Splash

Not that I want to critical or anything -- (I mean you guys can laugh at me and my Power mac and 2 meg graphics all you want.) But will it ever be possible to get those things to actually sit on the ground. To me there's always something of Disney's "hippo with tutu" what with that perky little ass of their's (the tank I mean -- not the crew) sitting up and out just so. Or is it just me?

Just off the top of my head Canadian Sunset Look at Guy Lombardo Ruth Lowe's I'll Never Smile Again I believe recorded by Frank Sinatra [ June 06, 2002, 10:11 AM: Message edited by: Splash ]

Blazing Bump er Batman

The Long and Short of it Witko/German vs. Splash/Canucks Looking over the map I felt the road junction and flag fell to the Germans -- lots of places to dig in and fight. Having no AT assets or armour I felt the right flank was too exposed to any sorts of shelling. April! I don't think the wheat is high yet. To this end I massed my entire Co. on my left flank (East) along the road and humped all the way down my left side into the woods that nestled the town. Except for the start the route was concealed by a ridge right down to the woods which then lead right into town. The downside and upside of my plan was to fight across the town towards the flag the whole stretch could be backed up by my HW's and Sextons sitting along the top end ready for a festive pound the town My right flank was devoid of any assets but a vickers and mortar with PHQ held the middle in the wheatfield at the lip of the road. Between these two flanks I moved in the remainder of my mortars and one Vickers (past the road in the scrub around the knoll). The third Vickers went with my left flank rush. At this point I was expecting the Germans to have a Heavy Weapons component ---- Arty for sure. With the arrival of my second Co. I pushed one platoon over to fill my right flank(West), the second joined the middle Vickers/mortar component in front of my flag and the 3rd went down the road to serve as reinforcements for the Co. already in the woods, I ran my Arty down to join the first Co. in the woods -- He was my lone AT asset. Eventually the 2nd platoon joined in on my left flank leaving my right to be held by 1 platoon. I wasn't too worried about a rush to my flag as I would have them in a VEE crossfire. No AT assets is no AT assets-- I was vulnerable everywhere to that fact. The 3 Sextons were distributed across my front on the three hills running parallel with my back flag and started the process of keeping Witko out of any 2nd floor buildings. Eventually with my troops in the woods I had a birds eye view of Witko's movements and could choose the appropriate buildings with a fair degree of confidence. This is all occurring up to the 14th move. Somewhere in here a Bird showed up (much to my dismay) and I could here a 2nd near my Co, in the woods. My Sexton managed a pop at Bird 1 which sent it back out of sight. My determination was that my Sextons had no chance against the Birds. These things manage to shoot planes out of the sky. So I kept my Sextons doing area fires, creating building damage and the occasional pot shot at the troops or a Bird. Witko's old Windy showed up on my right flank (personally I see no difference between a Bird or a Wind). I was doing a Topsy - Lowsky with 1 Sexton on area fire and I shaved it down to just barely and temporally exposed and the Wind trying to pop it off. Worked for about 2 minutes but finally Windy figured it all out and the Sexton went down. It was a sacrifice I was willing to accept but it meant a tighter control on the remaining 2. All by turn 14 or so. Turn 14 My plan was to spring my trap in the woods at turn 15/16. I was waiting for Witko to move his right flank into position. My front looked like an L lying on it's back and I had to keep Witko's front inside that L which is to say entirely within the town. By turn 14 Witko's right flank had shown up. Some were nicely exposed in the open hiding behind the buildings my Sextons were shelling. One of these elements brushed too close to one of my squads and the fire fight began. So began my attempt to kill 2 birds with one stone's worth of arty. I knew a second Vec was waiting just to the side of where the fire fight began so I had arty target that area where it would pop out to help in quelling my troops. It went swimmingly Bird 2 shows Arty falls. At this point I expect the Bird to pull back -- if it comes forward it enters my Piat kill zone (90 metres or less) and he can't know that I don't have any! Well Witko pulls a newbie. Unbuttoned the Bird drives right through my shelling to within 30 metres of my squads and about 45 metres from arty. My kingdom for a piat! Nay even rifle grenades! It was a pisser! Just to stop and make a point I kept Arty and my mortars always under combat bonus command. The best I could give these boys in shooting ability I made sure they had. This sequence took about 40 shells over 2 turns. OK my arty is staring right into the Bird. I have my troops crawling out of it's way and I'm doing damage to his troops but this tin can with a MG is sitting forward of his troops and I have to wait. First minute nothing- shells are dropping everywhere around it -- he is so close that the outside shells are hitting nearer to me than to Witko's own troops! The agony and waste of it! 2nd minute nothing (110 shells left or so) No wait! The very last shell - you know after the minute is out and all those tally shots keep falling -- well the very last and pop! Birdie 2 is gone. Birdie 1 has been hiding somewhere just out of reach and Windy is mulling over things on my far right flank. OK so I take this opportunity to actually use Arty to kill troops ( a mistake I suppose but not as big as HQ giving me no AT assets ). I'm killing real good and by now I figure Witko with no Arty so I know I'm in the woods to stay. So Bird 1 shows 90 shells left and a clear sighting it is. 1 minute and a bit (50 shells) nothing. I retarget trying to guess where Birdie will move to. I guess right! and unload all I have - nothing! The flag is not to be mine. Endgame Somewhere in here I make my first real error with my 2nd Sexton. I had moved it down my left flank and it was now behind the ridge just to the right of the Co. in the woods. The 2 platoons of reinforcements have entered the fray by crossing the road and entering the town. I have my Sexton pop up for a look see. Across the way on my right flank Witko has been emboldened to strike out for my flag with a platoon and Windy in tow. The troops are not a problem and was disappointed to see only one platoon come out to play. I try for a pop at Windy then stayed too long and Bird 1 kills me in 1 shot. Ah well. Just in case Arty failed I kept most of my mortars ( I hated having to save mortars for AT duty -- I HATED IT!!). So with Windy breaking for my flag I have his platoon in a wicked crossfire from 3 directions (inside my VEE) and my last Sexton riding the bottom of that V at my flag. All mortars are under combat bonus and for the most part waiting (and firing) under direct LOS. Witko's advancing platoon was completely routed but ol Windy just kept right on marching all buttoned up/ hardly firing --must of had over 80 mortar shells fired at it - driving past and to within 30 metres of 2 mortar squads who didn't experienced a single shot fired at them. They were comfortable and shooting at leisure right thru. My Sexton gamely fires a couple of shots at Windy but is forced to pull back and Witko manages to question my flag. Axis 81 Cas. 24 KIA 1 Vec --KO'd 151 - OK 57 points Tactical Victory Canucks 54 Cas. 17 KIA 2 Vec's KO'd 212 - OK 26 points The biggest problem for me was that Witko was a true newbie. I got absolutely no benefit from the idea that I might even have AT assets. From first contact and I was near hidden until that point Witko behaved like as if AT assets never existed. Newbie luck! I curse every portion of this game and may I never, ever, ever play a scenario again where I have no AT assets. As you might surmise --I still haven't fully recovered from the frustration it presented me with. [ June 03, 2002, 12:27 PM: Message edited by: Splash ]

