Composition of the campaign army in Panzer General I
Composition of the (AI-)campaign army in Panzer General I
-with special focus on the use of airdefense.
Based on a NG-posting by John Reidy. Edited and commented by RIP, june 1998.
A mixed (AI-)campaign army
(John Reidy)
My style of play is to use as many different types of units as is reasonable to get the most variety of game play. My OOB at end of Moscow '42 having started in '39 is:
about 7 tanks (tiger and IVFs).
6 Infantry (3 Bridge Eng, 2 Wehr '39, 1 x Airborne).
2 x recon
4 x arty (2 towed, 1 SP, 1 x Nebelwerfer).
4 x fighter (Fw190).
3 x level bomber
3 x tac bomber (2 ME210, 1 Ju88D)
3 x AntiTank (2 x Marder II, 1 x Stug ?)
2 x Antiair
3 x Air defense !
(RIP)
As a comparison (based on memory and as an average of a number of campaigns):
8 x Pz (Half of them Tigers, the other half waiting for Panthers to become available)
6 x Inf. (of which 1 bridge eng., 2 pioneers, 1 para and 2 inf or HW inf)
1 x Recon vehicle
4 x Arty (1 SiG, 3 Sfh 18)
4 x Fighter (FW190)
2 x Level bomber (1 with high naval attack (He or JU), 1 Do214)
4 x Tac bomber (1 ME210, 3 Stukas)
3 x AT (StugIII´s)
1 x AA (10/4)
3 x AD (1 sp, 1 88 and 1 ordinary)
Comments (RIP):
Panzers are the key to major breakthroughs in most scenarios. 5 or 6 panzers are to few for the russian scenarios like Moscow since they should travel in groups of 3 or at least 2 to benefit from their shockeffect (1 tank is easily hemmed in and damaged).
Infantry have the needed ability to clear cities and rough terrain of other infantry. Bridge engineers and pioneers both have the advantage of not getting a rugged defense. It is however a waste of prestige to use bridgeengineers only. The reason for not upgrading all infantry to pioneers (or bridgeengineers, is the prestige cost when units take casualties. In some cases, it is necessary to accept casualties and in those cases, it´s much cheaper to let the regular infantry take these casualties. Finally paratroopers are of very limited use due to the low initiative (I once had 3, but they achieved very little anyway). What they do best are to be dropped at a far airbase or in a defensive position which blocks enemy retreat. Offensive action is only rewarding if you upgrade a 5-star infantry to para, but considering the risk paras run, I never do that.
Recon is of limited use since the german player usually has a lot of arial reconaisance. Recon vehicles do however come in hand in areas with much airdefense so at least 1 recon IS needed.
Arty is needed to soften up enemy entrenchment and a SiG is most usefull as a companion to a Panzer thrust. The towed artillery shoul always be 150 mm when possible. A 105 mm or even a 75 mm can be considered for areas where an elimination is possible. A Nebelwerfer is of limited use because of the short range, but it can be usefull for cleaning up areas with no enemy artillery but lots of entranched soft targets.
Fighters should be upgraded gradually to the FW190 but no faster than what is required. The soviet airforce isn´t worth much, so there´s no need to upgrade all fighters immediatly. That prestige is used better on units with high ground attack values.
Level bombers are much underrated units. Many players use none because level bombers have low attack values. However their ability to apply permanent supression to enemy units are most valuable. Level bombers pick up experience very fast and a 5-star level bomber often applies as much as 7 in permanent suppresion to a 10-strength unit. A very usefull ability when combatting KV-tanks.
Tac-Bombers have high ground attack values and the upgrade of these units should have high priority. The ME with a 5-hex spotting range should always be present, but more than one would be waste of prestige because of the low ground attack values.
AT´s are also underrated units because they suffer initiative penalties when attacking tanks and they are very vulnerable against a rugged defense from soft targets. Reffering to the above about panzers moving in groups, AT´s can be usefull companions and kan make the difference between hurting an enemy tank unit and killing it. The best overall units untill 1943 are the Stug´s. Marders have to low defensevalue, but they are worth considering as auxilliary units (as before them the PzjIb).
