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Tekopo posted:Next War: India Pakistan seems interesting. It also seems to suggest that Russia would send a small force to help India Yeah - US-UK-Russia-India coalition sounds like a laugh. Might want to pick up Next War Korea/Taiwan to try the system now. Also, anyone have any thoughts on Grand Tactical Series? I'm really tempted by Greatest Day: Gold/Juno/Sword
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# ¿ Nov 1, 2015 02:08 |
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# ¿ May 21, 2024 00:13 |
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So Tekopo informs me that I'm now apparently a counter clipper. All I've done is using Finger nail clippers to snip off the fluff on my counters. They still have their lovely natural square edges. Am I becoming one of you?
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# ¿ Nov 19, 2015 11:01 |
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I'm actually genuniely curious why these things were actually invented in the first place. Surely the wargamers' coutner clipper market isn't that big?
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# ¿ Nov 23, 2015 02:51 |
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Tek - you up for something in December? I have finally punched (and clipped, according to your definitions), BTR, and again have an EOTS sized itch. I'm particularly lookign forward to playing as the Japs this time.
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# ¿ Dec 3, 2015 20:05 |
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Tekopo posted:My hate of randomness is greatly exaggerated, I just hate randomness badly applied. Yah, this dude likes Combat Commander which is the most random luckfest of a game I've ever played. And I say that as a competitive Netrunner player. tomdidiot fucked around with this message at 08:37 on Dec 13, 2015 |
# ¿ Dec 13, 2015 08:32 |
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Taran_Wanderer posted:
I would never, ever play Bataan death March for anything other than Political Will purposes. It gives you an incredibly important buffer that allows you to fail to make progress of war/get an attacking force wiped out without losing the game.
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# ¿ Dec 15, 2015 00:01 |
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Taran_Wanderer posted:I think it's just that and Doolittle that increase US Political Will, yeah? That seems like good advice, though he couldn't play it for the Event at that moment. I guess he can fetch it out of the discard later with an ISR ending card later. Do you feel the same way about the Japanese events that lower Political Will? He should have put that card into FO. There are very, very few cards the Allies would rather save for Turn 3.
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# ¿ Dec 15, 2015 03:18 |
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Tekopo posted:I agree that 1943 is probably the most exciting set of turns for the Allies. They have a small advantage over the Japanese, but not enough to always have things going their way. They are on a schedule to perform and take back terrain, but the Japanese can potentially still be an offensive threat, both in Solomons and especially the CBI. 1943 is pretty much the heart of the game and where most of the most tense, do or die moments of the game live. The more I play EOTS, the less I like how the CBI is modelled (though I still love the feel in the Central and Southern Pacific). I feel that Commonwealth Defenses are too brittle, India goes into revolt too easily, and it's too hard for the Allies to divert extra forces into the CBI. Japanese supply lines in the CBI are far, far too easily secured, while in reality, they were genuinely quite tenuous, and Kohima/Imphal were the absolute limits of their logsitical capability, even after the Death Railway was completed. Historically, the Japanese conquered all of North Burma in '42 and pursued very little offensive action in '43 and early '44. Also, you can bet your house and mortgage on the Brits throwing the Kitchen sink at any Japanese invasion of Bengal proper rather than keeping the bulk of the British Indian army on internal security duties.
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# ¿ Dec 16, 2015 14:52 |
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I'd throw a 9-12 onto Rabaul and forget about it. If the Allies want their Progress of War in the Solomons, they can have it for 3 step losses and 2 ASPs. Also, I just got the new Kickstarter Promos for TS. Some of them are... interesting to say the least. Kremlin Flu is busted.
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# ¿ Dec 17, 2015 12:33 |
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Panzeh posted:One thing I will say is that the land combat of this game is kinda the weakest aspect. This is why China was excluded, but it wouldn't really make sense without a CBI to draw in air-naval assets. As the US, I'd still rather not have to try landing on an Island full of intrinsic 12-12s, even if I can wipe out the other Japanese Ground Steps by air/naval bombardment (Which is a feat in itself)
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# ¿ Dec 17, 2015 12:40 |
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Rockker posted:I'll be playing Empire of the Sun this weekend for the first time. Should we use the Turn 2 start for the short campaign or Turn 1 where the Japan player runs Operation Z and IAI? I'll be playing Allies. The Japan player has played before, but it was 7 or 8 years ago with the first edition. So we've both been boning up on the rules. Definitely do the Turn 2 start. Turn 1 is a weird game unto itself, and the Japanese player can really cheese the game if he knows what he's doing, but gently caress up if he doesn't. After the game, come back and try it.
