Vadr

I hope you all brought your toast! ____________________ Vadr The youngsters in the crowd are wondering what the 'ell you are all on aboot...

Old Joe Writ: Yeah, MrSpkr *said* you were a liar... ________________________ Vadr Truth and Mormon underwear (wtf?) are in short supply I guess...

Ummmm....lessee here... Geier opined.. Correct. The Germans named the first fighter squadron formed since the end of WWI after their most famous fighter pilot of that conflict. I'm no apologist for Goering or his cohorts, but some countries do stuff like that ya' know. There is still a "Richthofen Geschwader" active in the Luftwaffe today. JG71 flies F4 Phantoms out of Wittmund. This concludes today's history lesson. Berlichtingen screeched... Now that is just stroppy. In closing: thppffftttt Nidan1 edited: It would be my pleasure Sire, err...Squire...err whatever. It will go out today. Hold the anchovies if you please. Happy Birthday Persephone. MrSpkr, I am delighted to hear you and your family are safe and hope the others involved will be as well. The rest of you need to do less blabbering and a lot more Sodding Off. ___________________ Vadr I'm up against medieval weapons and fish. This is going to be easy...

Seanachai mumbled: Nothing more needs to be said, I think. I have launched a missive toward Gaylord Focker and eagerly await his (her?) reply... ________________ Vadr British is a strange language...

Seanachai babbled: Sod Off Yeah? Which one was that? It's quite difficult to tell one from the other in this fetid environment. Regardless, if I have offered offense to a Lady of the Cess' then I submit my most humble apologies. Ummmm... Stroppy? Ignorance demonstrable. Indeed I was born here, left and then returned. Have fun shoveling snow this week your...ummm...whateverness, or Ice Skating, or whatever it is you people do in January. I'm going to the beach to work on my tan. Sod off and have a nice day. Furthermore, I did say something nice about the Scots already, and one of the pillocks nit-picked me for it. Berli-sumthin' scribbled... Bah! You should try that yourself., and not depend on the Knight Champion of the MBT to do the dirty work for you...Coward. Joe Shaw spoke: Yeah, got it. Send hate-mail to Seanachai and spank Berlichtingen at my first opportunity. Will Do. Got a tournament coming up, but will take care of all that soonest. ____________________ Vadr Amuse yourself by Sodding Off on a Pike.

Gaylord Focker sputtered: Well you got that right anyway (but I question the context, how's your exercise regime these days Mon Brave?). Sir Joe Shaw etc., ad nauseum, pontificated: That's nice...Ummmm...What's a Shavian? I must have missed that (obviously important) part. Further, the aging Justicar then spouted: Funny you should mention that; I just bought a horse farm. Yes, I know you don't care, but it should be of some comfort to Git Gaylord and Delta dalem that I will probably actually be shoveling horse manure in-between giving out tactics lessons... Please do enjoy the mental picture until the next turn arrives. In closing; Papa Khann is obviously a fool and I could care less if you lot ever bold or not bold my name. Feel free to use all lower-case if it suits you; you will learn your manners soon enough. Now, would you please all just Sod Off, and I beg of you, as the newest potential Serf, to let someone of wit start the next thread. _____________________ Vadr Never bring a Pike to a Gunfight.

Maces? Pikes? Flails? You boys just really aren't up on modern weapons are you? Living in the Dark Ages...how sad. Not to mention I'm pretty sure none of you would have the level of physical fitness required to even lift such weapons from the floor. No matter. I shall send you a setup on the morrow Lord Git. Remember, I gave you the option, and you asked for it. Adieu _______________ Vadr Medieval weapons from you lot? Now that is a joke...

