Slitherine

A shame you are passing on using the Wurfrahmen 40, but I'd imagine it should qualify for at least 1 unit in the Slow Retrograde.
The question is would it count for Panzermon? It's not a Gift Unit or Captured Stock, but is instead Prototype Stock which is a grey area I don't remember you mentioning in your Panzermon rules. Although to be fair Prototypes only really would have come up before now if you picked a certain Trait that run, and you didn't so...

I have special plans for it.

Here for now I'm starved for core slots as it is, but with right circumstances I might change my mind and be tempted. For Slow Retrograde the idea is to use under-powered units and at mostly historical production times, so that also not something I'll probably consider and for Panzermon, I'd for now rather play with only captured or capturable units, leaving just those few fully gift ones as extra support.

That said, there is maybe, probably, at some unidentified point in the future that Wunderwaffe run with prototypes and ridiculously overstrengthened gift units, so for such an attempt it would be perfect. New traits further convince me to set up some options for the future and I think I'll leave the Wurfrahmen open for that little possibility, to have new things to experience. ^^ But that's waaay into next year at the earliest - or if the paratrooper availability thing with Retrograde is not updated by the time I finish this current run.

AO 1940 - Undisclosed Location CZ

Starting Prestige (after purchases and replacements): 29220


Ah, the curiosity is real.

Hero:


Markus Bauer will join Grenadier Reg 4 to provide some extra punch to a unit I am sure will be required in some intense fighting later, so this will certainly provide that much needed advantage.

New Units Commisioned:

Fallschirmjäger Reg 5 - Fallschirmjäger

Extra paratroopers force can be useful in the future, so I'll use this to my advantage and train them now while I have the chance.

Starting Army Composition:

Infantry

Fallschirmjäger Reg 1 - Fallschirmjäger
Fallschirmjäger Reg 2 - Fallschirmjäger
Fallschirmjäger Reg 3 - Fallschirmjäger
Fallschirmjäger Reg 4 - Fallschirmjäger
Fallschirmjäger Reg 5 - Fallschirmjäger

Fighter

III./JG 61 - Bf 109E - ** - Legendary
IV./JG 61 - Bf 109E - * - Aiming Assistance

Reserve

Pionier Brücken Bataillon 1 - Brückenpioniere (Opel Blitz) - No Surrender
Grenadier Reg 4 - Grenadier (Opel Blitz) - * - First Strike
Pionier Bataillon 33 - Pioniere (Opel Blitz) - *
Pionier Bataillon 34 - Pioniere (Opel Blitz) - *
Infanterie Reg 57 - Wehr Infanterie (Opel Blitz) - * - Prudent
Gebirgsjäger-Reg 88 - ** - Oleh Dir
Infanterie Reg 99 (span.) - Azul Infanterie (Opel Blitz) - ** - No Retaliation
PzAbt 401 - Panzer 38(t)A- *** - Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 402 - Panzer 38(t)A - *** - Steamroller
PzAbt 411 - Panzer IIC - ** - First Strike, Steamroller
PzAbt 412 - Somua S35 - *
PzAbt 501 - Panzer 38(t)A - *** - Steamroller
PzAbt 502 - Verdeja 2 - *** - Steamroller, Survivor - Albert Kerscher
AufkAbt 12 - SdKfz 222 - *** - Envelopment
AufkAbt 12 - SdKfz 222 - *** - Field Repairs
AufkAbt 21 - SdKfz 231 6Rad - *** - Field Repairs
AufkAbt 22 - SdKfz 231 6Rad - **
Panzerjäger Abt 201 - Panzer I Breda - * - Field Repairs
Panzerjäger Abt 202 - Panzer I Breda - ** - No Retaliation, Survivor
Panzerjäger Abt 211 - 3.7 cm Pak 36 (SdKfz 10)
Panzerjäger Abt 212 - 3.7 cm Pak 36 (SdKfz 10)
Artillerie Abt 601 - 21 cm Mrs 18 (SdKfz 7) - *** - Zero Slots
Artillerie Abt 602 - 10.5 cm leFH 18 (SdKfz 11) - ***
Artillerie Abt 701 - 15 cm sFH 18 (SdKfz 7) - *** - Counter Battery Fire, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 702 - 15 cm sFH 18 (SdKfz 7) - *** - Counter Battery Fire, Double Support
Panzer Artillerie Abt 611 - Sturmpanzer I - **
FlaK Abt 271 - 8.8 cm FlaK 18 (SdKfz 7) - ** - Fast Learner, Lethal Attack
FlaK Abt 272 - SdKfz 10/4 - *
FlaK Abt 273 - SdKfz 10/4 - *
I./JG 61 - Bf 109E - *** - Fast Rebase - Adolf Galland
II./JG 61 - Bf 109E - *** - Leadership, Fast Rebase
I./SG 7 - Ju 87B - *** - Double Move, Crippling Blow
II./SG 7 - Ju 87B - ** - Entrenchment Killer 4x
III./SG 7 - Il-2 Shturmovik
I./AG 9 - He 70 Rayo - *** - Prudent
II./AG 9 - Fi 156 Storch - *
I./ZG 6 - Bf110C - *** - Readiness
I./KG 43 - Ju 88A - **
II./KG 43 - He 111H2 - *
III./KG 43 - He 111H2 - *
Panzerzug Hamburg - Armored Train - *

Highlights


Some lighter moments are much appreciated. I had a good laugh, but at the same time for a moment got concerned there was some kind of bug and my whole air force just fell down form the sky.


Can we just skip the formalities and recruit you earlier? For example now?


