Fizou

The 34th minute: The Grenadiers reign supreme out in the open. The Grille SPA with spotter and HQ support aim and fire down range towards the Rangers of G Coy. The distance now some 400-500 meters. Like taken from a scene during the spring of '42. The Germans dominating the open steppe. The Ragners take severe punishment from the Grille SPA. The Rangers take another casualty from the Grille fire, yet these two are unharmed. A round striking just on the other side of the small wall. Luck on the Rangers side in this occasion. As well as the Grille heavy artillery fire, a platoon of Grenadiers have taken up positions on a small hill, some 300-350 meters out. They sport several MG34s. As the Grenadiers prepare to pick their targets they come under heavy MG fire. A MMG from 2nd platoon G Coy (in the open to the Grenadiers front) and one from 2nd platoon I Coy (positioned in a farm building, to the Grenadiers left flank). The Grenadiers are cowering/seeking cover in short order as the .30 cal rounds pour around them. I have said it so many times.. but again. Love the new MG behavior. Thanks BFC. On my right, H Coy is withdrawing nicely. But the Germans are moving up their mobile units with great speed. They are seriously threatening the right flank of G Coy. This Grille has moved far up on my right flank. It fires a shot towards my withdrawing mortar teams (1000 meters out). It fires long, thank god. The mortar teams are bunched up and moving at a slow pace. They will have to disperse fast.

+1 Aris. For me part of the fun is putting time into customizing the game to my liking with a variety of mods from different moders. People should appreciate the time put down by the moders/scenario designers to create this art they supply us with. The least we can do is try our selves if mod X still works, is compatible with whatever version of the game (theater etc). And to look through the repository/Gajs warehouse. I also think players in general should play around more with the mods tools (explode files) and learn the basics of how files are named, numbered etc.

The 33rd minute continues.. The rifle grenade hits home.. In the background.. the Grille. It fires long. The effect, as seen from the men firing it down range. The Grenadiers are closing in on H Coy fast. And they seem to be trying to hit us from the flank as well. So far the flank attack has been stopped cold. Yet another Grenadier falls to the Rangers. This landser will never see home again. War is hell. 10 casualties for the Rangers so far. 4 confirmed casualties for the Germans. Being on the run, the Rangers are in a distinct disadvantage seen from the campaign perspective. The Grenadiers will have time to tend to their wounded (of which 25% are returned to duty). The Rangers will seldom be able to do so them selves as it will put them in to much danger. This will result in a lower return and the Germans will win the battle of attrition. I will do all I can to tend to my wounded whenever the situation permits. It hurts to leave men behind. Overview after 33 minutes of combat: As my mortar rounds are out.. I begin to move the teams off map. The massive smoke and dust screen on my left will hopefully provide some concealment for the Rangers of 1st Platoon G Coy so they can keep moving to safety. On my right the Grenadiers are closing in fast but so far the Rangers are winning the exchanges and are moving in good order towards the exit. Blue arrows: Allied movement Blue bulges: Allied defensive positions/Base of fire Red arrows: Axis advance Red bulges: Axis base of fire

Just as the 32nd minute ends.. As the Grenadiers move into sight to my new reverse slope positions they immediately start to take fire. They are moving in a tight formation.. offering juicy targets to the Rangers. Another confirmed casualty is scored by one of 1st Platoons H Coys Thompsons. A German shot.. and a worrying sight. That Grille is coming out to play.. Overview after 32 minutes of combat: Things are still under control but its only a matter of time unit the Grille SPA zero in on my withdrawing Rangers. Thing will get ugly, I'm sure. Im moving some units off map this turn. I don't feel they will be of any use in the reminder of the battle and so better clear off so that my force don't bunch up as it moves to the exit zone. Blue arrows: Allied movement Blue bulge: Allied defensive position Orange circle: Allied 60 mm mortar mission (medium/medium) Red arrow: Axis advance ------------------ The 33:rd minute.. With G Coys heavy smoke screen deployed I decide to start rushing my men short distances towards our ultimate goal of the exit zone. Short quick orders followed by hide commands. Standing up is lethal with explosions in close proximity.. with 150 mm rounds close proximity is a long way. I try to use the most of craters and small areas that offers some defilade. A risky move.. and this time the Rangers are punished hard. 1st Platoon HQ.. 3 men are all downed in a single blast. Yet another man is killed outright from one of the squads. What hurts the most is probably the fact, that the seriously wounded HQ members wont get any buddy aid. We can only hope the Germans will treat them, if they live that long.. On my right.. the Rangers of 1st Platoon H Coy keep punishing the PzGren as they keep moving forward. A Garand hits home and the Grenadier screams and turns in agony Yet more Grenadiers move forward and 1st Platoon prepare a rifle Grenade in an attempt to halt their advance. The Rifle grenade.. a inaccurate weapon in the hands of most men. A deadly fragmentation and suppression tool in the hands of the Rangers of 3rd Battalion.

The 32:nd minute: The withdrawal continues and on my right the Rangers of H Coy are aided by the three 60 mm mortars providing fire support to harass and slow down the Germans. Hopefully inflict a casualty or two as well. The mortars do slow down the Germans, but they are very bold, pressing the attack. I am also running very low on mortar rounds. 1st and 2nd Platoon cover each other as they withdraw with bounding movement. The Rangers of 1st Platoon start to take shots at the Germans, now only some 70-80 meters away. At the same time 2nd Platoon run for the next set of cover. On my left.. as expected.. the Grille start to lay down fire on G Coy as they head for cover. The roar of the 150 mm guns are deafening.. The Grille doesn't hold to many HE rounds.. but there are five of them. Enough round to kill and suppress a lot of men... The first set of rounds all go long. Our luck wont last for long Im sure.. but we will take what we get. No casualties inflicted and this, the closes of the three rounds fired, screams just overhead of the Rangers of 1st Platoon. A experience that would break lesser men.. Also take not of the smoke screen built up by the Rangers smoke grenades. The ground shakes as the 150 mm explodes, showering the Rangers with dirt and debris. To get men moving in any safe manner will be next to impossible with these things going off in the area around them. But these are no regular GIs.. they are Rangers.

