c3k

Den of Death is getting hosed by the AA tanks in the pix upscreen. Getting it from two sides. It'll be the Den of Swiss Cheese, soon enough!!

Still... Overview... End of turn... Retrenchment. I'll stick with Town Center. Ooze a bit on the left of the dunes, but hold in the Ardennes. Due to the deadly nature of the dunes, I'll rename that area Arrakis. Oh, you ever get that sinking feeling that you pressed the "Done" button but forgot something? Yeah. Oops. Some would redo their outbound turn. Not my style. I don't test maps. I don't use the editor to run matchups. None of that gruff. I go in clean, run dirty, and see how it goes. That's the way I run, Johnny. Good stuff.

Massive time crunch (real life) pix speak for themselves... more...

52:00 to 51:00

Another great turn! I'll toss some pix up with minimal verbiage.

Oh, a bon-mot! Well played, sir, well played.

53 to 52, the town Well, let's look there, shall we? It's a bit nicer for me...at the moment. First, the ugliness. Running pell-mell through the fields is not without risk. "See that men? The ones in BACK are the ones who bought it. Don't be the laggard! Hurry forward when I order you!" It came from... This is one of a small cluster of houses on the left of the Town Center. I'd like to isolate the Germans there, if not eradicate them, and then fully control the Town Center. My Town Center operation: And, overall... Armored contacts in boxes. I was expecting infantry. Well, no matter. Piats up, and press on!

53 to 52, cont... Two more contacts during the turn. and, of course, This will be tough. Er. Tough-er.

Turn 53:00 to 52:00 Luckily, I had the Challenger well positioned! After the Cromwells got holed, the Challenger crew, using their situational awareness, were able to change the balance of forces on the battlefield! ...and as they reversed with their gore-filled turret... So, that stings. The balance is, indeed, shifted. Just not the way I'd like. No matter! It's not like that one piece of iron really matters. It's a battle of WILLS, not of THINGS! My Cromwell, the one left, is reversing the hell out of there. My Piats will infiltrate, as best they can. The goal is the same: Kill Bil! Or at least capture the town!

Well, let's all remember... The Panther and JgpzIV got into position during the replay. My FIRST order for the NEXT turn was to get the Cromwells out of there. I'll march my men past them, as a reminder that they shouldn't sit in the open. Another turn awaits!

Yes, I should've used my AA tanks' +2 elven sights to counter his cloak of hiding..

Meanwhile, near my left Cromwell, Zephyr opens up on the sniper team, killing the spotter. My UNBUTTONED Cromwell has no clue. Sigh. They died. Perhaps, some would say, deservedly so. (I -think- this was the Jagdpanzer IV/70. It doesn't really matter to them, does it?) I really thought they'd at least get some licks in on the flaktrack. I will not mourn. Oh, the other Cromwell which got hit? A second impact immolated the crew. No need for them to worry about my next orders. Lucky for them... So, 2 tanks down. NONE of them spotted the German tanks or flak. Are they blind? I've got one Cromwell left, and the Challenger. The Challenger has no LOS despite what looks like a good position. 3 tanks, all with good "player's eye view", none with good in-game views. Sigh. I rely, once more, upon my men. Forward!!! Ken

Meantime, I've spotted this off to the left (near Contacts 2000 and 3)... Another flak vehicle.

TURN 54:00 to 53:00 Let's see how my Cromwells make out... Yes! They start to back out. They may make it... Meantime, the one on the left is coming into position. Excellent location. The knoll next to it will protect it. Gah! Incoming from the Panther... A hit. Of course. At least the crew all survived. Once they bail, I'll give them a better assignment. The one on the left is also opened up. He should spot Zephyr soon..

Deep in his backfield, I spied this little vehicle... You can see how rapidly Bil is sending out orders in a vain attempt to salvage this battle! The temp gauges are flickering into the red, the tubes are burning out, the radiomen are about to faint. Yes, Bil, try as you may...you will be mine! Ken

Oy. With a handle of "para", I'd hope so! Edit: LOL, funny cross posts. Yes, my Piat's are going to ooze into every nook, crack, crevice, shallow spot, or hidey-hole that they can, and rain projectiles down upon him.

