We are excited to bring you another edition of Panzers Weekly. This week Hawkeye is taking a well-served break. "Spotlight on the War" will return again next week. By default, it falls to me to try and fill Hawkeye's big shoes in the "In the Trenches" and "Panzerchat" features.
JP details the Combined Allied Bomber Offensive in "This Week in the War". In addition, JP gives us a guided tour of the many user-made equipment files available for PG2 in "E-files This Week". PantherG brings us a fine article on the M24 Chaffee light tank in "Weapons of War This Week". And Jeff tells the story of the Swedish B.18 in his weekly "Skywriter" column. Reepicheep explores Panzer General 3's various Infantry Class Veteran Orders in "PG3 This Week". And I begin a two-part discussion of ambushes and traps in "PG2 This Week".
We are working hard to make Panzers Weekly the best possible weekly forum-based "e-zine" for you. If you have comments or suggestions, feel free to e-mail me or any of our contributing authors (addresses at the bottom of the page), or post a reply to this topic in the forum. Also feel free to join in the conversation of the week, in our weekly "PanzerChat".
Thank You for reading Panzers Weekly.
Joel Illian, The Whoopy-Cat
jtillian@kdsi.net.
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PANZERS WEEKLY
Vol. 2, No. 3 ~ November 12 - 18, 2000
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This Week in the War
by Johan "JP" Pieterse
For this week's edition, we will look at the Combined Allied Bomber Offensive in World War II.
>> The offensive began in June 1943 - huge buildup of 8th AF north of London - airfields, supply depots, repair yards (30% planes each mission damaged)
>> 76 targets listed - aircraft industry, sub pens, ball bearings, synthetic rubber, military transport vehicles
July 24 to Aug. 2 - Hamburg
"classic picture" of the air war, - Newsweek, 12/6/43
>> first firestorm July 27 - 150 mph, 1800 deg., 50,000 killed
>> July 29-Aug. 2 - RAF lost only 12 of 740 bombers in attack on Hamburg due to use of radar-reflecting "window" strips
>> July invention of the steel-lined flak vest by Col. Malcolm Grow helped protect crews
>> new Norden bombsight (1st developed 1931) coupled with autopilot allowed bambardier to fly plane and achieve 76% accuracy within 1000 ft. of target (rather than previous 20% rate)
>> "Mickey" H2X radar allowed flights in overcast weather
Aug. 1 - Ploesti oil refineries
>> by 9th AF from Libya in 5 groups of B-24s flying low-level to better sight targets
>> heavy German defenses of 37 flak guns, radar, Luftwaffe
>> first 2 groups got lost, bombed same targets meant for other groups, caused thick smoke
>> 54 of 178 bombers lost - no more low-level missions
>> Although 42% of Ploesti's refineries destroyed, there was enough capacity remaining to keep oil production at 400,000 tons per month until the refineries were again bombed in April 1944
ad featuring Ploesti raid, - from Time, 4/28/44
Aug. 17 - Schweinfurt ball-bearing factories
>> by Curtis LeMay & 376 B-17s - 60 lost in one of the most intense air battles of the war against the Luftwaffe
>> also attack on Regensburg
>> "shuttle bombing" - flew on to North Africa - similar to method used to reach Friedrichshafen
"shuttle bombing" Friedrichshafen, - from Newsweek, 7/5/43
B-17s in formation, - from Newsweek, 1/3/44
Nov. 1
>> 15th AF created in Italy, especially Foggia air base
"World's No. 1 Bomber" - from Time cover 1944/06/12
Dec. 8
>> Gen. Carl Spaatz replaced Eaker as AF head after Teheran decision to unify bomber command
>> new emphasis on destruction of Luftwaffe
Dec. 13
>> 54 Mustangs escorted B-17s 490 miles on a raid over Kiel, Germany, and for the first time in the war successfully defended the bombers for 40 minutes over the targets, shooting down enemy fighter planes
Feb. 13-26, 1944
"Big Week" - operation ARGUMENT
>> 3300 planes from 8th AF and 500 from 15th AF dropped 10,000 tons to destroy Luftwaffe factories in central Germany
>> Germany lost many pilots and 500 planes, moved factories underground, built fake Skoda factory at Pilsen in Czech to fool bombers, added more AA flak by 88 mm guns able to reach 6 miles high
>> The 500-lb bombs used by the Allies were not large enough to inflict significant damage on Germany factory building interiors, usually only causing damage to rooftops
>> The city of Nijmegen in the Netherlands was bombed by mistake on Feb. 22, killed 200 Ductch civilians
March 4-10 - raids on Berlin
>> 660 planes of 8th AF attack Berlin to draw out and destroy Luftwaffe
>> P-51 escort fighters provide protection for bombers
>> Germany lost 80 planes, Allies lost 69 bombers
Formation of bombers for the 3rd raid of March 9, - from cover of ILN 1944/03/18
damage to Berlin - from ILN 1944/04/01
April
>> U.S. bombers violate Swiss neutrality, hit Schaffhauser by mistake, killed 48
May 21
>> Operation CHATTANOOGA began, allowed escort fighters to leave bomber groups after mission completed and strafe railroads and highways on the way back to Britain
July 1944 - Hamburg firestorm
>> 2nd attack on Hamburg by British saturation night bombers
>> produced column of heated air 2.5 miles high with wind 33 mph
>> 100,000 Germans killed, 300,000 buildings burned, 750,000 homeless
Dec. 15, 1944
>> Glenn Miller plane lost over English Channel, possibly due to RAF bombers dumping unused bombs from higher altitude returning aborted mission over Germany (according to Fred Shaw logbook, see article on reserve from AP April 13, 1999) -
pictures of B-17 losing tail due to bomb drops
Feb. 13-14, 1945 - Dresden firestorm
>> Dresden was a cultural center in Germany
>> city burned for a week, 35,000 killed, 1600 acres destroyed
>> British saturation bombing destroyed 60 cities in Germany, 20% of the total residential area, killed 300,000, injured 780,000, left 7.5 million homeless by the end of the war.
JP
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Weapons of War This Week
by Clarence "PantherG" Mattson
The M24 Chaffee
The M24 Chaffee was developed per a request by the US Armored Force Board in 1942 for a light tank armed with a 75mm gun. This request was issued after observations of combat in Germany, where the Stuart light tanks proved to be inferior to German armor.
The M24 was developed by the Cadillac Division of the General Motors company with the help of the US Army Ordnance Department engineers who helped to create the M5 Stuart light tank. The first experimental prototypes of the tank, known as the T24 at this stage, were delivered in October of 1943. The T24 used the same 75mm gun as on the M8 self propelled howitzer, and was powered by twin Cadillac V-8 motors. These engines, as well as the Hydramatic automatic transmission and power train, were the same as those in the M5 Stuart tank. However, the turret and the hull were a completely new design. The M24 also featured torsion bar suspension. This gave it superb maneuverability and an improved ride.
The T24 proved to be an exceptional tank during field trials. It weighed under 40,000 pounds, and had the same firepower as the early Sherman tanks. After tests, the T24 officially became the M24 Chaffee tank. It was named after Adna Chaffee, a pioneer in the use of tanks in the US Army.
The M24 first saw action in Italy in 1944. It had excellent maneuverability and could even maintain 35mph speeds on reasonably good surfaces. The 75mm gun of the M24 was a proven gun and could not be taken lightly by German armor (especially the PZ IV). Some 4,731 M24s were made before wars end. It replaced all of the M3 and M5 light tanks of the US Army, although not before the end of the war. The M24 later saw action in the Korean conflict, and soldiered on for many years after that in National Guard and Reserve units. The M24 chassis also served as the chassis for many other vehicles, such as the M19 anti-aircraft gun which mounted a 40mm twin-Bofors cannon. This, as well as the self-propelled howitzer version of the M24 (the M37), were developed too late to see combat service in the war (note: plans to deploy the M19 werent too serious due to supreme Allied air superiority by the time of its development).
For those of you who are movie-goers, the Chaffee was used in the Battle of the Bulge (with Henry Fonda). This was the tank used by American forces in the movie (an ironic twist was that the German tanks were American Patton series vehicles).
PantherG
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Sky-Writer
by Jeff "JDG" Goldstein
The Swedish B-18
In 1938 the Swedish air force opened a competition for a new twin engined reconnaissance aircraft intended to replace Junkers Ju 86 (B.3 in Swedish service) and partially the Saab B.17. The requirement was updated to be for a bomber with a crew of three, a bomb load of 750 kg, a speed of 500 km/h and also be used as a long range reconnaissance, torpedo attack and as a heavy fighter.
The aircraft manufacturers AFF, ASJA, SAAB, Kockums Flygindustri and GV were seen as likely competitors, but only ASJA, SAAB and GV responded.
The GV entry, GP 8, a Dornier Do 17 look-alike seemed best, but was also the most expensive. The chief designer Bo Lundberg left GV, which had decided to abandon its aircraft business, and started AFV and had a mockup of the GP 8 accepted conditionally. In the mean time ASJA was merged with SAAB and SAAB given a contract with the air force.
