A Comprehensive Guide to Panzer General
This guide was put together by Wendy from all
available sources to be found on the net, to evaluate
the various scenarios of the SSI computer wargame Panzer General.
[Panzer General is a Trademark of Strategic
Simulations Inc. 1994] This manual is designed to be freely
distributed for entertainment purpose only. All rights to the
game and its contents are reserved to SSI.
Each scenario was evaluated as to its "fairness" in
regards to chances of winning with either the Allied side or the
Axis. This analysis is, of course, subjective in the fact that
one person's fairness may be another person's mismatch. But this
conclusion is up to individual players to decide. Thus the need
for a guide to assist those who don't have the time (Read...They
have a life) to go through each scenario. Each evaluation will
contain the assumption that the players on both sides are evenly
matched in skill and familiarity of the scenario. Criteria for
analysis will be based strictly on the variables provided by the
computer game such as forces, time, number of objectives, etc.
Some scenarios attempt to be a reflection of reality with little
regard for fairness. This guide is an attempt to allow new boots
not to be suckered into a scenario where the player who knows the
deal waits grinning ear to ear.
All evaluations will be formatted as follows and each is
followed by a comment:
Name of Scenario:
(Obviously to Identify the Scenario)
Number of Turns:
(Is time a factor and for which side. If the scenario is
too long, it can favor the attacker.)
Battle Posture:
(Who is attacking and or who is on defense.)
Number of Objectives:
(Clues in on time. Some objectives are deceptively hard to
capture in the time allotted.
Prestige Axis: Allies:
(What are the prestige totals for both sides and which side
has the advantage)
New Unit Experience:
(When a new unit is purchased what is the exp. level)
Air Superiority:
(Who starts the game with the edge in air power. More often
than not I have toasted boots and pros when they immediately
go and purchase that brand spanking new fighter only to be
shot down in a hopeless battle.)
Ground Superiority:
(While the Germans almost always have better equipment, they
may not be able to use it all or it just may not matter.)
General Info:
(Little quirks to the scenario -- Weather, terrain, unusual
reinforcements, etc.)
Final Evaluation:
(How should the handicaps be placed to even up the scenario)
Points to Remember:
Experience: High experienced units can be more advantageous
than many of the same. By lowering experience of a side you only
lower the experience of units gained by new purchases. The
starting units keep their regular experience. If one side
anticipates a fight for time rather than a battle of units then
that player may feel free to penalize themselves in experience to
reem the other side. For example, in the Moscow scenarios the
Soviets have little chance of wiping out the Tiger tanks. As the
German player he may opt to give himself a penalty in experience
to weaken the Soviets EVEN IF the Germans have a negative bid.
Anti-tanks: The German player will inevitably rely on anti-
tanks to supplement their forces. These cheap units are very
effective in taking out other Allied mainline tanks with little
worry about the damage they might sustain. A horde of Panzer Jager's
is the nightmare of any Allied general. A few things to remember
about Anti-tanks: Against entrenched infantry the low end anti-
tanks are virtually helpless. They are extremely vulnerable to
air attacks even by fighters.
Air Power: Many a mistake has been made by boots and pros
in the air wars. The key for each player is to realize who is
going to win the air war early or if you can make a fight of it.
As the German player, if you and your FW190s are going to toast
the Soviet player early on, why go out and spend the 420+
prestige on a new fighter. Sure you might win the air war a few
turns earlier but you have wasted the prestige. Similarly, if
you are going to lose the air war no matter what you do (in many
of the Soviet scenarios) then again why purchase aircraft. Wars
are helped out in the air but it takes the infantry and the tanks
to win on the ground. While it may seem sacrilegious you can
lose the air war and win the scenario. You can also win the
air war and lose the scenario. So be careful.
* 1 * Chronology of Panzer General Scenarios
1 Sep. 39 Poland
10 Sep. 39 Warsaw
9 Apr. 40 Norway
10 May 40 Low Countries
5 Jun. 40 France
1 Sep. 40 Sealion 40
31 Mar 41 North Africa
6 Apr. 41 Balkans
20 May 41 Crete
22 Jun. 41 Barbarossa
23 Aug. 41 Kiev
1 Sep. 41 Middle East
8 Sep. 41 Early Moscow
2 Oct. 41 Moscow 41
26 May 42 El Alamein
7 Jun. 42 Sevastopol
25 Jun. 42 Stalingrad
30 Jun. 42 Caucasus
1 Oct. 42 Moscow 42
8 Nov. 42 Torch
11 Feb. 43 Kharkov
15 Jun. 43 Sealion 43
5 Jul. 43 Kursk
10 Jul. 43 Husky
9 Oct. 43 Moscow 43
22 Jan. 44 Anzio
6 Jun. 44 D-Day
22 Jun. 44 Byellorussia
25 Jul. 44 Cobra
6 Aug 44 Anvil
17 Sep. 44 Market Garden
16 Dec. 44 Ardennes
6 Mar 45 Budapest
1 Apr. 45 Berlin
1 Apr. 45 Berlin (West)
1 Apr. 45 Berlin (East)
1 Jun. 45 Washington
Poland
No. of Turns: 10
Axis:Must take and hold all objectives to win.
Battle Posture: Axis = Attack Allies = Defense
Per Turn Prestige Boosters:Axis= 0 Allies = 20
No.of Units Available for purchase:
Axis = 4 Allies = 0
Allies: Must hold at least 1 Objective to win, or take the beginning Axis held objective for automatic victory.
- Blitzkrieg should definitely be used by the Axis here, as time is everything in this scenario.
Number of Objectives: 3
- One is already in Axis hands. The other 2 Kutno and Lodz must be taken across the river, and can be heavily defended.
Prestige: Axis = 228 Allies = 240
-Pretty even here, victory can depend on ,what each side chooses to buy.
New unit Experience: Axis = 0 Allies = 0
Air Superiority- No air power used in this scenario.
Ground Superiority - The Polish tanks are your strongest units.
The TK3 is good against soft targets such as infantry and artillery while the 7TP is strong against hard targets and is formidable against the weaker German tank units.
The Germans should buy Artillery and newly purchased anti-tank weapons.
The Polish are advised to disband all infantry and use all opening turn prestige to buy 1 7TP tank and TK3's for the rest.
Use these Allied Tanks to defend the River and counter attack at any point the Axis try to cross, slow them down and win.
General Information - Weather is not a factor here, but time definitely is. Its simple, Axis plays all out Blitzkrieg and the Allies text book defense.
With just the right amount of offense when the opportunity arrives.
With timely executed counterattacks to be most effective.
Final Evaluation -
Prestige Experience
Axis 0 0
Allies +2 0
Depending on what rank your opponent is, give Allies +2 on Prestige. the axis has definite advantage.
If you consider yourself novice or inexperienced and your opponent,
is of a higher ranked General, then you should receive +2 or even +3 if you are playing a totally superior opponent.
NORWAY
No. of Turns: 25
Axis = Take all objectives.
Battle Posture: Axis = Attack Allies = Defense
Per Turn Prestige Boosters:Axis= 0 Allies = 40
No.of Units Available for purchase: Axis = 2 Allies = 0
- Time is a slight favor to the allies. The terrain isprohibitive to fast advancement. The main body of German forces will need to slog it up the Lagan River where they are vulnerable to artillery and entrenched infantry attacks.
The Western landing is too weak to move on Trondheim initially and is vulnerable to air and sea attacks.
Axis = Your southern landing group should concentrate on securing the Oslo region while a small detachment takes Stavanger and then
springboards up the coast, city by city, with naval help.
These initial successes will gain you two important airfields. Press on up the Lagen River valley through Lillehammer to Trondheim to link up with the northern landing group. Sending a force by the overland route up the Glomma Valley is slow (they will need at least half-tracks)but,in combination with paradrops further north, can divert Allied forces from the defense of Trondheim and perhaps gain a base of attack from which you can attack Namsos from the east.
Number of Objectives Hexes: 7
- One is already in the hands of the Axis. Oslo and the Airfield are easy targets. But Lillehammer, Trondheim and Namsos are very difficult and are German primary concerns.
Advantage Allies
Prestige: Axis = 1014 Allies = 1276
- Allies are hampered by a small number of units available and purchasing capability of Norwegian units only in all but the
Namsos objective. Advantage Axis.
New Unit Exp.:Axis = 1 Star Allies = 0 Stars
Air Superiority: Advantage to the Axis planes. Axis begins with 3 BF109e's while the Allies begin with two Norwegian planes (one
is usually shot down immediately), a Hurricane and a Spit II.
The Spit II is about equal to the German BF109. But air superiority is contestable if the Allied player decides to make a fight of it and buy fighters.
The Norwegian air force is easy prey, but the
British fighters are as good as the Germans and will be serious trouble for the Axis if they let them gain an edge on them in experience.
In particular, don't let them learn their trade by target practice on unescorted Axis bombers and air transports.
You may consider requisitioning a level bomber with a good naval attack rating to help the German Navy in the Norwegian Sea.
Allied Air power should be concentrated in the Trondheim-Namsos area and backed up by good air defenses to keep the Axis bombers at bay.
This may mean that Axis paratroops can slip past you, so be sure to place at least a
Norwegian unit as a garrison in each important city to prevent a threat from springing up in your rear.
Keep your air units, especially the precious British fighters,alive and try to gain an experience edge on the Luftwaffe.
Ground Superiority: Complete advantage to Axis. German Pz IVd's outclass all of the Allied tanks until the Matilda II.
The 15 sFA 18 Artillery is superior due to its high soft attack rating and its three hex range compare to the Nor. 75mm two range. German armor and Wehrmacht Infantry completely outclass Norwegian and even British forces.
General Information: Terrain counters German ground superiority.
Mountains, forests and rivers impede the ground progress. Good chance of bad weather can ground planes for a number of turns.
Sea power is advantaged to the allies on paper but German U-Boats make it even. I have found the winner of the sea battle generally wins the game. With three turns left, reinforcements arrive to both sides with the allies getting the better of it with Matilda II tanks, 6" Artillery and ATGs.
Allies - You can win this one if you can successfully block and delay the Axis advance at a few key choke points.
You may be able to stop the Axis on the beaches in the north, but in the Oslo region you need to sell yourself dearly Entrenched troops in Hamar and Elverum that can hang on when driven out into the nearby mountains can tie down a large number of Germans for some time.
The constricted Lagen River valley around Lillehammer is another good defensive position, particularly if you can hold your own in the air and get your bombers through against enemy units floundering in the river hexes.
Final Evaluation:
Prestige Experience
Axis 0 0
Allies -2 0
This is a very even battle with an edge to the allies due to the extremely rough terrain and sea power.
Even against the computer, it is not easy to get a major victory. I believe this scenario pretty even but a -1 penalty to Allied prestige may allow the Germans a better chance to reach the final objective.
LOW COUNTRIES
No. of Turns: 30
Axis = Take all objectives.
Battle Posture: Axis = Attack Allies = Defense
Per Turn Prestige Boosters: Axis = 0 Allies = 49
No.of Units Available for purchase: Axis = 2 Allies = 1
- Time is favoring the Axis. Plenty of time to move across
the map and engage even the far city of Calais. But the Germans
must beware of defensive lines and slow crossings of the Meuse,
Escout and Leie Rivers.
No. of Objectives: 11
- Number of objectives favors the Allies. Axis begin with
two objectives already in possession and two more in LUX and
Liege easily captured. All others are contestable. Large area
and multiple attack groups needed shift advantage to the Allies
as well as the most distant objectives are Calais and Abbeville.
Prestige: Axis = 625 Allies = 1152
- Prestige numbers are a wash. Axis low prestige is
countered by quick seizures of weakly defended cities and
objectives at the beginning of the scenario.
New Unit Exp: Axis = 0 Stars Allies = 0 Stars
Air Superiority: Decided advantage to the axis side. Lack of
British airfields prohibit purchase of Spitfire IIs. French
fighters not a true threat unless backed up by ground AA guns but
eventually the German air power will overmatch French fighters.
Axis = Seize air superiority and keep it. Your Stukas will need to
be free to support your ground troops against tough entrenchments
and enemy armor, while your fighters and level bombers should hone
their skills against soft targets once the Allied air force is
eliminated.
Axis must buy additional fighter support.
The Allies can make the most of an inferior air force by using your fighter
force cautiously to pick off exposed enemy bombers rather than facing the Axis head-on. Air defense units will be valuable in making the Germans pay a price for bombing your cities, and in weakening the enemy air units to facilitate your fighter attacks.
Keeping an air force as a threat in being will also encourage the
enemy to use fighters to escort bombers rather than allowing them to attack
separately or go after your bomber missions. Your bombers could also be
held back and sent out together with the fighters in a mass wave that will
stretch the German fighter force.
Ground Superiority: Even match. French armor in the CH B1-bis
are superior to German armor. French artillery and the small
amount of British forces equal Wehrmacht superiority. Use of
German Anti-tank PzJager IB in support roles makes this even
along with Stuka dive bombers.
Allies should buy at least 4 new heavy tanks, 4 AA guns and 6 or more
ATG, and 2-4 infantry and 2 or more artillery and defend all rear cities.
General Information: The weather in the Low Countries is
reliable with only a moderate chance of foul weather grounding
Axis planes. Open terrain favors Axis movement but also Allied
defensive choices and sneak attacks. With nine turns left, the
Axis gets the vaunted 8.8 ATG but its high cost and low mobility
makes this a non-factor. Allied new units are insignificant.
AXIS: The heart of Blitzkrieg is punching through the enemy
line and striking deep beyond it, with second-echelon forces
following behind to mop up. Lead with recon and tank units
followed by half-track mounted infantry and artillery that are
better able to withstand enemy shooting than truck-mounted troops. An
important advantage of striking deep is that the enemy will have
to reinforce his rear areas rather than strengthen his forward
positions, and you won't give him time to entrench very strongly.
You may also get the chance to smash vulnerable support units and
surprise enemy antitank guns or other units while they are
mounted on trucks.
Allies: Garrison your rear area cities and airfields with infantry
against enemy paratroops or air-transportable forces, and don't waste
your armor forces in piecemeal and head-on resistance to the Germans.
Group them at least in pairs and keep them alive to divert the enemy
forces from attacks on your cities and to counterattack when the enemy
makes a mistake.
Final Evaluation:
Prestige Experience
Axis 0 0
Allies 0 0
This is another fairly even battle with an edge going to the Axis
only because of its overwhelming air power. Without the
air power, German's couldn't win this one because of the disperse
nature of the objectives. This is an even match.
Allies move as many forward units to the rear as possible and Defend
Calais and Dunkirk, Axis move at full Blitzkrieg speed.
Mainly withdraw troops and retreat to the ocean to defend and also only
Defend the city and airfield at the bottom of map.
you should disband all front line troops so you can buy new ones to dig in
and not allow the enemy to gain easy experience on troops they will kill
anyway, the weather will slow them down, while you dig in near the ocean.
Buy AA guns Artillery and French Tanks and dig in.
FRANCE
No. of Turns: 26
Battle Posture: Axis = Attack Allies = Defense
Per Turn Prestige Boosters: Axis = 0 Allies = 45
No.of Units Available for purchase: Axis = 1 Allies = 2
- Advantage goes to the Axis. Roads and open country give
German forces access to deep objectives such as Vienne and
undefended non-objective villages deep in the south of France
for quick prestige.
No. of Objectives: 8 Axis take all objectives.
- A slight advantage goes to the Axis again. Germans begin
with one objective while all others are contestable by the
Allies. However, only the top half of the map contains objectives
for victory and all are part of a vast road network that favors
quick Axis movement.
Prestige: Axis = 375 Allies = 1594
- Big advantage allies. Relatively few open cities and
objectives in the first part of the game prohibits rapid prestige
gains by the Germans. If the Allied forces can hold the German
advance then the Wehrmacht will be running very low on prestige.
Later as the lower part of the map is exposed to the Germans more
prestige can be gained. The allies can afford a fighter or quite
a few tanks to blunt the German advance.
New Unit Exp: Axis = 1 Star Allies = 0 Stars
Air Superiority: Axis advantage. Once again no British
airfields prohibit the purchase of Spits. Experienced
Bf109s are more than a match for Hurricanes and French aircraft.
But a patient Allied player can take advantage of the one
intercept attack rule and destroy one or two German dive bombers
that are too expensive to initially replace.
Ground Superiority: This is a fairly even match. Many Allied
units are exposed at the beginning of the game. Few Allied units
are entrenched near key objectives. Axis units begin
experienced and all reinforcements are experienced where few
Allied units are experienced. But German forces begin with very
few mainline tanks and will need to purchase them but with the
little prestige they may be facing the big French tanks with
PzIIs and PzIs. Allied hopes hinge on the turrets of the Ch
B1-Bis tanks. The Germans will find Tours a difficult objective
and will need to divide into separate battle groups to take the
two far western objectives.
Axis = AXIS: Let's do the "Blitzkrieg" again. Break through the French
defense line at
one or more points and keep moving. Using 3 battle groups is a natural
organization for this battle: one driving down the coast to Le Havre and
Caen,
then southeast to Le Mans, a large battle group fighting through to Paris
and then
splitting to attack Le Mans via Chartres and Tours via Orleans, and a third
battle group pushing to Montargis and taking Reims and Troyes en route. An
alternate plan is to breakthrough in force on the Ham-Reims front through
Thierry while pinning along the rest of the front. After driving to Paris
behind
the French troops to the north, the force splits into 3 battle groups
heading to
Caen and Le Havre on the coast, to Le Mans and Tours via Chartres, and to
Orleans and Montargis.
