From a purely tactical game play standpoint there are a couple of things that Battlefield Academy does extremely well. First of all it does a great job simulating the problems the Allies often had in dealing with an enemy that on the whole had better armored fighting vehicles. The irony is that the situation is very similar to what the Germans experienced in 1941-42 Russia in having to deal with the superior Russian T-34. Anyway, to address this problem the player often has to make judicious use of terrain and ambushes, just as the Allies did. Also, like war itself, the game can be wildly unpredictable. In the words of the great Canadian military historian Gwynn Dyer, "In war you can have everything right and still be wrong." Some of the missions can be quite challenging, requiring a good combination of skill and luck. For example, in using artillery barrages and air support you have to choose your bombardment points wisely, and even if you do there's no guarantee you'll score any significant hits. It's up to Athena, the goddess of war!
Having said all this, and since there is no strategy guide/walk-through available that I know of, I thought I would write some notes on some of the harder missions. Of course as always in a great game there is more than one way to skin the cat, but these methods worked for me.
North African Campaign – I sense this first campaign was created pretty much as a beginner-to-advanced tutorial, and most players should have no problem completing any of the missions in no more than 1-2 attempts. I believe the only mission that took me more than one try was the final one, and I beat it on the second try by avoiding the fortified ridge to the south and making a beeline for the mandatory victory point squares at the villages.
The Normandy Campaign – After breezing through the North African Campaign, the Normandy Campaign was something of a wake up call for me. Needless to say it is significantly harder, and three of the missions stand out as being ball busters requiring a lot of skill and at least a little luck:
#4 Tiger Ambush – For me this was the first really hard mission. As the British you are outclassed and outnumbered, and I got trounced in my first attempt. Once I realized a few fundamental principles though, this one was not that bad. First of all concerning the detachment facing the Tigers at the start of the game, if you move or fire them first they are going to get creamed. Best to let the Tigers make the first move. Although you may still loose most of that detachment, if you are a little lucky you may take out one of the Tigers that passes close to your infantry. More importantly though, the Tigers may bypass the infantry, in which case you can use them to later sneak back and retake lost victory point squares, as the Germans are not good about leaving garrisons in this mission. The main thing in this battle though is to set up the bulk of your forces around the village in the center of the map (while the Germans are taking time clearing out the village near where the Tigers start). Put your infantry in the buildings and your tanks and AT guns on the village street entrances and nearby hedgerow choke points. When the Germans reach you, with a little luck they will bang their head futilely against the brick wall of your defenses. In fact I annihilated the entire German force by the end.
#6 Operation Cobra – In a word, this tough battle is all about the 'Hill'. The Germans occupy a fortified hill in the center of the map, and not only does it contain a victory square, but the strong force on it is in easy support range of the approaches the player must take to reach the two nearby victory squares to the north and south of the hill. Bypassing the hill is not an option. The key to this battle for me was to lambast the hill constantly with my artillery and bombers while fighting my way up to it. If you fail to soften up the hill defenses, then you will be met with a strong network of mutually supporting AT/AA guns and infantry which will be a very tough nut to crack, if not impossible. I would also mention that the player will get hit with a strong armored counterattack (with Tigers) on the way to the hill, but this can be beaten off with the usual well-placed units and ambushes. Finally, beware the lone Marder waiting in ambush at the north central edge of the map. I lost 3-4 vehicles to it.
#10 Holding the Ring – This one nearly had me frustrated. I kept trying and trying, going back and changing my initial force mix, and nothing seemed to work. Battlefield Academy, however, is nothing if not learning how to think outside the box. The one thing I had yet to try in the game was giving my units 'hold fire' orders, and as it happened once I did this most of my troubles were over. Indeed, the initial problem was that the Germans hit the western end of the hill early and heavy, and it seemed there was nothing I could do to keep this force from getting overwhelmed within about 4-5 turns. By issuing the 'hold fire' order though the Germans for the most part bypassed them, and once that large force scattered I was able to destroy it in detail. In fact by the end there was nothing at all attacking me from the west. A most satisfying win.
Normandy Campaign Summary
Highs: Interesting and varied types of missions. Great recreation of battles in the Normandy hedgerow country. The Crocodile tanks are tres cool!
Lows: A major step up in difficulty from the North African Campaign. No Normandy beach assaults or initial paradrop missions.
Bottom Line: Although players may find the going a bit tough after the relatively easy North African Campaign, I don't think I've ever seen the Normandy hedgerow battles done better. A-
Next up, the uber difficult (so I'm told) Ardennes Campaign.
Hope all you veteran players are enjoying Market Garden.
. Glad you enjoying the game. This post is definitely something to point to when anyone post having trouble with any of those missions!
FYI, since I'm now well into the Ardennes Campaign, I thought it was as good a time as any to order the Fall Gelb and Market Garden expansions. Can't wait to play the Germans in Fall Gelb, though I must confess that with Market Garden I get nightmares thinking about what Urquhart and his men went through at Arnhem. I suspect the Market Garden expansion is not for the faint of heart. 
