DAW - Der andere Weg - The other way

[Sonja89_1]

In the ‘Vorpommern’ (Western Pomerania) scenario, the Soviet invasion comes closest to Berlin. If the player is unable to stop the massive enemy onslaught, the capital is lost. To achieve a DV, it is necessary to hold 9 of the 10 primary objectives and to keep the headquarters. At the end, holding 5 of the 10 primary objectives is sufficient for an MV.

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Soviet units take Küstrin, east of the Oder, with overwhelming superiority (1). From there they immediately attempt to advance westwards across the Oder (2). However, a strong armoured unit of mine thwarts all attack attempts. A similar assault takes place a little further south near Frankfurt an der Oder (3). Here, too, the enemy is unable to form a bridgehead. However, the area between Stettin (not shown here) and Küstrin was far more dangerous. There the Soviets have built pontoon bridges over which many troops are now being sent. Enemy units are already appearing north of Berlin and jeopardising the Oder line (4). At least I can oppose the strong Soviet armoured units with troops of equal strength, such as the 128 mm self-propelled tank destroyer that has just become available (5).

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Two turns later further north at the mouth of the Oder. Stettin is relatively quickly overrun by the Soviets from the east (6) and flanked from the south (7). As soon as the city is captured, a massive assault begins on Neubrandenburg (8), which is temporarily lost but can be quickly recaptured. The battle rages in this area for many subsequent turns. Again and again I counterattack (9). Gradually, the Soviet assault finally exhausts itself.

Strategic map: Here you can see the entire front line from the Baltic Sea to Frankfurt/Oder. The Soviet fleet advances against the coast east of Stralsund and with landings on Rügen (10). At the same time, there are numerous air landings between Neubrandenburg and Stettin (11). The important harbour town at the mouth of the Oder cannot be held and is lost (12). The same fate befell the own bridgehead at Küstrin, which was lost relatively quickly (13). The most delicate situation, however, is an enemy crossing of the Oder at the centre section (14). From here, the overrun Soviet troops fan out to the north and south and threaten my flanks. The successful defence of Neubrandenburg is decisive. The Soviet troops gradually wear down my positions. Finally, I am able to recapture Stettin towards the end (15) and even liberate Küstrin in the last turn. Even though no core troops were lost, this was a mission with heavy losses. This applies not only to total losses, but also to partially decimated aux and core units, as can be seen in the 7 examples shown.

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[Sonja89_1]

The following mission ‘Pomerania - Offensive’ is the first attack scenario in the 3rd campaign. My own side is finally gaining initiative again. After I recently completed 3 DV missions in a row and my prestige account is stable, I have raised the difficulty level again. In this scenario it is Rommel + Field Marshal + 3/5 Guderian + 3/5 Manstein. 3 additional strength points on the opponent's side are quite a challenge. This time you have to take all primary objectives for a DV and destroy all but 5 enemy units. Capturing 7 primary objectives is sufficient for an MV.

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We are about to make a big leap in turn 21. The forward defence fronts have already been overcome and swung to the south north of Bromberg. Bromberg itself is captured by my brave Polish paratroopers (1) and then defended against all Russian counterattacks (2). Further Soviet assault troops advance to the west south of the Neetze (3). Their objective is Schneidemühl, which they can only reach by crossing the river. However, my tactical bombers are already waiting there, ready to give them a good beating (4). But that's necessary, because the KV-1 unit with 17 strength points, over 400 experience points and a hero with 10 additional plus points is best not encountered in open terrain. Even my strong Panzer III or Panzer IV units would be brought to the brink of destruction in such an encounter. North of Thorn, one of my level bombers is currently bombing a Soviet KV-2 force with similar parameters (5). This unit is also better not to be hit in the dark. An FW-187 unit leaves the battlefield to the west in a decimated state (6). Despite the fierce fighting, however, my other core fighter groups do not suffer a single loss of strength - another rare occurrence.

