How to win operations?

[markshot]

What does it take to win an operation?

I've only been playing battles and all I know about winning is VL flags.

I just played an operation (advance) where I thought I was doing okay to less than average. Instead I was advised when it was done that I had lost misserably.

Thanks.

[CombinedArms]

It's very easy to be confused about how you are doing in an operation. There are no VL's in operations. Instead, your results are judged by two standards: comparative casualty totals (as in battles) and (with one exception) progress toward a retreating map end. These standards are relative to the type of operation you are in. The type is stated in the briefing, and there are three types:

1. Destroy. For this sort of operation, the only thing that matters is casualty totals. Progress on the map doesn't matter at all. Ardennes--Team DeSobry is an example of this type.

2. Attack. You have to kill the enemy AND either get to the receding map end or, if you're defending, prevent the enemy from getting to the map end. Victory is measured by progress toward the map end. Drive to Mortain is an example of this type.

3. Assault. In this case, you kill the enemy and make progress toward the map end, but the enemy is stronger and you're not expected to make it all the way. I believe McKinley's Battalion is an Assault.

I hope I've gotten Attack & Assault in the right order. Anyway, all of this is in the manual, but it's hard to understand what the manual is talking about until you've been through an actual operation a couple of times. In your case, if you were the attacker, perhaps you didn't make enough progress, or, if defender, perhaps your opponent made too much progress.

[Holien]

A small point to add on Destroy Ops...

If you are the attacker you are expected to do a certain points ratio to achieve certain levels of victory.

This means that if you are the defender and can lose a lot less to the attackers more then you are on the way to victory.

I recently won my first OP as a defender because I managed to minimise my force loss and maximised my opponents loss. I was lucky to be able to do this.

Also remember that it is not just one battle and on some you might be better to avoid fighting if at all possible in the hope of getting more reserves in the next game.

But all of this is in the manual and I would strongly recommend you re-read that section.

It took me a while to get my head around it.

H

P.s. At times the designer will build in weakness for certain battles and you have to remember that you might not be expected to win at that stage and the game is actually about preserving forces.

[Pak40]

I think the most important thing to realize in an Assault or Advance Operation is the size of the map. Often, the map size in the game is only a small portion of the overall map size. You will be judged by how far you push forward (if you're the offense). Also conserving your troops is VERY important. If you're taking serious losses then pull back and try to take that area in the next battle. You can't take heavy losses like in normal battle or QB and expect to win.