The Wild Bump

Sorry if I caused offense - I slanged too much.

Thanx there Fionn I'd love to kill the enemy in great numbers and I will hence forth dammit! -- I was setting my sights too low! There's no place like home, there's no place... Just to show you I was listening to your AAR's -- Where's that open terrain infantry/tank assault you promised? Now don't tell me no one wants to play you.

Well thanks Fionn -- I was trying to figure this out because Barleyman's attack filled me with horror -- it seemed like a hugh waste of man-power just to get to an overwatch on the town. I know my game is missing a finely tuned sense of attack - not to mention the stomach and I'll be turning your comment about trepidation over in my mind more than a few times. But is this what it takes? I need bigger callouses! I recently lost 2 games on flags alone - where my opponent had nearly 100% more casaualties but managed last minute flag questions in my territory.(these were set scenarios - so I couldn't juggle points) and so pointed out all too clearly that I had set my sights too low. That is kill him and survive. So was Barleyman too aggressive in the first 13 turns? Given that the scenario is designed for the attacker to lose why even think that you should take a flag -- all those juicy points I guess but it seems to me the most available flag (the one Barleyman took) is a sucker's flag. Isn't this a case where one should try to surround the town even at the cost of not achieving flagdom? i.e. there isn't enough time to do a full town surround. The town itself is like one big foxhole - smoke it and forget it. A play for the flag heights behind the town on Axis left flank looks like the best flag opportunity. I'm asking.

Just think of the game GO

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