infantry (Truck)

Tanks:

• 5 M11/39

Recons:

• 6 Lancia IZM

Now, I'm doing something more than a little weird here. I want to take advantage of the nature of this Scenario to use it as a sort of makeshift Training Scenario for my ground forces (as well as Prestige farming to make up for the amount of new units I bought) which makes it a decent time to grab some additional units for future use (better now where they can get a bit of experience as opposed to later when they will start with 0). Why only one Artillery though? Because his Scenario involves a lot of moving around the map, which makes towed guns awkward to use at times, and coupled with the large Slot size of the 152mm guns I decide to only use Skorpion do to it being so far behind it's brethren in experience. It, along with Wachter and Verteifiger (and other forces of course), will all be sent to blockade the eastern roads where they don't need as much mobility.
As for my Auxiliaries, I could build an Auxiliary Force dedicated to cracking open the French border or capturing Barcelona, but I doubt the rewards will be worth the prestige needed to build such a dedicated force. So I decided stick with Infantry for Close Terrain purposes plus Tanks and Recons to assist with Encirclements.
Also, way to go me and not counting how many deployment spaces there are before purchasing and ending up with 2 more Units than I can deploy.


The great scattering has begun.

More Awards are always welcome.

Ending Prestige: 9427 (+773)
Thoughts: It's really nice, having a Scenario here near the end between Ebro and Madrid where you can just relax and rampage across the map.

Congrats on the comeback.

Honestly I never though about crossing the Ebro down south with bridge engineers - not due the lack of such a possibility with Italian units, but out of fear that I'd loose the war of attrition. Each time I go about this scenario I stall down south and circle around east and then south with a large force. But with auxiliary units can see how tempting it can be, especially with those few hills being poorly defended and as long as T-26 tanks don't arrive in force that's a sneaky way to try this. At least those Survivor awards are great in the long run.

As for Catalonia, I can only imagine the hordes you can unleash with auxiliary force. I always end up with tons of free core slots for new land units if I were to deploy them alone, so I'm not surprised that with the traits you've run out of deployment hexes... That's going to appear a few more times I'm sure - Orenthal seems like another scenario where not having to use planes and having all that extra ground space will be great. I wonder if you can use that to even encircle the entire western French force that assaults the fortifications in that scenario and capture it. Might be a tempting future challenge!

AO: SCW-Madrid 1939
Starting Prestige: 11877 (9130 after purchases and repairs)

Events:

Might as well use my stock of Commendations, no other use for them.

Hero:

FINALLY! I assign my new, well, 2nd Favorite Hero (Hi, Galland) to Himmelsfeuer, giving me a bomber that can move off the target to allow another bombing run, or get to cover from a Fighter or AA gun.

Starting Army Composition:
Core:
Tanks:

• PzAbt.101 'Vorhut'-BT-5-**, Unstoppable Offense, Anti-Infantry Veteran, Heroic Defense, Artillery Support

• PzAbt.201 'Blitz'-Trubia

• PzAbt.202 'Donner'-Trubia

• PzAbt.401 'Inferno'-OT-133

• PzAbt.S01 'Armadura'-*,Unstoppable Offense, AT Support

Recon:

• AufkAbt.101 'Wegbereiter'-UNL-35-**, Anti-Infantry Veteran, Leadership, Overrun

• AufkAbt.103 'Grenzer'-SdKfz 222-*, Heroic Defense+1

Anti-Tank:

• PjAbt.201 'Sturmer'-Panzer I Breda-*, Unstoppable Offensive

• PjAbt.202 'Brecher'-Panzer I Breda

Artillery:

• ArtAbt.101 'Trebuchet'-152mm M10/30 (SdKfz 7)-*

• ArtAbt.102 'Katapult'-152mm M10/30 (SdKfz 7)-*

• ArtAbt.103 'Ballista'-152mm M10/30 (SdKfz 7)-*

Anti-Aircraft:

