ANZIO No. of Turns: 14 Battle Posture: Axis = Defense Allies = Attack Per Turn Prestige Boosters: Axis = 47 Allies =0 No. Of Units Available for purchase: Axis = 2 Allies = 4 - Though there are few objectives, and on the map, they don't seem very far, rough terrain and tough German units make the going treacherous. Every turn is needed for the Allies, as bad weather can sometimes set in during the middle to late turns, it can be anywhere from 0-5 turns of bad weather, but more than 2 turns is rare & the higher the number the more rare the situation. No. of Objectives: 7 Axis: Hold Rome plus 2 objectives. Allies: Take and hold Rome or any 4 objectives. Three are already in the hands of the Allies and the Germans are required to hold Rome and two other objectives. So if the Allies can capture Rome and lose all others, the game is still won. The Allies must also hold and protect Naples, I usually buy & keep 1 Recon vehicle there or an M-10 which is also fairly cheap. Prestige: Axis = 574 Allies = 1064 Many Allied units will be destroyed or seriously damaged in the first German turn, especially around Anzio. Therefore the majority of Allied prestige goes to replacing lost units. New Unit Exp: Axis = 2 Stars Allied = 2 Stars Air Superiority - The Germans possess the best fighter in the skies over Italy in the FW190d, plus two regular FW190a's. The Axis should buy at least 1-2 FW190d's, When & if they can, at least 1 on turn 1. The Allies are very much limited compared to Husky in their Air Force with only one P-51d and 3 P-47d Thunderbolts, plus two Spitfire IX and 2 Mosquitoes. The Allies should buy 2 B-17s on the 1st turn, or at least 1 B-17 and 1 British Level Bomber, whichever is cheaper or preferred, if you but 1 of each then place the British Bomber at the Airfield Southeast of Cassino,to keep it within a good striking distance of the Axis, but the B-17 is tougher, can take more damage, but overall there is not much difference in offensive power. The B-17's will be used to suppress Axis Tanks of Ammo and Fuel, making them vulnerable to Attack and easier to kill, the Allies really do not have much of a chance to win without them, unless your playing an extremely weak Axis opponent. The P-51d is in immediate danger from attack from a brave German player, because of the move order. However if both sides agree,if both are experienced players and know where to find the hidden Allied planes Norht over the sea near Anzio, then these Allied planes out over the Sea should not be attacked by the Axis on turn 1, but only if both agree. However the FWs could move about the sky, looking to pick off fighters and bombers at the right moment, generally early in the game buy another FW then maybe strengthen 1 or 2 others & hold them all back together, keeping them all in a pack is the best way to fight the Allies, usually early on if the Allied General does not encounter your Fighters, they will soon get careless and leave bombers either unprotected as the fighters go back to refuel or the stretch them all too then, I usually wait til the fighters are low on fuel and some go for refueling then look for Allied fighters left open for attack, or if you can knock out the B-17s if they bought them then you have a great chance to win, if the Allied General does not buy any Level Bombers and you will eventually see this, then keep all of your fighters over or around Rome with AA gun protection and make it nearly impossible for them to take Rome. So the air superiority is contested to either side with an edge to the Allies due to superior numbers, but a good General for either side, could turn the tide on 1 mistake by the other General. Also it might be useful for the Axis to send a Paratroop unit from the North near Rome to the Airfield in Rome then out over the sea, then south, try to keep it hidden over the sea before heading south, then attack rear Allied air fields & cities, and another good Air transport move for the Axis, is the Infantry on the Airfield in Formia, on turn 1, send them straight to Naples to land, or the city south of Naples, it will at the least, force the Allied commander to build new troops there or force them to divert other needed troops there also, including planes, as Naples is undefended at the start, so an unsuspecting General could be caught off guard, if you decide not to go straight to Naples, then move them out over the sea and wait for the Para unit from Rome to Join them, then send both far south of Naples & land at a city & airfield there, both together would be much harder for the Allies to destroy before landing. Ground Superiority - Axis: Not only do the Germans have better ground units in the Panthers, Tigers & Elefants, but Allied formations are very spread out along the center of Italy known as the Gustov Line. This dispersion does not lend itself well for offensive action. The Axis should use their Artillery to bomb Anzio on turn 1 then send 2 Artillery units to Cassino, and 2 to Rome after their first bombardment, do not leave them there as the Allied ships are within range & can possibly destroy them, whatever you do, move them away from Anzio & Battleship fire. Also send at least 1 88 AA gun to Rome immediately, to avoid Naval gunfire. and the 2nd 88 AA gun near Anzio to Cassino on turn 1, both cities need reinforcements and it keeps them from being destroyed by the Allied Navy, which can hit them on turn 1 if not moved, if you wish, you can build an additional cheap AA gun or 2 at Cassino, most Generals do not move these 88s from around Anzio & then I am always able to hit them with my Battleships & then Bombers & most of the time this is enough to destroy both,88s cost too much & can’t be replaced & if used in conjunction with Axis fighters can be a formidable obstacle for Allied Air power to overcome, the Axis have many options here depending on what the Allied General does, if the Allies decide not to contest Anzio heavily, then the Panther, Elephant & Tiger should be able to take out all forces there, if not, then retreat them back beyond Battleship range to preserve them under the protection of Artillery & AA guns, I can go either way here if the Allies decide they want to stay & fight in Anzio, I can either try to blast them out or let them have it & protect Rome & Cassino. Now move the Panther and Panzer near Formia out of the Mountain & City area & back farther towards Cassino to be ready for counterattack strikes when the Allies decide to cross the river, eventually you will probably lose both, but why not use them as long as they last and to do as much damage as possible, many Generals follow the computer General’s lead & send these 2 big Axis tanks attacking across the river at Formia where Bombers & then Allied ground counterattacks will destroy them easily in the 1st 3 turns of so, so save them for the right moment & counterattack with them. Never leave Tanks in the Mountains or a City if possible, as in real life, Tanks are more vulnerable in these locations and will do much better on open Road or open Terrain. This is an Axis defensive scenario, except for around Anzio, & Limited timely Counterattacks in other areas, the computer Axis General does just the opposite & goes on the offensive, with my plans you should be able to easily defeat both computer Generals in Anzio anytime. Anzio is probably, ultimately doomed, despite shore bombardment from Allied battleships, although some Generals will waste a lot of prestige there, believing they have to hold it to win, my strategy is, get out with as many units as possible by sea & retake Anzio later. Still only two objectives or Rome are needed to win the game. AXIS: Although still at an overall disadvantage, at Anzio. South of Rome, you can strike back at the Allies by driving their landing forces back into the sea with safe calculated counterattacks. Except perhaps at Lanciano & Anzio, nowhere else on the Gustav Line, from Formia to Lanciano, can the Axis attack without risking too much. Place a few cheap Anti Tank Units or Recons behind your lines to protect key spots, like Avezzano, maybe Teramo if you wish, & at Civitavecchia, from there choose where you wish to defend with cheap units, if you want to or have the prestige to spend, if not save it for something else, but if your playing a General using my Allied strategy, you had better defend them, but only a very aggressive & experienced Allied General will attempt this, so know whom you are playing. Guard Rome and Pescara carefully, if you take Anzio, & it’s not needed to win the game, the Axis may be able to hold off the Allied onslaught. Use your air power sparingly so you will have it available as a threat to the Allied bombers, most Allied Generals will eventually get greedy & attack with unprotected bombers or split their fighters up, so pick them off slowly, be patient. On turn 1 either attack Allied planes or pull back to the Airfield north of Rome until you buy 1 or 2 more Fighters to form a Formidable attack force. In the far East, the Axis should leave a couple cheap units there, to protect those cities by the sea, but should send the Tiger and Elephant West, to tie up additional Allied troops, these eastern Axis troops, should never sit still and just defend, the eastern part of the map is basically not needed by the Axis to win, so move these Heavy units West, ASAP, send the Paratroop unit anywhere you wish, behind enemy lines or to reinforce any other position needed, do not leave it there, at most I may leave my Elephant there by the river to occupy enemy troops, as it is too slow to get West to be of much help anytime soon, most Allied Generals will see you retreating here & seize the chance to try to cross the river, let them, hopefully they will keep all of those troops here in the East & waste them as Allies I send most of my units West ASAP to help out at Cassino, especially the Artillery. ALLIES: Use your combination of strength and mobility to press the enemy and push through gaps. Buy 1 British Cromwell tank, which is optional, but it does come in handy, and place it south of Formia, to use its superior movement after you take Formia to move on to Anzio and Rome, you may also choose to buy a U.S.M-10 and place there or elsewhere if you prefer, maybe after taking Formia, this also is optional, I have done different things here, it again depends on your Allied Generals strategy as to where you may have to place this extra M-10, maybe save prestige for it and wait & see where it could be used, same for the Cromwell, sometimes I buy it, other times I do not. Move at least 3 ships south, to help Bombard Formia and Wait for the Navy to arrive at Formia to bombard it before making an all-out push to cross the River, along with combined air assaults & Artillery, Formia will soon fall, I usually send my Crusier North to Civitavecchia, to help Bombard it along with maybe 1 Mosquito to help pound the city, if the Axis has built a new unit there, you will need a combined assault to take it, most Axis Generals ignore this city, & if they do, it saves you time & trouble taking