N'44:Scenario #20: Proving them Wrong-Error?

[Ricky B]

Just to add one thought, as this subject has come up before. If you look strictly at firepower, then the game will not replicate actions such as Wittman's, or Audie Murphy's, or many others, even with higher fire ratings. But many of these actions are not really due to fire being laid down, and killing enemy vehicles or men, but through "assault". An assault is moving in close to the enemy, using movement and firepower to destroy him.

In an action such as Wittman's, this is really an assault that led to the heavy British losses on this day - I believe you could say he used firepower in prepping the target, but then moved on into the town of Viller-Bocage and started destroying British vehicles from relatively close range.

I have always felt that it is in the assault portion of the game that you see many of these 'extraordinary' actions happen, in which case the higher firepower (which I still like in a situation such as this) isn't necessary as you still won't see the results that historically happened except in specific situations. When you have a disrupted defender, that can't retreat, then even a small unit, such as Wittman's can replicate the losses that historically happened. The inability to retreat can be due to locking ZOCs, stacking limits, or actual surrounding - in Wittman's case, it could have been either of the first two. The British could have been disrupted due to their actions moving up to the town, artillery fired at them by the Germans - not called in by Wittman probably but there still was artillery fire in the area, surprise which isn't replicated in the game directly but I view as a possible reason for disruption, and Wittman's internal firepower before advancing into the town.

I have seen plenty of actions with assaults in these conditions that I would consider worthy of a Wittman, but never just through firepower but including assaulting a disrupted group that can't retreat. Whether the enemy losses would have to be considered lost to the main gun firing at close range during this assault, as with Wittman, or surrender, or other weapons, it is hard telling - but I do think you see plenty of these events, it is just how you look at an assault.

But again, I still see the reasons for boosting the firepower of a Wittman unit, I just think it is "required" to get these historical feats, as the game shows them anyway. I guess my best example of this one was in the Bulge where a German recon unit moved up and assaulted a disrupted stack of US units that couldn't retreat and caused massive losses while losing 5 of 7 vehicles.

Rick