CMPzC Normandy '44 Caen Operation - Axis HQ

[noob]

I remind all posters to maintain the veil of secrecy. If you see stuff in the allied team thread, be careful what you say here and vice versa. Thanks.

Ok......

[kohlenklau]

hey noob,

So, rule meister, when you declared this assault, is that the only one? I would think that all assaults must be declared at the same time. Time is elapsing and you couldn't see how an hour long assault pans out and THEN decide to assault for another hour long period, correct?

[noob]

hey noob,

So, rule meister, when you declared this assault, is that the only one? I would think that all assaults must be declared at the same time. Time is elapsing and you couldn't see how an hour long assault pans out and THEN decide to assault for another hour long period, correct?

Correct, all assaults have to be performed after "all" PzC moves and fires are performed. In this case, there is only one assault this turn.

[kohlenklau]

oh good...

"alright boys, warm up them panzers!"

[A Canadian Cat]

I have deployed my two platoons in Burton and am waiting for the assault to begin. This is the hardest part - waiting. Once the action starts we will have something else to concentrate on instead of thinking about our predicament. Intelligence indicates that the enemy will come from two directions and our options for retreating are extremely limited. We have no transport and no covered safe rout away from the village.

Our only AT guns are only 50mm so to win against Sherman tanks we need them to come in close. I have positioned them to have very narrow key hole sight lines and engagement ranges under 400m. Each platoon has been assigned a final fall back position in the area south of the centre of town. They will start north of their final defensive positions in order to ambush and fall back the attacking forces.

The recon elements from both platoons are at the north and western edges of town. All scout teams have orders to hold fire and report enemy movement. If the enemy moves to flank us or decides not to come through the town I need to know so my AT guns can be repositioned.

We do not have enough forces to man all the forward fighting positions so, we have left many of the trench works unoccupied. Hopefully between them and the scouts we can draw some artillery fire to locations we are not.

The AT guns themselves are inside the last stand positions here are their LOS and alternate positions should they become necessary.

The final defensive positions are the Southern orchards surrounded by bocage. My men can defend from the bocage lines and then fall back to interior trenches. At the point we will be fighting from those trenches things will be desperate. I hope to spend time fighting in the village and score some victories before falling back.

Let us hope we fight honorably and that some of us will make it to fight tomorrow.

[Kuderian]

Nice pics Ian, thanks.

Looking forward to this. For me, the immersion is much higher because each battle in the campaign, however small or inconsequential at the time, could have profound implications for the overall campaign. And I think that unlike the the ubiquitous one off meeting engagements, an average campaign battle is far more firmly rooted in history.

[A Canadian Cat]

Well so far my plan is working perfectly. I know where the enemy is and they are wasting a smoke screen on an undefended position.

Schumacher's scout team is reporting, by runner, that a smoke screen is forming to the North East of town. They will easily be able to see what comes through the smoke screen before with drawing to participate in the delaying action.

Schmidt's scout team has spotted a light tank moving rapidly from the East towards the area of the smoke screen. At the moment it seem the assault will be coming from the North East.

On the Nothern edge of town Reiser's team has reported sighting infantry but they are not sure how many and have no additional information at the moment.

Here is the over all view showing the smoke screen and the spotted enemy units.

[Fenris]

Only two platoons... Will be tough. Nice presentation so far

Is there any sort of rules wrt casualties forcing a withdraw or is it completely up to the players? Asking mainly coz CM battles are usually far more bloody than real life.

-F

[A Canadian Cat]

Yeah, I have no idea the size of the force coming at me but I am guessing it is big. Withdrawing and worrying about casualties, is one of the things that having this operational layer is supposed to help us do better. Sadly this battle is not going to be a poster child for that. I have no viable way to withdraw - no covered escape route and no transport. So this will be one of those bloody fights. Consider it this way. My troops know this is an important village to the overall defense and they know that help is on the way. They have to hold out at all costs and hope that reinforcements arrive in time. We already know that they are not arriving in at timely manner but the troops do not.

[kohlenklau]

"You expected me to hold Buron with just two platoons!!!"

(L to R: Ian.Leslie, kohlenklau & Baneman.)

