Musings on Normandy

[CheerfullyInsane]

Well there are 5  Ditches so in theory 5 target hexes. I'm not so sure that this is the weakest hex? Its the only one which isn't a Hard target but it qualifies for a net -85% modifier I think (TRENCH/Woods/Elevation). Yes the other target hexes require hard attack factors to attack but they have lower modifiers. The St Laurent hex is definently the hardest when you add up the modifiers and is one I wouldn't pick. 

I still think its a bit incongruous that a unit in a Pillbox/Bunker becomes a hard target and gets a modifier for this BUT it also gets the modifier for the other terrain in the hex? Its a hard target because of the concrete but it's somehow also in the woods/village whatever and gets that benifit as well? Why does it get both? 

I'll wait until Friday to start the playthrough. The playthroughs I've done suggest trying to exploit the TRENCH weakness will be difficult. Any savvy German will just hammer the beach hex opposite so you really need to try a multi hex approach.

Well, the hex on the far eastern edge is a dud. You get one Inf. company on that beach, and no engineer support.
So unless you're willing to move more infantry through all those minefields in order to get there, it's not going anywhere. I usually just end up pulling that company west to get them out of the firing-line.
Not to mention that it's also adjacent to two more enemy hexes who have nobody else to fire at.

The trench is still the weak link. Yes, it has higher TEM than some of the others, but it's far more susceptible to indirect fire since it's not a Hard target.
Havocs have 22 Soft vs. 6 Hard attack. BBs have 56 Soft vs. 19 Hard, DDs 19 Soft 4 Hard.
Trenches 'only' lowers the attack, it doesn't add to the defense. And elevation only applies to Direct Fire, not artillery/planes.

On the beach itself, the minefields are actually the least of your worries.
First priority for any undisrupted engineer is to blow the AT-ditches, so any survivors can at least attempt an assault.
I routinely move my tanks through minefields in order to get the company-sized units combined to cut down on the fatigue build-up.

Good point about having to spread the attack against a human player.
Second-best hex would be the one just west of the trench. Weak(ish) pillbox in fields, which is about as good as it gets.
Vierville and St. Laurent are both -30% villages, plus Vierville have an extra enemy hex to pour fire on them.

And I still think the best option is getting AT and artillery onto the beach, in order to get some Hard attack factors available.

[lycortas]

Another thing is that 5" destroyer fire is not the same as a 5" howitzer. The destroyers routinely fired AP rounds with their high velocity naval guns; why a 4 hard attack?

[Vasili.I.Chuikov]

In my opinion Colenville is a key objective, that is the exit from that doomed beach. move the engineers of that area towards that Hexagon, bombed massive and ready to take off.

[Plain Ian]

Well there are 5  Ditches so in theory 5 target hexes. I'm not so sure that this is the weakest hex? Its the only one which isn't a Hard target but it qualifies for a net -85% modifier I think (TRENCH/Woods/Elevation). Yes the other target hexes require hard attack factors to attack but they have lower modifiers. The St Laurent hex is definently the hardest when you add up the modifiers and is one I wouldn't pick. 

I still think its a bit incongruous that a unit in a Pillbox/Bunker becomes a hard target and gets a modifier for this BUT it also gets the modifier for the other terrain in the hex? Its a hard target because of the concrete but it's somehow also in the woods/village whatever and gets that benifit as well? Why does it get both? 

I'll wait until Friday to start the playthrough. The playthroughs I've done suggest trying to exploit the TRENCH weakness will be difficult. Any savvy German will just hammer the beach hex opposite so you really need to try a multi hex approach.

Well, the hex on the far eastern edge is a dud. You get one Inf. company on that beach, and no engineer support.
So unless you're willing to move more infantry through all those minefields in order to get there, it's not going anywhere. I usually just end up pulling that company west to get them out of the firing-line.
Not to mention that it's also adjacent to two more enemy hexes who have nobody else to fire at.

The trench is still the weak link. Yes, it has higher TEM than some of the others, but it's far more susceptible to indirect fire since it's not a Hard target.
Havocs have 22 Soft vs. 6 Hard attack. BBs have 56 Soft vs. 19 Hard, DDs 19 Soft 4 Hard.
Trenches 'only' lowers the attack, it doesn't add to the defense. And elevation only applies to Direct Fire, not artillery/planes.

On the beach itself, the minefields are actually the least of your worries.
First priority for any undisrupted engineer is to blow the AT-ditches, so any survivors can at least attempt an assault.
I routinely move my tanks through minefields in order to get the company-sized units combined to cut down on the fatigue build-up.

Good point about having to spread the attack against a human player.
Second-best hex would be the one just west of the trench. Weak(ish) pillbox in fields, which is about as good as it gets.
Vierville and St. Laurent are both -30% villages, plus Vierville have an extra enemy hex to pour fire on them.

And I still think the best option is getting AT and artillery onto the beach, in order to get some Hard attack factors available.

PzC Normandy allows you the luxury of not landing that Infantry Company in the east something the real troops did not have on June 6th. 

I've played the turn quite a few times since saturday night with beaches set to 100%. I start off with a saved file after the ships are placed. I don't know why the scenarios have the ships as reinforcements? Is this to allow batteries to fire when ships are placed? Or maybe if ships start off placed they get tested for availability when the turn starts?

Vasili is right in that BB fire plus the right bomber and some lucky LCT fire can disrupt one and sometimes two unis in the TRENCH but the problem comes down to trying to keep your troops opposite undisrupted. You need the 2nd Turn reinforcements to bring on more Engineers but this just causes a bigger kill zone/target. 

What you do not want to do is by Turn 4 press a panic Button and go for Carpet Bombing.............um no.



Interestingly in this play through the Rangers had made a lucky assault in the west over the escrapment against two Disupted defenders. Both German defenders were disrupted by US return tank fire I think?

Here is an example of a very lucky landing (few casualties) plus a very very very lucky bombardment. 



In most cases it is Win 63 which disrupts when fired on however the B rated unit disrupted first to BB fire. LCT® fire and bombers took some more casualties but did not inflict any disruptions.

LCTR®-5 was very lucky and scotred a phyrric hit and then the USS Satterlee won the lottery by scoring a second hit. These units are out of range of the TRENCH. 

Unfortunately the B rated unit recovered disruption in the German Turn and despite the other two German units remaining disrupted for several turns the US couldn't capitalise as they couldn't keep their Engineers undisrupted to destroy the Ditch.