“Schwerpunkt” – Pz.Abt.103 Scripted Campaign

[Elliott543]

 

“Schwerpunkt” – Pz.Abt.103 Scripted Campaign

 

Requirements:
Il-2 Sturmovik Battle of Stalingrad + Tank Crew
 
Download:
Download Link
Place the "Schwerpunkt" folder in your “Campaigns" directory.  

 

Schwerpunkt: the center of gravity or weight; crucial focal point; the point of main effort in an armored engagement

 

The German offensive Fall Blau in late July 1942 and the subsequent siege of Stalingrad, were witness to some of the most fierce armored engagements on the Eastern Front. During this time, German Motorized Infantry Divisions were assigned one panzer battalion each, as opposed to the two panzer battalions of armor assigned to German Panzer Divisions. The majority of these were Pz.III; however, a platoon size of hard-hitting Pz.IV’s served as the formation’s iron fist, making the whole battalion a deadly, cohesive fighting unit in support of its motorized infantry division. This is the story of one of these panzer battalions, Panzer-Abteilung 103, and its support of 3. Infanterie-Division (mot).

 

Historically, the long-barreled tanks of Panzer-Abteilung 103 in 1942 were the Pz.III Ausf. J with a 50mm main gun and the Pz.IV Ausf. F2 with a 75mm main gun. These will be substituted with the IL-2 Tank Crew Pz.III Ausf. L (50mm), Pz.III Ausf. H (50mm), and the Pz.IV Ausf. G (75mm). 1.Kompanie and 2.Kompanie are the Pz.III companies, and use a non-standard structure of 4 platoons with 4 panzers each. 3.Kompanie is the Pz.IV company, comprised of 3 platoons with 2 or 3 panzers each.

 

Many of the crewmen in Panzer-Abteilung 103 were veterans, some having been selected for the planned amphibious assault of England. As such, the panzers in your platoon are experienced and will change formation automatically. If you change the formation via the command menu, your platoon might not follow roads properly.

 

The "Schwerpunkt" campaign is a work-in-progress. Missions will be released episodically as they are created. Check the IL-2 forums periodically for updates and new missions.

 

 

Currently there are 2 missions. More soon to come.

 

Screenshots

 

Spoiler

 

 

[gunmetalstug]

Tried both missions out today, had a great time! I don't know if you're looking for feedback or troubleshooting, but I'll provide some anyways. Overall, I had a great time with these first two missions. 

 

Bugs:

 

Spoiler

There were no major issues aside from the typical wonky waypoints not advancing even if you're on top of them. This happened twice - once after the DHSKs cut my track in the first mission, and I sped up time to make the repair go by faster. I think the other Panzer III completed it while I was repairing (the audio played for turning to 7:20 on the return circuit), but I wasn't able to advance the mission. The second time happened during the second mission, after the "Enemy Tanks" audio warning played - the waypoint wouldn't move after I ran over it. HOWEVER, this one likely persisted because I wasn't able to destroy the advancing T-34s. I hit 'Finish Mission' because I couldn't bail out of my tank with my commander dead, and it still gave me the "Mission Accomplished!" message. ?

 

Mission Feedback:

Spoiler

Navigating the Steppe - This was a good starter mission, lets you play around with the Panzer 3 and the Radio Compass as a warmup without too many dire threats to your tank. The cheeki-breeki DSHKAs were cleverly hidden though, and gave me some trouble my first time around. They managed to cut my track and chew off the front half of my left side skirt. The retreating trucks were a good touch too.

 

Breakthrough - The promised "two hour mission" has a great route and a fun start. Like the best scripted missions that come with Tank Crew, this one felt like it was taking place in a real war zone. When I crested that hill with tracers zipping everywhere and explosions rocking the panzer, it was peak Tank Crew action. Had a great time clearing out that field of Zis-3s and Howitzers. Didn't have any issues rolling onto Kletskaya, but I was surprised when a friendly machine-gunner had appeared in the town once it was captured. I guess once they're captured, they spawn some defenses, but I never saw the Supply Trucks rolling up. That could have been me being impatient or not looking behind me too often. Clearing out Molo-Kletsky felt like routine after the first two towns, but the airfield was a fun way to mix things up, and the biplanes undergoing emergency take-off was a spectacular, dynamic touch.

 

Swinging south onto Platonov is where the problems started for me. I happened to catch the Panzer IIIs actually spawning in (at the unnamed village with the instruction to turn right). Maybe it was because I wasn't patient enough to hunt down the supply trucks (and I took a couple wasteful shots at the biplanes), but I was starting to run very low on shells... perhaps having a supply truck spawn with those Panzer IIIs would alleviate the issue? I can't say for certain since I only ran through it once, and I don't know how often I missed the supply areas. It would DEFINITELY help with that Soviet T-34 rush later on, as even the most careful gunner needs every available shell to blunt that charge. 

