Berlin
Starting Prestige 5900
Ending prestige 784
*MARGINAL VICTORY* turn 32/32 (see below for details)
Units lost: Only three core panzers and a few green grenadiers remained
Do you believe in miracles? I started off the battle of Berlin with only EIGHT units left in my core, three of which were aircraft, making this final battle a cross between Der Untergang and 300. I was ready for Valhalla and a quick death. But despite this, and against literally all odds, my troops somehow, someway, achieved a marginal victory.
As I mentioned, Seelowe Heights proved to be a core destoyer like none ever seen. At the start of this battle I had enough prestige available to buy some grenadiers, artillery, anti-aircraft, and a jagdtiger. Clearly with such tiny force, my only option was to defend one, maybe two objectives, so all of my available units were deployed in the area of the Reichstag and Brandenburg Gate, save for a few infantry I deployed near an airfield in hopes of delaying it's capture as long as possible.
The Soviet advance came on even faster than I expected. The Volksturm units were quickly brushed aside, and my last airfield, whose capture I intended to delay as long as possible, was soon overrun, but not before giving my luftwaffe one last refill on their fuel. The first advance units reached my troops defending the Reichstag on turn 4.
Although vastly outnumbered, I was really quite surprised at how well I was holding out. I had my last infantry, and final Poznan '39 veteran defending the Reichstag and although he was holding strong at the moment, he surrounded by enough units that ammo/health replenishment was impossible, meaning his death was inevitable. The Luftwaffe's last flight was on turn 10 or 11, as my last fighter ran out of fuel and my Stuka died the same turn without fighter escort. It is around this time that my defense started to show it's first cracks.
One of my last veteran units, a Jagdpanther, died around turn 16. My veteran infantry managed to hold out until turn 21 but artillery and constant air attacks finally did him in. As I mentioned, he was the very last of the Poznan '39 veterans, so his death was especially sad. The Reichstag was briefly lost but I retook it the same turn with one of my panzer units.
Things really started to go sideways around turn 25. My air defense unit was knocked out and soon after my remaining artillery was as well. All that was left was a few green infantry units I had purchased earlier, and my last three panzers, elite veterans all of them. The constant air attacks were whittling down my health and reinforcement/ammo restocking was no longer an option so I had to pick my shots carefully. Although things seemed hopeless at this point, my panzers fought on, like the Spartans at Thermopylae. My troops in this battle reminded me of an quote from a Red Army soldier at the battle of Stalingrad. After battling the Germans for hours, his regiment was down to five men, he sent out one last message saying "Farewell comrades, we did not retreat" and then called an artillery strike down on his own position. There may not be many players who would have attempted the battle of Berlin with only eight units, but this core has served me well for countless hours and I have grown rather attached to it, surrender would not do it justice. My only option was see things through until the end.
As the last few turns counted down, things still hung by a thread, my King Tiger was down to three strength and my two Tiger I's were still in a vulnerable position and getting constantly attacked with artillery/bombers but at the very end of the battle, I still, still somehow controlled the Reichstag. At the end of the last turn I was prepared to accept my defeat, afterall, the scenario briefing says I needed to control six objectives for at least a marginal victory. I was happy with my "moral victory" and that was going to be enough for me, but imagine my shock when I get a "marginal victory" message after the very last turn! I am not sure if this was a bug or if holding the Reichstag grants a marginal victory no matter what as some kind of easter egg. But it was the ultimate fairy tale ending, saved at the last moment by a fluke bug, and one of the most unforgettable endings I have ever experienced in my many years of gaming. If it was a bug, consider it noted...but you might consider keeping it as an easter egg to surprise players such as myself.
Here is a screenshot I decided to take of the battlefield at the very end.
http://oi46.tinypic.com/2hd8ljs.jpg
In the end, this was an unbelievably epic end to an long and epic campaign. The entire grand campaign series has displayed a level of creativity and enjoyment several orders of magnitude greater than the stock campaign. i am hoping that this is not the end of your work Kerensky, and that you grace us with further content in the future. It has been an extreme honor to have beta-tested since the beginning, and I could not have asked for a more memorable ending to it all, so thank you for everything.
Now I just need to get this other core I am working on right now through 1943, I have a good feeling that it will be able to wipe the floor with the Russians and proceed to this secret Berlin Redux battle this time. I look forward to trying at least.
. Soon they were engaging my core units which I had deployed in 3 groups. 1 to defend the airfields, 2 to defend the Riechstag/Podstam station and the high command's bunker, with the 3 group to the west defending the railway station VH.
my computer skills are not that good and it hasn't worked. Maybe some one can pick up on it and be able to do it.