Whatever route you take, speed is essential and you should apply
the
Blitzkrieg lessons learned in the Low Countries: keep pushing forward,
control
the air, and watch out for those French heavy tanks!
Allies = ALLIES: If you are lucky, the Germans will attack all along
the line and slowly
force you back. It is more likely, though, that some will get past you and
you
will have to retreat to get into action again. Paris is the key to your
defense--the
fortifications, woods and river all contribute to its defensive strength.
Tours and
Le Mans are not as good, but you should build up their defenses as your
final
chances to stop the Axis juggernaut. If the Axis forces break through the
front,
try to get your army on the Somme back to help defend Paris. Use your
excellent
heavy tanks in groups to counterattack and disrupt the Axis
advance--concentrate
on soft targets rather than wasting effort on the German armor. Your air
force is
heavily outnumbered--try to take out the Axis bombers and consider spending
prestige on ground troops and air defenses for your key strongholds rather
than
on new aircraft.
General Info: Don't pray for too much rain. Weather is mild.
The terrain favors the quick Blitzkrieg action of Axis forces.
Open fields and extensive road networks can move tanks and trucks
fast. There are no new type of units.
Final Evaluation:
Prestige Experience
Axis +2 0
Allies -1 0
This scenario favors the Axis forces in tactics. But the Allies
begin with massive prestige and will likely go toward picking up
tank support. If the Germans can get into the far southern areas
with troops the German player can pick up new German units and
quickly outpace French units in experience as the game progresses
and there are so many villages and cities to give Germans
prestige bonuses for little cost. A +1 advantage in prestige may
allow the Axis to compete against the French in the ground
battle.
SEALION (40)
No. of Turns: 15
Battle Posture: Axis = Attack Allies = Defense
Per Turn Prestige Boosters: Axis = 0 Allies = 84
No.of Units Available for purchase: Axis = 1 Allies = 2
- The deep objectives of Norwich and Birmigham and London's
stubbornness to fall make the low turn number an advantage to the
Allies. It is the low turn count and the distance through stiff
opposition that sway this scenario deeply in the favor of the
Allied forces.
No. of Objectives: 10 Axis = Take all objectives.
- Three objectives are on the French coast an held by the
Germans. Canterbury will fall quickly so the main contestable
objectives are your two northern and western objectives and
London. Each is readily defendable because of the distance and
time constraints and almost reckless need to advance by the
German forces. Major obstacles are the Thames River which the
Wehrmacht must cross and go around to strike into the heart of
Great Britain.
Prestige: Axis = 675 Allied = 1320
- Even Advantage. Both sides start with numerous units.
Allies have a large area to cover and no doubt will protect units
with AA guns therefore much of their 1320 is spent before the
game begins. Fortress London will eat up Axis prestige in
repairing units.
New Unit Exp: Axis = 1 Star Allies = 1 Star
Air Superiority: Slight Axis advantage due to the number of
planes available plus the intro of the FW190a which totally
outclasses anything the Allies can put into the air at this
time. However its high cost is prohibitive and the German
player can probably only afford one. Cheap AA guns for
the Allies in combo with fighters make this a contested
struggle
Ground Superiority: The advantage here is fairly even. The
Germans begin with mostly top of the line units all
experienced. They must land on the beaches which they are
exposed until artillery cover and AA guns can come into play.
The allies also begin with a number of units 1 star experience
and spread out but effective. Those in cities and around London
are already entrenched heavily The British equivalent to the
Energizer Bunny, the Matilda II is available.
AXIS: In all the Sealion scenarios, naval action is relatively
peripheral
compared with air power, which is essential to ensure adequate close air
support
on the ground and ensure that your paratroops get through to and take their
objectives via the air. Your naval forces can help with some bombardment
early
on, after which their main task is to engage the Allied fleet and keep it
from
interfering with the land battles, particularly around London. Your
U-boats can
wreak havoc on the Allied capital ships if the Allied escorts can be
cleared away.
Your time is limited, so you should attempt to seize all your
objectives
concurrently rather than in sequence. The least diversion could be fatal.
Once
you have secured a beachhead, divide your forces into 4 battle groups. The
first
battle group, landing in the east, is to take Canterbury and then assist
with
artillery in the attack on London from the east, but its main thrust
actually passes
by London across the Thames and heads toward Norwich, supported by the
nearby naval task force. A bridging unit can be quite useful. The second
battle group will assault London from the south, and is weighted towards
artillery
and infantry units but will include some tanks to help deal with Allied
armor.
The third and fourth battle groups are smaller and advance on
Birmingham
and Bristol respectively, although initially they advance jointly on
Winchester,
Newbury and Oxford before splitting. The third battle group can be aided by
advance airborne landings near Birmingham, or the parachute forces can be
used
to seize Peterborough or Harwich and then Norwich, in which case the first
battle group encircles London from the north rather than continuing north to
Norwich.
Sealion Plus is easier because the presence of the Italian fleet
speeds the
destruction of the Allied navy, while in Sealion 43 the Allies are much
better
prepared and the fight will be tougher.
ALLIES: While it is best to catch the Axis ground troops in their
transports with
your air or naval forces or force them to surrender on the beaches, this is
a risky
strategy and it is likely that they will obtain secure footholds from Dover
to
Portsmouth regardless of your efforts. Concentrate any early attacks on
artillery,
pionieres and engineers--the most essential troops for the Axis attack on
London.
Your overall strategy will be to use the enormous fortress of London and
its
garrison to block their direct advance, while using additional forces to
keep them
from slipping around it. Holding onto London till turn 12 isn't worth much
if the
Germans are already in the Midlands. Your strongest defense line once the
Axis
have secured a lodgment on English soil will run from London along the
Thames
to Newby and Winchester. While you hold the enemy advance on this line for
several turns, you will be able to dig in blocking forces and garrisons to
defend
the approaches to Bristol and, especially, Birmingham. Don't forget the
air
defenses!
Your air force is relatively good, and in 1943 the American air
force can
play a significant role if it survives long enough to catch up in
experience.
Contest Axis air superiority whenever feasible, but early on try to pick
off or
hunt down the troublesome Axis paratroops to keep your rear areas secure.
Since the key battles will be inland, the Axis navy will play a
small part.
Your navy can initially either try to win naval superiority or instead
concentrate
on supporting your defense line with shore bombardment. The choice
involves a
tradeoff and either option can pay off.
General Info: The weather is mild with only a slight chance of
bad weather grounding the airfleets. If it wasn't for the
Thames and fortress London the terrain would be ideal for
the Germans. But the afore mention obstacles tip this in
favor of the Allies. The fleet battle is in favor of the Axis
because the three subs available to them.
Final Evaluation:
Prestige Experience
Axis +2 0
Allies 0 -1
I have played this scenario against humans and computer and I
can't tell you how many times I have said "JUST A FEW MORE
TURNS!" The lack of time shifts this scenario in favor of the
Allies. A +1 to the Germans is not unreasonable.
NORTH AFRICA
No. of Turns: 23
Battle Posture: Axis = Attack Allies = Defense
Per Turn Prestige Boosters: Axis = 0 Allies = 45
No.of Units Available for purchase: Axis = 5 Allies = 5
- The advantage goes to the Axis. Open desert and a coastal
road gives ease of movement for vehicles. First half of the
game until Tobruk has little opportunity for the Allies
to slow German advances.
No. of Objectives: 7 Axis: take all objectives.
- One is already in Axis hands and Benghazi is quickly to
fall. Berta immediately falls under the guns of Axis ships. All
others are contestable with the last three easily defendable due
to the limited amount of attack avenues allowed for attacking
forces. Advantage goes to the Allies.
Prestige: Axis = 1006 Allied = 1022
- This is a fairly even distribution. And really the game
can hinge on who spends what where. The high Axis prestige gives
them the ability to really seize the air and drive the British
from the skies. Allied prestige is already spent on ground
defenses and AA guns.
New Unit Experience: Axis = 1 Star Allies = 1 Star
Air Superiority: Decidedly Axis. One British Hurricane is
immediately shot down by the German first turn advantage limiting
Allied air power even further. High prestige for the Axis allows
for replacements and reinforcements while Allied prestige is
slow to recover from being drained.
Ground Superiority: British Matilda IIs are the queens of the
Desert. Their high defensive ratings and reasonably descent
offensive ratings plus large ammo and fuel deposits against
German armor make them effective in fighting in the high
desert. They are vulnerable to dive bombing attacks however and
this is where their main weakness lies. German armor is weaker
but in combo with the air power they can defeat the British
mainline tanks.
AXIS: Blitzkrieg is again the watchword--thrust forward not only along
the
coast but across the desert by the trails headed to Mechili and Bir
Hacheim.
Start softening up Tobruk as early as you can, but don't let it delay you
long
since you need to keep pushing your forward elements east and face the
choice of
slogging through the defended coastal area or marching across the desert.
It's a
long way to Mersa Matruh. You can use the Italians to scout ahead, but
they
lack the equipment to assault the strong British positions and work best
mopping
up bypassed enemy units.
Pay attention to logistics in the desert--once you run out of ammo
and fuel,
it will take a lot of time to come back up to par and you don't have much
time to
spare. Enemy air power can pound you as you struggle across the desert, so
use
your air force to help get your troops into attack positions but keep them
busy
bombing and strafing while doing so. Your fleet, aided by air power, can
beat
the Brits and help with shore bombardment later in the battle when you will
need
it most as your struggle out of the desert to confront heavily entrenched
defenses.
ALLIES: A good combination of stiff defense and mobile defense will keep
the
Axis moving forward in very short steps along the coast. If you force the
Allies
to a crawl along the coast, they will have to risk the desert, where
skillful use of
your level bomber force can stop them by destroying the ammo and fuel of
key
units. Armored counterattacks from the coast into the desert will also
make it
hard for the Axis to press forward while their flanks are vulnerable.
Preserve your air force, building up as much experience as
possible, and
let the air defense units carry a lot of the weight.. The Axis will need
airpower
most late in the battle, and it is crucial that you still have at least
some fighter
strength left at that time to counter theirs. Your naval forces should
defend
your land forces from interference by the Axis fleet. Again, saving some
reserves
for the late stages of the battle could prove useful.
General Info: Fair skies all the time. Terrain is difficult for
prolonged combat as the desert limits rearming and refueling
capabilities and seriously limits replacements. For the
defender this is the advantage. However large movement
possibilities along with the ability to concentrate forces
in a limited area give the Axis the advantage. So this
part is even.
Final Evaluation:
Prestige Experience
Axis -1 0
Allies +1 +1
Air power once again saves the day for the Germans. While it can
be contested, more likely the Germans will take the air and start
pounding everything. The German naval force is formidable and
will usually win the sea engagement and once the sea engagement
is one, shore based AA guns become easy targets. Generally the
advantage goes to the Germans. +3 to the British.
MIDDLE EAST
No. of Turns: 26
Battle Posture: Axis = Attack Allies = Defense
Per Turn Prestige Boosters: Axis = 0 Allies = 70
No.of Units Available for purchase: Axis = 8 Allies = 8
- Favors Axis. It does seem a long way to the Bahgdad on
the map but much of the area is open uncontested lands
quickly traversed by wheeled and tracked vehicles. Axis aircraft
will allow for good scouting reports to allow vehicles safe and
speedy passage.
No. of Objectives: 8 Axis: take all objectives.
- Two are already in German hands and easily protected.
All others are contested. The sequence is in the natural
invasion corridor for this scenario no significant detours
for the German armored columns. The advantage is to the
Axis
Prestige: Axis = 500 Allied = 890
- While the Axis are low in prestige in the beginning, the
two city hexes in Jerusalem and Beruit along with the
airfields add significantly to Axis prestige in time for
the assault on Baghdad. Allied prestige is slow in coming
and eaten up quickly. Advantage is to the Axis.
New Unit Exp: Axis = 1 Star Allies = 1 Star
Air Superiority: While the Axis has the single best plane in
the lone FW190a, it is expensive to buy another. The
BF109s are comparable to the British Spits. The British begin
with four Spitfire IIs and two of those are overstrengthed to 12.
So while the Germans may have dominance in the air, they can be
challenged by British fighters in good conjunction with AA guns.
Moderate advantage to the Axis.
Ground Superiority: Once again German tanks are equal to if
not slightly inferior to British armor at this time. The terrain
is not ideally suited for defense. Open desert can be used to
catch tanks out of fuel and wounded but it is more likely to
allow the more numerous tanks of the German player to encircle
defensive stands and lack of entrenchment possibilities makes
units even more vulnerable to bombing. Matilda IIs are the main
battle tank for the British and can serve as solid the roadblocks
to Baghdad. Still the numbers of the German tanks will
counteract British superiority.
AXIS: This is a race--airpower plays a big role in reconnaissance,
softening up
obstacles and in ensuring your parachute and air-transportable forces can
get
deep into the enemy's rear area. The biggest risk is always running into
enemy
air defenses and then getting jumped by their fighters. You've been warned!
Furthermore, don't waste your SIGs' ammo, since they are slow to reload.
Keep
them near the forefront of the advance and use them when you really need a
strong artillery strike against a city.
Your initial organization should start with two battle groups. While
the
navy and air force win the battle in the Mediterranean, the smaller
battle group
will storm through Haifa up to Beirut. The stronger battle group strikes
through
Jerusalem and Damascus and then heads on to Baghdad for the final battle.
Since the desert routes are narrow and it is hard to fully deploy, quality
counts
for more than quantity in this spearhead. You may want to spare some
troops to
advance directly east across the desert to link up with your paratroops and
perhaps pick up a city on the way. Try to secure an airfield in Iraq as
early as
you can so you can base your air force there.
ALLIES: The Baghdad position is your ultimate stronghold and
well-protected
by the Tigris River and flanking deserts--the rest of the Allied army is
only there
to make sure the Axis get to Baghdad without the 4 to 7 turns they will
need to
deploy and take it. So don't rush your entrenched troops forward towards
the
enemy--dig in and make them dig you out to get past, fortifying Damascus,
Anah
and Baghdad for multiple lines of defense once the Axis take Jerusalem.
Defense
in depth is a sound strategy in this scenario, coupled with counterattacks
if the
Axis overextend themselves. For example, if they bypass your cities
without
adequately screening them, surprise counterattacks to retake lost cities
could be
successful and divert a large number of Axis troops.
You may want to ensure at least part of your air force survives
until the
enemy is moving on Baghdad, when his planes will have to fly back a long
way
to refuel and you may be able to gain local superiority. The disadvantage
is that
the Axis air force will have gained significantly more experience than
yours
while fighting its way across the Middle East. Because the Axis needs
airfields,
make sure yours are guarded against airborne attacks.
General Info: Clear skies will allow free rein to the
airfleets. The most significant reinforcement is on Allied turn
12 the GB Grant becomes available. This is a good offensive
tank. But its initiative of seven makes it more likely to shoot
second against the lower armored PzIIIjs. Terrain is mostly
desert with the Jordan River and the Tigris being the major
single obstacles on the road to Baghdad. This is the best area
for a solid defensive stand and the German player should be
prepared for a good fight in this area.
Final Evaluation:
Prestige Experience
Axis -1 0
Allies +1 0
The scenario is decidedly in favor of the German side. Quick
gains of prestige and the ability to concentrate all forces on
one objective at a time gives the Germans the advantage.
Recommend a +2 to the Allied side.
El ALAMEIN
No. of Turns: 26
Battle Posture: Axis = Attack Allies = Defense
Per Turn Prestige Boosters: Axis = 0 Allies = 63
No.of Units Available for purchase: Axis = 4 Allies = 2
- It is a long way to Cairo and even twenty-six turns may
not be enough. Still, it is open ground with lots of desert to
move through and around in.
No. of Objectives - 15 Axis: take all objectives.
- Five are already in the hands of the Germans but all of
the others are contestable and each could prove a vicious
battle. All objectives are on a logical invasion route to Cairo
therefore the German player may concentrate his/her entire
attention on one objective at a time. But this also makes the
defense easier.
Prestige: Axis = 558 Allied = 1176
- This is the biggest disparity of the scenario. The
Germans begin with an armor number disadvantage and the British
begin with a pretty sizable air force. Therefore British can
spend the bulk of their prestige on ground defenses and AA guns.
Germans will not get large bonus prestige as the cities are
heavily defended and far apart. Allied prestige advantage give
them a big boost in this scenario.
New Unit Exp: Axis = 1 Star Allied = 1 Star
Air Superiority: This is a very contestable. While the Germans
have the superior fighter in the FW190, the British have the
advantage of AA guns and adequate fighters in the Spit IIs, Vb
and the IX. Plus the fact the British begin with 4 Mosquito
Fighter/Bomber that can easily wax a wounded German fighter. The
Germans can win the air war but only through careful attacks and
planning. Still it is more likely that free reign through the
air will not be gained by either side for quite a few turns.
