Slitherine

For your viewing pleasure:

Setup: Slow advance and attempt to bait out the elite enemy fighter. Nothing scary should be on the enemy side. Western rivers give a chance to farm some kills on the remaining hero-less artillery and on the new PzJg as well as the Char bis tanks.



Prestige, heroes, and core: 16976 after disband SE PzIII and buying a second Panzerjager. End 17679.

Outcome: Made it to Belgrade turn 10 and farmed quite a bunch of kills. CR.42's were left flying for a long time. +2 defense on an infanterie, PzJg trained to 150 experience, Kerscher got +2 attack.

Setup: Deploy in all three drop zones and use the deployment trick to deploy reinforcements in the same hex after moving on turn 1. Clear out important units (art/infantry near artillery) to prep for next turns. Emergency buy a stuka 87R with 8 naval attack (longer range, but only 2 ammo, so I don't have any of these) because I didn't realize there'd be 3 cruisers. Plenty of time to farm kills. Artillery on anti-air units is the best.



Prestige, heroes, and core: Start 19537. No changes, sell Stuka next map since we're getting Rudel anyway.

Outcome: As above.

Whoops. looks like I was editing Metaxas line post. Images below for setup and turn 8/14.

Setup: Dir & the new rocketwagon head along the dispersed towns per usual. Heavy artillery, including a new K 17 with 4 range in this mod and a movement hero advance to take out Brest-Litovsk defenses before cutting across the river. Initial KV-1 and T-34 at Brest baited out with one of the auxiliary Sdkfz 7/2.



Prestige, heroes, and core: Start 200014, end 20964. Uber Rudel joins us! T-34/40 obtained. We could sell for 700, but the mod buffs and greatly cheapens them later on to 300 or so, so a very cheap panther that has the same amount of soft attack. Also auto-upgrades per year.

Outcome: Two tank step losses to be elite replaced, similar for infantry.

Setup: Skipped, trivial here.

Prestige, heroes, and core: Added a second wurfrahmen, sold old Rudel (for OCD). +2 defense on Matilda 2 (nice!) and will start using Russian tanks. OOB every 3-5 maps as I have the energy to do so.

Outcome: Took some nasty hits from T-34's. Spent too long roaming half my recon up north.

Setup: As the Russian captured material seeps in, we'll transition to these instead of the more obsolete British and French tanks (heavy tanks with same armor as T-34). Briefing says low air and two armored counterattacks, predicted in burgundy. Red circles mark choke points for a Char or KV to sit at and force enemies into close terrain. One airfield at the right is good for farming. Since we have two Stukas we want to level up, one 8.8 stays behind. Still no overstrength!



[Prestige, heroes, and core]: 23557 (note 1900 spent on Rondorf upgrade and two wurfrahmens), Rondorf Tank ADI2MS and Wirsberger infantry A2I3, gebirgsjager with SE sdkfz 250/1. The former is a great candidate for the Tiger series, but the current Pz 2 is way too flimsy. Alternatives are putting him on a flamm to get kills for that second hero (probably unnecessary, as the added benefit is less for him than for other units) or just to stick him on a Pz III or IV. The latter can do well on anything. Since OKH already paid 500 for the unit and transport, we'll keep it till the '43 upgrades. Unfortunate, elite replacements will be extraordinarily expensive, so we try to minimize casualties to him. He 112-H got a movement hero

The non-special fighter has 280 kills, so we eagerly await to see whether it's useable (initiative or +2 to 3 defense/attack). Both StuGs and one more 10.5 cm artillery are ripe for a hero; fingers crossed, as this is the last batch before second heroes in 42-43. The second PzJg isn't very happy with all the Soviet tanks around, but trudge along we must with it. Sdkfz 7/2 also waiting. Rondorf finalized as a Panzer III, since I don't have any, and they're over 20% cheaper than IVs.

Polish artillery got +1 A, a Char got +1 A, so the latter gets benched for now.

Outcome: Turn 6 encounter on the middle-east and then turn 12/18 conscript killing farm (4 units). Took 3 single damage from unlikely almost fully suppressed units on grenadier, which is the only damage we really care about here in terms of elite replacements. Six full turns of 4x10-12 bashing earns an extra 200-300 kills overall, quite a good haul!

Setup: Fast group south, slow group through the center. Ignoring the one flag up top, although paratroops may take the blue Ps. I expect Novgorod artillery to be on the river hexes to easy prey, especially to the morser, so no need for a bridging engineer. Will really try to limit casualties here; briefing says very low air presence.



