P.O.W. #6:

S/M = Supply/Messenger (no weapon)

To start, I had to make a couple of assumptions about the situation and the map. The first is that the white areas are grassy/open areas and do not contain objects to hide behind (e.g. trees, rocks). Also, it is assumed that the river is impassable, that’s why the bridge is there. And the final assumption is that with the exception of the northern part of the map, the other three sides cannot be crossed (this way the enemy won’t appear out of nowhere from the bottom of the map).

How do you know that the top side is North? Granted, everyone knows what you mean, but you should be careful about that sort of thing.  For my RPG I made a map and intentionally rotated the compass rose about 135 degrees just to get everyone confused during the game.

Next, I tried to figure out what the enemy would do. I figured that they had probably as many regiments as myself (I find it difficult to believe that there would only be those 3 enemy regiments as shown on the original map). I decided that the most regiments that they could send against me is 6, although 5 is more likely, because they probably have a headquarters and possibly a bridge or two to guard to the north. Then I determined what were the strategic positions of the map. They are the hilly area to the northeast (it could be used watch the trail and a good portion of the eastern and southern grassy areas), the forested region to the north (it could be possible to hide a large force in there and attack both trails in the area), and the bridge (because it would be the only way for forces to move from west to east since the river is impassable). The enemy operation would most likely include securing these locations. I figured the enemy operation would consist of two prongs, a west and an east. The west prong would consist of probably two regiments whose objective would be to secure the bridge. The east prong would consist of probably three regiments whose objective would be to secure both the forested and the hilly regions using a regiment at each location. This would leave one regiment for them to place, and I think that it would go on the trail between the forest and hills. The final enemy regiment would go there because by looking at the original map (which is probably intelligence they have), that region contains a single regiment whereas two more heavy armed regiments guard the other trail. Also, the enemy would probably want to concentrate their forces.

If, as you pointed out, they want to consolidate their forces, I find it unlikely that they would send a third of them over to the "west" side to fight their way across the bridge.  Because the "west" side has two narrower bottlenecks than the "east" -- specifically, a shorter border and the bridge -- it can be defended much more efficiently, and therefore the only advantage to attacking that side would be in the hopes that you would not be guarding it, or to draw your troops off.  Keep this in mind while we go over the rest of the solution.

I also feel compelled to point out that while the locations you mentioned might be strategically important to defense, they are less so to offense, particularly the mountainous region, because while it would allow a wide angle of observation, climbing down a slope would drastically reduce the speed of your charge to intercept any forces you spotted.

Since western side of the map is smaller and the eastern side offers more places for the enemy to hide and maneuver, I decided to take a defensive position in the west and secure the east. Forces in the west will hold their position while the eastern forces advance. After the east is secured, forces could be moved to the west and secure that region.

A classic solution to the two-border problem: use the minimum possible troops on one so you can focus on the other.  Just be careful that you don't misjudge the minimum . . .

The 1^st regiment will be moved to the bridge. It will set-up heavy fortifications (trenches, barricades) there and will attempt to block the enemy at the river should the 2^nd regiment fall back to that position. The 1^st will not try to advance, but only maintain its position. The 1^st and 2^nd will hold the bridge at all costs. The 1^st will have mostly large CPS and XP weaponry. There will be no change in personnel.

The fortifications that can be erected in one night may or may not be significant, depending on the supplies available.  If you have materials to build a barricade, that should go relatively quickly, but I doubt you can make particularly significant progress in digging trenches.

Also, I should point out that your battle plan has now deviated from the map you included . It looks as though you just printed the numbers 1 and 3 in the wrong places on the map (juding from the solution and the position listings in the table).

The 2^nd regiment will be moved to the west, across the bridge, to the border. It also will set-up heavy fortifications there and will attempt to block the enemy at the border. Like the 1^st, the 2^nd will not try to advance, but only maintain its position. If it is questionable as to whether it can hold or not, it will fall back to the bridge and join up with the 1^st regiment. The 2^nd will have two pairs of spies to assess the enemy’s movement and strength, and will have mostly large CPS and XP weaponry. There will be no change in personnel.

We should note here that if the 2^nd regiment is forced to retreat, the enemy will be able to possess any fortifications created by them. Neither barricades nor trenches (which both face the problems listed above) work only in a certain direction, although if you place barricades immediately in front of trenches to combine the effects, the enemy may be forced to move the barricades over the trenches to make maximum use of the fortifications themselves.

Furthermore, it is worth pointing out that because regiment 1 has been instructed to build defenses facing a certain direction, they will be extremely vulnerable to attack from the other direction, so if the enemy breaks through your lines on the "east" and they are not warned before the enemies reach them, their combat effectiveness will be drastically reduced, giving the enemy a major edge. The same applies to regiment 2, but I don't think the enemy would bother sweeping down your "east" flank and then go up your "west" without first taking control of your HQ (and any regiments in the "east" are safe from rear attacks for the same reason, barring a breach in the lines on the "east" and some quick/cunning enemy maneuvers).

I also find it curious that you expect to be attacked by 2 regiments of troops but you only have 1 guarding at the border and another regiment, also guarding the "west," but 2/3 of the way back to your HQ at the bridge. You've heard of "divide and conquer?" You're doing the first half for your enemy already!

