Road to Berlin tutorial mission tactics for newbs.

[Stugdownunder]

:)Can we have a small tactics guide/AAR for the tutorial mission "Road to Berlin"" for us newbies interested in trying to attain victory. This would be muchly appreciated:)

[Chris69]

I can provide some screenshots of the way I approached the mission along with some commentary, if you'd like. I'm no tactics buff, but I did manage to win the mission with less than 15 casualties.

[Blackcat]

"I'm no tactics buff, but I did manage to win the mission with less than 15 casualties"

No need to boast, old chap. Please do post whatever you can, there is always something to learn from how others play the game. So, if you can spare the time I am sure a lot people here would be grateful.

P.S. My casulaty figures on the same scenario were 15 KIA and 14 WIA and no tanks lost, after CMSF that was a bit of a shock. I had got used to casulties in the low single numbers.

[Joey JoJo Junior Shabadoo]

Send your scouts out with small cover arcs so they don't fire on anything they spot. You should be able to spot some heavy weapons down near the cross roads. Nail them with direct fire from your mortars.

Then set up a base of fire in the center hedgerow near your starting positions. Be mindful of kraut mortars and keep your guys spread out. If you notice any spotting rounds bug out asap. If you managed to KO the AT gun with the mortars you can park your tanks behind the same hedgerow with impunity.

Next clear out the farm, first pump some HE into the buildings with your tanks, the krauts will break and run if they know whats good for them. Move a squad or two across the bridge, if you're feeling crafty lay some 75mm smoke with your tanks to cover the assault. Use assault command with your squads or split them up. The idea is to keep two teams in a position to fire on any krauts that poke their heads up while the third team moves.

If the battle isn't won by now you have to clear out the bocage on the right flank. The krauts like to set up machine guns in the corners so first step is to suppress them with HE from the tanks (or mask them with smoke), along with the entire hedgerow base. If you've got any mortars left drop them behind the hedgerow you are attacking. With the hedgerow taking a thorough hosing (or screened with smoke) move your rifle platoon one square adjacent the hedgerow (so that they CANT see through to the other side) and lob grenades over, then move up to the hedgerow. Lather, rinse, repeat until you reach the crossroads.

Another trick is to set up your machine guns in the top floor of the farm buildings. From there they can put some enfilade fire into the bocage.

[DaveyJJ]

15 KIA and 14 WIA is good. I managed a decisive win last night but suffered horribly ... 32 KIA and 20 WIA. 20 of those casualties, mind, came when two squads were hit by arty moving across the wooden bridge near the farm ... my screen shot 21 dead/wounded on that strike alone.

[Blackcat]

15 KIA and 14 WIA is good. I managed a decisive win last night but suffered horribly ... 32 KIA and 20 WIA. 20 of those casualties, mind, came when two squads were hit by arty moving across the wooden bridge near the farm ... my screen shot 21 dead/wounded on that strike alone.

The German mortars are leathal, they caused 26 of my 29 casualties. I am actually beining to suspect their is something adrift with AI mortars, they just seem too accurate and able to deliver rounds to where they, nor their spotters, cannot have a line of sight. I am not calling foul at present, just suspicious.

[Lanzfeld]

Do the Germans have TRP's in this battle?

I am not at home so I cannot check.

[Cameroon]

Do the Germans have TRP's in this battle?

I am not at home so I cannot check.

Nope, no TRP - I checked. However there definitely are some locations with decent LOS to the areas where I know I got hung up as the Allies.

I saw plenty of their artillery fall in the wrong spots though, for which I was extremely thankful. When it falls in the right spots - ugh!

[Erik Springelkamp]

The German mortars are leathal, they caused 26 of my 29 casualties. I am actually beining to suspect their is something adrift with AI mortars, they just seem too accurate and able to deliver rounds to where they, nor their spotters, cannot have a line of sight. I am not calling foul at present, just suspicious.

They fire at known enemy positions as far as I could see.

I didn't lose men to German mortars, because I didn't stay long in one place, but I noticed a few times that my previous position was bombed.

So I think it is pretty realistic AI plotting of mortars.

