Core force for DLCs

[Arcticthunder]

At the start of DLC '41 with some upgrades at the beginning of Belgrade I have the following:

Luftwaffe
4 bf 109e
2 Stuka 87R (one with 1153 kills)
1 bf 110d
1 HE111

1st division and main attack force
4 tanks (2 PzIVE, 1 PzIIIH, 1 SE PzIIIF).
3 arty (2 150mm, 1 105mm)
3 infantry (1 pioniere, 1 gebirasjaeger, 1 fallschirmjager)
1 AT (panzerjaeger IB)
1 recon (Sdkfz 222)
1 AA/ATG (88 flak 36) an absolute necessity against those heavy french tanks and probably my favorite unit

2nd division secondary attack force for diversions and less defended objectives
3 tanks (1 PzIVE, 1 SE PzIIIF, 1 SE PzIIIG) Got the SE PzIIIG when I started Belgrade.
2 arty (1 150mm, 1 105mm)
2 infantry (1 pioniere, 1 SE gebirasjager)
1 AT (panzerjaeger IB)
1 recon (Sdkfz 222)

As someone else mentioned my recon die a lot so no chance for hero units hehe. I couldn't live without them though, too crucial to scout the battlefield with Fog of War. My 23rd PzIVE has a hero with +3 defense so he is quite beastly.

Enjoying the DLC immensely. Playing on FM with all DV but got to say Arras was one tough nut to crack and I probably spent more time replying it to get a DV then many of the other scenarios combined

I was getting mostly SE infantry in '39 and first half of '40. After disbanding 3 infantry after Arras I got on a lucky streak of getting assigned SE tanks.

[charonjr]

This is my core at the end of DLC '43 (active core units - Kiew 43 - mentioned first) on Manstein:

Infantrie (4/10):
1 Fallschirmjäger ****, 2 heroes
1 Gebirgsjäger *****, 3H
2 Pioniere ****/*****, 2H
1 Brückenpioniere *
3 Fallschirmjäger - 1 ****, 1H; 2 *
2 Pioniere - 1 ****, 1H; 1 ***, 1H

Panzer (12/18):
6 Tiger I - 5x *****, 3H; 1 *****, 2H
3 SE Panther A - 2x *****, 3H; 1 *****, 2H
3 SE Tiger I - 2x *****, 3H; 1 ****, 1H
3 Panther A - 1 ****, 2H; 2 **
1 T34/41 **
1 KV-1A **
1 KV-1C **

Recon (0/2):
2 SdKfz 233 - 1 ****, 2H, 1 *

AT (2/2):
2 Elefant - 1 ****, 2H; 1 ****, 1H

AAA (0/2):
1 8,8cm FlaK *****, 2H
1 SdKfZ 7/2 ***

Artillery (13/13):
1 StuH 42 *****, 1H
3 SU-122 - 2 *****, 1H; 1 ****
2 21cm *****, 2H
1 30cm Nebelwerfer *****, 3H
4 Wurfrahmen - 3 *****, 2H; 1 ****, 1H
2 Hummel - 1 *****, 2H; 1 ****, 1H

Aircraft (15/16):
5 Fw 190A - 4 *****, 2H; 1 ***
2 Ju 87G *****; 3H
3 Ju 87D - 1 *****, 3H; 2 *****, 2H
3 Me 410A - 2 *****, 3H; 1 ****, 1H
2 He 177A - 1 *****, 2H; 1 ***** 1H
1 He 177A *****, 1H

Total of 63 units with 40k prestige (likely about 35k after repairs) left.

Hero of the Heer is a Tiger I (+1 movement, +3 defense, +1 attack) with 2667 kills.

Hero of the Luftwaffe is a Ju 87G (2+2 attack, 3 defense) with 3873 kills - I think we need another medal here

[brettz123]

Did you play all the other DLCs on Manstein or did you just switch over for DLC 43?

[charonjr]

Switched for '43 (played on FM before) since I basically wanted to get rid of some of the prestige, but with all those heavy tanks I fell way short of my expectations

[Vaughn]

Here is my core at the end of 43 on Field Marshal.

2 x Fallshirmjager (I gave them ground transports)
2x Gebirgsjager
1x SE Gebirgsjager
3x SE Grenadier
2x Pioniere
1x Bruckenpioniere (reserve)

2x Panther D (Move and spotting heroes on both. Toughest recon ever!)