Ground Superiority: The British number of tanks are about equal
at the beginning of the game. Matilda IIs are still one of the
top tanks of the scenario and very difficult to kill in the
desert. GB Grants are also available and give good offensive
punch. I have found they are very vulnerable to dive bomber
attacks and can be taken out pretty easily in this manner. They
are fairly cheap and with the high prestige the British begin
with, Matilda IIs and GB Grants may be a permanent sights in the
desert. Germans have the advantage on turn 2 as the gain the new
PzIVf2 tanks with their improved anti-armor gun. In a straight
on fight, they outmatch the Matilda II and GB Grants. But the
prestige cost may be prohibitive. Germans superiority lies in
their cheap Anti-tank units which may be effective in this
scenario. Expect the main fight to take place in and around
Tobruk and Bir Hacheim. This fight can go on awhile limiting the
German advance in a scenario where time is absolutely critical.
AXIS: It's a long, long way to Cairo. Press Tobruk while stretching
the front to
Bir Hacheim in order to force a breakthrough. Send tracked vehicles south
of the
escarpment across the desert as well as advancing along the coast. Drop
detachments off at enemy centers of resistance to keep them from being
reinforced but keep the spearheads moving. Once you break through the
defile at
El Alamein, send your main forces to Cairo down both main roads and a small
battle group east to take Alexandria.
Using your air force to protect your ground troops is vital in the
deserts-
especially when they are mounted in trucks. Taking airfields for your air
force
should be a high priority.
ALLIES: Delay at Bir Hacheim and Tobruk as long as you can, then retreat
step
by step, making the Axis pay for each step. Make your stand between the
Qattara
Depression and El Alamein--make sure to have infantry and antitank units
start
digging in early on so they will be ready when the Axis spearheads arrive.
Use
your air force to pound the enemy in the desert, particularly if they try
to circle
around the El Alamein position to the south.
General Information: The desert fighting is the same. Clear
skies and hazardous desert for the wounded and out-of-fuel. The
coastal road allows access to all of the major objectives
including Cairo. The sea forces favor the allies with twin
battle cruisers and two subs. However, the Germans do get to fire
first and can damage many Allied ships not to mention the liberal
use of high Naval Attack rating level bombers to sink a few of
those Battle Cruisers. On turn 12 the Germans gain access
to the vaunted Tiger Tank and the British get the Church III
tanks. The Germans may not be able to take advantage of the
Tiger due to its high cost and German low prestige outlay.
Final Evaluation:
Prestige Experience
Axis +2 0
Allied 0 0
The tide has turned against the Germans in this scenario. Their
free reign of the skies in the earlier campaigns is now
challenged and the distance to the final objectives is extremely
prohibitive. Every objective is fought over and difficult to
maneuver around to out flank.
Recommendation: +2 to the German side.
CAUCUSAS
No. of Turns: 30
Battle Posture: Axis = Attack Allies = Defense
Per Turn Prestige Boosters: Axis = 0 Allies = 85
No.of Units Available for purchase: Axis = 13 Allies = 0
- Advantage here goes to the Axis. While the map is large
the objectives are centered in a small area and therefore should
give the German player plenty of time to reach the objectives.
No. of Objectives: 7 Axis: take all objectives.
- One objectives is already held by the Germans and it is
not threatened. All other objectives must be reached through
Soviet forces and each one can be a battle.
Prestige: Axis = 800 Allies = 2492
- Everytime I see such a disparity in prestige I wonder
what's the deal. Here it is obvious that the famous Russian
defense is designed to be implemented in this scenario. Russians
will favor quantity over quality looking to flood the field with
units. The Germans begin with plenty of high quality and
experienced units to offset this advantage therefore this area is
even match.
New Unit Exp: Axis = 2 Stars Allied = 1 Star
Air Superiority - The best Soviet fighter at this time is not
equal to the weakest German aircraft the Bf109. The Germans
begin with three FW190s and therefore rule the skies. They are
more likely to run out of ammo shooting down Soviet fighters and
bombers than take damage. The Soviets begin with about an
equal number of aircraft but their quality is so outmatched as to
make them a virtual non-factor. Best way to offset German
airpower is from ground AA guns.
Ground Superiority - At the beginning of the scenario, German and
Soviet forces are about equal in quality and number. But with
the immediate availability of PzIVf2s and, by turn eight, Tiger
tanks, the ground war shifts in favor of the Germans. But the
Soviets have massive amount of prestige to afford massive losses
and still maintain a respectable fighting force. The weakest
link in the German attack posture is the southern attack force
coming through the CAUCUSAS Mts. Two star experienced and
overstrengthed German units of average quality are going against
well entrenched-Arty covered positioned units with good AA
covering fire. The cities of Poti and Tiblisi are difficult
captures and are going to take time and probably a few units with
them if the German player is not careful. The terrain is ideal
for defensive stands by cheap partisans, ATGs, or even tanks.
The Germans must push beyond the Terek River to get into some
good open running country. German prestige will climb as the
scenario pushes on due to the large number of cheaply captured
cities and the high body count of Soviet units.
AXIS: Air power is key--use fighters to cut down the enemy air force
and
tactical bombers to weaken enemy armor in their defensive positions. The
battle
is divided into northern and southern theaters. Although the terrain is
more open
in the north, it is in the south that you must make the greatest advances,
and
taking too long to punch through the mountains can cost you the chance of
decisive victory.
In the south, send one battlegroup past Tbilisi directly on Grozny
and
another battlegroup up the road to Mozdok to take Grozny in the rear. After
linking up at Grozny, the Caucasus army group can strike through Blagdernoe
and Elista to link up with the northern army group at Stalingrad, taking
other
cities such as Ilinka, Kotelnikovo, and Jutovo en route.
The northern army group is divided into two battle groups by the
Donets
River. The battle group north of the Donets should drive on Stalingrad
between
the Donets and Don Rivers, while the southern battle group storms Rostov on
the
coast and then turns east to Stalingrad.
ALLIES: Air defense, artillery and tanks are your defensive mainstays in
this
scenario. Conserve your air force for the long haul--working with the
help of air
defense units, you may be able to pick off damaged Axis bombers. Overall
strategy differs between the north and the south. In the open plains of
the
northern theater, use your cities as defensive bastions that bleed the
enemy dry as
they advance. In the south, your best defensive position is in the
Caucasus
mountains, and you will need to devote enough reinforcements to the
southern
forces to ensure that the Germans don't force you back into open country.
General - The weather is reliable but you may encounter times
when the airfleets will be grounded. The terrain is easy with
few rivers, a number of roads and numerous non-objective cities
ripe for the picking by German forces. New available units in
the Tiger tanks are vital to the German player.
Final Evaluations -
Prestige Experience
Axis 0 -1
Allies 0 0
Time is too much on the side of the Axis. Thirty turns to travel
a relatively short distance to Stalingrad is easily traversed.
The Soviet number advantage is severely hampered by the large
turn count not to mention the lack of fun seeing ten to fifteen
units wiped out per turn. Recommendation: A +1 advantage to the
Soviets may be enough to balance this scenario. But not to add
anything to the Soviet forces but to subtract from the Germans.
TORCH
No. of Turns - 24
Battle Posture: Axis = Defense Allies = Attack
Per Turn Prestige Boosters: Axis = 0 Allies = 0
No.of Units Available for purchase: Axis = 1 Allies = 0
- The Allies have a very small map to contend with therefore
the advantage of time lies with the Allies.
No. of Objectives - 8 Axis: hold Tunis + 2 objectives.
- One objective is already in the hands of the allies and
all of the other objectives are along normal invasion routes and
two near the Medjerda river are easy targets. The Germans must
hold Tunis and two other objectives by the end of the scenario to
win the game.
Prestige: Axis = 835 Allies = 1528
New Unit Exp: Axis = 3 Stars Allied = 1 Star
Air Superiority: The Allies attack the Germans with 21 aircraft
while the Germans possess only six. While the three German
FW190s may cause some damage to slightly inferior Allied planes
it is only a matter of time before they are overwhelmed by Spit
IXs and P-38 Lightnings allowing American bombers to bomb the
blazes out of German forces.
Ground Superiority: The Germans have the best unit in the Tiger
I in this scenario. But they begin with only two while the
Allies begin with a variety of armor and large numbers of units.
The numerically superior Allies are close enough to German units
in quality to make the numbers a significant advantage. Germans
do possess the 8.8 AA gun but this may not prove enough to offset
Allied airpower because of its cost.
AXIS: The Vichy French in North Africa have surrendered to the Allies
and
both sides are racing to pick up the pieces. The Americans are mostly
inexperienced, but they have good equipment and outnumber you, especially
in
the air. Due to air inferiority, you must coordinate your air units
carefully and
use them selectively when it counts.
The obvious strategy is to use detachments to delay the Americans
while
you take up a defensive position on the east bank of the Medjerda River
with air
defense and artillery support. Your armored forces can concentrate further
south
around Gafsa to strike west and then north through the valleys east of
Biskra.
Time correctly, this force can hit the Allied support units in the flank,
cause
serious damage and derail the Allied offensive along the Medjerda.
ALLIES: With the advantages of air and naval superiority, you can afford
straightforward hammering against the Axis defenses to blood your troops
and
eventually drive the Axis into the sea. Note that the Afrika Korps units
are
veterans, however, and that the Tigers they field here are extremely tough.
General: The scenario is set in the desert so any reprieve
granted to the Germans by foul weather is non-existent. German
defenses will be centered around the Medjerda river and by
necessity near the coast within range of Allied ship guns from
two battleships and a couple of cruisers. This will be very
damaging to AA guns bought near objectives as these units are
extremely vulnerable to shore bombardment.
Final Evaluation:
Prestige Experience
Axis +3 +2
Allies -1 0
This scenario is heavily weighted in favor of the Allied forces
and probably should be avoided in head-to-head play. If the
Germans got a +2 or +3 bonus to prestige then they may be able to
afford two more FW190s and give the Allies a run for their money
in the skies. But then the ground defenses will suffer as many
units are overrun by superior numbers.
Recommendation: Give the Germans +2 or +3 in prestige and
experience to allow for the offset in Allied numerical
superiority and reduce the Allied prestige total.
HUSKY
No. of Turns: 21
Battle Posture: Axis = Defense Allies = Attack
Per Turn Prestige Boosters: Axis = 71 Allies = 0
No.of Units Available for purchase: Axis = 2 Allies = 8
- The high number of objectives and their disperse nature
gives the time advantage to the Axis. While roads do assist the
Allies in movement, numerous cities breakup rapid advancement and
allow for stubborn defensive stands around unimportant cities.
No. of Objectives: 15 Axis: hold 2 objectives.
- The Allies only begin with two objectives and they may
require defending if the German player feels brave. Foggia may
be too far of an objective to fall because of its remoteness
in the north of Italy. The Germans are required to hold two
objectives at the end of the game.
Prestige: Axis = 1532 Allies = 533
- This disparity gives the Axis a large advantage. It
allows the German player to contest Allied airpower by purchasing
extra fighters. The beginning German ground units are of high
quality and experience and the availability of probably the best
cheap unit in the game in the L-47 Italian Anti-Tank at a cost of
12 gives the Axis a significant advantage. Allied only reprieve
is the large number of objectives and their corresponding
prestige bonuses along with many cities available for the taking.
But these bonuses will be offset by the damage Italian Anti-tanks
do to your infantry and tanks.
New Unit Exp: Axis = 2 Stars Allies = 1 Star
Air Superiority: The allies begin with air superiority by
numbers only. The Germans begin with three FW190s and a few
Stuka dive bombers. The Allies have two P-51B Mustangs which are
about an even match with the FWs. This coupled with British Spit
IXs and a single Mosquito Fighter/Bomber can wax the FWs in a
straight on fight. But the Germans player may opt to contest the
air and purchase more FWs because of the beginning high prestige
count which can make the fight in the air more difficult. One
thing that is vital to Allied success is air power and this is a
necessity to win the scenario.
Ground Superiority: The Germans begin the game with the best
high end units in the Tigers and Panthers especially in their
defensive rolls. Panthers do seem to be unusually vulnerable to
shore bombardment but the Tigers are pretty impervious. The
Germans also possess the best low end unit in the L-47 Anti-
Tanks. The Axis can flood the area with tough to kill Anti-tanks
with really the only limit being the maximum unit count. The
Allies have little recourse. Their best cheap unit is the US M10
Anti-tank but at the cost of 120. Instead the Allied player is
forced to bomb anti-tanks instead of the main-line stuff.
AXIS: The Allies are ashore in Sicily and Italy is next. Husky--the
invasion of
Sicily and Italy by the Allies--is the first of the Western fight or flight
battles: this
means that your main option is whether to fight to hold your initial
position or
fall back to a more defensible location. This series of battles is about
holding on
grimly against an enemy that, at least in quantity if not in quality, has
an
advantage on land, sea and air. In Husky, the flight option is to pull
back to Italy
and try to set up a tough defensive line, preferably based on the inland
cities out
of the reach of naval bombardment such as Foggia and Totenza with infantry
and
antitank units entrenched and heavily bolstered by air defense units and
artillery.
The fight option is to hold in both Sicily and Italy (hard to do)
or defend
one and give up the other--pulling out of Sicily is the usual choice.
Instead of
fleeing from enemy landings, you try to drive them into the sea and keep
hammering them with your limited but concentrated strength.
Either way, you need to counter the overwhelming Allied air threat
and
you need to get more heavy tanks to help pick off weak Allied units.
ALLIES: This scenario is an exercise in overwhelming the enemy by multiple
amphibious invasions. Although your troops are less experienced, in all
other
respects you have advantages that you can turn into victory objectives
taken.
You can land anywhere you please on the Sicilian and Italian coasts and
support
your forces with air and naval bombardment. But don't delay in Sicily
before
getting serious about conquering Italy, and don't ignore the Axis air
force.
General Information: The weather is generally good until near
the end of the scenario when rain tends to be in the forecast.
The terrain is open at most places except in the center and north
of Italy. Roads connect most of the cities. The most unusual
part of this scenario is the Sicily/Italy crossing. Allied ships
may position themselves on both sides of the crossing to inhibit
easy passage by German reinforcements. Allied naval guns are a
huge threat and historically allowed the Allies to win this one.
Numerous cruisers can destroy tanks with a constant barrage.
Their best effectiveness is to eliminate entrenchment values and
decimate soft targets especially AA guns.
Final Evaluation:
Prestige Experience
Axis -2 0
Allies +2 +2
This is a tough one for the Allies. Air superiority is not a
given due to the high prestige of the Germans. Most players will
go for the anti-tank defense of Sicily so it is imperative that
air power be seized as soon as possible. A -2 to German
Prestige could help even things up. (Note: It has been
discussed recently that the Axis player may opt to voluntarilly
limit the amount of anti-tanks purchased. Twelve is a reasonable
count. If this is the case, Axis penalty should be -1.)
ANZIO
No. of Turns: 14
Battle Posture: Axis = Defense Allies = Attack
Per Turn Prestige Boosters: Axis = 47 Allies = 0
No.of Units Available for purchase: Axis = 2 Allies = 4
- Though there are few objectives and, on the map, they
don't seem very far, rough terrain and tough German units make
the going treacherous. Every turn is needed for the allies.
No. of Objectives: 7 Axis: Hold Rome plus 2 objectives.
Allies: Take and hold Rome or 2 objectives.
Three are already in the hands of the allies and the Germans
are required to hold Rome and two other objectives. So if the
Allies can capture Rome and lose all others, the game is still
won. The Allies must also hold and protect Naples.
Prestige: Axis = 574 Allies = 1064
Many Allied units will be destroyed or seriously damaged in
the first German turn especially around Anzio. Therefore the
majority of Allied prestige goes to replacing lost units.
New Unit Exp: Axis = 2 Stars Allied = 2 Stars
Air Superiority - The Germans possess the best fighter in the
skies over Italy in the FW190d plus two normal FW190a's.
The Axis, should buy at least 1-3 FW190ds.
The Allies are very much limited compared to Husky in their airforce with only one P-51d and 3 P-47d Thunderbolts plus two Spitfire IX and 2 Mosquitoes.
The Allies should buy 2 B-17s on the 1st turn if enough prestige.
The P-51d is in immediate danger from attack from a brave German player, because of the move order.
However the FWs could move about the sky ,looking to pick off fighters and bombers .
Therefore air superiority is contested to either side.
Also it might be useful to send a Paratroop unit over the sea then south, then attack rear allied air fields.
Ground Superiority - Axis: Not only do the Germans have better ground units in the Panthers, Tigers and Elefants but Allied formations are very spread out along the center of Italy known as the Gustov Line.
This dispersion does not lend itself well for offensive action.
The Axis should use their Artillery to bomb Anzio then send 2 Artillery units to Cassino, and 2 to Rome after there first bombardment.
Also send at least 1 88 AA gun to Rome immediately to avoid Naval gunfire.
Also move the Panther and Panzer near Formia out of the mountain and city area and back farther toward Cassino to be ready for counterattack strikes when the Allies decide to cross the river.
The Axis should place either Recon or Anti-Tank units in at least
2 or 3 rear cities as soon as posssible, best choices are the Port City to the Northwest Civitavecchia and The city Northeast of Rome, to prevent Paratroop takeovers and sea landings.
Never attempt to cross the river with big tanks, or leave them in the mountains or a city if possible, this is an Axis defensive scenario except for around Anzio and counterattacks.
Anzio is probably ultimately doomed despite shore
bombardment from Allied battleships. Still only two objectives
or Rome are needed to win the game.
