c3k

As much as I think GaJ needs an armored reaction force, about 2 platoons tanks, 1 platoon mech inf., and a slew of fake entrenchments, with a scattering of sniper's under tight fire orders, all with loads of mines and wire and TRP's, I will not say a word about it on his thread. Skewing and all that. Likewise, my thoughts on Bil's purchases. Lots of armor for the advance through machineguns and artillery, and a buttload of direct fire support weapons to chuck HE. Mum's the word...

(OT: modern airpower consists primarily of standoff weaponry. Modern anti-air assets are primarily deep in the backfield, projecting an umbrella forward. Exceptions for helo support. Modern air would be more abstracted than the strafing runs of WWII/Korea.) Back on-topic: GaJ, the taunting and baiting over in Bil's thread is getting pretty heated! But don't let that bother you. Ignore it. Gotta turn out yet? We're all eager to see what you've come up with... Ken

I think BOTH threads are getting a little too much "advice". But that's just me...

Aye, a doff o'the cap to GaJ. And a nip o'the good stuff, as well.

Well, you know where I stand.

That's an outstanding idea! The key would be to ensure that the game time is identical. This type of image manipulation is not something I know how to do. If you can do it, and don't mind doing so, then by all means ask Bil and GaJ to provide such a screenshot. I'd enjoy seeing it. Fortifications: GaJ needs 'em. Reverse slope defense, keyhole, TRP's, channelizing obstacles and mines, etc. Fortifications can be spotted, oftentimes before the troops in them can be seen. If GaJ liberally sprinkles them around, then Bil will probably be "spooked" into suppressing them. That'll burn time and ordnance. Fake fortifacations: their time is now! Ken

As do I.

^^^ Um, this is the AXIS thread. It'd probably be just a tad less irksome to Bil to post the pro-GaJ wishes over in the ALLIED thread. Just sayin'...

GaJ is talking about bazooka troops as mobile. I think that's a mistake. Infantry will get pinned, or take bloody losses in attempts to close to bazooka range. 'Zooks are good to keep tanks "honest": say ~200m distant. Tank hunting with bazookas is not a good plan for a defense meant to kill tanks. (They're needed, but only to preserve your force, not to attrit his.) Bil's force will be good for direct fire. Lots of tanks, etc. GaJ should invest in fortifications and set them up where they will soak up a lot of fire. (Empty of men...) Make Bil delay and waste ordnance. As noted, Bil can concentrate on one half of the map and very simply neuter the defense force set up on the "wrong" side of the ridge road. Set up some flank defense to cover the ridge road, so that GaJ cannot shift forces except deep in his backfield, and press on. Artillery on the backfield will slow down GaJ's ability to shift from one flank to the other. GaJ needs some halftracks to provide a mobile defense reserve; they'll at least protect their passengers from a lot of shrapnel and be more mobile than trucks. Those, and some tanks. I still say the flanks are key. (If Bil concentrates on one side of the road, the map edge is one flank, the ridge road is the other.)

Yes, satchels get thrown. I don't know how to prompt it; it seems to be an AI controlled action.

Ah, yes. In a public AAR, the eyes of the (CM) world are upon you. You have a duty. To paraphrase Winston Churchill, "Once, in every man's life, if he is fortunate, the eyes of history will be focused upon him. What a pity if that time comes and finds the man unprepared." How sad if you have an AAR and start huddled, be-feebled, and frightened, only to end even worse. Short, sharp, and covered with glory. That's how to run a public AAR. Back on topic: I've participated in both threads, but try very assiduously to restrict my comments to asking what they're thinking, or to make my standard, over the top, attack requests. No feedback at all. A la, "Yes, that looks like a good idea". It will be cool to see if Bil sticks with his command push idea, or if he changes his approach based on what he sees. (He'll call it flexibility, but it will blur the lines between command push and recon pull.) GaJ should benefit from an advanced, aggressive defense. The clock will be ticking against Bil, not GaJ. GaJ needs to keep a reserve capable of movement on the battlefield. Troops in trucks need not apply. IRL, the Sante Infante battle was a bit of a grinder on the attacking US. The Germans were dug in and had mined and wired the front. Tanks were facing difficulty on the road due to AT mines. The left and right tits were machinegun nests which inflicted a lot of casualties. The US attack worked, but they needed the cover of night and a few retries to coordinated troops who'd been disorganized. This map is two battlefields separated by the ridge road. GaJ needs to ensure his forward flanks stay secure. Oh, and of course, they both need to attack! Ken