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# ¿ Dec 29, 2015 19:46 |
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MMP just announced that they'll be reprinting OCS Tunisia, and releasing a new, beginner/entry-level version of Sicily! I'll be buying them, even though I still haven't finished an OCS that isn't RE :p
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# ¿ Dec 31, 2015 00:22 |
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Jobbo_Fett posted:Would, if I had room. Honestly, it gets a bad rap for being too big to enjoy. GBII/CB is supposed to be an absolute monster game and is insane even for OCS players. While there are some really big ones, most recent ones have been one/two mappers which should fit on most dining room tables. Sure, it's not a game you'll finish in one sitting, but that shouldn't be a huge knock against it.
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# ¿ Jan 2, 2016 03:50 |
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The General posted:Considering buying GMT's Ran for solo play. Anybody have any opinions on the game? Haven't played Ran, but I've played its sisters in the GBOH series (Deluxe SPQR and Caesar in Gaul), and I quite enjoy GBOH. It has a relatively steep early learning curve, but it's interesting (probably one of the most thoughtful models of ancient warfare out there, which puts a huge emphasis on command and control). Very good solitaire, and, because it's scenario-based, it's quite quick to set up and pull down.
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# ¿ Jan 5, 2016 02:43 |
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Rockker posted:Played Empire of the Sun for the first time this weekend, and against goon advice we started Turn 1 because my opponent convinced me the IAI card was fixed in the reprint. No, it can't happen without the Turn 1 start; without Z/IAI 1, the Kido Butai ends up somewhere in the Home Islands, He has to spend far, far more activations (and give you far more warning) if he's going to try a second strike on Pearl Harbour, and yes, you could ruin this by speeding your ships north to Dutch Harbour. If he spends his entire turn 2 chasing down the Enterprise, Yorktown, Hornet and Lexington, you're winning. By turn 3, you should have enough naval factors on the board that the pol will loss is going to be very unlikely to happen. Also if the Japanese hedgehog, then you may lose political will once or twice, but they're in serious trouble in the long game; the Japanese will lose the Marshalls once you get your strat bombers in place on the Northern Coast of New Guinea to prevent reactions out of Truk. Sometimes, if you know you aren't going to make political will that turn, it's better to not try, and instead use your activations to beat up his fleet/air forces. And yes, it's rarely worth using Army Corps to do Amphibious assaults, just because they cost 2 ASPs to ship. That's horrifically expensive early game, and if you're attacking an island that you'll need the combat strength of a Corps to assault (i.e. any island defended by a 9-12 or better), you're doing it wrong. Historically, the US leapfrogged past many of these Japanese strongpoints (most notably Rabaul and Truk) . Quite frankly, there is usually NO reason to attack a Japanese 9-12 head on; there are usually enough other Islandsaround it that can do a good job either neutralising Japanese bases or providing a base of operations for your own.
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# ¿ Jan 19, 2016 00:13 |
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COOL CORN posted:Man, what does it say about me that not only do I really want to play Campaign for North Africa, but I really think the logistics side of the game sounds FUN??? Yeah, I'm upset I missed out on DAK 2 as well. Apparently it was initially quite unpopular, and MMP had to put it on sale to get rid of their stocks. There's a Spanish guy selling his Very Good used copy for 200 Euros on BGG. I'm very tempted to pick it up in the summer.
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# ¿ Jan 19, 2016 02:15 |
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I feel this is COIN-system fanboys really jumping the shark. The massive difference in timescale; the lack of any actual insurgency, and the debatable historicity (why do the Roman Army still get to play when historically the last Legions hosed off in 410? My knowledge of the area isn't the best, but portraying this as an insurgency/rebellion is a bit dubious at best.
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# ¿ Feb 13, 2016 05:06 |
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Tek, if you book the 23rd of March off, I can play Plan Orange with you ALL DAY.