AXIS: Although still at an overall disadvantage, at Anzio, south of Rome, you can strike back at the Allies by driving their landing forces back into the sea.
Since the Allied battleships will soon open fire, attack immediately while you can.
Except perhaps at Lanciano, nowhere else on the Gustav Line, from
Formia to Lanciano, can you the Axis attack without risking too much.
Guard Rome and Pescara carefully--with Anzio taken, you may be able to hold off the Allied onslaught.
Use your air power sparingly so you will have it available as a threat to the Allied bombers.On turn 1 either attack Allied planes or pull back to the Airfield north of Rome until you buy 1 or 2
more Fighters to form a Formidable attack force.
ALLIES: Use your combination of strength and mobility to press the enemy and push through gaps.
Buy 1 British Cromwell tank, and place south of Formia,to use its superior movement after you take formia to move on to Rome and
Anzio.
Wait for the Navy to help at Formia before making an all-out push.
As the Allies, I don't think there's any way to hold Anzio, so I don't waste any prestige placing units there.
I just give it up as lost, with the intention of retaking it later with my spearhead from Formia. I concentrate all my efforts on the Formia river crossing (B-17s, naval fire, artillery and armor).
Take that port city Northwest of Rome Civitavecchia and begin building M-10s there and maybe 1 cheap artillery in a truck, and if possible get a mobile Artillery unit out of Anzio to this city.
If the Allies have B-17s, the German armor is dead once it crosses
to the south of the river (assuming that the Allied player built armor there).
Even if the German armor stays north of the river, the B-17s can
bomb it out of ammo and fuel in a couple turns due to suppression. Meanwhile, the Allied fighters must immediately seek out and destroy the Luftwaffe in order to give the B-17s free rein. (Oh, yeah, I also garrison the two Allied victory cities with a Daimler in order to prevent sneaky German infiltration).
Or you can send 1 Artillery and an Infantry south to Naples also.
Move 3-4 Artillery pieces near Cassino if possible and attempt to take out the 88 AA gun places there.
Use the southern attack force as a diversion, make the Axis General beleive this is your main thrust north, and hope he diverts Tigers and Panthers south to stop you, as your B-17s render his Big tanks helpless due to suppression.
Thats the key to crossing into Formia along with moving all Naval units south to bombard Formia also.
Save as much prestige as possible to buy new units at Civitavecchia Northwest of Rome after your sea transport from Anzio lands there.
The 2 B-17s and the 1 British Cromwell Tank is all you spend early.
The U.S.M-10 Anti_Tank is cheap and effective in assaulting Rome backed by cheap Artillery.
Never forget to place some units in Naples to protect from attack.
Using naval power, you can unhinge the line at Formia and
roll it up to Cassino, then march on Rome. Meanwhile, your battleships keep the Axis at bay in the Anzio area at least for 1 turn then head them south to Formia.
Allies attack far north with Paratroop units to gain prestige.
General Information - Weather can turn ugly in this scenario.
But will still leave the Allies enough time to take Rome
if they play the right strategy, also you may want to just take Anzio and Cassino and still win, it depends on your opponents axis strategy, Axis just needs to slow down Allies enough to win, dig in and play good defense with counterattacks.
Axis should spend wisely and place troops wisely to win.
Axis should totally ignore new troops in the far eastern objective.
Unlike Husky, Allied forces have the time but not the forces.
The Allies must again contend with the cheap ATG defense and it
is made even more difficult because of the terrain.
If Anzio appears doomed move as many units as you can to ship
transports to the North,and take the city Northwest of Rome.
Then move fleet to bomb Formia.
Final Evaluation -
Prestige Experience
Axis 0 0
Allies +2 +1
Another difficult one for the Allies .
German forces dominate the battlefield to a point where they may
even take the offensive in certain areas. More prestige to the
Allies may give them the advantage. +2 to their prestige.
If your Allied opponent is more Advanced than you, then either even or only +1 prestige is needed for the more advanced player.
The above settings are for even opponents or If the Axis player is the more advanced by a wider margin.
D-DAY
No. of Turns: 15
Battle Posture: Axis = Defense Allies = Attack
Per Turn Prestige Boosters: Axis = 0 Allies = 100
No.of Units Available for purchase: Axis = 1 Allies = 1
- The Allies only need three objectives to complete the
scenario and Caen is suspiciously close to the shoreline and is
capable of being shore bombarded by battleships. The most
difficult objective is Saint Lo in the south due to the rough
terrain in the box country and the difficulty in getting good
units to the position. Time is still on the side of the Allies
because of the low objective count.
No. of Objectives: 5 Axis: Hold 2 Objectives.
- Two objectives are in Great Britain and already guarded so
these are fairly secure. I suppose a German player can launch a
de facto Sealion but it is probably a waste. Caen is within
range of long range battleship guns and the hexes around it are
vulnerable to cruiser fire. Cherebourg is difficult only in its
remoteness. Saint Lo is the most difficult objective because of
the terrain surrounding it and the ease of its defense.
Prestige: Axis = 1096 Allies = 2042
- The Allies begin with numerical superiority and airborne
units already landed. The 2042 prestige points will no doubt go
to purchasing battle tanks to contend with the losses suffered
against superior German armor. Axis prestige is low and will be
used up quickly shoring up defensive lines around the objectives
and will not be enough to really contend with Allied airpower.
New Unit Exp: Axis = 2 Stars Allied = 2 Stars
Air Superiority - Allied airpower outnumbers and in a three cases
outguns the Axis Luftwaffe. The American P-51h is more than a
match for the FW190a and about even with FW190d9. So with these
coupled with an assortment of weaker fighters make the five FWs
have a difficult time to manuever. They may be reserved for
specific attacks or even better, used in conjunction with AA guns
to protect the skies over the objectives. But in a straight on
fight, the Axis will lose the air war. Air supremacy goes to the
Allies.
Ground Superiority - German panzers are once again and really
always superior to Allied equipment. But one Panther does not an
army make. The power of these tanks can do little but slow down
the tide of Allied forces as the rush to Saint Lo. Beware also
the Panther tank is unusually vulnerable to shore bombardment.
Numbers and air power nullify German armor advantage unless they
are adequately covered by decent AA fire.
AXIS: This is the second Western fight or flight scenario--you must
defend three
French cities for fifteen turns, while trying to keep your units alive.
Your good
quality reserves are well behind the line, subject to Allied air attack as
they move
up toward the coast. It is unlikely that you can stop the enemy on the
beaches or
drive him back into the sea--a better chance of winning may be to
concentrate
heavy combined arms defenses around the victory objectives you are supposed
to
defend, or at least 2 of the 3. Note that you can disband bypassed
fortifications
to allow you to build new units.
ALLIES: Air, land and sea, your overwhelming might has descended on the
Norman coast. Avoid any serious mistakes, and you should easily win the
battle.
General Information - The weather is fairly reliable but count on
about two turns of rain to ground Allied planes. The only real
difficult terrain is the box country around Saint Lo. There are
numerous back French cities and areas that are undefended by
Germans forces. An allied parachute drop deep into France can
pick up some quick prestige so look for it.
Final Evaluation -
Prestige Experience
Axis +2 0
Allies 0 -1
I don't think even the Allies had it this easy historically.
Caen is too close to the shore to give the problems the real life
Caen defenders did in Normandy. Allied shore bombardment will
keep AA guns from setting up in the front of Caen. Saint Lo is
probably the best place to try to win the scenario for the
Germans. A +2 prestige bonus to the Germans and a -1 exp to the
Allies might even this up. But then again the Allies are
supposed to win.
ANVIL
No. of Turns: 23
Battle Posture: Axis = Defense Allies = Attack
Per Turn Prestige Boosters: Axis = 0 Allies = 80
No.of Units Available for purchase: Axis = 12 Allies = 5
- While there is difficult terrain to traverse the
objectives are in a natural invasion route. The lack of good
Axis units nullifies any advantage the Axis player has in
terrain.
No. of Objectives: Axis: hold 2 objectives.
- The Axis must hold two objectives in order to the win the
game. Once again the horrible terrain cannot be taken advantage
of as the Allies push northward.
Prestige: Axis = 1060 Allies = 2014
- The Allies win this match up hands down. The Allies begin
with 14 aircraft as opposed to the German's four. On the
ground, the Germans are outgunned in artillery and armor with
only two Panthers. The Axis must decide where to spend the
limited prestige amount while the Allies can use their store to
repair aircraft and wounded units without to much worry of
running out.
New Unit Exp: Axis = 2 Stars Allied = 2 Stars
Air Superiority - The Allies rule the skies with three American
Mustangs and four Thunderbolts The Axis have limited fighter
power nor are their prospects for adding to the airfleet is very
limited as the ground war is also outgunned. Numerous American
bombers will make it difficult for even the AA guns to make much
of a dent in the American airfleet.
Ground Superiority - Normally the Germans own the ground with
their armor. But in this scenario the Germans begin with an
assortment of infantry units and only two Panther tanks. The
allies have a variety of artillery and the versitle M4 tank
series to handle German armor. American and Free French forces
will have a difficult time with the terrain but with the mobile
artillery units the allies shouldn't have too much of a problem
with dug in infantry and their rugged defense.
AXIS: Heavy losses are to be expected as your forces are put to the
test, so save
prestige for replacements. Rugged terrain and experienced units are your
only
assets and hope of staying alive against the Franco-American onslaught, and
your safest strategic goal is a marginal victory based on holding Grenoble
and St.
Vallier at the end of the battle. Don't let your units stand and die on
the coast--
get them into successive defense lines based on the cities and rivers in
the hills
and mountains. Holding on to airfields early on, however, will help you by
forcing the Allied air units to return to their distant bases to refuel.
ALLIES: A lot of tough terrain and a few tough Germans await you in
southern
France. Although the ground is ideal for defense, recon and ground
attacks by
your air force will help neutralize this defensive advantage. Securing an
airfield
on the mainland is a high priority to avoid having to fly south to refuel.
There are really only two main routes north: one east of the Rhone
and
another through Sisteron, where a number of routes from the coast converge.
The mountainous trails further east can be easily blocked and will support
an
advance on only a one-unit frontage. Move quickly, because Grenoble and
St.
Vallier are each tough defensive positions to be cracked.
General Information - The terrain and rivers make it seem like a
defenders paradise. But the Germans don't have the units to take
advantage of the terrain. The weather is generally good but
the weather can turn foul and ground the Allied airfleet for a
few turns.
Final Evaluation -
Prestige Experience
Axis +2 0
Allied -1 -1
The Germans are outmatched in the air and on the ground. The
prestige count doesn't give enough ability to buy units except
anti-tanks in much quantity. Unfortunately the Anti-tanks are
extremely vulnerable to bombing attacks. Add +2 to german
prestige.
ARDENNES
No. of Turns: 32
Battle Posture: Axis = Attack Allies = Defense
Per Turn Prestige Boosters: Axis = 0 Allies = 0
No.of Units Available for purchase: Axis = 1 Allies = 37
- There are few objectives but this campaign is a slugfest
with hard fought battles fought for each objective. Americans
will be reinforced three times with a big 5000 prestige bonus. It
is because of this fact that the time favors the defender. The
German units are slowly ground under by superior Allied numbers
and by turn 20 they could be completely overrun. It is
imperative that the Germans get out into the open roads early and
lay seige to Liege and Namur.
No. of Objectives: 8 Axis: take all objectives, but Brussels.
- Three are in the hands of the Germans and Brussels is not
a necessary objective to attain to win the game. Therefore
forces can be concentrated on taking only four objectives.
However it is necessary to capture as many cities as possible in
order to deny staging areas for Allied reinforcements. In
addition, the German player will find the prestige point boosts
vital to carrying on the campaign.
Prestige: Axis = 1106 Allies = 1288
- The Allies receive big bonuses of prestige to the tune of
5000 prestige points on the 4th, 12th, and 20th turns. This will
serve as big defensive boosts to objective cities and the ability
to form counterattacks upon wounded German units. This will give
the advantage to the Allies.
New Unit Exp: Axis = 2 Stars Allied = 2 Stars
Air Superiority - This scenario is not meant to be decided in the
air. The Allies start with four planes and the Germans begin
with three and neither airfleet is sporting their best. While
the Allies can later spend more on air power, more likely it will
go to ground units to get some push on the Germans around
objectives. Still the German player shouldn't be surprised to
see a few extra planes around turn 20 or so. The advantage is
even with the allies getting the advantage as the scenario
progresses.
Ground Superiority - The Germans will have a decided advantage in
the beginning of the scenario. They completely outclass and
outnumber the Allies in every category but air power. Even this
may not be much of an advantaged when confronted by
entrenched American infantry. One good rugged defense and that
Tiger tank could be scrap metal. The primary duty of the Allied
player is to delay long enough to receive reinforcements from the
big prestige bonuses. So it is imperative that the Germans make
use of their advantage while they can. The Axis has little
prestige to waste on new units when many of the German's best
units will be damaged by entrenched infantry during the initial
assault. The defense for the Allies lies behind the Meuse River.
If the Allies can hold Liege against the forces crossing the
river and prevent a flanking manuever then the game
reinforcements will win the day.
AXIS: Bad weather is a key factor but a mixed blessing in this famous
battle. It
freezes rivers and protects you from Allied airpower, but your key
spearhead
units will consume fuel at a disturbingly high rate. The terrain is rugged
but has
numerous roads, an interesting challenge for both sides. You need to
strike
quickly before Allied reinforcements can intervene, so force breakthroughs
and
let the rear-echelon units mop up isolated enemy left behind you as you
advance.
The easiest route in the north is through Malmedy and Spa, but this
leaves
a dangerously large Allied force on your northern flank. The main
battlegroup
must fight through and take Liege before it can be reinforced, then sweep
down
upon Namur from the north before linking up with the southern battlegroup
and
continuing around the Dyle River through Nivelles to Brussels. The southern
battlegroup must take Bastogne ("Nuts!") and Rochefort before joining up
for
the final push from Namur.
ALLIES: Bad weather, bad terrain and good defensive tactics will fatally
slow
the German advance through the Ardennes and allow reinforcements to swing
the
tide of battle. Smashing Axis airpower early on is a priority so you can
attack
their ground units on the march with impunity.
Delay the enemy at Bastogne and in the northern towns as much as
possible, while using your remaining front line troops to harass the flank
and rear
of the advancing Germans. This may give you the time you need to prepare
an
appropriate reception for the enemy at Liege and Rochefort.
General Information - "The Weather outside is frightful..." The
scenario begins snowing and is wholly unreliable for the entire
time. The terrain is difficult and vital to the Allied success
because it is full of good defensive positions in the dense
forests. Roads connect most cities but clever deployment can
prevent rapid mechanized movement. Allied units can be
positioned in heavily wooded areas to slow down swift moving
mechanized units.
Final Evaluation --
Prestige Experience
Axis +3 +1
Allies 0 0
5000 prestige points can buy a lot of armor and troops to where
even the Tiger and Panther tanks can't shoot that fast. The key
for the German is to grab the initiative and keep it as long as
possible to where the Allies, even with their big experience
grabs can't contend with the German onslought in every arena.
COBRA
No. of Turns: 25
Battle Posture: Axis = Defense Allies = Attack
Per Turn Prestige Boosters: Axis = 0 Allies = 0
No.of Units Available for purchase: Axis = 10 Allies = 1
- There are seven objectives with three already under
control. The other four and in all different directions of the
rather large map. The advantage lies with the Axis because of
the diverse nature of the objectives.
No. of Objectives: 7 Axis: hold 3 objectives.
- Only four are true objectives but they are spread out and
there will be a need to devote units to each objective. It may
be difficult for the allied commander to divide the force
provided to assault the objectives equally. The Axis must hold
three objectives by the end of the scenario to win it. The
Allied commander must divide forces into assault groups to lead
them individually to objective points. This will weaken them
somewhat but Allied aircraft will devestate most units in their
way.
Prestige: Axis = 816 Allied 1314
- The Germans are at a severe disadvantage in the unit
strength and numbers and the low prestige is prohibitive in
providing for a units to defend the objectives. The Allied
presence is overwhelming and much of their prestige can be spent
for repairs and replacements of lost units.
New Unit Exp: Axis = 2 Stars Allied = 2 Stars
Air Superiority - Allies 19 to an Axis 3....Nuff Said.
Ground Superiority - Not only do the Allies outnumber and
outclass the German units on the ground but many of the German
units are close to the onrushing hordes so that even if they cut
and run on the first turn they are libel to get plastered by
aircraft as fighters scout ahead. So the German must rely on
prestige reinforcment to carry out the defense of the objectives.
AXIS: The Allies need to break out and race across France to their
objectives,
while you need to stop or delay them despite serious inferiority across the
board.
An overall offensive must be ruled out--your only good attacks will be
against
unwary mounted infantry, artillery and the like as they spread out in their
advance across France. Even holding the line won't work for long. A
better
course is to pull back to fortify and entrench in your objectives as
strongly as you
can and trade space for what little time the Allies will let you have, but
don't
expose your moving troops to Allied air attack while mounted up if you can
help
it. Good luck!
ALLIES: Despite your superior strength, you can't ignore the time factor.
You
need to explode across France in several directions to take all the vicotry
objectives you need. One battlegroup moves south to storm Nantes, another
crosses the Seine and moves to Amiens, while the third strikes southeast to
Paris
and Orleans. Your first wave should ignore isolated Axis infantry not
directly in
their path and leave these for the second-line units to mop up.
