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Dunkirk


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Below is very relevant post by Normal Dude from the general forum. I hope he does not mind my reposting it here, lest it get lost.

"Normal Dude

Member # 19807 posted April 29, 2007 07:29 PM

-------------------------------------------------Dunkirk is easy if you willing to be very patient. The first infantry wave is easy to take out. The ATG positions are brilliantly placed, one group in a reverse slope being overlooked by the distant guns, with mobile armor. I couldn't have done it better myself. So here's what you do:

After the first French infantry wave is dispatched, crawl your men up the woodlines as close as you can get away with, generally the woodline right before the lateral road. Put a good scout up in the tree area by the road intersection that crests the hill. Make sure they are hold fire/hold position. Move the tanks up behind the men so that they are ready to crest the hill. DO NOT let them crest yet.

Next, I take a Pz38(t) (NOT NOT a 35(t)), which has awesome frontal armor, and flank to the right and take out the two Frenchie tanks in the field. Then, I crest with the 38 all the way at the right side of the map, making sure that it's frontis facing all of the gun positions, most which you should be able to see with your hidden infantry. This tank is going to be a decoy, and it withstand the 75mm French punishment for a long time with it's front armor.

Once the French guns are engaging the 38, CHARGE! Send the infantry in to engage the forward French battery with grenades. If you have a sniper (I always do), his first shots to the side of an ATG often make the crew scatter!

JUST slightly crest the tanks and have them all gang up on the distant ATGs in turn. Throw your artillery on those distant guns as well.

In this process I lost 2 tanks and about 25% casualties to two infantry squads on Veteran level. But then you get reinforcements. The French tanks, once stripped of their ATG overlook, are a piece of cake for Pz IVCs and Pz 38t's to take out. Make sure if you use the 38's you only let them shoot when it will count, because they have a very low ammo load. Once the tanks and ATGs are gone the entrenched infantry are a shooting gallery for the tanks."

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Pics to accompany the above walkthrough of how I did it:

EDIT I just noticed that I switched task force colors accidently in the second and third pics, sorry about that! The second pic regards movement of the decoy tank, the third of the main attack force.

pic1stagingareaxb2.jpg

pic2decoycf7.jpg

pic3nx9.jpg

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I rushed the guns with my infantry first. Crawled them up, sent a couple of runners to either flank to act as decoys, then rushed the guns and killed the crew.

As the guns as being enagaged I then crested my AFVs and potted the Frenchie tanks on the reverse slope. Use the PzIVC (plus all the arty fire) to take out the AT guns on the distant slope.

After which, rush the defences with all tanks, mopping up and a-crushing...

The remaining French reinformcement tanks were then engaged by all remaining AFVs, concentrating fire on turrets. Lost a couple of tanks, but numbers prevailed.

Apart from the initial rush, I found it relatively easy tbh. I do hate the ease of disabling tank guns though. I know jamming turret rings et al was a valid tactic when desperate, but still...

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Thanks Normal. Very informative. Those diagrams are great. You have a real knack for illustration. This battle offer the opportunity to master a number of skills and concepts that will come in handy in later tougher battles.

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well, im already stuck at this mission. the game seems extremly hard. way too hard imho. as soon as im moving in im getting shot to peices.

my t38 got both creamed by those 75mm guns after cresting. one got imobilized, and the other one took a simple penetration. both pIVc same. didnt expect them to last long anyway with their weak armor.

considering that assault on the gunposition.

my best scout was killed after reaching the first tree line. dunno how, maybe sniper.

after im ordering assault, my troops are getting shot up.the guns are taking pot shots on my single soldiers. hitting every single shot, while they are running. dunno how to micro the nade thing while attacking.

and how do you deal with that counterattacking tank? i have nothing which can defeat it. plus my arty seems not to deal him much dmg on the gun positions either.

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dizee,

Dunkirk is one of the most difficult missions in the entire game, you are not alone having problems with it. Have you tried it on EASY setting yet?, dunno if it makes a lotta difference, but you could try lowering the difficulty.

I stormed the first AT line with my inf, and used my tanks to take out the enemy armor on the left side at about the same time. After that I swinged right with my tanks and attacked the village from the right side(making sure to avoid the char 1bis). Make sure to deploy your paks that you get as reinforcements and also crew the guns you take from the french. That did it for me but I was almost out of infantry and also all my pz38 was out of ammo. The pancer IVc is great for taking out enemy guns.

[ May 01, 2007, 06:57 AM: Message edited by: chanss ]

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Nice explaination Normal, I did it the same myself. It works especially well to decoy with a Pz38 (I figured out quick that PzIV's do NOT make good decoys).

One thing I'd like to note, after taking the frontal arty batteries it will be easier to take out the tanks hiding in the town but still not a cake walk, I always kept one PzIV behind the "crest" until reinforcements arrive. Then with the perimeter secured I send in all my tanks at once to the bridge with cover from captured and reinforcement arty. Once the tanks get down to the bridge, the enemy arty and tanks in town don't have LOS, you can advance the town from the river as slowly as you want now, mortifying the infantry in their trenches. Yes, Dunkirk IS HARD but doable.

One last thing, how do you get snipers? I don't have any in my squads and dont see the option to "buy" any? Thanks!

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Snipers can be obtained by purchasing the Staff Squad. I ALWAYS get one, and during my campaign the staff squad has become an elite corps that helps "stiffen up" my other troops in needed areas.

For dunkirk it really helps if you make sure to use experienced crews and soldiers from the last mission.

I also suggest slamming the French rear guns with Arty AS you crest the main hill the tanks.

Thanks for the note, yes you should not move your initial tanks forward from ther crst position until reinforcements have arrived. Then bring them up, and sent one wave forward, while one overwatches. To take care of the rear French tanks, make sure their arty is dead and then sends tanks around both sides of the town. I didn't have any problems with them.

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Originally posted by dizee:

well, im already stuck at this mission. the game seems extremly hard. way too hard imho. as soon as im moving in im getting shot to peices.

my t38 got both creamed by those 75mm guns after cresting. one got imobilized, and the other one took a simple penetration. both pIVc same. didnt expect them to last long anyway with their weak armor.

considering that assault on the gunposition.

my best scout was killed after reaching the first tree line. dunno how, maybe sniper.

after im ordering assault, my troops are getting shot up.the guns are taking pot shots on my single soldiers. hitting every single shot, while they are running. dunno how to micro the nade thing while attacking.

and how do you deal with that counterattacking tank? i have nothing which can defeat it. plus my arty seems not to deal him much dmg on the gun positions either.

Hm well as far as the Pz 38 goes sounds like you got unlucky. Because I could literally sit there for minutes while the guns bang away at the front armor. The tank usually ends up disabled in some way, but it did it's job. Just to be sure, are you sure it wasn't a Pz 35? They look the same, but the 38 has more frontal armor.

As for the scout in the trees, standing him up will get him killed. I prone-crawl him into position and keep him that way.

"after im ordering assault, my troops are getting shot up.the guns are taking pot shots on my single soldiers. hitting every single shot, while they are running. dunno how to micro the nade thing while attacking."

This is what the decoy and sniper are supposed to be for. They should be faced at the decoy, whichbuys the infantry time while they wheel the gun around. and with some luck the sniper can temporarily scatter a crew. Might also help to have a tank or two from the left group fire too.

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What are the Victory conditions for this battle? I took the whole French position with 5-6 tanks but no Victory (all my infantry are manning field guns or trucks across the canal). There were a couple of enemy infantry (4-5 max, the rest is dead) that ran away off the map but some returned to fire with small arms at my tanks while the others just lied down off map. Do I really have to kill those guys to get the victory?

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The objectives for each mission can be looked up when you open the briefing screen and then click on the various entries (they look like paper envelopes). This shows a tactical map for each situation as well.

Martin

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  • 5 weeks later...

Hello....

Hum.... nice, very nice indeed... But i just can't match it! First please don't care about my english, because I'm french.

I tried E-V-E-R-Y T-H-I-N-G!!!!! Made as normal dude suggested it. I can't. First assaulting 75 with infantry every time finished with my last guy dying 20 m in front of these bloody french guns. I can make the approach but the assault is always the same.

Second my 38 after hitting the first two tanks sure can resist number of hits of the 75s, but he dies too after two or three minutes.

My best result was to kill one 75 mm gun, but an entire squad and the 38 are out too.

I don't want to leave the game I was waiting for a long time. But after a few hours trying everything, it's no more funny...

Two questions: how to make a nice infantry assault? How to manage attacking a 75 with one tanks, while two others 75 at least, maybe one french tank more are aiming you? May i use more panzers in my assault?

Help!

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First don't rush with inf to the guns, it's suicide. You have to micromanage everything, so attack those guns only with 2 panzers, take Pz38 as decoy, and Pz4 as hunter, after you destroy a AT gun, go into retreat (drive backwards, dont turn around), and re-move to another location to kill the other guns, dont stand on the same spot when you kill the AT gun, try to face just one AT gun at the time, thats the trick. If you engage 75mm gun, you must destroy it quick (take great care to put in main hunter tank the best skilled driver and gunner).

Oh yeah, loading and saving helps.

br.

Dr.Jones

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I have the same problem as Leger. I have wiped the map of opposing forces twice, but I can't get the mission to end. One thing to note, I start with my forces already across the first set of bridges at set up. Perhaps this fails to trigger some event in the game.

Anyone else having problems getting this one to end?

Glide

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  • 2 weeks later...
Originally posted by runessonn1:

is it a bug? my tanks has never knocked out the bataille?? tank ever, not even from behind with 2 75mm never has shelled it over 10 times it doesn´t work on my version or I´m a jerk?

please respond how to knock it out

Yep, but with which type of AMMO, if with HE, forget it, even from behind. Don't forget to conserve the right type of ammo, AP rounds are always in shorter supply, conserve them.

br.

Dr.Jones

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