Unique heroes? Don't mind if I do! Also, gaming equality done right and tactfully. I'm looking at you, Battlefield V...


The potential of extra range and ammo is huge, I'll have to thing about it for the next scenario.


Fallschirmjäger units land safely, while III./JG 61 and IV./JG 61 engage opposing fighters directly near the airfields.

Summary:

Final Prestige: 29620 (up 400)
CP gained: 3 used up (1)

Overall:

The concept of training scenarios is a refreshing idea, that not only introduces options that are related to new mechanics, but also allow new units to gain that much valuable experience and not get slaughtered on the battlefield when more powerful oppositions is going to fight against them. I was really tempted to let III./SG 7 train here as well, but Il-2 Shturmovik uses up 4 core slots, so the math is all off then. My only concern for this scenario is again the absence of Fallschirmjäger units with Retrograde turned on. Guess things might be tricky if I use this approach in my other runs, since without capturing the remote airfields I cant even reliable train my air force in the absence of paratroopers.

AO 1940 - Valkenburg Raid

Of the two options I decide to use the more paratrooper focused path in case of expected issues with them on Retrograde campaign attempts.

Starting Prestige (after purchases and replacements): 31010

Hero:



I do not envy the enemy artillery that tries to shoot at anything this run. Andreas Hofmann joining Artillerie Abt 602 means that all my towed artillery now has Counter Battery Fire capacity and can seriously affect the enemy options on their turn.

New Equipment Provided:

PzAbt 401 - Panzer IIIF
PzAbt 402 - Panzer IIIF
PzAbt 501 - Panzer IVD
I./ZG 6 - Bf110D
AufkAbt 21 - SdKfz 232 8Rad
AufkAbt 22 - SdKfz 232 8Rad
Panzerjäger Abt 201 - Panzerjäger IB
Panzerjäger Abt 202 - Panzerjäger IB
Artillerie Abt 602 - 15 cm sFH 18 (SdKfz 7)
FlaK Abt 272 - SdKfz 7/1

That's a solid amount of upgrades modernizing my core force in terms of tanks, AT, AA, recons and artillery. Sadly I will not yet be able to use the majority of this new force, but it is good to see the options.

Starting Army Composition:

Infantry

Gebirgsjäger-Reg 88 - ** - Oleh Dir
Infanterie Reg 99 (span.) - Azul Infanterie (Opel Blitz) - ** - No Retaliation
Fallschirmjäger Reg 1 - Fallschirmjäger - **
Fallschirmjäger Reg 2 - Fallschirmjäger - **
Fallschirmjäger Reg 3 - Fallschirmjäger - **
Fallschirmjäger Reg 4 - Fallschirmjäger - *
Fallschirmjäger Reg 5 - Fallschirmjäger - *

Tank

PzAbt 402 - Panzer IIIF - *** - Steamroller

A silly thing, I wanted to deploy PzAbt 501 as Panzer IVD has higher soft attack, but somehow I did not notice a mistake and used another unit instead, only realizing this when writing up this report.

Artillery

Artillerie Abt 601 - 21 cm Mrs 18 (SdKfz 7) - *** - Zero Slots, Skilled Support, Elsa Kloss

Fighter

I./JG 61 - Bf 109E - *** - Fast Rebase - Adolf Galland
II./JG 61 - Bf 109E - *** - Leadership, Fast Rebase
III./JG 61 - Bf 109E - ** - Legendary

Tactical Bomber

I./ZG 6 - Bf110D - *** - Readiness
I./SG 7 - Ju 87B - *** - Double Move, Crippling Blow
II./SG 7 - Ju 87B - ** - Entrenchment Killer 4x
III./SG 7 - Il-2 Shturmovik

Strategic Bomber

I./KG 43 - Ju 88A - **

Armoured Train

Panzerzug Hamburg - Armored Train - *

Reserve

Pionier Brücken Bataillon 1 - Brückenpioniere (Opel Blitz) - No Surrender
Grenadier Reg 4 - Grenadier (Opel Blitz) - * - First Strike
Pionier Bataillon 33 - Pioniere (Opel Blitz) - *
Pionier Bataillon 34 - Pioniere (Opel Blitz) - *
Infanterie Reg 57 - Wehr Infanterie (Opel Blitz) - * - Prudent
PzAbt 401 - Panzer IIIF - *** - Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 411 - Panzer IIC - ** - First Strike, Steamroller
PzAbt 412 - Somua S35 - *
PzAbt 501 - Panzer IVD - *** - Steamroller
PzAbt 502 - Verdeja 2 - *** - Steamroller, Survivor - Albert Kerscher
AufkAbt 12 - SdKfz 222 - *** - Envelopment
AufkAbt 12 - SdKfz 222 - *** - Field Repairs
AufkAbt 21 - SdKfz 232 8Rad - *** - Field Repairs
AufkAbt 22 - SdKfz 232 8Rad - **
Panzerjäger Abt 201 - Panzerjäger IB - * - Field Repairs
Panzerjäger Abt 202 - Panzerjäger IB - ** - No Retaliation, Survivor
Panzerjäger Abt 211 - 3.7 cm Pak 36 (SdKfz 10)
Panzerjäger Abt 212 - 3.7 cm Pak 36 (SdKfz 10)
Artillerie Abt 602 - 15 cm sFH 18 (SdKfz 7) - *** - Counter Battery Fire
Artillerie Abt 701 - 15 cm sFH 18 (SdKfz 7) - *** - Counter Battery Fire, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 702 - 15 cm sFH 18 (SdKfz 7) - *** - Counter Battery Fire, Double Support, Skilled Support
Panzer Artillerie Abt 611 - Sturmpanzer I - ** - Skilled Support
FlaK Abt 271 - 8.8 cm FlaK 18 (SdKfz 7) - ** - Fast Learner, Lethal Attack
FlaK Abt 272 - SdKfz 7/1 - *
FlaK Abt 273 - SdKfz 10/4 - *
IV./JG 61 - Bf 109E - ** - Aiming Assistance
I./AG 9 - He 70 Rayo - *** - Prudent
II./AG 9 - Fi 156 Storch - *
II./KG 43 - He 111H2 - *
III./KG 43 - He 111H2 - *