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# ¿ Feb 18, 2016 13:07 |
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Tekopo posted:Nope, and 9 times out of 10 you want to place the HQ in Burma. The steps in Burma are too valuable to lose unless the Japanese player is going for a crazy Port Moresby turn 2 attack into a follow up invasion of Australia. You also usually don't have any other steps to spend your turn 3 infantry replacements on other than the 2 Aussie corps that will be flipped because they're OOS.
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# ¿ Apr 4, 2016 10:02 |
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Tekopo posted:Alright I will be free from 3 pm my time, also if anyone is interested in spectating let us know! What a bunch of voyeurs we are.
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# ¿ Apr 15, 2016 08:29 |
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Fat Turkey posted:Holy crud. That's insane. Yes, if BGGuru are going to be getting a shipment, I'll sign up to get an email when they get some in. That's crazy stuff. I mean, if you feel like subsidising USPS or Royal Mail, it's a good option...
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# ¿ Apr 15, 2016 17:16 |
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kalthir posted:That seems a bit excessive, even for VQ. Did you have a full complement of players? We generally finish a turn an hour in VQ. Which is slow, but not unbearably slow. 2 turns in 7 hours seems excessive.
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# ¿ Apr 18, 2016 13:52 |
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I soloed SCS: The Mighty Endeavor. And I'm going to say I was thoroughly dissapointed. It just felt soo... gamey and the decisions were really uninteresting. Plus, the stupid CRT is swingy as gently caress.
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# ¿ Apr 20, 2016 23:38 |
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Impermanent posted:I guess I'm not super surprised because wargamers tend not to be the most woke bunch but you have to not know a single thing about the region at ALL to not know that Batista is one of the most hated men to have walked the earth. I guess I'm the opposite. I only pick areas I'm actually interested in to game. That's probably why Tekopo has never suceeded in geting me to try an ACW game; because I've never found myself drawn to that conflict.
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# ¿ Apr 22, 2016 04:20 |
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Tekopo posted:Got to play Twilight Struggle, Maria and Cuba Libre during my boardgaming weekend (among other board games). A few more comments about that particular game about Maria: Austria also overprotected the low countries and therefore weakened his position in the east too much. I was France, and was shocked to find Arenberg with 6 troops and the Austrian player chucking the kitchen sink in hearts/diamonds, which meant he didn't have enough to stop the Prussian juggernaut. My French hand being rather weak in clubs and spades didn't help matters, as it meant I couldn't push east profitably. Apart from Maria, TS and Cuba Libre, I got to play Eots with a newbie (He was picking up the game quite well by the end), Liberty or Death, which I actually enjoyed a lot more than I thought I would. I tihnk the most important thing to realise is it's not a COIN game at all, but a wargame with significant political elements using COIN mechanics. It's probably easiest to win with the patriots. The French are far too reliant on patriot goodwill to even be able to operate, the Brits are basically fighting a conventional war against two opponents (and tories suck massive balls), and the Indians are more of an annoyance than anything else.
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# ¿ May 4, 2016 11:31 |
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Tek, you free this weekend or Bank Holiday weekend?
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# ¿ May 20, 2016 14:11 |
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OCS Tunisia has now shipped. Sicily is shipping soon. I don't know why I keep buying OCS when I've only ever completed 1 and a half games of RE.
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# ¿ Jun 14, 2016 23:10 |
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One Day, I want to do a full playthrough of WWII with the OCS system. Western Front: Blitzkrieg Legend -> DAK2 - > Reluctant Enemies -> Tunisia II -> Sicily II -> Italy (WIP) -> Normandy? (PRobably not going to happen) -> Beyond the Rhine Eastern Front: Smolensk (WIP) -> Guderian's Blitzkrieg II -> Case Blue -> Kursk (WIP) -> The Third Winter (WIP) -> Baltic Gap -> Bagration (????) -> Hungarian Rhapsody (WIP) Pacific: Burma -> Korea It sounds like a great thing to do if I ever lose my license.
