AAR-AXIS - Clearing the Niscemi Highway

[Michael Emrys]

For those who fail to get the joke.

Michael

[Steiner14]

A question regarding the stone walls:

Are they really built that way around fields? I was already wondering in Normandy. What's the reason for the farmers in Normandy and Sicily to build stone walls around their fields?

Around a garden ok, but investing so much for no use? In fact these walls are making the farming more difficult.

[womble]

A question regarding the stone walls:

Are they really built that way around fields? I was already wondering in Normandy. What's the reason for the farmers in Normandy and Sicily to build stone walls around their fields?

Around a garden ok, but investing so much for no use? In fact these walls are making the farming more difficult.

One of the reasons I've seen cited for the development of the Bocage is wind protection. A stone wall built from the rocks you've pulled out while tilling your field isn't as much of an investment (there's a rule in dry-stone-walling: if you've picked it up, the stone goes on the wall. Somewhere. You're not allowed to put it down; that would be madness). It breaks the wind up and gives some shelter to the bushes you've planted to get taller and break the wind up better than a wall will. Over the centuries they two have grown and blurred together.

I would guess on Sicily, that a wall is both a windbreak and a boundary marker, with wood being scarce stuff that you wouldn't want to waste on fences.

[YankeeDog]

Yep; you see dry stone walls around fields in England, France, Italy, and even here in the New World; rural New England where I grew up is criss-crossed with them and I've seen them in all of the above places in my travels.

Details of construction varies with location, but generally speaking the process is pretty much as Womble describes. Farmer uncovers a stone whilst tilling the field in the spring, and moves it to the edge of the field so it doesn't get in the way of planting. Over successive planting seasons, loose stone walls develop.

You see them in many agricultural areas where (a) there are significant numbers of good-sized rocks mixed in with the topsoil (often due to glacial deposits), and ( property lines have remained relatively stable for multiple generations of farming.

EDIT to add: Nowadays, many of the stone walls have been partially or completely removed to make room for larger industrial farming techniques using heavy machinery and usually larger fields. But some of them are still around, and you can often see traces of the ones that have been removed, if you know where to look.

[Bil Hardenberger]

Bil,

What is the typical experience, leadership and motivation of your Bersaglieri units?

Mostly regular to green, leadership edges to poor, with a few that are in the good column. I'm sure I'll end up killing the good ones pretty quick.

I am finding that the troops themselves are not the problem when it comes to wielding the Italian's in battle. It is their poor equipment and inflexible formations. I probably lost more individuals than Normal Dude did when taking out his screen... it was sheer numbers that allowed that to happen.

Bil

[Steiner14]

One of the reasons I've seen cited for the development of the Bocage is wind protection. A stone wall built from the rocks you've pulled out while tilling your field isn't as much of an investment (there's a rule in dry-stone-walling: if you've picked it up, the stone goes on the wall. Somewhere. You're not allowed to put it down; that would be madness). It breaks the wind up and gives some shelter to the bushes you've planted to get taller and break the wind up better than a wall will. Over the centuries they two have grown and blurred together.

I would guess on Sicily, that a wall is both a windbreak and a boundary marker, with wood being scarce stuff that you wouldn't want to waste on fences.

EDIT to add: Nowadays, many of the stone walls have been partially or completely removed to make room for larger industrial farming techniques using heavy machinery and usually larger fields. But some of them are still around, and you can often see traces of the ones that have been removed, if you know where to look.

Thanks, everything clear.

[Bil Hardenberger]

The Eighth Minute

On my left I pushed one tank to the edge of the hill to try and get some firepower onto the villa and the Hill objectives. Unfortunately it took several hits from an HMG and panicked. If these R-35s panic from MG fire I can't really rely on them to instill fear into the digital brains of ND's forces.

My infantry, supported by two R-35s, the mortars, and the HMG teams keeps pushing. They arrive at the recently enemy held wall this turn, but I will continue to push them onto the Orchard objective and up to the furthest wall overlooking the Hill and Villa objectives.

Here is the view from the wall that overlooks both of the remaining objectives. I do not think these troops can realistically take these objectives in the time I have left before our reinforcements arrive, but I want to attrit the US force some while trying to not lose too much of my own.

On my right I am going to try something very risky.. I would like to flush out the enemy team that I spotted a few turns ago (and which took out the TC from one of my R-35s) and then rush through the ford that lies in the trees and that could give me control of the approach to flank the villa. Unfortunately these tanks can't see very well.. and one of them, the right most tank in this image, has lost it's TC. I will use it to try to draw fire from the US team.. hopefully the other tank will be able to spot it.

Perhaps I should bring an infantry squad back to help with this maneuver... nah.

[Canada Guy]

TC? Tank Commander?

[Bil Hardenberger]

Canada Guy, Yep.

[GerryCMBB]

Lots of stone walls in the west of Ireland, County Galway as an example. Farms are very small and there were plenty of stones in the fields. Fields were improved / made tillable by removing these stones. Misspent some of my youth fixing some of them up. In other parts of Ireland there are far fewer stone walls.

Gerry

Yep; you see dry stone walls around fields in England, France, Italy, and even here in the New World; rural New England where I grew up is criss-crossed with them and I've seen them in all of the above places in my travels.

[Fizou]

Regarding the stone walls, Sweden is the same. Farmers removing stones from the fields and had to do something with them. Hence all the stone walls.

