I believe the next two scenarios are pretty lucrative prestige-wise if you can sneak under the cap.
Grand Campaign 1943-45 Field Marshall
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Re: Grand Campaign 1943-45 Field Marshall
After selling off the captured KV-85 I am entering Narva with 66441 prestige points.
I believe the next two scenarios are pretty lucrative prestige-wise if you can sneak under the cap.
I believe the next two scenarios are pretty lucrative prestige-wise if you can sneak under the cap.
Re: Grand Campaign 1943-45 Field Marshall
The final turn at Narva.
I could have cleared the map if I had done a better job of deploying my forces. Some of my units sat around in the South doing nothing for about 10 turns, and I could have put them to better use in the North.
On the other hand, almost all of my deployed infantry and non-SE tank units did really well experience-wise. All of my "Original 9" infantry and "Original 5" tank units form the 1940 campaign should be at 5 stars by the end of Minsk44.
Also, by sitting back and waiting for the Soviets to make Banzai assaults across the river, I scored a lot of easy forced surrenders that might not have been there if I had counter-attacked earlier. So even though I don't like to leave kills and potential prestige points on the map I think it worked out pretty well.
I could have cleared the map if I had done a better job of deploying my forces. Some of my units sat around in the South doing nothing for about 10 turns, and I could have put them to better use in the North.
On the other hand, almost all of my deployed infantry and non-SE tank units did really well experience-wise. All of my "Original 9" infantry and "Original 5" tank units form the 1940 campaign should be at 5 stars by the end of Minsk44.
Also, by sitting back and waiting for the Soviets to make Banzai assaults across the river, I scored a lot of easy forced surrenders that might not have been there if I had counter-attacked earlier. So even though I don't like to leave kills and potential prestige points on the map I think it worked out pretty well.
Re: Grand Campaign 1943-45 Field Marshall
Starting Stachwitz with 69149 prestige points after selling off the captured SU-122. A net gain of about 2700 points at Narva, but still 1000 points below what I had to start Ponyri 10 scenarios ago.
Strachwitz is not too difficult from what I remember, and there is a 4000 point victory bonus at the end.
Best of all, it's another infantry battle with all the forest and swamp terrain.
The strategy here is simple. Attack on the far North and far South, gradually shrink the map.
Strachwitz is not too difficult from what I remember, and there is a 4000 point victory bonus at the end.
Best of all, it's another infantry battle with all the forest and swamp terrain.
The strategy here is simple. Attack on the far North and far South, gradually shrink the map.
Re: Grand Campaign 1943-45 Field Marshall
Once again my core took a beating but I managed to clear the map on the final turn.
As you can see on the right, many of my infantry and tank units are getting very close to that magical 5th star.
As you can see on the right, many of my infantry and tank units are getting very close to that magical 5th star.
Re: Grand Campaign 1943-45 Field Marshall
I have 72481 prestige points heading into Poltava, a gain of about 3300 at Strachwitz.
Poltava is one of those funny "special mission" scenarios. The idea is to complete your victory objectives while not disturbing the Soviet units around you.
There are some freebie AA units to be had here, although on Field Marshall those four-star units are only two stars.
Poltava is one of those funny "special mission" scenarios. The idea is to complete your victory objectives while not disturbing the Soviet units around you.
There are some freebie AA units to be had here, although on Field Marshall those four-star units are only two stars.
Re: Grand Campaign 1943-45 Field Marshall
Finished Poltava without any real drama.
I stayed under the cap and got a nice +2 Attack for one of my Wuhrfrahmen units on the last turn.
My weakest regular tank unit, a Panzer IIIM with +1 Movement and +2 Attack is one scenario away from its fifth star. Unfortunately the quality of the Soviet armour has reached the point where it is very difficult to keep a Panzer III alive on the battlefield. I should probably bite the bullet and upgrade the unit to a Tiger II, but there are over 8000 prestige points to be had in the next scenario if I can stay under the cap, so I will need to think about it.
I stayed under the cap and got a nice +2 Attack for one of my Wuhrfrahmen units on the last turn.
