Valkyria Chronicles mission: Wildwood Warfare at Kloden
Objective was to occupy the enemy base. The company commander wanted us to take a tank platoon — A Platoon — through a heavily fortified frontal route, while a smaller infantry platoon — B Platoon == came around the less-fortified back.
This battle took place in the forest, so I swapped out all my city loving, nature hating squad members for ones that appreciated the outdoors like Welkin does. We found a winged piglet that we named "Hans" who served as our good-luck mascot.
The frontal route was fortified with two lancers and a medium tank — that would be enough to take out the Edelweiss in one turn, so I positioned it just out of range as I sent the infantry around back.
This mission added mines (for engineers to disable), assistance (for units that are friendly to each other) and panic.
Several shock troopers and scouts met us around the back. Making liberal use of save and load, I got the platoon in and took out the anti-tank cannon stationed on a ridge overlooking the enemy camp with my lancer. Unfortunately, the game threw in a high ranking enemy commander in a heavy tank who took out my shocktrooper and made it impossible for me to just go straight for the quick occupy finish.
I was going to have to go for the frontal assault after all. If you don't use up all your actions in one turn, you get them for the next, so I skipped a turn, and on the next turn I had plenty of actions available to take the Edelweiss to the enemy fortified position, take out the lancers and medium tank, and break open that position for the rest of the platoon to come in and occupy that position.
The next turn, I trundled into their base camp and just shot the enemy heavy tank at point blank range, again and again until I triggered another cutscene where the enemy tank commander pulled out and took all the remaining living troops with him.
An engineer from B Platoon officially occupied the base camp and we were done.
According to the scorecard, I got credit for the enemy commander. Obviously I didn't think of any way to finish this mission in one turn. I also lost a shock trooper after I failed to save her after many, many save game loads. She just didn't have the movement to escape the heavy tank's mortars. I tagged her with another unit so she would just get evaced instead of permanently dying, but it was a disappointment.
I thought I was supposed to get a lancer behind the heavy and take out its engine, but its anti-personnel gun, along with the shock troopers and scouts holding the base, made that impossible, and the terrain didn't allow me to sneak all around.
If I had to do it again (and I can't, you can't replay these missions once finished), I think I would move B platoon into their first point, and use the lancer (or maybe two) to help take care of the enemy lancers and medium tank as the Edelweiss and the rest of A platoon moved up from the front. Take the second point with A, then hold that while B moves up from behind and takes out the units outside the enemy base, and the anti-tank cannon on the ridge.
Then the Edelweiss moves up, and B platoon assaults the enemy tank when it moves up to attack Edelweiss.
That might have saved a turn or two, maybe. But a win is a win.
