Why did you never build/rebuild a puma? I am at min 22 and i see you having so many res. I would get double puma. Their infantry was your main problem during engagments. You could have used them in AA mode and anti inf role.
I mean, you all got heavy stuff.... heavy arty, tanks, expensive inf. Just not a single Puma as AA defense. Your doc pic was perhaps incomplete. BK doc would have provided a much better support to TH doc. Hetzer, Jagdpanzer IV/70, Ostwind, Tank IV H/J and Hotchkiss arty and Puma. Nothing else needed.
But in general this is just that kind of game i remember over and over again. The opening ends up in a draw till mid game. Axis get in trouble but hold the line. Allis try to push once again with arty, axis still can bolster their defense. Esspecially due to Hetzers. Allis start throwing arty and planes against everything that move but somehow can make the final push. Axis can more and more arty. Allis, and esspecially brits, are slowly "drowning" in a rain of missile arty. A couple of infantry units and achilles can keep axis at distance for some time. Backed by arty and planes they manage to kill tanks like panthers on occassion. But while the axis force slowly recovers and getting away quite often "with a blue eye" (like the panther that just survived), the allis army wont grow anymore. Continues rocket arty bombardments and repeated assaults keep their arty strenght on a low level. This is the time for the americans to shine. They can "eat" the arty and soften the attack so that the brits can hold the final line and placing their Priest barrages and airplanes. Axis nontheless start stockpiling the final tanks (Panthers) while keeping allis busy with rockets. Finally panthers and arty winning the game. Its always like different acts in a theater game. Like "Act 1: The axis fight for survive in early game". "Act 2: Axis hold the line, allis on last attempt to win", "Act 3: Axis regain power slowly and fighting attrition vs allis, allis running out of options". "Act 4: Axis have bolstered the defense. Rockt arty leads the way". "Act 5: Allis try to hold the line with what has left, axis going into offense". "Act 6: The Axis stockpiling of elite tanks". "Act 7: The Final Panther push"
It was one of the dejavu games. Games that last for a long time and during which allis doesnt manage to make a decisive push till mid game. But its surprising though that you managed to survive against allied air doc without a single AA unit and without using any 20 mm cannon armed vehicle. Very well played at this point.
I felt the Puma was un-needed as I preferred saving up for an early Stug as I wanted something that could defend me against rushing Cromwells and Recce, and for the AA defense... I always believed I would be aware enough to just dodge their airstrikes by moving my units away rather than wasting resources on some AA units, nonetheless.. if there was Airborne doctrine beside RAF altogether, then I would have definitely considered more AA units! Since that dodging several airstrikes at once would have been a lot harder at this point then.
Well, and your teammates? I am getting AA even when i dont have much else simply to protect my team.
The stug was a great choice. But there was also a Hetzer. Puma would have spared you a lot of trouble. Its always worse the res. These piat and inf rushes that forced the hetzer to retreat wouldnt have taken place. Same when you attacked brits inf inside that building. A Puma does it a lot more efficient than your inf trying to rush this house.
The Puma with 20 mm cant be a fail at all. Its great in attacks and defense, greatly boosts your anti inf capability. Can kill halftracks and all kind of vehicles, provides AA and has enough HP and armor to survive or even bounce 37 mm shots from greyhound.
And its just cheap. You had lots of res. Stug and Hetzer will take care of any allied tank that comes. The Hetzer has proven it many many times. If anything is needed, its AA and anti inf. And Puma provides both for very low cost and upkeep. That unit would have spared a lot more ressources as it would have cost.
Puma is currently the icon of WH along with stugs and perhaps panthers. Everyrthing else can be provided by PE as well in the one or other very similiar form.