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# ¿ Jun 16, 2016 13:08 |
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Tekopo posted:Well they are only similar in that they are both CDGs. Twilight Struggle is probably an outlier since it isn't a full wargame, but Washingtons War is, and is probably the best intro to more 'wargamey' CDGs. From it, it becomes much easier to get into For the People, Paths/Pursuit of Glory and eventually Wilderness War and Empire of the Sun. TS is very much its own beast. And it IS A WARGAMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE. Fyte me if you don't agree.
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# ¿ Jun 16, 2016 16:55 |
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Trynant posted:Good news everyone! Guderian's Blitzkrieg II only needs two foldout tables! I never understood the monster side of SCS. It's so light. If i'm going to spend half a day/a day playing a game, I want something meaty. Not something as beers-and-pretzel as SCS.
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# ¿ Jun 17, 2016 09:22 |
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This really should be renamed the COIN collectors club.
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# ¿ Jun 22, 2016 13:09 |
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von Metternich posted:I keep hearing good things about Triumph and Tragedy, is it worth picking up? I dislike it for many reasons. I think it's too fluid; too much room for wooliness. I'm not sure I agree with its world view, and most importantly, it's bucket o' dice.
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# ¿ Jun 27, 2016 21:07 |
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I found the combat system frustrating. It was basically playing axis and allies on a giant map, except EVERYONE can raise MASSIVE ARMIES on a whim and send them into splatter each other. The province system meant there was little opportunity for clever maneuver, and the complete lack of any type of stacking limit meant it was just a case of bringing as many men as you can into a fight and then praying the dice gods love you (They did not love me).
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# ¿ Jul 18, 2016 00:04 |
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Tekopo posted:Yeah, it is kind of like that. I was lucky enough to learn alongside another newbie to the system so we learnt together, but it is the case that learning the rules doesn't tell you how to play the game. OCS is the same I feel. It's a really difficult game to grok. We played OCS for Babbies (Reluctant Enemies), and were both pretty unwaware about how to actually do things. Launching offensives in OCS is pretty hard.
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# ¿ Aug 5, 2016 20:04 |
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EIN VOLK, EIN REICH, EIN TEKOPO!
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# ¿ Aug 6, 2016 19:08 |
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Tekopo posted:I mean there's Pursuit of Glory which is a CDG wargame but it's not really about the insurgency. Good game though. Definitely not East African front.
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# ¿ Aug 6, 2016 21:17 |
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Taran_Wanderer posted:From my understanding, it's mostly reacting to whatever the Japanese player does, but holding on to New Guinea can be really big. Look for holes in their "line" to try to sneak some guys through and force them to respond. While taking out their Naval power is very useful, making their planes take losses is just as important. Really, any irreplaceable losses you can inflict will be helpful. As for CBI, don't be afraid to throw some US Air up there if it needs it. If things are looking really bad, it might be worth moving a US HQ up there with some Naval units. If the Japanese are investing too much effort in the CBI, you should be able to push forward in the Pacific, too. The CBI is generally winnable as the allies because without the Kwai Bridge, the Japanese really don't have enough activations to do big pushes. Turning -1 activations into +1 activation is a huge deal. Just keep throwing all your ground replacements into the chunky British units (33rd Corps/15th Corps) and you'll be fine. If it gets desperate, consider dropping an Aussie Corps there as well. And you don't hit the Jap fleet with your fleet. You hit the Jap fleet with your planes, or at least, threaten to hit the jap fleet with your planes. The hardest turn, by far, will be turn 4. Any surprise cards you see (particularly Galvanic/Watchtower) in turns 2-3 go straight into the FOQ for use during turn 4.
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# ¿ Aug 10, 2016 03:26 |
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silvergoose posted:...are there any star wars wargames? Like, really wargames, not rebellion or miniatures. Hex and counter or the like. I'm sure someone can make a pretty cool Star Wars COIN or CDG.
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# ¿ Aug 20, 2016 18:05 |
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I splurged my first doctoring paycheck on a copy of DAK2 and Here I Stand. Send help.
