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Operation Europe: Path to Victory (ヨーロッパ戦線, Europa Sensen) is a combat simulation title based on the major campaigns of World War II.

Kou Shibusawa is the producer of the game. Noriyoshi Ourai illustrated the cover while Yuji Ohno composed the background music.

Gameplay[]

The player is a commander who must organize an entire army to invade or defend cities throughout Europe and North Africa. After choosing a scenario and one of two sides (Allies or Axis), the player is free to set officer stats via roulette and designate a position for seven of them. Once this is done, they must fulfill the scenario's victory conditions in order to win.

Strategy[]

This phase has the player issue commands to their army. Decisions include requesting for reinforcements, ordering more weapons, reshuffling different regiments, etc. These actions, when executed with flexible planning, may help ease resource costs and enemy encounters. Once the player's turn ends, their orders will immediately be carried out.

The game allows players to override previous commands and delegate minor tasks to other divisions. Players can check surroundings using the map pointer and scrollable display. Capturing cities is crucial for supplies storage and protecting against opposing forces. The game has a day and night cycle, with each command turn lasting 1 hour. Six weather types are present, with the last five hampering movement and affecting enemy detection. The game's unpredictable nature adds to its unpredictability.

Strategy Commands
  • Tactics (TACT) - Contains an assortment of commands to dictate a division's actions. Regiment type determines what type of orders can be made.
    • Move - Move a regiment to a specified location.
    • Attack (ATCK) - Attack an enemy regiment. Only available to battle units.
    • Supply (SPLY) - Supply another regiment with goods from own stock or the city.
    • Occupy (OCPY) - Take over an enemy city. Only available to battle units.
    • Defend (DFND) - Defend an ally city from enemy attack. Only available to battle units.
    • Sabotage (SBTG) - Destroy a bridge. Only available to battle and engineer units.
    • Pursue (PRSU) - Follow and support an ally regiment.
    • Rest - Select a regiment's resting spot. Reduces fatigue levels.
    • Mine - Lay or remove land mines. Cannot be used in rivers, bridges, or cities. Only available to engineer units.
    • Bridge (BRDG) - Construct a bridge to pass through rivers. Only available to engineer units.
    • Repair (FIX) - Repair damaged weaponry in battle. Can repair those belonging to defending units when in cities. Only available to supply units.
  • Information (INFO) - Consists of commands related to information gathering. Has unlimited uses and does not consume time.
    • Officers (OFCR) - View data on officers of both sides of the war.
    • Arms - View data on both sides' weapon equipment.
    • Victory (VICT) - Display victory conditions for the current scenario.
    • Unit - View information on ally or enemy units.
    • City - View information on ally or enemy cities.
  • Requests (ASK) - Request for the delivery of materials and arms to a selected city. Can be denied if there is not enough to supply.
    • Reinforcements (XMEN) - Request for another regiment to join the service. The following regiments that can be sent are infantry, mechanized infantry, armored infantry, and artillery.
  • Special Forces (SPFC) - Commands involving espionage, sabotage, and other covert activities.
    • Raid - Execute a surprise raid on an enemy city or regiment. If successful, the enemy's defending forces and soldier strength will be reduced.
    • Sabotage (SBTG) - Sabotage an enemy city. If successful, the targeted city's endurance level and supply stock will plummet.
    • Cut - Hinder the enemy's activities by cutting off their communication links. This prevents affected units or cities from receiving additional orders until repairs are made.
    • Eliminate (ELIM) - Assassinate an enemy regiment's commander. Doing so reduces the whole unit's battle performance.
    • Info - Send spies to infiltrate enemy cities and regiments for information. If successful, the enemy's target as well as their overall strength will be revealed.
  • Transfer (MOVE) - Commands that involve transferring personnel to different units or positions.
    • Army (AHQ) - Transfer army commander headquarters to another battalion.
    • Division (DHQ) - Transfer division commander headquarters to another regiment.
    • Personnel (OFCR) - Replace current division commanders and chiefs of staff with generals on standby.
  • Organize (ORGZ) - Commands used for organizing unit formations.
    • Unit - Organize battalions within each regiment. Can only be done with adjoining regiments of the same type or those within cities.
    • City - Organize a city's supply of ammo, fuel, and food.
  • Airforce (AIR) - Commands that employ the use of aerial warfare.
    • Bomb - Bombard approaching tank units. Employed after one hour and requires good weather conditions in order to work. Can be thwarted by enemy planes and anti-aircraft fire.
    • Paratroop (PARA) - Deploy paratroop units to a specified target. Upon landing, they are added to the player's forces as a new regiment.
    • Airdrop (CRGO) - Deploy cargo planes to transport supplies. If the number of materials is too much for a city or battalion, the excess amount will be discarded.
  • Wait - Refrain from making commands. The player can select how much time the command may consume with 24 hours being the maximum amount.

