Razorback Ridge

[marshallneal]

I read the thread on here about the Razorback ridge mission, and I'm still a bit confused as how to crack the nut.

At present, I start by sneaking my FO up the main road towards the crossroads and I mortar the heck out of it, with everything I have. I send in infantry and try to clear it out. I usually succeed.

Then, I have to contend with enfilade fire from the road in the direction of the farm. Usually I am able to put some rounds on that and some infantry and it gets cleared out.

From there, I deploy my engineers to make a breach in the hedgerow next to the crossroads to allow units to pass through that field without attracting attention from the left bank units. Typically, I finish using my artillery on the woods on the left in an effort to wipe out their assets, but it usually fails.

By this time, I'm halfway across the map and time runs out.

In addition to time, I am decimated by enemy artillery which is plentiful and deadly. It simply kills everything.

Obviously, I'm doing it wrong.

Any suggestions?

Thanks, all.

[DavidFields]

Probably of help as far as responses:

1. Are you doing it directly, after winning School, or did you go through the longer sequence and thin the enemy? [For those going directly, what happens if one loses this one in that case? Defeat?]

2. WEGO or Real Time?

[marshallneal]

I did it after University and the one where you choose the route. (Does it make a difference which route?)

Real Time.

[Agua]

SPOILERS -------------------------

That map is so complicated, it would be difficult to give exacting directions, but in general, you know what the problem is: terrible death machinary on the left and right flanks with major portions of the center covered direct and indirect fire. I sent a platoon up tight against the bocage in the field of doom on the right hand side of the road to get good cover against the Germans at the crossroads. I'd sent another platoon up the road, on the left hand side and slowly worked them at various angles from every action spot at the cross road that wasn't mined. The Germans were suppressed enough that it wasn't a suicide drill. If you send squads tight against the embankment to the left, there are no mines there, or weren't in the plan I had. You can infiltrate quite a few that way, then move them up the back side of the field.

That's kind of the key to the entire thing. When the engineers came on, I had them blow up the bocage which the first platoon I mentioned above was clinging tightly against, beyond the hedgehogs. When the TDs come in, you can move them into the fields and flank the German positions. You're going to lose some TDs, and some armoured cars.

Best thing I can tell you is be extremely conscious of LOS from the flanks. I avoided even trying to take the farm complex - there's enough points otherwise. Use your engineers to break through the bocage. You get some decent arty late in the scenario, I'd save all of it until the 105s come in, then get an FO to call linear targets using all you have, except a few 60s, on the hill on your left flank. Use the 60s to pop a little copse of trees on the left which held HMG and 81mm. I also set up quite a few MGs along the road fronting the left flank field once the arty had everything suppressed.

I'd reccommend rearranging your isolated platoon units a little bit, expecially in the enclosure area. The can hold their own in there. After a while the attack on those guys lightened up substantially and you can actually use portions of those to participate in the final assault on the two big point objectives around the end. I recommend bringing another platoon, advancing from the opposite side of those objectives as well.

Good luck.

[womble]

As far as I'm concerned, this is two scenarios rolled into one map.

The first scenario is a replacement and replenishment one. Keep your main force out of sight, and hoover up all the goodies that arrive in jeeps and trucks.

The second scenario is a single-platoon action, holding the toolsheds against a canalised infantry attack with one squad and using the other two to get the HQ across the road and up one field to call 105 fire on the last big VL when it becomes available, and then to mop up. You'll get a tactical if you drive off the Germans in the foxholes on the first high value VL, more if your artillery works well on the other foxholes.

Every man and bullet and mortar shell you lose or use in this scenario is an asset unavailable for the finale, and given you can win with the loss of only a handful of men at most, if you're unlucky and the firing off of small arms ammo that you can probably scavenge off incidental vehicles in the finale, why bother with an all-up attack?