AAR: Rinaldi v. Emory

[General Jack Ripper]

Do you know the filename for the map? I'd like to run a quick battle on it.

[Rinaldi]

Hey SLIM, I can do you one better: I found the original download link here. Its a 2x2km map by Pete Wenman (whose maps and scenarios I seem to be playing nonstop as of late) but has no AI plans or objectives. My opponent and I agreed to objectives and start lines and I added those in.

[Pete Wenman]

Its a 2x2km map by Pete Wenman (whose maps and scenarios I seem to be playing nonstop as of late)

It's good to hear that this map and others are getting plenty of use.

I hope you are enjoying them

P

Edited August 25, 2015 by Pete Wenman

[General Jack Ripper]

Hey SLIM, I can do you one better: I found the original download link here. Its a 2x2km map by Pete Wenman (whose maps and scenarios I seem to be playing nonstop as of late) but has no AI plans or objectives. My opponent and I agreed to objectives and start lines and I added those in.

 

Well that was easy!

 

 

It's good to hear that this map and others are getting plenty of use.

I hope you are enjoying them

P

 

Yeah, that map looks really interesting. I love a good tactical river crossing.

[A Canadian Cat]

Oh cool I did not noticed that was the same map I used form huge 20k battle years ago.  Now I am going to look more closely at the terrain

[Bud Backer]

Oh cool I did not noticed that was the same map I used form huge 20k battle years ago.  Now I am going to look more closely at the terrain

 

 

OMG - after staring at the map for so many hours when you played on it I'm amazed! - Seriously, it's sometimes really interesting how a map can look totally different than what you're familiar with when one looks at it from an unfamiliar direction. It's like its a new map! Especially one this big. 

[Rinaldi]

No update today boys, I took a break from forcing a bottleneck in CM to attempting to force an even greater bottleneck: The Black Creek/401 ramp. Headed down to Lake Ontario to do some paddling and enjoy some down-time.

 

Was well worth it, despite about half my hair going gray from traffic.

 

 

Hoping to have a turn up soon.

Edited August 26, 2015 by Rinaldi

[Bud Backer]

No update today boys, I took a break from forcing a bottleneck in CM to attempting to force an even greater bottleneck: The Black Creek/401 ramp. Headed down to Lake Ontario to do some paddling and enjoy some down-time.

 

Was well worth it, despite about half my hair going gray from traffic.

 

 

Hoping to have a turn up soon.

I am so glad I don't have to drive through the city often like I used to. When taking Kingston road with its 2000 traffic lights to go east out of the city at rush hour is better than the 401, that's nuts!

Have a good time!

[Rinaldi]

Turns 18-21

As the turn begins the Company team on my left begin crossing through the Engineer units:

 

 

My presumption that the bank is clear is not entirely correct and resistance is ratcheting up. These last few turns and the ones that follow have not been kind to me. It looks like that despite the shellacking his outpost units took, they have the morale to try and actually push back and enfilade the crossings. My Company team on the left has begun crossing, when I notice something very early on:

 

 

Oh no. I know its not the Panzerschreck team I knocked out earlier, as I have an Engineer unit quite literally sitting on their corpses. Looks like there's at least some fresh units in this little attempt to interdict my crossing. Luckily the first shot misses, but I can only clench my teeth and watch in horror as the rest of the turn plays out. That's when....

 

 

 

This happens. That's the "B" Company commander's tank, and yes of course he becomes a casualty. There's not much else I can do but just grind my teeth at this one and make sure that Panzerschreck team  causes no further unnecessary losses. I'm officially down to 23 tanks. While these enemy infantry begin trading fire with my Shermans and Engineers from the tree line, I get audio contact on a (thankfully inaccurate) MG from the opposite flank. Not only am I being harassed at the bridge, but its a crossfire; wonderful. Luckily, its too little, too late, and the HMG is immediately obscured and suppressed by HE fire from the M18s still in over watch. Here's the situation in the bridgehead:

 

 

Note the Halftracks currently crossing. The HMG and the harassing riflemen all have spots on them from several elements and can be suppressed and overwhelmed in short order, I'm far more concerned however by the Panzerschrecks, as they appear to all be on the ball this match. The Engineers still on the bank will have to sweep down along the river and try to create more breathing room for me to force-feed the Company team across. I think this is the crucial part of the battle; I don't have the room to deploy. If I can create the room to deploy without losing too many armored vehicles, I believe I will win. Luckily, as this fraccas begins, Artillery begins to hammer the high ground:

 

 

The dillemma now is, should I attempt to attack the hill while mounted and hope there is no significant anti-armor threats to either flank, or should I keep the armor in cover along the road, and dismount the accompanying infantry and definitively find and kill those Panzerschrecks? If I was under artillery fire I'd be tempted to push the pedal to the metal here and now, but my enemy hasn't had anything more than some 81mm mortars that have been a non-factor. 