General Information - Terrain is open. Weather is good.
Final Evaluation -
Prestige Experience
Axis +3 +1
Allies 0 -1
Axis power is overwhelming in all areas. The large map area
allows for quick movement and encirclements that leave artillery
vulnerable. The Axis needs units and with a +3 to their prestige
then it may be possible to dent the onrushing horde of Allied
ground units.
MARKET GARDEN
No. of Turns: 16
Battle Posture: Axis = Defense Allies = Attack
Per Turn Prestige Boosters: Axis = 0 Allies = 0
No.of Units Available for purchase: Axis = 1 Allies = 1
- The map is unusually small and many of the units are
spread out making it difficult to arrange for a concentrated
attack on Arnham until the scenario moves along. Still the
Allies must move quickly to seize dominance west of the Waal
river and attempt a crossing as soon as possible to fight the big
fight with Tigers and Panthers to reach Arnham.
No. of Objectives: 16 Axis: take Arnhem.
- There are 16 objectives but only one counts in Arnham.
The Germans must hold this in order to win the scenario. Allies
can use these objectives to seize big prestige boosts to
supplement their air and ground forces.
Prestige: Axis = 2012 Allies = 1020
- The Germans and Allies begin in a generally static
position looking to gain the advantage over the other. Both
sides will probably be looking to bolster their defenses on the
ground which give the Axis the advantage. Numerous secondary
objectives will give the Allies a periodic boost in prestige
levels.
New Unit Exp: Axis = 1 Star Allied = 2 Stars
Air Superiority - The Allies must face this scenario with the
British air force without American aircraft. While the
British outnumber the German airfleet 11-5, the Germans have the
better plane in the FW190d9 and could make a run at denting the
British airfleet by purchasing fighters. The Allies can purchase
American P-51 Mustangs. Air superiority in numbers straight off
the bat give the Allies an advantage. But clever use of prestige
and the FW190s can make this a hotly contested battle.
Ground Superiority - The numbers of units are about equal while
the quality of units are decidedly on the side of the Germans.
With their cheap anti-tank units, the Germans can afford to use
secondary units to defend objectives while using the mainline
stuff to counterattack Allied thrusts. Axis holds the advantage
here. The German player must be aware of the massive number of
airborne units the Allied player begins with and expect to see
paratroopers in the skies east of the Rhine.
AXIS: As Arnhem is the most important objective on the map, smashing
the
Allied defensive perimeter there is your number one priority. Try to close
in on
Oosterbeek quickly to keep the Allies from raising new units there and
drive the
paratroopers out of Arnhem.
You need to pick an overall defense line, preferably all securely
behind a
river--it is unlikely that you will be able to drive the Allies around
Nijmegen
back across the Meuse, but the Waal is a practical defense line and the
Rhine
serves in the last resort. Your forces in the west need to slow the Allied
advance
sufficiently for you to consolidate the Arnhem area and relieve your
garrison in
Nijmegen. The small force at Gembert is likely to be engulfed if it
directly
challenges the enemy, but it may be able to worry the enemy's flank and
draw off
some of his forces. Alternatively, it could move back quickly to help in
the
attack on the Allies around Nijmegen. Your battlegroup at Nijmegen needs
armor to help defeat the paratroops and artillery, so raising a unit in the
area may
be necessary.
Your small airforce must be nimble enough to avoid getting wiped
out--air
defense units are the key to deflecting some of that Allied airpower from
vulnerable targets, but be aware that the Allied aircraft are increasingly
resistant
to damage.
ALLIES: With airpower and reinforcements of armor, antitank guns,
artillery
and luck, you may be able to hold the Arnhem-Oosterbeek perimeter and
permanently tie up the Germans on the east bank of the Rhine. Taking and
holding Nijmegen is easier because the force balance is more favorable, but
you
will need the main army to come up quickly to fully secure the Nijmegen
area
and push on to Arnhem. Don't let too much ground strength be diverted
against
weakly-defended secondary objectives. Your massive air force should be
able to
take care of any particularly strong resistance in the western part of the
battlefield.
General Information - The weather is not totally reliable so
expect rain periodically throughout the scenario. The allies
must seize a corridor to Nijmegen in order to build
reinforcements there. The Waal and the Rhine Rivers are prime
defensive positions for the German tanks. Crossing will be
difficult at these points.
Final Evaluation -
Prestige Experience
Axis 0 0
Allies +1 0
The +1 to Allied prestige will allow them to build the necessary
tanks and anti-tanks as well as aircraft to dent the German
armor. Otherwise units are used up so quickly that there may be
nothing left for the final assault on Arnham proper.
BERLIN (WEST)
No. of Turns: 13
Battle Posture: Axis = Attack Allies = Defense
Per Turn Prestige Boosters: Axis = 0 Allies = 4
No.of Units Available for purchase: Axis = 8 Allies = 22
- It is a good ways to Berlin for the Allied portion of this
scenario. Even though the Allied ground forces are more numerous
than German forces it can be slowed down by judicous use of good
anti-tank deployment.
No. of Objectives: 10 Axis: hold Berlin & 5 other objectives.
- Allies already hold 4 objectives only need to acquire and
hold one more to win the game. Therefore the number of
objectives are decidedly in favor of the Allies
Prestige: Axis = 1082 Allies = 1020
- The Allies and the Axis begin about even on the ground so
much of this prestige will go to repairing damaged units rather
than buying new ones.
New Unit Exp: Axis = 2 Stars Allied = 2 Stars
Air Superiority - The vaunted Allied airpower that help win
Europe is unusually absent and instead the Allies must face the
prototype jet aircraft of the Dorniers335, ME262s, Komets, HE62s.
It would take a pretty decent airfleet to combat these aircraft
and it is missing. The few planes the Allies begin with cannot
hope to compete against these.
Ground Superiority - The Allies have good tanks and lots of them
compared to the German forces. If the Allies can defend their
airfleet then the Panthers and Tigers are vulnerable to
airstrikes. The huge about of undefended cities give the Allies
a cheap and easy source of prestige which can be used to buy
units right on the front line. Still the distance is far and the
German player does not need to worry about Soviet forces and can
work on a delaying strategy.
AXIS: To hold 5 objectives and Berlin at the battle's end you will need to
make
a stand at the Rhine while the forces near Berlin move up as
reinforcements.
You will need strong artillery, air and air defense cover to counter the
Allied
onslaught, using your armor for local counterattacks to cripple the
vulnerable
enemy infantry the Allies will need to dig you out of your defenses.
Although a defensive strategy with purely local counterattacks can
win the
battle, you may also try strategic counter-offensives to keep the Allies
off balance
and win valuable time. Your heavy tanks remain powerful units if
adequately
protected from air attack--armored thrusts south from Holland and across
the
Rhine near Karlsruhe and Stuttgart when the enemy weakens his forces in
those
areas can draw off enemy forces from the crucial central sector of the
Rhine for
several turns. You may even be able to wreak havoc among the artillery in
the
enemy rear areas or seize an objective.
General Information -
The avenues to all cities have roads and allow for quick
access by mechanized infantry units. The Allied player must
beware of German defenses behind the rivers and the German player
must beware of quick flanking moves.
Final Evaluation -
Prestige Experience
Axis 0 0
Allies +1 0
BALKANS
No. of Turns: 25
Battle Posture:Axis = Attack Allies = defense
Per Turn Prestige Booster:Axis = 3 Allies = 3
No.of Units Available for purchase:
Axis = 3 Allies = 1
- Axis units are close to many of the objectives and ready to strike into others. Numerous battlegroups allow for the number of turns to give the Axis the advantage of having enough time to strike at them all.
No. of Objectives: 19 Axis: take all objectives.
- There are many objectives to be captured and the Greek objectives in Greece cannot be taken by the Italians alone.
The Germans must sweep down out of Serbia and into Greece fighting through Yugoslav resistance and Greek resistance.
Once there they are liable to find the British waiting for them.
The Objectives are disperse and it is possible that partisans can reseize one before the end of the game.
Prestige: Axis = 755 Allies = 702
- The Axis have more than enough units to seize the objectives as they are.
A few extra tanks in the south makes it
all the easier.
The Allies suffer from a lack of quality units to buy with their prestige.
They may opt to buy British but that is a very limited area and could possibly lose the war everywhere else to quickly. Therefore this advantage goes to the Axis.
New Unit Exp: Axis = 1 Star Allies = 1 Star
Air Superiority - The airpower is decidedly in the Axis favor.
The Germans begin with two FW190s while the British fly two Spitfire IIs and a Mosquito...Easy pickings for the Luftwaffe.
Add to the mix are numerous Italian aircraft that can be used to trap those planes that are destroyed by the first wave of shots.
The P108 level bomber is murder on Allied ships and the Italians have a pretty effective dive bomber.
All in all it is free reign in the skies over Greece and Yugoslavia.
Ground Superiority - This is a classic struggle of the many versus the best. Unfortunately there is a lot of the best. The
Italians are in trouble against the Greeks until the Wehrmacht arrive to bail them out then drive on the Greek penninsula.
The German PzIVs are ideal against the large amounts of infantry not to mention the amount of artillery they already possess.
AXIS: You have numerous allied Italian and Bulgarian units available to you,but your Germans will still have to do the toughest fighting.
Yugoslavian resistance will be crushed by an advance into Yugoslavia from all sides,
but, unless you switch forces towards Greece as early as practicable and make the
necessary air and naval support available, you could find yourself unable to secure Greece by your deadline.
To avoid this, the German troops in the
eastern battlegroups should shift towards Greece as early as possible, letting your
Bulgarian troops mop up resistance further north. You may even initially only screen Kragujevac to allow the troops nearby to head directly for the ultimately decisive theater.
ALLIES: Heavily reinforce all objective cities You have serious air
inferiority
and need to take care of your air force if you want planes available when you need them to defend Greece.
To the extent you have the strength to score "kills," pick on the Italians,
especially early on at the Albanian front, and the Bulgarians when they arrive at
your fortifications near Thessaloniki. Use your Matilda IIs and air defense units
wisely, and note that Yugoslav infantry are inexpensive and very useful for harassing Axis rear areas so long as they survive.
General Information - Expect the weather to turn bad for a few turns during the scenario possibly making it muddy. There is
quite a bit of rough terrain but roads go through passess around and through these mountainous areas.
The Germans have only a small advantage in a straight on sea fight and with a few lucky
rolls the allies could win it. But the Italian P108 Level bomber
will swing the tide completely in favor of the German fleet.
Also Italy is vulnerable and the German players may find that
Italy has become the new home to Greece.
Final Evaluation -
Prestige Experience
Axis -1 0
Allies +2 0
The Allies are outmanned and outgunned in the Air, Sea and
Ground. They must rely on numbers and a +2 to their prestige may
swing the scenario to a more even balance.
CRETE
No. of Turns: 13
Battle Posture: Axis = Attack Allies = Defense
Per Turn Prestige Boosters: Axis = 80 Allies = 2
No.of Units Available for purchase: Axis = 10 Allies = 6
- While this is a low turn count for PG the island of Crete
is small and the objectives with one exception are packed close
together in the western half of the island near the likely
landing zone of German forces.
No. of Objectives: 7 Axis: take all objectives.
- One is already in Axis hands. Five are close together and
concentrated on the western of the island of Crete. The last is
in the eastern center. The close density and the connecting
roads and pass through the mountains allow rather easy access to
these objectives and gives the Axis the advantage.
Prestige: Axis = 524 Allies = 1058
- The Germans begin with an impressive array of units at
sea and airborne. Allies will need the prestige to replace units
on the ground that will be bombed by German dive bombers. It
would take much more prestige than is available to allow the the
Allies to contest German airpower.
New Unit Exp: Axis = 1 Star Allied = 1 Star
Air Superiority - The Germans begin the game with 3 FW190s
compared to the single Hurricane and Mosiquito at the lower right
of the map. Any new allied aircraft will be spent uselessly as
the FWs get target practice. There are areas where good AA gun
crossfire may discourage Axis bombing runs but overall the
Germans rule the air.
Ground Superiority - The British have the initial advantage due
to the chaotic nature of amphibious landings the Germans need to
undertake in the Western portion of the island. British Matilida
IIs and artillery can cause some serious damage to amphibious
landings. This is where the battle needs to be won by the
Allies. Also airborne drops are somewhat unreliable and the
troopers are vulnerable without armor support. Once the Germans
succeed in getting a foothold the battle then the Allies must
fight a retreating and delaying action even though the ground
strength advantage switches to German armor, artillery and
bombers. They are to try to use concentrated attacks on
objective after objective because of the spacing. This advantage
is very much favors the allies. Because of the low turn count, a
human player running the British in Crete can fight the Germans
for every hex due to poor terrain.
AXIS: Your first priority is to get the paratroops safely landed on the
island and
to screen your naval transports from hostile warships. Although sometimes
the
Axis fleet can win the naval battle, particularly if air power is diverted
to help it,
it is more likely that the result will be a draw or the fleet will
sacrifice itself to get
the ground troops ashore on Crete. Although spreading out the landings is
desirable, it may not be practical or safe if the Allied naval threat is
severe. The
paratroops will usually land and attack isolated cities in groups supported
by air
power while the regular army lands and fights its way east from the west
end of
the island. Speed is important.
ALLIES: Sinking naval transport is your first priority, and you second is
to sink
the Axis fleet so it is you rather than they who can provide shore
bombardment.
Build up your air force to keep the German air units occupied and prevent
them
from influencing the land battle. When the Axis troops land, see if you
can hit
them effectively on the beaches, but don't sacrifice high entrenchment
levels for
this purpsoe.
General Information - The Allied fleet outnumber the German fleet
with two extra destroyers, a extra T-P boat and Sub. However
this numerical advantage is countered by the possibility of the
German player diverting the airpower to damage Allied ships. The
weather is generally reliable with a small chance that the planes
may be grounded for a turn or two. The terrain is hard in areas
and paths of access to all objectives are narrow and easily
bottlenecked.
Final Evaluation -
Prestige Experience
Axis +2 0
Allied 0 0
The British must fight as the Germans come ashore. They
are outnumbered and outgunned as German panzers begin to advance
onto cities once they get organized. If the British fleet can
penetrate and the British fight hard on the coast, the Germans
can be stopped quickly. A +2 prestige bonus to the Axis gives
them more ability to repair damaged units and push through before
the low turn count ends the game for them.
BARBAROSSA
No. of Turns: 23
Battle Posture: Axis = Attack Allies = Defense
Per Turn Prestige Boosters: Axis = 0 Allies = 0
No.of Units Available for purchase: Axis = 1 Allies = 1
- It can take awhile for the Germans to cross the river and
get going out in the flatlands and then it is hell bent for
Smolensk. The two routes, one through the middle and one over
the top have roads and wide fields that lend itself to rapid
advancement. Therefore the turn count is a little high and
favors the Axis.
No. of Objectives: 10 Axis: take all objectives.
- Two are held by the Germans. Vilna, Baranovichi,
Volkvysk and Minsk are very much exposed by open terrain and
roads and probably will fall pretty easily. There are also few
units surrounding the objective sites which means the Soviet
player would need to buy units and try to get them entrenched
before the Germans arrive. The obectives are also pretty much in
line toward Smolensk. It does require two German battle groups
to across the top and through the middle.
Prestige: Axis = 777 Allies = 908
- The prestige count is about even. Soviet tanks are about
25% more expensive than their German counterparts and their
staying power is depleted due to ariel bombardment therefore much
of the Soviet prestige goes to replacing expensive mainline
tanks. The Axis has more of the luxury of deciding where initial
prestge goes due to the large number of initially minimally
guarded non-objective cities they can take for quick prestige
boosts. As stated earlier, some objectives will be difficult
to defend for the Soviet player.
New Unit Exp: Axis = 2 Stars Allies = 0 Stars
Air Superiority - The Soviet airfleet outnumbers the German
fighters and bombers but their quality is not as good nor are
they experienced. Their effectiveness can be enhanced by the
judicious use of the high-quality but cheap cost of the Soviet AA
gun. The Germans can risk and purchase another fighter to aid in
their airpower but that may leave the ground units short. This
is Axis advantage.
Ground Superiority - The Soviets at this time have higher quality
tank units in the KV-1s, KV-2s, and the T-34 but each cost more
than the PZIIIh. Beware of the KV-2s as they only have three
ammo shots and these could be used up on attacking PzJagers. The
disperse nature of the objectives allows the Germans to encircle
objectives and Soviet units and wipe them out. Not until the
last objective is there are good defensive position but then
Germans may have too much time left to take their time and wax
the Soviet units with patience.
AXIS: This is a race to Smolensk and little time can be wasted. Focus
on speed
and rely on quality. Once across the Bug and Narew Rivers, move full speed
east. The northern battlegroup can quickly take Grodno and the airfield,
but
should push on east rather than turning south to help against Volkovysk.
It
should drive forward to Vilna and then Postavy before joining with the
southern
battlegroup to thrust to Smolensk.
The southern battlegroup is large and it has more work to do. The
front-
line Soviet units need to be gotten rid of, but keep in mind the need to
push
forward rather than chasing after crippled enemy units. The first big
battle
should be at Volkovysk and include Soviet armor reinforcements--some of
their
tanks are powerful, and should be weakened by air strikes before you
venture to
attack them with your armor. After taking Volkovysk, the southern
battlegroup
wil push on to Minsk, letting rear-echelon units clean up around
Baranovichi.
