AK: Second offensive

[Longasc]

6. Second offensive
Field Marshal, all options checked
Start Prestige: 3371
Bought/Upgraded: -
Prestige at turn 1: 3371
Losses: Aux Recon in turn 15 to enemy tank counterattack
End Prestige: 1631 (replaced with Elite units this time)
Result: DV 15/22
Comments:
Not that surprising surprise attack on El Agheila, the Axis reinforcements are too plentiful IMO while the British around El Agheila could be a little stronger, they are a nice surprise but too weak to be effective. Holding the center early on might be the problem depending how many units one diverts South to El Agheila. The scenario ends before enemy units arriving around turn 15 and supposedly 18 just don't make it when you hurry. I think "take and hold till turn 22" might be an alternative to that.
All in all quite well balanced and fun to play, I think the enemy attack comes a little too late and the reinforcements might be a little too generous for the Axis.

[uran21]

It is really a pitty, and i think this was an opportunity, that some of the italian reinforcements should have been core units with a hero already.

I like this suggestion !

[Razz1]

BETA 2
Colonel
DV
lots of strength point losses here
lost my core AB40
Getting double hero's now.
Plus on defense and offense
Going to be able to kick butt soon once new equipment arrives

I was attacked three times by tanks 7 and 8 strength. Each time my 88 killed the unit. That unit has a hero.

[Zhivago]

FM level, DV 19/22. This was my first time playing through this scenario. I put all of my best tanks in the forward-most positions, and my infantry and recon vehicles in the rear. Although the initial briefing said to retreat, I was able to hold a defensive line midway across the map, like many of the people who have posted in this forum. I also noted the issue even after the Beta 2 release with having two available units to place, but no slots on the map to put them. Once the game got going, I was finally able to deploy these two additional units.

By the time the reinforcements came, they were of absolutely no value to me given that they did not appear until Turn 18, and they were at the extreme southwest of the map. Additionally, most of the units would never have been able to have traversed the length of the map in the remaining turns allowed. I think that if the units came in piece-meal starting around turn 12, and were available for placement around Axis held city hexes, they could definitely have been of some use.

[Tarrak]

Beta 2.0
Difficulty: General
Starting prestige: 3723.
No upgrades or new units bought as with all the prizes and rewards from last mission i had way more units then i could deploy anyway. As replacements strategy during deployment phase i used following pattern: If the unit did not lose any whole star by using normal replacements i used normal, if it were the case i used elite replacements. I did over-strength all units as much as possible. Was trying to avoid using replacements during the battle but had to do it a few times. Used mostly elite replacements during the battle as prestige seems quite plentiful.
Outcome: DV at turn 20/22. Could have done it by turn 18 but delayed to capture the last cities to see if i can find any goodies. Sadly no. Lost one StugIII.
End prestige: 4351 (this is the prestige at start of next scenario as with the DV bonus calculated in already)

I setup 3 defensive positons: One in the north around Bengazhi. This one was quite easy to defend. Second around Msus. Here it was where the brunt of the attack hit. At times i was close to losing my pioneers but i managed to safe it. Defending was mildly challenging here but not to bad. The third defense ring ended more as a mobile group hunting the odd unit appearing between El Agheila and Agedabia. Very easy to defend here as the only attackers was coming one by one and there was only few of them.

I sadly do not remember when the reinforcements arrived but considering i could have finished the game at turn 18 and i did not go on the offensive before they arrived they must have appeared way before turn 18 like Zhivago posted. Either it is dynamic and triggered by something or .. well no idea. The offensive was very easy. I got a bit greedy tho and delayed the capture of last VH to be able to take the last cities in the hope of some captured equipment. The little offensive in form of 4 units coming from the south near Bir Hacheim caught me a bit by surprise and hit my flank being able to kill my poor StugIII. R.I.P my little lovely Stug, you will be missed. I managed to get some use of the reinforcements but tbh i could have probably finish the map in time without them.

Air superiority was quite easy to attain even if it took a while to destroy all the enemy airplanes. I deployed 2 Bf109 and a Bf110 which equaled one dead enemy airplane per turn easily.

Odd is that at the begin there are less deployment fields then unit limit. I had to deploy my two or three last units in turn two. Nothing bad per se but it can confuse people. I actually spend a few minutes looking for the last missing deployment fields and wondering if i am blind until i come to the conclusion that they aren't there.

Overall a nice scenario with initial defense and offense afterwards. I quite liked it but it seems almost a bit to easy.

[monkspider]

Second Offensive
BETA 2
General level
Replacement philosophy: 90%+ of the time I use elite replacements, even during battle,I usually only use normal for low experience units that don't suffer a huge experience drop with normal replacements or if my prestige is especially critical. I rarely use elite replacements on axillary units
No units lost
Ending Prestige 650
DV on turn 19

Nothing major to report here, this was one of my favorite scenarios the first time and it still was this time as well. Like Tarrak said, I really like the mix between defense and offense. I deployed my Germans in the north and my Italians in the center while my recon units rushed to El Agehila. I have started using one of the Sahariana units and it is incredibly useful! Easily my favorite recon unit ever I believe.