[finalcut]

I called in a couple F/A 18's with Laser guided munitions.......Oh sorry,wrong game.How the Hell did these WWII guys move anywhere in the ETO without getting slaughtered.WWII is Hellova lot tougher for a Commander such as myself,One who actually cares about his Men.I love this game,but Damn it's tough.:eek:

[Keith]

:)Can we have a small tactics guide/AAR for the tutorial mission "Road to Berlin"" for us newbies interested in trying to attain victory. This would be muchly appreciated:)

Move an HQ unit in the building overwatching the road and position your mortars in the courtyard. The HQ can spot for the mortars when enemy units pop up. Concentrate on striking machine gun teams and enemy guns.

Avoid moving units on the road like the plauge. The Germans have the road well covered. Instead, move your men in the bocage, using fire and movement with overwatch. Have your infantry lead and your tanks follow. Take your time and be cautious and methodical. Try splitting off scouts from your squads to identify potential ambushes.

[Broadsword56]

move your rifle platoon one square adjacent the hedgerow (so that they CANT see through to the other side) and lob grenades over, then move up to the hedgerow.

How do you make a squad lob grenades over a hedgerow? Especially if they can't see an area target over the hedgerow, since they're back from it?

[womble]

My tip for this scenario is: "Don't hang around." If you think you've got 'em suppressed, go for it. It'll probably lose you less than hanging around to get mortarated, even if they're not quite as suppresed as you thought, or your suppression slackens a little because of moving. It has the added advantage of finishing things off quicker, so you don't, as I did, start running out of ammo.

Something I discovered, which I don't know will apply to other scenarios is that just because you can't see a hedgerow, doesn't mean you can't suppress it. The fields on the right, there's a slight downslope away from you which means if you fire at the front hedge, enough high/grazing rounds go through and reach the next hedge that the poor quality troops in the intro scenario seem to start panicing before you've even focused any fire on the hedge they're behind, one back from the one you're targetting. Keeping your tempo up here will catch them still withdrawing.

[Ryujin]

In addition to what others mentioned, I just found it to be a couple simple flanking maneuvers.

Step one would be focusing on securing the field by the farmhouse, don't worry about actually taking the farmhouse, just clear out the Germans enough so you can have some infantry hug the hedgerow the follows the road and flank all of the bocage positions in the small fields, they'll go down really easily. Then move some guys through those small fields to flank and destroy the remaining German position by the cross roads. Then take the farmhouse or any remaining pockets if they haven't surrendered by this point.

Didn't actually use the tanks much, had them clear out the Germans on the other side of the large field (from spots that couldn't be seen from the crossroads after one took a hit) and that was about it.

[winkelried]

** SPOILER **

Just finished as US Total 8 KIA, 7 WIA, 1 Tank immobile as Veteran. My solution:

Keep all units together to get the most of the punch. First take the farm. Then the crossroads. And at last mop up the Germans still hidden in the bocage from behind.

Tactics:

Create a fire base at the houses. Keep the weapons Lt for the radio and put the mortar of the reinforcement there too.

First send the scouts and the Lt (small firing arc) forward to the bocage together with the two Shermans. The Shermans should move to the bocage stay 10-15 seconds fire at all they see and move back - repeat this as long as you need. This should trigger German fire. Lay mortar fire on the German positions. Key is to get the ATG as soon as possible.

The Shermans 3&4 and the HMG should be used to spray the farmhouses with suppressive fire. Then get the second platoon to the bank of the small river (through the hole in the bocage). Maybe some smoke or some supressive fire from a Sherman towards the bocage on the right side of the road can minimize losses. Get a firebase with 2 squads left of the footbridge. get one squad across the bridge into the barn and start suppressive fire on the farm house. The Germans should now have fled.

Then get the rest of the platoon and the HMGs in the farm house on the second floor (1 HMG in the barn helps too). There they can suppress anything moving at the crossroads. Eventually use them to spot for the mortars. For the infantry the assault order can be useful.