SAAB and ASJA had on their staff around 40 Americans, so their project, L 11, also a Do 17 look alike, had similarities with contemporary US designs, like circular fins and a nose gear. The nose gear was not liked by the air force, so it was changed to a conventional tail wheel. Chief designers were Frid Wnstrm and Carl Haddon (American). With the outbreak of the war in 1939, it was decided to concentrate all work on the Saab B.17, so the B. 18 was put on the back burner.
At first it was planned to use Bristol Taurus engines, but when British engines couldn't be obtained, it was decided to use a Swedish made Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasp instead. However the preferred engine was the DB605. Priority of those engines however went to the J.21 fighter so the first B.18's could not be equipped with them.
The fuselage was all metal with fabric covered control surfaces. For the first time in Sweden, the armour was an integral part of the structure. The canopy for the pilot and radio operator/gunner was offset to the left. A observer/bombardier/gunner had his place in the glazed nose. Fixed armament consisted of three 13.2 mm machine guns, each with 300 rounds. One was fixed forward firing in the starboard side of the fuselage controlled by the pilot, one rearward firing for the radio operator and one rearward firing in the lower fuselage for the bombardier.
The first of 62 B.18As entered service in 1944. These pilots were already familiar with multi-engined bombers and the tactics for them were level bombing attacks performed by a squadron of nine aircraft in three groups of three. Internal bomb load was either two 500 kg or three 250 kg or ten 50 kg bombs. Under the wings the plane could carry either eight 50 kg bombs or illumination flares. During 1946-47 all were converted into S.18A status.
It was intended that the S.18B was to replace the Caproni Ca.313S as a reconnaissance aircraft, but converted B.18As were used instead and fitted with one vertical camera and one oblique in the nose. For night photography they were later fitted with one more camera and fitted for photo flash bombs under the wings. In 1949 the S.18s were fitted with surplus US Navy radar sets, AN/APS-4 n pods under the nose. As pure photo reconnaissance, they were soon replaced by Spitfires and Tunnans, but as maritime reconnaissance aircraft they continued in service until 1959 when they were replaced by the S.32C Lansen.
The first of 119 B.18Bs entered service in 1945. Apart from having different engines and the lower gun deleted, they were identical to the B.18A. As these aircraft were faster, tactics changed. Normal attack formation became eight aircraft squadrons, consisting of two groups of four in two pairs. Approach to the target was performed either with the whole squadron or groups, but the attack itself by pairs. Level bomb runs were replaced by dive attacks, which were more effective, partly thanks to the dive bomb sight developed by Erik Wilkenson at Saab. After locking on to the target, the sight computed release depending on speed, angle, wind and other factors.
Due to the new tactics, the crew was reduced to two, the pilot and the radio operator/navigator. At the end of the 1940's, ground attack rockets were introduced in the air force. They were mounted under the outer wings (four heavy under each) and under the nose (four heavy). The last B.18Bs were retired in 1958.
The final version, of which 52 were built, was designated T.18B, as they were intended for anti-shipping attacks with torpedos, entering service in 1947. The T.18B had a more aerodynamic nose section since it wasn't intended to have the lower gun, and thus was faster. Otherwise it was structurally identical to the B.18B.
In addition to the bombs and rockets carried by B.18B, it was also intended that the T.18 be able to carry a 1000 kg mine or 950 kg torpedo internally. The torpedo trials weren't successful, so the main armament for anti-ship attacks were rockets, two 20 mm guns in the lower nose and a 57 mm Bofors gun which could be mounted in the bomb bay in about two hours, with the muzzle protruding through a hatch in the lower nose. It weighed 735 kg and a total length of 5.3m Magazine capacity was 40 rounds plus one in the chamber. Reloading in the air wasn't possible. Firing rate was 3 rds/s and the maximum practical range for the 2.5 kg HE or AP projectiles was 2000 m. It had a well working recoil damper so in spite of the high recoil force (6 tons) flying properties weren't affected much. Reloading was by pneumatics, firing electric.
Trial armament was 2 40 mm guns under the nose, but test firing shattered the nose glazing. The anti-ship missile Rb 302 was also tryed but didn't enter service. The last T.18s were retired in 1958 after having been replaced by the A.32A Lansen.
JDG
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In the Trenches
by Joel "Whoopy-Cat" Illian (with thanks to "Chess-shyre Cat")
Mutual Understanding
A squad of American soldiers was patrolling along the Iraqi border. To their surprise, they found the badly mangled dead body of an Iraqi soldier in a ditch along the road. A short distance up the road, they found a badly mangled American soldier in a ditch on the other side of the road, who was still barely alive. They ran to him, cradled his blood-covered head and asked him what had happened.
"Well," he whispered, "I was walking down this road, armed to the teeth. I came across this heavily armed Iraqi border guard. I looked him right in the eye and shouted, "Saddam Hussein is an unprincipled, lying piece of trash!" He looked me right in the eye and shouted back, "Bill Clinton is an unprincipled, lying piece of trash too!"
"We were standing there shaking hands when the truck hit us."
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PG3 This Week
by Philip "Reepicheep" Nelson
Veteran Orders: the Infantry Class
The five orders for the unit class most responsible for taking and holding territory are Patrol, Camouflage, Infiltrate, Surprise Attack, and All Out Attack.
Patrol is moderately useful. It allows defending infantry to see enemy units approaching from a fair distance away. On offense, it is nearly useless, as most enemy units are dug-in and camouflaged. This order can be issued once, and cannot be taken back.
Camouflage is very useful. A camouflaged infantry unit cannot be seen by enemy units unless they are in an adjacent hex. However, some medals and veteran orders can enable other units to spot hidden infantry at a distance. This order is defensive only, and can be issued or taken back at any time during a turn. The effects will last indefinitely as long as the unit does not move.
Infiltrate is moderately useful. It allows infantry to ignore reserve fire in a battle. The order can be issued once, and cannot be taken back after combat.
Surprise Attack is very useful. It allows attacking infantry to ignore reserve fire, and gives them a large bonus in close combats. Infantry without the class medal can fully use this order against anything in close terrain, including level three entrenchment. Infantry with Tactician, however, can reduce a King Tiger, and all other armor for that matter, to a pile of scrap metal with Surprise Attack. This order can be issued once, and cannot be taken back after combat.
All Out Attack is extremely useful. It allows infantry to ignore all suppression and gives them an attack bonus, though at the expense of defense. Thus infantry can use this order to attack a city while ignoring all of the suppression caused by defending artillery, though actual kills still count. There is yet another bonus; if, while using this order, an infantry unit forces a retreat, the enemy unit will surrender instead. Thus infantry with All Out Attack can be used as a tank with Blitz! This order can be issued once, and cannot be taken back after combat.
Reepicheep
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PG2 This Week
by Joel "Whoopy-Cat" Illian
Ambush!
(Part 1 of 2)
The cowboys are pursued into a box canyon only to find Indians all around them. The tanks aggressively roll too far forward of their artillery and infantry support, only to be met by the anti-tank guns lying in waiting amongst the terrain. The squadron of bombers, upon finding no "little friends" waiting for them at the rendezvous point, fly on unescorted to their target only to find the sky full of enemy fighters, just as they had feared.
Just like in real warfare, the ambush can be one of the most exciting aspects of Panzer General II -- devastating to the surprisee, a force-equalizer for the under dog. It takes careful planning, flawless execution, and more than a little skill to successfully plan and spring an effective ambush. This week I want to discuss the keys to a successful ambush, and one of the easiest ambushes to properly implement -- the anti-air trap.
The most important aspect of any kind of ambush is superior intelligence of the enemy's positions and intentions. Normally this means better reconnaissance than the enemy. Even a PG2 rookie can tell immediately how important recon units are, simply by observing the lengths the artificial intelligence goes to in an attempt to blind you by eliminating your recon units. So the first, and most obvious element to setting and executing a successful ambush is superior intelligence and reconnaissance. And the recon-class units are the most obvious tool in this regard. Their extra-long spotting ranges allow them to see enemy units which cannot see them in return.
But there are other ways to reconnoiter the enemy. An air unit with a "Reconnaissance Movement" leader can be at least as effective. You can use its phased movement ability to systematically cover a large area of the map, even though a plane has only a 2-hex spotting range. Carefully follow a prepared pattern of movement with your planes, and you can sometimes spot enemy units which would otherwise be hidden even from your recon vehicles.
Watching the map carefully is another way to gauge enemy whereabouts and intentions. All friendly flags have a spotting range of one hex. Any enemy unit which passes within one hex of one of your flagged towns can be seen, even if you have no units in that area. And even when the enemy captures one of your flags, you can tell where at least some of the enemy's units are by noting which flags change hands from turn to turn. Also watch the map very carefully during the enemy's turn. Even a unit which neither starts nor ends its movement within your spotting range can sometimes be seen or heard as it passes through, or near your units' spotting ranges during your opponent's turn. So pay close attention to these things as well.
It pays memorize the various spotting abilities of all your units, as well as the enemy's units. If you have trouble remembering, it is as simple as right-clicking any unit and checking the binoculars icon to see a unit's spotting range. Make a habit of constantly knowing, or at least discovering the potential spotting ranges of every unit on the map. This is crucial to setting traps and ambushes, as well as avoiding potential enemy ambushes as well.