The 3^rd regiment will be moved to Headquarters. It will set-up heavy fortifications there and during the battle will operate a large number of spies (with XP 35’s, 40’s, and possibly 65’s) and supply/messengers to communicate throughout the battle if radio equipment isn’t available. Although the 3^rd will set-up fortifications, it is unlikely that it will see any combat, that is why most of the bigger weapons are out in the field and the 3^rd, with the exception of the two CPS 3000’s, has all smaller grade weaponry. There will be no change in personnel.

Maybe it's just me, but setting up fortifications around a building and then sending out a bunch of troops from them so you probably can no longer effectively man them. If they do see combat, and end up retreating into the building, the enemy will, of course, turn those fortifications against them. Also, because digging trenches may prove impractical and I'm sure you're limited on supplies for barricades, any materials or tools used to set up fortifications around HQ might be better used elsewhere.

The 4^th regiment will be moved slightly to the west onto the trail. It will set-up heavy fortifications there and will attempt to block the enemy at the border, too. The 4^th will not try to advance, but only maintain its position (the idea being that while the enemy is attacking the 4^th, other friendly regiments will move in on the enemy’s flanks and trap them). The 4^th will have two pairs of spies to assess the enemy’s movement and strength, and will have mostly large CPS and XP weaponry. The 4^th will have one officer added to assist in the execution and communications of the battle.

Of course, same difficulties with fortifications (building and risk of enemy capture) as every other time you've used them. That's an awful lot of . . . what are you using, carboard boxes?

The 5^th regiment will be moved to the east and north along the center trail to the border. It will set-up light fortifications there (mostly barricades, something that won’t slow them down if they need to move out quickly). I moved the 5^th there in case I was wrong about which trail the enemy would attack or if the enemy has six regiments. The 5^th will use its two pairs of spies (with XP 35’s and 40’s) to determine if there is an enemy force moving to attack their position. If there is, they’ll hold their position until the enemy is repelled, then move to the north then the east. If there isn’t, they’ll move out immediately to the north then the east. They will meet up with 6^th regiment in the woods and head east. The 5^th will have a combination of CPS and medium grade XP weaponry. The 5^th will have two officers added to assist in the execution and communications of the battle.

Any fortifications will hinder movement to a certain extent. In fact, often that's their primary purpose. Same problems with building and potential capture as before.

I find it interesting that you think the enemy will take the "easternmost" trail and not this central one. I notice, for example, that this regiment is slightly less well-armed than the 4^th, that they have been instructed to use lighter fortifications, that you have given them the harder assignment of advancing, and that you plan to send no troops in that direction to check up on them (none noted  yet, at any rate).

You're wagering an awful lot on your guess of which trail the enemy will use, and frankly I disagree with you. The mountainous region obviously has more defensive value than the riverbed, making the "easternmost" trail more perilous for attackers, and it is a more direct route to your HQ, making it a more obvious route, which (assuming the competence of the enemy commander) will be factored into the enemy plans, because they'll assume that they'd be inclined to choose it, and correctly so.

The 6^th regiment will be moved to the north and into the wooded area along the border. It will move north and secure the wooded region, meet up with the 5^th regiment, then move to the east. The 6^th will have two pairs of spies to assess the enemy’s position, strength, and to find any snipers that may be amongst the trees. Most of the confrontations the 6^th will be involved in will occur at close range, therefore the 6^th will be outfitted with mostly small CPS and medium XP weaponry, since it will be more advantageous for them to have speed and stealth instead of power. The 6^th will have one officer added to assist in the execution and communications of the battle.

The combat effectiveness of regiment 6 may be somewhat limited compared to the others, but it is clearly not inconsequential, and I agree that it is more suited to combat in a forested region.

It occurs to me, though, that in the forest and mountains, and possibly river are the only practical places for spies (based on your earlier assumption that the white areas had no cover or concealment), and therefore spies in regiments 4 and 5 are futile and should be assigned more productive duties. Recon detachments for scouting ahead may be applied successfully, but only at close range, so they may not be effective.

I recommend you include orders for both regiments 5 and 6 regarding what they should do in the event that they do not meet up with each other in the forest. For example, you might tell them to split up so they can try to help both regiment 4 and the missing regiment in any battles that they may have encountered. This contingency must be taken care of if for no other reason than that regiment 5 may be pinned down if the enemy attack their trail (or both trails).

The 7^th regiment will be moved to the northeast into the hilly region along the border. It will move north and secure the rest of the hilly region and keep watch over the 4^th regiment’s position and will provide personnel to the 4^th if necessary. When the 5^th and 6^th regiments move out of the trees, the 7^th will move down the hills and will help trap the enemy forces. The 7^th will have a combination of CPS and medium grade XP weaponry, and will have one officer added to assist in the execution and communications of the battle.

I recommend that a small contingent of snipers be left in the hills to prevent any enemy forces from sneaking through. Also, CPS weapons may be inappropriate in a downhill charge, because of the troops have to fall back for any reason, they'll be running uphill and pumping frantically, since CPS weapons are notorious for running out of pressure just when you need it most. Might it not be more effective to have them STAY in the hills so they can still cut off escape from that side, but not actually join the battle unless it is necessary?

Of course, if you're just absolutely determined to have them all sweep down from the hills and close in on some enemies, you'll also need some way to coordinate with regiments 5 and 6, which you neglected to mention.