Chance Encounter

[patboivin]

I played this scenario a number of times, as the Germans. The US player always does the same thing:

Send the tanks at full throttle down the road, and line them up between the church and the hill side.

The StuGs can come in from behind the hill, but they almost always get picked off by the five Shermans. The US player can lose two or three shermans during the shootout, but inevitably he has one or two left.

Any way around this? The StuGs don't seem able to kill five tanks in one turn.

[pathfinder1]

have 1-2 Stugs go to the south of the church, there is a decent hull down position there...

depending on luck and crew skill at least 1 stug should survive...the two I put there (on occaision) seem to be able to take out 2-3 Shermas with 1 more by the other one or two (if I upped the Germans)....

just a thought for ya to try...

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this is pathfinder's evil twin

[This message has been edited by pathfinder1 (edited 06-18-2000).]

[Boris Balaban]

I found setting up all 3 STuG IIIG on the road loaded with 1 or 2 Panzerschrecks and run full speed to the church unload and wait till the Shermans come over the hill or down the road. The Panzerschrecks should be in the small houses wating for Shermans.

This is worth a try.

[tar]

What worked for me the one time I played the Germans was to send the StuG III's around the left side and up between the small stand of trees and the woods. I lost 2, but took out around 3 US tanks. Infantry and Panzershrecks in the Church and in the woods on the German left took care of the rest.

Then the Americans were driven from the field.

[Guest aka PanzerLeader]

I always do the same against the AI - and it works.

Take all of your infantry on the left side of the map + your Stugs. Between the church and the "big forest" there is a "hill". Position all 3 Stugs at the bottom of that "hill" and wait for the Shermans, who'll want to intervene 'cos the US infantry is getting slaughtered on the left side of the map. When the Shermans appear on top of the hill, your waiting Stugs should be able to kill anything that is presented, at the loss of one, maybe 2 Stugs.

The nice thing about it is that your infantry can benefit from the Stugs' support whilst your opponent cannot do so, except if he kills all your Stugs. But by then you should have won the infantry battle anyway and therefore, from the edge of the forest, ba able to take out the remaining Shermans with fausts or schrecks.

[Miyamoto Musashi]

Either way you do it, the main thing to keep in mind is that the StuG is an assault cannon, not a tank. They are best used by finding good ambush positions and waiting for the Sherms to expose themselves. I've got two strategies I use, depending on how lucky I feel. One is to position the StuGs behind the hill to the Germans' right. There are several plateaus there that give good firing positions, and you can wait until the Sherms come into view... the problem is that once you kill the first one, the other Ami tanks gang up and try to outnumber you all at once... there will be a shootout, and you may lose one or all your StuGs. So I usually have a 50-50 chance with that tactic, depending on how lucky my gunners are.

A better tactic is to race the StuGs, along with your veteran squads, a couple of COs, and a couple of schrecks and MGs (riding piggyback on the StuGs) down the left side of the map. The main bulk of your infantry go to the top of the wooded hill on the right. The 81mm FO runs to the Amis side of the German hill, where he can get a view of the wheat fields and two-story building. Order him to target the fields (either target or target wide). A small group of schrecks, an MG or two, and a couple of regular squads and COs run for the tiny wooded area on the German side of the church. Run 2 of the StuGs to the road and position them, one on the road facing the crossroads, one on the Ami side of the road, on the German side of the small hill there. The third StuG stays on the German side of the road, and is positioned behind the clump of scattered trees that looks like it was made for it All of the veteran infantry, along with the piggyback riders, runs into the trees on the Amis big hill. Not long after you get this set up, the first Sherm will come into range, at or near the crossroads. He will be an easy target. The rest of the tanks will be bunched up near the Amis' hill, trying to decide how to approach the StuGs. Nine times out of 10, they will end up being forced to roll into view one at a time, where your StuGs should make easy work of them if you positioned them correctly. If you're lucky, one of the Sherms may get bogged down near the hill and will be taken out of the play altogether. With the tanks gone, you move up your forces on the Ami hill toward the objective flag. Move slowly in case there are any troops there. What's left of the Amis that made it through the 81mm barrage will run into the large infantry group on the German hill while your guerrilla group fights its way to the Ami hill flag. The StuGs come in handy to suppress the troops around the wheat fields and houses, keeping them contained. When you feel you've weakened the enemy enough, rush your infantry troops en masse, using your StuGs as close support. If you've done everything correctly, you should rout the enemy completely. Last time I played CE as the Axis it was a 97-3 victory.

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In fighting and in everyday life you should be determined though calm. Meet the situation without tenseness yet not recklessly, your spirit settled yet unbiased. An elevated spirit is weak and a low spirit is weak. Do not let the enemy see your spirit. -- M.M.

[This message has been edited by Miyamoto Musashi (edited 06-25-2000).]