Highlights


Emst airfield is quite seriously defended, but at the same time it is placed in a location critical to further advancement towards Hague, so the Dutch forces counterattack massively, trying to take out my forces that landed there.


At the same time a small ground force moves towards Groningen and later De Kooy.


Fallschirmjäger landing at the De Kooy airfield make an interesting discovery. A thing to note for the Panzermon alternate universe.


Main objective is secured easily, there are very few defenders nearby.


Ramaing paratroopers land near Hague and encircle the defenders in an attempt to settle things quickly, before any units from the Amsterdam garrison decide to assist.


Once the northern force is out of the difficult swampy terrain, the poorly mechanized Dutch army stands no chance.

Summary:

Final Prestige: 33118 (up 2108)
CP gained: 2 (up to 3)

Other Equipment Gained:

Fokker D.XXI - 30 (+30)

Overall:

With as many as ten air transports available, it was tempting to deploy even more Fallschirmjäger, but I decided to keep a minimal ground presence in case of enemy counter attacks. This paid off as the Dutch really did not wait for me to just move on, but aggressively tried to take back the airfields and even move towards Lingen at one point! Having a few units not directly involved with the airborne operation allowed me to counter that and not get surprised to much, but still I respect the way enemy forces acted in this mission. Had they made any more bold moves I could be in trouble, but fortunately just some infantry and artillery units decided to move in an attempt to retake key hexes. I also felt a bit more reassured, as this scenario feels doable with just ground units. While tailored towards paratrooper action, moving along the roads and railroads is still perfectly fine, but indeed more tricky due to difficult terrain.

Way to go Tassadar! The AO marches on. I saved the Blutcher, but didn't conquer the fortress, so I didn't get the rocket artillery. Ah well, have to go on without it.

Feels very good to be playing the team I've steered through 2 DLC's again. Onward!

AO 1940 - Battle of the Grebbeberg

Starting Prestige (after purchases and replacements): 34426

Hero:



This relatively weak hero hives me an idea. With the focus on paratrooper missions, I assign Dieter Schröder to Fallschirmjäger Reg 1 with a lot of curiosity how useful he will be in a unit that's prone to getting encircled or attacked from multiple directions.

Starting Army Composition:

Infantry

Infanterie Reg 99 (span.) - Azul Infanterie (Opel Blitz) - ** - No Retaliation
Pionier Brücken Bataillon 1 - Brückenpioniere (Opel Blitz) - No Surrender
Fallschirmjäger Reg 1 - Fallschirmjäger - ** - No Surrender
Fallschirmjäger Reg 2 - Fallschirmjäger - **
Fallschirmjäger Reg 3 - Fallschirmjäger - **
Gebirgsjäger-Reg 88 - ** - Oleh Dir
Pionier Bataillon 33 - Pioniere (Opel Blitz) - *
Pionier Bataillon 34 - Pioniere (Opel Blitz) - *

Tank

PzAbt 511 - Neubaufahrzeug - to join during the mission

Artillery

Artillerie Abt 601 - 21 cm Mrs 18 (SdKfz 7) - *** - Zero Slots, Skilled Support - Elsa Kloss
Artillerie Abt 602 - 15 cm sFH 18 (SdKfz 7) - *** - Counter Battery Fire
Artillerie Abt 701 - 15 cm sFH 18 (SdKfz 7) - *** - Counter Battery Fire, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 702 - 15 cm sFH 18 (SdKfz 7) - *** - Counter Battery Fire, Double Support, Skilled Support
Panzer Artillerie Abt 611 - Sturmpanzer I - ** - Skilled Support

Fighter

I./JG 61 - Bf 109E - *** - Fast Rebase - Adolf Galland

Tactical Bomber

I./ZG 6 - Bf110D - *** - Readiness
I./SG 7 - Ju 87B - *** - Double Move, Crippling Blow
II./SG 7 - Ju 87B - *** - Entrenchment Killer 4x
III./SG 7 - Il-2 Shturmovik
I./AG 9 - He 70 Rayo - *** - Prudent
II./AG 9 - Fi 156 Storch - *