Weather is an important consideration as well. You must keep in mind the prevailing weather situation at all times. If you're like me, you probably click right through that opening screen each turn which tells you the weather. It is well worth the effort to spend an extra five seconds rechecking the current weather conditions. Click the plus-sign (+) icon to see "Additional Options". Clicking the top icon in the additional options toolbar will show you the status screen, displaying the current turn number and weather conditions. Anything less than "Fair" weather will reduce the spotting ranges of your own units as well as the enemy's. Keep this in mind when setting ambushes, as well as in trying to avoid ambushes yourself.
Unlike the A.I., you can remember where the enemy's units were on the previous turn. Even if the weather changes, or you lose some front-line units, you can get the upper hand by carefully noting the position of every enemy unit from the previous turn.
So having a good idea of where the enemy is, and where he might be headed is crucial in setting and avoiding ambushes.
The Anti-Air Trap -- Perhaps the first type of ambush most players try to set is the AAA-trap. It is simple to implement, and devastating in its results if properly planned and executed. Especially in scenarios in which the enemy has air superiority, the AAA-trap can be a scenario-saving force equalizer.
To set the AAA-trap successfully, you need to address six issues:
1.) The proper bait, 2.) Showing the bait to the enemy, 3.) Adequate protection of the bait, 4.) The proper units to effect the ambush, 5.) Properly hiding the ambushing units, and 6.) Having an appropriate enemy "victim" unit which is able to fall into your trap. We want to show the enemy our bait, adequately tempt him to attack the bait, deny him the opportunity to attack our bait with ground units, and force him to attack our bait with planes, triggering the hidden air defense units with their defensive fire. Let's address each aspect individually.
The Bait -- In an AAA trap, the proper bait is most often a towed gun in its transports. You probably already know how devastating artillery can be in PG2. So it is an important goal of yours, as well as the enemy's, to eliminate artillery units whenever possible. This is why artillery makes such a good bait -- the computer considers them priority targets. Additionally, unlike infantry-class units, towed guns do not dismount when attacked. So artillery in trucks or wagons are defenseless against attacks. The computer rightfully understands that artillery in transports are its best opportunity to eliminate those devastating artillery units. So artillery in soft transports are the perfect bait in an AAA trap.
Showing the Bait -- All your planning and preparations are for naught if the enemy can't see the bait. So make sure you position your bait in such a way that it can be spotted by an enemy unit. The ideal enemy unit to use as the bait-spotter is an infantry-class unit. Infantry have a spotting range of two hexes, which allows you to place the bait within the enemy's spotting range, but also allows you to put a defensive ground unit between the enemy bait-spotter and your bait unit. Enemy recon units can work effectively as the bait spotter as well. But their phased movement, and increased spotting range means that you have to take extra precautions to make sure the enemy recon can't maneuver into a position to either directly attack your bait unit, or give away the presence of your ambush units. That's why infantry makes the best bait-spotters. The aren't nearly as maneuverable as recon units, so the chances of your bait being directly attacked, or your ambush being prematurely revealed are greatly diminished. But with careful planning, even an enemy recon unit can be used as the bait-spotter.
Protecting the Bait -- You need to protect your bait in two ways. First, you must take steps to assure that enemy ground forces cannot reach your bait. Surround your bait with defending ground units or your bait could turn into a victim instead, which would either turn your AAA-trap into an even exchange, or even spoil the trap completely. We want to offer the bait as a tempting target, but we also want to make sure our bait isn't turned into "lunch" for the enemy! If your bait is properly protected against direct ground attack, the only way the enemy can attack your bait is by air -- this is what you want! Which brings us to the second way your bait must be protected.
You must also protect your bait unit against air attack. Your bait appears to be a tempting target to the enemy because it is a vulnerable target. This is the very heart of the AAA trap -- your own air defense units. Self-propelled AD units are ideal for the AAA trap since you can position them to execute the trap and be assured that they are ready to spring the trap immediately upon the enemy's turn. Towed AAA guns can be used to supplement your self-propelled AD units, but if you rely totally upon towed AAA guns, you must set them in position one turn in advance since they remain in their transports throughout the enemy's turn -- thus denying protection of your bait against air attack in the enemy's turn.
Your own fighters can also act as protection for your bait against air attack. Fighters can be used to supplement or substitute for air defense units in an AAA trap. Fighter units must be placed in a hex directly adjacent to the bait unit to be effective. When the enemy air unit attempts to bomb or strafe your bait, your fighters will be triggered into "interceptors!" mode, attacking the enemy air unit before he can strike at your bait.
Air defense units must be placed within range of the bait unit so that when the enemy plane goes to attack your bait unit, they fire defensively at the attacking enemy air unit. If the bait is adequately protected in these ways, all the enemy air unit's strength will hopefully be killed, or at least suppressed so that your bait remains unharmed.
Proper Ambushing Units -- As previously mentioned, your ambushing units should be able to provide defensive fire when the enemy plane attacks your bait, and should also be able to attack again offensively on your next turn if the enemy air unit isn't entirely killed off by defensive fire. Again, self-propelled AD units are ideal since they are ready to fire defensively even if they were only maneuvered into position in your previous turn. Towed AAA guns will also work, but they must be pre-positioned a turn earlier so they have time to dismount, or else you must realize that they will not be able to fire defensively on the enemy air unit during the enemy's turn. And friendly fighters can be positioned directly adjacent to the bait unit to both provide defensive "interceptors!" during the enemy's turn, as well as helping to finish off any remaining strength of the enemy air unit in your subsequent turn.
Hiding Your Ambushing Units -- While it is important that your bait unit be visible to the enemy, it is equally important that your ambushing units NOT be visible to the enemy. This is why knowing the enemy's whereabouts and spotting abilities is so important. While your ambushing units must be in a position to protect your bait, they must also be outside the enemy's spotting range, or the ambush will be revealed prematurely.
The Enemy Victim -- This final aspect is the most difficult to predict, and perhaps the most common reason an AAA trap fails. If there is no enemy air unit within range of your bait, there is no one who can fall victim to your ambush. Playing a scenario multiple times is the best way to know if there is or is not any enemy planes within range of your bait. If you are playing an unfamiliar scenario, you might have to set up several traps in different turns before any enemy air units can fall into the trap.
I should add that if you are playing against a human opponent, there is another factor which should be considered. If you are too deliberate in setting the ambush, your opponent might "smell" the trap and avoid it. So an air of recklessness in setting the trap might help convince your opponent that you were simply foolish in placing your bait unit, and not intentionally setting it up as bait for an ambush.
In the stock SSI Blitzkrieg campaign, the first opportunity to set an AAA trap comes in the opening turns of the Ciechanow (Poland) scenario. There are several reasons why this is a good opportunity to practice setting and executing AAA traps. First, you might not want to spend the prestige on a fighter that early in the campaign. But it costs much less to buy a SdKfz-10/4 or -6/2 self-propelled air defense unit at that point in the campaign, which is completely adequate to eliminate the Polish bomber. Secondly, the Poles have only a single plane -- a 5-strength bomber, and a poor one, at that! So even if you fail miserably, for some reason, to properly execute the AAA trap, the damage should be minimal. Also, the Poles' spotting ability is greatly diminished since they have no recon units. And lastly, you have a couple auxiliary artillery units in this scenario, so you don't even have to risk your valuable core artillery units as bait.
The best place to set up your AAA trap at Ciechanow is near the first Victory Hex city (in the N.W. region). And you should be able to execute the trap on turn 2 or 3. This gives the Polish bomber enough time to come within range of your army.
Move forward with your ground forces so that they come into direct contact with the forward-most Polish units. Do NOT destroy all the front-line Polish units or there will be no one around to spot your bait. You might want to eliminate or greatly weaken the Polish 4-range arty unit to the west of the city, or the enemy might destroy your bait unit before you can effect your ambush. When you have given the Poles enough time to bring their bomber up, drive one of your artillery units right up behind your front-line forces. The one in a horse-drawn wagon is especially good bait since the horse wagons are the most weak and vulnerable transports, and therefore, the most tempting target to the A.I. Keep a wall of ground troops between your bait arty-in-transport and the Polish spotting units. That way they can't get to your bait and eliminate it without help from the bomber. This also keeps them from getting into a position where they can see the ambush -- your SdKfz air defense unit.
Position your SdKfz so that it is one or two hexes (its combat range) from your bait arty-in-transport. Make sure it is in a location such that it cannot be accidentally revealed to the enemy before the trap is sprung. On about turn 3 (with Oronzo's equipment file, turn 2 using the stock SSI e-file) the Polish bomber (still outside of your spotting ranges) will be within range of your bait unit. When the A.I. sees such a ripe and tempting target, he will almost surely fly his bomber to attack your arty-in-transport. If your SdKfz AD unit has been properly positioned within range of your bait unit, it will fire defensively when the bomber attempts to attack your arty bait.
I have found that a single brand-new, totally inexperienced SdKfz 6/2 is more than adequate to bring down that Polish bomber in a single shot around 90% of the time! And even if you don't completely kill the bomber with defensive fire, you should be able to kill+suppress all five of his strength points, keeping your arty bait from taking any damage at all. Then on your next turn, what is left of the bomber will still be sitting over the target, and still within range of your air defense unit. So if anything remains of the bomber unit, you should be able to finish it off on your next turn firing offensively with your AD unit. When this bomber has been eliminated, you have finished off the final remnants of the Polish air force, allowing you much greater flexibility in maneuver for the remainder of the scenario.
