jeremy

As an experiment, I tried to advance at regular speed instead of fast. It seemed to me that the number of Shermans that bogged down was the same in either case -- maybe the odds were less of bogging down in any given turn, but since they were going slower it took more turns. Maybe this was a misconception. Is it really safer to cross wet terrain using "Move" instead of "Fast Move"? What about "Hunt?" Tonight I think I'll experiment with the scenario editor...

Thanks for the sympathy. I've now played this three times. Here's a strategy that has some chance, IF you are lucky. IMMEDIATELY upon scenario start race all your tanks at full speed up the right side of the map, carrying the infantry. Cover your advance with smoke. Some tanks will bog down; if they carry infantry have the dismounted troops go as fast as they can into the woods on the right and then hide them. If you can get six or eight Shermans off to the right, and across the road, you can destroy lots of German infantry. Make sure your tanks don't appear in the open on the hills or lurking german tanks will take them out at long range. Once you get your infantry organized, you can advance from the right. I got a draw this way; I managed to secure the right and center of the map, but couldn't advance across the center line because of German armor. In the course of the battle I managed to destroy a few of the less-important German armor units but basically hid from the Panthers. The main luck comes like this: in the dash across the open field, it's quite possible that half of your shermans will be immobilized in the wet terrain. If that happens, forget it.

I just finished a game as the americans against the german AI in the Scenario "Singling Shootout." Yikes! I was massacred! I sent one platoon way around to the right; one platoon supporting my infantry to try to advance along the road using the buildings for cover, and one platoon off to the left to keep an eye on things out that way but not try to advance. Several tanks got bogged down and immobilized right at the beginning. Then Somehow no matter what I did I couldn't manuever my tanks under any sort of cover and the german panthers hiding behind bits of building and forest blasted them to pieces. By the time my reinforcements arrived I had alrady been decimated and they hardly got on the map before they were flaming wrecks. In the end I lost every single sherman and destroyed a StugIII and another tank, probably a PzIV. Despite multiple hits on Panthers, I never managed a flanking shot and they all bounced off. My infantry got slaughtered. ARGHHH!!! I'd love a hint about this scenario. The funny thing is that I took a sort of sick satisfaction in getting slaughtered by the computer -- I felt I deserved it -- every time my tanks slipped between buildings there was a german tank with a waiting gun....