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Rabidbvr

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Posts posted by Rabidbvr

    Nail Biter...

    in Combat Mission: Afrika Korps

    Posted

    hello one and all

    I have used the battle cards from an Avalon Hill game called squad leader game covers east and west front battles no italy but easy worked around like you say makes you feel old..... as i got it when i was kid lets just say i am a 60s child and leave it at that...

    worth getting old copys of this type sell for quite a bit more as long as you have all the counters...

    happy hunting...

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    Does Axis' Intelligence not know about Matida well?

    in Combat Mission: Afrika Korps

    Posted

    Hello one and all

    bit of a read for you seems not a great many MatII at the battle of Arras... less than you may think..

    1. The Plan.

    ------------

    Gen Gamelin ordered 'Instruction No12' on 19th June for

    an attack towards Mezieres from the south, and the Somme

    from the north. This was cancelled by Weygand on assuming

    command, who also ordered the roads cleared of refugees

    and the un-mothballing of as many WWI 75s as possible.

    On the 20th while Weygand flew around over Northern France

    having meetings, Gen Ironside ordered Gen Gort to

    attack south with all possible strength at 0800 hours on

    that day. Gort pointed out that seven of his nine divisions

    were already engaged and refused. He said that he was

    instead planning a limited attack with his two unengaged

    divisions south from Arras.

    Ironsides then went to see Billotte (Gorts nominal

    commander) and bullied Billotte and Blanchard into accepting

    the attack plan, and it ws agreed that both armies would

    attack with two divisions each on the 21st.

    2. Forces committed

    -------------------

    Attack was coordinated by Major General Franklyn (GOC

    5th Div) and he was allotted 5th and 50th Div plus 1st

    Army Tank Brigade.

    BUT, the infantry divisions only had two brigades each, one

    from 5th Div was sent to relieve the French on the river Scarpe

    and the other brigade (17th) was held in reserve.

    50th Div lost a brigade to garrison Arras itself and to hold the

    river line east of the city.

    So, all that was left for the attack were two battalions of

    151st Brigade (50th Div), plus the armour.

    1st Army Tank Brigade started with 100 tanks, but by the 21st

    its runners consisted of 58 Matilda Is and 16 Matilda IIs. It

    may also have had some light Vickers IV or VI in the

    regimental scout troops (not mentioned in Horne).

    Meanwhile late on the 20th Blanchard informed Gort that the

    French infantry could not attack until the 22nd, so instead

    Priouxs Cavalry Corps was allotted to provide flank cover

    to the West. Unfortunately Prioux had already lost most

    of 1st DLM fighting Hoeppner,a nd the rest of his tanks had

    lent to various infantry units, even by 1700 hours on the 20th

    he had not succeeded in reassembling his armour. He was only

    able to commit "a few weak detachments of 3rd DLM" - I believe

    this amounted to around a battlion of H39s.

    No RAF or ZOAN support was forthcoming.

    The attack finally went in at 1400 hours on the 21st.

    3. The attack

    -------------

    Gen Martel led from an open car. The troops were divided

    into two equal sized columns of a tank battalion, an

    infantry battalion (DLI - Durham Light Infantry) plus a

    battery of field artillery and AT guns. These would probably

    have been 18/25 pdrs (eight or twelve guns) and the AT guns

    would be Swedish 37mm Bofors AT guns (three troops of four

    each). The tanks seem to have been equally divided up.

    The right hand column - fought to clear Duisans and left two

    infantry companies & some AT to garrison it. Pushed on to

    Warlus, again captured after a stiff fight, took Berneville,

    and put troops across the Doullen-Arras road. The infantry

    were pinned down by MG/mortar fire and attacked by Stukas.

    The tanks left them behind and attacked Wailly where they

    caused panic among the lead units of 3rd SSTK. They were now

    overextended and the whole force fell back to Warlus with

    heavy losses, where the British AT gunners and Priouxs tanks

    fought each other! Some of the French tanks (six) than

    engaged 25th Panzer Regiment around Duisans.

    The left hand column - fought all the way but made rapid

    progress. Took Dainville, destroying a "motorised column"

    in the process (vehicles KO'd, troops made prisoner). Two

    miles east six Matildas wiped out an AT battery near Achicourt

    then pushed on to Agny and Beaurains, a few units reached

    Wancourt on the River Cojeul (the objective of the attack).

