Welcome back, readers, to my Time of Fury Beta AAR series. After a busy week I am ready to get back to some writing. This time I will be starting Operation Overlord, the scenario covering the Allied liberation of France. The scenario is 25-turns, the second shortest in the current build of the game. I will be playing the Allies on normal difficulty. My goals are to establish a beachhead in France and then capture Paris. I have a substantial amount of time to do so, and I should capture other cities in France as well. This scenario, while essentially confining the landing zone for my units to the classic Normandy beaches, gives me lots of control over which units will come to Europe from England at which time. I will need to balance bringing in new units (using sea transit points, which must be replaced from my production pool), reinforcing my existing units, and ensuring supply through Mulberries.
Here is the set up at the beginning of turn one:
The Situation, Turn 1
As you can see, I know essentially nothing about the German forces. Some quick recon should fix that up, however. I send out some of my fighters on recon missions, and then begin naval bombardment:
Naval Bombardment Targets
Unlike the pitiful German Baltic fleet in the Fall Weiss scenario, the Allied navy is equipped with modern battleships that can do heavy damage when bombarding:
Battleships Dont Mess Around
I then start to land my divisions. They are currently embarked on ships:
The Forces Landing at Utah Beach
I try to land my troops in vaguely historical positions. The landing at the Utah beach equivalent results in no casualties:
Utah Beach is Clear
I land several more units, and then move to take Caen. Capturing a city should give me access to some of its inherent supply. It is also a necessary step to forming a perimeter around the beachhead.
Securing Caen
It takes a couple of attacks to clear out Caen, but I am ultimately able to do so. Here is the landing after the first wave:
Allied Forces After the First Wave
After Caen, my next objective is to cut off the Cotentin Peninsula and take Cherbourg, which will give me a port in France. To cut off the Peninsula, I turn to the airborne forces that I was holding in reserve:
Planning an Airborne Assault
Landing Airborne Divisions on the Cotentin Peninsula
Airborne Divisions Have Cut Off the Peninsula
Now that my airborne divisions have cut off the Peninsula, I can move my units North to surround Cherbourg. This will mean it is placed under siege at the end of my turn, potentially eliminating the garrison. I’d love to get that done this turn, however, so I attack with my units:
A Couple of Attacks Fail to Clear Cherbourg
I have unused fighters, so I start running recon missions deeper into Germany. On one of those missions I discover a small German fighter squadron. It is not long for this world:
Additional Recon Uncovers German Fighters
After Several Attempts, the German Fighters Are Destroyed
I have one remaining paratrooper unit, which is part of the British SAS. Looking at the map, I am struck by the railroad through clear territory in the center of my army. I have decent recon, and know that few units are there. I can use my last airborne unit to cut off that railroad, hopefully hindering German supply efforts.
The SAS Gets Dropped Deep Behind Enemy Lines
Meanwhile, gaze on the massive Allied air force in Britain:
One Piece of the Massive Allied Air Force
I’ve loaded a number of units into transports to be moved to mainland France, but some remain in east England:
Units Lined Up to Be Transported to France
At the end of turn one, the front looks like this:
The Front, End of Turn 1
Before I end the turn, I build a mulberry in the hex selected in that screenshot. The artificial harbor should enable me to keep my units supplied, which is important to keep them strong and reinforced. After the end of turn, Cherbourg surrenders to my siege force:
Next Post: Building up for a breakout.