Git Focker writ: More words? Or, are you capable of doing it yerself? Send the setup then, if you are not hiding behind the power of the Kaniggets of the Cess (or whatever). ___________________ Vadr Gaylord? Gaylord? Oh Please... I could tell the joke about "Them Fokkers", but that would be droll... [ January 03, 2003, 09:21 PM: Message edited by: Vadr ]

Gaylord Focker altered my post. I take this as a positive sign. Notwithstanding, is he truly a Git? Mere words, complete with misspellings, from a (failing?) Justicar... Darwin in action? Maybe so... ___________________ Vadr "Your powers are weak, Old Man..." [ January 03, 2003, 08:49 PM: Message edited by: Vadr ]

A nit-picking Scot. Never thought I'd see the day... Indeed. That is exactly why I am here. Und Zo, you are saddled with me for a bit. Get used to it. Blame dalem if you feel the need to somehow redress the issue. Meanwhile, I am not yet impressed... _______________ Vadr *yawn*

Well, what do you expect from a SSN eh? I still know good Scotch (and overrated Scotch) when I taste it. Besides, I live in Amurica, where most of the unwashed pronounce it "GenmoreAINgie" instead of "GlenMOREanjie". I suppose it's too much for me to ask for a break? Heck with it. Sod Off Yae illiterate Scot. _______________ Vadr I know some good Bourbons too

Berlichtingen writ: Like biting into a peat brick fer chrissakes. Further, you should not drink it if'n you can't spell it! Now...The Glen Morangie, there's a fine Scotch... I was going to pick on an Oddstralian Berli-Girly, but I believe you'll be next on the SSN hit list. Do you have a pike? Have you any idea of its proper use? You'll need more than that... Have received a turn from the Delta Dawn fan and replied to same. Cripes 'a mighty, I pulled it off! ______________ Vadr Most people are Gits when it comes to good Scotch. Sod Orf.

I had a problem with Panzermartins Su122 and T34/76 mods. I installed them according to the instructions, fired up scenarios that would use them, no joy. They also did not show up on the CMMOS interface. I reinstalled them (just went to the config/mods screen, selected 'add' and selected the zips, and they worked fine). Do you see the mods in the CMMOS interface after you installed them? If you don't, just go config/add and select them again. Good luck, they look pretty good. Gordon, you need more dirt Vadr, new CMMOS devotee [ January 02, 2003, 10:19 PM: Message edited by: Vadr ]

Very good. The file is on its way to you even as we speak (or at least, as I type). Something smallish so as not to overtax Your Feebleness. Vadr

Well, I'd like to challenge dalem to a game, for the plain and simple reason that he (she?) posted the absolute poorest first post I've ever seen in a Peng thread in 2 years of lurking. Neither, I'm afraid (well, ok, you're pretty funny, in a sad sort of way...) Now, one of you Old Timers (or whatever it is you call yourselves) will say: "You Vadr, are a mere SSN and unworthy to challenge anyone with a 3 digit member number". To which I reply: Dalem deserves to have his assets kicked by a SSN for that worthless first post. Besides, How am I supposed to tell who is a SSN and who isn't? The "instructions" in that first post were pretty vague after all... So, how about it you sad Helen Reddy lovin' hippie? 1000 pt QB, you can take either side, I don't care. Better yet, find something historical and send it along (QB's are lame). Or, if you'd like me to pick the vehicle of your demise, doing so would be my pleasure... Oh yeah, in advance thanks for the assuredly warm welcome, you may all just Sod Off Vadr ________________ Insert witty Sig here...

E-mail and file sent Marc. Thanks very much! Vadr

I have been playing this Operation PBEM with one of my regular opponents and was having a grand time as the Russians. Terrific map, interesting tactical situation. Good force balance through the first two battles. Unfortunately, after I set up for battle 3, a night battle, neither I nor my opponent could open the PBEM file. I did the setup several more times, saving the game as I went, and then could not open the save game files either. In both cases, CMBB would just 'hang up', and would need to be shut down via Task Manager. We've about given up on it, which is a shame as it was shaping up into a first-class operation. Has anyone seen anything like this before? Any suggestions? Vadr

I concur with Holien. I assumed the Amis would have artillery and they did not. If they had, I probably would have lost bigtime. See my AAR above; this is a GREAT scenario as-is. I think the American player needs to go for the blowout/destruction of the German forces, as opposed to exiting the map, but I'm not sure he should be clued to that fact in the briefing. In the endgame, the German is likely to have 1 platoon of Infantry and 1 or 2 AFV's, the Americans have enough force to roll over that if they only will, IMHO. Caveat: I have not read the American briefing for this scenario. Vadr