Strategic Bomber

I./KG 43 - Ju 88A - **
II./KG 43 - He 111H2 - *
III./KG 43 - He 111H2 - *

Armoured Train

Panzerzug Hamburg - Armored Train - *

Reserve

Grenadier Reg 4 - Grenadier (Opel Blitz) - * - First Strike
Fallschirmjäger Reg 4 - Fallschirmjäger - *
Fallschirmjäger Reg 5 - Fallschirmjäger - *
Infanterie Reg 57 - Wehr Infanterie (Opel Blitz) - * - Prudent
PzAbt 401 - Panzer IIIF - *** - Ferasome Reputation, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 402 - Panzer IIIF - *** - Steamroller
PzAbt 411 - Panzer IIC - ** - First Strike, Steamroller
PzAbt 412 - Somua S35 - *
PzAbt 501 - Panzer IVD - *** - Steamroller
PzAbt 502 - Verdeja 2 - *** - Steamroller, Survivor - Albert Kerscher
AufkAbt 12 - SdKfz 222 - *** - Envelopment
AufkAbt 12 - SdKfz 222 - *** - Field Repairs
AufkAbt 21 - SdKfz 232 8Rad - *** - Field Repairs
AufkAbt 22 - SdKfz 232 8Rad - **
Panzerjäger Abt 201 - Panzerjäger IB - * - Field Repairs
Panzerjäger Abt 202 - Panzerjäger IB - ** - No Retaliation, Survivor
Panzerjäger Abt 211 - 3.7 cm Pak 36 (SdKfz 10)
Panzerjäger Abt 212 - 3.7 cm Pak 36 (SdKfz 10)
FlaK Abt 271 - 8.8 cm FlaK 18 (SdKfz 7) - ** - Fast Learner, Lethal Attack
FlaK Abt 272 - SdKfz 7/1 - *
FlaK Abt 273 - SdKfz 10/4 - *
II./JG 61 - Bf 109E - *** - Leadership, Fast Rebase
III./JG 61 - Bf 109E - ** - Legendary
IV./JG 61 - Bf 109E - ** - Aiming Assistance

Highlights


I did not deploy any tanks or recons at all in this mission, but it does not mean that opposing armored vehicles are safe at all. I./SG 7 does not plan to leave anything other than smoking wrecks after their raids.


My pioneers get themselves encircled by a Dutch counter attack, but despite of this they are not in too much trouble.


Pionier Brücken Bataillon 1 secures an actual combat victory. That's a rare thing to behold.


With most defenses broken Amersfoort waits to be captured after the paratroopers secure the side objective.


Utrecht falls, but the fort was a tough nut to crack, especially with limited Fallschirmjäger transports available.


Always like a gift unit in this run to spice things up. Not as powerful as previous ones, but I will find some use for it.

Summary:

Final Prestige: 35719 (up 1293)
CP gained: 3 (4 spent, down to 2 total)

Overall:

Another paratrooper oriented scenario, this one is not about speed, but coordinating forces. It requires an entirely different approach to similar tactics, so it expands options on how to use new units. Thing learn it that No Surrender on Fallschirmjäger is actually quite useful. I was able to position Fallschirmjäger Reg 1 as a decoy that took enemy attacks onto itself, while Fallschirmjäger Reg 2 and 3 focused on hunting artillery and taking down the bunker afterwards. Another useful observation is that 21 cm Mrs 18 with one extra range is simply absurd. Parked on a hill it can cover a huge chunk of the front line and fire on any poor artillery unit who tries to suppress mine and the extra ammo form the hero means it can do that multiple times. What seemed like overkill at first turned out to be a really useful idea that has practical use. The only downside is that I am not capturing much this run. The firepower is so high and so concentrated, that it is much easier tho just smash through, but that's fine as it is, since it will give more meaning to my Retrograde and Panzermon runs, allowing me to focus on a entirely different style of gameplay. Plus after all that recent capturing in 1939 with the Panzermon team, this "Hulk smash!" approach is somewhat refreshing.

WalterTFD wrote: ↑Mon Dec 14, 2020 5:08 am Feels very good to be playing the team I've steered through 2 DLC's again. Onward!

That's good indeed. It's not only the growth, but since I've left this team for quite some time and tried some different runs I enjoy having an entirely different army composition and using different combination. After the Paznermon run especially I almost forgot how it is playing with an actual large air force!

I didn't get Elsa Kloss, dunno what I missed to lose out on an arty hero, but I regret it. Nowhere to go but forward though! I'm challenging this mission next, we seem to be in lockstep here.

WalterTFD wrote: ↑Tue Dec 15, 2020 1:21 am I didn't get Elsa Kloss, dunno what I missed to lose out on an arty hero, but I regret it. Nowhere to go but forward though! I'm challenging this mission next, we seem to be in lockstep here.

She's earned via a 3 Commendation Reward halfway through the optional Training Mission in Czechoslovakia.

Might have been that damn early victory trigger in Fornebu that caused the problem. I really wish it didn't make it into the live version...

Can confirm, I went back and didn't destroy the one str 15 bunker in the upper left of Fornebu, so no early victory. Elsa then showed up on schedule in the next mission.

AO 1940 - Sedan

Starting Prestige (after purchases and replacements): 37967

Hero:



Starting Sedan with Kristian Becker joining Infanterie Reg 99 (span.) for an absolute beast of a unit in close combat. Can't wait to see those prediction results coming in!

New Units Commisioned:

Pionier Brücken Bataillon 2 - Brückenpioniere (Opel Blitz)
Pionier Brücken Bataillon 3 - Brückenpioniere (Opel Blitz)

Three potential crossings require three bridge engineers in total, so I need to add two.

