Two major things this turn.
Ottomans jumped near Augsburg! What I did not know was, that Paratroopers can actually move after their jump (just not attack). So Dreylin used a number of spies to cut the roads to Augsburg and also "sacrificed" one of his paratroopers to jump and pillage the last remaining road. 5 paratroopers jumped directly next to Augsburg.
Now, I made a mistake by not thinking about the usage of spies to cut my reinforcement route. Pretty dumb as we have both used spies quite a lot in the last turns.
So I cannot bring in reinforcements to hold Augsburg, or can I?!
I pull all units, who were on paradrop guard into Augsburg. They all suffered from air raids last turn. I upgrade one 50% injured Infantry to injured SAM Infantry. Both will stand an equally slim chance, against bombers and paratroopers attacking (exactly zero chance, that is), but at least SAM has a chance to intercept an air unit before. My whipped artillery was also injured from bombing raids last turn, but not too much, thanks to the bunker. I tested explorers and although they can only defend an opponent still has to fight them one by one before taking a city. From the whip, Augsburg gets exactly 40h to give me another explorer/cannon fodder unit there on turns end. That makes two 50% injured SAM (one with Intercept II), two healthy explorers and one almost healthy artillery. The city is at 60% cultural defense.
The Ottomans have 5 healthy paratroopers with 2 promos on them, 4 fighters and 5 bombers in range.
That does not bode well!
So lets change the odds to my favour.
Action I:
![[Image: 06-fallschirmabwurf-panzer-sheridan-fall...-offen.jpg]](http://www.geschichteinchronologie.ch/atmosphaerenfahrt/27_apollo-Landungsabweichungen-d/06-fallschirmabwurf-panzer-sheridan-fallschirme-offen.jpg)
It's a bit hard to see from that distance, but the photographer was asked to step back a little, since it is the first time we try this. To explain, that is actually a tank division being airlifted into Augsburg. Dreylin II. is not the only one who can build an airport. :neenernee
Promoted to Drill II, that tanks, stands a good chance to survive bombing raids almost unharmed (with a bunker!).
Action II:
I cannot believe that there is not a single fighter wing providing air cover for his troops. If you remember, I relocated three wings to Nuremberg for fighting off the paratroopers. I was deliberately leaving the hill tile to where the single paratrooper jumped to, open because it is outside the fighter cover from Najran. But now the situation is even better. I use my Combat V fighter from Prague to bring down the lone paratrooper to 75% health. I use my three fighter wings from Nuremberg to attack three out of the five Augsburg attackers (-25% each). Unbelievable sloppy tactics from Dreylin II.
Action III:
I feel confident enough to suicide my artillery against the stack of paratroopers, since the tank should eat at least one attack before dying.
Fortune favors the bold, or whatever that Sirian-phrase was. My artillery withdraws leaving the five paratroopers at 3.6, 16.6, 16.6, 16.8, 22.1 health and 6 units in Augsburg to burn through, including one healthy tank.
I pull together a relief force, led by another tank, who kills the lone injured paratrooper. Promote him to Drill III to withstand bombing raids. Two workers are going to try to reconnect Augsburg next turn and allow a mop up force to flush out the paratroopers. Two Intercept II SAMs for air cover and two Infantries with two unused promotions are added as well, in case there are more spies around and I need to use Guerilla II units to reach Augsburg.
This could be a bit more hairy if Dreylin had his remaining 5 healthy paratroopers at Najran / fort as well to help out, but he left them in Medina. Sloppy, sloppy. But then all his Great Generals are dead, right.
So Augsburg and the Statue of Zeus are safe for the next few turns. I will lose four or five already injured units at Augsburg if I am unlucky next turn abut should be able to kill off his paratroopers with no problems.
So what is the second big thing that happened this turn???
I commence the long planned orderly retreat from Vienna!
Reason 1:
Constant bombing and whipping has reduced Vienna to a hollow husk.
Ironworks and Heroic Epic are not useful if one can only pull in 8 raw hammers. So by all standards the city has become worthless to the HRE.
Look at it after the turn ends:
![[Image: attachment.php?attachmentid=1301&stc=1&d=1266911681]](http://realmsbeyond.net/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=1301&stc=1&d=1266911681)
No tile improvements, size 1.
The yellow line indicate the new border after Vienna falls.
Reason 2:
By my estimates the tank force who retaliated at Bursa must be almost healed by now. Together with all the tanks I can see at Damascus and Medina, Dreylin II. stands a certain chance to take Vienna next turn in one big tank rush. I only have 10 ATs in there. He must have around 20+ tanks in range. Once my main army is slaughtered in the defense of Vienna, there is nothing to stop his 2movers to rush through my lands and take me out in 10 turns. So I'd rather pull back, keeping my forces and threatening him with a counter attack. So he has to drag 1movers along with the offensive which slows him down and I survive 20 turns instead.
That's the general idea at least.
No doubt, the Ottomans will celebrate this as a big victory, but we know better, right?
In other news, my Combat IV fighter shoots down the single land based interceptor at Damascus. And I can see Dreylin II. has now the first Guided Missile in Medina, ready to strike Prague. I am keen to see how it performs, as I want to use them as well.