 

---

 

On my right, things are going smoothly once more. My Platoon HQ (now the PNCO) has remounted and is calm, the tanks are all down a few crewmen but can still affect a presence. What's more, I have the forests on either flank of the crossing far more covered than I do on my left, and I have no nasty surprises as the first tanks cross:

 

 

He does, like on my left, launch a counterattack but this one is incredibly futile; made up of an HQ unit and what's left of the previously engaged HMG team (2 men). There's a brief grenade duel, and they are all killed. 

 

However something even more interesting happens as I prepare to cross on this flank, a crossroads begins coming under HE fire...

 

 

 

I have no units there, so I at first suspect its just belated mortar fire, but then the infantry platoon's HQ and the Company team leader spots the perpetrator, a PAK-40, firing at well over 1100m.

 

 

I have no rational explanation for this other than he has an old "?" contact and decided to be cheeky. PAKs have choppy penetration at best against M4A3s at this range, and I have no qualms about letting a pair of Shermans find a firing solution for the treeline its in. This is a well deserved lucky break , the PAK40 was intelligently placed and could've caused me some serious trouble. As the Shermans find the range, I remember that there's no such thing as Overkill, and my Platoon leader is ordered to climb into a Halftrack and call in some 81mm on the tree line:

 

 

More to come, thanks for sticking with the AAR so far.

 

 

 

Edited August 29, 2015 by Rinaldi

[Heinrich505]

Rinaldi,

  Some really gripping action there.  Ain't no "sticking with it."  Not at all.  It is drawing us in. 

 

  I am enjoying your presentation.  Did you lighten it up or is that moonlight effects?  Your shot of the armor approaching the bridge through the village is really stellar.  Love the lighting.

 

Heinrich505

[General Jack Ripper]

So far so good, it's too bad you didn't push your bridge security element out further before crossing the tanks, but hey live and learn!

[Rinaldi]

So far so good, it's too bad you didn't push your bridge security element out further before crossing the tanks, but hey live and learn!

 

Little mistakes like this in the name of shockpower or speed are usually the number 1 reason for such vehicle losses, so yeah its a damn shame. I'd be a bit less miffed it wasn't the Company leader, but the Battalion HQ can take over if morale gets shaken. I will say this, its interesting that there appears to be two parallel battles developing, and I'm making mistakes on the left that I'm not making on the right, and vice-versa. Hoping his little slip-up with the PAK-40 on the right will allow me to crack that flank wide open for the armor to move through.

 

 

Rinaldi,

  Some really gripping action there.  Ain't no "sticking with it."  Not at all.  It is drawing us in. 

 

  I am enjoying your presentation.  Did you lighten it up or is that moonlight effects?  Your shot of the armor approaching the bridge through the village is really stellar.  Love the lighting.

 

Heinrich505

 

 

Its the 'artificial night-bright graphics' (alt + b ) as suggested by Bud_B. Its still quite dark out without that on, although the game's skybox has been noticeably getting lighter every 5 or so minutes. Thanks for the kind words, means quite a bit from someone who plays a big screenshot game such as yourself.

Edited August 29, 2015 by Rinaldi

[Bud Backer]

Heinrich is right, hardly difficult to stick with you in this AAR.

Fun thing it illustrates us how a situation can turn in an instant from success to mess!

[Rinaldi]

Turns 21-24:

 

What's worse than one Company leader KIA?

 

 

 

Out of nowhere, the M3 carrying the company leader, which has not moved since the start of the match, is hit. The CO who was mounted at the time, is instantly killed and the M3 brews up. The who, how and why doesn't remain a mystery for long; despite the current bombardment on the hill, I watch in amazement as Shermans from the main company team (deploying to cross) get a spot on a Pak40 being manhandled through the bombardment zone:

 

 

Despite being wounded, the crew manages to haul the PAK-40 out a few feet from its original position and fires off a single effective shot, immediately killing the Infantry company leader. Jesus what cosmic force did I insult this week? Regardless, vengence is swift:

 

 

The PAK is in excess of a kilometer of the Shermans that were deploying from their reserve position, and is therefore incredibly easy meat. Over the next turn a quick duel occurs between the lead two Shermans and the uber-Pak. Luckily, sanity prevails, and at such a long range the only shot on target, bounces harmlessly off the hull of the Sherman. Scratch one:

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is also a video of this short engagement, watch it HERE.