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A little later in the northern battle area. In the meantime, my troops have advanced to the Vistula (7) and blocked the last Vistula crossing for the Soviets. At the same time, my small navy has occupied the exit of the Bay of Danzig and also cut off the enemy's sea supply. My submarine is already attacking the Russian cruiser and tormenting it (8). By blocking the supply, all Soviet ground units are reduced to zero in terms of fuel and ammunition (9). The only exceptions are units near the depot (i.e. on flag hexes). In this way, I can eliminate the Soviet combat troops relatively easily and quickly (10).

Strategic map: The battle begins with an advance on Kolberg (11) and Schneidemühl (12). After a few turns, this front can be completely broken through. I then begin my attack on the Vistula towards the north-east (13). In the briefing, the advantage of cutting off the Soviets is described to the player in more detail. It is also pointed out that there may be attacks from the south from the Thorn area, which is why I move strong forces to the flank (14). This means that I have to postpone my advance to the Vistula for the time being, but nothing is gained if the enemy falls behind me. In order to secure the flank permanently, Bromberg is taken (15) and the Soviet bridge engineers on the Vistula are eliminated. The strong Russian attack south of the Neetze on Schneidemühl can also be repelled. Finally, my troops manage to interrupt the Soviet supply on the lower Vistula (16) and I place a ship on a special sea field (17). After that, the cauldron only needs to be cleared out (18). In the end I even reach my objectives 2 turns ahead of time and without a single total loss. It's not often you're so lucky.

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[Sonja89_1]

The scenario ‘East Prussia’ (Ostpreussen) marks the end of the year 1941 within the 3rd campaign. As it takes place between the end of November and mid-December, the weather conditions are of some importance. In fact, 12 of the 32 rounds were rainy or snowy, with some of the ground covered in snow or even worse, mud. After all, 32 laps is a generous total game length, but when about 37.5% of the game can only be used to a limited extent, things can still get tight. For me it was very, very tight in the end. You get a DV by conquering all flag fields, an MV by conquering the primary objectives and achieving at least 13000 prestige points.

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In the 10th turn, I have managed to cross the Vistula in its entirety and advance on Allenstein, where stronger Soviet forces are grouped (1). Although the enemy has 3 additional strength points due to the higher difficulty level, most of my units can bring an even higher superiority to the battle (2). As long as your own troops are deployed sparingly, this superior strength is maintained over a longer period of time within the mission. For an attack on a Soviet KV-2, a 128 mm armoured self-propelled gun is very well suited (3). The fact that snow is not favourable ground for a rapid advance can be seen from the constantly empty tanks of the vehicles (4).

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The second picture jumps directly to the end of the scenario for the penultimate round. It is clearly no longer possible for me to reach all the flag hexes. To reach a MV, I need the northernmost point on the map, the last primary objective - Memel. The Njemen proves to be an obstacle, which must first be overcome, as well as the Tauroggen on my flank, which is occupied by Soviets (5). At the same time, I have brought up some ships for support (6), but they encounter sea mines and enemy naval forces. My aux minesweeper, which I have pushed a little too far forward here, is subsequently sunk by the enemy submarines (7). It remains my only total loss in this mission. When I also come across the camouflaged MG nest and the two minefields with the foremost units (8), I estimate that the chances of conquering Memel within just 1 ½ turns are slim. It looks bad, as there are still 9 enemy pieces to overcome, including two heavily entrenched infantry units. First, a forward anti-aircraft gun at the end of the Curonian Lagoon is destroyed by a Stuka attack (9). Then more planes attack an anti-aircraft defence and very strong Soviet artillery (10). The southern minefield is wiped out, the MG nest and the enemy troops in front are destroyed. Sufficient own artillery can still be brought in. The second minefield is bypassed to the north and the enemy is also attacked from the north-east (11). Finally, in the last turn, the primary objective can be captured by a very narrow margin with the final attack.

