D-Day: Operation Utah Beach

[Frostbow]

I've been playing the D-Day Operation for a few days, and I think Atlanta is hands down the best ship for this. I've tried it a number of times and it really shines.

However, I wanted to play the Operation using other ships. I tried Helena, Marblehead, and Agincourt, but I somehow did not find the experience enjoyable. Marblehead is particularly vulnerable to air attacks. Battleships are simply too slow for my liking. And when there is an Atlanta on the team (and often there are at least two), it would be a struggle to sink a number of enemy ships as the light cruisers have already eaten all the bots alive by the time my shells land. 

I tried the Boise and I think this ship gives a better balance between firepower and survivability. The main batter reload is of course slower than the Atlanta or Flint, but the ship is able to survive longer due to her Repair Party.

Having a Repair Party greatly helps. Those T-22s—which can go (to my tired old eyes) as fast as a Kleber—can be highly accurate. During my first few games with the Atlanta, I tried moving closer, and the ship was not able to last long under sustained fire from the German destroyers. The Boise's Repair Party can help the ship survive, and allow it to push the DDs back. (I have the Fiji and it has Repair Party also; but my none of my British Captains are willing to retrain.)

• One thing I noticed is the short life span of rented ships. Nearly every rented ship I've seen were the first to die. And if they manage to stay alive, they would just sail around like it is a coastal tour. There was this one renter who literally parked his cruiser at Grid J6; he must have been trying to see if he can view Carentan from that spot.
• On my second game I tried to focus on clearing minefields and taking out those AA and coastal guns; however the XP was not that good.
• If a Schnellboot manages to escape, it can be challenging to find the sucker. It is hilarious how fast and nimble they are. At ranges of more than 6 kilometers they can be excruciatingly difficult to hit. I wonder if Wargaming will introduce them in Random Battles in the future. 
• There were times I wanted to get as many ribbons as I can using the Atlanta: mines destroyed, minefields cleared, aircraft shot down, ships sunk, coastal guns destroyed, etc. but I have not yet been successful in staying alive until the end. The last stage can be particularly difficult.
• I am playing solo and I have not made 5 stars yet. 3, 4, yes, but never 5. I've seen New Mexicos and Agincourts get confused very easily on their respective roles.

So far my best non-Atlanta game has been with the Boise. 100602 Damage, 2224 Base XP, and 13 kills. 

 

[HamptonRoads]

I find Fiji is just as successful as Atlanta.  Fiji has firing guns to deal with the torpedo boats and destroyers, and her AP shells can take down the coastal fortifications quickly.  She has smoke and heals to enhance her longevity.  She also has rolling depth charges to deal with the minefields.  The only drawback that she has is that her shells can't deal with airfields.

[Frostbow]

1 hour ago, HamptonRoads said:

I find Fiji is just as successful as Atlanta.  Fiji has firing guns to deal with the torpedo boats and destroyers, and her AP shells can take down the coastal fortifications quickly.  She has smoke and heals to enhance her longevity.  She also has rolling depth charges to deal with the minefields.  The only drawback that she has is that her shells can't deal with airfields.

Will definitely try Fiji soon. I'm rusty already; the last time I brought Fiji for Operations was an eternity ago.

[hipcanuck]

While the WV44 is slow, its got great AA, decent secondaries if you build for it and enough hitting power to kill one of the airbases. Shooting at the E boats is a waste of time however as your guns often dont turn fast enough to track them

 

[Frostbow]

4 hours ago, hipcanuck said:

Shooting at the E boats is a waste of time however as your guns often dont turn fast enough to track them

And they are hilariously fast!  😄

[meatgrindr]

5 hours ago, hipcanuck said:

While the WV44 is slow, its got great AA, decent secondaries if you build for it and enough hitting power to kill one of the airbases. Shooting at the E boats is a waste of time however as your guns often dont turn fast enough to track them

 

Yep- ran it last night, 6 of 8 kills from 2nd's.

[Captain_82]

Experienced my second defeat - until the end the main objective "Destroy at least three coastal guns" was active although the team finished the secondary objective to kill 7 guns ...

[GandalfTehGray]

8 hours ago, Captain_82 said:

Experienced my second defeat - until the end the main objective "Destroy at least three coastal guns" was active although the team finished the secondary objective to kill 7 guns ...

Weird definitely a bug worth reporting if you didn't. 