My weakest regular tank unit, a Panzer IIIM with +1 Movement and +2 Attack is one scenario away from its fifth star. Unfortunately the quality of the Soviet armour has reached the point where it is very difficult to keep a Panzer III alive on the battlefield. I should probably bite the bullet and upgrade the unit to a Tiger II, but there are over 8000 prestige points to be had in the next scenario if I can stay under the cap, so I will need to think about it.
Last edited by loganfive on Mon Jan 07, 2019 12:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Grand Campaign 1943-45 Field Marshall
72843 prestige points entering Mogilev.
I basically broke even with a 400-point gain at Poltava, and 274 of those points were a result of me selling off the Flak 36 I had purchased at Kotelnikovo for that one scenario.
If I can win Mogilev on the cheap and stay under the cap I can vault over the 80000 point barrier.
Another thing to consider is that 3 of my infantry units have maxed out at 3 heroes. I am leaning towards just leaving them in reserve until mid-1945, as all my other units are in much greater need of either kills, experience or both.
I basically broke even with a 400-point gain at Poltava, and 274 of those points were a result of me selling off the Flak 36 I had purchased at Kotelnikovo for that one scenario.
If I can win Mogilev on the cheap and stay under the cap I can vault over the 80000 point barrier.
Another thing to consider is that 3 of my infantry units have maxed out at 3 heroes. I am leaning towards just leaving them in reserve until mid-1945, as all my other units are in much greater need of either kills, experience or both.
Last edited by loganfive on Thu Jan 10, 2019 2:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Grand Campaign 1943-45 Field Marshall
Turn 9 at Mogilev.
I somehow managed to remove all the Soviet units adjacent to my ammo-starved tank units, so that they can get a full resupply before the second wave hits.
With 11 turns remaining, if all goes well I should get 3300 (11x300) points in turn bonuses, plus the 3000 point victory bonus, plus about 700 points for the remaining victory and minor objectives.
I somehow managed to remove all the Soviet units adjacent to my ammo-starved tank units, so that they can get a full resupply before the second wave hits.
With 11 turns remaining, if all goes well I should get 3300 (11x300) points in turn bonuses, plus the 3000 point victory bonus, plus about 700 points for the remaining victory and minor objectives.
Re: Grand Campaign 1943-45 Field Marshall
Final turn at Mogilev.
Re: Grand Campaign 1943-45 Field Marshall
81074 prestige points after selling off the Jagdtiger, which I will not need.
Re: Grand Campaign 1943-45 Field Marshall
Turn 8 at Babruysk.
Having a tough time dealing with all the Soviet air and SPAAG units.
I was too preoccupied with winning on the cheap while getting experience points and kills for my infantry, and did not deploy quite enough Flak units. A bit more overstrengthing of my Flak and fighter units would have helped too.
Having a tough time dealing with all the Soviet air and SPAAG units.
I was too preoccupied with winning on the cheap while getting experience points and kills for my infantry, and did not deploy quite enough Flak units. A bit more overstrengthing of my Flak and fighter units would have helped too.
Last edited by loganfive on Mon Jan 21, 2019 8:42 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Re: Grand Campaign 1943-45 Field Marshall
Final turn at Babruysk.
I took all the objectives and was well under the cap for almost the entire scnenario, but I think I burned about 2000 prestige points on elite replacements. The IS-2's you see are not a threat as the AI has no more moves remaining. I got spammed by about 10 of those things here.
The good news is that a fourth infantry unit got its third hero and fifth star in this scenario. That leaves 10 infantry units that are still hero-eligible. There should be enough deployment slots for all 10 in all the remaining 44 and 45 scenarios. 7 of them should get pretty close to 2000 kills and 3 heroes.
I had also upgraded that non-SE Panzer III unit that I had mentioned a few posts ago to a Tiger II. It already has its fifth star and should get its 3rd hero soon.
I took all the objectives and was well under the cap for almost the entire scnenario, but I think I burned about 2000 prestige points on elite replacements. The IS-2's you see are not a threat as the AI has no more moves remaining. I got spammed by about 10 of those things here.
The good news is that a fourth infantry unit got its third hero and fifth star in this scenario. That leaves 10 infantry units that are still hero-eligible. There should be enough deployment slots for all 10 in all the remaining 44 and 45 scenarios. 7 of them should get pretty close to 2000 kills and 3 heroes.
