Has anybody won Elsenborn?

Command Ops: Battles From The Bulge takes the highly acclaimed Airborne Assault engine back to the West Front for the crucial engagements during the Ardennes Offensive. Test your command skills in the fiery crucible of Airborne Assault’s “pausable continuous time” uber-realistic game engine. It's up to you to develop the strategy, issue the orders, set the pace, and try to win the laurels of victory in the cold, shadowy Ardennes.
Command Ops: Highway to the Reich brings us to the setting of one of the most epic and controversial battles of World War II: Operation Market-Garden, covering every major engagement along Hell’s Highway, from the surprise capture of Joe’s Bridge by the Irish Guards a week before the offensive to the final battles on “The Island” south of Arnhem.

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CaptCarnage
Posts: 335
Joined: Tue May 24, 2011 8:59 am

Has anybody won Elsenborn?

Post by CaptCarnage »

I think I tried about 8 times now...

In one of my attempts, I was lucky enough to -briefly- hold the Elsenborn Ridge objective, by sneaking the 989 through the forests in the north in the cover of darkness. However, very hard to maintain proper supply and to force a corridor north of Rocherat. So the 989th was driven away at one point, but since I was still on the Elsenborn-Rocherat road, and Peiper (who missed the exit window) had taken Bullingen, I pretty much blocked all the supply into the Rocherat sector, and could take Rocherat easily.
This however, together with all the "easy" objectives, the villages in the south and the station, does not mean a scenario victory.

In another attempt, I managed to secure the station at the end of D1, and thus managed to push Peiper through to the Rollbahn D exits.
In the end, I still managed to capture Bullingen, but since the AI is heavily defending its northern objectives, I had to leave Rocherat and Elsenborn Ridge alone.
This was my highest scenario score so far, and it pretty much reflects what happened in real life.
But since the US held on to Rocherat, this wasn't even a Draw, it was a marginal defeat.

Anyway, to win the scenario, you have to somehow make Peiper exit, and wrestle Rocherat from the AI, preferably Elsenborn as well - next to all the objectives in the south, and Bullingen.

Now I don't see how I can do that. Maybe it is possible, with the help of Muller and Ott, possibly Kraus, to take Rocherat before time runs out. Elsenborn (Ridge) seems unreachable without a proper supply setup.

Now sure, this is the whole idea of the scenario of course :) but has anyone managed to break through to Elsenborn?

It should also be possible to aim for Butgenbach - it is certainly not as heavily defended als Elsenborn and Rocherat, but I need just another day to make this happen :) My best shot was having troops in Butgenbach ejecting US units, but the scenario was over before any unit could exit.
"One must always distrust the report of troop commanders: 'We have no fuel' [...] You see, if they become tired they suddenly lack fuel" - Heinz Guderian, Panzer Leader
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simovitch
Posts: 5757
Joined: Tue Feb 14, 2006 7:01 pm

RE: Has anybody won Elsenborn?

Post by simovitch »

It probably could use a bit of adjustment to favor the Germans. I got a marginal during original beta testing but I plan to try this again with the fixes that are showing up in the patch. It sounds like you played it pretty well.
simovitch

CaptCarnage
Posts: 335
Joined: Tue May 24, 2011 8:59 am

RE: Has anybody won Elsenborn?

Post by CaptCarnage »

Thanks!

Maybe the VPs for the Allies could be adjusted a bit - having secured the south sector and getting Peiper on the road to Stavelot does mean the German army has forced a corridor into the Ardennes.
It wasn't the desired option, but if Peiper would have managed to cross the Meuse in the days after, who knows...
So having achieved that, it might be good enough for a draw?

Maybe it doesn't reaaally matter - I consider myself graduated to the next scenario :) (I am gonna play the Grand Campaign)
"One must always distrust the report of troop commanders: 'We have no fuel' [...] You see, if they become tired they suddenly lack fuel" - Heinz Guderian, Panzer Leader
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