[Albe Pavo]

Northern Italy is different: no walls at all around fields, but every filed is surrounded by ditches. There is a lot of rivers and lakes and so rural panorama is far different than Sicily!

[Boche]

Hello John, thank you!

You're right, i also remember Stalin about italians breaking the pocket at Nikolajevka: " they are the only troops to left Russia undefeated" (or something like that, i cannot find the quote right now..).

Apart from the "Blau Division"

[Bil Hardenberger]

The Ninth Minute

As I advance to the wall I start to take fire from ND's main defensive line. Most I cannot spot yet, like the gun that fired and hit my lead R-35. No casualties, but this hit did take out the gun so this tank is now useless. Would be nice to be able to switch crews around so I could move this crew to a functioning tank, alas, that is not a feature.

Also my infantry is starting to take some casualties from fire coming from the Villa. Hard to find any covered routes on this map.

As I move to the wall, my infantry starts to engage the enemy entrenchments, but the incoming fire is much stronger than I expected.

[Bil Hardenberger]

The Tenth Minute

The R-35 that got hit and lost it's guns last turn panicked and got hit again, this time getting immobilized. ND has much better visibility on this hill than I expected...

...and this is the culprit. I will be putting some mortar fire down on this gun as soon as possible. It and what seems to be a second gun are really giving me some problems and causing a lot of casualties. It now has my full attention and is target number one for me.

At the end of the turn I get a very clear picture of what ND has on the Hill objective. As soon as my reinforcements arrive with my artillery I will be placing some fire on these foxholes. Right now my main goal is to try to knock out both guns and cause as much harm as possible. Once the first string arrives I will then start thinking how best to tackle this position.

On my right my R-35 pair continues to stalk the enemy team holed up in that patch of woods. My area fire has bagged one casualty, but I have completely lost sight of the rest of the team now.

[Bil Hardenberger]

The Eleventh Minute

Despite having multiple units firing on it, including 2 mortars, 2 HMG teams, several squads, and one tank, ND's gun survives the turn, but at least it goes to ground.

My forward squad has taken a beating from ND's other gun and now a mortar team. I think I am going to have to pull off this position in a few minutes and reorganize.

On my right, the crippled R-35 is getting ready to make a dash through the passage across the gully, while the other R-35 places suppression fire down on the enemy team's last known location.

[Chek]

Most enjoyable battle report.

Off to the snow for five days will most definitely catch up when I get back.

[Frankster65]

Yes, a most enjoyable read. This is great Bill, thank you.

[Bil Hardenberger]

The Twelfth Minute

ND seems to have far superior firepower than I do on my left.. I continue to take a pounding while I think having little impact on his forces. I will stick it out a little longer.. I still want to kill at least one gun before pulling off the hill.

On my right, the first R-35 seems to have gotten through the passage in one piece, and the enemy team is nowhere to be seen so I give the orders as outlined in this image.. the neutered R-35 will go to the right and take up a position on the hill there, I will probably dismount it when it gets there so I can get eyes on the rear edge of the map to watch for his reinforcements which should arrive in a few turns.

The fully functioning R-35 I will move to the left moving at full speed and take the enemy positions under fire from a different direction in order to stretch his fire out a bit. Fingers crossed.

[Silkwraith]

BF: Fix that graphics drawing in the near distance ..its ugly and ruins the game

[Steiner14]

Silkwraith,

fix it yourself!

[Frankster65]

BF: Fix that graphics drawing in the near distance ..its ugly and ruins the game

Your attitude is ugly. Please fix it.

[Silkwraith]

@Frankster & Steiner14

I beg your pardon Frankster but my attitude is quite justified, it is trigerred by the fact that BF, very clearly, ignores most of the justified critique on these forums.

THAT is what I very correctly describe as 'bad attitude'. If you, and Steiner, had taken the initiative to view my posts on other forums, you would notice that I was very polite in all my justifiable critiques.

As for my attitude, I referain from being judge and jury, who am I to judge, but everyone, in the right state of mind can clearly see that my critique is justified and has been brought up many times in past forums by other players. I also recall BF saying that rectifying this matter requires an overhaul of the graphics engine, well, it is now obvious that what they are doing is just that - so logically it is the appropriate time to rectify this matter and the fact that PCs having CrossfireX cannot utilise this ability which, according to ATI, is due to bad programming from BF.

On the other hand, I have, on many occasions and without hesitation always stated that this is the best Strategic game I have ever played, and it is out of pure dedication to this game that I always endeavor to put forward, even in the most blunt but polite manner - and without insulting anyone - the most obvious defects in this magnificent piece of software.

Lastly, I most humbly thank you for your remarks which I shall most obviously cherish until the end of my days

[sburke]

@Frankster & Steiner14

I beg your pardon Frankster but my attitude is quite justified, it is trigerred by the fact that BF, very clearly, ignores most of the justified critique on these forums.

LOL I am usually one of those getting called fanboi and I wasn't gonna react. I can't respond on the technical side. For all I know BF is doing just that. We'll have to wait for a response or see in the game.

As to BF ignoring us, that one I do have to object to. Sometimes they disagree, sometimes they agree. Sometimes they agree, but it is something they will have to address in a longer amount of time than we are generally willing to give them. Outright ignore- no not generally though depending on how the request is framed yeah I am sure there are some they feel aren't worth their time.

[gunnersman]

Get in line Silkwraith.