2x PzIII N (All the T-34s I had laying around at the start of 43 became IIIs and IVs, but I found out Red armor rips through them like tin foil. I lost a few.)
1x PzIV H

3x Tiger I
2x SE Tiger I
2x KV-85 (recently acquired)
1x T-34/41 (recently acquired reserve)
3x KV1B (recently became reserve)
1x KV1C (sometimes reserve)

1x Elephant
1x StuGIII G

1x 17cm
2x 21cm
1x 30cm nblwf (The parachutable 7.5 was a great idea till late 42. After losing 2-3 of them, I gave up a bought this instead)
1x wurf 40
2x StuH 42
2x SU-122

2x 88 (These became dedicated AA in 43. Multiple Rng and move heroes made them very effective)
1x sdkfz 7/2 (88s needed more help. Added mid-43. Already has 65 kills.)

5x FW 190

2x JU 87G (Happy to escort them. When something absolutely, positively, MUST BE KILLED NOW)
2x Bf 110G (Used the editor way back to give 110s +1 spot. Use them as aerial recon)
1x Me 410A

1x He 177A (reserve on most maps)
1x Do 217E (reserve on most maps)

I suddenly realized I did not give my core force at the end of 42. Oh well, no one notices but me.

[soldier]

At the start of 42 FM after some upgrades i got

x1 wehrmacht infantry
x2 SE wehrmacht infantry
x1 grenadier
x1 SE grenadier
x1 gerbirgsjaeger
x1 fallschirmjaeger
x1 pioniere
x1 Cavalry (still pretty handy)
x1 Brucken troop

x2 Pz III J
x3 Pz IVJ (ones an SE)
x 1 captured french Somua
x1 T-34 40
x1 KV A (very useful these soviet tanks)
x2 stug IIIF
x2 recon SDKfz 232 8 rads

x2 15cm artillery
x1 captured Polish 105mm
x1 sturmpanzer
x1 stug IIIB

x1 88mm flak
x1 sdkfz mobile flak

x3 Bf 109 f's
x2 Ju87 D's
x1 Bf 110 f (a bit too good)
x1 Ju 88

Next available unit will be wulframen for the stalingrad slogging match and will probably trade the somua for a PZ III N.
Nearly everyones got motorised or mechanized transport and a hero or 2. Including a +4 attack Pz III j & Bf 109, My "were going in first" strike force. I generally arrange my force into 2 strong self supporting Kampfegruppen ( ) to go for the victory objectives and some left over ad hoc group to sweep the non essential areas for prestige (not always profitable though) or strategic reasons. Having great fun in the DLC's so far and look forward to Stalingrad (nervously), Kursk and beyond.

[Kerensky]

At the end of DLC 1943 East (Manstein Difficulty), my Core is:

Infantry:
HW 43
HW 43

Tank:
SE Panzer IVH
SE Panzer IVH
SE Panther
SE Panther
SE Panther
SE Panther
KV-85(r)
KV-85(r)

Anti-tank:
Stug IIIG
Elephant
Elephant

Recon:
Puma
Puma

Artillery:
SU-122(r)
SU-122(r)
SU-122(r)
150mm
150mm
170mm
170mm
Wurfrahmen
Wurfrahmen
Wurfrahmen
Wurfrahmen

Air Defense
88mm

Fighter:
Me109
Me109
Me109
FW190
FW190
FW190
FW190
FW190

Bomber:
Stuka G
Stuka G
Stuka G
Stuka G
Stuka G
HE-177
HE-177


When I started DLC 1943 East, I had a LOT more infantry and StuG anti-tank units. What happened to them? Well DLC 1943 East happened to them, they got decimated. lol

How I started DLC 1943 East, this is my TOTAL losses for all previous DLC, so DLC 39, 40, 41, and 42


How I ended DLC 1943 East


In other words, from just playing DLC 1943 East, I lost...
39 Infantry units
13 tank units
30 recon units (compared to 24 total lost from the past 4 DLC combined)
35 anti-tank units
4 artillery units
19 air defense units
3 fighter units (All FW 190s )
5 tactical bombers (All Stukas)
1 level bomber

I got a decisive victory in every scenario except Orel and Kiev43. Both of those I had to settle for marginal victories.

