CMPzC Normandy '44 Caen Operation - Axis HQ

[A Canadian Cat]

Kraft's 3 squad managed to avoid the artillery barrage.

One of the newly spotted Stuarts is getting closer.

Two Stuarts seem intent on flanking the town.

My MG42s score a few more hits on the infantry out in the open.

Repositioning continues, including both pulling back scouts and positioning squads to meet the attacking infantry.

[A Canadian Cat]

Two of those Stuarts open up with all they have on my Squad that has been firing at the infantry. The incoming is pretty intense but no one is hit.

Those flanking Stuarts are still too far away.

Reposition the Shrek team to keep those Stuarts from getting into town.

Now that the barrage is over Kraft's 3 squad moves forward again to try to hit that infantry heading their way.

[A Canadian Cat]

One of the enemy infantry made it to the north road. He seem to have managed to get separated from his fellows (the icon was way further north than he was). He paid dearly for getting ahead.

There are now three Stuarts supporting the infantry. The lead ones are firing at my squad near the AT gun. So clearly we have couple of platoons of Stuarts in the fight now.

The shells keep raining in from those tanks. Horter's 1 squad still has taken no casualties - thankfully. Soon I am sure they will stop and when the do I will send this squad back to the hedge row.

The members of the first platoon of Stuarts spotted continue to fire speculatively. They continue to miss. Although this squad moving to face the infantry thought the incoming fire was a bit close.

The overview of where we are now. None of my men have been killed or wounded yet. I consider that pretty amazing. I am sure that will not last. Especially given Kraft's 3rd squad is about to go toe to toe with the lead elements of the attack.

[A Canadian Cat]

Horter's 1 squad pulls back and syncs up with its scout team. Once the fire calms down they can go back to the line.

Kraft's 3 squad is going to mix it up next turn. That artillery has allowed the enemy to get close so this will be a close range fire fight.

I also have Ober's Shrek team the go ahead to engage the three Stuarts. The range is a bit long at 170m but there are three of them all bunched up. Wish him luck.

[Rocky Balboa]

Just wanted to step in and say I'm enjoying the AAR ... Thanks for taking the time to put it together.

[kohlenklau]

This could be you Ober!

[A Canadian Cat]

Sadly not yet. He is still alive so it could still happen but he and his mates have had a tough minute.

[A Canadian Cat]

Ober takes his first shot which falls short:

Unfortunately the volume of fire that comes back from those three Stuarts and their infantry is so high Ober's team and the squad next to them keep their heads down the rest of the turn. No one is hit but they are messed up.

Meanwhile further to the West Kraft's team opens up at close range. They take our first casualty but they inflict many more before the turn ends.

To help Ober get back into the fight I move platoon commander Gelband closer so he can help rally his troops.

[kohlenklau]

You are doing fantastic! left right upper cut. rope a dope. Make them pay dearly and together we might assault against a weakened battalion with Stuarts. Or if they can't defeat you, then they must pull off the hex and you get KG Baneman as reinforcements for their next fresh assault.

[noob]

Or if they can't defeat you, then they must pull off the hex

I'm still trying to decide what to do in the case of a contested map. Therefore, for now, I think that if a side loses more than half of its starting headcount, it must, if defending, vacate the CM battlefield, and therefore the hex. If it is attacking, it must also vacate the battlefield and consequently fail to capture the hex. The pre battle headcount is calculated by adding the WIA, KIA and MIA to the Men OK figure. Then, if the side has less than 50% of that starting figure as Men OK, they must retreat. The 50% figure is purely arbitrary, however I think there can only really be two feasible percentages that trigger a retreat if dropped below, and they are 50% or 33%. 50% will speed the overall operation up, so I plump for that, any objections ? If this method feels right, it can stay, if not, there will have to be another way.

[kohlenklau]

This rule stuff can be perplexing. 50% is fine I suppose. We gotta pick a number

Well, I think the allies would pull back with even lower percentage casualties suffered. Don't you think? But, I think our axis HQ has a different historic mind-set. This is Festung Buron. To the last round.

So, do we write a scenario file for each battle and even if no terrain objectives we set in the casualty objective (own side and enemy side) or whatever it is called and try and have the game end automatically at a certain point?

If game even ends automatically at a certain casualty percentage, I don't know.

OR only after the full bloody 60 minutes we look at stats and make a joint call?

[Baneman]

I like the idea, but perhaps 50% should be the number for defenders and 33% for attackers.

If both sides exceed their number, then the hex should go to the attacker ( or can you have a situation where the defender vacates and the attacker does not enter, the hex ? )

[noob]

I like the idea, but perhaps 50% should be the number for defenders and 33% for attackers.

It has to be 50% for both. This is to give the attacker a reasonable force to defend with, if there is a subsequent CM battle instigated against the hex, by the side that had previously vacated it.

If both sides exceed their number, then the hex should go to the attacker ( or can you have a situation where the defender vacates and the attacker does not enter, the hex ? )

If both sides exceed the 50% limit, the attacker cannot virtually occupy the vacated hex, and the defender will have to move off it during their subsequent PzC turn. However, the defender will be able to move fresh PzC units onto the vacated hex. Therefore, a defending side would have a vested interest in inflicting 51% casualties on the attacker, irrespective of the toll on the defender. This will create an interesting dynamic, with the attacker more concious of keeping casualties low, and the defender having the option to fight an aggressive defence to bump the attacker off the map, thus giving other friendly forces a chance to re occupy the hex during the subsequent PzC turn.

[kohlenklau]

Ian,

Maybe we need to start some Buronalcanal type tactics. As soon as they approach your wounded soldaten, have one leap up, scream something socio-politically relevant and detonate a satchel charge.

