c3k Posted March 30, 2013 Share Posted March 30, 2013 The loader's sleeve caught in the breech? Bah. Stop whinging. You lost a tank. Boo hoo. The gods of war have punished you! You did not ATTACK! You sat on your ridge and vacillated! They have given you a force to USE, not to march from the center to the left, to the right, to left! Parade ground troops do not ascend to Valhalla! They will all die! Better to do so grappling with one's foe, than to some bolt from Mt. Olympus sent as a punishment! Follow the tip of your bayonet to discover the path to glory! ONWARDS! (...mutter...bunch o' pansies..."oh, my tank should've fired"...bah...back in my day our tanks didn't have guns. We had to carry the shells by hand and run with them at the enemy tanks...like to see these mamby-pambies try use armor piercing shells back in my day..."I want my mommy"...mutter...mumble....) Ken 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bil Hardenberger Posted March 30, 2013 Author Share Posted March 30, 2013 The Twenty-Sixth Minute On my left it appears like something is moving into the valley... It is being overwatched by a light mortar team... my re-positioned Sherman, re-positioned HMG and also a Bren team will all be taking this mortar under fire next turn. The majority of my casualties have come from these mortars.. I would like to silence them. This is the team I spotted moving into that little saddle last turn.. I set up my forces to counter it as its destination seemed obvious. The HMG is firing direct while the Sherman and Bren are area firing. Another light mortar team was spotted on the backside of this mountain... my center Sherman will fire a round or two at it before it moves out on a new mission. On the right my forces continue to shift and reorient.. one platoon is out of the valley and should load on their trucks next turn (or the one after)... the other is starting to stream through the destroyed buildings in the center. Meanwhile GaJ maneuvered his Panzers a bit.. they moved forward and then reversed back close to their starting positions (at least the one I actually had eyes on did). Looks like he is trying to tempt me to bring my Sherman out to play. I need to make something happen with regard to these tanks or they are always going to continue to be a thorn in my side.. I am moving three PIAT teams and the center Sherman (he has a team trying to sneak up my Sherman anyway so its time to move it) into firing positions along the ridge that separates his forces from mine. Circles indicate PIAT firing positions and the square is where the Sherman will position itself. Hopefully this will be timed well.. if I can catch his tanks while they are moving then that would be best. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Kettler Posted March 30, 2013 Share Posted March 30, 2013 Bil, It's been a long time, but ARMOR magazine clearly described the procedure for determining hull defilade (hull down). This involved an open gun breech and the gunner's looking right through it until complete daylight was visible. At that point, the TC halted the tank. From this, it seems that you had two (or maybe even three) things going in sequence, all of which ate time you didn't have. The TC, who can see, orders the gunner to engage, but the gunner can't see. The gunner then has to either clear the breech (loader does that), if a round's up the spout, then reposition himself to peer through the open tube, or skip the first step, if unloaded, then do the next. Meanwhile, the TC is listening to the gunner report progress toward clearing the gun of terrain masking as the driver's ordered to crawl forward. So, three, maybe four, people tied up in a complicated drill just to get to the point where the normal loading and firing can begin! I've been in a 76mm armed Sherman turret, which had none of the usual war storage, and operating in there was tricky in and of itself, let alone doing the gunner contortion and other stuff detailed here. For turret defilade, the tank reverses until the TC (who's head and maybe shoulders up) is the only one with direct, physical LOS to the target area. Ideally, tanks on the defense have tank ramps in which they can go from turret defilade to hull defilade very quickly, fire, then reverse. This is what the Israelis did to the Syrians in the Valley of Tears during the Yom Kippur War. Unfortunately for you, this is a ME, so no engineer prep! I do not know how long the sequence I first described requires, but it does provide a reasonable explanation for what you so maddeningly experienced. Regards, John Kettler 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bil Hardenberger Posted March 30, 2013 Author Share Posted March 30, 2013 Bil, I do not know how long the sequence I first described requires, but it does provide a reasonable explanation for what you so maddeningly experienced. Thanks John, I'm past that now... its been reported as a possible bug now it's up to Charles to determine what happened. Bil 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c3k Posted March 30, 2013 Share Posted March 30, 2013 Thanks John, I'm past that now... its been reported as a possible bug now it's up to Charles to determine what happened. Bil Careful! That kind of talk is -dangerously- close to whinging. Olympus already cast down one lightning bolt upon your forces. You may be risking another one! Attack! Ken 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bil Hardenberger Posted March 30, 2013 Author Share Posted March 30, 2013 Attack! Ken See my turn report a few posts above... is this sufficient for now? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sublime Posted March 30, 2013 Share Posted March 30, 2013 C3k - you're not on steroids or anything are you? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Emrys Posted March 30, 2013 Share Posted March 30, 2013 C3k - you're not on steroids or anything are you? Chinese monkey gland extract. He mainlines it. Michael 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c3k Posted March 30, 2013 Share Posted March 30, 2013 ^^^ Hah! Spoken like a bunch of trench-bottom hugging turtles! Elan! Morale is to the tactical as 3 is to 1! Even if all your men die, if they do so gloriously, then victory is yours! Counting coup with your tanks! Rush out, touch one of his men, then return! Songs will be sung... Moar! Ken 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Emrys Posted March 30, 2013 Share Posted March 30, 2013 Even if all your men die, if they do so gloriously... You can die gloriously if you want to. I just wanna go home and bang my girlfriend. If you do die gloriously, I'll bang your girlfriend too. Michael 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bil Hardenberger Posted March 31, 2013 Author Share Posted March 31, 2013 The Twenty-Seventh Minute I have set up a few little ambush spots on the right side to impede any advance GaJ might want to make.. he does seem keen to move down that little gully... this turn his 6th Co. HQ team runs into one of my reverse slope teams... I am consciously trying to avoid letting my teams fall under the fire of his light mortars.. so these teams will attack, do what damage they can and then reposition. From his perspective.. this little action was over in about 30 seconds and his entire HQ team was wiped out. I figure I can slow down his advance with these tactics.. though probably not stop it.. we'll see what he does in response. I find it curious that he is throwing the Company HQ teams out there like he is... Note that his teams are mainly equipped with rifles while mine mainly have Stens... quite a difference in firepower in these short range shootouts.. and the squad marksman is deadly with his scoped rifle. So he appears to be moving his tanks into the gully as well now.. that is indeed curious. They are moving very slow however... so are obviously letting the infantry take the lead. How is his rear security do you think? One of my platoons rushes through the destroyed buildings in the center and move towards the sound of the guns.. which they can plainly hear on my left. GaJ sent several units, including a PzSchreck, which did get off a round which luckily missed... but then he lost that team.. sad really. he did a really good job in blinding my Sherman towards the end of this turn. that's okay.. I think I might just drive over the edge and see what I can see with it. I spotted another light mortar team (the team that was laying down the smoke) and my HMG and tank chased the other off the saddle.. I couldn't tell if I did any damage, but it didn't look like it. He laid a lot of mortar HE around my tank.. aside from forcing him to button nothing happened thankfully.. I'm happy those rounds were not aimed at my infantry. How many rounds do these carry? I need to look into that. I need to shuffle units around some now.. I expect my infantry positions will get some HE lovin' very soon now that many of them have opened fire. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GerryCMBB Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 Hello Bil: It looks like you are not splitting squads? I have read where people do not split squads. But with lethal mortars etc. it always seemed a recipe for disaster to me. Not splitting would sure cut down on the micro-management. Gerry 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bil Hardenberger Posted March 31, 2013 Author Share Posted March 31, 2013 Gerry.. I am most definitely splitting squads, especially where enemy forces are near... but when in the rear or when maneuvering, as with the platoon that is re-deploying (shown in the image).. no they are not split. I always split squads when they might be coming into enemy contact.. this gives the enemy more targets to engage, spreads out my forces so I can't lose an entire squad with one mortar round, etc. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c3k Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 Oh, those are some MEAN little ambushes! Well played. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sublime Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 You can die gloriously if you want to. I just wanna go home and bang my girlfriend. If you do die gloriously, I'll bang your girlfriend too. Michael Well put sir. And I will gladly take sloppy seconds on Jodie, or any other mourning girlfriends that you haven't gotten to.. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seedorf81 Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 Well put sir. And I will gladly take sloppy seconds on Jodie, or any other mourning girlfriends that you haven't gotten to.. And I thought war was dirty.. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c3k Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 A banging without honor is empty, as is a victory without glory. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Emrys Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 A banging without honor is empty... But it's better than no banging at all. Such as, when you are in the grave. Michael 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bil Hardenberger Posted March 31, 2013 Author Share Posted March 31, 2013 How many rounds do these [light mortar teams] carry? I need to look into that. I looked into it.. they carry a base of 32 HE rounds and 4 smoke rounds. That will keep them active for a long time.. especially seeing as one round is sufficient to take out an entire team (as happened to me earlier). I should have done this a long time ago.. but it was only recently that I confirmed the force he was fielding: FJ assets: ....5 Rifle Company ....6 Rifle Company ....8 Weapons Company Order of Battle for an FJ Rifle Company (of which GaJ has two): ..Rifle Company HQ ....Panzerschreck Team x6 rounds ....FJ Platoon (x3) ........Panzerschreck Team x6 rounds ........Light Mortar Team x32 HE, x4 smoke ........FJ Rifle Squad (x3) - 10 men armed with: ............x2 LMG ............x2 MP40 ............x1 G43 ............x5 Kar 98, 2 of which have rifle grenades (4 total grenades), 1 may have a scope ............x1 to x2 Panzerfaust ............x2 Demo Charge Order of Battle for an FJ Weapons Company (of which GaJ has one): ..Weapons Company HQ ....Machinegun Platoon (x2) ........Heavy Machinegun Team (x4) ....Medium Mortar Platoon .........x2 81mm Mortar x64 HE, x12 smoke .........x2 Mortar Ammo Bearer .....Recoilless Gun Platoon ..........x2 75mm Recoilless Gun x37 HE, x8 HEAT, x12 AP ..........x2 Recoilless Ammo Bearer - with an LMG That is a powerful force on its own... interestingly I have not seen hide nor hair of the Recoilless Gun Platoon... however I have seen at least one mortar ammo bearer.. which means he is fielding at least one medium mortar. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ales Dvorak Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 But it's better than no banging at all. Such as, when you are in the grave. Nice AAR. Love Alice 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baneman Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 ... however I have seen at least one mortar ammo bearer.. which means he is fielding at least one medium mortar. When you have contact with BF, could you please plead with them ( again / more ) to remove this text info from the GUI. It's certainly information an opposing player should not have. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bil Hardenberger Posted March 31, 2013 Author Share Posted March 31, 2013 When you have contact with BF, could you please plead with them ( again / more ) to remove this text info from the GUI. It's certainly information an opposing player should not have. I agree 100% and they are aware of the situation. Until the text is made more generic (if that ever happens) then I will continue to take advantage of the intelligence gathered from it. Bil 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bil Hardenberger Posted March 31, 2013 Author Share Posted March 31, 2013 The Twenty-Eighth Minute My Sherman hunted forward, spotted one of the Pz-IV's and opened fire at 194 meters... yes Virginia, it actually fired. The result? Well... The German tank never spotted mine and was reversing when it was hit, mine was on hunt orders and stopped immediately to fire when it got the German tank in its sights. That should give GaJ some nervous moments. One to go. Speaking of the other panzer.. it too was sighted, but by a PIAT team.. unfortunately it was firing at close to maximum range and missed both shots.. it doesn't look like it was spotted either. I will have two more PIAT teams in range next turn.. but I expect GaJ will drive this tank deeper into the gully where his Infantry are advancing... that would be okay too.. I have another PIAT in an ambush position there should he drive too deep. On my left... this sight must fill him with dread.. many of the units he is pushing down the slope are visible to my Sherman who just drove straight through the smoke screen GaJ started to lay down last turn, and added to this turn. it costs him several casualties from his forward teams. Note in the background that his two company HQs are sitting very close together on the slope.. calling in artillery again? Both of them? Next turn one of my Stuarts will join the fun on the left... after I defeat this little push by GaJ I will orient my follow-on forces to attack his two companies from the rear. Whew.. breathing easier now. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apocal Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 We saw the penetration, but you never actually said the tank was dead...? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bil Hardenberger Posted March 31, 2013 Author Share Posted March 31, 2013 We saw the penetration, but you never actually said the tank was dead...? Sorry, I thought the phrase "One to go" was enough.. yep dead, knocked out, crew running for the hills... 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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