As a consolation prize, I finally got the highest award for my best Stuka:

[dks]

my core force playing at FM.

at deploy turn of Novoanninsky of DLC 42.

excited here because starting at Novoanninsky on, I have not played the maps. nope Kerensky, me not ready for the Manstein ego thrashing lose my core level yet

Core:

Inf:
6 x Gebirgsjager/HT
upgrade these back and forth for needs like the Bruckenpioniere for river crossings.

Panzers:

2 x Pz IIIL
2 x SE PzIIIL
5 x Pz IVG
1 x SE Pz IVG
I like the mix. use the Pz IIIL for the big Soviet tanks. these are my old Poland children with some good heroes. the Pz IVG for help on city attacks and the ocassional panic attack on Soviet threats of armour works for me. as you can see, HQ has been greedy with given me SE panzers. the lack of them I mean

Recon:
2 x SdKfz 232 8/Rad
they are still alive for some reason that only Mars can explain or I'm one big chicken with these you wouldn't believe how many times these guys have been at strength (1) and still got my Poland runner

AT:
4 x StuG IIIF/8
I loves these babies

Art:

4 x 21 cm Mrs 18/HT
like someone said, the crrrrunch when they hit a target is grrrreat!
2 x StuG IIIB
these guys have saved my DV I don't know how many times but are starting to take some big hits from Soviet armour now. I always team them together to get to the objective faster.
2 x Sturmpanzer I
wished I had more many a time!

AA:
1 x 8.8 FlaK 36/HT
purchased at Veronezh already got 83 experience and learning how to set up turkey shoots with them. always got to have that arty back up! going for a 2nd one soon as I can.

Luftwaffe:

6 x Bf 109G
so far so good
2 x JU 87G
wanted more but they are already getting close to being shot down finding I like more boots on the ground then flight jackets in the sky. especially them snow battles.
2 x He 177A
these are my reserve units. for naval and fortress assaults.

back to the war and having a great time with PzC

[OmegaMan1]

Kerensky, I have to ask: how "veteran" are your two recon units? Have you had them long or are they green? Considering how I seem to go through recons (and I'm still in early 42, on colonel), I'd like to see how they hold up in Manstein difficulty!

[Kerensky]

Kerensky, I have to ask: how "veteran" are your two recon units? Have you had them long or are they green? Considering how I seem to go through recons (and I'm still in early 42, on colonel), I'd like to see how they hold up in Manstein difficulty!

One recon car with about 100 xp commissioned during the first Dnieper scenario, so he's a veteran of 2 scenarios.
Another recon car with about 200 xp, commissioned during the second Dnieper scenario, so he's a veteran of 1 scenario. (Actually has a +1 spotting hero on it, trying real hard to keep this one alive)

The fact they lasted more than a single scenario is actually pretty commendable, during Kursk scenarios I was going through several recon units in the course of a single scenario.
Thankfully because of the nature of the recon class and the enhanced difficulty of Manstein, recon cars gains stars very quickly, if they can stay alive.

They certainly do their jobs though, I couldn't live without them. Their great spotting range saves me a lot of headache, being able to see those Soviet attacks coming from so far away. Unfortunately this also puts them in the position to take the brunt of these AI attacks too, but hey better my inexpensive recon cars than something really expensive like my elite artillery.

[Zhivago]

At the end of DLC 1943 East (Manstein Difficulty), my Core is:

Infantry:
HW 43
HW 43

Tank:
SE Panzer IVH
SE Panzer IVH
SE Panther
SE Panther
SE Panther
SE Panther
KV-85(r)
KV-85(r)

Anti-tank:
Stug IIIG
Elephant
Elephant

Recon:
Puma
Puma

Artillery:
SU-122(r)
SU-122(r)
SU-122(r)
150mm
150mm
170mm
170mm
Wurfrahmen
Wurfrahmen
Wurfrahmen
Wurfrahmen

Air Defense
88mm

Fighter:
Me109
Me109
Me109
FW190
FW190
FW190
FW190
FW190

Bomber:
Stuka G
Stuka G
Stuka G
Stuka G
Stuka G
HE-177
HE-177


When I started DLC 1943 East, I had a LOT more infantry and StuG anti-tank units. What happened to them? Well DLC 1943 East happened to them, they got decimated. lol

How I started DLC 1943 East, this is my TOTAL losses for all previous DLC, so DLC 39, 40, 41, and 42


How I ended DLC 1943 East


In other words, from just playing DLC 1943 East, I lost...
39 Infantry units
13 tank units
30 recon units (compared to 24 total lost from the past 4 DLC combined)
35 anti-tank units
4 artillery units
19 air defense units
3 fighter units (All FW 190s )
5 tactical bombers (All Stukas)
1 level bomber

I got a decisive victory in every scenario except Orel and Kiev43. Both of those I had to settle for marginal victories.