Strategic map: The initial main thrust at Marienburg crosses the Vistula and Nogat directly to Elbing, which falls relatively quickly (12). The weather is particularly bad at the beginning. Nevertheless, this allows a relatively safe landing of airborne troops. Then the Soviet barrage between the Vistula and Drewenz is attacked from two sides and eliminated (13). The attack continued, focussing on Allenstein (14). This is followed by a secondary attack on Lyck (15), while I gather the bulk of the troops south of Königsberg and Insterburg. However, another secondary attack on an airfield south-east of the Narew fails (16). The units provided were not sufficient for success. In the meantime, I estimate the chances of a DV only low, which is why I concentrate on a MV and leave secondary objectives behind. Königsberg (17) and Insterburg (18) fall almost simultaneously. From the movement, I immediately attack Tilsit, where the Soviets maintain a strong bridgehead south of Njemen (19). After overcoming the Njemen, I manage to capture Memel (20) and even Tauroggen.

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[eskuche]

Excellent as always! May I offer a suggestion that I have tried before. Screen "gif" recording, e.g., one frame every few seconds) to show some action shots of particularly difficulty situations or turns.

[Sonja89_1]

Excellent as always! May I offer a suggestion that I have tried before. Screen "gif" recording, e.g., one frame every few seconds) to show some action shots of particularly difficulty situations or turns.

An interesting suggestion. There are surely certain constellations where this would be a good option. I'll keep it in mind. However, I'm relatively short of time at the moment, which is why I'll be playing the other DAW scenarios fortnightly instead of weekly in future.

The following scenario ‘Croatia’ (Kroatien) takes place in February+March 1942 and is set entirely in a wintry landscape. However, apart from a few cloudy turns, it consists entirely of sunny days. When I created it about 8 years ago, I had previously had so much ‘fun’ with ‘East Prussia’ with all the rain and snow that I didn't want to know about bad weather for the time being. As an attacker, the snowy landscape offers me the advantage of frozen rivers, but the general braking effect on wheeled vehicles and the significantly higher fuel consumption is a serious handicap. A DV is achieved by conquering all flag fields, an MV by conquering the primary objectives.

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The first picture shows the situation on the Hungarian-Yugoslav front at the beginning of the 4th turn. The Yugoslav positions are located along the Drava River (1). My Hungarian Aux units (2) are individually rather weaker than the overstrength Yugoslavs, but the quantitative advantage brings the decision in my favour. There are several air battles (3) and air attacks (4) along the front.

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On the 14th turn on the western side of the Dalmatian coast. My submarine and my light cruisers are pushing from the north towards the coastal town of Zara, which lies south of this image section (5). The Soviets have started a counter-offensive after my capture of Zagreb (6). There is a battle between a KV-1 and my strongest armoured unit on the coastal road (7). I don't need to worry about this position. In the centre, the Soviets have driven two Flak units compactly to the front and decimated my FW-200 (8). I couldn't have got it any better. Both anti-aircraft units are paralysed by my artillery and then attacked and destroyed by my tactical bombers. In one fell swoop, the enemy offensive loses its air cover and allows me to weaken its heavy units at will. The enemy attack gets bogged down in the narrow valleys (also 8 ). In particular, the favourable road directly behind the front allows me to move my units relatively quickly while the enemy is stuck in the respective valley. You don't always have such favourable terrain.

Strategic map: On the eastern side, the front initially runs along the Drava (9). There I lead the Hungarian aux troops slowly but steadily southwards (10). Finally, the Hungarian attack leads to the conquest of Tuzla (11). In the west, the attack begins at the Slovenian-Croatian border and quickly advances to Zagreb, which subsequently falls (12). At the same time, some of my core troops advance southwards along the coastal road (13). There they encounter a Soviet counterattack. A second assault group takes the central route from Zagreb through the Bosnian mountain region. The objective is Banja Luka, which is conquered after some resistance (14). At about the same time, the city of Split, including the offshore islands, falls on the coast (15). Always between the narrow valleys, I reach Sarajevo, which falls after a short battle (16). Mostar, which is under attack from two sides, has even less chance of holding out (17). The last main objective is Dubrovnik, which is easily conquered within the time frame. The bases on the offshore islands are occupied by marines (18).

