Guernsey

**Size** | Small

Guernsey is an island in the English Channel, and conquering it requires an amphibious assault. Guernsey is a part of the Channel Islands Region.

## Features

### **Bases**

There are two main bases of operation on the island; the Airfield and the Main Harbor. Additionally, the attacking force has a fleet of ships, and it is also possible for the defending force to be reinforced by ships.

#### **Airfield**

The Airfield is in the South Central part of the island. The Airfield is vitally important to controlling the island, as bombers can be launched from there to disrupt attacks and fighters can be launched to fend off enemy planes. The Airfield is surrounded by many anti-aircraft weapons emplacements, including many autocannon emplacements alongside heavier flak guns.

##### **Aircraft Strength**

The airfield is large enough to support two squadrons of aircraft, usually a fighter squadron and a light or torpedo bomber squadron.

##### **Surrounding Area**

This part of the island's coast is almost completely made up of rocky cliffs, making striking at the Airfield from the sea rather difficult from the South. The area around and including the Airfield are also slightly elevated in relation to the rest of the map.

#### **Main Harbor**

The Main Harbor on Guernsey is on the Eastern Side of the Island in the Capital city of St. Peter Port. The port itself is protected by an ancient castle, which can be further fortified with modern weaponry to make a formidable obstacle to anyone attempting a landing near the harbor. Controlling the harbor is important for controlling the sea around the Island, since Seaplanes and Torpedo Boats, as well as larger ships are available there, and must go there to refuel and rearm.

##### **Seaplane Base**

The Seaplane Base is inside the Harbor. It is defended by a handful of anti-aircraft guns, and contains a few berths for seaplanes and a refueling station. Besides larger flying boats, the Seaplane Base also accommodates a handful of Floatplane Fighters, which are useful for frustrating small watercraft and landing attempts, as they are usually outmaneuvered by conventional fighters.

##### **Torpedo Boat Base**

The Torpedo Boat base is near the Harbor. It is near the Seaplane Base and is defended by its AA guns, as well as a handful of coastal guns. The Torpedo Boat Base accommodates several Torpedo Boats, which are useful for attacking larger craft deployed by the invading force. They can also lay mines and drop depth charges to combat submarines.

#### **Fleets**

##### **Offensive**

The fleet for the offensive team can be of a variable composition, depending upon how they are doing overall in the campaign. Obviously, if the campaign is going well (for example, if the team has previously captured nearby Plymouth) the player will have more and better ships available.

However, if the offensive is not going as well as they should, the fleet for the offensive team can be less impressive. Also, if the player does not have nearby ports, they may not have access to ships that have to withdraw from this map in future maps because they will have to sail very far to be repaired. Thus, before assaulting Guernsey, or any of the other Channel Islands, it is important to capture a nearby port.

##### **Defensive**

The fleet for the defensive team does not always make an appearance. However, it can be called in if needs be by the General if there is a nearby port or if there is a fleet in nearby waters.

The defensive fleet will probably be smaller than the offensive fleet, but it still goes a long way towards decreasing the effectiveness of the offensive fleet through direct attack.

### **Locations**

Guernsey is a somewhat small map. The main island, Guernsey, is mostly flat, with a limited elevation around the airfield region.

#### **St. Peter Port**

The capital of Guernsey also contains the Harbor Base. Thus, it is quite important to control it to prevent attacks on ships at sea.

Another important part of controlling Guernsey is controlling the roads, especially the coastal road and the roads that run through the center of the island. Since most of Guernsey is farm fields, some with heavy bushes and trees on both sides, being able to use the roads to move armored columns is a major advantage. Both these important passages pass through St. Peter Port, thus making controlling it all the more important.

#### **Coastal Road**

The coastal road on Guernsey goes right around the edge of the island, in some places going right up to the ocean. This road, needless to say, is a very important objective if one is moving around vehicles. It is possible to quickly land armored units and move them quite far inland via the coastal and other roads; thus, controlling this vital corridor is very important.

#### **Northern End of Island**

The Northern End of the Island is one of the best parts for a landing. Therefore, the northern end of the island usually ends up bearing the greatest amount of action. In particular, a cove at the northernmost tip of the island is highly suitable for a landing, but has a high seawall at the end of the beach making an ideal defensive position as well.