    Most of the heavy fighting took place in the Agny-Beaurains

    area between 4th RTR and German 6th Rifle Brigade, backed up

    by the Div artillery and Flak of 7th Panzer Div. Both sides

    suffered heavy losses.

    Meanwhile 150th Brigade (50th Div) attacked across the Scarpe

    to Tilloy, and 13th Brigade also established a bridghead.

    However it was obvious that the ground could not be held, and

    the whole force fell back as 25th Panzer Reg approached Arras

    from the west. They took 400 prisnoers, destroyed "large

    numbers" of tanks and vehicles, but were left with only

    26 Matilda Is and 2 Matilda IIs.

    4. The German View

    ------------------

    (You may have most of this already from The Rommel Papers).

    3rd SSTK evidently abandoned its positions in Wailly and

    showed 'signs of panic' (Guderian).

    Rommel was busy trying to round up 6th and 7th Rifle brigades

    to support 25th Pz Reg when the attack started. He couldn't

    find 7th Bde.

    He found elements of 6th Bde south of Wailly, and howitzers

    north of the village were engaging British tanks. The village

    itself came under MG fire as Rommel reached it. He found that

    the vilage was jammed with troops and vehicles trying to take

    cover (RtC!). West of Wailly were some light AA guns and AT

    guns again hiding in full cover, and there were some destroyed

    German tanks (he says Pz III, they must have been Pz38s).

    The German infantry and gun crews in the village then broke and

    ran. At this point Rommel brought up all the available guns,

    both AA and AT and concentrated their fire on each group of

    tanks, evidently with some success as the attack petered out

    (this was the high water mark of the right hand column).

    Rommel reports several British tanks destroyed or disabled,

    and the rest retreating.

    By the time he got the rest of 6th Rifle reg it had suffered

    'very heavy losses in men and material' and he reports

    the overrunning of their light AT batteries. He organised

    a gun line between Agny and Beaurains from the Div artillery

    and heavy AA (88) batteries - according to Guderian there

    were at most six of these. This finished off the attack in the

    north, one 88 battery claiming nine kills.

    25th Panzer Reg eventually intervened, and Rommel reports the

    destruction of seven tanks for the loss of nine of his own (no

    mention of the French though) fighting NW of Arras.

    He had lost 'considerable numbers' of tanks, 205 dead or wounded,

    and 173 missing (presumably the remaining 200 prisoners were

    from 3rd SS).

    0

    Does Axis' Intelligence not know about Matida well?

    in Combat Mission: Afrika Korps

    Posted

    Hello one and all... a little ref for you all and a nice pic

    88 mm German AA guns used as anti-tank guns during the Battle of Arras shown in military art print. The Battle of Arras by David Pentland. German 88mm guns of Rommel's 7th Panzer division devastate Matilda tanks of the British 1st Tank Brigade of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF).

    THE BATTLE - ARRAS

    dhm_840_small.jpg

    Rommel's report of being attacked by 'hundreds of tanks' put a halt to the German advance for 24 hours. This break gave the British troops the time they needed to arrange the retreat through Dunkirk. In an effort to restrain the Germans advance the British 1st Tank Brigade, 6th Durham Light Infantry and the French 3rd Light Armoured Division were quickly mustered under the command of Major General Franklyn. The subsequent attack on Rommel's 7th Panzer Division divided the panzers into two, devastated two rifle regiments, and some of the 3rd SS Division panicked and ran. However, Rommel eventually beat off the British tanks using his anti-aircraft guns.

    happy hunting...

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    Cloned Mortar Carriers?

    in Combat Mission: Afrika Korps

    Posted

    Hello one ad all

    You have a point take a look at this site it shows the M4 (morter faces backwards)

    the M4A1 (morter faces to the front)

    http://www.wwiivehicles.com/html/usa/m4_mortar_carriage.html

    would be a bit of a pain to have to reverse the thing round the battlefield.. you can get the same effect as the M4 just use an M3 and a 81mm morter team

    dare say saves room on the disk as with other issues of send in the clones :D

    but what the hell we could nit pick all day lets just enjoy it for what it is... a great game

    ps yet again a great site from the beaver...

    take care all.. happy hunting...