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[Sonja89_1]

With the ‘Belgrade’ scenario, we are already in May 1942, with no more wintery landscape to worry about and hardly any bad weather. However, the geography is not easy. There are many mountains, hills and rivers on the larger than average map, which have a considerable influence on movement. As the name suggests, the central objective is the conquest of the Yugoslavian capital Belgrade. If the player succeeds in this, the prerequisite for an MV is already fulfilled. A DV is achieved by conquering all primary objectives.

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The first picture shows the situation in the central combat area in the greater Belgrade area at the beginning of turn 6. The Yugoslav front lies in a west-east direction (1). The rivers play an important role here, dividing the front into several sections. In the far west, there is a small Hungarian advance across the Sava (Save) towards Sabac (2). Just north of the Sava (Save), two badly battered Hungarian infantry units can be seen retreating. Further west, the allied Hungarians have already suffered considerable losses. The advance on Belgrade is concentric with massed artillery (3). There are isolated Soviet counterattacks with armoured units (4). The Yugoslav headquarters and the heavy Soviet artillery with 17 strength points (both with a range of 5 hexes) are particularly dangerous. This can result in heavy losses. My primary objective is again to eliminate the enemy anti-aircraft guns. This is a very tricky task in such an extensive fortified area with several such units. In the end I counted 7 units of anti-aircraft defence. In this picture 2 of them are already destroyed and one is being attacked by a level bomber (5). Two more anti-aircraft guns can be seen a little to the east (6) and another 2 anti-aircraft guns are in the background. One of these hidden anti-aircraft units also surprises me later and shoots a Hungarian fighter unit out of the sky.

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10 turns later further south. There, the primary target Scutari in northern Albania has already fallen into my hands, leading to Soviet counterattacks aimed in that direction (7). With my strong air units, I bring the enemy attacking forces to a halt. Since Belgrade finally falls in the north this turn, the Soviet ground forces also retreat completely. Only their air forces remain active (8). From a central region around Novi Pazar, partisans become active from the 12th turn onwards and make their way to the already captured primary objectives (9). A few such fellows have come across an isolated artillery unit of mine and have almost completely routed it. I lead a recon back to push the pursuing partisans off to the west side of the Lim River. Since an elite refresher would cost over 340 prestige points, I decide to skimp. I painstakingly pull them back towards Scutari over the next few turns (10). The unit has two heroes (attack +2, defence +2). You're usually not very happy about defence heroes in artillery. In this case, it may well be that these additional plus points have ensured the survival of this unit. So don't always be disappointed when supposedly weak hero figures are distributed.

Strategic map: The main objective Belgrade is located in the northern part of the map and is directly attacked by me (11). My Hungarian allies are west of the Drina and attack towards the east (12). However, it takes until the middle of the game to overcome the strong defences around Belgrade. Alternatively, you could cross the Sava with the strong core troops north of Sabac and then attack Belgrade from the south-west. This might be a better approach. There are still some Romanians on the north-eastern edge, but they are only passively placed (13). From Kotor, a 2nd group of core troops begins an attack on Scutari (14). This group then pushes on towards Tirana (15). With a third group I proceed cautiously towards Pristina (16). Subsequently, these troops are hit by partisan attacks (17). After the danger is averted, Pristina is captured relatively quickly (18). Further north, Nis was conquered almost simultaneously (19) and finally Skopje (20). Overall, Belgrade was a very varied mission with a few twists and turns. The fact that the Soviets were out from the middle of the game had a very positive effect. It's much more fun without the Russians .

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[Sonja89_1]

The “ Griechenland” (Greece) scenario in the summer of 1942 also has almost exclusively sunny weather. This makes it easier for the player to make as much progress as possible as an attacker. An MV is achieved by capturing 8 of the 13 primary objectives. The player achieves a DV by capturing all primary objectives, surviving at least 7 of the 10 Greek partisan groups and destroying the strong Soviet fortress at Cape Matapan. After 15 missions since the “Sicily” scenario, which I played without a total loss of a core unit, this time a Kradschützen unit was lost. It got caught between two camouflaged machine gun nests and was wiped out.

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West of the Peloponnese, my fleet gathers to land on the peninsula, which is defended by Bulgarians and Soviets (1). The first Greek ground troops have landed west of Gestuni and were able to form a small bridgehead (2). Greek airborne troops are also deployed. One unit has already been routed, a second is also threatened with annihilation by a Soviet armoured attack and Bulgarian cavalry (3). However, this paratrooper unit manages to save itself, is refreshed and survives the entire scenario. As an additional core unit, the player receives an Italian destroyer, which proves its worth in this mission (4).

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At the beginning of turn 8 on the northern edge of the map. My core troops have fought their way to the first important objective, Salonika. I move up to the Vardar River with my spy, reconnoitre the region extensively and withdraw the unit again (5). 3 armoured units become visible, including 2 strong SE units that can lead dangerous counterattacks. In addition, there are 3 well-positioned artillery units that can take everything from the river onwards under fire. In addition to the infantry, there are two anti-aircraft units in the position as a supporting pillar. I use my long-range artillery to take these enemy anti-aircraft guns under fire and paralyse them (6). I have already brought my air force into attack range in the previous turn. Next, my two very strong Stuka units pounce on the weakened targets like chicken hawks and destroy them (7). This clears the way for the rest of the air force, which soft-shoots the most worthwhile targets in the Soviet position one after the other. As soon as the enemy is sufficiently weakened, the Vardar is crossed and Salonika is conquered (8).
At the back, two battered Hungarian flying units are about to leave the map at the same time (9). Although they have only suffered minor losses, I take them out of the game anyway. At the increased difficulty level, Soviet fighter planes with a strength of 13 or 14 points also appear, which can easily shoot down a battered Aux fighter in a single attack.

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The next image jumps to the end of the scenario. This is the beginning of the 33rd turn of a maximum of 35, so I still have 3 turns left and 5 objectives to conquer for a DV. Via Thebes, I headed towards the centre of Athens, the main objective of the mission. At Megara I was able to reach the coast of the Saronic Gulf (10). My strongest armoured unit (11) already had an unfavourable encounter with a Soviet monster unit (SE-KV 1C with 17 strength points, over 400 experience points and a hero with 7 additional plus points) at Athens airport. The Soviet unit only lost 1 strength point, while my armoured unit lost 5 strength points. That's not going to work. But I have the right ‘medicine’ for this monster - my 12.8 cm self-propelled gun ‘Sturer Emil’. I attack with a powerful level bomber, fire on it twice with artillery and then let the tank destroyer attack. The Soviet armoured unit loses 10 strength points, the rest surrenders. The monster is gone. My anti-tank unit loses 3 strength points and then two more, but survives the mission well. The attack on Corinth is also problematic (13). First, the bottleneck at the canal must be overcome and the anti-aircraft guns eliminated. Then 2 strong artillery units are waiting. At least I can successfully deflect an artillery piece with the Greek aux units (14). That simplifies the situation. But even if I knock out all the enemy support units and tanks, there is still the Soviet Guards infantry dug in 8 levels deep on the objective points. It's getting very close. At the top you can see the newly deployed Kradschützen coming into play for the lost unit (15). It will take a few missions for them to become veterans.

[Sonja89_1]

Strategic map: From southern Albania, my core troops begin the liberation of Greece (16). They first advance on Prevesa, Salonika and Volos. At the same time, Greek aux ground troops are dropped off on the Peloponnese with transport ships (17), where they first have to fight off the Bulgarian coastal defences before conquering Patras and Sparta (18). They are supported by a number of battleships (19). As a special mission, the strong Soviet fortress at Cape Matapan must be destroyed with an additional unit of Brandenburgers (20). This fortress sinks one of my heavy aux cruisers with 11 strength points with a salvo. In the end, I win all primary objectives such as Chalkis (21), Athens (22), Piraeus and Corinth by a very narrow margin, which gives me another DV.

