Need help on Sevastopol Russian mission

[Todd77]

I'm playing on easy because I gave up on medium difficulty and nearly the game. Even so, I'm being totally overwhelmed by germans in this mission trying to hold the coastline. Ive taken out their two heavy Thor artillery's but Im overwhelmed and any reinforcements I bring in get instantly killed before the truck unloads them. Whats the strategy here to win this mission? What do I need to do?

[scotland_93]

Originally Posted by Todd77

I'm playing on easy because I gave up on medium difficulty and nearly the game. Even so, I'm being totally overwhelmed by germans in this mission trying to hold the coastline. Ive taken out their two heavy Thor artillery's but Im overwhelmed and any reinforcements I bring in get instantly killed before the truck unloads them. Whats the strategy here to win this mission? What do I need to do?

for me in this mission, they broke through the left flank. what i did was get the flak gun as they are good against men and tanks.
Also behind each trench i had smg squads hiding in the bushes
so if the germans broke through i would have support and also to replace men in trenches, if they died.
You can also plant ap mines in front of your trenches.

[Hamptonsux]

Certain missions are not designed to be "winnable". Some of them, the main objective is just to "hold the line" until certain tasks are accomplished, such as loading the train, etc.
Slow the time down, take direct control, save in several slots, and try again if something goes amiss. Make certain what your objectives are, and then try to plan accordingly using the best tactics that you can. Sometimes it boils down to sheer luck, or a reloaded game where you can kill that tank/enemy unit etc. that is causing you the most grief. I don't recall the Sevastapol mission being extremely difficult. You need to get these tactics down, because they are even more important in the missions that follow. Don't give up tho! This game truly rewards the player that thinks his way thru the problems, and makes the best use of what they have.

[Todd77]

Well what do I do when they break through a line or are attacking a trench with 6 tanks...they dont give you that many artillery's to take them out..they kill off my artillery's pretty quick then I am unable to defend

[Tomalak]

Well as previous posters noticed, luck plays a big part here, since a loss of few AT guns can mean a difference between victory and defeat. Save often, so you can go to earlier save if, for example, a lucky shot takes out one of your guns.

Take out tanks first, as soon as they are in range, take MC of one of your guns, and start firing. If needed, lower the game speed, so you can manage everything you need. Might be a good choice to reposition those two guns you get in the beginning, which are standing in the middle of the road. If you have problems disabling the tanks, try to take out their tracks at maximum ranges, they will still pose a threat, but at least they wont be able to charge at your line. Keep in mind, however, that the closer a tank is, its easier to destroy it, so try to find good balance.

Call for aircraft attacks, and new infantry whenever you can. If you position infantry reserves behind the trench, in the bushes/cover they can fire at the enemy, and be ready to reinforce where needed, without being in the first line of fire.

The main danger comes from enemy aircraft, since they are capable of destroying entire squads of your infantry, so pay attention to the mini map so you can see if a section of the trench becomes empty. Also, always keep someone on those stationary MGs.

For me, the first part (defense at the first line) was the most difficult. You have that big coastal gun during second part, plus you can get a AA gun, which you can conveniently put near the bridge, where it has a good field of fire, and will take care of airplanes as well. Also during the second part, its possible (with some luck) to repair a German tank or two, which can serve you well before your own tank reinforcement arrive.

So, in short:
1. Save often
2. MC your AT guns as soon as tanks are in range. If you have problems destroying them in short time, target the tracks (you can disable a few tanks then hit them with air strike, especially since infantry likes to gather around).
3. Use reinforcement points on infantry (rifle and smg) and air support. Get the AA gun in 2nd part.
4. Keep infantry reserves behind the trench, and watch the mini map to see when reinforcing the line is needed. Keep those stationary MGs maned.
5. Use air support often to target concentrations of troops, tanks especially.

Reload if things are going badly, like if you lose all your ATs in a single wave, or similar. If you're in a position that 6 enemy tanks have reached the trench, or, god forbid, managed to go even further, like keeping the reinforcement bridge under fire - you've probably already lost.

[Todd77]

a few questions...

What is MC?
How do I call in aircraft strikes?
I think I got the AA gun because it shot down one of their planes
Are there any AP mines or Anti tank mines I can pick up? Once the AP miners are out of mines thats it for that squad?

[Tomalak]

Originally Posted by Todd77

a few questions...

What is MC?
How do I call in aircraft strikes?
I think I got the AA gun because it shot down one of their planes
Are there any AP mines or Anti tank mines I can pick up? Once the AP miners are out of mines thats it for that squad?

MC is Manual (or Direct, more properly) control, meaning you directly control a unit by keyboard (arrows) and aim and fire using your mouse. Just select a unit, then hold CTRL, or you can toggle it by pressing "End". But I'm sure you already knew this, playing without it would be..well, pure hell basically.

There is a reinforcement menu on the right, the first button should be to call air support (think its called Air Strike), you click on it, then click on the place your plane should attack. Keep in mind it takes a few moments for the plane to reach the position, so anticipate the movement of your target accordingly.

Engineers have AP mines, but I'm not sure they are worth the reinforcement points, since I'm not a big fan of AP mines. But feel free to experiment. There should be some AT grenades in the boxes in trenches (if I'm not mistaken) if you need to strengthen your infantry's AT capabilities.

[JuggernautOfWar]

Originally Posted by Todd77

Are there any AP mines or Anti tank mines I can pick up? Once the AP miners are out of mines that's it for that squad?

Check the supply trucks in the rear of the defensive line.

[Todd77]

Still got overwhelmed by the time 6 boats are gone...Usually about when the giant german artillery shows up, 20 tanks come up the left and right flank. I dont see the airstrike button..there's riflemen, SMG men, AP men, 45 artillery gun, a bigger artillery gun, and flak gun..

Ill have to check the trucks, maybe I can lay down a few hundred tank mines...

I never used direct control..Who has time to micromanage each shot like that on each gun??

[Tomalak]

Originally Posted by Todd77

I never used direct control..Who has time to micromanage each shot like that on each gun??

Just thinking of a world without direct control makes me shiver uncontrollably and wake up in the middle of the night covered in sweat.

Seriously now, learn to use direct control, or you will have a really hard time later.

The point is not to micromanage each shot, but to take direct control over certain units in a critical moment. A single player controlled tank, gun or even a soldier can be a deciding factor of an entire mission. At least try to fire AT guns and that big coastal gun manually.

To be honest, I'm astonished you got this far without it, without quitting the game altogether. It is really quite an accomplishment.

About the air strikes, I'm at work now so I can't check. I'm not sure if you can run out of air strikes (or get your planes destroyed or something), but I am sure that, when you start the mission, there is an "air strike" button in the reinforcement menu, unless there is some additional modifier I'm unaware of.