The attack on Minsk should not delay the continuing march on Smolensk,
which
will develop into a joint attack by both battlegroups between the Dvina and
Dniepr Rivers.
ALLIES: Don't try to hold at the initial lines for long -- fall back to
the bad
terrain west of Vilna in the north and west of Volkovysk in the south.
Save your
mobile units by pulling them back to the Vilna-Lide-Baranovichi line while
fortifying Minsk and Smolensk. Letting your KV-2 dig in between the Dvina
and the Dniepr is a good idea, particularly if it is supported with more of
a
defense line.
Because of the nature of the terrain, you will often have the
chance to
infiltrate units behind German lines, or to launch limited counterattacks
from
peripheral cities such as Pinsk. Cavalry is useful in this role. Your air
force is
outclassed but may be able to overcome the Germans by massing against
single
air units. Your well-armored heavy tanks can by themselves block or slow
the
enemy advance for a turn or two, so use them for that purpose but pull them
out
before they are destroyed.
General Information - Never trust Russian weather. It can turn
ugly in a heartbeat and ground vital airsupport. Without
airpower the Germans could not punch through Soviet armor. The
terrain is good for mechanized units.
Final Evaluation -
Prestige Experience
Axis +1 0
Allies 0 0
This a pretty good scenario because of the superior Soviet tanks
and the cheap AA guns. Unlike the British and the Americans, the
Soviets are more than willing to arm their citizenry and put out
partisans as their cheapest unit along with an ATG gun. This is
a pretty even scenario.
KIEV
No. of Turns: 28
Battle Posture: Axis = Attack Allies = Defense
Per Turn Prestige Boosters: Axis = 0 Allies = 0
No.of Units Available for purchase: Axis = 2 Allies = 1
- German units begin close to almost all major objectives
but most of the time will be fighting stiff Soviet resistance.
Kiev is heavily defended from the beginning and it will probably
take the northern attack force, after it has taken care of the
other objectives to come down and take it. It is a small map
and the time allows the Axis to consolidate its forces on Kiev.
No. of Objectives: 9 Axis: take all objectives.
- Three are held by Germans. Kiev is already heavily
defended and Mirgoran and Lokhvitsa are distant through heavily
defended Russian terrain. Kiev is heavily defended but the low
count of objectives always goes the Germans.
Prestige: Axis = 1035 Allies = 1402
- The Soviets maintain the advantage due to the high amount
of armor they begin with in the scenario. The Germans must rely
on airpower to pop the Soviet armor enough so that the PzIIIjs
can nail them. The Soviet player will be able to spend most of
the prestige on new equipment as Soviet units seem to die with
incredible rapidity in any scenario. Soviet tanks are a little
more pricey than their German counterparts but their defense
values are higher and withstand greater punishment.
New Unit Exp: Axis = 2 Stars Allies = 0 Stars
Air Superiority - The Germans have the obvious advantage
beginning with three FW190s and four BF109s to take care of the
hopelessly outclassed Soviet fighters. No doubt the Soviet
player will look to invest heavily in AA guns to defend their
vulnerable tanks. Without the Stuka divebombers, the Germans
would have a really tough time moving through Soviet armor.
Ground Superiority - As I have stated the Soviet Armor are about
equal to the German armor with the KV-2 having better attack and
defense values than anything the Germans can field.
Unfortunately they have only three shots so become no more than
mobile tank blockers until they are rearmed. And any general
worth his salt will look to nail those tanks when they are out of
ammo. The Soviets also have very cheap units in their partisans
and their ATGs. The Germans may need to resort to the PzJager
Anti-tanks to take care of these low end units.
AXIS: Fortunately, you will be able to achieve decisive air superiority
in this
battle. So soften up the Soviets around Kiev with airpower, secure
Zhitomir and
Boguslav with garrisons, and put pressure on the Red Army massed around
Kiev. Update your older equipment in preparation for a tough fight around
Kiev.
Your northern force (on the left-hand side of this map) should split into
two
battlegroups, one attacking through Konotop to Rumnyr and then fanning out
to
take Lokhvitsa, Mirgorod and Priluki while the other moves through
Gorodnya
to cross the Seym River at Chernigov and take Kiev in the rear. Your forces
in
the south (on the right of the map) should tie down the Soviets facing them
and
gain what ground they can. The decisive final battle of this encirclement
will be,
as it was historically, around Kiev.
ALLIES: Your forces are widely spread out--while you need to garrison the
important cities, you will need to concentrate your better combat units at
decisive
points to contest the Axis assault. The Seym River line near Konotop and
near
Chernigov is a solid defensive position if adequately supported with armor,
and
you should be able to delay the Axis for some time. In the Kiev area, you
could
use the strength of your massive army to entrench or launch a
counteroffensive
against the Germans nearby.
The Axis troops are more experienced than yours--giving your troops
some
experience before the Axis close in from all sides is a good idea. Your
air force,
unfortunately, is outmatched and you will need to rely on air defenses to
provide
protection from Axis bombing and strafing.
General Information - The Russian weather seems to be a little
milder in Kiev with only a moderate chance of the weather
turning ugly. Still never trust it and get in those bombing
missions ASAP. The terrain is easy once the river is crossed
except for the southern swamp area. The Germans have quite a few
undefended cities so beware that they may become targets of
opportunity when the Soviet prestige begins to run low.
Final Evaluation -
Prestige Experience
Axis 0 +1
Allies 0 0
MOSCOW (41)
No. of Turns: 22
Battle Posture: Axis = Attack Allies = Defense
Per Turn Prestige Boosters: Axis = 0 Allies = 0
No.of Units Available for purchase: Axis = 3 Allies = 11
- It is a long way to Moscow through stiff resistance and
ideal defensive terrain. Tula is also very defendable against a
much small southern German battlegroup. The time favors the
Allies.
No. of Objectives: 8 Axis: take all objectives.
- While the number favors the Germans, their disperse nature
requires multiple battlegroups to lay seige to them as soon as
possible. Only if one of the final three objectives can be taken
quickly can that battlegroup turn to aid others.
Prestige: Axis = 524 Allies = 1204
- Massive advantage to the Soviet player. German armor is
once again not much better than the Soviet T-34s or the KV
series. Cheap partisans, ATGs and AA guns can create a nightmare
of defensive areas around major objectives. The Allies begin
with the prestige to buy quite a few new tanks to quash the
German advancement early.
New Unit Exp: Axis = 2 Stars Allies = 0 Stars
Air Superiority - No doubt that the Germans have the advantage
once again. But with the low beginning prestige count, the
German player cannot afford to immediately take advantage of the
air superiority and buy new bombers. It is more likely that the
German player must make do with the starting planes.
Ground Superiority - Soviet armor is good enough to slug it out
with the German tanks toe-to-toe. Only the airforce swings the
balance and they cannot be everywhere on the large map. The
Soviets begin with many good units with the capability to build
quite a few more and the time to accumulate more prestige.
You want to break
through enemy defense lines quickly and us these corridors to push forward
to
your objectives. One approach divides the Axis forces into 5 battlegroups:
(1) in
the north, either pushing toward Nelidova or screening off this sector and
passing
south of the forests to reinforce the attack on Rzhev and then Mozhaysk;
(2)
forces around Smolensk which clear out the area between the rivers before
taking
Rzhev and Mozhaysk, supporting the attack on Vyazma, and attacking Moscow
from the west; (3) troops deployed north of Roslavl which advance through
Vyazma and Obninsk to attack Moscow from the south and southwest, perhaps
even moving troops to take Moscow in the rear; (4) units south of Roslavl,
which
take Kirov and then Kaluga, then proceeding to support the attack on Tula
to the
south, Obninsk to the north, or Moscow to the northeast; and (5) the
southern
battlegroup, which drives east toward Tula and usually will not have the
time to
participate in action near Moscow.
ALLIES: Most of your units entrenched in fortifications or rugged terrain
should stay there--don't move heavily entrenched units without good cause.
Retreat only as a result of combat, at which time the unit should move to
safety
and obtain replacements. Artillery and air defense units at objective
cities will
make the Axis assault more cautiously and gain time, while patrolling armor
should be used to challenge attempts to encircle or bring up infantry to
storm
Soviet-held cities. Try to make the Axis disperse their spearheads to
attack your
defenses and respond to your counterstrokes. Conserve at least part of
your air
force to contest the skies over Moscow and hope for bad weather.
General Information - The Russian weather can and probably will
turn ugly for a few turns depositing rain or snow upon the fields
further slowing German advancement. Look to the Volga being a
major defensive perimeter.
Final Evaluation -
Prestige Experience
Axis +1 0
Allies 0 0
SEVASTOPOL
No. of Turns: 17
Battle Posture: Axis = Attack Allies = Defense
Per Turn Prestige Boosters: Axis = 0 Allies = 0
No.of Units Available for purchase: Axis = 1 Allies = 2
- There is plenty of time to move about the map and achieve
the densely packed objectives. Fighting in Sevastopol itself is
slow going but once the area around the city is cleared the
German armor can move freely to other objectives.
No. of Objectives: 15 Axis: take all objectives.
- This large number is deceiving due to the fact the
objectives are very close together and at times multiple
objectives will fall in a single turn. This just allows the
Germans to add more prestige as they seize the initiative and
take objectives.
Prestige: Axis = 1232 Allies = 1491
- The high Axis prestige count allows them to offset the
Allied prestige with infantry. Because of the close in city
fighting, infantry and artillery are more important than tanks at
this stage. Axis prestige is quickly replenished by taking city
hex after city hex and they can take the luxury in exterminating
all Soviet resistance.
New Unit Exp: Axis = 2 Stars Allies = 1 Star
Air Superiority - The Germans maintain the air advantage and
will only need to contend with AA guns. Soviet aircraft is no
match for the Luftwaffe and will be shot down if exposed.
Ground Superiority - German units are almost all overstrengthed
at the beginning of the scenario and occupy the northern and
eastern edge of the map. While the Soviet tanks are equal to
German tanks, city fighting favors infantry and the German
infantry is experienced and powerful coupled with a generous
helping of artillery shells. As the Germans move through
Sevastopol, the city hexes will give them substantial prestige
gains.
AXIS: Airpower is key in order to hit the Soviet artillery, which
otherwise will
inflict heavy losses on your infantry as it attacks city and fortification
hexes.
The way to deal with fortified lines is to force a single breach
several hexes
wide, pass your forces through, and force the enemy to retreat or come out
to
fight you. To shorten your front and capture a vital objective, taking
Bartenevka
must be your first objective. It can be done quickly with relatively few
units.
Crossing the fortified lines and the Alma River is the next goal, which
could be
most safely done on a broad front between Inkerman and Novyi Shuli. Once
that
is done, the armored forces can swing south around Sevastopol past
Nikoaevka,
destroying Soviet units in the open ground, while the infantry (especially
the
pionieres) and artillery begin the city fight for Sevastopol on as broad a
front as
possible in order to speed the victory.
ALLIES: While losing Bartenovka is inevitable if the Axis really want to
take it,
otherwise you must yield no ground. Stop the enemy in the river hexes and
attack
them while they are there with heavy armor. Except for units entrenching
in
Sevastopol's victory hexes and adjacent hexes, mobilize your rear area
troops to
come forward and defend the front lines.
General Information - The German player needs to beware of the
Soviet fleet which can provide support to infantry counterattacks
and wound vulnerable artillery pieces. The weather is fairly
reliable.
Final Evaluation -
Prestige Experience
Axis -2 0
Allies +1 +1
When playing the campaign I loved this scenario because it nets
you a boatload of prestige. As the German progress through the
city they will accumulate prestige to keep pushing and the Soviet
units are just not good enough to counterattack and break through
the Russian lines. A +1 to their experience may allow them to
hold out longer than they would normally.
MOSCOW (42)
No. of Turns: 23
Battle Posture: Axis = Attack Allies = Defense
Per Turn Prestige Boosters: Axis = 0 Allies = 0
No.of Units Available for purchase: Axis = 4 Allies = 5
- The extra objectives makes this more of a race. Not only
must the Germans push through Moscow but then divide to take the
far eastern objective and the one slightly south. This
dangerously divides forces where the opportunistic Soviet player
may exploit.
No. of Objectives: 14
- Two are held by the Germans and almost all the others
require a separate attack group to seize and have advantageous
defensive positions. It will be a slow battle with numerous
sieges in order to drive the Soviets back.
Prestige: Axis = 620 Allies = 1129
- The advantage lies here with the Axis. The Germans begin
with six Stuka divebombers and four fighters. They also have
access to the Tiger tanks which totally outclass Soviet armor at
this time. The Axis can afford to buy tanks instead of aircraft
as it will be necessary to have the decided edge on the ground.
Soviet prestige will be eaten up by seeking replacements for
those units destroyed by the Tiger's guns.
New Unit Exp: Axis = 2 Stars Allies = 1 Star
Air Superiority - The Soviets are at a disadvantage. Only the
fact that it is a large map and a clever Soviet player may elude
the Luftwaffe to do some damage on land transports moving
artillery and infantry. The German player must take caution in
the fact some areas may be out of range of their fighters and
allow the Soviet airforces some free shots.
Ground Superiority - The Tiger is king in this scenario. The
Tiger tank can destroy any Soviet tank. Its main drawback is its
fuel. You will find the need to stop and refuel these monsters
often and they can suddenly run out of gas at the most
inopportune times. The Soviet player would be wise to pounce on
any out-of-gas Tigers they find. More than likely the Soviet
player will follow the standard Russian strategy of flooding the
field with ATGs and partisan units to slow down the onslaught and
use up ammo. The size of the map also allow for units to sneak
behind the lines and cause some damage.
General Information - Expect snow to ground the Luftwaffe for a
few turns. The map is the same as the other Moscow scenarios
with the same entrenchment areas. The three extra objectives and
the low turn count can give this win to the Soviets if they can
play for time. The Soviet player really should hope for bad
weather as it will allow entrenched units an extra turn of life.
Final Evaluation -
Prestige Experience
Axis -2 -1
Allies 0 0
Taking the minus two to the prestige for the Axis units will
help delay the buying of units near the end of the scenario by
the Axis in order to get fresh units and push through Moscow.
However the large number of cities will give the Axis big
prestige boosts through the scenario.
STALINGRAD
No. of Turns: 31
Battle Posture: Axis = Attack Allies = Defense
Per Turn Prestige Boosters: Axis = 0 Allies = 1
No.of Units Available for purchase: Axis = 4 Allies = 0
- There is plenty of time to move with the western
Battlegroup to Stalingrad and defeat it. The low number of
objectives and the rather easy terrain make this high turn count
an advantage for the Axis.
No. of Objectives: 8 Axis: take all objectives.
- Germans already hold two objectives and Stalingrad
counts for three. All objectives are on a natural invasion route
culminating at Stalingrad. The first three objectives will
require separate invasion forces. Each one can be defended with
good deployment by the Soviet player. Unfortunately for the
Allies time is on the side of the Germans. They can take their
time to take the outer objectives then turn and crush Stalingrad.
So the advantage there goes to the Axis.
Prestige: Axis = 606 Allies = 2450
- To compensate for the lack of depth and complexity of the
Stalingrad seige, it is obvious that they attempted to make up
for it by giving the Soviet player a massive prestige advantage.
With this prestige, the Soviets can purchase huge quantities of
low end units or a large amount of highend tanks and AA guns.
The Axis prestige will probably go to repairing damaged units and
purchasing those Tiger tanks on turn 9.
New Unit Exp: Axis = 2 Stars Allies = 1 Star
Air Superiority - The Germans still maintain complete air
dominance over Soviet planes. But the German player does not
have the prestige immediately to go around buying new planes.
The German player could purchase more as other areas of the map
become exposed. Clever deployment of Soviet aircraft can trap
planes and expose them to ground AA fire and shoot down the
undefended Stuka. But the Allied player must be prepared to lose
the airwar.
Ground Superiority - Until the Tiger tanks come on line the
German armor will have rough going against comparable Svoiet
tanks. Airpower will give the Germans the offensive advantage
but the PzIIIs and the PzIVf2 don't have the hitting power the
Tigers do. The Soviets are running with the KV-1/42s and the T-
34s. While they do not have good offensive numbers their
defensive numbers are outstanding and can prove to be difficult
against any advancement.
AXIS: Your strategy will be three pincers converging on Stalingrad.
The first
battlegroup, north of the Donets, can capture Rossosh and Voronezh and then
drive along the Don to Stalingrad. The second battlegroup, immediately
south of
the Donets, should attack toward Millerovo and then Stalingrad, while the
third
battlegroup, consisting of the more southerly units, should converge on
Rostov
and then storm up the Don to Stalingrad. Air superiority, as always, is
important
to protect your own forces and soften up Soviet entrenchments.
ALLIES: Make the Axis pay for the ground they take by focusing on
garrisoning your cities with strong defenses, including artillery and air
defenses
and tanks posted nearby to counterattack vulnerable enemy units.
General Information - Expect the weather to turn bad in Russia
near the end of the scenario. The terrain is pretty good and the
Axis player has the choice of striking south into the Caucusus
with airborne troops at the vast number of undefended cities.
The Don and the Volga are the only real siginificant natural
defenses. But these are good ones in hitting weak tanks trying
to cross with cheap anti-tank guns.