I'd re-read the battle for Sante Infante, and see what made the German defense so problematic for the attacking US, back when it was really fought out. That may help. (I've got a copy on a shelf which I've been -meaning- to re-read.)

The Peng thread simply cannot find me! Back to Bil: so, what are your initial thoughts on how you're going to go about your...wait for it...ATTACK!?!? (<-- Totally gratuitous, and only for those who prefer the analytical approach rather than that steeped in blood, manly pursuits, and glory!) Ken

Macisle, you've got pm. Ken

Blind him? I like the way you think. Poke a sharp stick in his eye! Then roar in triumph and do it to the OTHER eye! Like a blinded cyclops, he'll be lost in the labrynth of your whirling dervish offense! (Can I mix more metaphors?)

Cut the ponytails off your prisoners and tie them to the barrel, then plunge forward into the heart of his defense! Your victory will be all the better for it!

Great, but how are you going to USE the things??? Cool map. Interesting inversion of the historical fight. Moar...

Wait till night, then use your FLARES to ignite his fuel tanks! (Oh, never mind.) Smoke, flanks, mobility. His fight will be standoff. Yours will be the knife. Place men in spiderholes with naval rounds and hammers. That'll be the key against Elefants. Any defender incapable of tactical movement is merely a speedbump. If you want to DESTROY his force, it's offense. If you want to DELAY his force, then bodies. A combination may help. Neuter his long guns by good defense positions. Where you don't have the luxury of reverse-slope, you'll depend on discipline, camouflage, entranchments, and obscurants. The BEST obscurant is to make his lead tank a pyre! I envy your men: they will have many opportunities to seek glory! Unleash them! Ken

Yeah, my thoughts were that the secondary outcropping would be very important to the defense. (To gain the heights over the town, the attacker's right flank would be the key. Up that slope, then across the saddle to the top of the town.)

GaJ, Go light on the armor. Get a lot of mortars. And some OBA. Don't worry about Bil, he's a newb. Okay, now that I got THAT off my chest, let's hear what you're going with! Now to put the horse before the cart: looking at the map and the objectives, how do you plan to defend it? (Please tell me you'll defend by vigorously counter-attacking!!)

Crap. Wait,that was just the SHELL of the warrior! His spirit died in the saddle, dreaming of kicking Zhukov's ass back across the Volga. Yeah, baby... Screenshot or it didn't happen.

The best defense is good OFFENSE! Attack him on turn 1 in his setup zone! Even if you lose, he'll never be the same. His hands will have a tremor every time he tries to mouse over the "go" button. You'll have unmanned him. Or, using the crude language of today's youth, you'll have taken his mojo. Your men's lives are there for you to expend. 100 men for Bil's mojo: that's a price worth paying. Tank rush on turn 1: we are watching! Ken

Patton---how gloooorrrrious he was. A true warrior. Died in the saddle. Okay, not the saddle, more like the passenger seat. But damnit, in uniform, not in a sickbed! We await the arcing flight of the red flare...

My point was PURELY to show that a weight of 1,800 pounds on a single axle, when balanced, allows relatively easy movement when a group of men (4-5) are available to push/pull the item. NOT to say that antitank guns should be used in assaults.

I've got a single-axle trailer that weighs 1,100 pounds, empty. I can move it around by myself...if there's a smooth, level surface. 1,800 pounds, relatively well balanced over a single axle is child's play for a few men.