As a consolation prize, I finally got the highest award for my best Stuka:

I noticed that you've almost completely abandoned infantry in your core. Is this an admission that infantry are basically superfluous to the game by the end of 1943?

[OmegaMan1]

They certainly do their jobs though, I couldn't live without them.

Amen to that... that was a lesson I learned quickly once the Barbarossa scenarios started. I'd go so far as to say having two or three available can be a big factor in losing or winning a scenario.

Thanks for sharing your recons' background.

[Linai]

I noticed that you've almost completely abandoned infantry in your core. Is this an admission that infantry are basically superfluous to the game by the end of 1943?

if u are going to quote that giant block of txt, u should at least READ it
like where he said

When I started DLC 1943 East, I had a LOT more infantry and StuG anti-tank units. What happened to them? Well DLC 1943 East happened to them, they got decimated. lol
In other words, from just playing DLC 1943 East, I lost...
39 Infantry units

[Zhivago]

I noticed that you've almost completely abandoned infantry in your core. Is this an admission that infantry are basically superfluous to the game by the end of 1943?

if u are going to quote that giant block of txt, u should at least READ it
like where he said

When I started DLC 1943 East, I had a LOT more infantry and StuG anti-tank units. What happened to them? Well DLC 1943 East happened to them, they got decimated. lol
In other words, from just playing DLC 1943 East, I lost...
39 Infantry units

My bad.

[fliegenderstaub]

Well, I am playing at Oberst (colonel) level only. Although I am a Panzer General veteran, I am afraid that at a higher difficulty level I might run short of prestige, so I haven't tried yet.

My core forces (at the beginning of Vyazma 41):

INFANTRY:

3 Regular Infantry (2 of them SE)
3 Grenadier (1 of them SE)
2 Engineers
1 Bridge Engineers (most of the scenarios as a reserve)

I like the regular infantry. Replacements are relatively cheap and they have an extra movement point, which can be rather useful. One of them has got a hero, which provides a +1 movement bonus (i.e four clear hexes unmounted!). During the 39 and 40 camapaigns I used two cavalry units, which worked fine until Russia... They started taking a lot of damage and I lost one of them, so I decided to convert the remaining one to a Grenadier with halftrack.

TANKS:

3 Panzer III J
3 Panzer IV F (one SE)
2 T34/40 (r)

I just upgraded the Panzer III H to J. Vyazma will show, if it was a right decision, for the "J" has less fuel, but a slightly better defense value. The T 34s will serve for quite a while because of their movement advantage.

RECON:

2 Sd-Kfz 232 8-Rad

I agree with those who treasure their Recon units. Believe it or not, both of my units have a +1 spotting hero!

ANTI-TANK:

2 Panzerjäger IB

Right now I keep them just waiting to upgrade to much better Anti-tank-units later in the war. They see service from time to time just to get some experience.

ARTILLERY:

2 21cm Mörser 18
4 StG IIIB
2 Sturmpanzer I

The Queen of the battlefield! My experience showed, that more artillery eases the game a lot. Inflicting damage is one thing, but pinning the enemy is even more important to me. About 25% of my core force are artillery units. 50% of them are "Sturmgeschütze". Might change in 42 and later, but at the moment I prefer their much higher defense value and use them up front. For ranged attacks I still have the towed artillery and the SPGs. Works out fine up to now. The "Wurfrahmen" in my opinion is much too expensive. Replacements hurt my budget deeply. I would rather buy two STG IIIB and still have some experience left...

FLAK:

2 8,8-cm Flak 36

Anti-air and Anti-tank in one unit! Rather expensive but worth it, especially early in the war against heavy tanks. Later in the war, when the Anti-Tank units will grow better, replacing the "Achtacht" with mobile anti-air units.

