Hill 312

[kartoffel]

I am obsessed with this scenario, but I just can't win as the axis. I'm pretty new at this game and I haven't won that many scenarios at all anyway mostly just the easier tutorials but I don't like to keep playing them because I don't feel like I'm learning much with them.

I've come pretty close to winning (26%to74%) but I ran out of time. I just tried again with a +25% bonuse to me and I still lost.

This is what I typically do.

leave the machine gunners and the 72mm mortars where they start. Run the other squads up the side of the map. Kill the ambushers. Go past the barbed wire and line up my troops along the edge of the woods. I kind of come in on their back corner. At this point I am really low on time. This is like turn 16. Then I have the mortars and HMG's fire in the direction of the trenches. Then I think this is where it all falls apart. I try to advance on the trench by the closest wooden bunker with my infantry. I can normally flamethrow the bunker and kill it. Then I get all my troops bunched up in that little patch of woods and slaughtered by the trenches, and then I run out of time.

What am I doing wrong? Am I taking the wrong approach? SHould I move my HMG's? My mortars seem like they are already in the best place. How do I get rid of all the people in the trenches. My flamethrower always dies when I try to smoke them.

I just can't get the hang of this game. I've played this scenario at least 10 times with the same results. Is there another scenario that's easier but not a joke? I guess i need the strategy guide but it's out of print for a while.

Sorry for the long post but I'm frustrated.

thanks

[MrSpkr]

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I played this scenario last night and won a total victory. Here is how I did it.

Like you, I left the machine guns and heavy mortars where I found them set up. I then took the infantry platoons, the FT and the 50mm mortars and moved them up the left side of the board. In retrospect, I would have been better off moving the 50mm mortars to a position near the 81mm mortars, but it worked out okay).

I moved the 50mm mortars about halfway up the left flank, then moved them to the edge fo the woods. They soon spotted a Russian in a dug in position nearby and shelled him.

Meanwhile, I manuevered my infantry sections all the way to the rear left corner of the hill, just past the barbed wire.

I never encountered the ambush platoon as I stayed closer to the inner (right) edge of the woods than to the left-center. In retrospect, had those Russians gotten involved, it would have significantly cut into my ability to take those trenches, but it would not have been fatal.

In any event, once I got to the rear of the hill, I moved my platoons into positions at the edge of the woods (discovering minefields in the process). About turn sixteen, I had the machine gun s fire at likely enemy positions in tree lines and trenches on the hill. Meanwhile, the mortars all shelled the wooded areas at the far left edge of the trenchline. I also had one platoon use area fire on the back side of the same woods.

While all of this fire was coming down, the other plaootn charged the woods.

By turn nineteen, both platoons had made it into the woods at the edge of the trenches, and from there it was a simple matter of rolling up the Russian position, left to right. I shifted the MG area fire to keep everything pinned down, used mass fire and advance to roll up to the pillbox and bunkers. I took those out with grenades from behind, and with my flamethrower.

Let me know if that helps.

Steve

[ March 24, 2003, 10:32 AM: Message edited by: MrSpkr ]

[kartoffel]

I guess I need to work on my assaults with covering fire. It just seems everything falls apart when I move in for the kill. It seems my covering fire didn't pin the enemy at all. I've also probably have got to take the time to move all my units individually.

Later last night I had more luck with "A deadly affair" I didn't win (weird things happened late in the battle) but I guess I've gotten a lot better.

JP

[MrSpkr]

Originally posted by kartoffel:

I've also probably have got to take the time to move all my units individually.

That's critical, particularly in assaults. You can get away with group movement in many situations, but under enemy fire it is more difficult.

Also, you should use the "Advance" and "Assault" commands when possible and appropriate. Your men move faster than "move" but with better cover than "Fast".

Steve

[Silvio Manuel]

Take a look at my AAR (after action report):

Hill 312 AAR

Use LOTS of area fire w/ the HMGs, even if you don't have so much as a sound contact in the trenches, just pound them for many turns, and add the 81mm mortars when you have good targets. Use Advance when crossing open ground, and use Rifle teams (squads split using the split-squad command) as the "lead scout" when 'advancing' across open ground so that they find minefields and enemy infantry. Leave the bulk of your squads intact (not split).

Don't forget that the Tank Hunter team can use it's demo charges by getting to about 25-30m (but not closer) to the target and then using "area fire, use explosives" w/ the normal target command.

[ March 24, 2003, 05:51 PM: Message edited by: Silvio Manuel ]

[Matias]

Small help, but it is possible to have all 4 of your MGs in command if you put you HQ outside and behind one of the houses.

I also got a TV by moving up the left, using smoke then suppressing mortar fire to get a couple of platoons into the left most trenches and the woods. I advanced cautiously along the trenches concentrating fire manually and keeping my guys out of LOS of the enemy that they weren't concentrating on.

Oh, and thoose 50mm mortars were invaluable for taking out the machine guns and the enmy mortar on the top of the hill, totally worth it to get one up near there with an HQ to spot.