The Destruction of Stratholme (WC2 Orc)

The Destruction of Stratholme is the tenth mission of the Horde campaign in Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness.

Mission briefing
''Stratholme, the chief source of Alliance Oil in the north, is preparing to deliver massive amounts of Oil to the kingdoms in western Lordaeron. You must sabotage their Refineries and Platforms to halt this shipment. Once Stratholme's ability to gather and process Oil is destroyed, proceed to crush any and all resistance offered by the Alliance.''

Objectives

 * Destroy all Oil Platforms
 * Destroy Refineries
 * Destroy Stratholme

Background

 * Note: this account comes from the Official Strategy Guide, which features a first-person description of each mission from the game.

First the Horde unit's sappers had to blow a path inland for its troops; this provided an impressive display of their talents. Their plan was to take the city by land first, then to build ships to finish the job, so their forces prepared to march further north after slaughtering the Alliance forces to the east. One of the Horde's slaves remained to build a great hall to the north of the gold mine nearby; the rest headed out to set up closer to the enemy city. Again they gutted any enemies they encountered, but avoided the large clearing at the city entrance, not wishing to draw their attention before they could build. They built a second hall as close to the west as possible to impede enemy forces coming from that direction. With supplementary income from the southern mine and more workers from both halls, resources piled up quickly and they could build as fast as possible.

They had to erect several structures before building up for the land assault. First was a barracks to start the training of grunts, for they would need all the forces they could muster to defend the settlement. A lumber mill and a blacksmith went up next, then a second barracks to double their troop production. They were careful not to cut lumber near the hall, instead sending the slaves further north, so that the tree-line remained a good natural barrier. Many cannon towers were erected behind the pig farms to the west; these pounded enemies as they tried to break through. Catapults were placed near these towers to make sure enemy ballistae did not attack the towers unmolested. While the hall was upgraded into a fortress, an ogre mound, an alchemist, and an Altar of Storms were their final tasks; the buildup begun in earnest.

They assembled a huge group of ogre magi and catapults for the first wave of the attack, armed with the best possible weapons, armor, and spells, then moved northeast to assault the city from the rear. After they had killed the forces outside the city wall, catapults rolled up and smashed a path through to the inside. Enemy units began pouring through, but the Horde's magi with bloodlust made quick work of them. After briefly entering the walls to draw out defenders, the Horde began producing sappers back in their settlement, which now had a clear path on which to enter and demolish structures at will with ogre escorts. Slowly they worked their way westward, removing towers and ballistae first and defending their catapults with troops. Within a short time, the city laid in ruins. At their leisure, they built a shipyard to take care of any targets beyond the range of their catapults. The Alliance knew Urok's commander's name now, and Urok believed they would soon know their Maker as well.

Forces

 * Orcish Horde
 * Grunts
 * Axethrowers
 * Berserkers
 * Ogres
 * Ogre magi
 * Catapults
 * Sappers
 * Zeppelins
 * Warships


 * Alliance of Lordaeron
 * Footmen
 * Archers
 * Rangers
 * Knights
 * Paladins
 * Ballistae
 * Mages
 * Demolition Squads
 * Flying machines
 * Warships