Finally won a CMBB battle! NG Cavscout's actually beatable

[John Kettler]

In my first CMBB win since leading my team to victory in the Sneak Preview with the Beta Demo, I managed to defeat the heretofore untouchable NG Cavscout, my new Forever War foe. My stalwart Ivans, doing what they do best, defended in place and shattered a German mechanized assault (lots of high grade Landser supported by StuG III/Gs, Marders, 251s, sIG33, mortar FO, onboard mortars). He would've steamrollered me in CMBO with swarms of infantry, but the real power of properly modeled MGs in an integrated defense was clearly in evidence here. Wicked enfilades and crossfires, diabolically sited obstacles, fire discipline and willingness to take major lumps carried the day. TRPed 120mm mortars helped, too, but didn't last long (fire spasm). ZiS-3s did good work initially, but died like flies, despite entrenchments.

Regards,

John Kettler

[dickesKind]

Hello,

How often do you play multiplayer?

Greetings...

[John Kettler]

dickesKind,

Am not sure I follow. Typically, I have two games going at once via PBEM, sometimes three as during my disaster in Poor Old Spike's Pripet Marsh tourney.

Currently, NG cavscout and I are fighting Royal Opponent and will shortly be fighting another Eastern Front battle (just finished a largish QB), this in an effort to get me up to speed for the final ROW. Have had as many as five PBEMs going at once during ROW, with at least a turn a day for each one. At one time, NG cavscout and I had Tiger Valley going in tandem with Trappenjagd. A combo that'll keep you busy! Were you just curious, or were you looking for a battle?

Regards,

John Kettler

[stoat]

I can empathize, John. I've been playing NG cavscout for a while now, and while I generally keep things at a draw level, or at least at a respectable level of defeat, he's steamrolled me a couple of times, while I have as yet been unable to do the same to him.

[John Kettler]

stoat,

Tough opponent! Shall we say his combat experience shows? That, of course, makes a win all the sweeter.

Regards,

John Kettler

[ng cavscout]

Stoat is on his way to steamrolling me in this operation we are playing. He is one of the best I have played, most impressive considering his relative youth.

John, you are a worthy opponent, and I look forward to our next outing, what say you pick the next one?

[John Kettler]

NG cavscout,

An operation, eh? Never played one. Find it challenging enough just getting through 60+ turn scenarios and 45+ turn QBs. Hard to imagine a bunch of those strung together! I'll see what I can find, though, for us that looks appealing/appalling. Have the Allies in this one.

stoat,

How does he know how old you are? That info isn't in your profile.

Regards,

John Kettler

[dickesKind]

Originally posted by John Kettler:

Were you just curious, or were you looking for a battle?

Well, I would say its both of it. I am always interested in a good game and looking for a challange.

If you are interested I would be happy to...

Greetings!

[stoat]

Originally posted by John Kettler:

stoat,

How does he know how old you are? That info isn't in your profile.

Regards,

John Kettler

He stalks me. What can I do? It's rather hard to get a restraining order issued against a police officer, dontcha know.

[ng cavscout]

Just shut up and take the candy little boy.

[Panzer76]

Originally posted by John Kettler:

In my first CMBB win since leading my team to victory in the Sneak Preview with the Beta Demo

Man, your sad

[John Kettler]

Panzer76,

I have so little CMBB experience because it took me a long time to obtain a powerful enough rig. Let's say the funding fell through unexpectedly. Several times!

Regards,

John Kettler

[BeauCoupDinkyDau]

Look'n for a PBEM match?

[John Kettler]

BeauCoupDinkyDau (and others who've asked),

Thank you, but my dance card's full. Am attacking in fog, defending in the dark, and attacking in snow! Royal Opponent and Ghost Column are quite large and demanding to play, and 5th Tank Army vs 24th Panzer is a bit more manageable.

Regards,

John Kettler

[Steiner14]

BeauCoupDinkyDau,

msg me, if you are still interested in a PBEM as Soviet player.

[Paul AU]

(Sounds like CMx1 is still providing a lot of fun. I reckon I'll be playing for many years to come).

[Guest Mike]

Hmm..I haven't had a CM game of any kind for ages now - I can feel a twitching coming on....anyone want to fire off a game to me??

My home address is mikecampbell at paradise net nz, with hte usual dots between teh last 3.

I've played all the disc scenarios, but not too many 3rd party ones. Happy to play QB, scenario or op.

[John Kettler]

Time for an update.

SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

5th Tank Army vs 24 Panzer Division

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NG cavscout clobbered me in 5th Tank Army vs. 24th Panzer Division, a battle in which almost nothing went right. Interior lines and better mobility got him into town first, the LOS was a nightmare, my armor kept missing, but his didn't, leaving mostly funeral pyres plus a few F-Kills, my infantry was shredded, and my FO was put to flight just as he'd barely begun his shoot. Killed a couple of tanks (one via ATR), one 251 and shot up some infantry, while being stomped, kicked, run over roughshod and suffering every other indignity possible on the way to a Major Defeat (76/24). Believe I avoided Total Defeat by virtue of evacuating as many men and surviving vehicles as possible while holding one small VL with minimal forces.

SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Royal Opponent

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Any ontological issues regarding the existence of hell are now resolved. It's real and is located in Sandomiercz, Poland. It consists of pathetic LOS, endless tenacious Russian infantry, and an all but unlimited supply of Russian armor, which generally appears at the worst possible time and on the far side opposite where your turret's pointing. Speed of advance and retreat is positively unnerving, and heaven help the Landser when the IS-2s enter the fray. The thing should be called the Squad Vaporizer! Laughs at Panzer IV fire, and doesn't even reliably die when hit by the mighty L/71 88!

I somehow managed to extract a Tactical Victory (71/29) as the Germans, despite having a powerful force operating at stupendous levels of incompetence almost across the board. The King Tigers were astonishingly fragile. Lost 4? to F-Kill alone, plus 1 KOed before it could shoot (cause unknown) and 3 more destroyed, usually by F-Kill, then Kill or K-Kill. Gunnery was generally awful, from 200 meter range no less, even by veterans, but a few shone. One SS paladin racked up 11 tank kills (including 4 Stalins) and

33 infantry. By the end of battle, I had 3 functional and 1 F-Killed Tiger on the field. having wisely evacuated all the other surviving F-Kills when it looked as though a counterattack was going to roll up not just my left but my center, too. Did the same with ammo exhausted/gun damaged 251s, unhorsed crews and POWs. A whole 2 Panzer IV/Js remain, along with around 3 251s, but tank for tank, my Panzer IVs were of far greater tactical use than the ponderous, bog prone King Tigers. They couldn't take hits, but they were quick on the draw, faster in both movement and ROF, and the combo of skirts and Nah allowed them to protect themselves well against Russian infantry and any weapon smaller than an ATG. My infantry is largely in shreds, with the only sizable force (company -) driving on Poniki. The rest is in drabs and drabs with and without HQs, all over the place. Panzerschreck performance was so bad that I got way more kills with close combat weapons, and you know what that takes. Not fun against a canister spewing T-34! Most of my infantry litters that accursed hill in the center, and another batch was steamrollered and shot to pieces (from every direction you can think of) on and to the left of the left road. Overall, this battle was won at the expense of most of my sanity. Absolutely hair raising, terminally frustrating, grind it out one meter at a time--while sweating blood in the process! "Next to a battle lost..." My men would agree. Talk about a hollow force! For me, though, one of the cool things about this tactical nightmare is how well it mirrors what I've read in the combat histories. I try to bypass, only to take so much fire I have to attack. I try to bounce Mokre, but wind up getting shot in the face so thoroughly I have to mount a full blown combined arm attack on the place. I consolidate, then begin exploitation, only to run into incredibly stubborn resistance from the woods. About this time, another part of my force runs headlong into the wheatfield defense. Next thing you know, I'm caught between the two forces while assaulting both frontally. I've got expensive crews to evacuate, prisoners to disarm, damaged vehicles to screen, together with nowhere enough transport to move my infantry. Panzers are great, but don't try to take much of anything without the infantry. I lost an F-Killed King Tiger on the other flank to close assault in the wheatfield there. Seems that he'd happily stomped, MGed, and Nahed exposed Russian infantry, only to get caught in an exposed position when Russian armor appeared--behind him. Freaked out by the IS-2,

my intrepid infantry eater retreated into the bosom of some angry men and was gone in 60 seconds. I had to deal with close combat, fire support issues, terrain unsuitable for my vehicles, bogging, friendly fire (killed 2 251s with treebursts when I was forced to call down 150mm fire less than 50 meters from my front line). I paid a terrific price to take that bloody hill, and paid again and again to keep it.

Have the corpses to prove it! Tactical brilliance didn't win that battle for me, more like desperate improvisation coupled with saving every point I could scrape together.

Historical account from the Russian side.

http://www.battlefield.ru/index.php?option=com_content&task=view〈=en&id=167

Stalin regiment perspective,

http://www.battlefield.ru/index.php?option=com_content&task=view〈=en&id=180

END SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Regards,

John Kettler

[ October 26, 2007, 10:07 PM: Message edited by: John Kettler ]

[ng cavscout]

I must say, John, that your supposed tactical incompetence in RO didn't look that way in comparison to my self evaluation. I made poor choice after poor choice in committing my armor, penny packeting it in dribs and drabs. My cowardly IS-2's twice cowered from freaking PZ4's, once failing to fire for 42 seconds when they had a red line to the panzer, and ending up dead after the panzer fired 3 times to my none.