[Longasc]

What's special about the Sahariana?

[monkspider]

It is an Italian recon unit with high fuel capacity, 8 move points and, get this, it has a "switch" ability where it can change into an infantry unit with good stats. It is one of the best kept secrets of Afrika Korps thus far I think.

[Zhivago]

It is an Italian recon unit with high fuel capacity, 8 move points and, get this, it has a "switch" ability where it can change into an infantry unit with good stats. It is one of the best kept secrets of Afrika Korps thus far I think.

I am digging the Panzer IIF recon unit a lot.

[Balois]

Beta 2
COL

This scenario has been quite difficult to date. On my second try. The initial placement that scatters your forces and the British forces basically everywhere has made this a challenging scenario. I have found the allied air support to be very challenging and unlike many previous posts not having much success to date. Hopefully if I can ever get the reinforcements the scenario will feel more balanced.

Balois

[uran21]

Beta 2
COL

This scenario has been quite difficult to date. On my second try. The initial placement that scatters your forces and the British forces basically everywhere has made this a challenging scenario. I have found the allied air support to be very challenging and unlike many previous posts not having much success to date. Hopefully if I can ever get the reinforcements the scenario will feel more balanced.

Balois

Do not try to defend yourself in the centre but listen what briefing is suggesting and retreat to El Agheila as fast as possible. Than you will have chance to strike back.

[zappel]

I sadly do not remember when the reinforcements arrived but considering i could have finished the game at turn 18 and i did not go on the offensive before they arrived they must have appeared way before turn 18 like Zhivago posted. Either it is dynamic and triggered by something or .. well no idea.

I'm at turn 10 and the reinforcement appears, so I've time enough to use them. If it is a trigger it could be the city of El Agheila (2, 31) which I captured the turn before. For now the scenario is fine. Allied units show up on the whole map - no save place for artillery in the first turns.

[Balois]

Beta 2
COL

With the sage advice to read the objectives, I was able to get a DV. Scenario nicely depicts the back and forth that characterized the African campaign.

Thanks for the assistance.

Balois

[Kamerer]

Second Offensive, Beta 4
Level: Field Marshal
Begin Prestige: 2,440 End: 1,740. Net: -700.
Result: DV at 20/22

• 1. Hex 5,29 (road) – not continuous, fades out on eastern side (it should not; part of the via Balbia).
  2. Otherwise, plays well.
  3. If you make it across map, there are tiny glimpses of tanks on the border hexes barely visible just east of Bir Hacheim. See hexes 34/19, 34,20, 34,22, etc. Supposed to be that way?

[uran21]

Those tanks are off map reinforcements but their activity is probably not triggered because they do not have favourable shot or something. Do you have some input when you captured El Agheila and what reinforcements did you get?

[Kamerer]

I did not get the reinforcements until far too late to use them. I had not bothered with taking those hexes until I had secured a line around Msus. So I got them on turn 19 and never did anything with them.

There were three armor units, two infantry, two fighters, and a recon and 88. Having El Ahgeila as the trigger means a lot of players won't get them since they might not bother fighting for that distant (comared to deployment zones) hex. Maybe bring them in on a certain turn instead? They would have been very welcome as the fight was very costly otherwise.

[Razz1]

BETA 4
General
start 1951
I liked the map better in the previous versions.
The extra Allied units made it tougher, that is okay. I miss the larger map.
The reinforcements still come in late.
The extra core units you get is good. 2 Mobile Art and one tact bomber.
Lost my Italian 105mm Art and lost a core tank
end 313
DV 14/22

[uran21]

I did not get the reinforcements until far too late to use them. I had not bothered with taking those hexes until I had secured a line around Msus. So I got them on turn 19 and never did anything with them.

There were three armor units, two infantry, two fighters, and a recon and 88. Having El Ahgeila as the trigger means a lot of players won't get them since they might not bother fighting for that distant (comared to deployment zones) hex. Maybe bring them in on a certain turn instead? They would have been very welcome as the fight was very costly otherwise.

Those who trigger them faster will be awarded with Italian core units. Razz have them listed.

[Kamerer]

That makes sense, a weaker force that falls back in retreat faster needs it more.

I had a ton of rewards/prizes from Dash to the Wire and a strong force. The scenario is good.

[Ballacraine]

I did not get the reinforcements until far too late to use them. I had not bothered with taking those hexes until I had secured a line around Msus. So I got them on turn 19 and never did anything with them.

There were three armor units, two infantry, two fighters, and a recon and 88. Having El Ahgeila as the trigger means a lot of players won't get them since they might not bother fighting for that distant (comared to deployment zones) hex. Maybe bring them in on a certain turn instead? They would have been very welcome as the fight was very costly otherwise.

I agree this would be an improvement.
At Col. level, whilst I had not lost any core units, the majority of them were so far weakened, and I had no prestige to restore them.
Net result was that when the reinforcements finally did arrive, they were basically the only units I had in any fit shape to launch a counter offensive.

I found as I was retaking flags I received no further prestige either.

Balla.