Starting Army Composition:

Infantry

Infanterie Reg 99 (span.) - Azul Infanterie (Opel Blitz) - *** - Ignores Entrenchment, No Retaliation
Pionier Brücken Bataillon 1 - Brückenpioniere (Opel Blitz) - No Surrender
Pionier Brücken Bataillon 2 - Brückenpioniere (Opel Blitz)
Pionier Brücken Bataillon 3 - Brückenpioniere (Opel Blitz)
Gebirgsjäger-Reg 88 - ** - Oleh Dir
Grenadier Reg 4 - Grenadier (Opel Blitz) - * - First Strike
Infanterie Reg 57 - Wehr Infanterie (Opel Blitz) - * - Prudent

Tank

PzAbt 411 - Panzer IIC - ** - First Strike, Steamroller
PzAbt 501 - Panzer IVD - *** - Steamroller
PzAbt 502 - Verdeja 2 - *** - Steamroller, Survivor - Albert Kerscher
PzAbt 511 - Neubaufahrzeug

Recon

AufkAbt 12 - SdKfz 222 - *** - Envelopment
AufkAbt 21 - SdKfz 232 8Rad - *** - Field Repairs

Artillery

Artillerie Abt 601 - 21 cm Mrs 18 (SdKfz 7) - *** - Zero Slots, Skilled Support - Elsa Kloss
Artillerie Abt 602 - 15 cm sFH 18 (SdKfz 7) - *** - Counter Battery Fire
Artillerie Abt 701 - 15 cm sFH 18 (SdKfz 7) - *** - Counter Battery Fire, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 702 - 15 cm sFH 18 (SdKfz 7) - *** - Counter Battery Fire, Double Support, Skilled Support
Panzer Artillerie Abt 611 - Sturmpanzer I - ** - Skilled Support

Fighter

I./JG 61 - Bf 109E - *** - Fast Rebase - Adolf Galland
II./JG 61 - Bf 109E - *** - Leadership, Fast Rebase
III./JG 61 - Bf 109E - ** - Legendary

Tactical Bomber

I./ZG 6 - Bf110D - *** - Readiness
I./SG 7 - Ju 87B - *** - Double Move, Crippling Blow
II./SG 7 - Ju 87B - *** - Entrenchment Killer 4x
III./SG 7 - Il-2 Shturmovik
I./AG 9 - He 70 Rayo - *** - Prudent
II./AG 9 - Fi 156 Storch - *

Strategic Bomber

I./KG 43 - Ju 88A - **
II./KG 43 - He 111H2 - *

Reserve

Fallschirmjäger Reg 1 - Fallschirmjäger - ** - No Surrender
Fallschirmjäger Reg 2 - Fallschirmjäger - **
Fallschirmjäger Reg 3 - Fallschirmjäger - **
Fallschirmjäger Reg 4 - Fallschirmjäger - *
Fallschirmjäger Reg 5 - Fallschirmjäger - *
Pionier Bataillon 33 - Pioniere (Opel Blitz) - *
Pionier Bataillon 34 - Pioniere (Opel Blitz) - *
PzAbt 401 - Panzer IIIF - *** - Ferasome Reputation, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 402 - Panzer IIIF - *** - Steamroller
PzAbt 412 - Somua S35 - *
AufkAbt 12 - SdKfz 222 - *** - Field Repairs
AufkAbt 22 - SdKfz 232 8Rad - **
Panzerjäger Abt 201 - Panzerjäger IB - * - Field Repairs
Panzerjäger Abt 202 - Panzerjäger IB - ** - No Retaliation, Survivor
Panzerjäger Abt 211 - 3.7 cm Pak 36 (SdKfz 10)
Panzerjäger Abt 212 - 3.7 cm Pak 36 (SdKfz 10)
FlaK Abt 271 - 8.8 cm FlaK 18 (SdKfz 7) - ** - Fast Learner, Lethal Attack
FlaK Abt 272 - SdKfz 7/1 - *
FlaK Abt 273 - SdKfz 10/4 - *
IV./JG 61 - Bf 109E - ** - Aiming Assistance
III./KG 43 - He 111H2 - *
Panzerzug Hamburg - Armored Train - *

Highlights


Besides having a name almost impossible to pronounce, the Neubaufahrzeug unit is actually quite capable, especially with air force and artillery softening up targets.


Awards start coming in and Infanterie Reg 57 is the first to get one this mission.


Ghost town, Ghost Division, I see a connection!


My army crosses the river in Dinant...


...while the other part of my army finds some allies trying to battle the French.


For now I just have my recon plane there, but more help will soon arrive.


Some new discoveries made by the advancing army, but still no sight of the 7th Panzer Division.


Even more goodies, but no missing forces again.


Looks like corssing the river near Givet will not be an option, as it's simply too costly.


Nemesis discovered! Let's see if we can take him on.


I./SG 7 begins the attack at the French hero and gains an award in the process.


7th Panzer Division discovered near Chimay, but it makes questionable attacks against French fortifications. Let's hope I'm in time before they bleed out.


The nemesis lives, but not due to lack of trying! The defensive bonus is so huge at 1 strength that multiple attacks fail to take him down until the scenario ends.

Summary:

Final Prestige: 40437 (up 2470)
CP gained: 1 (up to 3)

Equipment captured in scenario:

Char B1 - 5 (up to 27)
155mm C mle 1917 - 1 (up to 9)

Other equipment gained:

AMC 35 - 25 (up to 26)
Hotchkiss H35 - 15 (up to 15)
Panhard 178 - 15 (up to 23)
Breguet 693 - 30 (up to 30)

Overall:

Sedan for sure increased the scale of battles and that was a welcome thing, as I was finally able to deploy more of my units. It's an interesting map densely covered with forests, but the action is limited to just a few key locations. It reminded me of Warndt Forest at first, but it is actually more complex than that, with many hidden caches and angles for approaching the objectives. I found that uncertainty of what lies ahead enjoyable on the first attempt and I'm sure that next time knowing more about it I'll plan a bit differently. I appreciate that the 7th Panzer Division had their own prestige pool, as attacking those bunkers was not the best decision on a tactical level. New nemesis solves all the problems with Vega earlier - I tried really, really hard to take him down, but I'd need to have a 8.8 cm gun to even try this probably. That Prudent defense bonus is absurd and the ability preventing surrenders means that it cannot be brought down using other means. I wonder what will happen later and how buffed up he will return. Hopefully by that time I'm better prepared.

