Slitherine

Please post here your comments about this scenario.

15) Brussels– beta 1

Level: Rommel, imported corps
Prestige: Begin: 6,075. End: 8,050. Net: ~2,000.
Result: DV at 17/17
Replacements: none used.

Core changes: added a Maus for static defense scenario.

Problems:

• • None noted.

General impressions/comments:

• • I don’t understand why this is called “Brussels” since it’s about defending Antwerp and the canal? But otherwise, a straightforward scenario.
  • Briefing guidance about UK weakness helped me in deployment, and the scenario went fairly smoothly without too much scrambling.
  • I had one minefield I had been saving since Cassino. I deployed it on about turn 3 when I found a weakness in my line at an eastern crossing. It really confounded the enemy tanks and took them 7 turns to clear. Honestly it saved me much headache as I found myself pretty thin in spots with the dual-direction fighting.
  • This is not an easy scenario, and if you venture out of your defensive lines southward before the end, it will be costly.

Brussels, beta2

Colonel, Imported Core, DV 17/17

Prestige before/after deployment: 18318/11067
Prestige on last turn/incl. victory bonus: 14089/17089

I went in with everything overstrengthed, and had fewer troubles than with Antwerp. I stayed mostly put and the Allies usually didn't dare attack my well-covered units. I had cleared almost all initial Allied troops on turn 13, and then another wave struck but was in fact easier to deal with because I had already finished off the British in the north.

The only causes of any actual trouble were some of the air waves which sometimes managed to halve an artillery unit, and the second British wave from the north was difficult to contain because of their fast-moving infantry in Universal Carriers, which I was lucky enough to catch mostly in their transports. If they had dismounted in close terrain I would have needed a lot more time and effort to deal with them. My two Do 335 tactical bombers were a big help, they do a lot of damage vs. hard targets and managed to keep Allied artillery units out of action for most of the game.

Amazingly, a single auxiliary Hetzer and four AT guns made it out alive, and one of the Hetzers was only killed on turn 16 when an M26 tank one-shotted it even though it was being covered by a 30cm Nebelwerfer.

Brussels
Beta 2
General Level
Ending prestige 5006
DV 17/17

This was a very difficult scenario, but not as difficult as the last one. I took relatively high losses but managed to prevail thanks to fluid defense. The aux units were key for shoring up my defense. Sorry for the short report. My keyboard died.

Beta 2. General level. Standard core. Begin prestige 12325, ending 4005.

This was a challenging battle. Just when I thought I had the British defeated and started moving forces to help fend off the Americans, here came a second wave of British forces! I rushed back and was barely able to contain and defeat them. I was able to take Eindhoven at last as the British were wiped out. The M-26s were a surprise! They really shot up my Panters, but my King Tiger was able to rescue the situation. Fortunately the AI did not mass them but used them piecemeal. The American air power is very tough. I was able to gain air superiority. I have 3 Me-262s and 2 Go-229s, plus 2 AA units. By concentrating my forces I was able to kill off enough enemy air units each turn to ultimately gain control of the air. The battle for Antwerp was tough. Fortunately, I've learned much about urban combat and was able to put those lessons to good use in defeating the attacks into the city (barely). I used my large prestige to fully restrengthen my units and upgraded to a Maus, Jagd Tiger and Tiger II. I lost a recon and an infantry unit. I upgraded my Stuka and Fw-190g to Do-335s to replace them.

I think it would be nice to have a few V-weapons available in this scenario (V-2s preferably with range to hit anywhere on the map as I noted in an earlier post).

DV on 17, but it was a very close run thing.

Okay, I got a new keyboard! Just to elaborate a bit on my thoughts from earlier, I realized the British wouldn't be as serious a threat as the Americans so diverted some of my troops from the British sector to help check the American advance. The Pershings were a very unpleasant surprise, and the British second wave was still tough, even if understrength. Still, I managed to barely hold on and claim the DV.