After Ciechanow, you will find opportunities to set AAA traps in nearly every scenario thereafter. Suomussalmi and Lillehammer offer many opportunities for AAA traps although the snowy weather limits these opportunities since air defense units can't fire during turns in which the weather is snow or rain.
Sedan offers many, many chances to set AAA traps, but things become complicated because of all the flagged towns that, until captured, continue to provide one-hex spotting range to the enemy.
Race to Dunkirk, offers the next opportunity to set up and execute a sure-fire guaranteed AAA trap. I am detailing this instance because it is a guaranteed-successful opportunity to set the perfect trap and eliminate the British Spitfire. It works 100% of the time when you are using the stock SSI equipment file. Oronzo's e-file screws up the chance of successfully implementing this trap, since planes have different movement rates with Oronzo's equipment file.
There is a town in the N.W. region of the Dunkirk map. It can be identified by the auxiliary German bridging engineer across the river from the town, and the proximity of a 5-strength German auxiliary 10.5cm leFH artillery unit just west of this town. A British infantry unit occupies the town, and there is a British artillery piece a couple hexes behind it.
You will need to deploy at least two SdKfz 6/2s and at least one artillery unit in the northern deployment region. It should only take you two turns to move your SP AD units (SdKfz's) and your arty-in-truck to the location of the trap. That is exactly enough time to allow the British Spitfire to come into range of the trap locality. On turn 2, move your auxiliary bridger forward one hex (toward the town), onto the bridge directly adjacent to the town. But do not attack with that bridger because the unseen British arty will then open up, and you risk losing that bridger next turn, and thus the forward protection of your arty in trucks. Next, move your arty "bait" into the hex previously occupied by the bridging engineer. Since your artillery will be two hexes from the town and the British infantry, the enemy will be able to spot the arty in its truck, but nothing behind the arty will be visible. So you stack your air defense units behind that arty, so that the arty bait is within range of your air defenses, but your AD units cannot be seen.
On the computer's subsequent turn, he will fly that Spitfire to strafe your arty in trucks every single time! This will trigger the defensive fire from your SdKfz units. You have about a 50% chance of killing the Spitfire immediately with your defensive fire, depending on how many AD units you are using, and how successful their defensive fire is. Either way, your AD units will begin your next turn in perfect position to eliminate what remains of the Spitfire, still sitting over your artillery bait. In the few rare instances when this trap fails to completely eliminate the Spitfire, it will behoove you to have a friendly fighter unit in the vicinity to finish off the Spitfire if necessary.
If you want to become a serious student of the AAA trap, at this point you should go back and re-read the six points we discussed earlier -- the keys to a successful AAA ambush. You will notice that all six points are addressed in this trap. We have set a tempting bait (arty in truck), we have shown the bait to the enemy (the British infantry in the town two hexes away), we have protected the bait against ground attack (our aux. bridging unit) and against air attack (the SdKfz units). We have used the proper units to effectively spring the ambush (self-propelled AD units, which do not need to dismount before providing defensive fire), we have hidden the ambushing units (the SdKfz AD units) by setting them up more than two hexes from the town with the British infantry, and have ensured that the enemy can't maneuver in such a way as to spoil the surprise locations of the AD units. And lastly, we have an appropriate victim unit within range (the British Spitfire which begins the scenario in the northern airfield). All six elements are present and adequately addressed in this example.
***I wish to give credit where it is due. Although I am certain he was not the first to come up with the idea of the AAA trap, Fundamental71 was the first person to teach me about AAA traps, and the one at Dunkirk in particular. Thanks, fundy!***
I hope this general discussion of ambushes, and the specific discussion of the AAA trap have been of some use to you. Next week we will address several other types of ambushes which can be used in PG2. Until then, good luck in practicing the AAA trap, and may the Good Victory be yours, Herr General!
Whoopy-Cat
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Equipment Files This Week
by Johan "JP" Pieterse
This week, we will take a look at all the equipment files available to enrich the Panzer General II playing experience. Click on the associated link to view information about the file and download it (if you wish):
Generalleutnant von Adler
www.itk.mh.se/~svh9829/downloads.html
Forum hosted by JP's Panzers:
pub24.ezboard.com/fjpspanzersfrm11
Oronzo equipment file
www.bossanova.com/oronzo/panzergeneral2.html
Forum hosted by JP's Panzers:
pub24.ezboard.com/fjpspanzersfrm12
Thomas Kluetsch Equipment file
members.tripod.de/ThomasKluetsch/equip.html
Waffenkammer's Upgrade Package
www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Dome/4756/ndownload.htm
Zerstorer v2.61
www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Arena/5096/2pg2.html
Steve Strayer v1.5
ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/sgt_stryker/pg2info.htm
Justin Historical Equipment File
www.angelfire.com/ok/panzerkampfwagon/scenarios.html
Pro Wargamers League Season II file
www.prowargamers.com/download.html
David Ficke's file
www.geocities.com/_hylian_knight/Equipment.html
Pacific equipment file
members.fortunecity.com/bismarck13/
Forum hosted by Builders Paradise:
pub28.ezboard.com/fbuildersparadisefrm7
Eric Meng's equipment file
www.geocities.com/thetitleofname/MainPG2.html
Forum hosted by Builders Paradise:
pub28.ezboard.com/fbuildersparadisefrm8
Information on how to install and update equipment files are available on the excellent Builders Paradise by Lasse Jensen. Select Equipments from the main menu.
w1.1661.telia.com/%7Eu166103891/pg2index.html
Builders Paradise Forum is available at
pub28.ezboard.com/bbuildersparadise
JP
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Weekly Panzerchat
by Paul "Hawkeye" MacKay
"Takin' the Loss, Takin' the Loss..."
(Sorry about the Judas Priest pun! :lol)
I've always tried to equate my playing of PG2 to the real-life war. I try to imagine myself as a real general, in charge of a real army group. I take core and non-core losses seriously, and feel I've let my troops down when they die. But one thing that always strikes me as unrealistic is the results of a scenario Loss. Sure, many generals were replaced after taking a few losses, especially if they lost several battles in a row. But I don't think failed generals were generally replaced due to one single lost battle, or even a few losses interspersed amongst a host of victories. So it is greatly distressing to me that the campaign is often ended when you take a Loss in a scenario.
I feel that the loss of a campaign should be judged more on my overall successes or lack thereof. Instead of a campaign tree that was solely dependent upon my most recent successes or failures, I wish PG2 campaigns instead looked at the overall picture when determining if I'm allowed to continue on to the next scenario. A single Loss which follows a string of Brilliant Victories should rarely, if ever, cause me to completely lose the campaign. And, by the same token, I feel that a string of several Tac Vic's should count much more against me than several BV's followed by a Loss.
Now I understand that some campaigns do not operate this way, notably the first few scenarios of the stock SSI Blitzkrieg campaign, in which you can take several losses in a row and not have your campaign terminated. But, as a rule, it seems to me that most campaigns treat a Loss in a scenario as a Loss of the campaign -- "Game Over", so to speak. Do you think this is right and proper? Am I correct that most campaigns deal this harshly with a Loss in a scenario resulting in a Loss for the campaign? Am I mistaken? How do you think a typical campaign scenario tree should work? What should it look like? Do you like consistency in these matters from one campaign to the next? Or is it better to have widely diverse campaign trees, varying from one campaign to another? Do you like "side-chutes", such as the DTR off-shoot from the Blitzkrieg campaign, with a Tac Vic in Volokolamsk or Klin taking you to a completely different set of scenarios?
We look forward to the return of our good friend Hawkeye, our discussion topic leader extrordinaire. But these are questions that have been on my mind for some time now. So I've been looking forward to this opportunity to ask your opinions on this matter.
Whoopy-Cat
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Copyright. The name of this magazine ( Panzers Weekly) and all of its contents are copyrighted. Each of the contributors and authors retains the right to his own material, and no part may be reproduced, copied or used in any way, except with the expressed written consent of the article's author(s).
Panzers Weekly is a weekly forum-based magazine brought to you courtesy of the makers of JP's Panzers. Each week at this time we will bring you a new installment of Panzers Weekly. I will leave each edition in JP's Main PG2 Forum for one month, or until all discussion concerning that edition has ceased, whichever comes last. After that, I will move past editions of Panzers Weekly to JP's PG2 Archives Forum.
You can receive Panzers Weekly each week by e-mail if you like; just send me an e-mail to let me know that you want to receive Panzers Weekly this way. Please remember that this is not a big List-Server talking to you -- just me. So if you want Panzers Weekly by e-mail and you're not receiving it every Sunday, please remind me to add you to the list. And if you wish to unsubscribe, you'll again, just have to e-mail me and hope I remember to take you off the list.