AA and AD should also be present but before 1944 in low numbers. One AD should be enough all the way from Norway to Stalingrad and if one makes that one AD an 88, it can be very usefull as a blocking unit as well (keep them out of artillery range, though). From about North Africa or at least Barbarossa, one SP AD is usefull to acompany your advancing Panzers and artillery. That way fighters can operate more freely on offensive mission instead of hanging around. AA should be considered because they can also be used for finishing of damaged infantry.
Especially about air Defense
(John)
I got the first 2 air defense units in Stalingrad - the strategy is to build up the various defensive units so that by '44 they are in reasonable shape.
Stalingrad is a good place to intially invest in airdefense -the problem is how do you get them experience ? In that scenario I site 2 Arty in the city by the black sea to support the assault on adjacent red cities, also I had a level bomber at the airfield that I overstrength'd that turn.
By the end of the allied turn #1 there are usually 3 or 4 soviet aircraft hammering the arty and my level bomber - fighters and bombers. Once I had attracted these aircraft I purchased a couple of aux fighters (the cheapest Bf109s) and with a couple of the other fighers and my bomber encircled the gaggle of soviet aircraft. It takes a number of turns - but the air defense guys get a good workout. By the end of the scenario one unit was over 100, the other had about 40xp (they must have been having a bad campaign). Also airdefense guys make good garrison troops later in the scenario.
The same thing happened in Moscow '42, I was able to trap another 4 soviet aircraft. I purchased another airdefense unit. By the end of the scenario all units are over 100 xp and were overstrengthed to 11.
Comments(RIP):
These observations are all true. Whoever programmed the AI, won´t get the Nobel-price. AI-airforce have one strategy only (btw. the same thing in PG2):charge! So Johns tactics are workable, but there is a downside to it: it takes time. In the same time where Johns fighters and bombers are hanging around, hemming in enemy aircraft and waiting for the AD to finish them off, they could have been on offensive missions.
If the purpose of the whole thing is to gain experience for the AD´s, then there´s a quicker way. In any scenario, buy the number of ADs you expect to need from 1944 and onward (especially if you haven´t finished off the west), give them halftracks or at least truck. Let them follow close behind your assaulting units, mounted in their vehicles. When there´s an enemy infantry unit knocked down to 1 or 2, attack them with the mounted AD. They often get a kill and gain a lot of experience. This method can gain them as much as 200 in some scenarios. More than enough to threaten any enemy aircraft.
Finally, I´d like to add to John´s mission of making the ADs experienced: Why? Forstly AD´s don´t IMO perform much better and they always win initiative anyway (leaving AA´s out here). Secondly most AD´s are comparatively cheap so they are easily replaced. Thirdly they are also easily killed. That is especially so when your are in the defensive phase of the war. Some time or the other, enemy out-of-spotting-range artillery hammer your AD. Quite often tank raids do as well. It would be a pitty to loose an expensive, highly experienced unit that easily. I would only consider that strategy for teh 88 because it also withstands tankattacks quite well.
Newer halftracks
(John)
In (I think Moscow) 1941 the newer half tracks become available. They have cost of 70 and a movement of 7 - which is a big deal. However is seems a waste to junk all of my existing half tracks and by a new set. So I immediately upgrade all of the towed arty (they need it). I upgrade one of my Wehr39 to Luft39 and send it off to the city behind Moscow to take it from the rear, I also send one of the regular infantry units (abandoning the old half track) to support the airborne unit. At the end of the scenario I upgrade that infantry unit with a new halftrack.
Over the next couple of scenarios I support the airborne unit with another of the infantry units - each time abandoning the old halftrack.
(RIP)
Yes, go easy on the upgrades. The new carrier is expensive and don´t even have the attack values if the old ones.
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