Darknight (DC)

1728 hrs At the narrow pass along Route 122, Cpl Salberg’s M4A1 ran into a halftrack and the Sherman driver incredulously decided that it was more efficient to climb the embankment than press on through the German vehicle; needless-to-say, this was the wrong decision to make, as a grenade from the enemy infantry on Castelletti Hill blew a track off the Sherman, which then came under fire from the damn Panzer IV that is still maneuvering on the Forested Ridge and was knocked out. That’s what happens when the driver doesn’t listen to the commander… Interestingly, the Spw 250/10 spotted at the Villa decided to open fire on Sgt Liming’s MG team; in doing so, the Germans have exposed themselves to S/Sgt Blum’s 60mm mortar. The fighting in the orchard continues to be as ferocious as ever, with some Germans retreating, some standing their ground and a single poor soul trying to surrender. Chaos in the Orchard As Sgt Contini attempted to get his Sherman to cover in the Gully, another smaller calibre round struck the turret; the source was never spotted but it is most likely to have come from near the Villa. The damage from these strikes was negligible, but a single shot from the Panzer IV on the Forested Ridge knocked out the Sherman [Observation: Damn that Panzer IV and its goddam insane optics/firing accuracy…I believe I have lost 5-6 Shermans to this bugger…every bloody shot seems to hit]. 1729 hrs Cpl Salberg’s crew seemed to garner the attention of just about every German near the Castelletti Hill, with the entire crew eventually becoming casualties, though in the chaos, there were some German casualties as well. Sgt Bradford was ordered to remain in cover, as there was no margin for further armor losses [Observation: In sacrificing Salberg to buy time on the repositioning of Bradford, I essentially traded a Sherman with no main gun for a fully operational Sherman]. S/Sgt Blum acquired the SPW 250/10 as a target and dropped the rest of his mortar rounds on that location, and although none of the rounds appear to have had a damaging effect, hopefully the vehicle will at least go back into hiding. The German sniper on the Castelletti Hill has again become active and will have to be dealt with eventually. The Germans in the Orchard are reduced to a handful of men, possibly less than a half dozen bodies, and 2nd Easy continues to hold the line; if it were possible, replacing 2nd Easy with 1st Easy would be attempted but there is still too much fire in the Orchard itself, and better that they remain intact for the fighting sure to come near the Villa. The StuG along Route 122 is still operational and probably the biggest threat to our operations, though there is believed to be another possible StuG hiding on the opposite side of the Orchard, beyond the dissipating smoke screen. Trooper James has reversed his Sherman to a more covered position until the infantry screen can identify further threats. In the Gully, Sgt Contini, upon exiting his stricken tank, discovered that he was face-to-face with an enemy halftrack and he defiantly began peppering it with fire from his sidearm. My kingdom for a grenade…

Mord and I are/were working on something for the community. These were made special for our games but I have a plan. Mord's computer has been giving him fits, so that has been an issue with working on this. (And also probably why we haven't heard any commentary yet in this thread)

1727 hrs Sgt Bradford gave the order and his driver put their Sherman into reverse, hoping to make the relative safety of the reverse slope near the house where the Rangers had located their Company HQ; mortar fire continued to plaster the area around Bradford’s tank but luckily there were no damaging strikes. Because the reverse maneuvering was done entirely blind, and a mistake could result in their demise, the driver made the decision to reverse with the tank half-perched on the roadway as a guide. The decision paid off, as the tank made good time and soon was out of danger. Precarious Perch Cpl Salberg, having arrived on Sgt Liming’s flank as support but finding the Germans had been turned back, decided to race forwards in an attempt to catch the enemy while in disarray; there are a significant number of enemy bodies strewn about the Orchard. Salberg’s Sherman, which had its main gun damaged earlier in the fight, raced past the StuG astride Route 122, spotted an SPW 250/10 lurking on the far side of the Villa and arrived at the narrow pass near the Castelletti Hill. An unfortunate place to be wounded… The main line in the orchard being held by 2nd Easy is secure for the moment, thanks in large part to the arrival of Trooper James’ Sherman. Presently, James is safe from enemy AT fire and able to work in support of the hard-pressed men of 2nd Easy. German halftracks and a kubelwagen have also been spotted moving around just to the east of the Orchard. Cpl Masconi, cautious but determined after recently witnessing Capt Gable’s tank get knocked out, continued forward in search of the enemy threat, and was soon rewarded with a StuG clearing the trees directly into his sights. The StuG was promptly struck by several 75mm shells and the exiting crew met their fate after being hosed with coax MG fire. Meanwhile, Sgt Contini raced his Sherman to the left of the Gully, in an attempt to flank the StuG. Pushing quickly around the Gully, Contini’s tank was struck on the back of the turret by a smaller calibre shell, possibly from an armoured car, though not damaged; this could prove very dangerous, as the rear of the Sherman is exposed to incoming fire from the direction of the Orchard. The StuG lumbers into view… …and is immediately engaged… …knocking it out and forcing its crew out into a murderous MG fire