[Dutchy_2019]

Had fun last night, ended up in a full div with a streamer. 

 

First did a few T7 runs - 5-starred some of them. Then did an all T6 run (btw, Leander is NOT good for this mode), got a 5 star there as well, and then decided to trie-hard for an all T5 div. Against our expectations we managed a 5 star there as well. The Schnellboote were an issue, indeed due to turret turn and relatively slow reloads. The Documents were a great help.

 

[invicta2012]

On 6/6/2024 at 4:56 PM, Frostbow said:

Marblehead is particularly vulnerable to air attacks.

Make friends with an Atlanta, get the Fighter consumable working. I actually really enjoyed playing her in this mode - her guns aren't great against the Schnellboots but with the Destroyer intelligence you can really whack the enemy destroyers (wiggle that bow, the casemated guns at the front mean you can get a lot of shells away and show no side). You have destroyer handling and hydro to help you stay alive, and her torpedoes are excellent nuisance tools. 

[Frostbow]

Finally! I got my first ★★★★★ Operation Utah Beach. 9 kills, 3 minefields cleared, and 203 mines destroyed. Getting 5 stars has been very difficult as I play solo, but here it is, finally, with a team of players who know how to follow the Primary and Secondary Tasks.

This was with the Atlanta, hands down that best ship for Operation Utah Beach.

Now the next challenge would be to get another 5 stars in solo play using a different ship!

[invicta2012]

Getting a bit bored with the minefield part of this mission. Not having played randoms with submarines, I hadn't realised what a dull little mini-game anti-sub warfare (and, in this case, anti-mine warfare) is. 

[pepe_trueno]

On 6/6/2024 at 12:56 PM, Frostbow said:

 

• One thing I noticed is the short life span of rented ships. Nearly every rented ship I've seen were the first to die. And if they manage to stay alive, they would just sail around like it is a coastal tour. There was this one renter who literally parked his cruiser at Grid J6; he must have been trying to see if he can view Carentan from that spot.
•  

if you see multiple la galisson is auto defeat 😆

 

if you have the renown 44 give it a try, is super for this mode with its fast speed and fast firing secondary guns 

 

[Captain_82]

Not a great match; just played Pensa here for the lulz (secondary build).

[Tpaktop2_1 NA]

Have you tried the Tier VII Eendracht Dutch cruiser? You can one shot the airfields and AA batteries with the airstrikes. DFAA is good vs the enemy planes. Also you can Depth Charge the mine fields like crazy. And the final point is that the guns are good versus the S-boats and enemy DD's. The only thing I have to watch out for is the enemy torps.

[Frostbow]

I got my second ★★★★★, this time with the De Grasse! 

1 hour ago, Tpaktop2_1 NA said:

Have you tried the Tier VII Eendracht Dutch cruiser? You can one shot the airfields and AA batteries with the airstrikes. DFAA is good vs the enemy planes. Also you can Depth Charge the mine fields like crazy. And the final point is that the guns are good versus the S-boats and enemy DD's. The only thing I have to watch out for is the enemy torps.

Thanks for the suggestion, will definitely try that!

[Dutchy_2019]

On 6/10/2024 at 2:36 PM, Tpaktop2_1 NA said:

Have you tried the Tier VII Eendracht Dutch cruiser? You can one shot the airfields and AA batteries with the airstrikes. DFAA is good vs the enemy planes. Also you can Depth Charge the mine fields like crazy. And the final point is that the guns are good versus the S-boats and enemy DD's. The only thing I have to watch out for is the enemy torps.

Don't have her.

Impression is that Atlanta and Eendracht might overall be the strongest ships for this Op. With the Eendracht bomb drop having the advantage (or it should be) you are not as limited in range as Atlanta when targeting things on land.

[Captain_82]

Atlanta 79k, Mahan 44k.

[xamdam]

I'm curious how many here were around when Operation Dynamo (Dunkirk) was a thing? This feels like a reboot to me. Which makes me wonder why they can't bring Dynamo back into the rotation. Some of the most fun I had (admittedly, in divisions). It had minefields (static, and marked on the minimap) Schnell Bootes (not any different than the ones now) galore, in fact the only surface vessels you had to shoot and was limited to a few allied Destroyers. Sims was great in that Op. Both for AA (oh, that's the reason...) and for smacking the S-Bootes, although you had to aim off screen for half of them. Good times were had.