TURN 54:00 Orders The first order of business is to neutralize his armor. That'll be the key, regardless of how the Town Center fight ends up. Step one: retreat. Okay, ATTACK in reverse! Step two: move another asset up (as previously ordered) This Cromwell should have a spot on Zephyr. I =think= it is reasonably safe from Pinocchio. If not, his shattered hulk will provide protection for my other tanks! Those who die serve my purposes, as well! Finally, an overview: What's what, by the numbers. 1. Piat team (just offscreen, left, from the hunting Cromwell), will BRAVELY run into the wheatfield and begin to stalk the Panther. This should be fun! (If they don't get hosed when they skyline against that dune crest.) 2. Hunting Cromwell, opened up. He =may= get a shot on Zephyr. That'd be nice. Maybe not, if Zephyr gets a shot on him. 3. Reversing Cromwells. Flee, like cowards. 4. Positioning Challenger. Big stick, sitting up top. Not a great position, for now, but it'll pay off later. Now, 2-4 has all my Cruiser tanks in a little pocket. I'll shift them out of there. I feel Bil's grasping talons trying to clutch at my forces. They'll close on thin air, leaving him befuddled and confused! Then I'll attack...again! 5. Town Center stuff. Green boxes are buildings my Pilots will enter. They serve alcohol and have women of ill-repute in them. Perfect for pilots. Green line is the second AA tank. Yes, I'm being aggressive with them, but the buildings shield their flanks. Kind of tough for the TC. He cannot button up. The CS Cromwell is moving up, as well. Earlier I said I'd pause that B company platoon at the edge of the wheatfield. No pauses for them! They'll rush across the open plowed field and hope for the best. I don't think Bil's got anything covering that yet. If he does, I'll find it. Err, my men will find it. Ken

...and just next to the Panther is Pinocchio. Bil has two good armor assets there. Fine by me. They, plus the flakvierling (Zephyr), represent a lot of his firepower. As long at they're milling about the windmill (sorry, couldn't resist that one), they're out of the town center fight. That fight has my attention. (Leverage: I -think- I can gain advantage there.) Bil's Panther fires a shot as the turn ends... Ahh. I'll have all my tanks for the next turn. Town Center: my AA tank got into position. The other AA tank and CS tank are in supporting positions. No shots fired. However, I've got spots on Bil's Germans just entering the outskirts closest to him. I will seal it off. "Cauterizing" is the term I'll use. Pixie:

Panther Duel, Turn 55:00 to 54:00 Well, the Panther did NOT continue down the road. So much for the shooting gallery. Now it'll come down to a bit of a nail biter... Who'll shoot first? ^^^ Just visible. Sweet position. Without trees (below) for visibility Well, that was a downer. In a fun way. Up one moment, on tenterhooks the next. Now, I just have to survive this turn. If both Cromwells live, as unlikely as that may be, then I'll reverse 'em down and figure something else out. No doubt my next plan will involve an ATTACK! More...

And we have...ACTION!! TURN 55:00 to 54:00 Bil is moving armor from my left to right, both light and heavy. A blitz upon the town? It also seems like some is moving down the road on my left. I'll leave them for awhile. They're inconsequential to the important matters unfolding. At this point, the Town Center will be my priority. (Yes, slysniper, ANOTHER plan!) I'm already committed to a move that way, so, in for a penny, in for a pound. However, look what popped up a few seconds into the turn... The wonders of pause, rewind, and zoom... Shiver my timbers and brace the mainsail! Or something. We're going to have a bit of an armor fight. If Bil is unaware of my brace of Cromwells (HIGHLY unlikely), then I've got a chance of getting a side shot as the Panther goes down the road. Fingers crossed for that... However, if he's moving this to engage my Cromwells, then I won't have much chance. The Cromwell gun is no match for the Panther's glacis, and the mantlet is pretty tough, as well. In fact, I'd probably only get systems damage and maybe some spalling induced crew casualties (if I'm lucky). Let's see what happens...

The farmstead, held by 4 Platoon, has a busy HQ... Rock, paper, scissors. I'll drop mortar shells on your open topped reaper of death! Either I'll pin the crew, damage it, destroy it, or drive it out onto the guns of my tanks. Meanwhile, over to the left, near Contact 2000, I had another spot... At the end of the turn, here's the situation: I've got a total of 12 or so PIAT teams. Some are right. I'm pushing 3-6 to my left. Additionally, the Challenger is coming out of the Ardennes (the woods abutting the dunes). The back Cromwell is zooming forward to take a high-risk shot at Zephyr. The other Cromwells maintain their overwatch. If Bil tries to move Zephyr, I should get it. If he keeps it still, I should get it. (Unless one of my tanks gets hit first!) Pinochio is bad news. It'll be another race. As long as it's moving laterally, that gun is not dangerous. I'd LOVE to get a flank shot on it. Barring that, I need to get some hits on the Wirbelwind and then pull out before that long 75 cuts my Cromwells apart. The PIATs are a bit far back for this fight. Each platoon has 2 organic, each company has 2 or 3, and the support company has a few more. My left is weak...but it won't take much to defend, if I can just get enough forces there. I don't think Bil is inclined to push hard there, but if he is, I need to be prepared. Ken

TURN 56:00 to 55:00 We had action! My farmhouse boys put some firepower downrange into the windmill. Next door, in the farmer's house, a team was upstairs, watching... Uh, oh... Trusty thick Dutch walls! Dastardly Krupp shells! Which will win? It is no longer a game.

And the armor... Some minor other items, but that's the gist of it. It's another plan!

Next, C Company...

Looking at my right, here are the plans: