Tactics Academy. DAR #1 2054172 Vs Ratzki

J

Jonny

Guest
Ok all force picks are in. Here is what we've got.

First of all Numbers

numbers-ratzki-1.jpg


As we can see He has gone what looks like infantry heavy, but really he's swallowed up all his points with the Tiger and the Brummbar i think. He has 2 solid CO's of inf with plenty of MG and Mortar support, no guns though and quite a low number of AFV. Anyways here is what the man himself has to say

I picked a crack Stuka Dive bomber ...for two reasons....
1) To hopefully through a wrench in the enemies plans

2) I always pick a Vet or crack because I don't want them shooting up my own troops, which has happened in the past. I picked a crack for dealing with Ratzki because he is a seaoned player and I can't afford the pilot missing, I picked a vet against ACSpectre because he is not so seasoned.;(

I picked a tiger and Brumbar for the attack on the village and the company of Airborn for close in fighting .

I picked a company of Vet. Luft. Mech for cheap vehicles and men with rifles which I will deploy for some distance shooting as needed.
I platoon of Pioneers for woods fighting on a flank with flamethrowers. I purchased extra HMG and Panzerschrecks to assist in anti tank fighting and infantry support. The LMGs were for scouts and spending what odd points were left. Two stugs against ratzki are to do flank attacks and tie up his armour or any sweep he might attempt. I am not as worried with AC. his lack of experience will give me a little more leway. I have played both players and understand a bit of what they are like.

I must confess my use of mortars is not as good as i would like but is improving as I go.
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And here is what Ratzki has bought, the full English!

He's gone for a full British infantry battalion something i rarely ever buy, mainly cos it gives you loads of stuff (like the carriers) that while it may be useful to have as an organic part of a battalion in most cases in CM its pretty useless, he does get 6 6lber guns however which if he can get them into position could prove very useful against Numberz heavies.

Armor wise he's gone for 2 Sherman 5s and a Plt of 3 Valentine Xs, the Vals have the 6lber gun too and they have a few tungsten rounds (as do the guns) so these stand a good chance against the tiger, they are regs tho so they might freak out.

numbers-ratzki-2.jpg


And here's what Ratzki has to say on the matter

Well, I guess we will all have something to learn in this game. I do not play CMAK very often, let alone the Allies. So I had my heart set on playing the Brits. The map has lots of cover and I do not predict very many, if any, long range LOS. Most contact will be within 2-300m.

First thing that I notice is it is expensive to play the British. I toy with Vet. Troops, but they are just too expensive So I settle for Reg. Infantry in Battalion strength. I get a wack of PIATs and even some 6 pounder guns, to round things out there is a 3in mortar FO. No Mgs though. I am hoping that with the close quarters, I will not miss them much, but I have a bad feeling already.

Armor looks equally disheartning, after 2,000+ points in infantry, there is not much to choose from. I grab a platoon of Vet. Valentine Xs and two Reg. Sherman Vs. This will have to be my stoppers for the German big stuff. I plan on getting some flank/backdoor shots in with the numerous Piats, or at least that is the plan.

Now for the left over change I take two Vet. Sharpshooters, a Reg. Flamethrower, a Green Piat team, and a 20mm AA gun. Do not know what I am going to do with them yet, will have to see.

I will tell you right now that I feel way more comfy picking for the Russians then I do here, I could be in trouble. Numberz is a good player, and one has to give him alot of respect. I have played he several times and he seems to go armor heavy in his force selection and I expect nothing less this time around. I just think that this map does not lend itself to tanks so am not too worried. I do pride myself on my infantry game, but there is only so much that you can do with them.

Now if I can just figure out what to do with six 6 pounder guns... I get some HE along with the AP. They are by no means heavyweights, but can be deadly in the right position. The American equivalent is the 57mm, which I think outperforms the 6 pounder vs armor, but you do not get any HE with them. I plan on winning the infantry game and just holding my own with the armor.

This should be a good game if I don't have a brain cramp and mess the bed, which I have been known to do from time to time. OK Brits, don't let me down.
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I will post shots of the other game against AC Spectre tommorow along with more detailed analysis of the map. Just a little taster for you guys ;)
 
Is the purpose of this thread to teach tactics or is this a King of the Hill style battle?
 