Now get the second platoon and the tanks through the gap in the bocage. This is the most critical phase. If you have knocked out the ATG you should be ok. If not you could lose a Sherman or two. But only who dares wins :-)

Now its just speed that counts or you will get slaughtered by the German mortars. Move your tanks two by two (always two firing and two moving). You should be able to move the infantry (2 platoons - heavy weapons, +Cpy CO and XO) now with Quick without taking too many losses.

Take the crossroads and clean up the field behind. You will not need to enter the field just put the infantry first at the hedge/bocage and then a tank or two and fire at anything that moves.

Now take two tanks and an infantry platoon to cleanup the bocage from behind. And then you should be done.

[Smithers]

Not at all familiar with CMSF,tried this basic scenario. I had more than 14 KIA,I'll leave it at that. Will be trying this again later tonight,more having problems issuing proper commands and getting units into the positions i want them to be at. But its a heck of alot of fun.

[ichadwick]

...I did manage to win the mission with less than 15 casualties.

Wow. I haven't managed to win it at all... tried maybe ten times, every time my tanks get spotted impossibly far away and blow out of the game before getting even halfway along the map. Send them to the left or right, same thing. Got down to about six-ten men and perhaps that many Germans once - and they still had their AT. They could see me easily through the bocage, while I stumbled into their crossfires and died trying blindly to locate them.

The AT is remarkably, supernaturally accurate for the distance it can disable tanks. They get disabled at the edge of the fields just outside the setup zone, whenever I play. Managed to get one about 2/3rds down the map, mostly by using fast speed, hiding and sacrificing the rest. But the AT took it out as soon as it found a place where it could fire back.

A bit frustrating for a "demo" scenario.

[Stugdownunder]

:)Thanks guys for your informative tactics replies. If anyone can post a few screenies with notes attached this would be awesome. Guys like me and ichadwick seem to be getting massacred while others seem to be breezing through this scenario. Some screenies with where to place your armor/armour or how to spot the AT gun, recon area, suppress and assault, and where to put your mortar rounds would be awesome.

[Joey JoJo Junior Shabadoo]

How do you make a squad lob grenades over a hedgerow? Especially if they can't see an area target over the hedgerow, since they're back from it?

Yeah sorry they do actually have LOS to the immediate other side but krauts in the next hedgerow won't have LOS to them. The idea is to suppress/kill any krauts on the other side (especially those with 'fausts or 'shrecks) before you put your infantry and then tanks on the hedgerow proper.

[Hiram Sedai]

had a minor victory because there was no fricken flag. I feel bewildred and betrayed over here because I was asking the Germans in loud English if they like apples. Not sure if I can adapt to not having flags.

[Stugdownunder]

I can provide some screenshots of the way I approached the mission along with some commentary, if you'd like. I'm no tactics buff, but I did manage to win the mission with less than 15 casualties.

:)That would be awesome Chris if you get the time.

[quantumv]

* SPOILERS *

CMSF player here. I just finished it on my second playthrough, warrior difficulty.

I made my way through the bocage, keeping clear of the road. While I crossed the first field, my tanks fired their machine-guns at the tall hedgerow across the field and kept the road covered in smoke. After that, I held them back and they played no further role.

Each little field, I placed a whole platoon along the near hedgerow and had them area fire at the opposite one. After a minute or two, I switched orders to "Target Light" and rushed forward the other platoon. Most of the time, the Germans had already retreated or surrendered.

In the last section, I went through the field on the edge of the of the map and finally found the AT gun and a whole bunch of enemies hiding on the wrong side of a hedgerow After gunning them down, I continued towards the left and shot the guys hiding behind the wall at the end of the field, from their flank. The Germans surrendered soon after, maybe ten or fifteen minutes before the time limit. I suffered 2 killed, 10 wounded, most of them lost in a couple of explosions, possibly panzerschreck rockets. I used the XO and MG ammo bearers as medics. Neither side used artillery or mortars.

On my first playthough I attacked across the open field on the left. It felt harder than the bocage route.

[Haggard Sketchy]

Wow. I haven't managed to win it at all... tried maybe ten times, every time my tanks get spotted impossibly far away and blow out of the game before getting even halfway along the map. Send them to the left or right, same thing. Got down to about six-ten men and perhaps that many Germans once - and they still had their AT. They could see me easily through the bocage, while I stumbled into their crossfires and died trying blindly to locate them.