it, then you can build M-10s there quickly within a 2 turn striking distance of Rome. The Allied Navy with Air Power and Artillery will easily take Formia quickly, even if the Axis defend it it’s a waste of time & units if the Axis do this, but hopefully they will & it will be in the Allied Generals favor, if they defend it heavily, then it may take a few turns with Naval, Air & Artillery to Bombard it into submission. As the Allies, I don't think there's any way to hold Anzio, it can be done, but it’s a waste of good troops as most Axis Generals will make an all out effort to take it, so I don't waste any prestige placing units there, if the Germans attack hard, retreat by ship, to the sea and move them north 1 unit at a time to Civitavecchia, land there or around it and along with the Heavy Cruiser & Mosquito, take it. I just give up Anzio, as lost, unless your opponent does not press the attack, which some may not do, but most will press the attack hard, I usually leave Anzio with the intention of retaking it later, with your spearhead from Formia, even if they don’t press Anzio hard, the key to taking Rome is hitting it from all directions, especially from the North, once Civitavecchia is taken, then move your Heavy Cruiser south to pound on Rome. Also when retreating by Sea from Anzio, I try to send 2 of the infantry units there southeast towards Formia to try & take the city just north of Formia, you can then build an M-10 or 2 there if you want, I truck up at least 2 of these infantry at Anzio & send them along the coast to stay away from Axis attack. I concentrate all my efforts on the Formia river crossing, usually I will send 1 Leval Bomber to weaken the Elephant at Cassino, so when my Artillery finally destroys the Axis AA guns & Artillery there & I can assault the city the Elephant is to weak to do anything to stop me, (B-17s, naval fire, artillery and armor)just concentrate as much Artillery & Air Power as you can around Cassino & it will soon fall then send half of the troops North then the rest to help take Formia, leave 2-4 units behind in case the Axis attempt to move in from the East, but if they do, it will take several turns, as they are so slow, then your Bombers can help take them out & your units can entrench on the opposite side of the rivers & mountains backed by Artillery. Allies: Take the port city Northwest of Rome, Civitavecchia, with your Sherman Tank based in Anzio, move it by sea transport, North to this Port City on turn 1, and begin building M-10s there and maybe 1 cheap artillery in a truck, and if possible get a mobile Artillery unit out of Anzio to this city also, then slowly and cautiously, move on to Rome, and with your force moving up from Formia and threatening Anzio, and maybe with Paratroops taking other rear locations, you will soon be able to threaten Rome from many directions & can build prestige as you take rear cities, to buy new cheap units. With the Allied B-17s, the German armor is in serious trouble, if the Germans cross the River at Formia, just as the Computer Axis General does, you can easily take out their 2 Big Tanks with Bombers. Even if the German armor stays North of the river, the B-17s can bomb it out of ammo & fuel in a few turns due to suppression. Meanwhile, the Allied fighters must immediately seek out & destroy the Luftwaffe in order to give the B-17s free rein. (Oh, yes, I also garrison the two Allied victory cities Naples with a Daimler in order to prevent sneaky German infiltration). Or you can send 1, Artillery and an Infantry South from the Formia area to Naples as needed in case you get Axis troops behind your lines, but be aware of this, so you don’t have to waste sending any troops south to help that may be needed at Formia. Move as much Artillery as you can near Cassino and attempt to take out the 88 AA gun or guns placed there, and the Artillery, then slowly use your Bombers & combined forces to finish off Cassino, and then keep moving north, so you can eventually hit Rome from all directions, most Axis Generals expect you to take Anzio 1st using this strategy once they see it developing, but you have flexibility here, you can appear to threaten Anzio when you have the option to hit Rome from all directions in a few turns. Another key move while bombing Cassino is to move a mobile U.S.Infantry unit North past Cassino to the East of it, up through the mountains and attempt to take Avezzano,do this immediately on your 1st turn & continue moving 1 or 2 U.S. infantry North thru the mountains, I send U.S. troops so whenever they take a city in the rear, you can buy & place cheaper M-10s there to do or go any direction you like, I also sometimes build 1 cheap Artillery & 2 M-10s & send straight to Rome to threaten it & the city East of Rome, as to occupy more Axis troops & give them 1 more thing to think about, as this area is too far to get big tanks to help out, unless they had earlier retreated them from Anzio to Rome, which most do not do, most Axis Generals won't think to defend this city, if they do, you can send another unit and 1 Bomber and take it out, then you are free to build M-10s there and are within a couple of turns of moving in range of Rome from another direction and are free to take other cities, this is a key location & a key move, take this city, watch out for Axis troops coming across the River from the East, I generally build & move 2-3 M-10s there & move them towards Rome & wait east of the city, hiding until my units arrive from Civitavecchia and then up from Formia, then hit