Tank Warning: Operation help needed, possible SPOILERS

[malfuriouspete]

This deals with the Operation, Tank Warning. Battle of Kursk around Prokhorovka, and perhaps more specifically, how to deal with the T-34 tank!!

Playing as Axis. The first battle of this operation, besides the infantry, half tracks and two 50mm tank guns I have 4 PzIII's (don't remember which model), 14 PzIV's (G models I believe) and 2 StuG III's up against probably close to 35 to 40 Russian T-34's. The PzIII can't take out the T34's from the front and can only do slightly better from the sides and rear. The PzIV's gun can take out the T34's from the front, but their front turret armor is surprisingly weak (yellow coloured) so seeking a hull down position seems almost counter intuitive when their front upper and lower hull armor is apparently stronger.

Finished the first battle, lost 2 PzIII's and 3 PzIV's and took out about all of the russian tanks. The start of the second battle, I receive no new re-inforcements and the russians get another 30 to 40 tanks, this time all close together when deployed, but this may be random how the computer set this up.

Besides using the lay of the land, most of my tanks can do a decent shoot and scoot from hull down positions. But how do I react to 35 plus tanks when I have 12 tanks and 2 assault guns left? As soon as my tanks come into view, almost every soviet tank is trained on them. Should Leave my tanks in position and let them come to me...or try and maneuver behind them and shoot them up their asses? I haven't yet finished this operation and don't know if I get any reinforcements. But in this one battle, if all 14 of my tank get taken out, my infantry can't stop this wall of armor

Also to point out, my tanks didn't recieve full resupply between battles

[Kingfish]

This Op is not balanced, as you are finding out, and the situation gets worse as the game progresses. Be prepared to get steamrolled, if not in this battle then certainly the later ones as the Russians continue to get nearly the same amount of tank reinforcements each battle, yet the Germans get next to nothing both in tanks and ammo.

The best you can do is deploy your remaining tanks so that each has a keyhole position to a very small slice of the battlefield, and wait in ambush for the Russians to enter it. This will reduce the ammo expenditure on your part as well as restrict the number of Russian tanks that can have LOS to your own tanks.

[George MC]

I'd agree with Kingfish - the action is little reflection of the force balance in that sector. It also misses one vital terrain feature - the Soviet AT ditch that the Soviet attack or at least the surviving T34s from that attack ran into.

[malfuriouspete]

Historically, how were the forces balanced out in this sector???

Is this basically a No-Win Op?? I find it hard to believe that the author of this would neglect German Reinforcements... or is this to simulate a full scale Russian Attack with superior forces??

I can try and keyhole my forces, but every loss I take makes it that much more difficult to get anything out of this operation... I should just switch sides to the Soviets then...

[Kingfish]

One of Franko's hallmarks is to give one side's reinforcements (the Germans in this case) a very low chance of arrival. I believe in this Op there is the possibility of getting Tigers, which alone would wipe the map clean of Russian tanks. However, you have a better chance of hitting the powerball than seeing these appear.

[malfuriouspete]

sure would like to get a few of them.. don't see how on earth I can defend against that many russian tanks with my meagre forces. I cry foul!!