Race for Bastogne - Axis

[Mahatma]

Settings and House Rules:
a. Realistic order delay
b. Historical weather
c. Normal reinforcements
d. Speed two all the time except for a pause at the start of the game and every day at 0300 while I create the plan for all divisions. This is so that the game doesn't take too long.

So how can this be done? I've played this scenario up to D2 0400 and no further so I don't know much about the Allies that I shouldn't. Not sure if I should mess around with command structures before the start. Most orders will have to be Bn-level apart from defending key locations with companies. The AI is good enough to deal with orders 90% of the time but I will still have to be putting out fires regularly. In fact, I'll not start the game until the new patch is released, and spend some time learning about using Div- and Bn-level commands effectively.

[Mahatma]

D1 1700

free jpeg images
1. Move orders with attack checked are really useful for advancing quickly. The Bn HQ AI will allocate only 1 company to attacking when more aren't necessary, so that the other companies continue advancing. Very useful.
2. Manually bombarded with Werfers since their bombard stat is ridiculous. 4000 for 4 companies!
3. Used the recon companies on the east side of river to recce towards the bridges. Some of the units waiting to cross the bridge can be detached and sent west early in the day.
4. The collection of 4 allies units will be a nuisance as I was planning to take that village as it lies along a road leading south west to the bridge, so that my main force can move quickly through this location rather than on the tracks in the woods.
5. Nearly forgot that there are about 5 bridges that can be crossed. Only two of which need to be held as objectives but the other three are useful routes.
6. Pausing to plan what to do with the bulk of the corp. Lots of mech inf, armour and the like ready to quickly race for Bastogne once the bridges are secured.
7. Speed 2 ftw. It's still possible to keep on top of things with a few pauses to issue orders to reinforcements and the like while completing 6 hours of game time in only 12 minutes real time (with my cpu).

[dazkaz15]

Good luck mate.
Looking forward to seeing how you get on.

[Mahatma]

ORIGINAL: dazkaz15
Good luck mate.
Looking forward to seeing how you get on.

Hi Dazkaz, do you have any advice? I've paused at an important point where I have to issues lots of orders, to allow myself some time to create a good plan. It's currently very simple:

a. Secure bridges.
b. Secure route from bridges to open terrain with mech inf and mot inf.
3. Advance main force at dawn, over the bridges and through the secured routes into open terrain in NW of screenshot and towards Bastogne.

[dazkaz15]

Sorry for the delayed response.
This in not a scenario I have played yet. It's one of the big ones I was saving for an AAR where I didn't know what was going to happen next.
I've done a map recce, and the first thing that strikes me is how far you have to go, in the time allocated, and how bad the terrain is for tanks, until you can get up onto the Main High way that runs directly into Bastogne, on the high open ground up there.
This means you are going to have to rely heavily on the infantry to open up the routs for the first half of the map.

I think I would be inclined to allocate a route to each of the Regiments, and allocate a coy of armour from the Panzer divisions to each one to be held in reserve, and brought forward whenever you meet stiff resistance or enemy armour.
Use the Bn's in a leap frog method, pushing one down the route until its exhausted, then continuing the push with the next, to keep things moving 24/7.

I think its very important to lead with a single Coy in this to scout the route to see what's coming up, then attack the contact with an appropriate number of troops.
Don't let your infantry get bogged down with taking out strong points that are off the route. Leave it to follow up more mobile forces.

Keep your main supply route (MSR) open by lining it with artillery spaced at main intersections. The longer range ones as the back, the shorter near the front.
Choose a MSR near the centre of the map, to be your centre of gravity for the operation, this will ensure that your artillery can bombard north and south of the map from the MSR.

Understand the timings of the objectives. When they open, and especially when they close as they look to be complicated in this scenario, and you need to ensure that they are occupied when they close.

I don't know the best strategy to take Bastogne. I guess the choices are an envelopment, or a spearhead thrust through the lines, at a weak point, and widen it from there.
I don't think you have enough troops for an envelopment so I thing I would try for a break through.

There are a lot of points in the exit objective so try to open a route to it as soon as you can. Secure it if you arrive early, but keep your forces in play until the last possible moment but don't leave it too late.

This doesn't look like a scenario that can be played quickly, and get a win playing as Axis to me.
You can bet that Bastogne will be a veritable fortress by the time you get there, just as it was historically, with those Para's dug into the small villages and crossings, taking a heavy toll on your forces.

Like I say, I have no experience in this scenario, so this is just my first impressions.

Good luck mate [;)]

[Mahatma]

Sorry for the lack of updates! I did finish the scenario with a decisive victory, playing most of it on speed 3 just to get it finished. But I cheated (again) and reloaded a few times when frustration got the better of me.

Dazkaz,
I'm not sure what I can say without giving away spoilers. So to summarise the scenario:

a. remember that motorised units on a highway are amazingly quick.
b. concentrate on the north most bridge to get to the highway asap.
c. don't bother wasting much time in the forests to the south other than to seize the two objectives there. It's micromanagement hell to navigate and you can just line the highway with battalions to keep supply routes open.