Prestige, core, heroes: Last fighter finally gets +2 attack. Reasonable enough to use for the long haul...perhaps. Only one more towed artillery awaits the first hero. One unused Matilda II sold. Looking at the Char II's, they're 350, 14 GD, and 10 soft attack. I think it may actually be hard to outclass them, even later on, for anti-infantry duties (!). Only the IIIN has as much soft attack, higher move and CD, but less defense. Certainly worth thinking about. Even an also decimated unit would cost only 170 prestige to get back to full (compared to 170 per POINT for a king tiger...).

Starting prestige: 25703. No SE.

Have the itch to start up on this again. Any interest from readers? I see still a lot of views but low comments on this forum

I will observe your playtrough .
Since march I'm playing GC EAST fourth time. Told myself It is last time. My best was 30. 000prestige start on GC 43. But before Kursk battle had only 7000. So restarted again .

Playing only colonel level, normal, AI - 2.
I think I was wrong when sold all captured equpiment. Was doing this because t34 and KV1 are good but very expensive. But afterr reading your AAR and studying deducter mod manual I think it's good to use caPtured equpiment in 1942 because is cheaper and still powerfull.

Now started GC 1942 EAST. Last time

Updated TOE: I created a new fastmoving formation with Russian armor. KG Dir is now a dedicated slow-moving city-fighting entity.
II. Panzer Korps
XII. Panzer-Division
> 9 Panzer-Regiment (IVD)
• I. [D2] and II. [A3]
> 8 Panzer-Abteilung [A] (38(t)A)
> 10 Aufklarung Abteilung 'Kerscher' (38(t)A)
> 22 Aufklarung Abteilung [M] (Recon)
> 5 Artillerie-Regiment
• I. [D2] (15 cm) and II. [A2] (10.5 cm) Abteilung
> 254 Panzerjager Abteilung 254 [D3]
> 254 FlaK Abteilung [A2] (Sdkfz 7/2)

Kampfgruppe Dir
> 12 Pionere-Abteilung 'Dir' [M3Ini3]
> 402 sPzAbt (KV-1B(r))
> 13 Artillerie-Abteilung [M] (15 cm)
> 14 Artillerie-Abteilung (10.5 cm)
> 35 Sturmgeschutz Bataillon

Kampfgruppe Wirnsberger
> 1 Gebirgsjager Bataillan 'Wirnsberger' [A2Ini3] + Sdkfz 250/1
> 36 Sturmgeschutz Bataillon
> 401 PzAbt (T-34/40(r))
> 403 PzAbt (T-34/40(r))
> 10 Werfer-Regiment (Wurfrahmen)
> 26 Aufklarung Abteilung [Ini] (Combat)

SS Westen Division
> SS Nordland Regiment
• I. [Ini] (PzGren + Sdkfz 251/1) and II. [D] (Infanterie + Opel)
> 650 SS Artillerie-Abteilung (p)
> 11 Werfer-Regiment (Wurfrahmen)
> 701 SS Panzer-Abteilung [M] (SS Panzer IIIF)
> 702 SS Panzer-Abteilung (SS Panzer IVE)
> SS Gallien Panzer-Regiment
• I. [D] (Somua(f)) and II. [D2] Matilda II
> SS Frankreich Panzer-Regiment
• I. (Char(f)) and II. [D] (Char(f))

XV. Infanterie-Division
> 1 Schutzen-Regiment
• I. [A], II. [D], III. [A2]
> 2 Schutzen-Regiment
• I [D], II.
> 6 Artillerie-Regiment
• I [A2] and II Abteilung
> 18 FlaK Abteilung 18 [M] (8.8 cm)

VI. Fliegerkorps
> Jagdgeschwader 14 • Stab and I Gruppe
> Jagdgeschwader 1 'Bar' > Stab (A2ID2)
> Schlachtgeschwader 47 > Stab [A]
> Kampfgeschwader 25 > I (He 112-H) and II (Ju 88 A)
> Zerstorergeschwader 26 'Lent' [AI5]

> 2 Fallschirmjager-Regiment [A3]
> Luftwaffe Flak Bataillon 35 [M] (8.8 cm)

(Italicized new, [heroes in brackets])

Setup: Starting prestige 26636 after replacements. After coming back and analyzing, some new ideas: since overstrength is tactical only (max 10 strength points participating in battles) but costing no additional, I will be trying to utilize normal infanterie way more, costing only 5 prestige for each point (with no truck). There is no mobile soviet AA up till '42, so I will take the last few scenarios to limit losses by air superiority. Also, since barely any enemies have organic anti-air, level bombers are placed on hold – the only two I have already have their heroes. Rondorf, with A1D1Ini2S1M1, can actually be transformed into an anti-tank by converting from an earlier panzer to a Marder. Will have to consider; the M1 Ini2 on a towed antitank could be cheap cheap in later years.

