c3k

I am WOUNDED! Truly a deep blow has been landed. I shall attack! Just for that...I shall post.

I'm trying to sort through the latest turn and pick some screenies. So much action...so few pixels. Bear with me a bit as I get this sorted.

Ding, ding, ding!!! We have a winna!

Baneman has sent a turn. Sigh. How many 8 wheelers does he have??? And why do the 20mm cannon cut through all my armor with such ease? Pix, anon.

I was talking for my men. I can tell, by the way they look at me, that they'd abhor the endless years of comfort and relaxation hinted at in your post. What a poor fate for a warrior. You have, however, piqued my interest. Once my intern finishes this backrub (I'm dictating this. She can type and give me a backrub at the same time. I think she's an amazing woman.) I'll research what you've brought up. Hey. How'd that "amazing woman" thing get in there. Delete that. Delete that now, I say! Ow. oomph. oooooooommphhhh.

'Uge tracts of land...

Nice! You've weakened your enemy's will. NOW is the time to STRIKE! Move those amphibious vehicles across that river! Show him you are not cowed by the prospect of death. His whimpers will be reward enough. Or, you can keep on as you're doing. It seems to be working pretty nicely. Small movements, covered by others, with plenty of smoke. Artillery suppresses, smoke blinds. (Unless they have thermals.) I like.

The real challenge is going through an entire day at the office only using lines from various Monty Python skits. And not getting fired.

I'm sure he'll thank me for giving his death meaning. So much better than stroking out in a recliner as an old man. Plus, it will show my other men that they can get roadside markers if they, too, perform admirably. I think this will give my units a universal morale boost. Perhaps this is the time to take advantage of it and charge Baneman's positions?

Eh? But he'll bleed out. Best for everyone that way, right? (It's the radioman who's wounded.) ;)

Turn 39:00 to 38:00 More Death! As we left it, just before Donovan died, he was getting pounded by the 3 gunner 251/21 in the village. Let's watch... But it wasn't all strawberries and cream. No. Death stalked like a hunter! Well, other than Hunter's gunner, who never talked, he stalked some who didn't walk. And, in my back right, The Dell is on fire. Yes, Death rewards those with steady aim. Or does he? Meanwhile, in the center, 3rd platoon huddles and dies like flies. Yes, they buzz and flit about and don't go anywhere in a straight line. The smoke is clearing, and that's not helping... Finally... The Big Field will soon be ready to reap what Baneman is sowing. I've got my hidden M8 moving in to back up my jeep. There's the immobile M8 and the M15 who can cover the Big field tree line along the road. I've got some bazookas, but it looks like Baneman has spotted movement. He's moving infantry into the woods and pulling his vehicles away. Bayonet or bazooka: either works for my men. The Dell is nearing a tipping point. If I can kill all his men, I'll win. The key will be to kill his armor, first. So that's what I'll try to do. Based on how my sniper team fared against some 20mm cannon shells, perhaps I'll try something different. I'm still waiting for Baneman's next turn...he's still waiting for the war-muse to give him an idea. Bwah, hah, hah. BWAH, HAH, HAH. BWAH, HAH, HAH!!!

It is Wednesday night...Baneman has been working feverishly to counter my attack...but there is yet no turn since yesterday morning. Perhaps he has ceasefired? Many do... Regardless, there has been a dearth of commentary. No one else will step into the breach, so allow me.