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# ¿ Aug 25, 2016 14:33 |
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# ¿ May 21, 2024 00:13 |
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After Action Report: Major-General Idiot, Acting Commander US VII Corps, CENTAG, AFCENT Our initial deployment was precarious - we had the unenviable position of defending a huge chunk of the German frontier, stretching from the front just south of the Fulda Gap in the north, to Nuremberg in the south. However, we had the advantage of fighting over defensible terrain with many good phaselines, and we had the largest Corps in CENTAG, consisting of a full 3 divisions, 2 additional brigades, with an additional division due to arrive as part of REFORGER. Our initial planning was to have 3rd US Infantry Division (Mechanized) deploy in strength support of V Corps north of the Main river, US 1st Armored Division to screen the Hof gap and the eastern approaches to Nuremberg, and the German 12th Panzergrenadier, 4th Canadian Mechanized Brigade and 3rd Brigade of the US 1st Infantry Division (Mechanized) act as mobile Fire Brigades to shore up gaps in the line. My original plan was to hold the front loosely and to conduct a skillful fighting withdrawal through defensible terrain. We would then hopefully be able to use REFORGER units (the rest of the 1st Infantry Division, as well as the 194th Infantry Brigade (Mehcanized) and French reinforcements to counterattack the overstretched allied forces, who would be able to disable and destroy the overstretched warsaw pact forces and push them back towards the East German border. War, and disagreements with my newly-appointed commanding and operations officer, threw these plans into the bin. The new US VII Corps commander proved indecisive and was often hungover and unable to cope with the stresses of modern war. His operations officer, while sober, was also clearly a desk jockey with no real experience of leading anything larger than a company in the field, and a man who showed a shocking lack of initiative. To him, this post was clearly a stepping stone to some other desk job in the Pentagon. This would have been fine in peacetime, but in wartime, his actions would cause the largest surrender of American troops since the destruction of two regiments of the 106th Infantry Division on the first day of the Battle of the Bulge. On August 1st 1985, Soviet tanks began pouring across the East German border. Once we were aware that an offensive was in place, we were able to move troops to pre-prepared positions defending key routes into the West German Interior. 3rd Infantry Division moved into positions east of Wurzburg, 12th Panzergrenadier moved into reserve, and 1st Armored moved up to Bayreuth and Bamberg to hold the upper reaches of the Main. To the North, the Soviet 2nd Western Front hurled themselves at US V Corps in the fulda gap, where the US 8th Infantry Division fought admirably. Unfortunately, in the south, repeated interference by West German politicians, as well as disastrous planning and communication within the German II Corps to our south delayed mobilization and prevented a defensive line from being formed along the Danube. For an inexplicable reason, 4th Panzergrenadier Division was ordered to the North Bank of the Danube, where they were quickly destroyed piecemeal. German II Corps was subsequently unable to form a cohesive, defensible line - defensive lines planned on the map would be breached before their troops would even get into position. Several German brigades were encircled and destroyed by the full weight of the Soviet Southwestern Front. Munich was the first major city to fall to the Soviets, falling late in the evening on August 1st. The complete collapse of German II Corps prompted an immediate reaction at CENTAG. Liasing with CENTAG, we quickly identified the grave importance of the situation and VII Corps adjusted our plans accordingly; 1st Armored Division was to abandon its forward positions along the Main, and head towards Ingoldstadt to prevent a soviet re-crossing of the Danube. German 12th Pzgr Divw ould head south to Augsburg to take over the northern half of German II Corps' sector. The 3rd Brigade of the 1st Infantry and 4th Canadian Mech Bde were to remain in Corps reserve. Satisfied with these plans, I then turned my attention towards planning local counteroffensives to threaten the precarious Warsaw Pact supply lines through the Bohemian mountains. In the North, 3rd Division were to conduct a fighting withdrawal alongside V Corps. Day 3 brought two pieces of bad news, firstly, the Corps Commander was killed in a Soviet Air strike, and secondly, we found out that AFCENT had dedicated pretty much all Allied air Assets to NORTHAG, and that NORTHAG would recieve absolute priority with regards to REFORGER units. This was incredibly bad news for us, as VII Corps was at this point, fighting an entire Soviet Corps on our own. It was also discovered that, due to the incompetence of our operations officer, who was completely incapable of adapting to changing circumstances, or to responding to the situation on the ground, the 12th Panzergrenadier