1726 hrs Sgt Bradford attempted to lay some smoke to his front, in order to be free to attempt to maneuver away from the StuG, but he had spent too long in his exposed position and the damned krauts dialed in his location for a mortar barrage. During the barrage, the StuG came into Bradford’s view and his gunner scored a direct hit, but the bad luck continued, as the round deflected off the StuG’s weapon mount. Finally, a direct hit, but it bounces off…hopefully some damage was incurred The situation was tense at Sgt Liming’s MG position, as the Germans continued their advance into the Orchard, though Liming’s force was bolstered by additional rifles from Cpl Alvarez’s light mortar detachment nearby. The flanking friendly troops provided a much needed boost to moral for Liming’s men and they forced the Germans to retreat with significant casualties. Initially looking pretty bad for Sgt Liming… …but the situation on the ground can change swiftly Trooper James directed his Sherman over the crest of Hill S135, heading deeper into the Orchard to support the beleaguered 2nd Easy’s position and attempt to prevent it from being completely overrun. An SPW 250/1 came into view and then disappeared in an explosion, as the M4A1 opened up on it. Another shot was meant for some racing enemy infantry but they were saved for the moment by the sturdy stone wall in front of them. Those lucky German soldiers caught another break, as Trooper James spotted a higher priority target to his right, the elusive PSW 222, and a PSW 221 which was frantically trying to reverse. After a moment of indecision, the Sherman dispatched the PSW 221 and then turned its attention to the 222, which was also destroyed. One very lucky German Destruction of the PSW 221 The Panzer IV on the Forested Ridge that had been scaring the tank crews on the right flank was finally forced to reposition deeper into the trees, as increasingly accurate fire from Cpl Simonds mortar team bracketed the tank. Meanwhile, the remaining tanks of 1st Platoon raced over the crest of the hill and sped for Capt Gable’s position in the Gully. Unfortunately, they were too late to prevent the destruction of Gable’s Sherman by an unseen enemy tank.

1723 hrs The fighting in the Orchard remains tense, with the Germans consolidating their positions along the stone walls that had recently been 2nd Easy’s scouting line. 1724 hrs The action in the Orchard continues. One of the Ranger mortar teams dialed in the range on what is believed to be a 50mm AT Gun hidden behind a wall at the eastern edge of the Orchard; several rounds were confirmed on the location and hopefully they knocked the bugger out. A substantial number of Germans is still pushing through the Orchard, backed by fire from their armored cars and halftracks. Meanwhile, Capt Gable is playing hide-and-seek with another German halftrack and a StuG near the Gully. 1725hrs The tension in Sgt Bradford’s tank astride Route 122 could be cut with a knife; Bradford knows that there is a StuG maneuvering to his front but still cannot gain a solid visual on the tank [Observation: My opponent knows I’m there too, as he has a sniper and LMG team to my left that occasional take pot-shots at the Sherman; I can’t move back and moving forward has resulted in the StuG gaining the visual and a one-shot kill in every case here so far, so I have to hope that my stationary Sherman (which has complete LoS to the entire area containing the StuG) will get the first visual/shot on the moving StuG…though I doubt it at this point]. In the Orchard fight, Sgt Liming has brought his team’s MMG to bear on the advancing Germans, but is being stymied by a stone wall (which doesn’t seem to be stopping the Germans from firing back). Trooper James took a blind shot at the position of the PSW 222 that annihilated the scout teams, then laid some smoke down on the far side of the Orchard. Cpl Salberg raced his M4A1 to the position that had originally been occupied by Sgt Mannering’s Sherman. During all of this, Sgt Knight’s team acquired the bazooka left behind by the heroic Cpl Zimmer, who was tended by a medic. Sgt Liming’s No2 is wounded Retrieving Zimmer’s Bazooka Cpl Simonds' 81mm mortar team finished setting up in the stand of trees previously occupied by Easy Coy HQ, and immediately spotted the Panzer IV on the Forested Ridge; the team dialled in the distance and immediately began dropping rounds on the tank’s position. At the Gully, Capt Gable spotted two additional halftracks while reversing to cover to avoid the StuG lurking near the edge of the trees. A halftrack blundered directly into Gable’s sights and the Sherman dispatched the vehicle and crew within a few seconds. A German SPW 250/3 stumbles into contact with Capt Gable in the Gully… …and realizes its fatal mistake too late

Yeah...all gone at once....but Rexford's sacrifice helped stop the German advance on Hill S135. If they hadn't thrown a track to that damn pzIV, they were going to hit the Orchard from the flank. As it was, they held on through several hits and caused havoc for my opponent for a turn or two. I'll continue the tale after work tomorrow.

