Erik Springelkamp

50

The German garrison in Groningen was a hodgepodge from regular German Infantry, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Gruene Polizei. They just wanted to surrender and go home. But the bad guys were some elements of the SS-Herman Goering Division and Germaanse SS in Nederland (the Dutch guys). Further troops were militarized railroadmen and Hitler Jugend, the first too old and the latter too young to be a regular soldier. Age of the German combatants ranged from 14 to 65. On the day before the battle for Groningen, a group of German defenders of a strategic bridge south of the city deserted, for the price of half a slaughtered pig from the local farmers who were afraid they couldn't reach their lifestock after a destruction of that bridge. Those 'soldiers' took the pig, and went on foot back to their farms in Germany, were they lived across the border, some 40 km away. Those soldiers and farmers spoke the same dialect.

Do you have a reference for this? </font>

Maybe they are too close to the WMD

In 1945 Canadians and Germans decided not to destroy our tower, the pride of the city Groningen in the Netherlands: Martinitoren</img> The Germans promised not to use the tower, the Canadians promised not to shoot at it. You see what happened with the buildings the Germans did use.

And a military attack on Syria would kill thousands of these friendly civilians, ruin the infrastructure, give fanatical islamists a chance, and also destroy the position of the large christian minority there. All for world power. That is what I dislike about the game's setting.

That would be the price given current orders, ie including development costs. The variable cost must be much lower when these things are actually used in numbers and replaced.

I don't understand the percentages for victory either. When I used 2 truck to exit the results were: 2 trucks exited: +130 points for exit, 100% victory 1 truck exited: 0 points for exit, 50% draw 1 truck exited, 1 truck destroyed: 0 points for exit, enemy 26 points for kills, 42% defeat 0 trucks exited: -130 points for exit, 0% defeat So at least not all exit points start negative. To Brent: I only saw a possibility to give a general bonus, not for a specific unit. That would mean that it still pays to take big risks to exit some of the units.

I made a little test scenario. Actually, if you don't exit you loose points (gain negative points) and if you exit you don't loose points. And the lost points are 2.5 times as much as the points gained by the enemy for destroying you. So it is still better to remain on the map then to be destructed, but only slightly so. One truck exited = 0 points One truck not exited = -65 points One truck destroyed = -65 points and +26 points for the enemy. So it pays off to take a big risk in exiting the map: if more than 2 in 5 succeed you gain.

I couldn't find this in the manual: How do the victory points for a unit that must exit and doesn't make it compare to the points for that unit when it is destroyed? Is it better not to be destroyed than not to exit?

Great scenario. I liked the space on the map and the long advance before the attack adds to the suspence. I do not have much experience and this scenario made me wonder about techniques of advancing under fire. The first fase no problem: move to contact. But after that the distance is still too large to use advance, so I used mostly just move. There is decent cover/conceilment in this scenario, so it was not too deadly, but I felt there should be something between move and advance, as the manual says that moving units don't expect to be fired on.

> I have a paticular fondness for "Armoured Perambulators". As a beginner I tried that one, but completely failed as Allied player. How do you approach this thing?

About the profanities of the US Para's. I've read they were formed with a more than average number of released prisoners and tough guys who could choose to join the unit or face jail. Which could mean there was more than average swearing. I have lived in Beek near Nijmegen, where the unit was deployed during Market Garden, and older villagers told me they were a rough bunch, many of which plundered wine cellers - there live some really rich people there - before charging at the enemy. They showed no mercy with the Germans. Someone told me he saw one of them throwing a handgrenade between a group of German boys - hastily recruted schoolboys really - who had just surrendered. Quite usefull as a fighting unit, but not characteristic for the army as a whole.

GreenAsJade, Thanks for this link. I had been struggling with the Hill 312 scenario - I prefer to proceed more or less chronologically, and small - and it seemed like a lesson in futility to me: storming a fortified hill over open ground with a minority manpower. Was slaughtered three times in a row, and as a commander I felt like an executioner. Then I played it as defender, and without giving any orders it was a total victory. Then I gave the AI Axis 200% bonus and +3 experience and I seemed to hold the ground again, but in the 27th of the 25+ turns, a group of Germans came from the back, having gone along the side of the map all around (a tactic that I had dismissed as gamey before) and they took the trenches in the last turn. Anyway, I will use the more balanced scenario's to get into the game. Although I _will_ try Hill 312 with the flanking manouvre for myself with something less then a 200% bonus.

Some time ago I purchased Barbarosso to Berlin and Africa Corps, and I have played a few scenario's. But in most of the scenario's I play, I am blasted from the field playing as attacker, while as a defender I win without having to do much more than just sitting and shooting ducks. What are nicely balanced scenario's - and not too large - to get some experience? Has somebody rated them on balance and difficulty somewhere?

Ace Pilot. (Wrote my post while you were posting yours, so I missed it) I tried your covered arc technique and it doesn't work unfortunately. The gun keeps on firing outside of it's covered arc (which is moved along with the reversing vehicle), at the previously designated area.

I just tried some of these things. Appears the SP Gun even turns back to continue shooting after a rotation. So, these gunners really want a go at it It doesn't seem too hard to implement a bit more nuance in the orders for the next version. But it's a great game. I started with The Bridgehead for a little infantry training, had to play it several times before I understood the right way to assault. Then Gefechtsaufklaerung for combined arms, which surprized me when the Russians gave up when I thought I was defeated (just the Stug was still going strong). In A Warm Place to sleep I won to my surprise by just peeking forward cautiously, and then I found myself in a perfect ambush position on the Russian advance. It seems I am blundering myself through some little victories

Yesterday I played a little scenario (my third, I am just starting with this game), where I had a StuGIII and some enemy squads hiding in the bushes. Putting some HE rounds into the bushes as area fire was great to make the enemy displace themselves. But the StuGIII went on shooting for the full minute to almost emty it's ammo bay - while a few rounds allready did the trick. Now I could give a long Pause command before the Fire command in order to save ammo, but if you have a good shot you would rather not wait. Is there some other way to prevent a gun firing all it's ammo at once?