21 turns, plenty of time to reach objectives, so I will go as slow as possible like Braccada on Youtube does. Start off with three KV's amidst swamp, with a 15 strength (!), definitely didn't remember this. Stukas and positioning do the job. I am really in favor of maintaining an extreme defensive posture for turns 1-3 until enemy air is cleared.






Western approach can be scouted out easily after the enemy 4-spotting recon is taken care of. Two turns to set up taking out the artillery (note all Russian towed artillery are now 3 range). Center holds position, as not enough recon to go forward. StuG, 8.8 and two strong infantry make do easily.

Advance very cautiously to the east. Scouting with recon reveals no anti-air, so this is pre-bombarded. Edges are nipped with safely out of enemy spotting at until a decisive advance can be made.

Elite Reinforcements: 4 Bf110 (80 prestige), 3 Panzerjager (40), 3 PzIII (53), 5 FsJgR (80, ouch)
Green: 3 StuG (green replace), 4 KV-1B, 2 T-34/40, 3 Char
Upgrades: Bf110 to F (5 to 8 ini, 10 to 12 air attack), with Lent 6 initiative, pretty much a fighter; SE PzGren to SE Infanterie. The 2 movement is just unworkable. Changed Wirnsberger (A2Ini3) to normal infanterie due to steep experience malus with off-class changes (-175). Might as well eat this sooner rather than later. Ashamed I didn't think of this earlier. And coming to think of it, Rondorf needs to change from a PzIII to a 38(t) to be eligible for the marder and then PaK exchange. That 525 (!) experience hit means it's pointless to do anything with him now, so benched. Kerscher with 2 spotting changes to Panzer IIF now in preparation for the dedicated recon swap (350 experience hit total). This will be extremely worth it in the long term, however, as the PaK 43 is 270 (possibly no truck needed here), whereas a decent tracked anti-tank will be upwards of 2000 (!!) in this mod.

Miscellaneous goals: hero fish the two T-34/40s. If bad, disband for 710 prestige (higher this mod to represent shortage and novelty for germans in '41).

Setup: Same air deployment. Wirnsbirger needs to farm kills at the bridge so will hold. Recon choice: no experience Kerscher in the IIF can make more use of terrain to stay safe in the south. Start prestige: 27033 (only 400 more than last scenario due to cross class upgrades, ouch!)

This one was pulling teeth, but a decisive was necessary. By turn 6, it was full mud and rain, only turn 5 was cloudy. Mud till turn 12, with 3 cloudy and no clear. 20 turns total.




Initial counterattacks were held well, but the mass of tanks in the center was very hard to approach. On the plus side, PioBtl Dir got a 3 defense hero, for a total of M3Ini3D3 (!). But a T-34/40 got one attack. Will likely disband it next map.





Damage: I don't want to talk about it. More than I think 40 strength points were lost, with about similar distribution to last map.

Setup: This is what we suffered last map for! Note that no ROF > 10 is really starting to hurt now. The difficult to suppress Russian tanks will almost always knock off a point of our tanks.

SS infantry upgraded to grenadiers here, as was Wirnsberger, who desperately needs the experience. KV-1A from last map to be disbanded later but will use to tank free damage on the western side of the map. Right side will be anchored by our KV-1B. Only JG. Bar deployed in anticipation of the new fighter hero. Our tracked FlaK also needs some experience, and not both 8.8's will be useful here. Stukas upgraded to 87Ds for 170 apiece (330 -> 500) ouch, but the over doubling of fuel to 71 and ammo from 3 to 4 is immense. Both level bombers are brought because in urban fights, concentration of fire is so, so important.

Starting prestige: 28346 though we haven't sold the Russian captured units yet – holding them till the beginning of Demyansk.

Plan: KVs will anchor the offensive by keeping the sides safe. Infantry will keep streets locked down with ZoC. Pauses for expected counterattacks denoted, and pink are the Jadgwaffe anticipated schwerpunkts.