• FlakAbt.201 'Spuckfeuer'-SdKfz 10/4-Resilient

Fighter:

• I./JG1 'As'-Bf 109B-*, Aerial Ace, Adolf Galland

• II./JG1 'Windschatten'-Bf 109B-*, Aerial Ace

• III./JG1 'Schall'-Bf 109B

Tactical Bomber:

• I./SG1 'Himmelsfeuer'-Ju 87A-*, Legendary, Double Move

• II./SG1 'Feuersturm'-Ju 87A-*

• III./SG1 'Hagelsturm'-Hs 123a-*

Reserve:
Tanks:

• PzAbt.102 'Dragoner'-BT-5-*,Unstoppable Offense, Anti-Infantry Veteran, Heroic Defense+1, River Assault

• PzAbt.103 'Husar'-Bt-5-*,Unstoppable Offense, Anti-Infantry Veteran, River Assault

• PzAbt.104 'Kataphrakt'-Panzer IIA

• PzAbt.301 'Schlachtschiff'-T-26-*, Unstoppable Offense

• PzAbt.302 'Moloch'-T-26

• PzAbt.303 'Ungetum'-T-26

Recon:

• AufkAbt.102 'Pfadfinder'-BT-6-**

Anti-Tank:

• PjAbt.101 'Wachter'-45mm M1932 (Horse Transport)-*, Hit and Run

• PjAbt.102 'Verteifiger'-45mm M1932 (Horse Transport)

• PjAbt.203 'Scrapper'-Panzer I Breda

Artillery:

• ArtAbt.104 'Skorpion'-152mm M10/30 (SdKfz 7)

Anti-Aircraft:

• FlakAbt.101 'Schrapnell'-8.8cm FlaK 18 (SdKfz 7)-*, Camouflage, Cheap Replacements

• FlakAbt.202 'Scattershot'-SdKfz 10/4

Tactical Bomber:

• I./AG1 'Alderauge'-He 70 Rayo

Strategic Bomber:

• I./KG1 'Stratus'-Ju 86

• II./KG1 'Kumulus-Ju 86

• III./KG1 'Zirrus'-Ju 86

Auxiliary:
Infantry:

• 4 ES Cavalry

• 6 Colonial Infantry

• 4 Guardia Civil

• 6 Regulares

• 4 IT HW Inf (Truck)

Tanks:

• 1 M11/39

• 1 L3/35 Lf

Anti-Tank:

• 1 37mm Bofors

Artillery:

• 1 149mm 149/19 (Lancia 3Ro)

Fighter:

• 3 G.50

• 1 CR.32

Tactical Bomber:

• 2 IMAM Ro.37

• 1 SM.81

• 2 SM.79

The 107 Auxiliary Slots I have available would be more impressive if 71 weren't already filled with predeployed Spanish and Italian allies. The 36 remaining Slots do still allow me to round out my overall force, so I can't complain too much.


The majority of the Nationalist Infantry, as well as support from both the Condor Legion and Italians, form a line and begin slowly advancing into Madrid while fending off Republican and Communist attacks.

Meanwhile, I split the majority of my Condors and the Italians into 2 groups. One group is sent North to put pressure on the Republicans, while the other deals with some Communists units that strayed to far east before heading south to meet up with some Nationalist Infantry before advancing on the Communist's rear.

As expected, the Republicans forces are the first to collapse, partly do to inferior equipment and partly do to the fact that my northern group wasn't delayed and thus was much faster to assault their rear.

The noose tightens, and encirclements are everywhere on this chaotic battlefield. Makes for a surprising amount of profit if you can maneuver your units right.

Ending Prestige: 15137 (+6007)
Thoughts: I do think this is my favorite Scenario of the Spanish Civil War. The sheer scale of units involved combined with the nature of the three-way conflict makes for a very fun and interesting battle. The only downside is the fact that most of the battlefield is dominated by the city, which somewhat cripples your Tanks (Your main offensive force) unless you were luckier than I were and got a bunch of Vigilant Heroes. Honestly, while I can't think of any other situations where this kind of multi-faction conflict would work, I would love to see it more.