Tassadar wrote: ↑Tue Dec 15, 2020 10:04 pm
Overall:

Sedan for sure increased the scale of battles and that was a welcome thing, as I was finally able to deploy more of my units. It's an interesting map densely covered with forests, but the action is limited to just a few key locations. It reminded me of Warndt Forest at first, but it is actually more complex than that, with many hidden caches and angles for approaching the objectives. I found that uncertainty of what lies ahead enjoyable on the first attempt and I'm sure that next time knowing more about it I'll plan a bit differently. I appreciate that the 7th Panzer Division had their own prestige pool, as attacking those bunkers was not the best decision on a tactical level. New nemesis solves all the problems with Vega earlier - I tried really, really hard to take him down, but I'd need to have a 8.8 cm gun to even try this probably. That Prudent defense bonus is absurd and the ability preventing surrenders means that it cannot be brought down using other means. I wonder what will happen later and how buffed up he will return. Hopefully by that time I'm better prepared.

Yup that sounds about right.

Prudent, and No Surrender to block combo heroes, is going to become the gold standard for future Nemesis baseline abilities.

I got him on my netherlands run, but only because I have the artillery that steals all your movement points, so we nailed him in place and pounded him.

I think, in general, that hero power (shock tactics, I think?) is probably just too good, but it certainly hurts a Nemesis alot. If you are protecting them they should probably also be immune to having their movement stolen. That way we have to surround them in tough stuff if we want to blast them to death with artillery.

AO 1940 - Battle of Arras



Not sure how useful this will be, but I decide to agree.

Starting Prestige (after purchases and replacements): 21635

Hero:



Stefan Becker seems like the perfect hero for my third recon unit, AufkAbt 22. It does not have a hero yet and could benefit from the movement dependent bonus.

Starting Army Composition:

Infantry

Infanterie Reg 99 (span.) - Azul Infanterie (Opel Blitz) - *** - Ignores Entrenchment, No Retaliation

Tank

PzAbt 401 - Panzer IIIF - *** - Fearsome Reputation, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 402 - Panzer IIIF - *** - Steamroller
PzAbt 411 - Panzer IIC - ** - First Strike, Steamroller
PzAbt 412 - Somua S35 - *
PzAbt 501 - Panzer IVD - *** - Steamroller
PzAbt 502 - Verdeja 2 - *** - Steamroller, Survivor - Albert Kerscher
PzAbt 511 - Neubaufahrzeug

Recon

AufkAbt 11 - SdKfz 222 - *** - Envelopment
AufkAbt 12 - SdKfz 222 - *** - Field Repairs
AufkAbt 21 - SdKfz 232 8Rad - *** - Field Repairs
AufkAbt 22 - SdKfz 232 8Rad - ** - Hit and Run

Anti-Tank

Panzerjäger Abt 201 - Panzerjäger IB - * - Field Repairs
Panzerjäger Abt 202 - Panzerjäger IB - ** - No Retaliation, Survivor

Artillery

Artillerie Abt 601 - 21 cm Mrs 18 (SdKfz 7) - *** - Zero Slots, Skilled Support - Elsa Kloss
Panzer Artillerie Abt 611 - Sturmpanzer I - ** - Skilled Support

Anti-Aircraft

FlaK Abt 272 - SdKfz 7/1 - *
FlaK Abt 273 - SdKfz 10/4 - *

Fighter

I./JG 61 - Bf 109E - *** - Fast Rebase - Adolf Galland
II./JG 61 - Bf 109E - *** - Leadership, Fast Rebase
III./JG 61 - Bf 109E - ** - Legendary
IV./JG 61 - Bf 109E - ** - Aiming Assistance

Tactical Bomber

I./ZG 6 - Bf110D - *** - Readiness
I./SG 7 - Ju 87B - *** - Double Move, Crippling Blow
II./SG 7 - Ju 87B - *** - Entrenchment Killer 4x
III./SG 7 - Il-2 Shturmovik
I./AG 9 - He 70 Rayo - *** - Prudent

Strategic Bomber

I./KG 43 - Ju 88A - **
II./KG 43 - He 111H2 - **
III./KG 43 - He 111H2 - *

Armoured Train

Panzerzug Hamburg - Armored Train - *

Reserve

Pionier Brücken Bataillon 1 - Brückenpioniere (Opel Blitz) - No Surrender
Pionier Brücken Bataillon 2 - Brückenpioniere (Opel Blitz)
Pionier Brücken Bataillon 3 - Brückenpioniere (Opel Blitz)
Gebirgsjäger-Reg 88 - ** - Oleh Dir
Grenadier Reg 4 - Grenadier (Opel Blitz) - * - First Strike
Infanterie Reg 57 - Wehr Infanterie (Opel Blitz) - * - Prudent
Fallschirmjäger Reg 1 - Fallschirmjäger - ** - No Surrender
Fallschirmjäger Reg 2 - Fallschirmjäger - **
Fallschirmjäger Reg 3 - Fallschirmjäger - **
Fallschirmjäger Reg 4 - Fallschirmjäger - *
Fallschirmjäger Reg 5 - Fallschirmjäger - *
Pionier Bataillon 33 - Pioniere (Opel Blitz) - *
Pionier Bataillon 34 - Pioniere (Opel Blitz) - *
Panzerjäger Abt 211 - 3.7 cm Pak 36 (SdKfz 10)
Panzerjäger Abt 212 - 3.7 cm Pak 36 (SdKfz 10)
Artillerie Abt 602 - 15 cm sFH 18 (SdKfz 7) - *** - Counter Battery Fire
Artillerie Abt 701 - 15 cm sFH 18 (SdKfz 7) - *** - Counter Battery Fire, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 702 - 15 cm sFH 18 (SdKfz 7) - *** - Counter Battery Fire, Double Support, Skilled Support
FlaK Abt 271 - 8.8 cm FlaK 18 (SdKfz 7) - ** - Fast Learner, Lethal Attack
II./AG 9 - Fi 156 Storch - *