:-)~
Panzers Weekly contributing authors:
Paul MacKay, aka "Hawkeye" westbeach@altavista.com
Clarence "PantherG" Mattson pantherg@hotmail.com Clarence's Panzer Page
Jeffrey Goldstein, aka "JDG" Jeffrey.Goldstein@staff.azbar.org
Philip Nelson, aka "Reepicheep" blnelson@visi.net
Joel Illian, aka "Whoopy-Cat" jtillian@kdsi.net Whoopy-Cat's Panzer Page
Johan Pieterse, aka "JP" hyperion@iafrica.com JP's Panzers
JP details the Combined Allied Bomber Offensive in "This Week in the War". In addition, JP gives us a guided tour of the many user-made equipment files available for PG2 in "E-files This Week". PantherG brings us a fine article on the M24 Chaffee light tank in "Weapons of War This Week". And Jeff tells the story of the Swedish B.18 in his weekly "Skywriter" column. Reepicheep explores Panzer General 3's various Infantry Class Veteran Orders in "PG3 This Week". And I begin a two-part discussion of ambushes and traps in "PG2 This Week".
We are working hard to make Panzers Weekly the best possible weekly forum-based "e-zine" for you. If you have comments or suggestions, feel free to e-mail me or any of our contributing authors (addresses at the bottom of the page), or post a reply to this topic in the forum. Also feel free to join in the conversation of the week, in our weekly "PanzerChat".
Thank You for reading Panzers Weekly.
Joel Illian, The Whoopy-Cat
jtillian@kdsi.net.
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PANZERS WEEKLY
Vol. 2, No. 3 ~ November 12 - 18, 2000
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This Week in the War
by Johan "JP" Pieterse
For this week's edition, we will look at the Combined Allied Bomber Offensive in World War II.
>> The offensive began in June 1943 - huge buildup of 8th AF north of London - airfields, supply depots, repair yards (30% planes each mission damaged)
>> 76 targets listed - aircraft industry, sub pens, ball bearings, synthetic rubber, military transport vehicles
July 24 to Aug. 2 - Hamburg
"classic picture" of the air war, - Newsweek, 12/6/43
>> first firestorm July 27 - 150 mph, 1800 deg., 50,000 killed
>> July 29-Aug. 2 - RAF lost only 12 of 740 bombers in attack on Hamburg due to use of radar-reflecting "window" strips
>> July invention of the steel-lined flak vest by Col. Malcolm Grow helped protect crews
>> new Norden bombsight (1st developed 1931) coupled with autopilot allowed bambardier to fly plane and achieve 76% accuracy within 1000 ft. of target (rather than previous 20% rate)
>> "Mickey" H2X radar allowed flights in overcast weather
Aug. 1 - Ploesti oil refineries
>> by 9th AF from Libya in 5 groups of B-24s flying low-level to better sight targets
>> heavy German defenses of 37 flak guns, radar, Luftwaffe
>> first 2 groups got lost, bombed same targets meant for other groups, caused thick smoke
>> 54 of 178 bombers lost - no more low-level missions
>> Although 42% of Ploesti's refineries destroyed, there was enough capacity remaining to keep oil production at 400,000 tons per month until the refineries were again bombed in April 1944
ad featuring Ploesti raid, - from Time, 4/28/44
Aug. 17 - Schweinfurt ball-bearing factories
>> by Curtis LeMay & 376 B-17s - 60 lost in one of the most intense air battles of the war against the Luftwaffe
>> also attack on Regensburg
>> "shuttle bombing" - flew on to North Africa - similar to method used to reach Friedrichshafen
"shuttle bombing" Friedrichshafen, - from Newsweek, 7/5/43
B-17s in formation, - from Newsweek, 1/3/44
Nov. 1
>> 15th AF created in Italy, especially Foggia air base
"World's No. 1 Bomber" - from Time cover 1944/06/12
Dec. 8
>> Gen. Carl Spaatz replaced Eaker as AF head after Teheran decision to unify bomber command
>> new emphasis on destruction of Luftwaffe
Dec. 13
>> 54 Mustangs escorted B-17s 490 miles on a raid over Kiel, Germany, and for the first time in the war successfully defended the bombers for 40 minutes over the targets, shooting down enemy fighter planes
Feb. 13-26, 1944
"Big Week" - operation ARGUMENT
>> 3300 planes from 8th AF and 500 from 15th AF dropped 10,000 tons to destroy Luftwaffe factories in central Germany
>> Germany lost many pilots and 500 planes, moved factories underground, built fake Skoda factory at Pilsen in Czech to fool bombers, added more AA flak by 88 mm guns able to reach 6 miles high
>> The 500-lb bombs used by the Allies were not large enough to inflict significant damage on Germany factory building interiors, usually only causing damage to rooftops
>> The city of Nijmegen in the Netherlands was bombed by mistake on Feb. 22, killed 200 Ductch civilians
March 4-10 - raids on Berlin
>> 660 planes of 8th AF attack Berlin to draw out and destroy Luftwaffe
>> P-51 escort fighters provide protection for bombers
>> Germany lost 80 planes, Allies lost 69 bombers
Formation of bombers for the 3rd raid of March 9, - from cover of ILN 1944/03/18
damage to Berlin - from ILN 1944/04/01
April
>> U.S. bombers violate Swiss neutrality, hit Schaffhauser by mistake, killed 48
May 21
>> Operation CHATTANOOGA began, allowed escort fighters to leave bomber groups after mission completed and strafe railroads and highways on the way back to Britain
July 1944 - Hamburg firestorm
>> 2nd attack on Hamburg by British saturation night bombers
>> produced column of heated air 2.5 miles high with wind 33 mph
>> 100,000 Germans killed, 300,000 buildings burned, 750,000 homeless
Dec. 15, 1944
>> Glenn Miller plane lost over English Channel, possibly due to RAF bombers dumping unused bombs from higher altitude returning aborted mission over Germany (according to Fred Shaw logbook, see article on reserve from AP April 13, 1999) -
pictures of B-17 losing tail due to bomb drops
Feb. 13-14, 1945 - Dresden firestorm
>> Dresden was a cultural center in Germany
>> city burned for a week, 35,000 killed, 1600 acres destroyed
>> British saturation bombing destroyed 60 cities in Germany, 20% of the total residential area, killed 300,000, injured 780,000, left 7.5 million homeless by the end of the war.
JP
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Weapons of War This Week
by Clarence "PantherG" Mattson
The M24 Chaffee
The M24 Chaffee was developed per a request by the US Armored Force Board in 1942 for a light tank armed with a 75mm gun. This request was issued after observations of combat in Germany, where the Stuart light tanks proved to be inferior to German armor.
The M24 was developed by the Cadillac Division of the General Motors company with the help of the US Army Ordnance Department engineers who helped to create the M5 Stuart light tank. The first experimental prototypes of the tank, known as the T24 at this stage, were delivered in October of 1943. The T24 used the same 75mm gun as on the M8 self propelled howitzer, and was powered by twin Cadillac V-8 motors. These engines, as well as the Hydramatic automatic transmission and power train, were the same as those in the M5 Stuart tank. However, the turret and the hull were a completely new design. The M24 also featured torsion bar suspension. This gave it superb maneuverability and an improved ride.
The T24 proved to be an exceptional tank during field trials. It weighed under 40,000 pounds, and had the same firepower as the early Sherman tanks. After tests, the T24 officially became the M24 Chaffee tank. It was named after Adna Chaffee, a pioneer in the use of tanks in the US Army.
The M24 first saw action in Italy in 1944. It had excellent maneuverability and could even maintain 35mph speeds on reasonably good surfaces. The 75mm gun of the M24 was a proven gun and could not be taken lightly by German armor (especially the PZ IV). Some 4,731 M24s were made before wars end. It replaced all of the M3 and M5 light tanks of the US Army, although not before the end of the war. The M24 later saw action in the Korean conflict, and soldiered on for many years after that in National Guard and Reserve units. The M24 chassis also served as the chassis for many other vehicles, such as the M19 anti-aircraft gun which mounted a 40mm twin-Bofors cannon. This, as well as the self-propelled howitzer version of the M24 (the M37), were developed too late to see combat service in the war (note: plans to deploy the M19 werent too serious due to supreme Allied air superiority by the time of its development).
For those of you who are movie-goers, the Chaffee was used in the Battle of the Bulge (with Henry Fonda). This was the tank used by American forces in the movie (an ironic twist was that the German tanks were American Patton series vehicles).
PantherG
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Sky-Writer
by Jeff "JDG" Goldstein
The Swedish B-18
In 1938 the Swedish air force opened a competition for a new twin engined reconnaissance aircraft intended to replace Junkers Ju 86 (B.3 in Swedish service) and partially the Saab B.17. The requirement was updated to be for a bomber with a crew of three, a bomb load of 750 kg, a speed of 500 km/h and also be used as a long range reconnaissance, torpedo attack and as a heavy fighter.
The aircraft manufacturers AFF, ASJA, SAAB, Kockums Flygindustri and GV were seen as likely competitors, but only ASJA, SAAB and GV responded.
The GV entry, GP 8, a Dornier Do 17 look-alike seemed best, but was also the most expensive. The chief designer Bo Lundberg left GV, which had decided to abandon its aircraft business, and started AFV and had a mockup of the GP 8 accepted conditionally. In the mean time ASJA was merged with SAAB and SAAB given a contract with the air force.
SAAB and ASJA had on their staff around 40 Americans, so their project, L 11, also a Do 17 look alike, had similarities with contemporary US designs, like circular fins and a nose gear. The nose gear was not liked by the air force, so it was changed to a conventional tail wheel. Chief designers were Frid Wnstrm and Carl Haddon (American). With the outbreak of the war in 1939, it was decided to concentrate all work on the Saab B.17, so the B. 18 was put on the back burner.
