Bil Hardenberger

The Fifty Third Minute In the center my now immobilized Pz-IV has started to unload on the building that I know housed an HQ team last turn. Tame There now only appears to be two units still in tame.. everything else seems to have abandoned the town.. but with GaJ you never know.. he might have laid a few Easter eggs for me to find. The SPAA was seen on the top edge of the map driving towards S. Maria Infante.. probably to join in on the defenses against my Hill 153-Hill 172 force. Hill 153-Hill 172 The M10 sat stationary for this turn, while it appears that GaJ is attempting to setup his ATG... that takes three minutes so I should have time to bag it. GaJ has peeked an infantry unit over the top which received some fire from my Pioneer team on the other side and then ducked back down. My teams hopefully are placed so tha the M10 would be in range of my satchels if it peeks over the top... My right side Brummbar is now moving into position on Hill 153 and the Jpz will be on site next turn.

The Ninth Minute I was painstakingly working my Marder around the left side to get some angles on the Shermans in the treeline. I guess I didn't check LOS carefully enough as he is hit by Warren's far left Sherman. This was a gun kill, so this vehicle will withdraw (if it can). Damn. The center road now has a lot of armor sitting on it.. they can spot enemy tanks from time to time but unfortunately the rounds keep hitting the trees. It seems that Warren can concentrate fire against me with multiple tanks while I rarely get a spot. I need to find a solution, and quickly.

The Fifty Second Minute This was a good turn for GaJ... good for him. He boldly rushed a Ranger team out of the woods to close assault my Pz-IV before it could redeploy over the Ridge Road... where was my infantry? Too far away it seems to intervene. My panzer gunned down both members of the team but not before they managed to immobilize it. An M-kill is as good as a kill in my book. GaJ's M10, totally unmolested now, drives up to the edge of Hill 172, exchanges fire with the lead squad's the halftrack.. which could only end one way, though it took three rounds.. my halftrack lays smoking on the hill side. The only good news was that Hill 153 seems to be completely in my hands as the HMG team was seen abandoning its position.. at least two members of that team lie dead in the foxholes. All other teams that were on or near Hill 153 seem to have run off as well. Until my Jpz and Brummbar can finish redeploying I'm afraid GaJ can cause some trouble with that M10.. though hopefully my Pioneers will have something to say about that if he gets too close.

The Fifty First Minute Well this turn turned out to be anti-climactic... I moved a Pz-IV to the Ridge Road in the hopes of getting a spot on the fleeing M10 which had its turret facing away, and/or the moving ATG.. unfortunately he spotted neither.. then got spooked by some close in infantry fire (there is an enemy HQ team in the building right next to this tank) and backed away. I am moving more assets to this area (including the Elefant) to better deal with any enemy on this side of the Hill 153-Hill 172 ridge. Bottom image shows the M10 moving into a position on the reverse slope of Hill 172 just waiting for me to pop over the top... but he can't be ready for both my Pioneers and my Pz-IV.. so which way will he turn? Hill 153 and Hill 172 My Pioneers are starting to clear the Hill 153 objective... meanwhile (bottom image) I have a few infantry contacts on the other side of the hill, one of which was seen unassing the area. The Brummbar on this side is well on its way to getting to a position on Hill 153 in order to dominate the valley, the approaches to S. Maria Infante, and the town itself. The Jpz will be moving this turn to provide some more AT muscle to this important ridge. On Hill 172 I spotted this crew lying in wait for my Pioneers climbing the other side. This must be the crew from the M10 killed on the Ridge Road. he was spotted by my Pioneers advancing on the foxholes that held the HMG team (which now look empty) Finally the left side Brummbar is moving towards Tame to better support that assault and be in position for the assault on S. Maria Infante... which I will start soon.

Thanks. I really appreciate it. Yeah, losing those two Tigers really took me out of my game... I was really starting to scratch my head then and wondering what I had gotten myself into.

The Seventh & Eighth Minutes This seems to be all going Warren's way right now... I lose the second Tiger on the main road in the eighth turn. It took two penetrating hits, the first killed the driver.. after several seconds another crewman took the driver's place started to reverse and it was hit again... this one was fatal. Looking at it from Warren's point of view, you can see that he is using the available cover masterfully in order to keep me from spotting him. My tank was stationary to improve its spotting, but Warren still moved his Firefly into position and opened fire on my Tiger without any of my units spotting him. You can see from this overview that I have lost sight of all of his tanks. Even my dismounts can't see them. I now have a Pz-IV section on the center road backing up the Jpz section. I have moved the third Jpz into the open center. The Marder is in position on the left but still cannot spot any of Warren's tanks. I have to move through the area Warren's platoon is defending, so need to figure something out. Currently I am getting sniped at, often by multiple tanks without being able to see who is doing the firing. Seeing as Warren only has a Platoon defending this line I think I can expect a defense in depth along this line, which means Warren intends to make me bleed and pay for every meter. The only thing I have seen that could potentially be an advantage for me is that Warren doesn't seem to be moving his tanks around, other than his Firefly they seem to be in stationary positions.