To teach tactics. Both players will be informing us of their intentions and how they are going to achieve them, i will add my own personal comments and paste action pics, and everyone is encouraged to chuck their $0.02 in
 
In the future, I would make the size of the battles way smaller. No more than 1000 points. It will just be easier to try to follow what is going on. When you have a Crack Stuka dropping in on one side and a wall of AT guns on the other, I think the tactics get lost some what. Just my 2 cents.
Lord Bane
 
This looks like it could be an interesting game, and I'll be interested to see how the Stuka plays out. I don't buy air cover normally, as even with cracks it can go wrong. One miss with a bomb, or friendly fire, and the points have been wasted a little. Having said that, I have been victim to some nice air strikes.

As for AT guns, a lot of players use them in the defence, and they play an important role in many QBs/scenarios. Armour may be the focus of the CM engine, but a few well-placed AT guns can destroy an armoured fist. AT guns encourage players to scout with infantry fist before exposing their armour.

I'm not sure about tying up so much of your armour points in a Tiger and Brumbar. One lucky shot and your armour contingent is up in smoke, more or less. But in the right position these two behemoths could provide a telling blow. Like I said this could be an interesting contest. And 6lbers will present a real headache for the German armour, even the mighty Tiger, once it gets close enough.
 
Hi all,

one point I'd like to make is that 205whatshisname has 3 tanks that in my opinion are to be profiled as heavy/mid fire support tanks. That is to say they either need a good vantage point or more mobile tanks for flank guard. Outmaneuvering a Stug or a Brummbar is easy, especially since they're both individual tanks. I'd build up a platoon of more agile panzers to use as flank guard for my behemoth. Infantry does the trick as well, especially pioneers, but advancing them in the same pace with the tank can be hard.


R,

K
 
I think that buying planes of any type is cowardly and for the most part, is the truest lack of skill in the game and most cheesiest play there is.

Conversely, it allows for the throw of the dice to take place and sometime predicate the outcomes of a game in grand style, making the lowly newbie capable of taking out the wiley Veteran...

You know you are a Vet when you don't even consider buying planes: in almost all cases, a Vet will put those points to boots on the ground and use them more effectively. But hey, some people just like the flyboys.

Cheers!

Leto
 
[hirr]Leto said:
I think that buying planes of any type is cowardly and for the most part, is the truest lack of skill in the game and most cheesiest play there is.

Conversely, it allows for the throw of the dice to take place and sometime predicate the outcomes of a game in grand style, making the lowly newbie capable of taking out the wiley Veteran...

You know you are a Vet when you don't even consider buying planes.

Cheers!

Leto
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I have to disagree here, i often buy CAS for large games (3000pts+), they can come in very handy, i usually don't spend a lot of points on them as they are so hit and miss.
 
You buy a 150 point plane. I buy 5 AA guns. After my AA guns shoot down your plane they also knock out 3 halftracks a Tiger, kill 20 men and GD and immobilize 2 other tanks. Do the math.

Buying a plane or two in a 3000 plus point battle may be a bit more logical but I still can use the points better on the ground than any plane in the air.

ADVICE: if you are going to buy a plane, ensure that it has at least 500lb bombs. Anything smaller is often very limited in effect.

Cheers!

Leto
 
Also buy the quickest plane you can, they are harder to shoot down. Ive also been having luck recently with the cannon enabled planes.
 
Jonny said:
Also buy the quickest plane you can, they are harder to shoot down. Ive also been having luck recently with the cannon enabled planes.
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Is "luck" the key word here ? I know Combat Mission never will be a chess game and that is one of the things I love about it (and, of course, sometimes hate). As a player I like to control my units and an airplane I can't control. Worst thing is that they sometimes never show up: points down the drain.

In a bigger points game in which I defend, I find a cheap plane which just strafes useful, because they really slow down the advance of the enemy and it doesn't cost that much to feel sorry when it turns out crap !
 
I'm not really keen on air support...the last time I took some was in a game where my early war Italians were facing Matildas and I hoped it might do me some good, but predictably didn't :)

It's real hit and miss, and if your opponent has good AA it's generally wasted. Like Pete says, the points are better spent on the ground where you can add your own skill as a multiplier rather than throwing a random airsupport dice.
 
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