Highlights


I kinda forgot my 8.8 cm AA guns again, I hope this will not be an issue!


British forces on the Eastern flank in the open are sitting ducks. Contrary to the French, their tanks have less scary firepower and while the heroes more than make up for it, my dive bombers are not impressed.


The Western flank has a much smaller force, so here I progress slowly and carefully, especially since the British hero tank unit is no pushover.


IV./JG 61 finally joins the aces club.


East remains full of British tank wrecks as my army quickly takes care of any resistance.


I./KG 43 makes a risky bombing run into AA fire and is awarded for the efforts.


Meanwhile PzAbt 501 gets better at tank combat. I thought this would be something already achieved in Spain, but apparently not.


Forces trying to attack Vimy get caught by surprise and need to retreat to avoid getting cut off.


Infanterie Reg 99 (span.) is just amazing at taking out fortified positions. Barely any unit in close terrain can survive their attack.


Vimy is finally taken and I get some goodies for the effort.

Summary:

Final Prestige: 25867 (up 4232)
CP gained: 9 (up to 12)

Equipment captured in scenario:

Matilda I - 1 (up to 16)
Daimler Dingo - 3 (up to 3)
BL 5.5 inch - 1 (up to 1)

Other equipment gained:

Matilda I - 15 (up to 16)
Matilda II - 10 (up to 10)

Overall:

It was refreshing to battle the British instead. I took some AA units since I expected their fighters to be better than French ones and it for sure paid off. A quick attack and heave aerial bombardment can take out the ground forces, but that can be deceiving, as nearing the bridges it's easy to over extend and get surprised. British units are not that easy to kill and will retreat to safe positions if threatened. I did what I could not to allow for it, as with new forces arriving things could go bad. Fortunately once the poisons near the city got fortified by own army it got manageable. All counter attackers spawned on the West, which was a bit tricky, since most of my forces got bogged down in the eastern swam and town terrain. 7th Panzer division was a valuable ally and made really reasonable calls most of the time, so I was not concerned too much about their fate and could cooperate much better than with the Spanish in SCW. My only issue is that their recon cars tend to take some insanely risky attack attempts and get into impossible to rescue from situations...

The noble Panzerzug is still battling, I see! How many stars do you have on it so far? My dream is to bring it to 5, but I'm only at about 1.3 so far.

It's on one star so far (I mark these with asterisk on each mission's deployment list). After the first star in 1939 it's now getting extra stars much more slowly, but for 2 slots it's still amazing in certain conditions given that huge movement.

Tassadar wrote: ↑Thu Dec 17, 2020 10:50 pm It's on one star so far (I mark these with asterisk on each mission's deployment list). After the first star in 1939 it's now getting extra stars much more slowly, but for 2 slots it's still amazing in certain conditions given that huge movement.

That stupid fucking thing makes me always have to double check the rail lines layout of every scenario I make now. Which I guess is a positive thing, and makes me at least try to pay attention to historical rail line locations instead of just randomly throwing down tracks as I please.
But it's just one more task on the overwhelming task list that comprises what it takes to put each scenario together.

AO 1940 - Siege of Lille

Starting Prestige (after purchases and replacements): 28530

Hero:



Top tier this time. I have multiple options of assignment and every unit would love to see this hero, but ultimately I decide that Dirk Zimmermann can join Panzerjäger Abt 202 - that unit already has No Retaliation, so with Double attack it can efficiently soften up hard targets for my own tank teams.

Starting Army Composition:

Infantry

Infanterie Reg 99 (span.) - Azul Infanterie (Opel Blitz) - *** - Ignores Entrenchment, No Retaliation
Fallschirmjäger Reg 1 - Fallschirmjäger - ** - No Surrender
Fallschirmjäger Reg 2 - Fallschirmjäger - **
Fallschirmjäger Reg 3 - Fallschirmjäger - **
Gebirgsjäger-Reg 88 - ** - Oleh Dir
Grenadier Reg 4 - Grenadier (Opel Blitz) - * - First Strike

Tank

PzAbt 401 - Panzer IIIF - *** - Fearsome Reputation, Steamroller, Survivor
PzAbt 402 - Panzer IIIF - *** - Steamroller
PzAbt 411 - Panzer IIC - ** - First Strike, Steamroller
PzAbt 501 - Panzer IVD - *** - Steamroller
PzAbt 502 - Verdeja 2 - *** - Steamroller, Survivor - Albert Kerscher

Recon

AufkAbt 11 - SdKfz 222 - *** - Envelopment
AufkAbt 12 - SdKfz 222 - *** - Field Repairs

Anti-Tank

Panzerjäger Abt 201 - Panzerjäger IB - * - Field Repairs
Panzerjäger Abt 202 - Panzerjäger IB - ** - Double Attack, No Retaliation, Survivor