I had also upgraded that non-SE Panzer III unit that I had mentioned a few posts ago to a Tiger II. It already has its fifth star and should get its 3rd hero soon.
Last edited by loganfive on Mon Jan 21, 2019 1:45 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Grand Campaign 1943-45 Field Marshall
83017 points heading into Minsk44.
I have enough prestige in hand where I can do some upgrading and downgrading (in fact it should more than pay for itself in terms of cap management).
I have an FW190A which had received a +3 Attack hero shortly after I had upgraded it from an Me109. I am going to switch it around with an Me109k hero unit that has +3 Initiative. That's 1000 prestige points, but it should make both much units more effective with no effect on the cap.
I also have a SdKfz 10/4 AA unit with +1 range that I am going to switch around with a 12.8cm Flak unit with +1 Attack. That will leave me with two 12.8cm Flak units with a range of 4, great for picking off enemy fighters.
Part of my motivation here is that I got a little too complacent with air superiority in the last scenario, and at the same time I don't want to use up more unit slots and cap room than is absolutely necessary.
A bunch of my artillery units are closing in on their 2nd hero, and there will be some upgrading and downgrading there too, depending on what heroes they get.
I have enough prestige in hand where I can do some upgrading and downgrading (in fact it should more than pay for itself in terms of cap management).
I have an FW190A which had received a +3 Attack hero shortly after I had upgraded it from an Me109. I am going to switch it around with an Me109k hero unit that has +3 Initiative. That's 1000 prestige points, but it should make both much units more effective with no effect on the cap.
I also have a SdKfz 10/4 AA unit with +1 range that I am going to switch around with a 12.8cm Flak unit with +1 Attack. That will leave me with two 12.8cm Flak units with a range of 4, great for picking off enemy fighters.
Part of my motivation here is that I got a little too complacent with air superiority in the last scenario, and at the same time I don't want to use up more unit slots and cap room than is absolutely necessary.
A bunch of my artillery units are closing in on their 2nd hero, and there will be some upgrading and downgrading there too, depending on what heroes they get.
Re: Grand Campaign 1943-45 Field Marshall
Minsk 44 at the end of the penultimate turn.
On the final turn I will need to take the victory hex on the bottom of the screen, then clear a path for my infantry and SP artillery to make an assault on the final hex at the top.
This is not an easy scenario overall. Lots of Soviet armour, infantry, artillery, aircraft and AA to deal with. I could have done a slightly better job in both strategy and tactics. A couple of times I moved too quickly and left my artillery unprotected. Not at all interested in a reload though as I got four really nice heroes here, including a +3 Attack for one of my StuG IIIGs. On the other hand, one of my FW190s got zonked with a mostly useless +1 Movement hero.
On the final turn I will need to take the victory hex on the bottom of the screen, then clear a path for my infantry and SP artillery to make an assault on the final hex at the top.
This is not an easy scenario overall. Lots of Soviet armour, infantry, artillery, aircraft and AA to deal with. I could have done a slightly better job in both strategy and tactics. A couple of times I moved too quickly and left my artillery unprotected. Not at all interested in a reload though as I got four really nice heroes here, including a +3 Attack for one of my StuG IIIGs. On the other hand, one of my FW190s got zonked with a mostly useless +1 Movement hero.
Re: Grand Campaign 1943-45 Field Marshall
The end at Minsk 44.
This is why Krads are such great bang-for-the-buck units.
It was quite tricky clearing a path for the final assault though.
This is why Krads are such great bang-for-the-buck units.
It was quite tricky clearing a path for the final assault though.
Re: Grand Campaign 1943-45 Field Marshall
Entering Vilna with 80662 prestige points, a net loss of about 3000, although almost all of that loss is attributable to upgrades and downgrades.
Vilna is one of those difficult "all in" scenarios. It's similar to Prokhorovka, but even more challenging, as the Soviet armour is much better and you have about 15 fewer units to deal with it. Worst of all, it's a big map and you are really spread out.