I used to play it a lot on the SEA server before it got pulled (and before I migrated "back" to NA, after starting WOT here).

Utah is an Atlanta Op. And a div / knowledgeable player Op. When the right elements combine, it's not so hard to get 5 stars. That said, I've only gotten a few due to the fact that I only join random queues anymore.

 

[xamdam]

I should say, "feels like a lazy reboot"... It could have been done so much better given the years of development in between...

[Frostbow]

30 minutes ago, xamdam said:

I'm curious how many here were around when Operation Dynamo (Dunkirk) was a thing? This feels like a reboot to me. Which makes me wonder why they can't bring Dynamo back into the rotation. Some of the most fun I had (admittedly, in divisions). It had minefields (static, and marked on the minimap) Schnell Bootes (not any different than the ones now) galore, in fact the only surface vessels you had to shoot and was limited to a few allied Destroyers. Sims was great in that Op. Both for AA (oh, that's the reason...) and for smacking the S-Bootes, although you had to aim off screen for half of them. Good times were had.

It was already pulled when I started playing the game. I hope they bring it back again. 

33 minutes ago, xamdam said:

Utah is an Atlanta Op. And a div / knowledgeable player Op. When the right elements combine, it's not so hard to get 5 stars. That said, I've only gotten a few due to the fact that I only join random queues anymore.

I've been playing solo and I only got 5 stars (once with the De Grasse; twice with the Atlanta). Most of the time I see rented ships not doing what they are supposed to do. There's too much ground to cover for one if the rest just sail around like it was a virtual tour of Utah Beach.

36 minutes ago, xamdam said:

It could have been done so much better given the years of development in between...

Someone inside Wargaming must hate Operations with a passion. LOL

[Leo_Apollo11]

Hi all,

  

50 minutes ago, xamdam said:

I'm curious how many here were around when Operation Dynamo (Dunkirk) was a thing? This feels like a reboot to me. Which makes me wonder why they can't bring Dynamo back into the rotation. Some of the most fun I had (admittedly, in divisions). It had minefields (static, and marked on the minimap) Schnell Bootes (not any different than the ones now) galore, in fact the only surface vessels you had to shoot and was limited to a few allied Destroyers. Sims was great in that Op. Both for AA (oh, that's the reason...) and for smacking the S-Bootes, although you had to aim off screen for half of them. Good times were had.

I used to play it a lot on the SEA server before it got pulled (and before I migrated "back" to NA, after starting WOT here).

I played it a lot whenever it was available - I even bought Sims especially for it! 🙂

I liked it and I was sad when it was gone... 😞

 

50 minutes ago, xamdam said:

Utah is an Atlanta Op. And a div / knowledgeable player Op. When the right elements combine, it's not so hard to get 5 stars. That said, I've only gotten a few due to the fact that I only join random queues anymore.

Atlanta is monster for it now!

But on PTS "(Public Test Server") when this first arrived for testing Atlanta was not a good ships for it - the shore batteries and enemy ships and aircraft were murderously accurate - Atlanta doesn't have heal and you would usually die very fast - so I used Fiji and it was OK.

The WG changed this a lot since  original PTS and made it a lot easier... Atlanta now shines...

 

Leo "Apollo11"

[invicta2012]

1 hour ago, Leo_Apollo11 said:

But on PTS "(Public Test Server") when this first arrived for testing Atlanta was not a good ships for it - the shore batteries and enemy ships and aircraft were murderously accurate - Atlanta doesn't have heal and you would usually die very fast - so I used Fiji and it was OK.

Memories of Bastion mode there. WG isn't logging the development process the way the players do, so they keep on making the same mistakes.

As we have forts in several Ops WG should have their dispersion data sorted by now - they want to be a threat if the players get too close or have to pass a choke point; otherwise they're not that much cop. 

[Frostbow]

On 6/8/2024 at 7:37 PM, Frostbow said:

Finally! I got my first ★★★★★ Operation Utah Beach. 9 kills, 3 minefields cleared, and 203 mines destroyed. Getting 5 stars has been very difficult as I play solo, but here it is, finally, with a team of players who know how to follow the Primary and Secondary Tasks.

https://youtu.be/eHhp6T5eKoA?list=TLPQMTIwNjIwMjT0Xg4OYaM-bQ