AIRFORCE:

3 Me 109 F
3 Me110 F
1 Ju 88 A (mainly reserve)

Referring to the Me 109 I prefer the "F" to the "E" version. I know there are quite a few players around here, who see it otherwise. Both might work without a very different game experience. More important to me seems the decision Ju 87 or Me 110. As you see for me the Me 110 has the edge. Although it is really fun hunting enemy tanks with the Stuka, the Me 110 normaly doesn't need an escort and moreover can be used as a fighter itself, which sometimes makes the difference between letting an 1,2 or 3 strength enemy plane escape or finish it off. Strategic bombers are not my kind. They are good at pinning enemies and attacking ships, reduce enemy unit's ammo (not sure about that?), neutralize cities, and are not as vulnerable to enemy air defense as tactical bombers. And yet the Me 110 serves my style of playing much better.

I am looking forward to any comments.

[dks]

RECON:

2 Sd-Kfz 232 8-Rad

I agree with those who treasure their Recon units. Believe it or not, both of my units have a +1 spotting hero!

that's great! I'll trade you two Tiger I's with a star a piece for those two Recon's

I have a recon unit that I got at Sedan and they finally got a hero at Kharkov43. +2 attack I sneak a peak a few hexes and run like crazy back to safety with my recons. they have been real useful as a weapon lately since I upgraded them to SdKfz 233 8Rad. used the heck out of them defending those Donets River crossing scenarios in DLC 43' scenarios like Belgorod. always with arty back up!

I have 2 x Stukas that I've had since Poland days. what I'm doing now in 43' is sit them back for a few turns until I can make sure they are well protected by my fighters. usually after I have shot down a few waves of enemy fighters. risky at best to use now to say the least but they have helped me with those KV's many times when my Panzers are in trouble. chewing real hard to upgrade them to the Me 410A or the Ju 87G. love the tank killer stats of the Stuka G but it is nerve racking taking the shots now! on the other hand the Me 410A is real close in ground attack stats to my Stuka D's[edit ment D's not G's] and can serve as a fighter as well.

that's it, you made me go for the Me 410A

[Zhivago]

RECON:

2 Sd-Kfz 232 8-Rad

I agree with those who treasure their Recon units. Believe it or not, both of my units have a +1 spotting hero!

that's great! I'll trade you two Tiger I's with a star a piece for those two Recon's

I have a recon unit that I got at Sedan and they finally got a hero at Kharkov43. +2 attack I sneak a peak a few hexes and run like crazy back to safety with my recons. they have been real useful as a weapon lately since I upgraded them to SdKfz 233 8Rad. used the heck out of them defending those Donets River crossing scenarios in DLC 43' scenarios like Belgorod. always with arty back up!

I have 2 x Stukas that I've had since Poland days. what I'm doing now in 43' is sit them back for a few turns until I can make sure they are well protected by my fighters. usually after I have shot down a few waves of enemy fighters. risky at best to use now to say the least but they have helped me with those KV's many times when my Panzers are in trouble. chewing real hard to upgrade them to the Me 410A or the Ju 87G. love the tank killer stats of the Stuka G but it is nerve racking taking the shots now! on the other hand the Me 410A is real close in ground attack stats to my Stuka D's[edit ment D's not G's] and can serve as a fighter as well.

that's it, you made me go for the Me 410A

I've been singing the praises of the ME 410A on this forum for a while now. It does lack the armor punch of the Stuka G, but that is the only thing the Stuka G does well. The ME 410 is versatile, and does not need to be protected (at least until 1944 when the AI starts getting super-aggressive and will attack 410's every now and again). I like using the 410s to kill off wounded Russian aircraft.

[fliegenderstaub]

RECON:

2 Sd-Kfz 232 8-Rad

I agree with those who treasure their Recon units. Believe it or not, both of my units have a +1 spotting hero!

that's great! I'll trade you two Tiger I's with a star a piece for those two Recon's

I have a recon unit that I got at Sedan and they finally got a hero at Kharkov43. +2 attack I sneak a peak a few hexes and run like crazy back to safety with my recons. they have been real useful as a weapon lately since I upgraded them to SdKfz 233 8Rad. used the heck out of them defending those Donets River crossing scenarios in DLC 43' scenarios like Belgorod. always with arty back up!

