DLC '45 West #04: Houffalize

[VPaulus]

Please post here your comments about this scenario.

[Kamerer]

4) Houffalize – beta 1

Level: Rommel
Prestige: Begin: 2,675. End: 3,025. Net: +725
Result: DV 16/16
Replacement policy/prestige: None used.

Core changes: none

Problems:

• Briefing: “into American lines…” or similar
• Briefing: “bombers are…”

General impressions/comments:

• A sqeaker to get in at the last minute without taking horrible casualties, but do-able.
• I guess I by-passed Scenarios 2,3 by clicking whatever choice I did, was not aware of that from the choices given - perhaps put "and bypass..." on the screen/

[Balois]

4) Houffalize - Beta -1
Level COL
MV 16/16

I found the scenario to be difficult. The multiple anti tank guns made progress slow and when combined with many turns of snow my air superiority was not much help. I used all my prestige trying to keep my units healthy and in the last push lost quite a few units.

As mentioned above, I skipped two scenarios by choosing the bridges. That was not clear in the guidance.

[ThvN]

Houffalize, beta1

Colonel, Imported Core, DV 15/16
Prestige before/after deployment: 9500/8110
Prestige on last turn/incl. victory bonus: 9522/11272

I came upon a concentration of Allied armour around Rachamps (17,25), they just sit there, should they be a triggered counterattack?

Captured everything except Rachamps. The center of the map was nicely littered with Allied units, it took me a while to get past them, stalling my advance as I was wary of bypassing them, fearing a counterattack. I replayed the map thinking I had missed the trigger for an Allied counterattack, but it does not seem to be implemented (yet)?

EDIT: forgot to mention, Rettigny (25,11) is undefended, and can be captured right away on the first turn.

[zappel]

Beta1 - Colonel level - Imported core - DV at turn 16
Finished the scenario at the last turn, but if I'm honest: I had a lot of luck. Some of my core forces were seriously damaged and I had to took four units out of combat while I had no prestige to refit them. A tough scenario but winnable. Those infantery and anti-tank dug in the forrest slowed the attack really down. Perhaps a additional turn could be helpful? Or some aux artillery? In this case artillery could dug out the entrechned forces a little bit more and some casualties could be avoided.

[Kerensky]

Those big clumps of American forces to the distant north and south are there intentionally. They are meant to be bypassed and not defeated, thus re-creating the historical reality of a very narrow German advance, not a map sweeping broad front.

[tmgiles1]

Standard core, dv 16, col level, ended 3911 prestige

Had to play this one twice as I only got a mv the first time and had significant casualties. Found myself bogged down in the south both times. I added two infantry units and a Tiger, and used them extensively, they were well worth it. I made some mistakes and lost the Jagdpz IV and a towed arty but managed to keep things going and get in on the last turn. Got a little beat up at the end but the dv was worth it. I had no idea until this game that it cost less to reinforce before the start of a scenario rather than during it. Duh… I played PG on a Playstation for years and never new that.

I thought the game was well thought out, and the defensive positions of the Americans were challenging enough to keep it so as not to be an easy victory, but not insurmountable either. I may play it one more time to see if I can’t get past the defensive positions and end with a little more prestige. If I continue I think the difficulty would be keeping the game going later on. I had 5600(?) prestige at the beginning of the next mission, but I upgraded an SE Pz. IV to a Panther and after rearming only had 2600 left. It looks like a long map and the briefing said to expect counter attacks so I’m not sure where I’d end up or how long I could go on after that if I don’t have a better starting position.