This next turn should be an interesting one.. I am gunning for the ATG and at least one M10 plus have a lot of movement going on, including assaulting Hills 153 and 172 so was really looking forward to checking it out this morning. Of course GaJ has yet to upload the file... and now I'm at work. Damn you GaJ!!

Don't use just your mortar team... use whatever other assets you have on hand to try to suppress the enemy unit(s) until the mortar tube can engage. You want the enemy hugging the ground, not in a position to be able to withdraw. And engaging direct fire with your mortar opens it to being spotted.. unless you are overwhelming the target with multiple units it can thus be very vulnerable. Other than that as already stated, either use them farther back (rarely possible in hedgerow country) or in an indirect mode using an in view HQ unit (preferably that unit's immediate HQ) as the FO calling for fire. I like my platoon mortars to be in direct fire mode though as they are faster to fire and more accurate.

The Fourth-Sixth Minutes Turns 4 and 5 were mainly filled with maneuver. I did lose one halftrack on the center road after a recon team dismounted. I now have a pair of Jpz's working their way up the center road to the objective, the lone Jpz that was on the left has withdrawn, other than some scratched paint he took no other damage. My Pz-IV platoon has moved to the base of the center road, ready to react as desired. Warren has one Sherman Platoon, from what I can tell, in very good positions along the outskirts of Gaumesnil... my Marder is going to try to get into a good covered firing position from which it can take the Shermans under fire while they are distracted by the Jpz''s on the center road. My dismounted recon are advancing carefully on the left and are in a forward stationary position in the center. My remaining Tiger on the main road is withdrawing slowly.. worse case would be two dead Tigers on this road. On the center road one of my Jpz's trades shots with one of Warren's Sherman V's. After several shots get deflected by trees on both sides, my Jpz lands a good solid penetrating blow.. unfortunately the Sherman is still alive as I watched it back out of this position towards the end of turn 6. At least it is off the line now. Hopefully that penetration caused some damage.

Erwin, always bet on Bil where hulldown is concerned. I have had hulldown tanks never get spotted by non hulldown tanks.. and that really is the point after all. Bil

Well, you could put that order sequence together now if you know how.

Freeman you need to download FRAPS and use that make screen captures. WIN 7 or 8 screwed that up for us.

Turn 50 SITMAP Here is the SITMAP current up to this turn. Note how GaJ is being compressed into a smaller and smaller area. now that the ATG near Hill 172 is moving it is no longer a threat and I will be rushing the Brummbar and Jpz-IV to Hill 153.

The Fiftieth Minute The Center Unfortunately (but wisely) GaJ pulled his M10 back over the Ridge Road before my Brummbar and mortar (both of which had spots on it) could get a shot off. It was last seen motoring towards S. Maria Infante. Tame My Pz IV fired on and took out the mortar GaJ had near Tame... it didn't fire at anything else. In Tame my panzer section there has pulled off of Hill 128 and is now in the process of pushing through the village itself. I think GaJ has pulled his M10 and SPAA out of the vicinity of the village. All I can see now in the town are the bunker, an HQ team and the remnants of the ATG crew (one guy with a murderous Thompson). The rear of the town is now closed with my Pz IV there.. I am starting to sweep the village clear next turn.. including trying to take out that bunker. Hill 153 Two of my three Pioneer squads and the support mortar have all disembarked from their rides and are setting up to assault Hill 153 and the HMG team. This team is now receiving a lot of fire and has been silent for two turns. Also in this area, I had a couple infantry contacts in the valley between the Spur and S. Maria Infante.. and they were moving fast to try to get out of the valley. Hill 172 My lead Pioneer Squad has disembarked at the foot of Hill 172 and will climb it next turn. What will they find on the other side? It appears that GaJ is pushing his ATG towards S. Maria Infante.. this is HUGE news for me. It was this one gun (the one that killed my two halftracks) that has kept me from clearing the Ridge Road and coming over the top. Time to kick the pace up a couple notches!

Michael and Vin, thanks for playing. Heh.. actually I planned fire for neither.. I'll let the tank choose.. I also expect this tank will spot the SPAA in the coming turn and did not want to lock into anything I'd be regretting later. But without that, I would have indeed targeted the mortar. Actually.. I have one of my own mortars targeting the enemy mortar next turn, though I expect GaJ to try to pull it out of the line.. but I doubt it'll be able to pack up before my rounds hit. Nobody answered the challenge to ID the two units that get a spot on GaJ's M10 at the end of the turn.. no guesses?