1722 hrs The only notable occurrence along Route 122 would be that the StuG that has dominated the armor engagement so far has oriented itself away from Sgt Bradford’s M4A1, instead facing itself towards the Ranger scouts in the fields of the Cipolla Farm; this could be helpful if the smoke clears enough for Bradford to establish visual contact with the assault gun. In the Orchard, the advance scouting teams from 2nd Easy were wiped out by the advancing mass of Germans supported by armored cars and halftracks. Sgt Knight led a rifle team to retrieve the bazooka at Cpl Zimmer’s former position but there is a PSW 222 with sight to their position. S/Sgt Rexford’s tank found a target solution for the StuG spotted advancing from Route 124 across the valley and drilled a shell straight through the vehicle just an instant prior to taking another hit themselves from the Panzer IV on the Forested Ridge. The German StuG began to reverse towards Route 124 and did not fire any shells after taking the hit from Rexford’s Sherman. Through-and-through Capt Gable’s crew put another round into the StuG his tank had already engaged, causing it to erupt into flames; Gable subsequently gunned down the fleeing crew before continuing to another position further along the Gully. Nails in the fiery coffin Attempting to reverse out of the deadly line-of-sight of the Panzer IV, Rexford’s Sherman took another hit, this time losing their engine and a track. Inside the completely immobilized tank, S/Sgt Rexford’s crew began to panic, as a stationary tank on the battlefield, especially one already ranged into the enemy’s sights, stands a very good chance of becoming a fiery coffin. Seemingly oblivious to the mortal danger, the wounded Rexford was fixated on taking as many Germans with him as possible and he began blazing away at a soft-skinned vehicle spotted behind the Bottaro House. Another shell slammed into their tank and still they engaged the enemy, then another shell penetrated their hull, but the entire crew remained at their posts, until finally, a shell penetrated the tank’s hull and set off an explosion inside the confined space which silenced Rexford’s M4A1 at last…their Sherman had indeed become their fiery coffin. Cannon to right of them, Cannon to left of them, Cannon in front of them Volley'd & thunder'd; Storm'd at with shot and shell, Boldly they rode and well, Into the jaws of Death, Into the mouth of Hell…

Not too much later, I got a squad forward to Zimmer's last position and they were able to triage and evac him, so I guess he gets his Purple Heart and a Medal of Honor, and not posthumously.

1721 hrs (continued 2) Meanwhile, Capt Gable directed his M4 towards the Gully, hoping to engage the enemy armor that was advancing on 1st Tank Platoon’s position on the crest of Hill S135. The German StuG that had killed Sgt Miller was spotted by 3rd Easy Platoon, advancing at speed; 2Lt King watched as the Geman assault gun stopped short of the crest and just waited, until the enemy vehicle opened its upper hatch, revealing the enemy tank commander's head. The men of 3rd Easy began peppering the StuG with small arms fire, and appeared to have made the Germans think twice about getting that close to a hornet’s nest. Amazingly, the ferocious and accurate firing of this small band of men forced the enemy to not only reverse his position but somehow also not bring its potentially devastating 75mm gun into play. This bought time for Capt Gable, who had become distracted with mopping up the crews of the already-knocked out German vehicles; just as Gable reached the Gully, positive visual contact was made on the nearby German assault gun, and immediately the M4 turret was traversed to bring it to bear on the newer, more deadly prey. After a burst of machine gun fire into the enemy flank to get its attention, Gable’s gunner drilled a beauty of a shot into the armored vehicle to emphatically announce their presence on his flank. A desperate last line of defense A Beautiful Silhouette Getting the enemy’s attention… …and drilling home the point

1721 hrs (continued) Zimmer’s aim is true Paying the ultimate price At the same time, S/Sgt Rexford and the recently re-positioned Capt Gable took matters into their own hands and advanced at top speed into the German thrust on Hill S135. As he sped through the enemy advance, Rexford plastered the StuG and recce car with MG fire, knocking out the PSW 222 and then turning to take advantage of the opportunity to place a shot up the tailpipe of the StuG; the Germans were cut down ruthlessly as they bailed out of their vehicles. Charging the German advance Rexford’s Sherman took its first hit from the damn Panzer IV still entrenched on the Forested Ridge across the valley, but shook it off and continued forward, though as they sped along at top speed, they were unable to bring their guns to bear on another PSW 222 that crossed their path; unfortunately, this armored car proceeded on to devastate the scout positions of 2nd Easy in the Orchard. S/Sgt Rexford continued advancing behind the enemy assault until taking another hit from the distant Panzer IV; this time the hit damaged the tracks such that any further advance was not possible; spotting several halftracks in his vicinity and another enemy StuG advancing from the East, and knowing that bailing out would result in certain death, Rexford set about calming his shaken crew members and selecting priority targets to engage. The luckiest armored car ever

1721 hrs The fighting along Route 122 has quieted down, with all of the principal action already having taken place. The action has shifted to the orchard, resulting in frenzied action by the forward scouting sections as the Germans poured across the fields in the wake of their armored cars. Several of the advancing Germans were cut down but there was no answer to the armored cars which chewed up the scout positions. Sgt Najanjo's crew also decided to abandon their damaged tank in the face of the StuG threat on Hill S135. But the Germans have quite possibly over-extended themselves and, as the StuG advanced on Easy Company HQ, the by-passed Cpl Zimmer was presented with a juicy side shot at the metal beast with his bazooka. Ignoring the threat of an enemy PSW222 following in the wake of the StuG, Zimmer took careful aim and stopped the StuG in its tracks. Hoping to finish the job with another strike, Zimmer was cut down while attempting to reload. Cpl Zimmer’s situation Zimmer’s decision to engage Taking Aim Ignoring incoming MG fire The shell is away