 

I also got caught out by the Soviet ground attackers. Definitely a fun and surprising addition, although it was the end of my Commander. I thought I was safe, since I saw the Bf-109s patrolling. That's what I get for not paying attention! After this however, I didn't have the shells to take on the T-34 counterattack, and couldn't bail out because I forgot the keybinds for doing it without your commander. Bizarrely (as I mentioned) I got the "Mission Accomplished!" notification, despite not reaching Platonov, or crushing the enemy counterattack. 

 

Definitely one of the better missions I've played! It is a bit long, and having the most dangerous threat (the T-34s) appear at the end made me wish that there were clearer (or more more immediate) ways to re-arm before that final climactic clash. 

 

The only piece of feedback I have for the entire pack so far is that the voice lines were a little loud, they made me jump out of my seat each time.

 

I streamed this preview in full on Twitch, and we all had a good time with it. If you like, you can evaluate my reactions here, with the full preview (both missions). For a quick laugh, here's the highlight of the day, which was me panicking and fat fingering my Hatch-Closing buttons, leading to a Panzer IV with a fresh coat of organic red paint. Profanity abound.

 

Looking forward to giving Breakthrough another try, and absolutely looking forward to the rest of the pack! Thanks for all your hard work!

 

Edited July 24, 2021 by gunmetalstug
Typos/Missing Words

[Elliott543]

@gunmetalstug

I got a chance to watch your playthrough. Great job breaking through the anti-tank defenses in the second mission! I think you only lost one Pz.III in the first engagement in “Breakthrough” - without human intervention, the usual outcome is typically a loss of most Pz.IIIs and a few Pz.IVs. The more panzers you can keep alive in in the first engagement, the better your chances of surviving other encounters in the mission. Thank you for posting this - it’s a great resource.

 

If you have the chance, try my other tank campaign “Volokolamsk Highway” about the actions around Kalinin in ’41 on the Moscow map.

 

Spoiler

Shortly afterwards the supply convoy rolls out and follows the same yellow marked route. The intention is to allow players to resupply at the advancing support column, which means giving it time to catch up to your position. Doing so also gives you support from the 88s in the final battle. Like you said, I will try adding some supply vehicles that spawn in with the other platoons along the route.

 

I will also try lowering the volume on the voice lines. There must be a setting for audio I’m missing, because they are lines are not loud like that on my end.

 

The issue with waypoints not advancing is annoying. In “Navigating the Steppe”, your support Pz.III advanced through the waypoints without you because it believed you were out of commission. I could remove him, and it would give players the opportunity to repair tracks (it happened to me once as well, so it might be a common issue). The other waypoint problem is a mystery to me, because it doesn’t have a counter or any other requirements to advance other than getting near it. I’ll look into that one more. It doesn’t affect the outcome of the tank battle, as far as I know.

 

Spoiler

I heard you mention in the video that you make tank skins. Would you be interested in making some custom skins for the Pz.IIIs and IVs? Really just a solid grey or tan color with the 3^rd Motorized Infantry symbol. Pz.Abt.103 were known for their white numbers and the spare wheels stored on the turrets of the Pz.IVs (probably impossible to change wheel location without modifying the 3d model).

 

Here's a link with Pz.Abt.103 designs

 

Edited July 25, 2021 by Elliott543

[gunmetalstug]

@Elliott543, I'm glad you got a kick out of my playthrough! I hope it provided some context into my mission report. ? I was lucky enough not to get clapped out of the gate by all those Howitzers and Zis-3s, a more attentive player might have done even better, but getting ahead of the AI definitely helped me reduce their casualties. I would love to try your Volokolamsk Highway Campaign (and I would certainly stream it again), but I don't own the Battle of Moscow DLC so I'm not sure if I can play it. If I'm wrong I'll certainly be playing it soon.

 

Spoiler

Removing the second Panzer III might be a good call if it causes that error, especially if he's not really needed to clear out the partisans occupying the town.

 

Spoiler

I do indeed make skins (although the only major work I've done isn't particularly historical), but I'd be happy to whip up some Pz.Abt.103 skins for ya. I definitely can't change the positions of spare wheels, but the skins won't be much trouble at all... although I can't promise you any kind of delivery date. As for the numbers, do you care if I put any on there, or would you prefer I leave them blank? 

 

Thanks again for your hard work!

 

 

[Elliott543]

@gunmetalstugAh yes, Volokolamsk does require the Moscow map. As for the skins, probably best to leave them blank. That way I can assign the correct numbering for all the planned scenarios.  There are some good reference photos in Jason Mark's book Panzerkrieg, which has a detailed history of the Pz.Abt.103 at Stalingrad. I imagine the 3.Infanterie-Division insignia is on them somewhere.

[Emil109]

Hey, Very Thanks, good job ?

 

[FTC_Zero]

Any news about further content? I really enjoyed those missions so far and hope more are in the making 

Edited January 14, 2022 by FTC_Zero