The AT is remarkably, supernaturally accurate for the distance it can disable tanks. They get disabled at the edge of the fields just outside the setup zone, whenever I play. Managed to get one about 2/3rds down the map, mostly by using fast speed, hiding and sacrificing the rest. But the AT took it out as soon as it found a place where it could fire back.

A bit frustrating for a "demo" scenario.

The whole map is only 670m long and the PaK40 is an accurate gun. Ever letting it see your tanks is a big mistake, let alone trying to beat it by rushing across its field of fire.

I just finished the scenario with ~15 casualties, without using the tanks. Here's a tutorial:

Your basic plan should be to have one rifle platoon carefully advance on each side of the road with 2 tanks and 1 MG supporting each. Keep the tanks back until your infantry find the ATG and mortar it. Don't bother moving down the road since it has no cover. The company HQ can be sent wherever an extra HQ or extra spotting is needed.

1. Deploy your rifle platoon along this line. Have two tanks just behind it, but not on it. At the beginning of any attack scenario you should note the possible extent of where the enemy can shoot. I've drawn this line orange. This is where you should first deploy your infantry platoons to find and fix the enemy. This is also where you should not send your tanks, since the ATG may have a shot along here.
   
2. Send your reinforcement rifle platoon this way. The yellow zone is suspected unsafe because of the gap in the hedgerow near 3. I was never shot at there, but it's good practice to make sure. So first move a squad to the first gap at the beginning to spot for any threats. Once it's determined safe, move the whole platoon to deploy along the orange line. Follow with 2 tanks behind them if you feel its necessary, but try to keep them away from from the yellow zone since the ATG might have a shot there.
   
3. Start advancing your infantry. At this point you'll have made contact. As long as your infantry are behind hedgerows, they should win all firefights with 0 or near 0 casualties. Mortar fire on 'harass' will help with any tricky opponents (mainly at the crossroads), but make sure you save at least 20 bombs for the ATG.
   
   On north flank: The enemy can't see that big open field from the crossroads very well. Use bounding overwatch and you'll win versus the opposite hedgerow easily. Send the two tanks at full speed to the north side of the field, then along the arrow, right behind the infantry. Chances are the ATG doesn't have a shot along that route, but use a smoke screen to the southwest to be safe.

   
   

   On the south flank: Have a squad dash across the gap (not through it) to get a shot at the farm. Your platoon should be engaged with enemies around the crossroads. We'll assault the farm later. If at any point you find the ATG, mortar it! If at any point 81mm mortars start falling, run away from the impacts!

   
   

4. Continue advancing along this route, with tank support. Once again, the enemy can't fire at north flank from the crossroads so your tanks should be safe from the ATG. But don't put them ahead of the infantry; panzershrecks are about.
   
5. Once that second hedgerow in the north is secured, move an MG here to fire at the farm. Maybe a tank close behind, too.
   
6. Assault the farm. Put lots of suppressing fire on the farm and crossroads. Start the assault with one squad towards the short stone wall. Fire from the crossroads may cause a few casualties around the trees and bridge. Once the farm is secured, move the whole platoon in. The hedgerow is good for the rifles, and the 2 story building is a good MG and mortar spotting position. You'll have definitely spotted the ATG by now.
   
7. Continue advancing through the hedgerows. Flank wherever you can. The south corner of the 4th row is a good spot for flanking fire. The big field to the northwest is where some enemies will retreat. Send a squad to flank north as shown to take care of them.
   
8. I should've just made this part of 6. Nevermind.
   
9. Continue advancing. The squad flanking north should wipe out the rest.
   
10. Same. This open area is unsafe for infantry. By now you should've spotted and eliminated the ATG, so use your armor. Axis should surrender about now.
    