1720 hrs S/Sgt Horner was seriously injured when the tank exploded and his panicked crew ran for friendly lines…if only they had taken that 2nd shot. At the same time, Lt Sabo, with only a general idea of where the enemy StuG was situated, began plastering the nearby ground with HE shells, hoping for a lucky strike. A German machine gun added to the deadly exchange, and, in the midst of this deadly killing ground, Horner pulled out his Colt pistol and took some futile shots at the enemy MG before being killed by another shell from the murderous StuG. Sabo’s M4A1 connected with the hull of the enemy beast but it ricocheted off, being an HE shell, and his tank was immediately holed by a return shot. The driver began reversing to a less exposed position but a second shot through the turret killed Lt Sabo and started the tank burning. The German AT gun at the orchard caused some more casualties among 4th Easy’s mortar platoon. Headlong flight S/Sgt Horner’s final stand Meanwhile, the Germans launched an attack from the Orchard and from the eastern slope towards the crest of Hill S135. Enemy infantry squads moved towards 2nd Easy’s scout line in the orchard and a scout car advanced on the Ranger snipers deployed forward of Easy Company HQ. A StuG suddenly rolled over the crest of the hill, also heading towards Company HQ, and then, on the far right flank, Sgt Miller’s M4A1 turret exploded, being hit by an unknown AFV; Miller and his gunner were killed instantly and the coax MG was mangled but the rest of the vehicle was apparently fine and it reversed back from the crest of the hill and out of further danger [Observation: This tank had been sitting still for several turns, watching with a cover arc on the exact location where the shot came from, and didn’t so much as glimpse the shooting tank, which had to move into position prior to firing…a little frustrating to say the least]. A Phantom Menace The StuG heading for Easy HQ stopped 25 feet short of their position and immediately spotted and fired at Sgt Naranjo’s Sherman further back. The StuG proceeded to place two more shells on Naranjo’s tank, disabling the main weapons systems and causing the crew to panic and bail out [Observation: Okay, I'm unsure of what to do at this point...my Sherman is sitting stationary, with an open turret, while the buttoned StuG moves quickly over the crest of the hill, immediately gains target on my Sherman and fires...and remember, this is not a turreted tank. The first shot misses a little high but then the StuG placed 2 more shots into the Sherman and there is no sighting of the StuG until after the 3rd enemy shot (2nd hit). So how does the moving buttoned vehicle get better spotting ability than the stationary unbuttoned vehicle?]. The German blitzkreig assault Overall Situation after 20 minutes

1717 hrs More variable light mortar fire but nothing too concerning. The German assault force along Route 122 appears to be regrouping to make another go at our armor. S/Sgt Horner stood his ground but the StuG backed away behind smoke; Horner took harassing fire from the German recce vehicle astride Route 122. Some of our medium mortar fire made some big explosions on the Forested Ridge but I’m not all that sure it has been truly effective. 1718 hrs If this tank company survives the day, I am ordering mandatory eye exams; they seem to be having issues with spotting the largest, noisiest, most dangerous things on the battlefield. At least they’re alive for now, and the enemy seems to have lobbed a bunch of smoke onto Route 122, though it’s unclear if that means something went wrong with their plans…though I’d suspect it is simply to blind the supporting members of the tank platoon and prevent them from assisting S/Sgt Horner (they need not worry if that's the case, as the tank crews have not had an easy time spotting anyway). It is believed that the German AT gun at the Orchard crest still has direct line-of-sight on 4th Easy’s previous position, as the medics were shelled immediately when they attempted to remove some of the casualties. Some of 2nd Easy, while repositioning, spotted two German recce vehicles (PSW 221 & 222) immediately east of their position. It is believed that the recently spotted StuG in the eastern valley has crossed the Route 124 roadway and advanced to join the other tank skulking in the vicinity of the gully. 1719 hrs S/Sgt Horner continued to chase the German assault gun until he felt he had a shot, but a member of the crew got jumpy and began peppering the StuG with MG fire, which only served to get its attention. Horner yelled to fire the main gun but the aim was off and the round went flying over the low-profile assault gun. The German gunner didn’t miss, putting a shot into the weapon mount, at which point Horner’s crew panicked and made the fatal decision to bail on their still perfectly good vehicle instead of laying another shell on the enemy AFV; the StuG didn’t stop though and brewed the Sherman up with another penetrating hit [Observation: I feel like I have had the most ridiculous rotten luck so far with AFVs…I finally get a visual on the German with a tank, and he uses the MG…bloody hell…did someone forget to train these soldiers…what the hell were they thinking? Then, they get a shot off, the first shot even, and throw it high and again, the German tank doesn’t miss on its first shot…which actually shouldn’t have been a huge problem, as there was no damage to the tank or crew, but instead of trying to hit the tank with their second shot, they panic and bail on the perfectly good tank and the StuG blows the Sherman up].