I have 2 x Stukas that I've had since Poland days. what I'm doing now in 43' is sit them back for a few turns until I can make sure they are well protected by my fighters. usually after I have shot down a few waves of enemy fighters. risky at best to use now to say the least but they have helped me with those KV's many times when my Panzers are in trouble. chewing real hard to upgrade them to the Me 410A or the Ju 87G. love the tank killer stats of the Stuka G but it is nerve racking taking the shots now! on the other hand the Me 410A is real close in ground attack stats to my Stuka D's[edit ment D's not G's] and can serve as a fighter as well.

that's it, you made me go for the Me 410A

Thank you! And I can't wait for the Me 410 to appear... I will definitely play the Grand Campaign one day (in fact my first try were Stukas, but on "Leutnant" (lieutenant). I have still got the save and may change difficulty) with Stukas instead of Me 110, which will be fun, as you mentioned too, hunting tanks. It will certainly be a totally differnet game experience! I will try your idea then of clearing the skies first an then sending the Stukas... Although other posts in this forum said, it will be difficult to completely win air superiority in the '43 campaign...

Referring to the Recon units: That's it! A marketplace in Panzer Corps and exchanging units like items in an RPG! Yes, the Recon units are so versatile. Replacements are cheap, too. Recons (especially the 8-Rad) and the 8,8 cm Flak are my favorites.

RECON:

2 Sd-Kfz 232 8-Rad

I agree with those who treasure their Recon units. Believe it or not, both of my units have a +1 spotting hero!

that's great! I'll trade you two Tiger I's with a star a piece for those two Recon's

I have a recon unit that I got at Sedan and they finally got a hero at Kharkov43. +2 attack I sneak a peak a few hexes and run like crazy back to safety with my recons. they have been real useful as a weapon lately since I upgraded them to SdKfz 233 8Rad. used the heck out of them defending those Donets River crossing scenarios in DLC 43' scenarios like Belgorod. always with arty back up!

I have 2 x Stukas that I've had since Poland days. what I'm doing now in 43' is sit them back for a few turns until I can make sure they are well protected by my fighters. usually after I have shot down a few waves of enemy fighters. risky at best to use now to say the least but they have helped me with those KV's many times when my Panzers are in trouble. chewing real hard to upgrade them to the Me 410A or the Ju 87G. love the tank killer stats of the Stuka G but it is nerve racking taking the shots now! on the other hand the Me 410A is real close in ground attack stats to my Stuka D's[edit ment D's not G's] and can serve as a fighter as well.

that's it, you made me go for the Me 410A

I've been singing the praises of the ME 410A on this forum for a while now. It does lack the armor punch of the Stuka G, but that is the only thing the Stuka G does well. The ME 410 is versatile, and does not need to be protected (at least until 1944 when the AI starts getting super-aggressive and will attack 410's every now and again). I like using the 410s to kill off wounded Russian aircraft.

The 410 seems to be a little wonder. Now I am much more looking forward to it. Once in a while the AI is attacking the Me 110s as well, but the attacking fighters generally take more damage as they inflict. One of my Me 110s was attacked by three fighters and survived (strength 5 after the battle).

[krugec]

at budapest 44, all DLC played on Manstein
Inf:
7x Pzg 43
AR:
5x Panther A
3x Tiger
3x Tiger II
2x Elephant
ART:
4x 10.5cm lefh 18
3x Stuh 42
1x su 122 r
FT:
4x flak 12.8 (switched to 8.8 sometimes)
3x Bf 109k
TB:
1x bf 410a
2x ju 87g
2x fw 190g
SB:
2x he 177a
2x ju 188a

I decided to disband my 4x strategic bombers, I cried, 1 had 2 heroes. But I upgraded 2 fighters to jet instead.

In my expirience, the flak 8.8 and bf 109 and 10.5 lefh 18 proved to be the best equipment available. I suppose wehr inf 43 is also good, but I used grenadiers in my playtrough.

[McRoos]

Well, I am fighting around Orel these days.

My core:

4 Grenadiers 43
5 Grenadiers 43 SE
1 Bruckenpioniere

10 Tiger 1
2 Stug IIIG

8 21 cm MRS 18
3 8.8 Flak 36

2 SdKfz 233 8 rad

4 Fw 190A
3 Bf 110F
2 Henkel 177A