[kohlenklau]

When we can move our troops. This is what I plan to do.

[Baneman]

"You expected me to hold Buron with just two platoons!!!"

(L to R: Ian.Leslie, kohlenklau & Baneman.)

Nice one.

Wait, you've awarded yourself the Knight's Cross ?!! Man, it didn't take long for power to go to your head !

[A Canadian Cat]

Looks like a plan. I would suggest having tanks join the attempt to recapture Buron - and flank to the North of Authie. It is always good to have a combined force in CM - in fact IMHO win the armor battle and you win the CM battle.

[A Canadian Cat]

"You expected me to hold Buron with just two platoons!!!"

(L to R: Ian.Leslie, kohlenklau & Baneman.)

Brilliant. I can see the background to the AAR will be more interesting than the AAR.

[Aragorn2002]

This is going to be epic.

[A Canadian Cat]

Schmidt 's team now has eyes on three Stuarts. The look like they are heading towards the North road into town. The lead Stuart stopped short of actually driving down the road. Waiting for his friends perhaps? There is no sign of infantry near them. I do hope they drive in on their own.

Platoon 1 HQ spotted infantry crossing the open fields from the north from their second story perch. No sign of what that smoke screen is hiding yet.

Reiser's team spots more infantry crossing the open fields from the North. If only we had some HMGs. But no we want the fight to happen in the town where we can isolate smaller groups of the enemy.

So, in summary we have tanks coming from the East and Infantry from the north at the moment. 1 Platoon will redeploy to face the infantry coming from the North except for one Shrek team - they will move closer to the North road into town in case those Stuarts drive deep into town.

2 Platoon will redeploy slightly to protect the South road from those tanks and be in a position to get to the North road if needed.

[Baneman]

Enemy force doesn't look too overwhelming ( yet ).

I'm worried about our commander though - does he know he's fighting in Buron, not Burton ? I hope he hasn't been at the amphetamines again

[A Canadian Cat]

Buron yes that is the place. I cannot pronounce the French names properly let alone spell them. But I am here and yes I have been taking my uppers as provided by command

True if all I see are two companies of infantry and a platoon of Stuarts I will be very happy. But I am expecting a battalion and Shermans too.

[kohlenklau]

Come on Baneman!

Ian was clearly referring to a Burton style defense.

[kohlenklau]

Revised plan: We will form "Kampfgruppe Baneman" from the Infantry Companies and the tank platoons. To avoid the combined arms penalty we will assault with infantry, tanks and a share of artillery support.

We will bolster or retake Buron and attack into the enemy hexes.

[A Canadian Cat]

Revised plan: We will form "Kampfgruppe Baneman" from the Infantry Companies and the tank platoons.

Sounds like a brilliant plan. Kampfgruppe Leslie is awaiting your reinforcements.

[A Canadian Cat]

The scouting Stuarts split up two of them head for the North road and one heads right for Schmidt's team. They hold their ground and remain very still. The Stuart drives right past them and away towards our Southern flank. Oh how I wish those guys had a Faust - that's how close the Stuart was.

With the icons on you can see what is coming across those fields. It is a pity we have to wait to see the white of their eyes before we can do any damage to them..

The two Stuarts cautiously approaching the North road.

If those Stuarts come down that North road the will get a proper welcome - a rocket with HE attached.

The Stuart that is flanking to the South will have someone to keep an eye on them - or perhaps take a shot at them depending on how close to the bocage it drives.

[A Canadian Cat]

Bonus image. Here is one of the Shrek teams repositioning to guard the South road.

[kohlenklau]

I watched that turn. That Stuart was shaking in her boots. The crew must've filled out those last letters to their loved ones.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that all your troops are REGULAR. The benefit of a high-fibre Wehrmact diet I suppose. I think you have maybe a half-dozen panzerfausts in your units here and there. One of those squads out toward the west had 2 and a rifle grenadier.

Make these hockey players pay for every inch of Buron!!!

[Baneman]

Sounds like a brilliant plan. Kampfgruppe Leslie is awaiting your reinforcements.

Look to my coming at first light on the fifth day.

At dawn, look to the ... er ... south.

You can hold that long, right ?