1715 hrs The inevitable occurred, as the StuG blasted a point blank shot through Sgt Mannering’s M4, turning it into a fiery deathtrap; amazingly, four members of the crew bailed out. The other Shermans of 3rd Tank Platoon moved to support the attack, into a barrage of mortar fire, with Sgt Bradford spotting a German PSW 233 recce vehicle on the road and placing a round through it [Observation: but not spotting the StuG it was sent to hunt for, which predictably spots my Sherman, turns to face it and fires at it…I ask again, WTF...I again have two Shermans in position to spot the goddamn StuG and nobody sees it…but super-StuG sees anything that moves]. The only casualty of the mortaring is unfortunately Pvt Hammond, the daring Ranger sniper. More mortaring on 2nd Easy’s position, likely coming from the Forested Ridge. 1716 Sgt Bradford was alerted to the presence of the pesky StuG and directed his gunner to fire on the area where it was believed to be operating; Lt Sabo also edged along the roadway, hoping for an advantageous firing position. Sabo’s previous position was soon pelted with enemy mortar fire, but this time, despite the proximity of the little shrapnel explosions, it was completely harmless. Meanwhile, S/Sgt Horner advanced nearer the now burning hulk that was Mannering’s Sherman, in an attempt to get a shot at the vehicle himself. Horner located the German AFV reversing from its previous position and called to his gunner to bring the guns to bear, while the German was reciprocating [Observation: I screwed this one up all on my own…I gave Horner a tight armor cover arc and the StuG reversed out of the crosshairs…hopefully I’ll get a shot this turn]. The German infantry mounted in halftracks fell back a little; at the very least, the Germans have learned that they cannot simply march up Route 122 at will. With a brief lull in the shelling, 2nd Easy began to lick their wounds, helping their wounded comrades to hopefully survive the encounter. Our 81mm mortars finally found the range to the Forested Ridge, though it is doubtful the enemy stood around to wait for the gift. Another assault gun was spotted moving off of the ridge towards Route 124. No man left behind

1713 hrs Not wanting the Sherman to become his fiery coffin, Horner’s driver quickly slammed his metal mount into reverse and backed out of the unseen enemy’s sights, then repositioned the M4A1 slightly further up the slope to again try to tame the German beast; at the same time, the rest of Horner’s platoon, Sgt Bradford and Lt Sabo, were repositioning to better cover the approaches along Route 122. Pvt Hammond, the Ranger sniper, decided that he had to attempt to reposition further away from the encroaching enemy, and so made a risky dash towards 3rd Tank Platoon’s position, running the razor’s edge between the advancing Germans on his right and the deadly mortar barrage on his left, eventually making it safely to cover. Still more mortar fire on both 2nd and 4th Easy, with one direct strike finally taking out one of the mortar teams. Sgt Wilcox, NCO/ic of 4th Easy’s Mortar platoon, despite having his observation position devastated by German mortar rounds, immediately begins tending to his fallen mates, rather than worrying about his own safety. The bravery of Sgt Wilcox 1714 hrs Sgt Mannering was aware of the enemy push along Route 122 and decided to do something about it; directing his driver to bisect the enemy advance on the highway, the Sherman raced ahead to help push back the German vehicles. Along the way, Mannering spotted some enemy infantry along the edge of the orchard and placed a 75mm shell into their position. Unfortunately, as the helpless Ranger scouts in the fields were to observe, Mannering stopped near the enemy StuG but did not turn to face it, not having spotted the assault gun, though the German apparently had Mannering in his sights, as the Rangers watched the StuG rotate to face the M4 threat on their flank. [Observation: OMG. My tank is literally less than 30 ft from the buttoned German vehicle and the German spots him first again (my Sherman hasn’t spotted it at all) and turns itself to face him (almost 90 degrees) but still no spotting for me….I’m fubar at this point….the spotting is completely fricked up…the Sherman spotted and engaged enemy infantry while on the move from twice the distance of the buttoned up StuG, which I can’t spot]. The mortaring of 2nd/4th Easy continues with minimal effect but the men also can’t do much else but keep their heads down; it is also believed that an AT Gun and AFV are adding to the shelling in the orchard. Spot the tank dammit!

Sorry....I have widescreen laptop and that's the machine I played the game on and took the pictures with....on the plus side, it does allow for some pretty good detail. I can try cutting the text lines shorter so that they are easier to read. Is that a little better?