The Forty Ninth Minute So GaJ did bring his M10 directly over the road hunting. It's movement was observed by my Elefant but the damned thing got behind the building before the Elefant could engage. The bottom image shows a very rare event.. an M10 actually exercising its gun! I think, by the angle of the turret, etc. that he is targeting my Brummbar. Contest: at the end of the turn this M10 was spotted by two of my four units pictured in the screenshots (right half of the screen)... can you identify them? You might need to reference my period icon cheat sheet on the repository unless you use my icons regularly. Tame In Tame GaJ brings his SPAA out once more.. still driving forwards... you'd think he would know that thing has to back into action.. oh well. The top image shows one of my haftracks, with a nice keyholed shot at the SPAA position. The bottom image shows the result of the fire. I'm going to have to do something about this SPAA as eventually GaJ is going to remember how to use it and it's going to be trouble. I hope this is a surprise for GaJ... I rushed one of the panzers that was with 1st Platoon all the way into the rear area of Tame.. it now has sight on the mortar team that fired the smoke screen in front of my Pz-IV section, and the Tame bunker. Bonus points: which will I engage first? Hill 153 My scout team has left the HMG team to get suppressed and taken out by others and is working its way around the lip of Hill 153 to see what else GaJ has hiding in the area. Damn the Pioneer Platoon is taking a very long time to climb the hill in their halftracks... Observation: when climbing a steep grade in a vehicle try to do it in a series of shallow across the slope drives, like a winding mountain road. Speed is MUCH faster when moving across the slope than when climbing straight up. Hill 172 My lead Pioneer squad is almost to Hill 172. I am almost to the back of the map with this squad.

I think the name calling is really unnecessary, can we try to keep it somewhat civil? GaJ is FAR from stupid. He has a bit to learn, but don't we all. At least he has put himself out there for the world to see and I applaud his efforts. Bil

ALWAYS go hulldown.

Example of skirt effectiveness perhaps?

The Forty Eighth Minute The M10 unbuttoned and moved out of my line of fire before my Jpz could take a shot. Shame. He does seem more worried about my 1st Platoon and the tank section there than he should be in my opinion. If he dares to come over the top again I have several units (including the Elefant) who are overwatching that ridge. Hill 153 My scouts hunting on Hill 153, stop as they come under fire from an HMG team set in some foxholes up the ridge somewhat. A lot of firepower is going against this HMG team next turn.. hopefully I can neutralize it before it causes too much damage. The Pioneer Platoon will start their assault next turn as they are at the foot of the hill. The top of Hill 153 will get the works as well, from mortars, the Brummbar, as many LMGs and HMGs as I can find, including the LMGs from 3rd Platoon on the Spur. I want any enemy units on that hill (if there are any) nice and suppressed when my pioneers show up. Tame The SPAA in Tame drove forward this turn.. trying some shoot and scooting evidently... however this was all scoot as it never opened fire.. in fact it came under the guns from one of my halftracks at the end of its move before it disappeared from view. Notice it drove straight forward.. doesn't that thing need to back into action so they crew can use the guns? Will it fire in the forward arc? I don't know. He really is engaging his units piece meal... if there was one lesson I would try to correct him on from this game that is it... he needs to team up his assets better and try to attack in superior strength, not in parity, and definitely not when at a disadvantage.

As far as I'm concerned Vin hasn't told me anything that will effect the game's outcome. Sorry no report today. Had some family stuff and visitors taking up my gaming time. Hopefully tonight or most likely in the morning. Bil

The Third Minute As the second Tiger bounds past the first, my stationary Tiger takes a penetrating hit, from the front... down one Tiger in the third minute.. this does not bode well. At the end of last turn you might remember my Jpz was facing off against Warren's Sherman V.. should be a piece of cake right? Well it turned out far different than I expected. My Jpz got two shots off, both missed. The Sherman V got off six shots, four of which hit... one caused internal spalling (the third shot I think) and forced the TD to button... I immediately lost my spot.. the Jpz started to reverse as a couple other Sherman V's opened up on him. You can see the situation in the bottom image... note that at turn end the Jpz does not have a spot on any of those enemy tanks, though all of the Sherman Vs can see him. These spots come courtesy of recon section 1. This Firefly is the tank that killed my Tiger. I gain a healthy respect for these tanks in this battle, as you shall see.

The Second Minute I ordered one of my Jpz IVs forward in order to attempt to spot and engage the medium tank contact from last turn. This missed shot that came from another position should have been a warning... Once in position my Jpz did indeed spot the enemy tank.. it turns out it was a Sherman V.

The First Minute The game starts slowly with my Tiger section bounding forward... ...and the two recon sections also bounding down their assigned routes. They do however get a sound contact on an enemy tank on the outskirts of Objective 1 (Gaumesnil). This last bit was just a little fun.. I don't think I have ever had a nebelwerfer battery to play with before and I wanted to check it out.. so I fired a quick salvo at Gaumesnil... pretty neat.. I doubt it did anything, but was fun to watch nevertheless.

Hister, I actually checked the figures in the game.