At first it was planned to use Bristol Taurus engines, but when British engines couldn't be obtained, it was decided to use a Swedish made Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasp instead. However the preferred engine was the DB605. Priority of those engines however went to the J.21 fighter so the first B.18's could not be equipped with them.
The fuselage was all metal with fabric covered control surfaces. For the first time in Sweden, the armour was an integral part of the structure. The canopy for the pilot and radio operator/gunner was offset to the left. A observer/bombardier/gunner had his place in the glazed nose. Fixed armament consisted of three 13.2 mm machine guns, each with 300 rounds. One was fixed forward firing in the starboard side of the fuselage controlled by the pilot, one rearward firing for the radio operator and one rearward firing in the lower fuselage for the bombardier.
The first of 62 B.18As entered service in 1944. These pilots were already familiar with multi-engined bombers and the tactics for them were level bombing attacks performed by a squadron of nine aircraft in three groups of three. Internal bomb load was either two 500 kg or three 250 kg or ten 50 kg bombs. Under the wings the plane could carry either eight 50 kg bombs or illumination flares. During 1946-47 all were converted into S.18A status.
It was intended that the S.18B was to replace the Caproni Ca.313S as a reconnaissance aircraft, but converted B.18As were used instead and fitted with one vertical camera and one oblique in the nose. For night photography they were later fitted with one more camera and fitted for photo flash bombs under the wings. In 1949 the S.18s were fitted with surplus US Navy radar sets, AN/APS-4 n pods under the nose. As pure photo reconnaissance, they were soon replaced by Spitfires and Tunnans, but as maritime reconnaissance aircraft they continued in service until 1959 when they were replaced by the S.32C Lansen.
The first of 119 B.18Bs entered service in 1945. Apart from having different engines and the lower gun deleted, they were identical to the B.18A. As these aircraft were faster, tactics changed. Normal attack formation became eight aircraft squadrons, consisting of two groups of four in two pairs. Approach to the target was performed either with the whole squadron or groups, but the attack itself by pairs. Level bomb runs were replaced by dive attacks, which were more effective, partly thanks to the dive bomb sight developed by Erik Wilkenson at Saab. After locking on to the target, the sight computed release depending on speed, angle, wind and other factors.
Due to the new tactics, the crew was reduced to two, the pilot and the radio operator/navigator. At the end of the 1940's, ground attack rockets were introduced in the air force. They were mounted under the outer wings (four heavy under each) and under the nose (four heavy). The last B.18Bs were retired in 1958.
The final version, of which 52 were built, was designated T.18B, as they were intended for anti-shipping attacks with torpedos, entering service in 1947. The T.18B had a more aerodynamic nose section since it wasn't intended to have the lower gun, and thus was faster. Otherwise it was structurally identical to the B.18B.
In addition to the bombs and rockets carried by B.18B, it was also intended that the T.18 be able to carry a 1000 kg mine or 950 kg torpedo internally. The torpedo trials weren't successful, so the main armament for anti-ship attacks were rockets, two 20 mm guns in the lower nose and a 57 mm Bofors gun which could be mounted in the bomb bay in about two hours, with the muzzle protruding through a hatch in the lower nose. It weighed 735 kg and a total length of 5.3m Magazine capacity was 40 rounds plus one in the chamber. Reloading in the air wasn't possible. Firing rate was 3 rds/s and the maximum practical range for the 2.5 kg HE or AP projectiles was 2000 m. It had a well working recoil damper so in spite of the high recoil force (6 tons) flying properties weren't affected much. Reloading was by pneumatics, firing electric.
Trial armament was 2 40 mm guns under the nose, but test firing shattered the nose glazing. The anti-ship missile Rb 302 was also tryed but didn't enter service. The last T.18s were retired in 1958 after having been replaced by the A.32A Lansen.
JDG
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In the Trenches
by Joel "Whoopy-Cat" Illian (with thanks to "Chess-shyre Cat")
Mutual Understanding
A squad of American soldiers was patrolling along the Iraqi border. To their surprise, they found the badly mangled dead body of an Iraqi soldier in a ditch along the road. A short distance up the road, they found a badly mangled American soldier in a ditch on the other side of the road, who was still barely alive. They ran to him, cradled his blood-covered head and asked him what had happened.
"Well," he whispered, "I was walking down this road, armed to the teeth. I came across this heavily armed Iraqi border guard. I looked him right in the eye and shouted, "Saddam Hussein is an unprincipled, lying piece of trash!" He looked me right in the eye and shouted back, "Bill Clinton is an unprincipled, lying piece of trash too!"
"We were standing there shaking hands when the truck hit us."
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PG3 This Week
by Philip "Reepicheep" Nelson
Veteran Orders: the Infantry Class
The five orders for the unit class most responsible for taking and holding territory are Patrol, Camouflage, Infiltrate, Surprise Attack, and All Out Attack.
Patrol is moderately useful. It allows defending infantry to see enemy units approaching from a fair distance away. On offense, it is nearly useless, as most enemy units are dug-in and camouflaged. This order can be issued once, and cannot be taken back.
Camouflage is very useful. A camouflaged infantry unit cannot be seen by enemy units unless they are in an adjacent hex. However, some medals and veteran orders can enable other units to spot hidden infantry at a distance. This order is defensive only, and can be issued or taken back at any time during a turn. The effects will last indefinitely as long as the unit does not move.
Infiltrate is moderately useful. It allows infantry to ignore reserve fire in a battle. The order can be issued once, and cannot be taken back after combat.
Surprise Attack is very useful. It allows attacking infantry to ignore reserve fire, and gives them a large bonus in close combats. Infantry without the class medal can fully use this order against anything in close terrain, including level three entrenchment. Infantry with Tactician, however, can reduce a King Tiger, and all other armor for that matter, to a pile of scrap metal with Surprise Attack. This order can be issued once, and cannot be taken back after combat.
All Out Attack is extremely useful. It allows infantry to ignore all suppression and gives them an attack bonus, though at the expense of defense. Thus infantry can use this order to attack a city while ignoring all of the suppression caused by defending artillery, though actual kills still count. There is yet another bonus; if, while using this order, an infantry unit forces a retreat, the enemy unit will surrender instead. Thus infantry with All Out Attack can be used as a tank with Blitz! This order can be issued once, and cannot be taken back after combat.
Reepicheep
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PG2 This Week
by Joel "Whoopy-Cat" Illian
Ambush!
(Part 1 of 2)
The cowboys are pursued into a box canyon only to find Indians all around them. The tanks aggressively roll too far forward of their artillery and infantry support, only to be met by the anti-tank guns lying in waiting amongst the terrain. The squadron of bombers, upon finding no "little friends" waiting for them at the rendezvous point, fly on unescorted to their target only to find the sky full of enemy fighters, just as they had feared.
Just like in real warfare, the ambush can be one of the most exciting aspects of Panzer General II -- devastating to the surprisee, a force-equalizer for the under dog. It takes careful planning, flawless execution, and more than a little skill to successfully plan and spring an effective ambush. This week I want to discuss the keys to a successful ambush, and one of the easiest ambushes to properly implement -- the anti-air trap.
The most important aspect of any kind of ambush is superior intelligence of the enemy's positions and intentions. Normally this means better reconnaissance than the enemy. Even a PG2 rookie can tell immediately how important recon units are, simply by observing the lengths the artificial intelligence goes to in an attempt to blind you by eliminating your recon units. So the first, and most obvious element to setting and executing a successful ambush is superior intelligence and reconnaissance. And the recon-class units are the most obvious tool in this regard. Their extra-long spotting ranges allow them to see enemy units which cannot see them in return.
But there are other ways to reconnoiter the enemy. An air unit with a "Reconnaissance Movement" leader can be at least as effective. You can use its phased movement ability to systematically cover a large area of the map, even though a plane has only a 2-hex spotting range. Carefully follow a prepared pattern of movement with your planes, and you can sometimes spot enemy units which would otherwise be hidden even from your recon vehicles.
Watching the map carefully is another way to gauge enemy whereabouts and intentions. All friendly flags have a spotting range of one hex. Any enemy unit which passes within one hex of one of your flagged towns can be seen, even if you have no units in that area. And even when the enemy captures one of your flags, you can tell where at least some of the enemy's units are by noting which flags change hands from turn to turn. Also watch the map very carefully during the enemy's turn. Even a unit which neither starts nor ends its movement within your spotting range can sometimes be seen or heard as it passes through, or near your units' spotting ranges during your opponent's turn. So pay close attention to these things as well.
It pays memorize the various spotting abilities of all your units, as well as the enemy's units. If you have trouble remembering, it is as simple as right-clicking any unit and checking the binoculars icon to see a unit's spotting range. Make a habit of constantly knowing, or at least discovering the potential spotting ranges of every unit on the map. This is crucial to setting traps and ambushes, as well as avoiding potential enemy ambushes as well.
