GB08 - Devils Den

[Little Powell]

Let's start a thread discussing your strategies for this one. This is a unique and very challenging scenario. You are to hold the Devils Den OBJ while fighting off 3 times (maybe even more) your numbers. How do you pull that off??

I'm interested to hear your strategies as I tried this one yesterday for the first time in a while, and got completely obliterated. :laugh:

Do you utilize your Sharpshooter regiments or leave them be?

Do you stay on Devils Den, or find better defensive ground while leaving one reg to cover the OBJ?

[MrSpkr]

Powell, I can't remember many details of how I beat this one. It is hard to avoid getting overwhelmed at the victory location, but I don't think I left it uncovered. I think I used the sharpshooters to slow down the confederates, while defending the VL with a double line in brigade, occasionally swinging out one or two regiments to take the Confederates in the flank. I just played it and ran up 2850 points by about fifteen minutes of play, then got swamped by Robertson's Arkansans charging my line. I'll fiddle with it and see if I can't recreate my prior victory. I do remember this one being difficult -- my high score was only 5400, I think.

Steve

[Marching Thru Georgia]

I only played this one once, but here is what I did. First, I recalled the sharpshooters and double-timed them back to the Den. I'm going to place them at the top of the rocks so they fire down on Plum Run and on the troops coming from the south. In the meantime, I extend my line north a bit to prevent any flanking. I place the rest of the brigade in the rocks on the south side and just behind the artillery facing west. This setup is not very imaginative, but like Stalingrad, I just need to wear down the enemy. The first rebel brigade comes in from the west. They stop and try to shoot it out with my brigade and arty. Finding that cannister hurts, they begin to probe my flanks. Now another confederate brigade arrives from the south and begins to deploy. My sharpshooters finally show up and flank a regiment I have pinned in the north and makes quick work of them. About this same time the rest of the first Rebel brigade collapses and flees.

By this time the 2nd rebel brigade is deployed and works it's way into Plum Run and to the base of the rocks on the south side of the Den. Plum Run is a problem. I hustle my sharpshooters to the east side of the Den and they open fire. My one regiment which was deployed slightly to the north is recalled and placed in the rocks overlooking the Run. Then enemy can make no headway but do not give way for some time. Then in the distance yet another Rebel brigade appears and the 1st brigade that broke earlier begins to reform to the west! Can't we all just get along?

The Rebel regiments at the base of the Den to the south begin to break one by one, followed quickly by the two in Plum Run. That 3rd brigade is attacked by the troops on Little Roundtop which forces them to deal with this threat first.

I place my sharpshooters at the top of the rocks where they begin to fire on that 3rd brigade, while I re-position a couple of regiments to take on that 1st brigade again. They do not stand long, which is good, because that 3rd brigade has finished dealing with the Union boys who came down off the mount.

Half of their brigade goes up Little Roundtop and the other half attacks the Den from the south. Although my men are tired and reduced in size from all the fighting, these regiments, three I think, are also in bad shape from their recent fight. This last fight lasts less than 5 minutes before the Rebels throw in the towel.

As I said, it really wasn't much of a strategy. I was lucky that the Confederate attack was not coordinated and allowed me to shift two regiments back and forth to supply extra firepower where needed.

[Colonel Dreux]

Little Powell wrote:

Let's start a thread discussing your strategies for this one. This is a unique and very challenging scenario. You are to hold the Devils Den OBJ while fighting off 3 times (maybe even more) your numbers. How do you pull that off??

I'm interested to hear your strategies as I tried this one yesterday for the first time in a while, and got completely obliterated. :laugh:

Do you utilize your Sharpshooter regiments or leave them be?

Do you stay on Devils Den, or find better defensive ground while leaving one reg to cover the OBJ?

I've only played this once, didn't get a major victory, but held the ground without being driven off at normal level. Sharpshooters were key. I set one regiment up in the woods to flank the Rebel attack up the knoll or ridge and they obliterated whoever charged up the ridge.

I'm still unclear why I didn't get "victory" out of that, but I held the ground. I think they may have pushed me over a little and uncovered the objective for a bit, but they didn't get over me. They did get up Little Round Top, but not far.

[Taiaha]

I just wanted to say that I'm glad someone brought this one up. I myself have nothing productive to add since I've been slaughtered the three times I've tried it so far. However, the closest I came to success was when I recalled not just the sharpshooters posted up toward the rebel starting positions, but recalled the detached regiments as well. It takes a while for the second regiment of sharpshooters and the additional boys from Maine (I think) to arrive, but when they do I used them to flank the enemy forces that were trying to work their way around through the woods. When the better part of a brigade began focusing on them instead of the objective I had them fall back to the conveniently placed stone wall. However, by that point, I'd allowed the objective to be overwhelmed from the Plum Run side.

It seems to me this one becomes almost unwinnable if you don't get any help from troops on the round tops or coming up along the run. And they do have a remarkable willingness to stand there and watch you get your arse handed to you in an easter basket.

[Little Powell]

Just got a 5,900 Major Victory.

There are two key things you have to do to win this one.

1. Utilize all of your forces. Use the two sharp shooter regs and the other reg towards the Emmitsburg rd. Place one SS unit on your right flank, and the other on your left behind the OBJ.

2. The regiments on your left must be behind the artillery. If they are in front, the arty fire will be blocked. It's critical that the arty takes out a couple regiments or more before they retreat.

Shift around regiments as needed, always trying to flank when you can and before you know it, the rebel regiments will start retreating one by one.

Don't expect the AI support on your left to be much help. For me, they finally started attacking near the end and helped me route the last few regiments.