Terrain during the strategy phase is ranked with 1 being best and 4 as the worst.

Terrain Speed Paradrop Airdrop Attributes
City 1 4 2 None
Plains 2 2 2 None
Road 1 2 2 None
Bridge 1 4 4 Can be destroyed by battle and engineer units.
River 4 4 4 Only infantry units can cross this terrain.
Forest 3 4 4 None
Hill 3 2 2 None
Sea 4 4 4 None
Wasteland 3 2 2 Vulnerable to bombing attacks.
Swamp 4 4 4 None
Desert 3 2 2 None
Land Mine 4 4 4 Undetected land mines can be made visible by engineer units.


Battle[]

Battles are played on an overhead map with units from both sides facing each other. Players can control their regiments or delegate control to division commanders. To capture a city, players must defeat all defending units. Supply materials, such as ammo, fuel, and food, are essential for prolonging battles. Stalemates may occur if players don't discover more enemy reserves. The game ends when either side wins or the time limit ends, and a division commander may die if a commander dies.

Battle Commands
  • Move - The battalion's ability to cross a specific distance depends on factors such as experience, fatigue, and terrain type.
  • Attack - Attack a specific area within range.
  • Raid - Move towards a specific area and launch an attack.
  • Defend - Launch an attack against approaching foes while not moving.
  • Retreat - Retreat from battle. Requires the battalion to reach a specified escape spot for retreat to succeed. Cannot be done if there is no fuel, another regiment is nearby, an enemy city is present, or if land mines are positioned.
  • Full Command - Assign all battalions to perform any of the aforementioned commands in tandem.

Below is a list of battlefield terrain types that affect a battalion's combat performance. Like the terrain found during the strategy phase, they are ranked with 1 being best and 4 as the worst.

Terrain Speed Defense Attributes
Building 4 2 Found in cities. Only infantry battalions may enter.
Encampment 4 1 Found in cities. Only infantry and artillery battalions may enter.
Plains 2 4 None
Road 1 4 None
Forest 3 2 None
River 4 4 Only infantry battalions may enter.
Wasteland 3 3 None
Swamp 3 4 None
Desert 3 4 None
Hill 3 3 Provides strategic position for artillery units.


Scenarios[]

The game includes six historical scenarios that cover a specific portion of the whole war.

  1. Occupation of France (May 10~June 22, 1940)
  2. North African War (May 26~July 5, 1942)
  3. Fierce Battles at Kursk (July 5~September 5, 1943)
  4. Storming of Normandy (June 6~August 19, 1944)
  5. Battle of the Bulge (December 16, 1944~January 21, 1945)
  6. Fight for Berlin (April 16~May 16, 1945)

Differences between ports[]

  • The Japanese version has an extra mode known as Campaign. It allows players to play through each scenario in the proper order while retaining experience points gained by officers.

Related Media[]

A guide handbook for the game was released by Koei on 1992.

External Links[]

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