Weather is an important consideration as well. You must keep in mind the prevailing weather situation at all times. If you're like me, you probably click right through that opening screen each turn which tells you the weather. It is well worth the effort to spend an extra five seconds rechecking the current weather conditions. Click the plus-sign (+) icon to see "Additional Options". Clicking the top icon in the additional options toolbar will show you the status screen, displaying the current turn number and weather conditions. Anything less than "Fair" weather will reduce the spotting ranges of your own units as well as the enemy's. Keep this in mind when setting ambushes, as well as in trying to avoid ambushes yourself.
Unlike the A.I., you can remember where the enemy's units were on the previous turn. Even if the weather changes, or you lose some front-line units, you can get the upper hand by carefully noting the position of every enemy unit from the previous turn.
So having a good idea of where the enemy is, and where he might be headed is crucial in setting and avoiding ambushes.
The Anti-Air Trap -- Perhaps the first type of ambush most players try to set is the AAA-trap. It is simple to implement, and devastating in its results if properly planned and executed. Especially in scenarios in which the enemy has air superiority, the AAA-trap can be a scenario-saving force equalizer.
To set the AAA-trap successfully, you need to address six issues:
1.) The proper bait, 2.) Showing the bait to the enemy, 3.) Adequate protection of the bait, 4.) The proper units to effect the ambush, 5.) Properly hiding the ambushing units, and 6.) Having an appropriate enemy "victim" unit which is able to fall into your trap. We want to show the enemy our bait, adequately tempt him to attack the bait, deny him the opportunity to attack our bait with ground units, and force him to attack our bait with planes, triggering the hidden air defense units with their defensive fire. Let's address each aspect individually.
The Bait -- In an AAA trap, the proper bait is most often a towed gun in its transports. You probably already know how devastating artillery can be in PG2. So it is an important goal of yours, as well as the enemy's, to eliminate artillery units whenever possible. This is why artillery makes such a good bait -- the computer considers them priority targets. Additionally, unlike infantry-class units, towed guns do not dismount when attacked. So artillery in trucks or wagons are defenseless against attacks. The computer rightfully understands that artillery in transports are its best opportunity to eliminate those devastating artillery units. So artillery in soft transports are the perfect bait in an AAA trap.
Showing the Bait -- All your planning and preparations are for naught if the enemy can't see the bait. So make sure you position your bait in such a way that it can be spotted by an enemy unit. The ideal enemy unit to use as the bait-spotter is an infantry-class unit. Infantry have a spotting range of two hexes, which allows you to place the bait within the enemy's spotting range, but also allows you to put a defensive ground unit between the enemy bait-spotter and your bait unit. Enemy recon units can work effectively as the bait spotter as well. But their phased movement, and increased spotting range means that you have to take extra precautions to make sure the enemy recon can't maneuver into a position to either directly attack your bait unit, or give away the presence of your ambush units. That's why infantry makes the best bait-spotters. The aren't nearly as maneuverable as recon units, so the chances of your bait being directly attacked, or your ambush being prematurely revealed are greatly diminished. But with careful planning, even an enemy recon unit can be used as the bait-spotter.
Protecting the Bait -- You need to protect your bait in two ways. First, you must take steps to assure that enemy ground forces cannot reach your bait. Surround your bait with defending ground units or your bait could turn into a victim instead, which would either turn your AAA-trap into an even exchange, or even spoil the trap completely. We want to offer the bait as a tempting target, but we also want to make sure our bait isn't turned into "lunch" for the enemy! If your bait is properly protected against direct ground attack, the only way the enemy can attack your bait is by air -- this is what you want! Which brings us to the second way your bait must be protected.
You must also protect your bait unit against air attack. Your bait appears to be a tempting target to the enemy because it is a vulnerable target. This is the very heart of the AAA trap -- your own air defense units. Self-propelled AD units are ideal for the AAA trap since you can position them to execute the trap and be assured that they are ready to spring the trap immediately upon the enemy's turn. Towed AAA guns can be used to supplement your self-propelled AD units, but if you rely totally upon towed AAA guns, you must set them in position one turn in advance since they remain in their transports throughout the enemy's turn -- thus denying protection of your bait against air attack in the enemy's turn.
Your own fighters can also act as protection for your bait against air attack. Fighters can be used to supplement or substitute for air defense units in an AAA trap. Fighter units must be placed in a hex directly adjacent to the bait unit to be effective. When the enemy air unit attempts to bomb or strafe your bait, your fighters will be triggered into "interceptors!" mode, attacking the enemy air unit before he can strike at your bait.
Air defense units must be placed within range of the bait unit so that when the enemy plane goes to attack your bait unit, they fire defensively at the attacking enemy air unit. If the bait is adequately protected in these ways, all the enemy air unit's strength will hopefully be killed, or at least suppressed so that your bait remains unharmed.
Proper Ambushing Units -- As previously mentioned, your ambushing units should be able to provide defensive fire when the enemy plane attacks your bait, and should also be able to attack again offensively on your next turn if the enemy air unit isn't entirely killed off by defensive fire. Again, self-propelled AD units are ideal since they are ready to fire defensively even if they were only maneuvered into position in your previous turn. Towed AAA guns will also work, but they must be pre-positioned a turn earlier so they have time to dismount, or else you must realize that they will not be able to fire defensively on the enemy air unit during the enemy's turn. And friendly fighters can be positioned directly adjacent to the bait unit to both provide defensive "interceptors!" during the enemy's turn, as well as helping to finish off any remaining strength of the enemy air unit in your subsequent turn.
Hiding Your Ambushing Units -- While it is important that your bait unit be visible to the enemy, it is equally important that your ambushing units NOT be visible to the enemy. This is why knowing the enemy's whereabouts and spotting abilities is so important. While your ambushing units must be in a position to protect your bait, they must also be outside the enemy's spotting range, or the ambush will be revealed prematurely.
The Enemy Victim -- This final aspect is the most difficult to predict, and perhaps the most common reason an AAA trap fails. If there is no enemy air unit within range of your bait, there is no one who can fall victim to your ambush. Playing a scenario multiple times is the best way to know if there is or is not any enemy planes within range of your bait. If you are playing an unfamiliar scenario, you might have to set up several traps in different turns before any enemy air units can fall into the trap.
I should add that if you are playing against a human opponent, there is another factor which should be considered. If you are too deliberate in setting the ambush, your opponent might "smell" the trap and avoid it. So an air of recklessness in setting the trap might help convince your opponent that you were simply foolish in placing your bait unit, and not intentionally setting it up as bait for an ambush.
In the stock SSI Blitzkrieg campaign, the first opportunity to set an AAA trap comes in the opening turns of the Ciechanow (Poland) scenario. There are several reasons why this is a good opportunity to practice setting and executing AAA traps. First, you might not want to spend the prestige on a fighter that early in the campaign. But it costs much less to buy a SdKfz-10/4 or -6/2 self-propelled air defense unit at that point in the campaign, which is completely adequate to eliminate the Polish bomber. Secondly, the Poles have only a single plane -- a 5-strength bomber, and a poor one, at that! So even if you fail miserably, for some reason, to properly execute the AAA trap, the damage should be minimal. Also, the Poles' spotting ability is greatly diminished since they have no recon units. And lastly, you have a couple auxiliary artillery units in this scenario, so you don't even have to risk your valuable core artillery units as bait.
The best place to set up your AAA trap at Ciechanow is near the first Victory Hex city (in the N.W. region). And you should be able to execute the trap on turn 2 or 3. This gives the Polish bomber enough time to come within range of your army.
Move forward with your ground forces so that they come into direct contact with the forward-most Polish units. Do NOT destroy all the front-line Polish units or there will be no one around to spot your bait. You might want to eliminate or greatly weaken the Polish 4-range arty unit to the west of the city, or the enemy might destroy your bait unit before you can effect your ambush. When you have given the Poles enough time to bring their bomber up, drive one of your artillery units right up behind your front-line forces. The one in a horse-drawn wagon is especially good bait since the horse wagons are the most weak and vulnerable transports, and therefore, the most tempting target to the A.I. Keep a wall of ground troops between your bait arty-in-transport and the Polish spotting units. That way they can't get to your bait and eliminate it without help from the bomber. This also keeps them from getting into a position where they can see the ambush -- your SdKfz air defense unit.
Position your SdKfz so that it is one or two hexes (its combat range) from your bait arty-in-transport. Make sure it is in a location such that it cannot be accidentally revealed to the enemy before the trap is sprung. On about turn 3 (with Oronzo's equipment file, turn 2 using the stock SSI e-file) the Polish bomber (still outside of your spotting ranges) will be within range of your bait unit. When the A.I. sees such a ripe and tempting target, he will almost surely fly his bomber to attack your arty-in-transport. If your SdKfz AD unit has been properly positioned within range of your bait unit, it will fire defensively when the bomber attempts to attack your arty bait.
I have found that a single brand-new, totally inexperienced SdKfz 6/2 is more than adequate to bring down that Polish bomber in a single shot around 90% of the time! And even if you don't completely kill the bomber with defensive fire, you should be able to kill+suppress all five of his strength points, keeping your arty bait from taking any damage at all. Then on your next turn, what is left of the bomber will still be sitting over the target, and still within range of your air defense unit. So if anything remains of the bomber unit, you should be able to finish it off on your next turn firing offensively with your AD unit. When this bomber has been eliminated, you have finished off the final remnants of the Polish air force, allowing you much greater flexibility in maneuver for the remainder of the scenario.