EmilVille Exit AAR - Chuck "vadr" Grimes (German) Setup - Something of a classic situation: An American advance, west to east across a long map. The German defenders have reasonable fields of fire. Terrain items of note include a southern, secondary road which is sunken, running parallel to the main highway W-31. Heavy woods in the North center of the map, with a wheatfield to the east of them. The sunken road to the south is surrounded by wheatfields and brush, in an area segmented with stone walls. I don't think he'll send his light elements in force down that sunken road. They can't cross the stone walls, it's a real killing zone for light armor. The heavys can do it of course, but bog percentages are higher. Really, there is just one narrow chokepoint which his light armor can use; right down W-31. I've covered this with my 20mms, and am counting on them to do good execution. I've elected to trade space for time and concealment. I am making only a token defense of the two western-most VL's, and will concentrate on defending the town and the immediate approaches to it. This gives me several bonuses; I will not be exposing my guns early, I have a much smaller area to defend, any reinforcement can be more easily integrated into the defense without exposure and of course I'm hoping my opponent will burn valuable time 'feeling' his way forward. I cannot open fire too early, that's a cardinal sin. His arty will crush me if I do. I must wait for the attack to develop and then make the most intelligent use possible of my guns once I see how it is unfolding. My infantry platoon goes along the western edge of the easternmost wheatfield between the sunken road and W-31. 2 MGs, a 75mm and a 20mm in the woods south of town. 1 75mm and 1 20mm in the woods north of town. The crack 75mm actually in town, along with the mortars and their spotter. This is a dnagerous placement for this most valuable gun, right beside a road, but the fields of fire are just too good. The gun covers the right and center and has 'keyhole' opportunities out to the left flank. The 2 STG's go at the eastern end of their setup area, well back from the forest edge. I hope to stage a mini-counterattack with these elements to slow him down, and then hopefully withdraw them through that wheatfield to the east. It'd be nice to have them available for the end-game fight. I desperately need infantry reinforcement if I am to hold the town. I need my 20mms and Pschrecks to stop his light armor, so I can use the 75mms on his heavy armor before he kills them. Turn 1 - Two American Armored cars spotted on W-31. As expected, they make straight for the gap. No infantry detected yet, no movement detected on the sunken road. Turn 2 - 3 Greyhounds and 3 halftracks in sight now. The armored cars continue toward the gap, the half-tracks (with troops) turn into the first wheatfield between the 2 main roads. Interesting. Nothing to shoot at yet. If he doesn't send any infantry through the woods where the STG's are I'll be ecstatic. Turn 3 - Well, he's aggressive, I'll give him that. 2 Greyhounds appear on the sunken road along with dismounted infantry. His halftracks make a left off of W-31 into the first wheatfield, presumably to deploy more infantry. Looks like he'll advance up both roads with dismounted infantry in between. His left flank guard will be important. I'll hurt him with the Stg's if he isn't careful. No reason to fire yet. Turn 4 - Some HT's have appeared behind his light armor and infantry screen on the sunken road. He's committing more force there than I thought he would. The spacing of his bounds his excellent. It'll be touch and go to see if my Pschreck ambush on that road pays off. I placed the 'schreck as far back as I could to still have a shot, but perhaps not far enough. No sign of movement on the woods to my right where the STG's are. At least, none I can detect. The situation continues to develop as expected. No firing this turn. he continues to bound his Greyhounds forward on the right, into the STG kill zone. Turn 5 - Things proceed as before. 