Artillery

Artillerie Abt 601 - 21 cm Mrs 18 (SdKfz 7) - *** - Zero Slots, Skilled Support - Elsa Kloss
Artillerie Abt 602 - 15 cm sFH 18 (SdKfz 7) - *** - Counter Battery Fire
Artillerie Abt 701 - 15 cm sFH 18 (SdKfz 7) - *** - Counter Battery Fire, Skilled Support
Artillerie Abt 702 - 15 cm sFH 18 (SdKfz 7) - *** - Counter Battery Fire, Double Support, Skilled Support

Fighter

I./JG 61 - Bf 109E - *** - Fast Rebase - Adolf Galland
II./JG 61 - Bf 109E - *** - Leadership, Fast Rebase
III./JG 61 - Bf 109E - ** - Legendary
IV./JG 61 - Bf 109E - ** - Aiming Assistance

Tactical Bomber

I./ZG 6 - Bf110D - *** - Readiness
I./SG 7 - Ju 87B - *** - Double Move, Crippling Blow
II./SG 7 - Ju 87B - *** - Entrenchment Killer 4x
III./SG 7 - Il-2 Shturmovik
I./AG 9 - He 70 Rayo - *** - Prudent

Armoured Train

Panzerzug Hamburg - Armored Train - *

Reserve

Pionier Brücken Bataillon 1 - Brückenpioniere (Opel Blitz) - No Surrender
Pionier Brücken Bataillon 2 - Brückenpioniere (Opel Blitz)
Pionier Brücken Bataillon 3 - Brückenpioniere (Opel Blitz)
Infanterie Reg 57 - Wehr Infanterie (Opel Blitz) - * - Prudent
Fallschirmjäger Reg 4 - Fallschirmjäger - *
Fallschirmjäger Reg 5 - Fallschirmjäger - *
Pionier Bataillon 33 - Pioniere (Opel Blitz) - *
Pionier Bataillon 34 - Pioniere (Opel Blitz) - *
PzAbt 412 - Somua S35 - *
PzAbt 511 - Neubaufahrzeug
AufkAbt 21 - SdKfz 232 8Rad - *** - Field Repairs
AufkAbt 22 - SdKfz 232 8Rad - ** - Hit and Run
Panzerjäger Abt 211 - 3.7 cm Pak 36 (SdKfz 10)
Panzerjäger Abt 212 - 3.7 cm Pak 36 (SdKfz 10)
Panzer Artillerie Abt 611 - Sturmpanzer I - ** - Skilled Support
FlaK Abt 271 - 8.8 cm FlaK 18 (SdKfz 7) - ** - Fast Learner, Lethal Attack
FlaK Abt 272 - SdKfz 7/1 - *
FlaK Abt 273 - SdKfz 10/4 - *
II./AG 9 - Fi 156 Storch - *
I./KG 43 - Ju 88A - **
II./KG 43 - He 111H2 - **
III./KG 43 - He 111H2 - *

Highlights


French army is quite surprised when my forces appear behind their entrenched lines and attack vulnerable infantry positions.


Meanwhile a small part of my forces assists 7th Panzer Division to help take on problematic targets, keep visual contact and... prevent them from capturing Lille too quickly by blocking key paths if needed.


That's a gain that will be valuable in the Paznermon run again. Can't wait!


All that thanks to paratroopers who secure a remote airfield and allow my own fighters with Fast Rebase to set up their own forward location to start from.


Rommel is doing well, but some forces appear to the north and northwest, so aircraft support is in order.


II./SG 7 takes part in making sure French tanks don't roam the open fields too freely.


PzAbt 401 joins the anit-tank festival.


In effect, even concentrated Frnech forces are dealt with and not much can stop the advance and closing the encirclement of Lille.


Once the situations stabilizes, some of my paratroopers land in the north paths, to prevent reinforcements from Ypres reaching Kortrijk too early.


Encirclement complete!


By the end of them mission, the small force that assisted 7th Pazner Division moves to take Ypres.

Summary:

Final Prestige: 30718 (up 2188)
CP gained: 1 (up to 13)

Equipment captured in scenario:

25mm SA 34 - 6 (up to 15)
155mm C mle 1917 - 2 (up to 11)

Other equipment gained:

D.520 - 35 (up to 35)

Overall:

Large sieges are so much different in Pazner Corps 2 compared to 1. I used to hate the random Rugged Defense mechanic and its random element. Things are now much more predictable and logical, with the option to cut of the defenders and requiring careful unit placement, awarding foresight and patience. While I managed to encircle Lille since I do not care much for captured equipment in this run I just wen full overrun mode against the French and any captures were purely accidental. Once again I'm leaving a more methodical, slower approach for other runs and enjoy forcing my way through the opposition with combined arms. The fact that it's the first try also has a lot to do with it - I prefer not to over complicate things and go for most basic strategies to learn the maps and try to remember what is expected where, to have that tiny bit of advantage in future attempts. Not something that historical commanders had the luxury of ever.

I went into this mission being like 'how on earth are they going to make Rommel surround LIlle? The AI doesn't understand large scale surrounding. But they were really slick with it, giving them objectives to capture that made up the western half of the encirclement. Very cool mission.

You are coming up on my favorite battle in the DLC so far, can't wait for your thoughts on Abbeville! The Allies don't play around on that map.

Nice to see you having some fun times with Rommel. He definitely seems like a more sophisticated AI ally compared to the Spanish Nationalists.
Or it's just access to better Units than just various types of Infantry.

Also, the Hero envy is real.