    0

    Cloned Mortar Carriers?

    in Combat Mission: Afrika Korps

    Posted

    Hello one ad all

    You have a point take a look at this site it shows the M4 (morter faces backwards)

    the M4A1 (morter faces to the front)

    http://www.wwiivehicles.com/html/usa/m4_mortar_carriage.html

    would be a bit of a pain to have to reverse the thing round the battlefield.. you can get the same effect as the M4 just use an M3 and a 81mm morter team

    dare say saves room on the disk as with other issues of send in the clones :D

    but what the hell we could nit pick all day lets just enjoy it for what it is... a great game

    ps yet again a great site from the beaver...

    take care all.. happy hunting...

    0

    Is close arir support guaranteed in CMAK

    in Combat Mission: Afrika Korps

    Posted

    Hello one and all

    CAS... I have noticed and tryed out a number of ways to get aircraft to show up/and shoot at the bad guys it would seem the better they are ie green > elite the better chance of a: showing up

    b:getting the target right

    it would seem you get what you pay for smile.gif

    in most battles you do hear the aircraft turn up but.. is it mine or the other guys... to stop attack on your troops i have found after you hear a plane stop moving this seems to help id you ... poss dust etc /in cover.. but god help you if it is the other guy..

    take care and happy hunting...

    0

    Gun Damage ( an insight)

    in Combat Mission: Afrika Korps

    Posted

    Hello one and all

    Over the last few weeks i have seen posts ref to gun damage hits crew hits etc.. and i have found a little site that may help throw a some light on just how much gets jammed in to turrets etc and thats b4 the crew,ord,gear i know from first hand what a pen shot will do.. been there done that... not nice picking up the bits and putting back together.. so take a look it covers mod as well as WWII may help some to understand how complex the game is.. and just how well it has been put together

    http://afvinteriors.hobbyvista.com/archive.html

    take care all happy hunting

    0

    Crews

    in Combat Mission: Afrika Korps

    Posted

    Just an idea i feel it may have already been a topic.. please tell me if i am wrong you seem to get two types of status on tanks and inf support weapons when taken out by enemy fire.. abandoned and knocked out... i have played several games were i have small units of crew running around with little to do as they no longer have a weapon to crew.. tanks are a little diff as i know first hand that a tank can be put out of action and a major repair would be needed IE the (knocked out) status in the game...

    But when say for example a AT gun is abandoned due to morale issues what is to say a crew from a gun that morale is ok but have had a large shell punch a hole in it would be able to re-crew an abandoned weapon.... if you see what i am getting at..... i have looked into several battles most early war were brit 25 pounder crews moved from gun to gun when there own was KO

    your views please

    thankyou

    0

    Crews

    in Combat Mission: Afrika Korps

    Posted

    Just an idea i feel it may have already been a topic.. please tell me if i am wrong you seem to get two types of status on tanks and inf support weapons when taken out by enemy fire.. abandoned and knocked out... i have played several games were i have small units of crew running around with little to do as they no longer have a weapon to crew.. tanks are a little diff as i know first hand that a tank can be put out of action and a major repair would be needed IE the (knocked out) status in the game...

    But when say for example a AT gun is abandoned due to morale issues what is to say a crew from a gun that morale is ok but have had a large shell punch a hole in it would be able to re-crew an abandoned weapon.... if you see what i am getting at..... i have looked into several battles most early war were brit 25 pounder crews moved from gun to gun when there own was KO

    your views please

    thankyou

    0

    why doesn't it blow up?

    in Combat Mission: Afrika Korps

    Posted

    Just a Quick tip over a cup of Tea... if you come a cross an AP mine and the inf are having probs with it drive a tank or carrier to them embark and drive through sounds lame but the amount of time i have orderd inf to carry on through the mines when a nice Ride is parked a couple of hundred yards away.. if you place mines yourself double them up or place AT mines over the top of the AP ones or for less points sow a few daisy-chain in with them..

    "found something its hard to read in the dark i think it says point towards enem.............." "Famous last words"

    happy hunting

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