Combining/breaking down units - thoughts?

[prodover]

I'm having a great time revisiting Panzer Battles North Africa.

I'm currently playing the Corinth Canal air assault and not surprisingly the fallschirmjagers are spread out everywhere. In my first play through I've attempted to link up (combine) the platoons into their respective companies for greater combat effectiveness.

What I'm running into/up against is that it takes time, with only 10 turns I don't have a lot of that, and of course it turns undisrupted units into one larger disrupted unit when disparate units combine.

So my question to any and all - is it worth the effort to combine into a larger fighting force? I'm curious as to your experience combining/breaking down units and your two cents on the subject.

Thanks - Glen

[Strela]

I'm having a great time revisiting Panzer Battles North Africa.

I'm currently playing the Corinth Canal air assault and not surprisingly the fallschirmjagers are spread out everywhere. In my first play through I've attempted to link up (combine) the platoons into their respective companies for greater combat effectiveness.

What I'm running into/up against is that it takes time, with only 10 turns I don't have a lot of that, and of course it turns undisrupted units into one larger disrupted unit when disparate units combine.

So my question to any and all - is it worth the effort to combine into a larger fighting force? I'm curious as to your experience combining/breaking down units and your two cents on the subject.

Thanks - Glen

Hi Glen,

Its all situational. The fact this scenario is ten turns long is an indication that the designer (me!) didn't intend you to have too long reorganising your forces. Any airborne assault works off the shock factor and any delay in attacking helps the defenders.

So in this case you have to use what you have on the ground as quickly as possible. That is what happened historically and we have put the same historical parameters on you.

To your broader question, yes, you should try and combine generally for a multitude of reasons, but you mentioned one cardinal sin, adding disrupted and undisrupted units together. You should never, knowingly disrupt your forces. Better to fight separately untill all elements have recovered.

In allother situation where you have time, fighting in companies should be your goal. I keep pointing people to this article to understand how to use the various elements in tandem in Panzer Battles: Blog Post

[Dion]

So my question to any and all - is it worth the effort to combine into a larger fighting force? I'm curious as to your experience combining/breaking down units and your two cents on the subject.

Thanks - Glen

Since you only have 10 turns, I would say no. In the desert there won't be a lot places where the enemy can use as cover, so you won't be needing the added firepower that combined units provide. Besides, staying spread out will increase your fields of fire and your line of sight.

If it looks like your going to run out of time, don't feel like a draw is undignified, think of it as moral victory because you didn't lose! It's the bane of all desert operations, TIME.

[prodover]

Ah yes, but of course. That all makes sense. I guess I got caught up with thoughts of the Carentan Peninsula, and paras calling out "flash" and "thunder" as they attempted to link up. Now that I think about it more, they were spread out in dribs and drabs, not entire platoons looking to form an entire company, so there's that.

Strela this is a wonderfully designed scenario. The shorter scenarios really convey a sense of urgency to the mission at hand. Thank you for that!

Dion a DRAW wouldn't hurt my feelings in the least. Needless to say my first play through didn't even break that thresh hold.

This is one of the many reasons I love these games and WDS as a whole. You need to think, problem solve, adapt and overcome. That plus a community that shres and having the actual designers weigh in. This is why I'm a self confessed WDS fanboy.

Thanks both of you! Glen

[prodover]

Postscript - Played the scenario last night (didn't attempt to combine any unit) and ended up with a minor victory! The bridge demolition activation slowed me down along the coast and maybe I should've been a bit more aggressive, striking further south in the west. Nonetheless it was a great time!