Vilna is one of those difficult "all in" scenarios. It's similar to Prokhorovka, but even more challenging, as the Soviet armour is much better and you have about 15 fewer units to deal with it. Worst of all, it's a big map and you are really spread out.
Re: Grand Campaign 1943-45 Field Marshall
Vilna Turn 9.
It'a actually going better than I expected. I destroyed the first Soviet wave in 8 turns, and now the second wave is attacking in the South.
I am just slightly above the cap (99% prestige). With 2100 points in turn bonuses remaining and another 3000 for the victory, I should end up with a slight gain in prestige.
One of my Pioniere units received its third hero, +1 Movement, bringing the number of 3-hero infantry units up to four.
It'a actually going better than I expected. I destroyed the first Soviet wave in 8 turns, and now the second wave is attacking in the South.
I am just slightly above the cap (99% prestige). With 2100 points in turn bonuses remaining and another 3000 for the victory, I should end up with a slight gain in prestige.
One of my Pioniere units received its third hero, +1 Movement, bringing the number of 3-hero infantry units up to four.
Re: Grand Campaign 1943-45 Field Marshall
Vilna Turn 20.
This is the thing that makes this one of the most difficult scenarios in the Grand Campaign.
You have to eliminate the Partisans just in time hold off a powerful first wave. Then you fend off a powerful second wave in the Southeast and a large third wave in the Northwest. Just when you think everything is under control, this happens.
You really need to make use of the railways to move units from one part of the map to the other. Having a core with a strong emphasis on mobility really helps too.
There is also the problem of: if you advance too quickly (like I did here) you trigger a counterattack. If you attack too slowly you end up getting spammed with IS-2s over the final few turns.
This is the thing that makes this one of the most difficult scenarios in the Grand Campaign.
You have to eliminate the Partisans just in time hold off a powerful first wave. Then you fend off a powerful second wave in the Southeast and a large third wave in the Northwest. Just when you think everything is under control, this happens.
You really need to make use of the railways to move units from one part of the map to the other. Having a core with a strong emphasis on mobility really helps too.
There is also the problem of: if you advance too quickly (like I did here) you trigger a counterattack. If you attack too slowly you end up getting spammed with IS-2s over the final few turns.
Re: Grand Campaign 1943-45 Field Marshall
The end at Vilna.
I was in garbage time by Turn 23. I also made a point of taking the little town in the Southeast (Ivianiec) because that's where the AI likes to spawn IS-2's that can make your life miserable.
A few of my units got dinged up but it's not too terrible.
Very happy with the result overall.
I was in garbage time by Turn 23. I also made a point of taking the little town in the Southeast (Ivianiec) because that's where the AI likes to spawn IS-2's that can make your life miserable.
A few of my units got dinged up but it's not too terrible.
Very happy with the result overall.
Re: Grand Campaign 1943-45 Field Marshall
Entering the Warsaw Uprising with 81399 points, which amounts to a modest gain of 737 at Vilna.
The Warsaw Uprising is the last street battle until the two Berlin scenarios at the end of the Grand Campaign.
No turn bonuses for this scenario, but there are 5 victory hexes and about 30 non-victory hexes available for about 2000 points, in addition to the 3000 point victory bonus.
The Poles have one captured Panther that can hurt you, but otherwise there isn't too much in the way of enemy armour or aircraft to worry about here.
I have a couple of Panzer IIIs and one Panzer IV that all have three heroes and are less than 10 experience points removed from that 5th star. There are a couple Pioniere units that fall into the same category. This is an excellent opportunity to get them all into action and hopefully get them their final star.
The Warsaw Uprising is the last street battle until the two Berlin scenarios at the end of the Grand Campaign.
No turn bonuses for this scenario, but there are 5 victory hexes and about 30 non-victory hexes available for about 2000 points, in addition to the 3000 point victory bonus.
The Poles have one captured Panther that can hurt you, but otherwise there isn't too much in the way of enemy armour or aircraft to worry about here.
I have a couple of Panzer IIIs and one Panzer IV that all have three heroes and are less than 10 experience points removed from that 5th star. There are a couple Pioniere units that fall into the same category. This is an excellent opportunity to get them all into action and hopefully get them their final star.