Description[]
The Red Baron is the third scenario of the German Campaign in Empire Earth.
Briefing[]
The Red Baron: Spring 1916
The stalemate along the Western Front has dragged on and on. The Battle of Verdun, a fight over a mere 10 square kilometres which has already lasted three months, is chewing up men like no battle ever before. Nearly 100, 000 men have fallen dead or wounded so far.
Germany had begun the offensive hoping to wear down France's will to fight, but the attack's early momentum has since dwindled away. Now, the German High Command has detected a possible weakness in one sector, and sees an opportunity to grab new territory. The plan hinges on capturing or eliminating three French strongholds in the region. Veteran troops and fliers, including Manfred von Richthofen - now feared by the Allies as the "Red Baron" - have been dispatched to the area. Their orders: destroy the three forts by any means necessary.
Starting conditions[]
Territory[]
At the beginning of the scenario, German territory occupies the northern and eastern parts of the map. French territory occupies the Southwestern part of the map. The territories are separated by lines of Barbed Wire, Pillboxes, AA Guns and Towers.
Economy[]
At the beginning of the scenario, you have control over a Capitol, many Houses, and several military buildings, including Barracks, Stables, Tank Factories, Siege Factories, and an Aerodrome. You also begin with four Citizens, four German Infantry, two Machine Guns, two Anti-Tank Guns and two Artillery. In addition, Manfred von Richthofen and four Fokker Fighter/Bombers are garrisoned at the Aerodrome, while an Observation Balloon hovers close by. Citizens can build most structures typical to the era except for AA Guns. All combat units are unimproved.
There are scant Food resources in the territory. There are plentiful Trees, plus several Stone, Gold And Iron mines in the northern part of the territory.
You also have the following initial resources:
Brief Summary[]
Your objective is to destroy all French buildings within the three walled "forts" located in the southern part of the map. These are Douaumont in the north, and Vaux and Souville in the south.
When this has been accomplished, you will then be required to destroy nine Allied fighter planes originating in the top right corner of the map.
Objectives[]
- The French have three heavily defended forts in this sector: Douaumont, Vaux, and Souville. Destroy everything within the Walls of these forts.
- The Red Baron must survive.
- Shoot down all aircraft belonging to the "Anti-Richthofen Squad".
History[]
As the war dragged on, aerial combat gradually changed. It was becoming less about glorious one-on-one duels and more about bringing the maximum firepower to bear to kill an enemy as quickly as possible. Manfred von Richthofen helped reorganize the German Air Force into larger groups of aircraft (called Jastas) and personally took command of Jasta 11. After learning that the Allies were gunning specifically for him and his plane, which he had painted bright red, Richthofen's response was to have all his pilots fly red planes. "Richthofen's Flying Circus" was thus born.
On the ground, the war had become a quagmire. No side could achieve the breakthrough needed to permit a significant advance. The Battle of Verdun, fought over many months in 1916, was one of the largest, longest, and costliest battles of all time. The German High Command believed that Germany's best chance against the allied forces of Britain, France, and Russia (who had Germany surrounded and outnumbered) was to pry them apart. They chose Verdun as the point to launch an attack against the French forces. The theory was that a victory there would cripple France's ability to wage war and dishearten the allies as a whole. The French army ultimately repelled the attack, but the combined losses on both sides totaled about 750,000 men. And, when it was all over, the battle lines remained virtually unchanged.
Hints & Strategy[]
- Engineers can be used to build Pillboxes and Barbed Wire.
- Don't wait too long to produce more troops. The French certainly won't.
- French airpower will be nonexistent at first, but will build up slowly. Don't forget to prepare a small force of fighters. The Albatros is much more effective against other aircraft than the Fokker.
- The three French forts are quite large. They offer lots of room to make a forward outpost to springboard further attacks, instead of trying to funnel in more troops from the German lines.
- Some of the deadliest units in the French arsenal come from Bras. Victory can come swifter if this city can be eliminated quickly.
- Don't forget about your Artillery Spotter Balloon. It can be quite useful. When the balloon is positioned over a fort, selecting a building inside the fort will call in a devastating, one-time barrage.
- Cargo Trucks can be used to move foot soldiers quickly across the battlefield. Load and unload the trucks just like any transport.
- Be careful - the French will be quick to upgrade both their troops and aircraft.
Economy[]
Although you start the scenario with generous resources, it will be necessary to gather Food, Wood and Iron to maintain your forces through the long campaign. A Farm is the best option for gathering Food. The forest at the top right corner of the map is suitable for logging. The Iron mines in the north are not on level ground, so it won't be possible to build Settlements directly adjacent to them. This will slow gathering, so it is a good idea to mine two Iron mines simultaneously. Also, the Hospital improvement "Vitamins" will boost Citizen Speed, increasing their gather rate. Some valuable combat units require Gold, so it is also worth mining that resource, although it is less important than Iron. There is no need to gather Wood or Stone.
Defense[]
Some of your territory will be periodically attacked by French forces, and over time, these attacks can impact on your economy and military strategy.
French forces on ground mostly uses anti-infantry units such as Machine Guns and MkV Tank (HE) so it is not very advised to use infantry units. The best unit to counter them are Imperial Cuirassiers as they are enough solid to deal against HE tanks and as Machine Guns are classed as ranged units.