 

The PaK gun being down is only the first bit of sweet vengeance in the series of turns; I also confirm yet another Panzerschreck team knocked out, for the cost of a single casualty, by the Engineers sweeping the bank:

 

 

The situation on the left has been a pendulum, and I think for now its swung back in my favor. While its true that the loss of both Company leaders is highly frustrating, the loss of the Tank Company leader can be compensated for by more direct leadership from the Taskforce commander. Furthermore, the Armored Infantry platoons do not have radios when operating dismounted, and the morale hit from losing their CO was insignificant. The loss of the PaK on the hill has convinced me that its time to put the pedal to the metal and assault the high ground before my opponent finds the time to set up more adhoc ambushes.

 

---

 

On my right, here's the situation:

 

 

 

I've gotten more sound contact over the last few turns, looks like there's a small pocket of survivors in the little treeline. Not a concern so long as they lack AT, and they're being contained. The tanks cross unmolested, and I've finished clearing the treeline to the left. The plan now is to 'hunt' towards the foxholes to ensure they're clear. Once the immediate area is secure, its time to punch towards the PaK's last known position (now under 81mm fire) and attempt to hook behind town as originally planned. Here's hoping he's not deployed in great depth.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 30, 2015 by Rinaldi

[Heinrich505]

Rinaldi,

  Must be some really bad rolls of the dice on your company commanders.   Good thing it won't hurt your C & C too much.

 

  Lots of really sharp action going.  Your AARs are always appreciated.

 

  I think I've only seen those lighting effects from Alt-b in a screen shot posted for CMFI.  Your shots are extremely atmospheric, even down to the shadows on the tanks and the PAK in that cool duel. 

 

  Remember, he's gotta run out of AT weaponry sooner or later.  Hey, just kidding.    

 

  You are doing well, all things considered.  Patton wants you to be aggressive.  Otherwise, he'll replace you with someone else.  Keep pressing.

 

 

Heinrich505

[MOS:96B2P]

 

Turns 21-24:

 

What's worse than one Company leader KIA?

 

the loss of both Company leaders is highly frustrating

 

Did your Companies have XOs?  If so it would interesting to see one of the XOs assume command for a KIA CO. 

[Rinaldi]

Did your Companies have XOs?  If so it would interesting to see one of the XOs assume command for a KIA CO. 

 

Yes actually I do have several XOs on the field. They behave the same way as PNCOs and become the new HQs. The "XO" for Armored Infantry however is only a Sgt (for whatever reason) and is by the task force commander still, acting as liaison. C2 hasn't been completely destroyed, its just going to be more annoying to maintain. 

I'm going to be fighting largely buttoned up now as well, for the rest of the battle to spare potential losses of Tank platoon leaders to small arms. I don't like having to do it, but I've lost quite enough officers to random acts of God already.

[Rinaldi]

Sorry for the belated update, the last set of turns were once again relatively quiet, with myself securing any casualties not yet cleared, so we'll jump forward to turn 27. Appreciate all the kind words viz. the AAR, I think I'll make a habit of this. 

 

---

 

Turns 27-30:

 

With the PAK gun on the hill knocked out and the Panzerschrecks dealt with, I take it as a signal that its time to punch a little harder with my armor, and have them now lead the attack. On my left the first half of the Company team begins to drive towards the hill, with what's left of the Engineers and their supporting tanks covering the only exposed flank:

 

 

Pushing the engineers up proves to be a wise choice, as a HMG was in that treeline, it manages to wound two men and kill a third before the Engineers are able to get into better cover. The tanks spray the treeline with HE and move in a way as to make sure the HMG cannot displace without being seen.

 

 

 

The engineer platoon is approaching combat ineffectiveness, but the greenhorns still have enough manpower and morale to hit this HMG; at the very least it will be too busy defending itself to enfilade the Halftracks as they move up to the high ground. Above is the plan for eliminating or forcing it to displace. We'll see how that develops in the next set of turns hopefully.

 

 

So far, so good. The tank platoon is leap frogging in sections of 2, alternatively hunting and moving, and as they drive over the fences all they do is move past knocked out HMGs and kill the occasional straggler. It looked like my opponent was attempting to set up a considerably deadly cross-fire around the orchard, in hindsight the losses suffered so far seem light compared to what potentially could've happened. 