Turn 40:00 to 39:00 Last turn was good. This turn...not. A before and after overview: (Edited to add: in the above image, I forgot to circle the 4-wheeler. It is the recon vehicle contact in the upper right corner area.) The end state image shows some penetrations and some out of command squads/teams/survivors. As well, my two squads along the road in The Dell are...repositioning to the rear. This is odd. I've never seen men do this before. I've heard of it happening to lesser commanders. I must investigate. But first, let's look at what valiant bravery was exhibited by the one M8 I lost this turn (green circle, above): Donovan's Defiant Death. He was dishing out punishment, left and right. The amount of tracers firing throughout this turn was a marvel. Truly amazing fireworks. So, there was Donovan, pumping 37mm rounds into targets, facing them like a man. The 251/21 ("3 gunner") in the village was hosing him down. He scoffed at it and kept on task! Then, in a dastardly move which must be avenged, the 4 wheeler on the hill hit him in the flank with 20mm cannon fire. That was low, even for Baneman. But, it answers my question: no, an M8 can not withstand 20mm fire. Thanks, Donovan. I'll remember that for next time. They all died. Over on my right, The Dell, the New Lynx didn't move. Instead, it sprayed down what it could see, and then some. It caused one or two casualties, and one or two yellow bases, but the my in-command men all fled. I guess hedges aren't good protection against 20mm and 7.92. The silver lining? Perhaps seeing my men flee will induce Baneman to advance the Lynx into bazooka range. Grr. I also lost my M15 on Lori's Mound. It performed some admirable area fire work against MP44 house (I sincerely hope Baneman had some men in there...), before a mystery 20mm firer (I think) hit it. Some men lived. 3rd Platoon took more hits. Seems that's all they've done. A village closeup... Here are the names of the houses, to keep confusion down, and, orange, are the vehicle contacts. The 3 gunner in the village has been hit twice by Hunter's M8. It has a 15 second Target Brief against that same 251/21 (it's the one which sprayed down Donovan in the image upstream), then Hunter will reverse. The two M8s in the middle will advance a little more. I need to thin out Baneman's ridge support. That 4 wheeler seems to be the death-dealer. It's spotting my guys first and cutting them up. As well, he's now shown another 8 wheeler in his backfield. There's a turn in my inbox...off to see how my plan fared. Ken out.

M8s: Yeah, they're actually pretty good. I'd rather have a few more men in them, to keep the .50s in action, but the 37mm does okay in this type of battle. Of course, it's single fire and the armor isn't too great. I'd feel a lot better with 5 or so M5s. I'm about to find out how they fare against 20mm autocannon.

Turn 41:00 to 40:00 37mm dominance (Edited to add: All previous images were taken with an AMD video card. This series is being done with Nvidia. Yes, both cards have some odd ground tiles which are ignoring the fog effect. That's been reported and is known.) I'll start with a look at the cemetery. I want to put a lot of my men there. Baneman has some overwatch over that zone. I've got to clear his men off the ridge on my right before this zone is clear enough for movement. Over on my right, the previous turn ended with an M8/Lynx duel. My M8, commanded by Hunter, had landed a hit on the Lynx, but it still reversed, so it wasn't a kill. Let's see how this turn started: Sweet! But, no hit is a kill until it brews up... That was nice. Further to the right, The Dell is crawling with krauts. Some pix... I'll show an overhead of that area, next. Getting a tank in those woods, even a light tank like a PzII Ausf. L "Lynx", could be a game changer. Unless I have a way to fight it. Like...bazookas. Meanwhile, back in the Uncanny Valley... I'd ordered my two central M8s to advance forward, near the corner of the cemetery with the burning halftrack. The M8s had HUNT orders and 360^ ARMOR ARC commands. Their job is to kill the 8-wheeler. As they advanced, a new armor contact popped up... Okay, it's just a halftrack, but it is positioned to spray down the row of buildings that my 3rd Platoon has been advancing towards. The benefit of the HUNT and ARMOR ARC is that my M8s won't waste time on Baneman's fleeing infantry. (I'm seeing evidence of crumbling morale. A lot of Germans are running away. He must not have motivated them very well...) The drawback of a HUNT is that now my M8 stopped short of where I wanted it. I anticipated this. My other M8 has a delay and will advance 15 seconds later...and finds the 8 wheeler. Meanwhile, behind the village (and near the 3 gunner SPW251/21 1,5cm MG151 armed halftrack), I spot this: At the end of the turn, my left (Big Field) has a solid contact and 2 sound contacts. I'll advance my bazooka team to come in behind that halftrack. My sniper team moves downhill, near where the jeep was. They may be able to pick off any exposed crewmen. I'm expecting Baneman to be pushing some more armed halftracks around there. An image to show the amount of auto fire coming into any village movement: An overview on my right, as the turn ends... Another: Finally: My plan (already sent) is to push. My M8s in the middle are moving forward. They're covered by some area target fire at MP44 House and its neighbor, Flamehouse, being provided by the units near Lori's Mound. The M8s will hopefully get the 4 wheeler. By Lori's Mound, the M8s there (Donovan and Hunter) are also moving forwards. They can flank 4-wheeler. I've got 4 M8s moving in concert to eliminate that unit. As mentioned, The Dell will see some woods fighting, and maybe some bazooka work. (Bazooka teams have ARMOR ARCs so they don't waste time on infantry.) On the left, well, that's my hold. My M15/M8 near Turnip Field can cover the woods at the end of Big Field. Ken

So much to post...and kickoff is so soon...

