Bil Hardenberger

Sorry John, Normal Dude is taking some well deserved time off. As soon as he gets back in the next day or two we will resume. Bil

I just hope there is no mold in the Villa. Well, if there is I know who to call.

You and me both John. I thought my Semovente would have an advantage too.. but we both saw how that worked out. I'm taking little chances of having that same thing happen again. I loved Armor magazine.. they need to release those old magazines in Kindle format

The Twenty-Second Minute Well, my mortar fire did not drop on the T30 yet.. but they did fire a spotting round that hit on the Hill objective.. so that should mislead ND into where that is planned to fall. On my right my Pz-III never did spot the T30 on the other side of the Villa, and now that bastard has retreated back around the corner of the building. Worse still, though I checked LOS completely before I moved my Pz-III forward a bit I see that my tank has spotted his Sherman.. oops. Luckily I think the smoke I had one of my infantry teams pop last turn must have obscured my tank from view because I do not think his Sherman can see the Pz-III. Still I target the Sherman and order the tank to reverse back into cover. I doubt I'll hurt his tank but who knows, eh? Vark, you asked about the Brixia, well it just so happens I've had this team slowly and carefully working its way to a position where it could hopefully spot and fire on the T30. I also have one Pz-III that now has eyes on the T30's location. The T30 is still busy firing at my Italian infantry so hopefully it will make itself obvious to my tank. So that makes three weapon systems that are ready to engage the T30, the Brixia and Pz III, if they can spot it, and the 81mm mortars that will be dropping their load on it next turn. Should be entertaining.

I would rate that as a wink.

Its all about the angles Vark... if he is focused on my infantry and my Pz-III can spot him then yes the chance that he will then be at a disadvantage is there. All depends on what ND does with his T30s. It's possible he might rotate the one closest to my Pz-III in its direction in the hopes of getting a spot himself.. in that case, it'll be a quick draw and accuracy contest. Stay tuned. Bil

The Twenty-First Minute So the next turn has ND's T-30s firing at my PBI who are only trying to get somewhere to rest. Luckily I only suffer one casualty. I really do not mind, because as long as his guns are distracted by my moving infantry perhaps I can do something with my Pz-III. Meanwhile my Pz-IIIs start moving fast to their overwatch positions. I only hope that dust cloud isn't visible from the Villa. On my right I am slowly hunting my Pz-III forward in the hopes of spotting and getting a shot off on his T30. For this move I am firing at the wall directly behind his T30's position in the hopes that it will force them to hunker down... then my tank will hunt forward about 10m and attempt to spot the T30...after 20 seconds it will reverse, and then hunt forward again. Finger's crossed. I am due some luck going my way in this battle. Finally my FO has been busy as well. He has adjusted fire with the 81mm mortars from the HIll to the other T30's location. This vehicle did not move last turn so hopefully I can catch it before ND gets wise. These rounds are slated to drop in less than a minute. I also have a battery of 105 set to drop on the Hill and Villa in 7 minutes. If this doesn't do much damage at least it should provide enough cover for the next stage of what I have in mind... I might have to adjust fire to delay this strike until I am ready. Here we go.

c3k, you are in rare form today.

The Next Moves Keep this image in mind when reading my post: With my METT-T analysis completed I now decide to push my two reserve Pz-III Ms down to KT4. This will allow me to maneuver into a previously untouched piece of terrain and might allow me to catch ND unawares. At the very least this move will allow me to project some firepower onto the back side of the ridge where his T30 now sits. I have plans for KT4 that I do not want to express at this point as I need to see how things develop before I firm anything up. The remnants of my Italian infantry I will be placing a little further back on the line shown in the following image. This will allow them to recover some and will provide overwatch onto the Orchards objective which I would like to reoccupy at some point. The support elements from the Italian Bersaglieri force will occupy KT3 in order to be in position to place fire onto the Hill objective and the slopes surrounding the Villa. On my right side I intend to use the German PzG squad and Pz-III that are already here as an early warning force. With their LMGs and the Pz-III they should be able to interdict any movements down the blue arrows indicated in the following image. In this image you can see my OP on the left hand side and ND's Sherman on the left. Fingers crossed. Here's hoping I can recover this debacle and at least earn some respect from my opponent.

CMBN has longer scenarios than CMx1 had as well. Yes, these games are best played at a slower pace: recon > decide > act should be the norm. In this game I should have reconned more, but I was anxious to catch whatever ND had on the Orchard objective before it could escape so I moved on it as fast as possible. I had hoped to attrit his force on the Hill and the Village more than I have prior to my German reinforcements arriving. That has not worked out as I had hoped... in fact I have learned to use the Italian units in a more defensive role. In another PBEM game I have going now I have decimated my opponent's US force with my Italians by doing just that: ambush, pull back, counter-attack. I think the longer time frames allow for more realistic tactics... the longer game time is most useful on a map with close terrain or urban.. these open maps I suspect will see higher casualties and faster play, mainly because units are spotted quicker and thus the decision point is reached earlier. As for this game reaching 90 minutes? I doubt it.. either I will have spent my combat power within the next 30 minutes or I will have broken NDs in that time... I do not expect a further 70 minutes of action on this relatively small map with this amount of combat power present. One or the other of us will have the other by the throat in a short time I think. After the second and final batch of reinforcements arrive things will speed up dramatically. Bil