1710 hrs Lots of incoming enemy mortars, though few casualties; Ranger Hammond lost his spotter to a nearby shell. Worse news is that Sgt Zieger and S/Sgt Horner both attempted to stalk the preoccupied StuG (preoccupied with shelling the Ranger scout team in the enclosed fields near Cipolla Farms) but could not seem to spot the hulking piece of enemy armor. This culminated in the StuG turning to face Sgt Zieger and drilling its first round into the M4A1’s engine, thereby immobilizing the tank. [Observation: WTF is with the armor spotting? I stalk a buttoned-up enemy StuG, which is turned 15-20 degrees to its flank firing at infantry, with two unbuttoned Shermans moving on ‘Slow’ to hull-down firing positions (pre-checked several times to ensure LoS) and with tight ‘Cover Armor’ arcs set directly over the enemy vehicle's position….so, what happens? They both move to position and sit there, until the StuG apparently spots one, turns to face it and drills home a kill shot on the first try...neither of my tanks spotted the German. I’m just about ready to give up on the armour, ‘cause this is happening repeatedly.] The origin of the harassing fire was located on Castelletti Hill; apparently an enemy sniper has set up in the woods. 1711 hrs With an unseen lethal threat to his front, Sgt Zieger ordered his crew to abandon their immobilized vehicle and head for better cover; S/Sgt Horner simultaneously reversed to a better covered position in order to reassess the enemy threats. The enemy also began dropping mortar fire on the waiting Rangers, resulting in one man taking some serious shrapnel and a few light wounds, including Lt Reece. At least the other German 50mm AT gun was eliminated from the battle, which gave Ranger Hammond a chance to deal with his partner’s wounds. Following in the path cleared by the StuG, the Germans are moving more men along Route 122, including a scouting vehicle and some more recce teams, a light MG and apparently more armor. No man left behind Something else, likely another 50mm AT gun, that is unspotted but on the edge of the Orchard, began placing rounds among a 4th Easy mortar team. Things are no better on Hill S135, as Sgt Rogers again attempted to spot and fire on the Forested Ridge and again the Germans fired first…this time the first shot missed high, but the Sherman missed as well and then another penetration, this time killing Sgt Rogers and knocking out both the main gun and MG on the Sherman. [Observation: F@#$ me and the armor I rode in on…I also watched another unlucky moment when my mortar had a round dropping within a metre or two of an HQ halftrack but it was on a map edge and the round dropped just over the edge of the map, so no detonation...arghh]. 1712 Sgt Zieger quickly discovered that he’d made the correct decision for himself and his crew; the future possibility to re-man his stricken M4A1 was taken out of his hands, as more rounds were pumped into the derelict tank and it exploded in a fireball. S/Sgt Horner repositioned his Sherman, crept up to another hull-down position to attempt to take a shot at the German StuG, and again the German armour spotted first and blasted a round through his turret. [Observation: Okay, it has got to be me….I'm missing something in my handling of the armor, as I cannot get the first visual and/or first shot….ever….which seems strange because I should think I would get a shot off first at least once by chance]. The enemy has also now dialled in on 4th Easy’s active mortars, with mortar rounds falling all over their position; several casualties among the mortar teams but they haven’t been knocked out yet.

We can knock out German armor 1709 hrs After the mad minute, there is a little bit of a breather, but its all relative. On the far right flank, after their Platoon leader’s tank exploded, Sgts Contini and Rogers were instructed to pull back a few metres from the crest of Hill S135. Both sides have been relatively quiet at the site of the Orchard fighting, giving us time to reassess the tactical situation (while the enemy repositions his armor and continues to call down light mortar fire); one member of 4th Easy went down to mortar shrapnel. Meanwhile, 4th Easy’s platoon mortars hopefully did some damage to the Germans on the other side of the Orchard. The anticipated German armor materialized on the north side of the Orchard, skirting Route 122…a StuG assault gun rumbled into view, apparently positioned to take on Sgt Zieger’s Sherman, or he would have been if Zieger had remained stationary; another enemy recce vehicle also appeared on Route 122, near the Castelletti Hill. Sgt Zieger reported that the enemy is firing small arms at his position but the best he can estimate is that the fire is coming from Castelletti Hill. The StuG is the greatest developing threat, but S/Sgt Horner positioned his M4A1 to the right of Zieger, and Sgt Mannering is also still lurking nearby. The German armor was actually confirmed by the Ranger scouting parties moving through the Cipolla Farms locale. The Rangers are proving indispensable, as Ranger Hammond continues to eliminate members of the second German 50mm AT Gun. A game of inches… Force Dispositions