[Pandur]

anyone tried to score a total victory from axis side in this one? i just tried, made only a tactical victory. the allied AI has no AI plan, so i mortared their spawn(lot´s of dead infantry). took out 4 of the 5 tanks with schreck and nearly go the last one with the ATG i moved up from the rear but it was to late, time ended.

since all the germans are conscript and some HQ´s green, it extremely hard to get them to do something meaningfull and if they come under fire they rout faster then then you could say "Nahverteidigungswaffe"

i should have done a screenshot, but i will surely try again, it must be possible to get a total vicory in this one as axis too.

in the end if i had units in the objective areas, i pushed everything forward, the extra points could have made me something better then tactical victory...i try next time.

[Stugdownunder]

The whole map is only 670m long and the PaK40 is an accurate gun. Ever letting it see your tanks is a big mistake, let alone trying to beat it by rushing across its field of fire.

I just finished the scenario with ~15 casualties, without using the tanks. Here's a tutorial:

Your basic plan should be to have one rifle platoon carefully advance on each side of the road with 2 tanks and 1 MG supporting each. Keep the tanks back until your infantry find the ATG and mortar it. Don't bother moving down the road since it has no cover. The company HQ can be sent wherever an extra HQ or extra spotting is needed.

1. Deploy your rifle platoon along this line. Have two tanks just behind it, but not on it. At the beginning of any attack scenario you should note the possible extent of where the enemy can shoot. I've drawn this line orange. This is where you should first deploy your infantry platoons to find and fix the enemy. This is also where you should not send your tanks, since the ATG may have a shot along here.
   
2. Send your reinforcement rifle platoon this way. The yellow zone is suspected unsafe because of the gap in the hedgerow near 3. I was never shot at there, but it's good practice to make sure. So first move a squad to the first gap at the beginning to spot for any threats. Once it's determined safe, move the whole platoon to deploy along the orange line. Follow with 2 tanks behind them if you feel its necessary, but try to keep them away from from the yellow zone since the ATG might have a shot there.
   
3. Start advancing your infantry. At this point you'll have made contact. As long as your infantry are behind hedgerows, they should win all firefights with 0 or near 0 casualties. Mortar fire on 'harass' will help with any tricky opponents (mainly at the crossroads), but make sure you save at least 20 bombs for the ATG.
   
   On north flank: The enemy can't see that big open field from the crossroads very well. Use bounding overwatch and you'll win versus the opposite hedgerow easily. Send the two tanks at full speed to the north side of the field, then along the arrow, right behind the infantry. Chances are the ATG doesn't have a shot along that route, but use a smoke screen to the southwest to be safe.

   
   

   On the south flank: Have a squad dash across the gap (not through it) to get a shot at the farm. Your platoon should be engaged with enemies around the crossroads. We'll assault the farm later. If at any point you find the ATG, mortar it! If at any point 81mm mortars start falling, run away from the impacts!

   
   

4. Continue advancing along this route, with tank support. Once again, the enemy can't fire at north flank from the crossroads so your tanks should be safe from the ATG. But don't put them ahead of the infantry; panzershrecks are about.
   
5. Once that second hedgerow in the north is secured, move an MG here to fire at the farm. Maybe a tank close behind, too.
   
6. Assault the farm. Put lots of suppressing fire on the farm and crossroads. Start the assault with one squad towards the short stone wall. Fire from the crossroads may cause a few casualties around the trees and bridge. Once the farm is secured, move the whole platoon in. The hedgerow is good for the rifles, and the 2 story building is a good MG and mortar spotting position. You'll have definitely spotted the ATG by now.
   
7. Continue advancing through the hedgerows. Flank wherever you can. The south corner of the 4th row is a good spot for flanking fire. The big field to the northwest is where some enemies will retreat. Send a squad to flank north as shown to take care of them.
   
8. I should've just made this part of 6. Nevermind.
   
9. Continue advancing. The squad flanking north should wipe out the rest.
   
10. Same. This open area is unsafe for infantry. By now you should've spotted and eliminated the ATG, so use your armor. Axis should surrender about now.
    

Excellent stuff nice tactics. In step three top section of the map do you blow holes in the bocage to gain access to the next field or go around with your tanks. I know there is little holes in the bocage for the infantry to go through just wondering about the tanks. Thanks for your help.