Gerry, no I created this one manually. Well the Bersaglieri must have three squads per Platoon, and yep.. the Bersaglieri Company HQ has been decimated. Interestingly, the German Company reinforcement came in without a Company HQ. Bil

METT-T Analysis Part 3 Not sure if there is much interest in this AAR now that the game has been released, but I am continuing until either I am told to stop, I have no troops left, or Abnormal Dude surrenders. TROOPS The next part of the METT-T analysis is analyzing your won troops. Mine have taken a beating as can be seen in this table. But my German forces are untouched and have yet to engage ND's forces. I will explain how I going to maneuver in my next post. TIME This battle is 1.5 hours in length. That is the time I have to complete my tasks. The battle is now 20 minutes old, so I have another hour (plus) to go. I should receive my final reinforcements in about 5 minutes (at the 25 minute mark) My first set of reinforcements came in 4 minutes ago and I have already lost a crucial part of that (the Semovente) so I will need to be careful when I maneuver the remainder of my force. Normal Dude will be getting the remainder of his reinforcements in 5 minutes as well, so I need to be in position before those arrive and upset the apple cart. NEXT: Next Moves

On another trip for work, this time at Ft. Benning Georgia working with the M1A2 SEP Master Gunner course instructors. Fun stuff. I hope to get my last installments in my analysis series up tomorrow.. umm.. that would be later today I guess. Again, I do apologize for the delays. Bil

TERRAIN Elevations and Objectives Looking at the terrain it becomes clear where the high ground lies (blue contours) and the lowest ground (red contours). In this image the three objectives are also illustrated. Key Terrain. * Key Terrain 1 (KT1) dominates the entire southern part of the map and from it Normal Dude can deny my use of any southern approach. * KT2 is still advantageous ground.. the problem I had before is that I could not place enough firepower on it from which to dominate the US positions in the Villa and on the Hill objectives. It still looks down on both of these objectives and can be used as an attack by fire position. * KT3 is one of the few covered high points on the northern approaches that will allow me to lay firer on both objectives. * KT4 could provide a covered approach to the objectives, as well as numerous hull down positions for my armor support assets. I have identified three main avenues of approach: * Avenue of Approach 1 (AA1) takes advantage of the low ground to try to close with the enemy. * AA2 is more exposed but could allow a fast moving force to close onto the objectives. * AA3 currently is closed by the enemy tank located on KT1. It is the most exposed route. * Using AA1 and AA2 exclusively provide the only routes that are not exposed to the tank that is on KT1. Any movement down these routes will need to be covered by anti-tank assets in order to deny him the chance to easily move his Sherman out of position. If he does maneuver against my movements on AA1 and AA2 with his Sherman, then that will open up AA3. I need to keep that threat as a possibility in his mind. NEXT: Own Troops analysis, and Time

I know this is something I should have started at the beginning of this scenario but I guess I wasn't taking this action as seriously as I should have. I was too interested in playing with and experimenting with the Italian force which was new to me. Now I am appalled at how this has unfolded so far that I wanted to take a step back at this point and really analyze what I am up against, what I have to do it with, etc. A mission analysis consists of the following elements: Mission analysis (what your task is), Enemy Analysis (capability and organization), Terrain Analysis (key terrain, avenues of approach, etc.), Troops (your force capability and organization), and Time (the time constraints you have to work within to accomplish your mission). This is known as METT-T analysis. I have completed the first two of these components, here they are: NEXT: Terrain Analysis

Yes it is beautiful here.. and the run along the sea wall each morning blows me away. Sun though? When is that supposed to make an appearance? Have a cruise today (Company bonding), which I am really looking forward to... hopefully the rain will recede until at least that is over.

My next post will be up tomorrow. Again, sorry for the delay. Bil

Update, I have not forgotten about this AAR.. I am still compiling my next post. I have a business trip to Vancouver BC tomorrow (Gpig you around?) for a week... so that will also delay it another day or two. Bil

The Twentieth Minute Okay let's get it over with... the Semovente bites the dust this turn. Even with the thing unbuttoned it never could spot the T30.. I had ordered it to target briefly onto the spot the T30 is sitting.. but with it slightly behind the rise my two rounds are short.. the T30 fires 3, the third striking home. I'm not sure how many HEAT rounds that thing carries but that cannot have helped it's supply. On the other side of the map, the UI armor that was spotted last turn has become clear.. it is a Sherman. So now the situation is clear. I am also at a crossroads... I need to sit down and take a hard look at my force and see if I can come up with a way to solve the performance gap between ND's forces and mine. This battle is not over yet. In a few more turns I will get another helping of reinforcements, and then hopefully I can become the hunter again in this battle. My next post will be analytic in nature as I explore the present situation, the opposing forces and equipment, and possible courses of action.