Final Evaluation
Prestige Experience
Axis 0 0
Allies 0 0
While the Axis has better equipment the Soviet player totally
outclasses the Germans in prestige. They can afford many good
tanks and just stuff the German advancement very quickly before
the Tigers come online. If the Soviet player can use up all the
prestige at the beginning of the game in bold gameplay, then the
German player will not have enough to swamp you with Tigers and
push in through Stalingrad. In this scenario the game is won in
the first ten turns rather than the last ten.
KHARKOV
No. of Turns: 22
Battle Posture: Axis = Attack Allies = Defense
Per Turn Prestige Boosters: Axis = 0 Allies = 0
No.of Units Available for purchase: Axis = 3 Allies = 3
- The German player should have plenty of time to move all
the way up to Bolgorad. The terrain is open with roads leading
up to the objectives.
No. of Objectives: 9 Axis: take all objectives.
- All objectives are in the center of the map and in a
natural progression toward the Kharkov objectives.
Prestige: Axis = 500 Allies = 610
- The Germans pickup good prestige by taking non-objective
cities and destroying already weak Soviet units in the beginning
of the scenario.
New Unit Exp: Axis = 2 Stars Allies = 1 Star
Air Superiority - Germans begin with Air superiority with four
Bf109s - three are overstrengthed. Neither side really has the
luxury of purchasing fighters or bombers. Axis begins with four
Stukas so expect them to run fairly free through the skies.
Ground Superiority - German units begin overstrengthed. Tigers
are not in the army of the Germans at the beginning but are
immediately available for purchase. Soviet armor is not capable
of really denting a Tiger but the big map will make it necessary
for refuelling often for the gas guzzling Tigers.
AXIS: This is a highly fluid battle in its early stages as your
counteroffensive
gains as much ground as possible before the Soviets can consolidate. You
need
to hurry to recapture Kharkov and especially Belgorod from the enemy.
Strategic plans can differ. According to one plan, the westernmost
battlegroup
advances on the axis Pereshchepino-Krasnograd-Lyubotin and ultimately
attacks
Kharkov from the west and northwest, the battlegroup at Pavlograd and that
at
Krasnoarmeyskoye converge on Krasnopavlovka and then drive up to Kharkov
from the south, the fourth battlegroup moves through Izyum to attack
Kharkov
from the southeast, and the fifth battlegroup drives through Kupyansk to
Belgorod, which may already have been secured by parachutists taking
advantage of bad weather to escape detection by Soviet aircraft..
ALLIES: Your great winter offensive overextended itself and now you are
paying the price. You cannot hold your advanced positions, but a
precipitate
retreat lets the Axis roll forward too freely. Concentrate in defensible
positions
near Pereshchepino and Krasnopavlovka. Izyum and Kharkov itself are good
defensive positions. Use your heavy tanks aggressively in the battle.
General Information -
- The weather will usually turn ugly during the scenario.
But this can be a boon as it will freeze the rivers and allow the
tanks to roll across the ice. The terrain is favorable to the
attacker because of good road movement.
Final Evaluation -
Prestige Experience
Axis -1 0
Allies +2 0
KURSK
No. of Turns: 20
Battle Posture: Axis = Defense Allies = Attack
Per Turn Prestige Boosters: Axis = 0 Allies = 0
No.of Units Available for purchase: Axis = 3 Allies = 0
- There are three battle groups attacking toward a limited
number of objectives in a relatively small map. The advantage
lies with the Axis because of the limited amount of objectives.
No. of Objectives: 6 Axis: hold one objective.
- One German objective Rylsk is in imediate danger of being
overrun by Soviet forces unless reinforced. All others are
capable of being well defended. Still the small number allow the
German player to bring the full weight of his forces upon them.
Prestige: Axis = 558 Allies = 1172
- The Axis begins with most of the units they need to
complete this scenario. They German prestige is needed to repair
the German units. The Soviets begin with the prestige advantage
and get bonuses throughout the scenario. However the expendeture
of the prestige may be futile as the German units completely
outclass the Soviet counterparts.
New Unit Exp: Axis = 3 Stars Allies = 2 Stars
Air Superiority - The Germans will see a sea of AA guns as the
Soviets seek to support their entrenched units. The Soviet
aircraft is still not up to snuff and cannot contest the German
airpower in the air.
Ground Superiority
- This is the classic scenario of quantity versus quality.
The German units are so much better and the Soviets so much more
numerous that the contest seems to be good. But the Germans have
quite a bit of good units and they can blow right through any
line of defense the Soviet player attempts to put up.
AXIS: Your bombers will play a key role in the attack towards Kursk so
preserve their strength and knock out enemy fighters to help gian air
superiority
early on. Your northern battlegroup will break through the strong Soviet
defenses between Novosil and Kromry and then have free scope to continue on
to
Maloarkhangelsk and ultimately attack Kursk from the north. At the same
time,
the southern battlegroup will break through the defenses around Prokhorovka
on
its way to Kursk and Lgov from the south.
Artillery and air bombardment will be necessary to dislodge the
stubborn
Russians from their entrenchments, so keep your supporting units close by.
You
need to capture your objectives with reasonable speed to preempt a Soviet
counterattack, and near the city of Rylsk you need to be sure that no
Allied
counterattack develops. Reinforce this city and knock out as much of the
Soviet
artillery in that sector as you can.
ALLIES: Back up your heavily entrenched line with as much artillery as
possible, screened by other units from both ground and air attacks.
Artillery can
cripple advancing infantry intending to attack your defense works. Play
your air
force carefully, and use air defense units to provide ground forces,
especially
artillery, with protection.
Your goal is to hold while the Axis batter themselves against your
fortifications.
With luck you can hold Prokhorovka in the south, but you are likely to lose
ground in the more open northern sector before reinforcements arrive in
strength..
General Information - The biggest unique item about this scenario
is the prestige boosts every five turns of 2000 prestige points.
This allows the Soviet player to flood the area with partisans
and AA guns that will hopefully wear down German armor and
deplete their ammo.If Rylsk falls to soviets before Prokhorovka does to the
Axis, the soviets achieve instant Victory.
Final Evaluation
Prestige Experience
Axis -2 0
Allies +1 +1
The biggest problem for the Soviets is their serious quality
deficiency in their units. Their best tank is not close to the
Tigers or the Panthers. Therefore by limiting prestige may limit
the Germans ability to Elite Reinforce or purchase new high end
units.
MOSCOW (43)
No. of Turns: 21
Battle Posture: Axis = Attack Allies = Defense
Per Turn Prestige Boosters: Axis = 0 Allies = 0
No.of Units Available for purchase: Axis = 2 Allies = 0
- It is still a long way to Moscow, but the German player
doesn't need to worry about the extra three objectives that are
present in Moscow (42) scenario. Instead the Soviets begin with
more units to throw before the treads of German panzers.
No. of Objectives: 11
- With more Soviet units swarming the field the necessity of
three battlegroups is more obvious. Two objectives are held by
the Germans at the start and three objectives are on the road to
Moscow. But Tula and Kulag are going to require separate sieges
to destroy the resistance and then a sizeable defense force to
hold the line against Soviet counterattacks. This gives the
advantage to the Allies.
Prestige: Axis = 520 Allies - 1492
- As with most Soviet scenarios the battle of quality and
quantity ranges through this one also. The KV-85 is a good
quality tank and the best by the numbers the Soviets can field at
this time. It is pricy at 226 prestige. Instead the Soviet
player can opt for the flood the field and slow them down with
partisan bones technique.
New Unit Exp: Axis = 2 Stars Allies = 2 Stars
Air Superiority
- The Germans begin with only two FW190as and 3 Bf109s but
they can still destroy the best Soviet fighter in a heartbeat.
It is a big map however and an opportunistic Soviet player can
couple the cheap AA guns with selective fighter strikes to try to
inflict some losses. A more simpler strategy is for the Soviet
player to strike outside the range of the Luftwaffe. Don't
expect too many extra German fighters because of the low
beginning prestige of the Germans.
Ground Superiority
- To restate the obvious is the fact that the Tigers and the
Panthers will run roughshod over Soviet armor in this scenario.
They are slow moving once they start struggling for fuel and that
is their most vulnerable time. All other units are vulnerable to
the superior numbers of Soviet units. Tigers and Panthers begin
to run low on fuel around Vyazma and a little later.
AXIS: The objectives remain consistent. You want to break
through enemy defense lines quickly and us these corridors to push forward to
your objectives. One approach divides the Axis forces into 5 battlegroups: (1) in
the north, either pushing toward Nelidova or screening off this sector and passing
south of the forests to reinforce the attack on Rzhev and then Mozhaysk; (2)
forces around Smolensk which clear out the area between the rivers before taking
Rzhev and Mozhaysk, supporting the attack on Vyazma, and attacking Moscow
from the west; (3) troops deployed north of Roslavl which advance through
Vyazma and Obninsk to attack Moscow from the south and southwest, perhaps
even moving troops to take Moscow in the rear; (4) units south of Roslavl, which
take Kirov and then Kaluga, then proceeding to support the attack on Tula to the
south, Obninsk to the north, or Moscow to the northeast; and (5) the southern
battlegroup, which drives east toward Tula and usually will not have the time to
participate in action near Moscow.
ALLIES: Most of your units entrenched in fortifications or rugged terrain
should stay there--don't move heavily entrenched units without good cause.
Retreat only as a result of combat, at which time the unit should move to safety
and obtain replacements. Artillery and air defense units at objective cities will
make the Axis assault more cautiously and gain time, while patrolling armor
should be used to challenge attempts to encircle or bring up infantry to storm
Soviet-held cities. Try to make the Axis disperse their spearheads to attack your
defenses and respond to your counterstrokes. Conserve at least part of your air
force to contest the skies over Moscow and hope for bad weather.
General Information
- Expect the weather to turn ugly and note the comments on
earlier Moscow scenarios.
Final Evaluation -
Prestige Experience
Axis +1 0
Allies 0 0
BYELORUSSIA
No. of Turns: 23
Battle Posture: Axis = Defense Allies = Attack
Per Turn Prestige Boosters: Axis = 0 Allies = 0
No.of Units Available for purchase: Axis = 1 Allies = 1
- This is the reverse of the map in Barbarossa. Terrain is
open and favors the attacker because of roads leading to most
objectives and plains allow for swift mechanized movements.
No. of Objectives: 10 Axis: hold Warsaw.
- One is held by the Soviets and all others are fairly open
and easily accessed by attacking units. Favorable terrain is
located near the last objective only.
Prestige: Axis = 852 Allies = 1521
- As the scenario begins the numbers are about even in the
number of units. Unlike earlier Soviet/German scenarios, the
Soviets have high quality units in the IS-2s tanks and the ISU-
122 anti-tanks which can stand toe-to-toe with the big heavies of
the Germans except the Tiger IIs. For the Soviets, the high
prestige will allow to make a few purchases of fighters to seize
air superiority. The Axis can purchase one fighter but that may
cripple future purchases of high end units for ground defense.
New Unit Exp: Axis = 2 Stars Allies = 2 Stars
Air Superiority - At the beginning the Soviet fighters, while
weaker, outnumber the German fighters with five overstrength Yak-
9s and a Yak-7b. The two FW190s and the singe BF109 can take on
the fighers but can be worn down by shear numbers. The Yak-9 has
the same iniative and begin with the same experience as the
German fighters and therefore have an even chance of getting the
first shot. Once a FW190 is wounded then it becomes an easier
target for trapping by the more numerous Soviet planes. The good
8.8 AA guns are conspicuously absent in numbers and will cause a
serious disadvantage if the German planes are wiped from the
skies without adequate aircover.
Ground Superiority - The Soviets have finally fielded the IS-tank
series to contend with the dominant German armor. With the tank
superiority gone there is little hope to defeat the Soviet tanks
in a straight on fight due to their superior numbers. However
the tanks can cause significant damage in a delaying action as
they slowly pull back and choose the battles.
AXIS: This is familiar ground: Barbarossa in reverse. You start with
decent
entrenchments and should make the most of them before falling back behind
the
Dniepr-Dvina river line to a new defensive position. Airpower is once
again
important, and with skill and luck, your superior aircraft will enable you
to win
air superiority against the enemy fighters and destroy their bomber force.
Begin by bringing the small armored group at Minsk forward to
Borisov to
help keep the partisans at bay. The front line is precarious. Mogilev
will hold
out for some time, but VItebsk is doomed -- the main question is whether to
stand
and fight or fall back. While a forward "stand or die" defense would let
you
hold on to those prestigious cities for a while, the "big step back"
strategy in due
course can also pay off by relieving the pressure on your line and forcing
the
Soviets to either separate their armor from their infantry and support
units or to
bring them forward in vulnerable trucks susceptible to air, artillery and
armored
attack. Spend what time you have entrenching defenders in Minsk and other
rear-area cities. If you get driven back too quickly, Warsaw is a strong
defensive
position where you can consolidate for a last stand.
ALLIES: Mogilev will be tricky to take by a frontal assault, but elsewhere
you
can push the Axis hard. Storm Vitebsk and try to drive the Axis center and
left
wing into the river. Use your partisans to take Borisov if possible,
otherwise
keep them in the woods but position them where they can interfere with Axis
movement between the woods.
Once you force a gap, remember the lessons of blitzkrieg you
learned from
the Germans the hard way--when a gap opens, push forward relentlessly and
bypass isolated points of resistance. One northern and one southern thrust
is a
standard plan. You will need to use trucks to move quickly enough forward,
but
be aware of the risks involved--in particular, watch out for the Tigers and
Panthers prowling the Byelorussian countryside.
General Information - The terrain is good for the offensive
action of the Soviets and the Germans must stay mobile because of
the starting position of the units. Therefore there will be
little chance for the frontline units to get good entrenchment to
protect them from artillery and bombing attacks.
Final Evaluation
Prestige Experience
Axis +2 0
Allies 0 0
BUDAPEST
No. of Turns: 20
Battle Posture: Axis = Attack Allies = Defense
Per Turn Prestige Boosters: Axis = 0 Allies = 0
No.of Units Available for purchase: Axis = 1 Allies = 1
- Open terrain and an extensive road network facilitate
rapid movement slowed only be battles. The Germans only have
half the map to contend with. The objectives required to win are
relatively close to the starting positions.
No. of Objectives: 9 Axis: take all objectives.
- Four are already held by the Axis and all other are within
a few moves from the German start point. Simovtornya is off to
the side and will probably take an independent attack force to
assault the city.
Prestige: Axis = 500 Allies = 717
- The Soviets begin this scenario with a numeric advantage
with top of the line tank and anti-tank units. Germans have
little prestige to spend on new units when the current ones will
be damaged by good Soviet armor, so new units may be limited to
low end anti-tank units and replacements.
Air Superiority
- The Axis begins with the exceptional DO335 fighter and two
FW190d9 fighters while the Soviet begin with a severe
disadvantage in the air. But the Germans have only two tactical
bombers and cannot immediately afford more. So this is not as
crucial as the ground battle.
Ground Superiority
- The eastern half of the German attack is overly strong
where the western part is seriously weak with only defensive
units in place. The western German line could be overrun by
aggressive Soviet armor and expose the German interior. The
Soviet forces are fairly evenly distributed with good quality in
the IS-2s and the ISU-122.
AXIS: This is set up as a head-on fight, but you can turn it into an
encirclement
battle if you can turn the Allied line at the city of Slofok on Lake
Balaton. Open
a corridor past the Soviet left wing and do an end-run to the city of
Simontornya.
From there, your strike force can sent a detachment to take Dunafoldvar and
Solt
which will then push west along the far bank of the Danube while the bulk
of this
battlegroup cuts behind the Soviet line to attack towards Rackeve. When
the
Soviets leave their entrenchments to mass to defend Aba, they lose their
defensive advantage and you can close in on them from both sides for a
crushing
victory. The downside of this strategy is that the flanking force can
become
bogged down or the forces left behind might not be sufficinet to hold the
line.
ALLIES: Start by putting a garrison in Slofok and concentrate on taking
the city
of Tatabanya first. Since the German left wing is weak, this should happen
quickly and open a gap in the line through which the Allies can push troops
headed for Zirc and Gyor. The added prestige you earn from these successes
may be enough to add additional strength before turning back north to
attack the
Germans near Szekesfehervar.
Your heavy tanks remain a strong point you should plan around.
Unfortunately, your air force is not so good, but LA-7's and Yak-9's can
counter
the enemy's bombers and thus force him to escorthis bombers.
General Information
- The terrain is pretty open. The opportunity for the
Soviets to strike behind the German lines is a real possibility.
If they can do this then they can gain the prestige to blunt the
German main eastern offensive.
Final Evaluation
Prestige Experience
Axis +2 0
Allies 0 0
- The lack of airpower limits the ability of the German
forces to push through the cheap Soviet units and giving a chance
for the Soviet tanks to counterattack without the need for AA
cover. The Axis player could go for another bomber because of
the lack of Soviet airpower, but this may keep their ground
forces weak. A +2 to the German prestige should give them enough
to get the extra bomber and deal with the good Soviet units.
BERLIN (EAST)
No. of Turns: 13
Battle Posture: Axis = Defense Allies = Attack
Per Turn Prestige Boosters: Axis = 0 Allies = 4
No.of Units Available for purchase: Axis = 6 Allies = 6
- All of the objectives are on the front lines for both
sides. The short turn count would normally favor the defender
but the Germans must hold on to Berlin and five other objectives.
