PANZER GENERAL
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
1) Norway
2) France
3) Embark/Debark troops and paratroopers (FJ's)
4) Troop replacement
5) Disbanding units (the "more prestige" myth)
6) Bombers
7) Jets
8) Best PBEM scenario
9) Blitzkrieg questions
1) NORWAY
main tip #1 - consolidate your navy to the west
Immediately! and move it north. hit and run, just
like the nazi's did in real life
main tip #2 - don't buy bombers, buy fighters!. you should
be starting with enough prestige to
buy two or three fighters the first turn
tip #3 - land on the beach south of oslo and south of
the airfield in the SW corner of norway. take these ASAP!
you'll need oslo for prestige and the airfield to
establish air superority.
That's the thing, you must have 3 or 4 fighters and make wait
your JU88's until the BF109's have cleared their bombers.
Also the cities in the south/center are easy to take. The one in the
north is the problem because of the ship's fire. Hit the units around
this city with tanks, because the ship's make on them much less hurt
than to the artillery/infantry.
In my opinion, your air force is the key in this battle. Spend most or
all of your prestige on level bombers and fighters. Bring the ships you
have up top down to join with the rest of your navy. You need your whole
navy and a couple of level bombers to defeat the allied navy.
I didnt use any air force units agains the allied navy.
At the beginning I used only two ground unit to conquer the city in the
upper left. Here I build a air defense unit as soon as possible to shoot
down allied aircrafts which will attack.
I retreat with my navy slowly in direction to this city (hit and run).
I am losing all my large ships at the beginning but in most cases youll
keep some destroyers (important) and most important your submarines.
Always attack destroyers first (only threat for submarines).
I try to join the rest of the navy as fast as possible.
Nevertheless, air supremacy is the key to victory in this scenario.
I use my bombers and fighters in the south: first destroy norwegian
fighters and then protect my bombers from incoming british fighters and
shoot down incoming british bombers. I always try to get the fighters
first.
I used my paratroopers to get the first two undefended cities in
the valley.
Remember that the AI is using its prestige to create new units to defend
strategic goals or (too rarely) to mount counterattacks, same as you do.
In the example, the AI used a non-objective city that was not under attack
to stage forces for a counterattack on units it was a able to see. Perhaps
the first time you had taken that city, or the AI hadn't spotted your
units. IOW, the AI will react differently depending on what you do, and
plays by the same rules you do.
Strategy tips/spoilers follow:
I've found it fairly easy to blow through Norway and get a major victory
by initially placing all my core units in the Northern placement area and
taking the Northern cities first. Use the Luftwaffe airborne to capture
one city down south (they start unoccupied) and build a couple HW infantry
to take the Southern objective and then cruise with those units to the
West to take the Western objective. You'll find you can land all your
ground units in the first two turns taking minimal losses up North from
planes and take the Northern objectives without suffering too badly.
As for the British Navy, move all your ships (except maybe the furthest
removed) Cruiser and Destroyer which can come in handy taking the southern
objectives) North as fast as you can without stopping along the way.
Especially your Battleship which typically arives just about in time to
see the last of your navy totally wiped out but all the Britsh ships
damaged to the point where they don't pose much of a threat to your
Battleship.
2) FRANCE
1) What is a feasible strategy for gaining a major in France? Remember,
it needs to be accomplished in 13 turns.
I have yet to get a major there, so I can't respond to this question.
You CAN get a major in France, and without too much difficulty. Paris
seems to be the key. Blow away the French airforce while moving all your
ground units to Paris (SAVE YOUR PRESTIGE) Once you take Paris use the
prestige to buy any new units you would like and split in to 3 main battle
groups. The largest group (by far) should take the two easternmost cities
while the other groups take two cities apiece. Pound the French with your
tac especially the tanks and you should come out with a Major.
1) Make sure you go in with with your core maxed out, even if it is
with PzJags.
2) Attack in three groups, one down the coast, one towards Paris and
one on the extreme southern flank. This latter group has to drive
forward like crazy, bypassing resistance at every opportunity to
press on.
3) Use your paras/airmobile infantry to seize airfields and cities
in-land.
4) Gain air-superiority ASAP.
5) Guard your initial victory city from sneaky British counter-attacks.
In other words, pretty much what you do in all the other Blitzkrieg
Getting major in France is not that hard. Get yourself 4 fighters, 4 tac
bombers, 5 PzIVD tanks, 4 15sFH 18 Artilleries on halftracks, 2-3 bridge
engineers, anyone should be able to do it. The key is focusing on the
objectives and keep moving. Use the main force to take Paris first. Send
2 tanks, 1 bridge, 1 artl, 1-2 tac bomber to the coastal objectives,
while the main force is attacking Paris. Use your tac to attack French
heavy tanks. Use your tank to protect other units from being attacked by
those tanks. Use your 3-range powerful artilleries to the full extent.
You will get your majors.
I found it _really_ helped to use paratroopers and/or air transport in
this one. Send them deep into the rear cities, and land them in close
to objective cities. They don't conquer anything (although, if they can,
it's really nice if they can conquer an airfield), they just 'pin' the city
and keep it from getting reinforcements until the cavalry arrived.