[John Kettler]

NG cavscout,

SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Royal Opponent

Those marauding clusters of tanks like to drove me mad! Seemed like every time I got some sort of coherence going, they'd show up, gut me like a fish, shoot up vulnerable rear elements, and generally unhinge everything I worked so hard to create, often retreating out of LOS before I could do a thing. Had my whole tank force been King Tigers, you would've butchered me, for you would've been able to hit and split, only occasionally paying the price. Meanwhile, the King Tigers would've been suffering M-,F-, and K-Kills. Not cost effective, especially with such lousy gunnery! The Panzer IVs died like flies, but unlike the King Tigers, most got at least one kill before dying--when fighting T-34s, that is.

They're the only reason I was able to really inflict enough losses that you started to run out of armor, and they did yeoman work against infantry and the occasional antitank gun, fighting with cannon, MG and Nah. I think I used more coax MG fire in that battle than any other ten put together. No doubt, something to do with having shot through the entire HE load early in the battle! Typically, though, they just died against your Stalins. Have no idea why your IS-2 cowered, unless I rang his bell first (ISTR one took a turret front penetration from a Panzer IV, another partial hull hit, yet still K-Killed the tormentor). From what I could see, Stalin gunnery was, in aggregate, way better than King Tiger gunnery, which was so bad that most of the crews should be sent to penal battalions--in Panzer Is!

Even worse were the T-34s driving about in my rear! They were a dire threat at several points and had to be dealt with, severely detracting from the main effort. Just dealing with those T-34s on the hill took two King Tigers out of the battle for so many turns the game was over by the time they slogged (charitable expression) their way out of the scattered trees and damp ground.

I don't believe my tactics per se were bad, especially given the piss poor intel I got in the briefing and the way my force showed up in clumps widely separated in both space and time. Took forever to get my nonmotorized infantry into the fray! In fact, I had to deploy from the march and fight on my far left. Basically, I had to grope my way through most of the game, only to have the whole tactical picture shift in an instant when one of your tank clusters raced in. The short LOS, made worse by fog, drastically reduced King Tiger effectiveness, not only by depriving me of long LOS and firing opportunities, but by putting me in one disadvantageous engagement geometry after another. King Tigers died because they got caught with turrets broadside or sides open to threats, and some of your tanks lived because I couldn't traverse fast enough to keep them in my sights. Sometimes, the thick armor helped, but the F-Kill rate was unnerving (okay, mind searing), and the armor seemed quite permeable. Still don't know what gobbled up the King Tiger near Mokre. One shot kill!

I think you're being too hard on yourself, seeing as how you demolished most of my force. That's why I won only a Tactical Victory despite your surrender. I think I've got one functioning company equivalent, and it's a Frankenstein from several butchered forces, 3 King Tigers in full order, 1 F-killed as a transport cum MG platform, 2? fully usable 251s, a few HMG-42s, maybe two Panzerschrecks mit ammo, and an FO with 20+ 150mm rounds. Am going to have to rearm a lot of recaptured men, remunition a lot of ammo depleted

squads, recrew AFVs with crew losses, etc. Basically, a strong sneeze would sweep what's left of my once powerful KG right off the field.

I strongly suspect that all that fancy gear I evacuated, together with crews and some prisoners, made the difference between a win and a draw. Am pretty sure that had I not pulled out that batch of F-Killed King Tigers when I did, you would've killed every one of them in the counterattack, resulting in a huge point loss to me. Instead, I got them out of the fight, and they counted toward my victory. It was in trying to slow down your drive, though, that I wound up setting up the infantry on my left flank for near total annihilation by tank and infantry encirclement. You fought well, so well I figured several times you were going to mop the floor with me, and I shuddered when I saw what you were throwing against the hill. Doubt even my artillery would've stopped it. Certainly, I had nowhere nearly enough forces to stop you. More like ghost force.

End Spoiler Alert!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Regards,

John Kettler

[John Kettler]

NG cavscout,

Have revisited the map, know who waxed my tank and now see that your infantry on the hill is in far worse shape than I thought (freaked when I saw all those markers, but failed to check units not right near the VL). Even so, I believe you could readily carry that VL. Why? The MG's pinned, ditto the crew, and the only other unit is platoon HQ, itself under fire. You should easily win the firefight--provided the artillery salvo inbound doesn't unhinge everything. The halftrack en route may or may not affect the outcome. Might even become a third own goal. Treebursts have a big footprint.

Regards,

John Kettler

[kawaiku]

You mind posting a few screens of your epic battle?

[Axel]

@ Stalin's Organist

Aye, I could most certainly have a battle against you, but it would be my first time so I could need some guidance on how to get it rolling.

[John Kettler]

kawaiku,

If you E-mail me privately, I'll be happy to send you some of the turns, together with my password.

Am not really up to speed on posting screenies and am dealing with several crises here, but if you can figure out how to get some good images up, once I send the turns, that would be fine with me.

Regards,

John Kettler

[kawaiku]

Yea why not.