2 Shermans just popped up way back in the rear on W-31. They will bear watching... Turn 6 - 5 pieces of heavy armor now sighted back there on W-31. He seems inclined to bring them forward, which is good. I'd be in a tough spot if he held them back. I'll continue to hold the STG's back in cover, even though a bunch of armored cars are now in the kill zone. I need the STG's to kill a couple of tanks to make this work. My opponent is smart though, and his spacing is excellent. He's trying to force my hand so I'll expose my AT guns and armor. I'll need my 20mm's to handle some of his light armor, so my 75mm stuff can deal with his tanks. I continue to hold my fire as he advances. Turn 7 - Nothing new to report. He continues to bring his tanks up cautiously. I expect his leading elements on the sunken road will hit my pschreck ambush next turn. Turn 8 - GOTT IM HIMMEL! I swear, if Unt Kinkel survives this battle, I'm going to ship him straight to the Ostfront. The fool opened fire on an armored car despite his 'Hide' orders. Oh I could shoot him myself! Well, it gets interesting now. I've opened fire 1 or perhaps 2 tuns early. I've uncovered a 20mm and the far right 75mm. He's got some halftracks in the ditch beside W-31 picking up some troops, I'm going to drop mortars on that tight little target and hope he drives them out of there into my 20mm fire. A bad turn for me, I should have placed both STG's where they didn't have *any* field of fire until I moved them up. Postscript: Mein Gott, he has 2 *platoons* of armor. Yikes. the 20mm held up his end of the deal, killing 3 Armored cars. I killed 1 tank with the 75mm before it was destroyed. Turns 9-10 I wanted to see how he would react to my threat to his flank, and so have not begun withdrawing the STG's yet. They still have W-31 covered, so he can't advance along that route. My 20mm continues to do sterling service, killing a half-track this turn. Interestingly, he has manuvered his armor in such a way that my crack 75mm now has side shots at a substantial portion of his armor. I feel I cannot let the opportunity pass. Turn 13 - Man does this look grim. He has 9 tanks moving to engage my 2 STG's. No contest to the outcome of that fight. So, I think I'll play for time, backing the STG's into the woods so he has to come and get them at close range. A desperate gamble, with the same outcome, but maybe he'll bog a few tanks and lose a few turns. I should have done a better job of covering the STG's with AT guns. Turn 14 - Well, the outcome of the STG vs Sherman fight wasn't even decent: 1 dead Sherman for 2 dead STG's. That STG opening fire early was just a major disaster. On the bright side, reinforcements have arrived. 2 JGPZ IV and a platoon of infantry. They are sorely needed. Since all of his armor is way over on the right side of the map, I'm going to take a chance and run one of the JGPZ IV's out to the sunken road to see if I can score some points and maybe blunt that attack. He just hit my infantry screen this turn. The other JGPZ IV goes in reserve until the situation develops. Turn 19 - Well, 8 Shermans are moving over the Wheatfield to my right, and their opening shots shocked my hidden (yeah, right) JGPZ IV. That leaves my Crack 75 and a 20mm to face them. His infantry attacK destroyed my screening force. This one is all but over. Had my STG's not opened fire too early this might have been interesting, but right now, it certainly looks like a major defeat for me. Time to think about withdrawing from the map. My Crack 75mm crew did well, killing 3 Shermans before succumbing to HE fire. The remaining JGPZIV has a good field of fire into the flank of his Shermans line of advance, that should give him pause. We shall see. Turn 20 - Ok, my Crack JGPZ IV got a kill, only 4 enemy Shermans left now. He's advancing his infantry to attack my TD in flank, but I have a 75mm surprise in store for that. I may still withdraw from the map, but it suits me to wait a turn now... Turn 21 - The most satisfying turn of the game for me thus far. JGPz IV kills a Sherman, and one of my Pschreck teams kills another with a fantastic long-range shot. I was due a bit of luck. Only two Shermans left now. I broke up his Infantry rush on my JGPz, but he is bringing up more troops. 