This really helps keep the French from making huge defensive positions
around those rear cities.
How do you keep the Hurricanes and assorted French fighters from tearing
your level bombers to shreds in the first two-three rounds? I was
doing ok until I hit Paris, now I can't win for losing...
Keep your bombers adjacent to your fighters, and send two fighters after
every enemy plane until none are left. Then your bombers can range at
will.
3) EMBARK/DEBARK TROOPS AND PARATROOPERS
Assuming they're paratroopers, just click on the same icon you used to
embark them on the plane in the first place (the one with the ship on it).
The hexes that they can land on are now highlighted on the map. Click on a
hex and they'll try to jump onto it (but they might drift).
If they're not actual paratroopers (other infantry or light artillery
units), you have to land on an unoccupied airfield and disembark on the
next turn.
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4) TROOP REPLACEMENTS
While playing a campaign and finishing a battle, if a unit is not at full
strength, the unit gets at full strength for the beginning of the next
battle. My question is whether
the unit is filled with elite or normal replacements? That is, there is
no reason for me to waste my prestige in getting elite replacements at
the end if the game will give me elite replacements equivalent for the
beginning of the next seige.
If you are bringing rear line units up to normal strength near the end
of a scenario, you are wasting prestige. These units will come up to full
strength with elite troops at the end of the scenario for free. Now, if
you're trying to go overstrength, that's a different story.
This is a correct analysis. If you purchase units in one campaign and
don't have any core units left, then this unit will be made up of auxillary
units which will not continue to the next campaign with you. Somewhat
dissapointing I know, but that is the way it is! Just keep an eye on the
available core units and buy units (unless desperate) only when you have
enough core points. My experience is that it takes just one core
point/unit.
5) DISBANDING UNITS
Nothing is wrong. When you disband a unit their gone, they don't give
you any money for it.
You don't get the prestige back! The only reasons I can think of for
disbanding a unit are to create room in your core for something else
(assuming your core is maxed out) or to eliminate a 1 or 2 strength unit
that will face certain elimination, thus denying the prestige gains to
the enemy. But I always choose to let the low stength unit die I'd rather
let the enemy waste their time killing that crippled unit than have them
take a full crack at a nearby full-strength unit.
No you don't get prestige when you disband units. But, don't feel bad.
A number of people got the same impression when reading that portion of
the rule book. I believe it says something about disbanding units allows
you to get new units, which a lot of people assumed meant that you get
prestige to do so. What this statement actually meant was that, if you
were already at the max allowable number of units, and you disband a unit,
you will now be at less than the max allowable number and can therefore
buy more.
The only real advantage to disbanding a unit is to prevent the opponent
from getting the prestige from destroying it.
6) BOMBERS
Level bombers are great. You need one or two. Use them when you
take victory hexes. Start the turn with the level bomber. It will
probably only reduce the garrason with one, but the rest will stay
supressed for the rest of the turn. After the level bomber, a few
artillery shots and one or two infantry atacks will do the job.
Last nigth I got France in 13 turns using this technique.
Also very useful to destroy enemy ships and to weaken
fortifications, because suppressed units remain supressed for
one turn. If you bomb a fortification and then attack with a ground
unit the fortification will surrender (very often).
7) JETS
I just won my first camaign after winning a victory in hungary, This was
somtime in 1945. What I'm wondering is why did i never recieve any of
the jet fighters? At the end of my campaign the newest figter availabe to
me was the fw190 dora-9 according to the manual i believe the first jets
are supposed to come out in 1944 but they never showed up in my game.Does
any one know what might have caused this? Is there Something specific you
must achieve before getting the advanced tech units?
8) BEST PBEM SCENARIO
I would rate the scenarios that I've played PBEM like this:
Husky (favors Allies)
I see we differ on how we would rate the Husky scenario. In my
game the Allied player completely dominated and was able to win the
game several turns early. With massive use of airpower & seapower
the German player was never able to mount much resistance. How did
your game go?
In the scenario I played the German player opted for a strong northern
defense of the mainland, using his starting prestige to purchase a couple
of extra FW-190a fighters that were able to combine with the 3 he already
had to establish air superiority in the north since the Allies never had
a northern base from which to operate their more numerous but shorter
range and less effective fighters.
I think this is the key to this scenario. I've only played against the
computer, which isn't saying much, but if the the Axis can get air
superiority in the North he's in good shape. I sent my two Italian planes
up North to help out. Also made sure the Allies couldn't get the Northern
airbase and sent a JU88a against his fleet. As for the ground war, I just
bought a dozen of those 12 point Italian tank destroyers and clogged up all
of Sicily with them, though I don't know if this'll work against a human
player.
9) BLITZKREIG QUESTIONS
In France and Kiev (at least), the scenario instructions tell me
that the sooner I win, the better, with respect to future battles.
APART from having to win fast enough to get a Major victory, is there
any benefit to winning even quicker? If I have to win by turn 10, say,
to get a Major, is there any benefit to winning on turn 6 instead of
turn 9?
I think you'd actually be better off waiting until the last turn that you
can still get a major. You can build up more prestige as well as pumping
up your units to overstrength and dinking away at some of the last
computer units to get some more experience for your rookies.
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