Argh - newbie Help: Lonely country?

[Herr Flick]

Hi!

I fully confess to being totally new and clueless regarding CMBB. However, I thought I knew a thing or two about tactics. So, I played Lonely Country on the CD - and got totally slaughtered. A number of times.

I play as allied and have tried a number of things. Advancing cautiously with infantry support in front. Flanking (both right and left) while distracting the kraut guns with a fake centre attack, etc. etc.

It always goes pretty much the same: The Stugs sit titght and pick of my tanks one after one as they emerge from cover (however briefly). I simply cannot find a route with sufficient cover to get close enough with enough T34s to have a chance to outmanouver them.

I would be very, very thankful for any help.

Cheers,

Herr Flick

[landser]

I know what you mean. That's what happened to me the first time through. StuG's are excellent armor killers, and the T-34 version in this scenario isn't a match at ranges over 500 meters.

The second time I played, I had a few T-34's assume hulldown positions along the ridge on the left side to act as overwatch. They engaged the StuG's at about 650 meters IIRC. I hadn't expected them to accomplish much other than to keep the StuG's occupied.

The remaining T-34's were set up on the right side. You may notice a shallow gully in the right center of the map that leads behind the enemy lines. I sent several T-34's with fast orders down this draw, with the aim of turning back toward the road as they emerged and attacking the StuG's from their left flank.

Both StuG's were setup to the left of the road (from the Aliied perspective, I forget N,S,E,W orientation in that one, sorry). If the German armor is on the right side of the map, this draw would offer very little protection I think.

I, in a lousy bit of CM commanding, failed to notice that this draw has some rocky terrain in it. My fast moving T-34's were making good progress until they hit the rocks. All but one got knocked out by the StuG's while they slowly traversed the difficult terrain. Meanwhile, my overwatch tanks were getting knocked out slowly, but they did manage to put one StuG's cannon out of action.

I was able to get the last fast moving T-34 to the road, then around behind the StuG's. He quickly knocked out one, and the other was destroyed by an overwatch T-34 as he rotated to face the tank that suddenly popped up behind him.

Basically a do-or-die plan that almost died, but through fortune worked out very well. And it was only by playing it once that I tried this. I can't imagine I would attempt this without knowing what lay ahead.

[Herr Flick]

OK, I will try the hull-down distraction whil flanking tactic once more - perhaps I will get lucky this time.

Thanks!

[laxx]

I must confess that I have not tried this game as Russians, but I suppose if all the t-34 were poised to do a bum rush into the scattered trees on the road, I think the losses will be lesser. Ie. go a FAST move instead of Hunt/Move.

[DBaron]

I have played this one twice, and lost both times. Taking out the german armor is not the problem, both times I was able to defeat them through sheer numbers, though I lost about 1/2 my tank strength in doing so. The problem for me is getting my infantry to move up. The germans have two dug in platoons of infantry and a tank hunter dug in along the road in that depression in the middle of the map, and convincing them to leave takes some time.

The first time I played it, I was able to immobilize both assault guns, pretty much rendering them ineffective (though at great cost to my armor). I sent my infantry through the gully on the right, and it got all shot up, the gully didn't provide quite the cover I had expected. I got defeated pretty bad that time out.

Second time through I sent two platoons through the wheatfield to deal with the German platoons dug along the road in the depression in the center of the map. The other platoon was sent behind the gully on the right, trying to use the hill as cover. I placed my tanks better in hull down postions agains the german armor, and once again took them out with fewer losses to my T-34's. I pushed the german infantry out of the middle of the map using the remaining tanks and infantry, but my squad flanking around to the right still didn't have enough cover, and broke several times before I got it to where I wanted to go. By then it was too late, and I lost again.

Looping around to the left is out of the question since there is a german platoon dug in on the upper left side of the map, and clearing them out would take too much time.

Next time through, I am going to send my infantry to deal with the germans in the middle of the map, and use whatever armor I have leftover after the armor duel to mount a fast rush around the right, to try and capture the flag.

I wish there was mover cover in that gully, or that there was a few more turns added. Both times I played this I was just able to get a platoon up to try and take the flag, but not before the time gave out (and I was well into the extra turns by then.)

[Slappy]

I've only played this against the AI, but here's my experience:

1st Try:

I got my ass handed to me. StuGs smoked me from my starting positions. Smoking T-34s everywhere. It was ugly.

2nd Try:

Same.

3rd Try:

I ignored the infantry entirely; never moved them. I split the T-34s into roughly equal groups and sent one to the right and one to the left under cover. Some well timed sniping from hull down from both sides bagged me the german armor with side shots. I then drove my tanks up to the flag and mowed down the german infantry that ran up out of the valley at me.

I lost about half of the tank force and think I got a tactical victory out of it.

[ January 20, 2003, 11:43 AM: Message edited by: Slappy ]

[landser]

Yep, when I moved the single T-34 around behind the StuG's and knocked them out, I also took control of the flag. And then the Jerries came running out of their holes and were cut down by my infantry and overwatch tanks. Enough made it though, that the flag was contested when the battle ended, as I was unable to get my infantry up in time to support the lone T-34.