1708 hrs Lt Neubert lost sight of the armor on the Forested Ridge, but apparently they didn’t lose sight of him, as another dead-on strike penetrated the front turret (the M4 was still hull down), killing the loader and destroying the weapons controls; Lt Neubert ordered the rest of the crew out of the vehicle at this point. While exiting, another round from the Panzer IV flew past their disabled mount…the first lucky break for their crew…but it was fleeting luck, as yet another strike on the disabled vehicle caused it to brew up, severely wounding another member of the former crew and lightly wounding Lt Neubert and his gunner. In their disoriented state, and confused by the thick smoke now surrounding them, the crew initially fled forwards, away from the burning hulk that was their M4 less than a minute previously. Capt Lorentzen, the Easy Company CO, spotted a Stug III moving near the Panzer IV on the Forested Ridge; taken in conjunction with other bits of information that have trickled in, it is believed that a mixed StuG/PzIV platoon is holding the Forested Ridge, and at least 4 AFVs are believed to be maneuvering on the Forested Ridge. S/Sgt Rexford believes that he felt the shockwaves from a German 75mm round as it flew high over his Sherman. On the left flank, Ranger sniper Hammond picked up on the movements of the 2nd 50mm AT gun moving along Castelletti Hill; a single shot announced that he meant business, though one poor German gunner never had to worry about that, or anything else, ever again. Sgt Zieger of 1st Tank Platoon believed he caught a fleeting glimpse of another German tank attempting to flank the Orchard on the Route 122 side, and he reversed his M4A1 to better cover from that location; some small arms fire was also directed at his vehicle from the Villa. Ranger Hammond goes hunting Sgt Zieger covers the approaches along Route 122 Meanwhile, in the Orchard, Lt Melo spotted a German PSW223 recce vehicle taking station behind a stone wall and drilled a round right through the lightly armored car; a few seconds later, Lt Melo’s gunner repeated his first shot and the German AFV began to burn. Sgt Mannering, having had his attention focused on the recently destroyed 50mm AT gun, was alerted to the danger of a German assault gun turning in his direction. Mannering ordered his driver to turn into the face of the threat and his gunner ripped off a snap shot, and not a moment too soon as both vehicles fired and connected at the same time. Mannering’s Sherman took a penetration to the turret, but the enemy round got mangled on the M4’s outer smoke mortar, which took the full force of the shot, while the German StuG was penetrated through the exposed lower hull, causing enough damage that the German crew was spotted bailing out. Sgt Mannering, despite the recent brush with death, remained manning the turret MG and directing fire, while his gunner went about his job of ensuring the German tank was out of commission for good by putting a second round into it, which caused something inside the StuG to explode and engulf the vehicle in flames. At about the same time as the StuG brewed up, an unseen German tank struck Sgt Naranjo’s M4, doing little damage but slightly wounding the tank commander, which shook the tank driver’s confidence in his current position, leading him to immediately pop some smoke and withdraw to a position 30 metres further back. An unfortunate ricochet from the initial strike had the added effect of incapacitating Cpl Truppner of 2nd Easy, who was 40 metres forward of the tank. More unfortunately, the reverse of Naranjo’s tank allowed the unseen German to target Lt Melo’s Sherman, which had been masked from the threat and never realized its danger until too late; and though luckily there were no crew casualties, the blast injured the XO of 2nd Easy who was again 40 meters forward of the armor. Lt Melo’s first shot Through and through Sgt Mannering…brave or death wish?

1707 The Panzer IV crew on the Forested Ridge certainly has guts…its sitting in the forest but totally exposed to incoming fire and it’s crew has the range to 1st Tank Platoon’s position. Lt Neubert moved forward to a hull down position and immediately had his M4 take a hit to the outer weapon mount; this may have shaken up his gunner, as their first shot was high. The panzer then lobbed another shell into the weapon mount of Lt Neubert’s Sherman. Fortuitously, the damage was minor and none of the crew were injured. The panzer subsequently disappeared in the cloud of debris thrown up around it by Easy Company’s medium mortars. On the left flank, the 50mm AT gun at the Villa attracted a firestorm of shrapnel courtesy of Sgts Zieger and Mannering, culminating in a direct hit and knocking it out. Interestingly, a second 50mm AT gun crew was spotted manhandling their weapon up the Castelletti Hill. Meanwhile, the fighting for the Orchard begins to get serious. Lt Melo realized he was being stalked by the StuG and had his driver rapidly reposition his M4. This movement apparently encouraged the StuG to draw closer over the ridge, and as the profile of the AFV appeared over the ridge, Melo’s gunner unleashed a shot he felt sure would send the German to Valhalla…unfortunately, an unbelievably durable grove tree caused the shot to detonate less than 30 metres from its source (which could have been disastrous for 2nd Easy, but remarkably nobody was injured in the blast). Sgt Naranjo moved his Sherman into a position from where he was hoping to support his platoon leader. Scratch one German ATG One incredibly strong orchard tree

1706 hrs S/Sgt Hess got a shot off at the Panzer IV, but took too long and it was a little short; the panzer got 3 more shots off and, even though Hess perfectly positioned his Sherman hull down, the M4 took two penetrations to the turret, including the one that killed Hess; amazingly, his crew had the presence-of-mind to quickly reverse and the actual damage to the vehicle was minimal. 2nd Easy took their first casualty as they withdrew from their exposed position. Lt Melo’s 2nd Tank Platoon began taking fire from the Orchard, and a StuG was spotted near the recce units; some infantry elements were also spotted. Also of note, a 50mm AT gun was identified at the Villa Castelletti. Mortar rounds are also dropping, though the errant rounds have been more nerve-wracking than seriously threatening towards the apparent target of the fire mission. First blood to the Huns Three priorities are now: 1) The Panzer IV on the Forested Ridge 2) The 50mm AT gun at the Villa Castelletti 3) The armor maneuvering at the Orchard Priority targets and the units assigned to engage