2 M20's rushing down W-31. One is dead, the other soon will be. The tide turns? Turn 22 - well, it's a more interesting game now than it has been, at least from my standpoint. He's moved those last 2 Shermans into a depression so I can't get at them with the TD (which weathered some rifle grenade shots this turn with no harm). Another dead armored car, not sure what he was trying to do there. I'll try to withdraw the JGPZ into town and shoot up some of his infantry. I gotta say, the picture is brighter now than it has been. I'm starting to think I've got a chance for at least a draw here. Turn 23 - Got the JGPZ back behind cover safely. Shot up his leading platoon and *almost* got off another schreck shot at a Sherman, but he killed the team just in time. I lost my last 20mm to light mortar fire this turn so that was a blow, but I don't think he'll advance any HT's against my TD and the gun was almost out of ammo anyway. He has more infantry, but hasn't deployed it to the attack yet. I hope he keeps throwing them in piecemeal. He's manuvering the Shermans for seperation, but I only need one more lucky shot to really turn the tide. my last 75mm AT gun on the left continues to bark, but is losing crew to his light mortars. Turn 24 - Hmmm...I killed a bunch of his leading infantry platoon as planned. Surprisingly, he is bringing up his reserve platoon mounted along W-31. My last 75mm has that highway covered and is going to get some shots. He's moving fast, we'll see. He's advanced his last two Shermans back into the open field on my right. I don't think he has enough separation between them: both will be on the right side of my JGPZ. We'll see if I can make him pay for that. Turn 25 - Pretty good turn. I killed one of his remaining Shermans. The 75mm got a front hull penetration on a half-track, but no kill. I'm out of pshcreck ammo now (but of course he doesn't know that). The way I figure it, he's got about a platoon and a half of infantry uncommitted. Dunno if I can get the win, but it sure look a lot better now than it did 10 turns ago... Turn 26 - Some excitement, but nothing definitive. He ran that last Sherman in close to the road. We traded some shots, nobody hit anything. He's got two platoons of mounted infantry way back on W-31. If I didn't know better, I'd say he's going to try and rush them past them either past me off the map, or into the victory flag area on the last turn. Turn 27 - Yep, he sent that Convoy down W-31 and off to his left (my right). 4 Halftracks (now 3) and 4 Trucks. If he plans to deploy his infantry and take the town he waited too long, I think. If he's trying to get some exit points I can't stop him, but I don't think he's going to get as many as he plans... Turn 29 - My opponent is an honorable man. This turn and last turn he's made a rush with his last units (HT's and Trucks) down the outskirts of Emilville on the right. I was worried he'd try to grab the big flag on the last turn, but it appears he's making an honest effort to get off the map. Unfortunately, he has to drive directly across the front of my last JGPZ to do that, and Crack crews don't miss very often. I am scoring a lot of late points and his last Sherman is dead. Is it possible I can get a win? Turn 30 - He makes a last turn rush with a squad who kill my JGPZ, but my counter-rush captures the survivors of that squad. No other action of note. Result - Axis Major Victory Conclusion: This was a GREAT scenario, possibly the best of the entire tournament. A real nail-biter, right down to the end. On turn 10, I thought I would lose; before turn 20, I was *sure* I would lose and was preparing to withdraw from the map. The margin of victory is reflected by the points I scored in the last few turns as my opponent desperately tried to exit his forces. It was a *much* closer game than the score reflects. Can't say enough good things about this one: Well-balanced and interesting, a real challenge for both sides. My complements to the designer. I recommend B&T put this one out for public consumption without any major changes. As is; It's a Classic.