Division had never arrived in Augsburg, and 1st Armoured had not withdrawn from Nuremberg. When questioned, he declared that he was not willing to part with the highly defensible terrain around Nuremberg, despite the complete lack of significant Soviet forces in the area, as well as the grave situation developing to our south. I, as the newly promoted commander of VII Corps, immediately demanded his removal from CENTAG, but my request was denied, with CENTAG citing the chaos of war, and the problems associated with such a drastic change in command. However, I was able to acquire a very competent Chief-of-Staff (Tekopo) who I had an excellent working relationship with. In the North, a brigade of 3rd Infantry Division was separated from the rest of the Division, and was attached to V Corps for the rest of the war. By Day 4, it had turned out that German II Corps had been misrepresenting the strength of their forces holding the line of the Lech; barely two under-strength Panzergrenadier brigades were all that was left between the Southwestern Front, and the Rhine. While the Southwestern fron was shattered, the impending second wave would soon be able to deliver a killing blow that would reach the Rhine. This resulted in the diversion of French III Corps to our sector. Inexplicably, my operations officer now believed it was a great time to withdraw further troops from the Danube and the Lech to reinforce percieved threats from Nuremberg. This resulted in the soviets crossing the danube at Ingolstadt and only being stopped from taking Ansbach by the commitment of VII Corps' last reserve, the 3rd Bde, 1st Infantry. With the Autobahn from Ansbach to Nuremberg threatened, I gave my operations officer immediate instructions to abandon the rapidly-developing Nuremberg pocket and withdraw his forces to Swabia. This was, again, completely ignored. On August 5th, Soviet forces were able to push aside the remnants of German II Corps in the south. A brigade of the 1st Armored Division, then holding the line at Augsburg were surrounded on 3 sides. I immediately ordered a withdrawal of them, and reiterated the importance of the evacuation of Nuremberg. None of these actions were put into practice. I again, went to CENTAG to demand the immediate removal of my operations officer. This time, they agreed. The man had lied to his commanding officer about troop dispositions, leading to inaccurate and outdated plans to be issued from both VII Corps, and from CENTAG. He had wilfully ignored orders to withdraw his troops, intent on preserving territory that was soon to be behind enemy lines and expending valuable men and materiel for no good reason. He had ignored orders to support the West Germans in II Corps, resulting in a localised attack turning into a generalised breakthrough. As a result, he directly caused the destruction of the entire 12th Panzergrenadier Division, as well as significant elements of the US 1st Armored Division, in the Nuremberg and Augsburg Pockets. Unfortunately, unlike many of the men under his direction, this man has survived the war. As the situation looked increasingly grave in the south, NORTHAG had enjoyed some spectactular success – there were no significant Soviet penetrations beyond the Weser in the north, and the one Soviet Army that had punched their way through had been surrounded and pocketed near Marburg. This allowed the cancellation of several NORTHAG REFORGER convoys, and the diversion of US III Corps troops to the south. The French First Army also began arriving in force, and we were able to stop further Soviet penetrations beyond Ansbach. Unfortunately, the destruction of US Forces in the Augsburg pocket allowed a continued Soviet penetration towards the Rhine at Freiburg , resulting in the French deployment of tactical nuclear weapons. This resulted in the West German government calling for an immediate ceasefire, and ultimately, an end to the first stage of the war. Ultimately, while there may be calls for my resignation, I believe I made the best of a difficult situation. The breakthrough along the Danube was due to mistakes at II German Corps. Further, I had very little control of the situation until Day 3, as my commanding officer was incredibly tolerant of the operations officer’s misdeeds, and, after August 3rd, when he was still ignoring my commands and still failing to adapt to the developing situation appropriately, I found it incredibly difficult to remove him for another two days, until his gross incompetence and his inability to carry out written orders finally persuaded CENTAG to remove him. These two critical days resulted in the destruction of two allied divisions and a breakthrough towards the Rhine. I firmly believe that if my plan and orders had even been remotely followed, as they were, to a large extent in the 3rd Infantry Division sector, the destruction of 1st Armored Division and II German Corps would have been unnecessary. TL:DR Had plans. Idiot underling beneath me wasn't following them. Lost a Division and a Half in a big encirclement. Took far too long to sack and court-martial him. tomdidiot fucked around with this message at 23:14 on Sep 13, 2016 |
# ¿ Sep 12, 2016 00:24 |