 

On the right, the probe towards the foxholes has begun, I don't want to begin an armored thrust until that treeline and orchard has been cleared, and I'm beginning to suspect he has quite a bit more in that orchard than just a squad.

 

 

 

As the scout team moves cautiously towards the foxholes, the entire area erupts in fire, and a scout falls wounded:

 

 

Just like that, a mutual orgy of fire erupts:

 

 

 

Although I only have a potential spot on the series of foxholes, I'm taking MG fire from the orchard behind as well; way more than simply 2 MGs. He's got more than a squad in here, and so the entire platoon along with the tanks is dedicated to the attack, As you can see, I have MGs in position now and able to fire on the foxholes and the orchard behind. I'm going to leapfrong a squad on the left in fireteams, stopping to area fire while the other one bounds up a few action spaces, and try to occupy the foxholes proper, while the Platoon NCO takes his squad and wraps around the right. Tanks will remain in overwatch until I got some breathing room from anti-tank weaponry.

 

 

 

[General Jack Ripper]

Looks like you're stuck into it now.

[Rinaldi]

Looks like you're stuck into it now.

 

I am indeed. Its the way I like it. Emory seems more focused on gritting his teeth and making me fight for every inch rather than trying to pull back towards better cover every time; so I think I'll be taking losses in these dust-ups until his cohesion breaks down completely. We'll see, I have a turn waiting for me, so expect an update soon.

[Rinaldi]

Turns 31-34 (Part One):

 

Moving up towards the high ground now, so far so good; but I'm about to make a mistake..

 

 

As the Halftracks move up to a covered dismount...

 

 

 

...most of the armor is in good cover, in masked terrain, ready to light up the treeline if it proves to be occupied:

 

 

Except for the one tank over the crest of the hill, which is promptly struck three times in its side. Chips! Its an annoying loss because it was totally avoidable, and I had gone out of my way to move up every other unit on the part of the hill masked to the ignored left-side of the map. For whatever reason however, I failed to do so with this one tank; I'm down 3 tanks now.

 

 

The culprit is spotted, yet another intelligently placed Pak-40, and this time its fire was actually effecitve:

 

 

 

Besides that little hiccup, the rest of the dismount goes smoothly, and a smoke barrage from the remaining armor covers the dismount and the deployment of the Platoon's crew-served weapons:

 

 

 

 

The immediate objective now is to make sure that treeline beyond where I knocked out that Pak is clear of enemy, then hustle up my Forward Observer and go on a spree of indirect violence throughout the map. I want all known AT positions knocked out so that I can maneuver freely from the high ground to pincer the town. 

Edited September 2, 2015 by Rinaldi

[Rinaldi]

Turns 31-34 (Part Two):

 

Lets move back over to the right, where that little platoon attack has been raging since the last report, a fireteam is about to try to take the foxholes at a rush :

 

 

They suffer a casualty and fall back; the orchard just beyond the foxholes are still raging with enemy fire, and I shift my focus to that accordingly:

 

 

Not before I stop however, and toss some grenades into the foxholes for good measure; an enemy is seen fleeing with a MG42 as this occurs, the foxholes were occupied after all!

 

 

The right flank is able to get two fire teams up to the treeline unmolested and they immediately begin engaging targets lying prone in the Orchard:

 

 

At around the same time, armor watching the flanks begins to get spots on the German infantry fighting from the orchards, and the enemy bodycount begins to rise:

 

 

Its incredibly obvious to me now that there's more than a squad, probably less than a platoon in the orchard. One of the enemy casualties is carrying a panzerschreck. This obstacle won't be bypassed, I don't want him using the orchard to mask his retreat and hit me from the flank as I move. I've lost about 4 men wounded so far for about twice that number killed, and have achieved fire superiority. The goal now isn't to win this little firefight, but win it with no further casualties if possible. 

[General Jack Ripper]

"Tanks, hose that orchard, I don't want a single tree standing!"

"Mandrake, put those machinegun teams on Condition Red!"

[Heinrich505]

"For God's sake, Mandrake! In the name of Her Majesty and the continental congress, get over here and feed me this belt."  

 

 

Heinrich505

[Bud Backer]

That orchard looks like a pain but in my experience it doesn't offer a lot of cover to an armoured opponent. Hopefully you'll be able to clear it without major losses.

Edited September 3, 2015 by Bud_B