phoenix
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Joined: 9/28/2010
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Major Snafu. Nah. But maybe I should. I was interested in setting up From the Meuse to the Rhine, fairly realistically, so as to enable the Allies to win, decisively. Once I got that I thought I would scale back the changes to make it winnable, but only just, as I think the historical stock scenario is not winnable, and it's interesting to mess around with what the minimum changes might have been to change that. That's what I mainly tampered with, but it was all easy tampering, such as anyone can easily do in the scenmaker, and certainly lacked finesse, so I haven't thought to upload anything.
My realism constraints were, basically, that glider drops could not be on polder on the first day (could be on subsequent days, if the polder was to be in allied control, and scouted). This mirrored what happened, sort of. They seemed to be frightened to put both men and gliders onto polder on day 1, and this - along with RAF fears about AA concentrations - was one of the key reasons for dropping so far from the targets. This, in itself, I think (having played the game, read the books etc) wouldn't have been fatal if their comms had been better and if they hadn't been thereafter lumbered with getting supply from the original distant drop zones, both at Nijmegan and Arnhem. It's impossible, in game (and was so in RL) to keep your supply lines clear with the forces they had available to do that and get to the bridges, against the weight of opposition they encountered. You just have to look at the size of perimetre you have to keep secure, whilst also siezing and holding bridges, all with 9 Bns or so, to realise this, I think. You know the history, I'm sure.
So I started messing around with moving SEPs to put supply drops into polder, closer to where they would end up. I also tinkered with the 2 variant ideas that have been widely canvassed (and were alternative scenarios in the original HTTR) - namely, dropping everyone via one huge or two normal drops, all on day 1, plus the various coup de main (dropping a Bn right on the bridges) options that the Brit and US paras were keen on, but which the RAF ruled out.
The key - in the ordinary stock scenario - to both bridges, I feel, is not to try to take Arnhem bridge, but to get quickly to the sth side of it (via the rail bridge, which is easy to take unblown if you really bombard the defenders with everything you have before any attack) and block all Axis movement across it and down to Nijmegan, before, roughly 18.00 on day 1. If you manage that then I've found the AI kind of siezes up with huge concentrations of materiel nth of the Arnhem highway bridge, which it wants to get down to Nijmegan, which has a priority (through vic conditions and the actual priority set for the loc) - this seems all pretty much how it might have happened in RL to me. You can also block the 3 ferry crossings quite easily, that the AI might think to use instead, at Huissen and Pannerden, but that won't prevent a substantial Axis battlegroup 'appearing' in Doornenburg at around 10pm, day 1 (unless you change this in the scenmaker), who will then get to Nijmegan and cause probs.
After a while messing with all this I became a bit dispirited because the supply situation was endlessly frustrating and I felt it wasn't doing what would have happened in RL, so I stopped all the tinkering. My basic issue - I posted about one variant of it - and i think it really is still an issue - is that supply is interdicted quite easily by enemy troops past the FLOT, by their mere presence (weight of firepower, or whatever) - ie they don't even have to physically (with a unit in the rear) cut your supply lines, to cut them. So that you quickly arrive in a situation where you have, say, a good, solid bridgehead nth of Arnhem highway bridge, or a great, strong blocking force sth of the bridge, interdicting the crossing, and in no time they are out of ammo (certainly before the end of day 1) and you cannot, even at night, get them resuplied in position, even when you have moved the SEP, say to Elden, and the base is at Elden too and all the roads inbetween and around are clear of enemy. You have a clear and shortish route into your troops from both SEP and base, but the supply doesn't make it because the weight of enemy forces those troops are actually fighting interdicts it. It means you're done within about 12 hours of heavy fighting, max, or you have to withdraw front line troops to get them resuplied, which leaves the bridgehead/blocking position knackered.
This problem made me give up, because I felt that in RL, and as it should be in the game, they ought to be able to get supply in from the rear, one way or another, even if less supply than 100%.
Dave has tweaked it since I posted, I should add, and I haven't got round to testing it yet. Besides, I'm waiting for Patch 4 final to do anything now.
< Message edited by phoenix -- 4/25/2013 2:18:58 PM >
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RE: help with SEPs - 
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