Hi all.

I'm quite new to APOS (found the game via RPS excellent and luring review) but have come to absolutely love the game after defending Taranovka as the germans, and now going on the offensive over the river Mzha with the 2nd SS Panzer division (I have a thing for the Wehrmacht during WWII).

Even though I found it fairly easy to seize a bridgehead across the river and repel any russian counter-attacks, I'm still looking for some inspiration when it comes to platoon/company/battalion tactics during this period. I would love to try and play through the scenarios with as much realism as possible.

Can anyone point me in the direction of some good online sources for tactics during this period, preferably that focuses on the Wehrmacht?

Thanks!

A basic tactical guide for miniatures wargamers; can be applied to APOS:
http://www.miniatures.de/tactics-1932-german-infantry.html

Otherwise, I would suggest that you develop your own tactics. In APOS, there is no one-size-fits-all technique for victory. Just stay focussed on the mission (which, in any single tactical battle, is most likely to be dictated by you, the player), and use your mobility and flexibility to accomplish the mission.

Thanks James.

Yeah, I'm not looking for success guaranteed-tactics, just a bit of inspiration on how to play the game with as much realism as possible. I believe your link can help somewhat with that though so thanks again!

Any more suggestions?

You could try dressing up your men as pretty girls and when the enemies attention is on them sneak around them and bop them over the heads. No? Oh...

A sound and very realistic idea no doubt. However, it doesn't seem to have been implemented in the game just yet. Maybe a future patch/expansion?

Oh well, I'll have to figure things out on my own I guess. I seem to be doing just fine so far.

Rather than discuss Sun-Tzu and principles of warfare, like James said above you will probably end up developing your own way of playing based on the way the game plays. This is very important to keep in mind because if you try to apply real world doctrine to APOS you may end up being disappointed. I have basically chosen to totally ignore the historical background behind the campaigns because in the real battles in the area and timeframe depicted, there was a heck of a lot more units running around the battlefields than what the game actually gives you. I consider APOS to be more of a firefight simulator between forces already engaged rather than a tactical wargame because even though you don't always start in actual contact at the beginning of the tactical game, it usually doesn't take long so you don't really get to experience the maneuver portion of the battle. Let me explain.

One thing discussed on the forums way back when AP:K was first released was the relative lack of unit density in the game given the size of the battlefields. The typical tactical battle in APOS takes place on a 3km x 3km battlefield, although for the first time in the series I have started to see 2km x 2km battlefields. If you want to apply real world operational offensive doctrine for the Soviet Army of 1942-43, you might find an entire Soviet Rifle Division attacking on a 3km frontage, probably a little more but possibly even less, depending on terrain, troops available, enemy situation, yadda yadda. In APOS you will probably have at the most a reinforced company's worth of units on the 3km x 3km battlefield.

That being said, it doesn't mean you couldn't adapt real world tactics to APOS. I have found that actually starts in the operational phase of the game. What I try to do every operational turn is to move my units around so that they are mutually supporting of each other as much as possible so that when a tactical battle is generated I have several units participating rather than just a couple. I also try to use combined arms as much as possible, although in many situations you will find yourself lacking armor or anti-tank weaponry and will be facing enemy armor (to include halftracks) with just anti-tank grenades and/or molotov cocktails. Having a single squad defending a piece of ground alone when faced with several squads and armor on the attack is a recipe for disaster. In the defense you want the enemy to show up where you have enough units to bring as much firepower to bear on him as possible, and in the offense you want to make initial contact with the smallest element possible and develop the situation from there.

Once you get your troops onto the battlefield, you don't have to keep them in the square they deployed in and you can usually move them around wherever you want so as to create interlocking fields of fire and mutually supporting positions in the defense, or you can place them in the offense so as to provide maximum firepower on a small axis of attack. I have discovered that the LOS tools don't really do a very good job of showing what the units can actually see, and I often times end up getting the camera right down on the ground to see what they can really see. Sometimes I may spend a couple hours picking the perfect defensive positions for my units. Sometimes I do that and I end up getting my ass handed to me anyway. Analysis of the battlefield in APOS to determine likely avenues of approach sometimes works but sometimes doesn't work because the AI typically sends armor on a beeline toward an objective even if that is right through the middle of a pretty densely wooded area.

The artillery game is much better in APOS than it was with AP:K and I have found myself thoroughly enjoying pounding the crap out of the enemy with artillery or with on-map mortar batteries if I am luck enough to have one available. You get 3 TRP's (target reference points) or "fire lines" as the manual calls them, with each unit that has the ability to call for fire. In the initial orders phase you have the opportunity to move them around the battlefield to where you think the best locations for enemy units are. I will always take the time to re-register the TRP's using the adjust fire rate (3 rounds) if I have to move them to a new location. Better to take the time to do that when not in contact than to have an enemy unit suddenly appear and you have to wait 3 minutes or more for the first rounds to fall and have them be totally inaccurate.

Anyway, a few tidbits for you to consider. Hopefully you got some ideas.

Cheers

Maybe some good old "Defence of Duffer's Drift" could be helpful:

http://regimentalrogue.com/duffersdrift/Duffers_Drift.htm

It seems you are palying an outdated version of the game. The unit density is now up to 2.5 times higher compared to orgininal or even higher - your forces on the tactical map can be up to battalion size. Theoretical maximum number of soldiers on the battlefield (including both sides) is maybe about 1200(?) depending on the game settings and units involved. I recommend to install the latest engine update and patch. I think this was great improvement to the game among some other things.

2km x 2km battlefield appear only if a battle is fought at the edge of an operational map. Otherwise battlefield is 3km x 3km.

apd1004, thanks for your extensive reply.

Most of what you mention, supporting units in the operational phase, reassigning TRPs etc is stuff I already apply to the game, but thanks for taking the time to put all of that into writing!

I agree about the LOS-tool, it seems nigh on useless the way it works now and like you I zoom in to try and get the units actual perspective to judge a position manually so to speak.

I do have the latest version of the game. You are indeed correct, in APOS you can now have more than one platoon deploy in a 1km x 1km square, which is different than AP:K. I should have specified that I am talking about the campaigns included in the game, not games created in the quick battle generator where you can place a unit on each deployment spot. In the generator, there are a maximum of 24 deployment spots on a map so theoretically if you put a rifle platoon of 50 soldiers on each spot that would equal 1200 soldiers. In the campaign games I have yet to achieve that density though. Not that that is a bad thing, I kind of like having a little room to maneuver.

Cheers