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[SSLConf_pewp3w]

hello, I have enjoyed your mod very much so far, it is really interesting and changes quite a bit from the vanilla game. I am at the thorn mission now and twice a core unit of mine was killed by cold that appeared right next to my unit. I lost a Jaeger and a recon, which both were at 6 strength! Is there anything I can do against this? Just reload?

[Sonja89_1]

hello, I have enjoyed your mod very much so far, it is really interesting and changes quite a bit from the vanilla game. I am at the thorn mission now and twice a core unit of mine was killed by cold that appeared right next to my unit. I lost a Jaeger and a recon, which both were at 6 strength! Is there anything I can do against this? Just reload?

The effects of nature (cold, heat, hunger, illness) are included in some scenarios and can actually appear unexpectedly. In wars, more people have always died from such natural influences than from the direct effects of weapons. That is why I have taken this into account in DAW. However, in certain cases it can lead to hard failures, which can be frustrating and annoying in a game situation like this. I wouldn't feel any differently in such a case.

When such natural influences appear in missions, I recommend replenishing damaged units as quickly as possible, or moving them to quieter sections at the rear, where there is much less danger of them being destroyed. Apart from that, these natural influences can be fought just like normal enemy units. They also have no control zones, which makes it easy to move past them.

Each player must decide for themselves whether they should reload in the event of a loss. There is no general right or wrong. Especially if you are not yet very familiar with Panzer Corps, reverting to a saved game can help you overcome initial uncertainties. As soon as you have learnt to deal with difficult situations, however, I recommend enduring losses. This will improve your own playing strength. An alternative can be the ‘reform units’ setting in the difficulty levels, which allows destroyed units to be brought back into play in the following scenario, albeit without experience.

The entire course of DAW across all 4 campaigns is a real challenge with a very long playing time. Despite strong units, it is a much more difficult task for the player, even in the basic setting, than the really good and interesting official Grand Campaign. So don't be discouraged if there are setbacks and adjust the difficulty settings to suit you. The settings can be varied very finely and adjusted according to each scenario. I can only advise every player to make use of these programme options. Keep enjoying the game and good luck.

[SSLConf_pewp3w]

Thanks for the answer.
I have played over 1000 hours of Panzer Corps, but this mod still offers a new challenge, especially with the combat in 36/37 where you don't have any really useful tanks.

I normally don't reinforce during mission, especially not elite reinforce. Since this mod has made it even more expensive, there is a real incentive to not do it, although you get a lot of prestige, that is true.
I will try to take your tips into consideration. While I do think cold and hunger are realistic additions, they are not my favorite, especially since they can be very strong. Oh well, this means I have to scout more and better.
It's a bit like with what you said about the mg nests. You will "love" them

[Sonja89_1]

...
I normally don't reinforce during mission, especially not elite reinforce. Since this mod has made it even more expensive, there is a real incentive to not do it...

You're doing it exactly right. A quick note to all users of the DAW campaigns - it is most economical to bring the core units to full overstrength (11-15) between scenarios. Unlike the official campaigns, the price for higher overstrength does not increase and it is much cheaper to invest before the scenario starts than during the mission. You should only compensate for heavy losses directly in exceptional cases. It is better to pull the heavily damaged unit out of the front line and let it wait for the end of the mission in a quiet location. The edge of the map from which your own attack starts is such a safe place. I never let enemy troops (or natural influences) move onto the map from there.

Ah, yes - and about the camouflaged MG nests... I've incorporated these little satanic beasts into the maps as ‘nasty traps’, e.g. directly behind river crossings. This is precisely where the use of scouts is recommended, who first stand on the bridge and reconnoitre. You can also recognise them by the fact that there are supposed gaps in cover in an enemy front. In war, you should always expect the worst. It also helps if you ask yourself where you would have placed such camouflaged obstacles yourself. This can save you some nasty surprises. In the 4th campaign, there are also camouflaged snipers who provide cover fire. They are even meaner and more vicious. So, I think that's enough of a deterrent for now.