Final Results of AO: SCW
Final Prestige Total: 15137 (+13737)

Army Core Composition:
Tanks:

• PzAbt.101 'Vorhut'-BT-5-**, Unstoppable Offense, Anti-Infantry Veteran, Heroic Defense, Artillery Support

• PzAbt.102 'Dragoner'-BT-5-*,Unstoppable Offense, Anti-Infantry Veteran, Heroic Defense+1, River Assault

• PzAbt.103 'Husar'-Bt-5-*,Unstoppable Offense, Anti-Infantry Veteran, River Assault

• PzAbt.104 'Kataphrakt'-Panzer IIA

• PzAbt.201 'Blitz'-Trubia

• PzAbt.202 'Donner'-Trubia

• PzAbt.301 'Schlachtschiff'-T-26-*, Unstoppable Offense

• PzAbt.302 'Moloch'-T-26

• PzAbt.303 'Ungetum'-T-26

• PzAbt.401 'Inferno'-OT-133

• PzAbt.S01 'Armadura'-*,Unstoppable Offense, AT Support

Recon:

• AufkAbt.101 'Wegbereiter'-UNL-35-**, Anti-Infantry Veteran, Leadership, Overrun

• AufkAbt.102 'Pfadfinder'-BT-6-**

• AufkAbt.103 'Grenzer'-SdKfz 222-*, Heroic Defense+1

Anti-Tank:

• PjAbt.101 'Wachter'-45mm M1932 (Horse Transport)-*, Hit and Run

• PjAbt.102 'Verteifiger'-45mm M1932 (Horse Transport)

• PjAbt.201 'Sturmer'-Panzer I Breda-*, Unstoppable Offensive

• PjAbt.202 'Brecher'-Panzer I Breda

• PjAbt.203 'Scrapper'-Panzer I Breda

Artillery:

• ArtAbt.101 'Trebuchet'-152mm M10/30 (SdKfz 7)-*

• ArtAbt.102 'Katapult'-152mm M10/30 (SdKfz 7)-*

• ArtAbt.103 'Ballista'-152mm M10/30 (SdKfz 7)-*

• ArtAbt.104 'Skorpion'-152mm M10/30 (SdKfz 7)

Anti-Aircraft:

• FlakAbt.101 'Schrapnell'-8.8cm FlaK 18 (SdKfz 7)-*, Camouflage, Cheap Replacements

• FlakAbt.201 'Spuckfeuer'-SdKfz 10/4-Resilient

• FlakAbt.202 'Scattershot'-SdKfz 10/4

Fighter:

• I./JG1 'As'-Bf 109B-*, Aerial Ace, Adolf Galland

• II./JG1 'Windschatten'-Bf 109B-*, Aerial Ace

• III./JG1 'Schall'-Bf 109B

Tactical Bomber:

• I./AG1 'Alderauge'-He 70 Rayo

• I./SG1 'Himmelsfeuer'-Ju 87A-*, Legendary, Double Move

• II./SG1 'Feuersturm'-Ju 87A-*

• III./SG1 'Hagelsturm'-Hs 123a-*

Strategic Bomber:

• I./KG1 'Stratus'-Ju 86

• II./KG1 'Kumulus-Ju 86

• III./KG1 'Zirrus'-Ju 86

Auxiliary Force Tally:
Infantry:

• 75 CTV Infantry (Truck)

• 4 IT HW Inf (Truck)

• 6 IT Bridge Eng (Truck)

• 4 ES Cavalry

• 4 Guardia Civil

• 6 Regulares

• 14 Colonial Infantry

Tanks:

• 1 L3/33

• 1 L3/33 Lf

• 1 L3/35 Lf

• 1 FT-17

• 8 M11/39

Recon:

• 7 Lancia IZM

Anti-Tank:

• 1 37mm Bofors

• 3 47/32 M35 (Truck)

Artillery:

• 7 105mm 105/28 (Horse Transport)

• 2 122mm M10/30 (Horse Transport)

• 1 149mm 149/19 (Lancia 3Ro)

• 2 203mm M1931 (SdKfz 7)

Anti-Aircraft:

• 3 2cm FlaK 30 (Horse Transport)

• 2 20mm M33 (Horse Transport)

• 3 75mm Vickers M31 (SdKfz 7)

• 1 76.2mm M31 (SdKfz 7)

• 1 8.8cm FlaK 18 (SdKfz 7)

• 7 SdKfz 10/4

Fighter:

• 24 CR.32

• 12 G.50

• 2 I-15

Tactical Bomber:

• 2 He 70 Rayo

• 2 IMAM Ro.37

• 12 SM.79

• 1 SM.81

Closing Thoughts:
Well, that's it for the first chapter of this adventure. Taken longer than I thought it would when I started, but that's life.
Unsurprisingly, the most common Auxiliary unit I used was Infantry by a long shot, followed by Fighters. On the flip side, the excess of Slots allowed me to use so many other Units than just the usual Infantry and Fighters that I tend to fill the slots with (Shout out to the Italian Bridge Engineers). It really felt like a joint German and Italian force at times. The sheer size of your Auxiliary Force towards the end of the Campaign is just ridiculous, it will be both a shame and much simpler to manage the much reduced Auxiliary Slots going forward.

Nice, Double Move on a tactical bomber means that with two bombers basically any tank can be neutralized - should help significantly with hero units and a certain nemesis.

That's also a great amount of prestige gained, more so since you already spent prestige on many units. Really nice that your northern group was able to push through so fast, this indeed gave some perfect encirclement opportunity!

1939 now comes with it's own set of scenarios where extra forces are nice to have, but probably not all of them - there are a few where the core will probably be more than enough, Czechoslovakia included.

Tassadar wrote: ↑Thu Jan 14, 2021 7:56 pm Nice, Double Move on a tactical bomber means that with two bombers basically any tank can be neutralized - should help significantly with hero units and a certain nemesis.

That's also a great amount of prestige gained, more so since you already spent prestige on many units. Really nice that your northern group was able to push through so fast, this indeed gave some perfect encirclement opportunity!

1939 now comes with it's own set of scenarios where extra forces are nice to have, but probably not all of them - there are a few where the core will probably be more than enough, Czechoslovakia included.

Mmhmm, that was pretty much my thought process for placement. Plus, I do tend to prefer Phased Movement over Double for ground units and vice versa for air units (Although either is good for both types, it's just personal preference). Of course, I do need to get better at remembering I have him and not forgetting it until the unit I would liked to have double bombed has another bomber over it/I've used all my other bombers already.

I know I've seen a number of players support a much slower strategy where you wait a number of turns to let the enemy do a bunch of your work for you, but for me I like to just dive in (with a plan, not completely crazy here). One benefit of my more aggressive strategy is that I might be ending the Scenario with a few more turns on the clock compared to slower strategies, which actually gave me a pretty good sized chunk of Prestige at the end there. Of course, aggro does help with establishing and capitalizing on encirclements for captures which is also very lucrative, but that's a given.

As for Czechoslovakia and 1939...I'm actually a bit spoiled for choice in what to buy for my Auxiliary Force . In SCW it's pretty easy, there are gaps in your available units capabilities (Infantry, Flame Tanks) the Italians can fill as well as some cases where Italian equipment is superior to yours (Early Fighters, Towed Anti-Tank). Now though, I buy my Auxiliaries from the same store as my Core, which changes the paradigm a fair bit as those obvious uses for Auxiliaries are gone. It will definitely be interesting going forward as I work out what is the best choice per Scenario.