Tell Schussel good job taking out those 2 sniper team guys. Cheeky ba$tards trying to cross the road right at that spot...

poor Schafer, looks iffy, maybe herr Leutnant Gelband can motivate them.

But very nice, you got Hornung there with the 2nd Panzerfaust. "Ambush is killing and killing is fun!", (Philip Caputo, A Rumor of War)

[kohlenklau]

Old Altner sure can load that panzerfaust rapidly. 3 rounds in a minute. I wish he'd zero that damn thing in. High, Low and high. Hope he lives to get 3 more tries before his ammo ist kaput.

[noob]

Read this: https://sites.google.com/site/cmpzch2hoperations/home/combat-mission/cm-battle-victory-conditions

[A Canadian Cat]

Old Altner sure can load that panzerfaust rapidly. 3 rounds in a minute. I wish he'd zero that damn thing in. High, Low and high. Hope he lives to get 3 more tries before his ammo ist kaput.

Yeah that was difficult to watch. His big problem was he switched targets. That third shot should have been just right on the first target. Need top put his armoured cover arc back on.

[A Canadian Cat]

Tell Schussel good job taking out those 2 sniper team guys. Cheeky ba$tards trying to cross the road right at that spot...

I was really surprised to see that. Having small teams way out a head like that is a sure fire way to get guys killed.

I was not paying attention to what unit it was. A sniper team. That is even more odd.

[kohlenklau]

OK, when I can I crack open the db and if it is an odd-numbered turn I copy and paste and watch the fun.

(Hey Ian, I never want to steal your thunder, if you say you'd prefer I do NOT make any little comments about what happened, just say so. But it is so fun.)

Remember those 50mm ATG crews, when you think it is the right time, bail them out and heads them towards dead guys so they scrounge some decent weapons/ammo.

Hey, please watch that left flank squad, Kraft? America spells cheese K-R-A-F-T. Gawd, no wonder we are so bad at spelling then! There looks to be an enemy vague (not fully clear) unit icon hovering behind a wall to their left. Luckily that wall has no entrance to the house with the blue shutters so they can't race to the 2nd floor and gun down your boys. Just FYI!

[A Canadian Cat]

OK, when I can I crack open the db and if it is an odd-numbered turn I copy and paste and watch the fun.

(Hey Ian, I never want to steal your thunder, if you say you'd prefer I do NOT make any little comments about what happened, just say so. But it is so fun.)

Oh no problem go right a head.

[A Canadian Cat]

In the South Altner takes three shots at the Stuarts with his Shrek. First shot is long, second one is short. Then he switches targets and missed a second Stuart. Oh man not good. In this screen shot you can actually see three Stuarts. But there are two more. One in the field but behind that tree on the left and one off screen further to the left.

Schmidt spots what turns out to be about a platoon of infantry coming in from the East they seem to be avoiding the road.

Members of 2nd platoon face the enemy to the North

Kraft is under fire from two directions while shaken they are still fighting effectively. In the background you can see my opponent is suffering some blue on blue artillery casualties.

[A Canadian Cat]

I pull back Schmidt's team and meet up with the rest of his squad to face those intruders. Plus I pull Altner back from the corner to join 2nd Platoon. He can cover the South side approach but in such away that he is not shooting all his rounds into an open field.

I adjust members of 1 platoon to face the enemy coming from the north.

[A Canadian Cat]

I have watched the next turn now too. I have to say I am very happy with how this is going. So far I have only lost three men. While one squad is under very heavy fire and totally messed up everyone else is able to move and fire when needed. Even Kraft! I am impressed with this leader ship. Although shaken for the last two turns he managed to get all but one of his men moving away from the incoming fire. He pretty much executed exactly the orders I would have given him. Very cool.

[kohlenklau]

I track you as losing 4 guys. 1plt 1sqd 1 guy, 1plt 2sqd 1 guy, 1 plt 3 sqd 2 guys.

Maybe 3 sqd was the rifle grenadier, find his body and recover the grenades?

But hey, you are kicking ass.

Hornung could seriously score on some Stuart next turn.

Hey, are you using the trenches at all? Do you have a trench utilization plan?

Those things cost big reichsmarks you know!

[A Canadian Cat]

Kraft's men begin to crawl away. By the end of the turn all but one are along the bocage near the opening they can use to escape to fight again. Even the last man has begun to move. Sadly they are still shaken and out of my command. I think Kraft is doing a better job anyway.

Schmidt just gets away as all hell opens up on his previous position.

I think we might be facing an entire company of Stuarts. Altner has a positive visual on 5 Stuarts. One is burning. Ober has a positive visual on three of them and the in coming fire at Schmidt's location included explosions but the infantry were too far away for grenades. So that is ten Stuarts. But the distribution is off. If it really is only two platoons then one is flanking us to the South an the other is split into two with a lone Stuart in support of the attack from the East. I think a more likely scenario is that there is a platoon to the South, one to the North and one to the East.

In the coming turns hopefully I will see if I am correct.

Altner pulls back from his position just all five Stuarts open up on his previous position. I'll take all the luck we can get. That is three teams in danger either getting away clean or in the process.

I have decided to change the ambush plans. The farm house and small barns in the lower centre of the image offer protection to the court yard form all sides and also good escape routes either North or West. My teams in the buildings and bocage can ambush the road. And from the court yard they can surpise the enemy when they enter a building. The road to the right (South) is where the flanking Stuarts can enter the village and from the stone wall next to the barn Altner can cover that road but no have to face five tanks at once.