I offered another 150g to soooooo to get Radio in 3 turns. I hope he can sustain this level research, seeing how quickly his cities fall.
mh
Ottomans jumped near Augsburg! What I did not know was, that Paratroopers can actually move after their jump (just not attack). So Dreylin used a number of spies to cut the roads to Augsburg and also "sacrificed" one of his paratroopers to jump and pillage the last remaining road. 5 paratroopers jumped directly next to Augsburg.
Now, I made a mistake by not thinking about the usage of spies to cut my reinforcement route. Pretty dumb as we have both used spies quite a lot in the last turns.
So I cannot bring in reinforcements to hold Augsburg, or can I?!
I pull all units, who were on paradrop guard into Augsburg. They all suffered from air raids last turn. I upgrade one 50% injured Infantry to injured SAM Infantry. Both will stand an equally slim chance, against bombers and paratroopers attacking (exactly zero chance, that is), but at least SAM has a chance to intercept an air unit before. My whipped artillery was also injured from bombing raids last turn, but not too much, thanks to the bunker. I tested explorers and although they can only defend an opponent still has to fight them one by one before taking a city. From the whip, Augsburg gets exactly 40h to give me another explorer/cannon fodder unit there on turns end. That makes two 50% injured SAM (one with Intercept II), two healthy explorers and one almost healthy artillery. The city is at 60% cultural defense.
The Ottomans have 5 healthy paratroopers with 2 promos on them, 4 fighters and 5 bombers in range.
That does not bode well!
So lets change the odds to my favour.
Action I:
It's a bit hard to see from that distance, but the photographer was asked to step back a little, since it is the first time we try this. To explain, that is actually a tank division being airlifted into Augsburg. Dreylin II. is not the only one who can build an airport. :neenernee
Promoted to Drill II, that tanks, stands a good chance to survive bombing raids almost unharmed (with a bunker!).
Action II:
I cannot believe that there is not a single fighter wing providing air cover for his troops. If you remember, I relocated three wings to Nuremberg for fighting off the paratroopers. I was deliberately leaving the hill tile to where the single paratrooper jumped to, open because it is outside the fighter cover from Najran. But now the situation is even better. I use my Combat V fighter from Prague to bring down the lone paratrooper to 75% health. I use my three fighter wings from Nuremberg to attack three out of the five Augsburg attackers (-25% each). Unbelievable sloppy tactics from Dreylin II.
Action III:
I feel confident enough to suicide my artillery against the stack of paratroopers, since the tank should eat at least one attack before dying.
Fortune favors the bold, or whatever that Sirian-phrase was. My artillery withdraws leaving the five paratroopers at 3.6, 16.6, 16.6, 16.8, 22.1 health and 6 units in Augsburg to burn through, including one healthy tank.
I pull together a relief force, led by another tank, who kills the lone injured paratrooper. Promote him to Drill III to withstand bombing raids. Two workers are going to try to reconnect Augsburg next turn and allow a mop up force to flush out the paratroopers. Two Intercept II SAMs for air cover and two Infantries with two unused promotions are added as well, in case there are more spies around and I need to use Guerilla II units to reach Augsburg.
This could be a bit more hairy if Dreylin had his remaining 5 healthy paratroopers at Najran / fort as well to help out, but he left them in Medina. Sloppy, sloppy. But then all his Great Generals are dead, right.
So Augsburg and the Statue of Zeus are safe for the next few turns. I will lose four or five already injured units at Augsburg if I am unlucky next turn abut should be able to kill off his paratroopers with no problems.
So what is the second big thing that happened this turn???
I commence the long planned orderly retreat from Vienna!
Reason 1:
Constant bombing and whipping has reduced Vienna to a hollow husk.
Ironworks and Heroic Epic are not useful if one can only pull in 8 raw hammers. So by all standards the city has become worthless to the HRE.
Look at it after the turn ends:
No tile improvements, size 1.
The yellow line indicate the new border after Vienna falls.
Reason 2:
By my estimates the tank force who retaliated at Bursa must be almost healed by now. Together with all the tanks I can see at Damascus and Medina, Dreylin II. stands a certain chance to take Vienna next turn in one big tank rush. I only have 10 ATs in there. He must have around 20+ tanks in range. Once my main army is slaughtered in the defense of Vienna, there is nothing to stop his 2movers to rush through my lands and take me out in 10 turns. So I'd rather pull back, keeping my forces and threatening him with a counter attack. So he has to drag 1movers along with the offensive which slows him down and I survive 20 turns instead.
That's the general idea at least.
No doubt, the Ottomans will celebrate this as a big victory, but we know better, right?
In other news, my Combat IV fighter shoots down the single land based interceptor at Damascus. And I can see Dreylin II. has now the first Guided Missile in Medina, ready to strike Prague. I am keen to see how it performs, as I want to use them as well.
I offered another 150g to soooooo to get Radio in 3 turns. I hope he can sustain this level research, seeing how quickly his cities fall.
mh
"You have been struck down!" - Tales of Dwarf Fortress
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"moby_harmless seeks thee not. It is thou, thou, that madly seekest him!"
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"moby_harmless seeks thee not. It is thou, thou, that madly seekest him!"
A third was caught after successfully completing the counterespionage mission.