1705 hrs S/Sgt Hess of 1st Tank Platoon crept up to the crest of the hill and attempted to spot the position of the tank near the coordinates provided by Easy Company. After a few seconds, a 75mm shell exploded down the slope in front of the Sherman, showing that the German had spotted Hess’ tank but misjudged the range. Now spotting the position of the enemy Panzer IV, Hess realized he was too far over the crest and had his driver slam the vehicle into reverse, settling back into a less-exposed hull down position. Meanwhile, S/Sgt Rexford of 2nd Tank Platoon had been told to reposition from his location covering the Villa, to a more supportive position on the hilltop with the rest of the platoon; during this maneuver, an explosion took place approximately 2 dozen metres to the vehicle’s right…possibly an errant enemy mortar round. At the about the same time, the soldiers of No2 Easy Platoon spotted German light armor cresting the edge of the hill near the Orchard; elements of an armored recon platoon, a PSW221 and PSW222, were positively identified. Reports were sporadic, as enemy artillery began dropping near 2nd Easy. 1st Tank Platoon will continue with their primary task of dealing with the overwatch armor, while 2nd Tank Platoon finishes their movements on Hill S135 to respond to the enemy armor threat. Ranger ‘Dog’ Company is sending out scouts towards the Cipolla Farm. Hill S135 – 2nd Easy spots German recce vehicles near the Orchards, as mortar rounds begin to fall Spotted…check. Targetted…check. Destroyed…??? Overall Situation

Anxious minutes while awaiting zero hour... 1701-02 hrs The men are moving into position according to the original plans, although the 2nd Tank Platoon found it necessary to move deeper into the orchard due to the thickness of the foliage. 1703 hrs The scouts have made their way forward into the orchards at the top of Hill S135 and have begun scanning for enemy activity to the east and northeast. Reports have been sent back that there may be some hostile armor moving on the Forested Ridge across the valley; the shermans of No2 Platoon maneuvering into overwatch positions on Hill S135 have been duly warned to be cognizant of the possible enemy danger on their right flanks if their movements bring their armor profiles above the crest of the ridge. 1704 hrs Confirmed enemy contact; a Panzer IV has been positively identified in an overwatch position on the Forested Ridge. The Germans have apparently decided to aggressively take the initiative with an armored thrust through the Orange Grove and the Bottaro Farm to the east, directly towards our position on Hill S135. It would appear that approximately a platoon of German armor is now on the upper eastern slope of Hill S135; some of the men seem to think the tank sounds nearest the Orchard are from a Tiger. No enemy infantry spotted at the present time. All of Easy Company’s AT assets have been re-routed to No2 Platoon’s position. Elements of the tank platoons on the hill are going to attempt to stalk the enemy’s overwatch armor from hull down positions. General Disposition of No2 Infantry Platoon (and No4 Platoon support), plus 1st & 2nd Tank Platoon on Hill S135 (No1 Platoon, 3rd Tank Platoon & Ranger Coy not shown)

I almost always go for more infantry but Mord wanted to switch up and have a large tank-centric epic battle. After a false start on a different map (one of the ME maps that wasn't), we decided on a rule for the present game where we would each have to buy at least a company of infantry and the rest could be whatever, though judging by the points available, it was enough for a company of infantry, plus a company of armour, plus some odds and ends. As it was, I reduced the tank platoons in my company by 1 Sherman each and added a couple of Priests to mix it up a bit and embrace the idea of an ad hoc mixed task force, which is how I envisioned the back story for this engagement.

Operational Plan Hill S135 is key to the success of this mission; if it is possible to stealthily deploy units to several key points, then the reward will be almost complete visual dominance over the eastern valley and a large portion of the Villa. Unfortunately, no matter where we deploy, there will be significant blind spots, such as the Vineyards. The Rangers and a platoon of Easy Company infantry will be tasked with making their way around the north side of Hill S135, possibly even as far as the dried riverbed on the far side of the Cipolla Farm; a platoon of Shermans will be tasked to support their movements. Another platoon from Easy Coy will secure the top of Hill S135, along with another platoon of Shermans, guarding against a move through the valley towards the hill. Observers will attempt to locate concealed positions on Hill S135 in order to gather information and provide early warning of possible enemy movements; they may also act as observers for the task force’s mortars. A third platoon of Shermans will attempt to find good overwatch positions on Hill S135 from where they might be able to cover the Orchard. The final Easy Coy platoon will move to positions closer to the Orchard but remain in concealed positions, acting as the Force reserve and awaiting further orders. Initial Planned Movements Advantages: Bulk of armor assigned to cover eastern valley approaches and forested ridge (most vulnerable to enemy armor) Hill S135 used to mask as much troop movement as possible Disadvantages: Cautious approach could allow enemy to seize initiative No possible observation on approaches to Villa through the Vineyards No covered approaches directly onto objectives Possible disposition/movement of enemy armor and friendly counter-armor positions Tactical Deployment