Actually I did that Mikey.. they quickly closed the lid again when ND's T30 opened fire though It still only has a 3 man crew, so spotting is still not great. Yes these Italian vehicles really need some help when coming to grips with the better more modern American equipment.. and Steve is right, the open topped vehicle should spot better than my Semovente. Doesn't help my frustration level though In my last AAR with The Capt (see the link in my sig) I consistently got the drop on him by unbuttoning, having better positioning, etc. Exactly like what is happening to me here. I am loath to unbutton the R35s because the TC is then very vulnerable.. but they can't spot for sh*t otherwise.. Sorry if it's been misunderstood, but its my frustration with the new equipment that I have been complaining about, not the game. Bil

The Nineteenth Minute ND's T30 takes 3 shots at my Semovente this turn, one falls short the other two are long... I still have no LOS to this vehicle and I have several vehicles that should be able to see either this one or the other... ND is winning the LOS battle that's for sure. There is little I can do if my units cannot get LOS onto ND's vehicles... Another R35 bites the dust, this from the other T30. I am really getting dismayed at the lack of LOS I am getting from these Italian vehicles. Now I have lost 4 out of 5 R35s and the Semovente is is danger. Checking LOS from these vehicles I have blue targeting lines from each of them onto the two T30 locations, but none can see either. Frustrating. As my spotting rounds fall on the Hill objective I notice ND is pulling his troops out of that position. Smart. After my barrage is spent he can simply re-occupy them and then I will have spent my artillery for little gain. My OP now notices a UI armor sitting on the hill along the back edge of the map If this is a Sherman that will effectively eliminate any idea I might have had at moving units down this flank. At least it's sitting there out of the fight for now and not actively engaging me on the Orchards or at the Hill/Villa. NEXT: A Decision Point

The Eighteenth Minute So I expected this... the immobile R35 on the Orchards objective that had gun damage as well was knocked out by ND's T-30.. I had dismounted this tank this turn so I could get the crew off of the objective, just in time it seems. My OP spots this MMG team running towards the Villa... A second halftrack comes around the other side of the villa, obviously hunting my Semovente as it immediately starts to target my tank, though no shots were exchanged this turn. the red circle marks the location of my Semovente.. I am glad I listened to my intuition last turn when I pulled my tank off the exposed road.. The blue circle marks the location of ND's T-30... sadly my tank has yet to gain LOS to it, though I have good LOS to the exact spot it is sitting on. Could the Italian tanks be that blind when buttoned? Well, we'll have to see if I can get a visual on it in the next turn or so.. hope the trees and hill are enough protection in the meantime.. but really at this range the accuracy of that 75 in the T-30 cannot be too great.

The Seventeenth Minute ND's killer demo team seems to escape with no casualties under my chasing MG fire. This team seems charmed some how. On my left the Semovente starts to put some fire into the villa. I don't really like it's exposed position on the road so I will pull him back behind the corner and take up a more covered position. The first of ND's reinforcements shows itself coming around the corner of the Villa... this vehicle sports the same gun that ND had in his forward positions.. not sure what kind of ammo it has though so I need to be wary.. I will position my Pz-III so it can oversee this area.

The Sixteenth Minute I have had about had enough of ND's little demo team.. they toss not one, but two charges on my lone, blind, impotent R-35... So I am sending a squad and a Pz-III that direction.. in the hopes of bagging this lone team. They will probably bug out before I can get there.. but at least I can have a small force with some punch securing that flank for me against any incursions ND might have planned. I expect he will want to recapture the Orchards objective.. but I don't expect he will do that too soon. Just over the lip of the ridge that the Orchard objective sits on I have placed a lone soldier to act as an OP on this area and at least give me some warning of any impending movement up this avenue of approach. On my left the Orchards is almost clear of troops now. I am busily setting up a new line to defend against any counter-attack ND might have planned. These troops are worn out now.. so hopefully they will get a few minutes to recover some and settle in. My biggest fear is to see a Sherman or two crest that rise because I currently have precious little to stop them... until my Pz-IVs come in on turn 25 I am pretty fragile. The FO has finally gotten its stuff together and plotted a mortar strike on the orchards objective position. He has enough time to perform some buddy aid.. "buddy, buddy, are you okay?"

Steiner good question... I doubted the success of a wide right hook maneuver taking the Villa from the rear or flank would work.. at least in the 15 minutes I had to work with before reinforcements arrived (his and mine). If it was unsuccessful then I would have been caught with my troops scattered, strung out, worn down, and weary against his fresh troops which I knew contained some armor and infantry. I also was loathe to leave his forward detachment in my rear, which it would have been if I had pushed everything to my right. So I decided to push up the Orchards objective, try to take out the pickets (successful) and then with the height advantage pick apart his Villa and Hill objective defenses.. this as you see was not such a bright idea.. I did not foresee the firepower advantages he would have nor that he would have such great visibility onto that objective from his positions. Blame that on inexperience with the Italians (this is my first game with them), or on lack of map analysis, whatever. Seemed like a good idea at the time. I was hoping to attrit him and set up my German force for an easier time.. I don't think they are going to have a much easier time.. but at least I am confident they will be able to put up a better fight. Bil