Lab Rats in Norway AAR - Chuck "vadr" Grimes (German) Setup - Well! Isn't this interesting? I'm guarding a Lab site against a commando raid. I'm a little surprised to see a scenario like this in a tournament, but I'm certainly willing to take a crack at it. I have a number of guards (sharpshooters) and minefields which I cannot place, 2 platoons of security troops, and 3 HMGs. Since by definition I surrender the initiative here, I've elected to place the 2 platoons in the north and south construction areas, 1 MG in each truck, and one MG on top of the main lab complex. I expect to detect the enemy hitting the wire, and will then attempt to counterattack him out. The guard at the northwest corner is late reporting in. I've sent Leutnant Bertram to investigate (placed him near the machine shop), and I've decided to take a stroll around the perimeter myself. It's quite foggy out tonight... Turn 1 - Nothing to report. I've put the guards in motion, and Lt. Bertram and myself will also patrol the perimeter. Turn 3 - The guards patrol. I moved my Kubelwagon up near the gate as another observer. I've withdrawn the guard from the water's edge to the woodline. My plan now is to mount a 2-man patrol through the woods in a counter-clockwise direction, see if I can detect his assualt inbound. Turn 9 - Something has triggered the mines at the SE corner of the compound. Thankfully, I'm close to the scene and have an MG42 crew handy. I will commit one platoon of the reaction force. Time to see if the plan will work... Turn 10 - So far, one platoon of British Commandos have been identified at the southeast corner. I don't think this is the full attack, there may be more of them out there. Turn 13 - A relatively inconclusive sparring match still goes on at the SE corner. He's killed a team of my guards, but I can't detect that he's penetrated the wire yet. I continue to fight him here with one platoon while actively patrolling the rest of the perimeter and holding one platoon in reserve. Turn 15 - I killed a mortar team at the SE corner. Things have gone strangely quiet... Turn 16 - The Sentry patrolling the west perimeter seems to have disappeared. I am rushing the other platoon to the main lab, and am preparing to follow them myself. Turn 17 - Well, here comes the main attack: 2 platoons of British Commandos hitting the west wall directly opposite the main lab. My Security platoon arrived in the nick of time, he has gotten 2 squads past the wire. I am sending 3 teams from the other platoon and my last MG in support. I'll try to hold the SE corner with 1 team and an MG42. Turn 18 - Well, It's hand-to-hand in the main lab complex. My Green troops are doing as well as can be expected vs Elite Paratroopers. Reinforcements are on the way. He hasn't yet renewed his attack at the SE corner and he really should. It would give me more to worry about. Turn 19 - I've turned back the first wave of his assault, but he has more troops out there. The reinforcement teams have arrived at the lab and are engaged. I have thinned the rest of the defense beyond the point of prudence: it's up to the troops now. Turn 25 - Nothing of real interest to report. There has been a bloody hand-to-hand fight in the main lab and both sides have taken horrific casualties. As the Company Commander I have moved to the western construction area to rally my broken troops for a late-game counterattack. I still hold a small force at the SE corner and and outpost at the SW corner to guard against any late-game rush by my opponent. Not much of a tactical fight, albeit quite bloody. I left the remaining guards at the main gate to protect against a late-game rush. Outcome: Axis Tactical Victory: 58-27 Conclusion - I didn't bother to continue a turn-by-turn description because there wasn't much worth describing. His troops and mine fought at close range in the main lab, and we both took heavy casualties. The remnant of his first assault on the military HQ crept up to the perimeter fence on the last turn and so threw that VL into question, but in the end it didn't matter: his casualties were just too high. I think this scenario was well-designed. It portrays a Commando raid against a heavily defended objective quite well. However, I question the decision to use it in tournament play. By their very nature, Commando operations require the element of surprise to succeed, and *operational* surprise is of course impossible to obtain in a CM scenario. I thought my opponent had a good plan and played well, I'm just glad I didn't have to play the Allies in this one.

