The Idiots Guide making Leto Grumble, Bemoan & Otherwise Lament Everything CM ***

[Colonel Talvela]

Anyway... back the the topic of the thread.

Here are my force selections

1 Co Vet Airborne SMG squads (2 platoons, 9 men each squad)
1 Co Vet Guard Rifles (3 Platoons - 4 squads each platoon)
1 Co Green SMG/LMG Squads (3 Platoons - 7smg 1 lmg - 20 ammo)
2 conscript 107 mm spotters (40 ammo) and 4 trps
1 reg T34/85
1 Crack SU85
2 Vet 76mm guns
2 Reg 45mm guns
1 Crack sniper
1 Crack tank hunter
2 reg 82mm mortars
25 barbed wire pieces
1 trench
1 anti-inf mine

My plan was to use the green smg as a screen and then use the vet rifles to actually stand up to the germans and shoot out with them. Then I would have the conscript art and the vet smg to counter-attack in the critical areas.

Well it was a good plan until I saw the map. We chose a large map, and I just was not prepared for how much space I would have to cover. And I really do not have enough units to properly cover all the approaches. Couple that with the fact that my center area is just a giant mess of scattered trees with no open ground to put up a resistance has me very worried about my ability to affectively stop Leto. I really needed another green smg squad for this size map, and I think that will prove to be my downfall. (I have 1 green smg platoon and the elite tank hunter guarding my right side).

Even worse, I got a terrible draw on HQ units and the +/- quality. My crack SU-100 dropped to a vet. Only 1 squad went up in quality while 3 dropped down. My crack tank hunter went to elite, which would be a good thing except for the fact that he only got molotovs (I tested the tank hunters before i purchased and 75% get the effective AT weapon).

Added after battle was over
My theory behind my selection was this:
1) I wanted to base my defense on Vet Guards Units that could engage his troops at range and stand up to counter-fire. That actually worked good.
2)I wanted a place to be able to find a place - deep in my defense - to stand my ground and then counter-attack. My goal when defending is not just to stop him, but to route them off them map. So i got the 2 platoon company of Vet SMG unit and two 107mm spotters with 4 TRPs.
3)I wanted one T34-85 for a mobile defense
4)I wanted one Su-100 to take out - or at the very least pose a threat to - heavy German tanks
5)Fill in the rest with Green SMGs/a couple mortars/some guns/barbed wire.

And I think my defense would have worked on a smaller map, but this map was just too big. When I saw it I knew that I just didnt have enough troops to cover the map. I spent a long time trying to think of some way to defend it better, but had to settle for the defense I mustered. And before we started I knew that if he went down either map edge, I would have no way to stop him. And that is what he did.