After Ciechanow, you will find opportunities to set AAA traps in nearly every scenario thereafter. Suomussalmi and Lillehammer offer many opportunities for AAA traps although the snowy weather limits these opportunities since air defense units can't fire during turns in which the weather is snow or rain.
Sedan offers many, many chances to set AAA traps, but things become complicated because of all the flagged towns that, until captured, continue to provide one-hex spotting range to the enemy.
Race to Dunkirk, offers the next opportunity to set up and execute a sure-fire guaranteed AAA trap. I am detailing this instance because it is a guaranteed-successful opportunity to set the perfect trap and eliminate the British Spitfire. It works 100% of the time when you are using the stock SSI equipment file. Oronzo's e-file screws up the chance of successfully implementing this trap, since planes have different movement rates with Oronzo's equipment file.
There is a town in the N.W. region of the Dunkirk map. It can be identified by the auxiliary German bridging engineer across the river from the town, and the proximity of a 5-strength German auxiliary 10.5cm leFH artillery unit just west of this town. A British infantry unit occupies the town, and there is a British artillery piece a couple hexes behind it.
You will need to deploy at least two SdKfz 6/2s and at least one artillery unit in the northern deployment region. It should only take you two turns to move your SP AD units (SdKfz's) and your arty-in-truck to the location of the trap. That is exactly enough time to allow the British Spitfire to come into range of the trap locality. On turn 2, move your auxiliary bridger forward one hex (toward the town), onto the bridge directly adjacent to the town. But do not attack with that bridger because the unseen British arty will then open up, and you risk losing that bridger next turn, and thus the forward protection of your arty in trucks. Next, move your arty "bait" into the hex previously occupied by the bridging engineer. Since your artillery will be two hexes from the town and the British infantry, the enemy will be able to spot the arty in its truck, but nothing behind the arty will be visible. So you stack your air defense units behind that arty, so that the arty bait is within range of your air defenses, but your AD units cannot be seen.
On the computer's subsequent turn, he will fly that Spitfire to strafe your arty in trucks every single time! This will trigger the defensive fire from your SdKfz units. You have about a 50% chance of killing the Spitfire immediately with your defensive fire, depending on how many AD units you are using, and how successful their defensive fire is. Either way, your AD units will begin your next turn in perfect position to eliminate what remains of the Spitfire, still sitting over your artillery bait. In the few rare instances when this trap fails to completely eliminate the Spitfire, it will behoove you to have a friendly fighter unit in the vicinity to finish off the Spitfire if necessary.
If you want to become a serious student of the AAA trap, at this point you should go back and re-read the six points we discussed earlier -- the keys to a successful AAA ambush. You will notice that all six points are addressed in this trap. We have set a tempting bait (arty in truck), we have shown the bait to the enemy (the British infantry in the town two hexes away), we have protected the bait against ground attack (our aux. bridging unit) and against air attack (the SdKfz units). We have used the proper units to effectively spring the ambush (self-propelled AD units, which do not need to dismount before providing defensive fire), we have hidden the ambushing units (the SdKfz AD units) by setting them up more than two hexes from the town with the British infantry, and have ensured that the enemy can't maneuver in such a way as to spoil the surprise locations of the AD units. And lastly, we have an appropriate victim unit within range (the British Spitfire which begins the scenario in the northern airfield). All six elements are present and adequately addressed in this example.
***I wish to give credit where it is due. Although I am certain he was not the first to come up with the idea of the AAA trap, Fundamental71 was the first person to teach me about AAA traps, and the one at Dunkirk in particular. Thanks, fundy!***
I hope this general discussion of ambushes, and the specific discussion of the AAA trap have been of some use to you. Next week we will address several other types of ambushes which can be used in PG2. Until then, good luck in practicing the AAA trap, and may the Good Victory be yours, Herr General!
Whoopy-Cat
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Equipment Files This Week
by Johan "JP" Pieterse
This week, we will take a look at all the equipment files available to enrich the Panzer General II playing experience. Click on the associated link to view information about the file and download it (if you wish):
Generalleutnant von Adler
www.itk.mh.se/~svh9829/downloads.htmlForum hosted by JP's Panzers:
pub24.ezboard.com/fjpspanzersfrm11Oronzo equipment file
www.bossanova.com/oronzo/panzergeneral2.html
Forum hosted by JP's Panzers:
pub24.ezboard.com/fjpspanzersfrm12
Thomas Kluetsch Equipment file
members.tripod.de/ThomasKluetsch/equip.htmlWaffenkammer's Upgrade Package
www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Dome/4756/ndownload.htmZerstorer v2.61
www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Arena/5096/2pg2.htmlSteve Strayer v1.5
ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/sgt_stryker/pg2info.htmJustin Historical Equipment File
www.angelfire.com/ok/panzerkampfwagon/scenarios.htmlPro Wargamers League Season II file
www.prowargamers.com/download.htmlDavid Ficke's file
www.geocities.com/_hylian_knight/Equipment.htmlPacific equipment file
members.fortunecity.com/bismarck13/Forum hosted by Builders Paradise:
pub28.ezboard.com/fbuildersparadisefrm7Eric Meng's equipment file
www.geocities.com/thetitleofname/MainPG2.htmlForum hosted by Builders Paradise:
pub28.ezboard.com/fbuildersparadisefrm8Information on how to install and update equipment files are available on the excellent Builders Paradise by Lasse Jensen. Select Equipments from the main menu.
w1.1661.telia.com/%7Eu166103891/pg2index.htmlBuilders Paradise Forum is available at
pub28.ezboard.com/bbuildersparadiseJP
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Weekly Panzerchat
by Paul "Hawkeye" MacKay
"Takin' the Loss, Takin' the Loss..."
(Sorry about the Judas Priest pun! :lol)
I've always tried to equate my playing of PG2 to the real-life war. I try to imagine myself as a real general, in charge of a real army group. I take core and non-core losses seriously, and feel I've let my troops down when they die. But one thing that always strikes me as unrealistic is the results of a scenario Loss. Sure, many generals were replaced after taking a few losses, especially if they lost several battles in a row. But I don't think failed generals were generally replaced due to one single lost battle, or even a few losses interspersed amongst a host of victories. So it is greatly distressing to me that the campaign is often ended when you take a Loss in a scenario.
I feel that the loss of a campaign should be judged more on my overall successes or lack thereof. Instead of a campaign tree that was solely dependent upon my most recent successes or failures, I wish PG2 campaigns instead looked at the overall picture when determining if I'm allowed to continue on to the next scenario. A single Loss which follows a string of Brilliant Victories should rarely, if ever, cause me to completely lose the campaign. And, by the same token, I feel that a string of several Tac Vic's should count much more against me than several BV's followed by a Loss.
Now I understand that some campaigns do not operate this way, notably the first few scenarios of the stock SSI Blitzkrieg campaign, in which you can take several losses in a row and not have your campaign terminated. But, as a rule, it seems to me that most campaigns treat a Loss in a scenario as a Loss of the campaign -- "Game Over", so to speak. Do you think this is right and proper? Am I correct that most campaigns deal this harshly with a Loss in a scenario resulting in a Loss for the campaign? Am I mistaken? How do you think a typical campaign scenario tree should work? What should it look like? Do you like consistency in these matters from one campaign to the next? Or is it better to have widely diverse campaign trees, varying from one campaign to another? Do you like "side-chutes", such as the DTR off-shoot from the Blitzkrieg campaign, with a Tac Vic in Volokolamsk or Klin taking you to a completely different set of scenarios?
We look forward to the return of our good friend Hawkeye, our discussion topic leader extrordinaire. But these are questions that have been on my mind for some time now. So I've been looking forward to this opportunity to ask your opinions on this matter.
Whoopy-Cat
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Copyright. The name of this magazine ( Panzers Weekly) and all of its contents are copyrighted. Each of the contributors and authors retains the right to his own material, and no part may be reproduced, copied or used in any way, except with the expressed written consent of the article's author(s).
Panzers Weekly is a weekly forum-based magazine brought to you courtesy of the makers of JP's Panzers. Each week at this time we will bring you a new installment of Panzers Weekly. I will leave each edition in JP's Main PG2 Forum for one month, or until all discussion concerning that edition has ceased, whichever comes last. After that, I will move past editions of Panzers Weekly to JP's PG2 Archives Forum.
You can receive Panzers Weekly each week by e-mail if you like; just send me an e-mail to let me know that you want to receive Panzers Weekly this way. Please remember that this is not a big List-Server talking to you -- just me. So if you want Panzers Weekly by e-mail and you're not receiving it every Sunday, please remind me to add you to the list. And if you wish to unsubscribe, you'll again, just have to e-mail me and hope I remember to take you off the list.
:-)~
Panzers Weekly contributing authors:
Paul MacKay, aka "Hawkeye" westbeach@altavista.com
Clarence "PantherG" Mattson pantherg@hotmail.com Clarence's Panzer Page
Jeffrey Goldstein, aka "JDG" Jeffrey.Goldstein@staff.azbar.org
Philip Nelson, aka "Reepicheep" blnelson@visi.net
Joel Illian, aka "Whoopy-Cat" jtillian@kdsi.net Whoopy-Cat's Panzer Page
Johan Pieterse, aka "JP" hyperion@iafrica.com JP's Panzers