Joyous day! A turn awaits... My men are relieved.

My men are looking at me. They are confused. They -know- they should be attacking, grinding forward, seeking glorious fate, but they cannot. I am still awaiting a turn from Baneman. Perhaps he has already submitted a ceasefire? Off to pm!

Thank you! As an artiste, recognition is all I seek.

To the readership: should have more writeup, or do you like all-pix kind of turn report? Hurry...Baneman has posted another turn. His poor men... Sorry. False alarm. No doubt he is puzzled and demoralized. Poor man. He knew it would end this way... Random comment: The Dell. I never wanted it. I'm happy to screen it off. It looks like he's got a solid platoon in there, much as I do. I'd love to find the unit which can fire on Lori's Mound. I think it was near the road on his end (to the right of his four-wheeled PSW). I've got two squads and some snipers up on the road cutting through The Dell. I won't advance. They'll hold, as well as they can, while the real fight continues in the town. If my Uncanny Valley M8s can sight/kill the two armored cars while the Lynx gets destroyed, well, I think I'd be able to sit back and area fire my way into the village. I've got some random buddy aid going on. I've got 3 bazookas down and I'm trying to gather them up. Against empty and open-topped halftracks, they won't do so well. But, it's better than nothing. And a few rounds into a building could do some good.

Thanks. In fact, I was just having coffee in the HQ when a soldier walked in, bandages wrapped about his arm bleeding through, and he said, "C3K, please talk to the doc and let me back into the fight! I want to send mine and thine enemies to their just reward! I can still pull a trigger." I considered having the Corporal of the Guard throw him out for his outburst, but I liked his spirit. I put my coffee down, turned, and told him, "Very well. I will send you on a high-risk mission. I doubt you'll survive. However, you will absolutely have the chance to kill some of Baneman's men." You should've seen the smile on his face. I think I'll let him drive the jeep next turn.

Turn 42:00 to 41:00, analysis. This turn was less frenetic than last, but still pretty "kinetic" as the "let's hug our enemies" crowd would say these days. On my right, the Dell is working as expected. I'm happy to get that hit on the Lynx. My guys still have the Lynx spotted, so I may get another hit next turn. Meanwhile whatever has been covering Lori's Mound is causing me to pull off. I'm moving around towards the Uncanny Valley side of the Mound. I've cleaned out the MP44 house. However, the separate house next to it has a flamethrower team/man in it. That will get some area fire next turn. In the village center, there's some fire coming from the last house on the left row. (I labeled it "Germs Here" upstream.) They'll get some area fire, too. I'm advancing my Uncanny Valley M8s with Armor Arcs to engage the 8 wheeler. That thing is a thorn. It shall be plucked... In the middle, I'm just trying to get my exposed men into cover, moving with various delays. On the left, Big Field and Black Forest, I'm pulling the jeep back. They protested. I told them I want them to die later, not now. They agreed. Ken

Turn 42:00 to 41:00 Mr. Browning, meet Mr. Krupp. I've been grabbing screenshots all morning. I'll let them do the talking... I wonder what the image limit is? More...

Eggshells and hammers? Yes, but a 20mm hammer is better than a .50 caliber hammer. Harrumph.

My next turn will have me deal with the remaining contacts. The Dell: It'll be ugly. While my ground pounders die, my bazooka teams (3 of 'em) will deal with the Lynx. Uncanny Valley: I'm moving my M8s and M16 up. MP44 House: they are about to find out about American firepower. 'Murica!! 8 wheeler: let's see if .50 can cut through their armor. There are some who'd set up a test. This is a test of WILLPOWER, not a matter of ballistics. A single man, motivated, behind a .50 cal., can change a battle. Big Field: some movement. I'm ready with my jeep. Overall, a fun minute. I think I saw a smile on Heverly's face...