No. of Objectives: 13 Axis: hold Berlin & 5 other objectives.
- Six are held by the Soviets, seven by the Germans. This
means the Soviets must either capture three objectives from the
Germans and hold them or take Berlin. If the Soviet player holds
Berlin and loses all the others then the game is won.
Prestige: Axis = 520 Allies = 1133
- The numbers of units are about even but the prestige
advantage to the Soviets gives them the ability to create new
ground units right on the front to assist in the attack.
New Unit Exp: Axis = 1 Star Allies = 2 Stars
Air Superiority
- The Germans have the best now - the ME262s, HE162 jets,
the DO335 will totally dominate the Soviet air units. But with
only 2 Stukas and little prestige they many not be able to really take advantage of air superiority.
Ground Superiority
- The tank quality favors the German but with the numerical
advantage of good quality units with the Soviets give them the
advantage. Remember, Berlin must hold and the Germans need to
keep at least five objectives to win the scenario.
AXIS: You need to hold Berlin and 5 other objectives, but Berlin is
crucial so
keep the Soviets on the other side of the Oder as long as you can.
Counterattacks
through gaps in the Red lines toward the rear objectives can draw off enemy
forces (and you may get lucky and take objectives).
ALLIES: You have superior strength but limited time. The Germans are
spread
fairly thin except around Berlin, so you can make good time seizing the
other
objectives. But don't let so many units chase after other objectives that
you wind
up attacking Berlin too late, and make sure the Germans don't slip past
your lines
to seize objectives in your rear areas.
General Information
- Access to the German interior is good for the Soviets and
the lack of German airpower will allow rapid advancement. The
weather is generally reliable. The major obstacle to Soviet
advancement is the Oder River.
Final Evaluation
Prestige Experience
Axis +2 +1
Allies 0 0
BERLIN
No. of Turns: 13
Battle Posture: Axis = Defense Allies = Attack
Per Turn Prestige Boosters: Axis = 0 Allies = 4
No.of Units Available for purchase: Axis = 1 Allies = 10
- Berlin is the key. If Berlin falls all is lost for the
Axis. The Germans must be held at all costs. It will usually be
up to the Soviets to put pressure on Berlin as the American and
British forces begin quite a ways distant from Berlin. The
American and British forces will need to race to the final
objective almost right from the start to make a push as the turn
count winds down.
No. of Objectives: 15 Axis: hold Berlin.
- Berlin is the only important objective. All others are
peripheral for prestige only. Berlin is open from the West side
but protected on the East by the Oder river. The Soviet armor
will have a tough time pushing across the river and it cannot
contend in a direct fight with German panzers.
Prestige: Axis = 900 Allies = 1118
- The Axis is outnumbered on both fronts. They also begin
with a serious lack of armor. The lines on both fronts for the
German begin with serious holes. Much of the Axis prestige will
be spent on armored units.
New Unit Exp: Axis = 1 Star Allies = 2 Stars
Air Superiority
- Five of the best German fighters through the war against
27 mediocre aircraft for the Allies. Four Spitfire XII and a few
Thunderbolts are no match for the German fighters as are the
Soviet fighters. But the Germans have few planes and they can be
trapped by good tactical placement and then widdled away. The
German player may be wise to be more opportunistic in deploying
the fighter cover.
Ground Superiority
- Crossing the Oder near Berlin is a tough process so the
Allied player may choose to move the Soviet units up from the
South while keeping the pressure on across the Oder. Beware the
American and British forces. If ignored they can push fast into
the Rhineland and attack Berlin from the exposed west. Germany
begins with a serious armor disadvantage and needs to be made up
probably with extensive purchasing of cheap Anti-Tank guns.
AXIS: Berlin is crucial. You will have to defend firmly against the
Soviets in
the east, but in the west you have enough space for an elastic
defense--trade
space for time. There are many defensive obstacles on the road to Berlin,
so use
successive strongpoints to slow the advance of the western Allies while
conserving your strength so it will last through the battle. Remember that
bad
weather gives you more freedom of movement because Allied airpower is
ineffective.
ALLIES: With superior forces consisting of veteran troops on both fronts,
you
should press the Germans relentlessly and drive on Berlin. Rear-echelon
units
can mop up isolated German defenders not already pulverized by airpower,
and
your air superiority will ensure that even small detachments can capture
secondary objectives.
General Information
- The terrain is difficult and half of the Allied forces are
far away to make an immediate impact on the capture of Berlin.
The Russians have some good armor out but their airforce is
completely undergunned and will be wiped out by the small German
airfleet.
Final Evaluation
Prestige Experience
Axis +3 +1
Allies 0 0
The Germans are outmanned but not outgunned. Their forces are
significant and one good JadgTiger or JadgPanther can take out a
number of Allied mainline tanks. Still, every tank and man will
converge on Berlin for the final battle and that gives the
advantage to the attacker. The Axis needs the +3 prestige and
the extra +1 experience pop to give it a good run.
WASHINGTON
No. of Turns: 22
Battle Posture: Axis = Attack Allies = Defense
Per Turn Prestige Boosters: Axis = 70 Allies = 0
No.of Units Available for purchase: Axis = 1 Allies = 1
- The U.S. Capitol is a ways through difficult terrain in
the east and numerous defending units. The Germans will need to
move up quickly in the south and up the Potomic to lay siege
to Washington. There is no time to waste for the Germans due to
the high number of units the Americans possess.
No. of Objectives: 11 Axis: take all objectives.
Four are owned by the Germans at the start of the scenario
and are vulnerable to Allied paratroopers. All others are in a
natural invasion corridor to the multiple objecitve Washington
city.
Prestige: Axis = 1277 Allies = 2928
It is a tough air battle and much of the prestige on both
sides will be used in repairing damaged fighters and purchasing
new ones to seize the initiative air. The Allies have good
anti-tanks units and generally good tanks. The massive Allied
prestige to begin give the Allies the advantage here.
New Unit Exp: Axis = 2 Stars Allies = 2 Stars
Air Superiority
- This is the mother of all air battles. The Germans have
three ME262s, a HE162 and a Dor335 plus a few other fighter to
attack the Allied airfleet. The Allies have two Meteors, four
overstrengthed P-51H Mustangs and a number of the tough P-47s.
The key to this battle is that the Allies cannot replace the
Meteors because of the lack of British airfields while the Axis
can replace the jet fighters. The jets are not invulnerable and
concerted air attacks can destroy them. It is likely the air
battle will continue well into the game unless one side gets very
lucky. Both sides should not discount the use of the mobile AA
offensive guns such as the M16 MGMC or the Wirblewind guns. They
can weaken a fighter or a bomber to such an extent that a single
shot can take them out with minimal damage to your planes. Good
use of these can turn the tide of the air war.
Ground Superiority
- The American M-26 tank is the best they can field but they
are weaker in battle against the Panthers and the Tigers. But
the M-36 is a pretty good anti-tank unit and can provide
excellent defensive punch. Time is on the side of the Allies so
all they must do is defend. The Washington scenario is full of
ideal defensive positions and entrenchment areas. Paratrooper
counterattack by the Americans is a very real possibility and
should be watched for. The German player will need to divide
into at least two assault groups to advance on Washington thus
weakening their attack capabilites. On the eastern shore the
terrain is tough going with forests and rivers and will make it
difficult for quick advancement of German forces.
AXIS: This is the final battle--you will need to use everything you
have to storm
Washington and win decisively. Your paratroops and air force should carry
the
attack behind enemy lines, seizing ill-defended cities and airfields and
attacking
vulnerable support units. Your veterans have more experience than the
enemy
troops, although the Allies are numerically strong.
You may want to advance on Washington using a 4-pronged attack. The
westernmost landing group lands near and captures Port Tobacco, then moves
to
Potomac Heights and divides into two groups: one crosses the Potomac River
to
capture South Arlington and then strike Washington from the southwest while
the other follows the east bank of the Potomac to Anacostia to join the
attack on
Washington from the southeast. The landing group at Lexington Park takes
that
city and then thrusts up the main road through Brandywine to attack
Washington
from the east. The forces moving up the Potomac may be able to help this
battlegroup advance by turning the flank of the defenses at Brandywine.
The last
landing group steams up Chesapeake Bay to a landing site near West River or
Annapolis and drive west towards a position northeast of Washington from
which they can attack the city directly or encircle it.
Whatever your plan, Washington is a big city and make sure to
allocate
enough time for your troops to arrive there and fight their way through it,
hex by
hex.
ALLIES: If you can gain air superiority, you can slow the Germans enough
to
save the capital. Protect your British aircraft since you can't build
any more. In
the air, knocking out the enemy paratroops can save you a lot of headaches
when
they drop behind your lines. Your land strategy should be defense in
depth--
move units not defending towns or cities south to make defensive stands at
Brandywine, Port Tobacco and Owings. If you can slow the Germans enough,
they will not have the time to push their panzers down Pennsylvania Avenue.
General Information
Each side has its best out and ready to fight in this make-
believe scenario. The Allied fleet is weak but not helpless.
The need for shorebombardment by Axis ships can give the Allied
fleet an opportunity to close and weaken the ships. The terrain
is difficult in some areas and Washington itself is a nightmare
of entrenchments and artillery fire ranges. Air defenses and
losses from the airwar will no doubt prohibit good use of air
power in the taking of Washington while the allies may have a few
surviving bombers to waste incoming tanks enough for the weaker
American armor to do some major damage. The weather is generally
reliable and you can look forward to having some good airbattles.
Final Evaluation
Prestige Experience
Axis +2 0
Allies 0 0
It is a very tough airwar. The Allies can choose their
moment to strike whereas the Axis must be more cautious. No
doubt the Axis will need to purchase a few more fighters for the
party and hope to keep their bombers intact long enough so that
the airwar is won and they can commence bombing tanks.
* 5.5 * CAMPAIGN PATHS
POLAND: LOSE STOP
MINOR/MAJOR Warsaw
WARSAW: LOSE STOP
MINOR Low Countries
MAJOR Norway
NORWAY: ANY Low Countries
LOW COUNTRIES: LOSE/MINOR France (Sealion impossible)
MAJOR France (Sealion possible)
FRANCE: LOSE STOP
MINOR North Africa or Balkans
MAJOR North Africa or Balkans, or
Sealion 40 (only if major is won
in the Low Countries)
SEALION 40/PLUS: LOSE STOP
MINOR North Africa or Balkans
MAJOR Barbarossa
NORTH AFRICA: LOSE Torch
MINOR El Alamein or Kiev
MAJOR Middle East
MIDDLE EAST: LOSE El Alamein
MINOR Caucasus
MAJOR Sealion 43 or Caucasus
CAUCASUS: LOSE/MINOR Kharkov
MAJOR Moscow 42
EL ALAMEIN: LOSE/MINOR Torch
MAJOR Sealion 43
TORCH: LOSE/MINOR Husky
MAJOR Husky or Kursk
(if Russia is beaten -> Husky
only)
HUSKY: LOSE/MINOR Anzio
MAJOR Anzio or Moscow 43
ANZIO: LOSE MINOR DEFEAT (if Russia is beaten)
MAJOR DEFEAT (if Russia is alive)
MINOR D-Day
MAJOR D-Day or Byelorussia
(if Russia is beaten -> D-Day
only)
D-DAY: LOSE/MINOR Cobra
MAJOR Anvil
ANVIL: LOSE/MINOR Market Garden
MAJOR Ardennes
COBRA: LOSE/MINOR Market Garden
MAJOR Ardennes
MARKET GARDEN: LOSE Berlin
(if Russia is beaten -> Berlin
West)
MINOR/MAJOR Ardennes
ARDENNES: LOSE/MINOR Berlin
(if Russia is beaten -> Berlin
West)
MAJOR MINOR VICTORY (only if Russia is
beaten)
Budapest
BERLIN: LOSE MAJOR DEFEAT
MINOR MINOR DEFEAT
MAJOR STALEMATE
BERLIN WEST: LOSE MAJOR DEFEAT
MINOR STALEMATE
MAJOR MINOR VICTORY
BALKANS: LOSE/MINOR Barbarossa
MAJOR Crete
CRETE: ANY Barbarossa
BARBAROSSA: LOSE STOP
MINOR Kiev
MAJOR Kiev
Early Moscow (if you spend 1000 prestige)
EARLY MOSCOW: LOSE Sevastopol
MINOR El Alamein or Sevastopol
MAJOR Sealion 43
Washington (only if the UK is
beaten)
KIEV: LOSE Sevastopol
MINOR/MAJOR Moscow 41
MOSCOW 41: LOSE Sevastopol
MINOR El Alamein or Sevastopol
MAJOR SEALION 43
Washington (only if the UK is
beaten)
SEALION 43: LOSE Anzio
MINOR Moscow 43
MAJOR Moscow 43
Washington (only if Russia is
beaten)
SEVASTOPOL: LOSE STOP
MINOR DEFEAT (only if the UK is
beaten)
MINOR/MAJOR Stalingrad
STALINGRAD: LOSE/MINOR Kharkov or Husky
MAJOR Moscow 42
MOSCOW 42: LOSE/MINOR Kharkov
MAJOR Washington (only if the UK is
beaten)
Sealion 43
WASHINGTON: LOSE MINOR DEFEAT
MINOR MINOR VICTORY
MAJOR MAJOR VICTORY
KHARKOV: LOSE Byelorussia
MINOR Kursk
MAJOR Moscow 43
KURSK: LOSE Byelorussia
MINOR Byelorussia or Anzio
(if the West is beaten ->
Byelorussia only)
MAJOR Moscow 43
MOSCOW 43: LOSE Byelorussia
MINOR D-Day or Byelorussia
(if the West is beaten ->
Byelorussia only)
MAJOR D-Day
BYELORUSSIA: LOSE Berlin East (only if the West is
beaten)
Berlin
MINOR/MAJOR Budapest (only if the West is
beaten)
Ardennes
BUDAPEST: LOSE/MINOR Berlin East (only if the West is
beaten)
Berlin
MAJOR Berlin West
MINOR VICTORY (only if the West is
beaten)
BERLIN EAST: LOSE MAJOR DEFEAT
MINOR STALEMATE
MAJOR MINOR VICTORY
* 5.6 * REQUIREMENTS FOR MAJOR/MINOR VICTORIES -- AXIS OFFENSIVE SCENARIOS
POLAND Major: before turn 9
Minor: during turns 9-10
WARSAW Major: before Turn 14
Minor: Turns 14-20
NORWAY Major: before Turn 21
Minor: turns 21-25
LOW COUNTRIES Major: before Turn 26
Minor: turns 26-30
FRANCE Major: around Turn 13 (bug; should be by Turn 25)
Minor: turns 14-30 (bug; should be turns 26-30)
SEALION Major: before Turn 13
Minor: turns 13-14
N. AFRICA Major: before Turn 20
Minor: turns 20-23
MIDDLE EAST Major: before Turn 22
Minor: turns 22-26
EL ALAMEIN Major: before Turn 24
Minor: turns 24-26
CAUCASUS Major: before Turn 19
Minor: turns 19-30
BALKANS Major: before Turn 23
Minor: turns 23-25
CRETE Major: before Turn 12
Minor: turns 12-13
BARBAROSSA Major: before Turn 19
Minor: turns 19-23
KIEV Major: before Turn 21
Minor: turns 21-28
MOSCOW Major: before Turn 20
(EARLY) Minor: turns 20-24
MOSCOW 41 Major: before Turn 19
Minor: turns 19-22
MOSCOW 42 Major: before Turn 18
Minor: turns 18-23
MOSCOW 43 Major: before Turn 17
Minor: turns 17-21
SEVASTOPOL Major: before Turn 15
Minor: turns 15-17
STALINGRAD Major: before Turn 19
Minor: turns 19-31
KHARKOV Major: before Turn 19
Minor: turns 19-22
BUDAPEST Major: before Turn 16
Minor: turns 16-20
WASHINGTON Major: before Turn 16
Minor: turns 16-22
* 5.7 * BASE INITIAL PRESTIGE ALLOTMENTS
SCENARIO AXIS ALLIES
ANVIL 964 2014
ANZIO 480 1064
ARDENNES 1106 1138
BALKANS 755 500
BARBORAROSSA 777 778
BERLIN 736 1118
BERLIN (EAST) 380 1133
BERLIN (WEST) 942 1020
BYELORUSSIA 758 1521
BUDAPEST 500 717
CAUCASUS 800 2322
COBRA 720 1314
CRETE 524 968
EL ALAMEIN 558 1050
D-DAY 956 2042
FRANCE 375 1504
HUSKY 1390 533
KHARKOV 500 500
KIEV 1035 1242
KURSK 558 942
LOW COUNTRIES 625 1054
MARKET-GARDEN 1890 564
MIDDLE EAST 500 750
MOSCOW (EARLY) 614 500
MOSCOW (41) 524 974
MOSCOW (42) 620 919
MOSCOW (43) 520 1248
NORTH AFRICA 1006 932
NORWAY 1014 1196
POLAND 228 200
SEALION (40) 675 1152
SEALION (43) 1800 4112
SEALION PLUS 545 684
SEVASTOPOL 1232 1365
STALINGRAD 606 2260
TORCH 835 1528
WARSAW 600 200
WASHINGTON 1277 2698
