Last Defense is so hard as Germans

[Guest MantaRay]

I really cant believe how badly I do as the Germans in this scenario. It really pains me to see my beautiful Tiger get brewed up so often when the Cats enter on turn 10.I have beaten the computer(never major)a few times, but have never had a tank as the Germans last the full 30 turns. I have found that even if I shoot first the Cats seem to still hit first and at the least damage the gun. I just hope that when the full game comes out I will have a better grasp of keeping them alive, especially when there is a whole battalion to have some fun with.

Boy I cant stand the wait any longer...I may have to pre order before I lose my mind.

Ray

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[Das Boot]

You havn't ordered yet? Heretic!

[billcarey]

Smoke. Smoke is your friend. What the cat can't see, the cat can't hit.

- Bill

[Doug Beman]

What the?! The US gets Hellcats on turn 10?! Man, I'd better change my tactics!

DjB, who is only kidding

[guachi]

You don't really need the tanks after turn 10 to win. Just run around like a maniac with your halftracks and tanks blowing up anything that shows its face. Works real well against the AI.

I jsut played LD recently against the AI. Here is what I did. Put all three tanks on the left where there is a slight hill. You can move them forward slightly into hulldown positions spotting the hill where the reinforcements arrive. Sure, you know the Hellcats will arrive there, but its a good place for them anyway. The major advantage to German vehicles is the greater penetration at long range and it provides great overwatch to the only possible place for reinforcements anyway.

Load two squads, the HQ, and three MGs in the half tracks. Drive the halftracks down the main road and the AI will open up on you, but the gunfire will just ping off the halftracks. Put the three MGs in the stone house and drive the halftracks around shooting at stuff. Do this for six or seven turns.

When the Hellcats finally arrive your tanks should make short work of them. Your tanks are at a range of about 1000m and, on average, you'll lose maybe one StuG. Now its a piece of cake. You can drive the remaining vehicles at fast to the top of the hill and massacre the reinforcement platoon while your other troops mop up in the town.

Jason

[Peterk]

Hey Manta,

Keep in mind that your Tiger can knock out any of the British US stuff at even 2km (I hope I have that right), while they only have a hope of being effective at much closer range.

I have a feeling that in the final release of the game, there will be scenarios with slightly bigger maps that will let you take advantage of the extended range advantage a bit more.

Smoking the cats and/or keeping your Tiger at maximum range on that hilltop and not moving into town are pretty good strats for keeping said Tiger alive.

p.

[Jarmo]

Heh, last defense is the only scenario I have found to be easier with germans.

I guess my tactics rely too much on tanks, or maybe I just use them brilliantly!

[goodwood]

As somebody has already suggested keep your tiger on the edge of the map until the M18s appear, then knock them out, the tiger will take hits but the 75mm shells just break up at 2000 metres, once you have ko'd all the M18s its business as usual.

[Guest MantaRay]

Yes, I have tried the old "cheat, and keep the Tiger at the edge of the map" tactic and my problem isnt with the Hellcats so to speak, but with the accuracy of my tanks when turn 10 rolls around. The fact is that I do not care so much about killing all 3 of the US tanks, but I would love to atleast knock out 2 of them so my poor infantry who are a little slow moving up and the ones defending the first two objectives wont be so disrupted moving up to check any US attempt at resecurement. Even considered calling in the Apache and shooting them with Hellfires, but damnit all to hell that Steve didnt put them in. Maybe in the patch?

Ray

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[Guest Zigster]

I just finished my first PBEM with a victory as the Germans. I sent one infantry platoon to the right, one to the left, and one up the centre. The Tiger laid back and the two StuGs and artillery went to work against the infantry, one on each side of the road.

One Cat brewed up when it came on board. Another strayed in front of a StuG while peeking around a corner in the town. The Tiger dispatched the last one in the town late in the game. Halftracks were kept out of sight (cuz of them mortars) and committed one at a time. I lost one halftrack and one StuG to zooks, and one halftrack to a grenade. The infantry suffered pretty heavily, especially from the mortars, but the Amis threw their hands up in the end. All in all, pretty sweet.

[von Lucke]

Gee, I dunno if I should give this move away (since nobody else has mentioned it), but here goes anyway:

Since we all know that the Ami reinforcements show up precisely on turn 10 at the top of Hellcat Hill, I just save up most of my off-map arty until around turn 9, and then target it all on the top of the hill. Not only does it usually take out 2/3 of the M18's, but it usually does quite a number on the supporting infantry.

(Surviving American troops in village: "Thank God, help has finally arrived! Oh, shi---!").

[Jeff Pattison]

Acht Sicht! von Lucke

Since the wall on the Germans right is the dominating terrain, I take the wall early with an infantry assault on Turn 4. Then, I bring up the armor and break into the town and have it cleared by about Turn 8 or 9. That pretty much makes the arrival of those M18's irrelevant.

[Colin]

Here's one of the crazy tactics you'll get while playing me. Some times I'll take a StuG and run it right up the main road until it reaches the top of the hill then I'll move it slightly to the side so it has flank shots. Until turn 10 the StuG can drop some deadly HE on the back of the town and come turn 10 3 easy tank kills and a platoon of infantry pretty much destroyed. Voila!

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[Tom Callmeyer]

I used smoke, then moved the armour quickly down in front of the line of angled buildings just to the left of the main road. To do this you have to assault and clear those buildings with infantry, using halftracks in support. The infantry has to clear those buildings before it is a safe place for the armour, but once cleared, the buildings and the smoke make it really difficult for the tank killers to draw a bead on you. Of course first clear the lone building and woods anchoring the far US right flank the infantry can cross the open space from the woods and move into those houses. Once your armour is in front of those houses you can take up a position with a veiw of the bridge and part of the opposite bank and toast the tank killers when they come down there to cross or to get a shot at you. Watch out for the gaps betwen the houses cause the US armour will search that opposite slope for a place to get a shot off. Use lotsa smoke cause you may not get the houses cleared & your armour into position before turn 10 and you may be relying mostly on smoke till you do. Also remember there is only so much space to hide there & if you cram all your armour and halftracks down there they will get picked off from accross the river. Once you get the Tiger & mebbe a Stug or two down there you have a great kill zone in front of the town to support further infiltration of the town by your infantry. Of course I got spanked a couple times before I came up with this approach.