The best unit for defense is Artillery with improved Range and Area Damage. Create 2-3 of these for vulnerable fronts, and keep them far back from front lines to prevent them from being attacked by ground forces. Spare citizens can also be deployed to build Towers to improve defense lines. Partisans are the only infantry unit that can shoot at planes, so 5-6 of these standing close together and set to Stand Ground behavior are a good defense against air attack, especially since you can't build AA Guns.
Offense[]
A good mobile offensive force consists of 20+ German Infantry, 3-4 German Officers, 6-8 Partisans, 6-8 Trench Mortars, and 3-4 Howitzer Cannons and all with full improvements. When set to Stand Ground behavior, these units move quickly and remain tightly arranged. The German Officers can heal injuries, the Partisans shoot at Aircraft. while the Trench Mortar and Howitzer Cannons can quickly destroy Walls, Towers and Buildings from a safe distance.
The biggest hazard of your offensive is enemy Artillery, which can reduce your forces to ruin in mere seconds. A first hit will cause serious injury to about 50% of your force, and a second hit will result in widespread fatalities. Artillery units are scattered throughout enemy territory, sometimes in groups of up to six. The risk is highest when your forces are near dark or fogged areas of the map: it is vitally important that you do not take your eyes off your forces in these conditions. If your forces are hit, quickly retreat to a safe space and allow units to heal. To eliminate Artillery, send the fast-moving German Infantry and German Officers to the location of the attack until the unit is revealed, or use Fighter/Bombers. When Artillery is located, quickly fire at it in unison, while moving forward to uncover other units that may be behind it. One shot from multiple Infantry units will destroy an Artillery unit immediately. You may sustain losses in these missions, so it a good idea to begin producing more units at nearby Barracks to restore your forces as you advance.
Combat Strategy[]
First target: Vaux[]
You can eliminate your first target fort easily using the one-time-use "artillery barrage" option. To use this option, you must send your Observation Balloon to hover above a target fort, and then select on a building within the fort. An Earthquake then destroys all buildings within the fort. However, the forts are armed with AA Guns, and your Balloon will be quickly shot down if it is sent alone. If you set the gather point for your Aerodrome above the fort, the planes will distract enough AA fire to allow your Balloon to arrive over the fort safely. When the planes return to the Aerodrome, select Stop to withdraw the gather point. The closest fort to your Aerodrome is Vaux, so this target is recommended for the barrage.
When all buildings in Vaux are destroyed, there will still be many military buildings standing outside its walls, and these will continue producing units. You may wish to send your Offensive force into these areas to destroy some of these buildings, as they will not be rebuilt, and you may be saving yourself trouble further along in the scenario. However, attempting to advance too far west past Vaux may result in your forces being overcome by enemy units, which will attack from several directions.
Second target: Douaumont[]
You should withdraw your offensive force to friendly territory, and direct them to the northwestern limit of your territory. Moving west from this point, you will encounter a (neutral) French Town hosting some French military buildings. Destroy these buildings, and do a quick search of the area to make sure there are no stray Artillery lurking in the shadows. Then bring five Citizens to the location to build a Settlement, and have them populate it to create a Town Center. From there, create new citizens to build Houses, a Hospital, Towers, Barracks, and Siege Factory. When these are completed, you may populate the Citizens into the Town Center, or redeploy them to gather resources elsewhere. This town will be an important stronghold as you advance south, and will provide you with a base to replace units if you sustain casualties.
This town will be vulnerable to air attack from two Aerodromes on a plateau at the top left corner of the map; however, these Aerodromes do not send Bombers, so the attacks are little more than a nuisance, and can be counterattacked by a small group of Partisans standing ground within range of a Hospital. These enemy Aerodromes are not accessible to ground troops, but they can be reached by Artillery with improved range, so it is possible to destroy them if it proves convenient to do so.
From this position you should direct your Offensive Force in a south-east direction towards the fort at Douaumont. Be sure to eliminate external Towers from the northern and western walls of the fort, and then enter the fort by destroying the western gate. Destroying the buildings within the fort may be difficult due to hidden Artillery, so take care with your troops and withdraw them where necessary. It is a good idea to cross the fort and destroy the eastern gate, as this will allow you to attack units and building on this side of the fort.
Third target: Souville[]
When this Douaumont is defeated, withdraw your troops westward, and send them southward to flank three Aerodromes at the very south of the map. When the Aerodromes are destroyed, you can slowly work your way northward and eastward, destroying military buildings scattered across the territory. You should encounter persistent enemy forces advancing from the area between Douaumont and Vaux. While they should be easy to overcome, don't advance too quickly, as you will likely walk into Artillery fire. Once the area is clear of enemy units and buildings, you can attack Souville from the west following a similar procedure to Douaumont.
New objective: Eliminate Fighter Planes[]
Once the three forts are destroyed, you will be given the new objective of destroying a fleet of Allied Fighter Planes that will come from the top right corner of the map. Even if you have already destroyed the Aerodrome in this position, these planes will fly to your nearest Aerodrome and continue flying until they are shot down. If you garrison von Richthofen in the Aerodrome, they will circle overhead until your AA Guns or Partisans shoot them down.
Trivia[]
- Although the current epoch is World War I, it is still possible to produce cavalry units in existing Stables.