North Of Epron AAR - Chuck "vadr" Grimes (German) Setup - A raid on an enemy artillery site. Looks like fun. I've elected to try to take out battery 1, and then make a grab for the center of town and that VL. If I can get battery 2 well and good. if not, I'll content myself with 3 flags. Both of my Infantry platoons start at the edge of the swamp west of the main road. My two 75mm HT's start in scattered woods on either side of the road, with good fields of fire to the building labelled "machine gun nest". I'll likely start putting HE into this building on turn 1 to take it out. one of my 20mm HT's starts just east of the road, also with a good field of fire to that building. The Infantry will advance through the woods at the center of the map toward Battery 1, using bounding overwatch. I've stationed one 20mm HT and 2 LMGs on my right flank. Their job will be to make noise and generally draw attention that way. I want my opponent to remain in doubt about my intentions as long as possible. I may commit any reinforcements to the right side to pincer Battery 2, or I may send them up the middle to help out the attack on battery 1. We'll just have to see how it goes. Turn 1 - The Machine Gun nest has been destroyed. There were some troops in there, so it was good that I did that. The infantry assault will jump off on turn 2, now that he no longer has that OP to see deep in my rear. By the sound, my opponent moved many trucks over towards Battery 1 this turn. They may be icing on the cake if my attack goes as planned. I could probably use the extra points at the end. I'm also hoping that means he's expecting me to try for Battery 2 and has deployed his defenses in that manner. Turn 2 - Hmmm...His artillery responded very quickly to my attack and that cost me a SP251/9. Most unfortunate. The plan proceeds. Turn 3 - I sent my Sniper through the woods to the left of the MG nest in advance of the main body and that turned out to be a good thing. My opponent seems to be rather boldly deploying at least a portion of his Infantry forward into the woods. 2 Squads spotted so far. My sniper is literally 1 meter away from some enemy troops, but hasn't been spotted (he was using 'Sneak'). I'll hide him now and see what develops. I would love to open this by receiving an infantry attack and destroying a portion of his forces that way. In any case, a close-range infantry scrap in the woods is in our immediate future. Turn 4 - Whoot! Reinforcements! No way I expected them this early. I'm basically holding them in their at-start positions this turn. I'd still like to develop that Infantry fight on my left and the feint on my right. Sure is nice to have reserves! That Infantry in the woods may be just AT teams. How disappointing. I've killed one, we'll see what happens with the other. Turn 5 - Well, his Infantry in the woods turned out to be a pair of PIAT teams. Both are dead now and the advance continues. On the right, the feint force has made contact with a MG nest and is taking artillery fire. That's good. Turn 7 - My opponent continues to shoot artillery at my decoy force and I continue to be pleased by that. Sound contacts indicate that he is also deploying infantry to the right (his left), also good. He apparently had a 3rd PIAT team in the woods and that unit now has a close-range shot at my Puma. That's bad. The main Infantry force continues to advance to it's jump-off positions without hinderance. Turn 8 - Ah. Minefields in the woods of course. However, the mines aren't covered by fire and so constitute merely an annoyance. The PIAT team was killed without injury to my forces, the advance continues... Turn 9 - Mein Gott! MORE reinforcements! I can only assume the Canadian "rear area" troops must have significant support nearby. I feel I must use these troops and will therefore step up the tempo. I will commit one platoon (mounted) up the main road, supported by my Puma and the remaining SP251/9. I hold the other platoon and the 2 light tanks in reserve. My plan is to use these troops to interdict any attempt by my opponent to reinforce his threatened flank. The feint on my right continues. My assault troops are nearly in position, I have substantial reserves and I still have loads of time. What more could I ask? His artillery is just devastating. 2 HT's shocked this turn. Yet another PIAT team kills my Puma. Damn. 2 Vickers have opened up on the left flank of my infantry advance. A problem, but not yet a major one. My troops need cross only a narrow space of open ground in their field of fire before the June wheat will hide them. My opponent is fighting skillfully, and has placed his units well, but I see nothing yet that will prevent me from taking battery 1 or exploiting that into the town. The action heats up. Turn 10 - Perhaps it wasn't a PIAT team that got the Puma. Spotted a gun this turn, and what looks like a Daimler Scout Car. He seems to have a lot of MG's, but I am slowly taking them out. Time to put a little of my own arty into play, I think. The advance continues as planned. Turn 11 - My opponent begins to drop artillery on my forces at the edge of the treeline. That was expected and casualties thus far are light. My arty knocked out that gun I spotted, and I'll use the next 7 rounds to pound the infantry positions he's revealed. 2 of the 3 Vickers MG's on my left flank have been knocked out, and my overwatch forces continue to do a good job of covering the center of the map. I need to kill that Daimler still, but hey, you can't have everything in one turn, right? Turn 12 - Ouch. Another gun reveals itself in the center of town, and a 3rd in battery 1. The one in town killed my last Sp251/9. My opponent adjusted his arty very effectively this turn, and really hurt my Infantry advance. Time to commit the reserves I guess. I believe I'll send them down the right side, as the main road is getting a bit crowded now. Turn 14 - The hard-fought battle continues. His 25-pounders killed another one of my heavy HT's with a near-miss area shot., and I'm taking heavy casualties everywhere. But, my second arty barrage arrived this turn and for all intents and purposes broke his right flank. I've changed my mind about the reserves and will commit them on the left, to try and capitalize. I cannot afford to have them stopped on the right. The action is fierce. Turn 15 - I continue to push hard on the left. He has very little left on that side, although my initial attack is just about out of steam. I've identified 2 Stuarts and a Daimler AC though, and he's concentrating these in the center of town. The loss of my SP251/9s is really felt now, and the Lynx will have to get both close and lucky for a kill. Nonetheless, I continue to hold to the original plan. I will take Battery 1, and may be able to throw the center VL into contention. For the win, I need my opponent to make a mistake and so far, he has not. Turn 17 - I am really blowing this attack. My leading Infantry assualt is getting decimated abd it's taking me too long to get the reinforcements up. I own the battery 1 flag but am running out of troops. on the plus side, he appears to be shifting his left flank forces over to his right. Hopefully, I can catch them on the move. Time to concentrate on killing Tommies for a few turns... Turn 18 - He continues to chew up the remnants of my infantry assault on the left.I'm moving both the PZ II's and a halftrack across the center, and will drive them towards the right. He's definitely shifting his troops to his right flank and I am able to take them under fire. In the 'good news' department, one of those "light Tank?" units turned out to be a Humber. The halftracks with the last Infantry platoon continue to move slowly through the scattered trees behind the center woods. Should be in position for dismount by next turn. I still have plenty of time and despite my heavy casualties, significant force. There is still hope. Through turn 23 - His well-placed guns continue to make mincemeat of my infantry, but what's left of my armor has also pretty much destroyed his. My reserve platoon deployed and is attacking as planned but has already taken severe casualties from his 40mm and 88mm guns in Battery 1. I continue to advance the 2 Lynx and a couple of squads toward battery 2, moving very cautiously. I want to at least throw the flags into contention, but if I get there too early he'll just counterattack me out. I still think I can take Battery 1. If I can do that and maybe throw battery 2 into ? status, perhaps I can get the Draw or maybe a minor victory. Can't afford any more mistakes though. He immediately capitalizes on every one I make. Turn 29 - Oh for cryin' out loud. The 'Light Tank?' which has been absolutely dictating my tactics for the last 12 turns or so turns out to be a White Scout Car. Time to cut loose with the Lynx. Damn. Turn 32 - Battery 1 is *finally* knocked out. It cost me one of the PZ II's to do it, but my troops are in those foxholes now. My Opponent has two White Scout cars down there on the road near the gun emplacements, I need to kill those. The center flag shows as German, but I'm not buying that. Things have gone much more smoothly now that I no longer have to worry about Stuarts and Damler AC's. Ahhh the Fog of War. My casualties have been horrendous. I still would consider myself fortunate to get a Draw at this point. Turn 33 - He drives the two White Scout cars off the map, finally giving me control of battery 1. As I didn't have to commit my last Lynx to chase them off, there's a possibility I can throw the center flag into contested status on the last turn. I hope so. With the casualties I've taken, I'll need every point I can get. Result - Allied Minor Victory 64-36 Conclusion - Well, what can I say? My first defeat of the tournament in another great B&T Scenario. The "minefield" labels on the map were brilliant. They really played a part in my initial and follow-up attacks. Not too sure about that "machine gun nest" label, there was no way I wasn't going to shoot at that and I think my opponent was pretty upset about having padlocked troops there who were casualties almost by default. Perhaps that was the intent. I think B&T should recommend this scenario be played with Full Fog of War. I cannot overstate the role that FoW played in this game (and my defeat). According to my troops, my enemy had 1 Stuart Tank and 2 Daimler AC's in the town, and the "Stuart" especially really dictated my operations from about mid-game on. I simply could not expose my armor or HT's to that "tank", nor to the two armored cars. I realize that one "tank" had turned out to be a Humber, but I got several good looks at the second "Stuart" and the intel on it did not change until turn 29. I had to be cautious, calculating, careful. While I was being all those things, my opponent was slaughtering my infantry. Once my troops properly ID'd the "Stuart" as a White Scout Car, I was able to put on the full-court press and take battery 1, but that was too little, and too late. I still had the force to at least throw the center flag into contest, but I didn't have time. Had I been able to verify earlier that my opponent had no armor, I would have been much more aggressive with my own, especially since I killed most of his Piat teams early in the fight. Great scenario. Really enjoyed it.

A lot of players have commented on that "wide open" gate and how that was the (hindsight-enabled) way in. I don't think so. I think most of the successful defenders followed an operational plan similar to mine; hold the main body in reserve, detect the enemy on the perimeter and react to his attack(s). I put both of my reaction platoons in the center "construction areas" with the MG's on trucks close by. I was prepared for an attack on the gate and was watching it closely with the "guards". I don't think an attack through the gate was necessarily as viable as it seems in hindsight. Easier to get in, sure, but then a long way from 2 flags. The ambush possibilities for the defender are endless. In the end, the problem with using this scenario in a tournament is that commando ops by their very nature depend on operational surprise. Operational surprise is impossible to achieve in a CM scenario. All of the guards are going to be wide awake, the garrison commander is going to be on his toes and is certain an attack is coming that night. *That*, and not some inherent design flaw, is why this was a poor choice as a tournament scenario. My $0.02 (again). Vadr

Thanks TB! Vadr

As the Germans, my opinion is exactly the same as your opponent. I thought the scenario well designed, but I did not think it appropriate to be included in a tournament. Vadr