Rome from all directions, if you have enough prestige to buy 1 cheap Artillery at Avezzano then do so & move it on towards Rome, keep a unit handy to defend the river to the east of Avezzano as needed, sometimes I may send 1 M-10 in search of undefended Allied cities for easy prestige, if defended, use your Infantry and the newly purchased Artillery & maybe 1 Bomber as needed to take any defended cities, it’s optional & it all depends on the opposing General as to which of these strategies you can do. I also move my Paratroop unit after letting them launch the last attack on the Axis Infantry unit near my forces near Cassino, and then after they attack once, I truck them up and move these paras to the nearest Allied Air Field and then transport them to the Far North and try to land them at any unprotected city or Air Field, if you can take a city build an M-10 or cheap fast Recon vehicle and take more cities for prestige. Use the southern attack force from Formia as a diversion, make the Axis General believe this is your main thrust north, and hope he diverts Tigers and Panthers south to stop you, as your B-17s render his Big tanks helpless due to suppression. That's the key to crossing into Formia along with moving all Naval units South to bombard Formia also, if like most Axis Generals I have faced do, they will send the Tiger & or Panther & Elephant from Anzio south, this is perfect for you, the farther from Rome they are, the easier it will be to take it with your troops from the North & East that will slowly be moving into place each turn, then your B-17s after helping take Cassino & Formia can concentrate on these Big Anzio tanks. Save as much prestige as possible to buy new units at Civitavecchia, Northwest of Rome after your sea transport from Anzio lands there. The 2 B-17s and maybe the 1 British Cromwell Tank, is all you spend early. The U.S.M-10 Anti-Tank is cheap and effective in assaulting Rome backed by cheap Artillery. Allies attack far north with Paratroop units to gain prestige, use your Paratroop unit south of Cassino and send them to the nearest Allied airfield, then transport them to the North & begin taking undefended cities, most Axis Generals won’t or can’t defend them all if any, some don’t & you gain easy prestige. In the East the Allies should also move units by Sea from Vasto to the Far North and attempt to capture an Axis Airfield and City at Teramo, for prestige and then try to tie up Axis units and move on to as many other locations & attack as possible, I usually send 1 Artillery & 1 infantry North by sea, but this is optional, sometimes against a good Axis General, it may be better to send all of these units towards Cassino to help out there, even if the Axis cross the river & take your city, the Elephant and Tiger are too slow to cause any trouble to the West if they do, you can easily use your Bombers to destroy them. Following this Allied strategy will allow the Allies to spread out the Axis forces and deplete their Big Tanks of fuel and Ammo and allow a move on Rome from many directions. General Information - Weather can turn ugly in this scenario, I have played this scenario over 100 times using these strategies & the only thing that can stop the Allies is the weather but weather has only interfered less than 20% of the time, my best guess is around 15%, & even then, with persistent & consistent attacks, I have always won, sometimes with bad weather it has even gone down to the last turn before I won, just remember as Allies you don’t need all objectives to win, know them from the start & plan ahead. But it should still leave the Allies enough time to take Rome if they play the right strategy, also you may want to just take Anzio and Cassino and still win, it depends on your opponents Axis strategy, Axis just needs to slow down Allies enough to win, dig in and play good defense with counterattacks. Axis should spend wisely and place troops wisely to win. Axis should totally ignore new troops in the far eastern objective. And move those troops to help out or attack the Allies right away. THE KEY TO USING THIS STRATEGY GUIDE BY EITHER SIDE, IS THAT IT IS COMPLETELY FLEXIBLE BY EITHER SIDE, THERE ARE A FEW THINGS YOU MUST Or SHOULD DO TO WIN, BUT MOST OF THIS IS FLEXIBLE TO CHANGE, AS YOUR OPPONENT CHANGES,BUT REMEMBER THE AXIS MUST REMAIN ON THE DEFENSE & ONLY OCCAISIONALLY COUNTERATTACK WHEN THE OPPORTUNITY ARRIVES, & THE ALLIES MUST BUY LEVEL BOMBER TO HELP GET PAST THE BIG AXIS TANKS,ALSO IF YOU WISH TO ADD OR SUBTRACT ANYTHING FROM THIS STRATEGY GUIDE THAT IMPROVES IT, PLEASE EMAIL IT IN A SEPERATE TEXT FILE AND I WILL ADD IT TO THE ORIGINAL, ALL STRATEGY GUIDES ARE ALWAYS A WORK IN PROGRESS. Final Evaluation - Prestige Experience Axis 0 0 Allies +2 0 Another difficult one for the Allies . German forces dominate the battlefield to a point where they may even take the offensive in certain areas, it will all depend on how weak of a General your Allied counterpart is, but even then, Anzio remains a Defensive scenario for the Axis with offense restricted to timely counterattacks. More prestige to the Allies may give them the advantage. +2 to their prestige. If your Allied opponent is more Advanced than you, then either even or only +1 prestige is needed for the more advanced player. The above settings are for even opponents or if the Axis player is the more advanced by a wider margin. Otherwise adjust your settings accordingly. If the Allied player is Novice against Expert, then give the Allied player +2 Prestige and +1 Experience.