Amazing quality and the amount of mods put out the last couple days.. Simply amazing Aris! Big thanks!!

Stunning.. Looks real.

The other MMG is yet to finish its set up. Both teams are setting up in barn type buildings and started at the same time. I'm hoping the other MMG will soon be ready as well (not sure if there is a fixed or variable time for setup in a building). The one ready MMG is supported by a sniper that has moved into position behind a short stone wall. Over on my right, the platoons from H Coy are in a good position and still catching their breath before they are ready to get moving again. H Coy are sure to get into more action soon. With the reversed slope the Grenadiers will have to move in very close in these exchanges. My motivated and skilled Rangers will not be a easy prey even if outnumbered. It looks like the Grenadiers are moving up a Grille close to my force on my right. It will move into highly effective bazooka range. Id love to take another of these things out. Things can change quickly on the field of battle: Overview after 31 minutes: Blue arrows: Allied movement Red arrows: Axis advance Orange circle: Allied 60 mm mortar mission (medium/medium)

With 29 minutes passed the situation looks good. I'm withdrawing both platoons from G Coy on my left. They are being covered by parts of I Coy that have taken up positions in the farming complex. On my right H Coy are moving back in bounding movement, stopping at positions with cover/concealment as to not get to tired and eventually caught in the open exhausted. Overview: Blue arrows: Allied movement Blue bulge: Allied defended area Red arrows: Axis advance Orange circle: Allied 60 mm mortar mission (medium/medium) During the 30-31 minutes (as the 30 minute mark has been passed, I'm now allowed to move units off map): Things were just looking good but during these two minutes things start to look grim. With very fast movements the enemy is bringing up units too the middle, covering the exit routes of G Coy. They must have spotted G Coy as they exited the woods and are now determined to stop them from moving off map. One of two Grille SPA that has moved up during the last minute to take up good fields of fire covering G Coys route to safety. Its 150 mm gun will cause a lot of trouble. To make matters worse, there is not much defilade to use for G Coy. The SPA are supported by what looks like a platoon of Grenadiers. The Grenadiers will have good positions on the forward hill that masked parts of G Coys withdrawal from the woods. As the turn ends 1st Platoon G Coy are partially out in the open. There is parts of a small wall as well as some scattered trees to make up cover and concealment for them. They are in for a pounding next turn. 1st Platoon will quickly have to hug the ground and try to crawl into better positions. Then they will make a smoke screen to continue their path towards the exit area. As G Coy will focus on seeking cover, and moving towards the exit the duty of hurting and disrupting the Germans in their trail is up to I Coy. Lucily one of their MMGs are in position and ready to put fire down range on the Grenadiers. A .30 cal, set up, locked and loaded. Ready to great the Grenadiers as they pour out of the woods.

ian.leslie, Thanks, as I thought.

Id personaly welcome wheels disappearing/appearing in thin air so the units where able to move. As is, setup becomes so crucial with regards to LOS.

MikeyD, Thats a must, issent it? That you have to wait til the patch comes out. Its not possible to play another player that dosent have the same build as you?

25-27th minute: The withdrawal continues: 1st Platoon G Coy finally leaves their position in the woods and head towards the exit zone. They will have fairly good cover on their way towards the exit zone, but they also have to cover some ground doing so. The enemy Grille will be able to move up fast once they understand what is going on. As G Coy will pull back in stages.. 1st Platoon will lead and the smaller 2nd Platoon will follow second. 2nd Platoon covers the approaches from the south and will stay in place a bit longer so the PzGren wont be able to move up men to the ridge they occupy. The latter would be a disaster as this ridge commands almost the entire length of the exit route for G Coy. G Coys withdrawal will be covered by I Coy how are just taking up positions in a small farming complex close to the exit area. This will mainly be made up by 2 MMG and a sniper. There is also a reserve of some 15 men, they will stay back and only react if something drastic happens. A MMG from I Coy is taking up position in a barn. I'm not sure how long it will take for it to deploy properly. On my right the withdrawal goes as planed: 1st Platoon H Coy take up good defensive positions on the reverse slope. From here they will be able to put a lot of fire on the pursuing Grenadiers. As the Rangers of 1st Platoon H Coy take up their positions three mortar missions are being targeted so that fire is directed on the Germans as they move up and get into range of 1st Platoon. Caught in the crossfire of small arms as well as mortar fire I hope to slow them down considerably. As soon as the Rangers catch their breath they will again start to withdraw in bounding movement. With a fair distance to cover I will only move men that are tiring in emergencies. Otherwise I want them to be "ready" before I quick them short distances between cover and/or concealment. Also on the ridge but on the other side of the road 2nd Platoon H Coy starts to pull back into positions behind 1st Platoon. They are exiting just in time as mortar fire soon will start to fall on their old positions. The enemy smoke screen is very much working in our favor as no fire is taken by the withdrawing men. The high fitness of the Rangers will be put to the test this day. They will have to move fast if they are to get out before the PzGren can catch them. Overview after 27 minutes of combat: After some initial bad news and 6 casualties things are looking up just a bit. I will soon be allowed to exit the battlefield (in three minutes in fact) and I feel the situation on both my left and right is under control. Blue arrows: Allied movement Red arrow: Axis advance Blue bulge: Allied defensive positions Orange circles: Allied 60 mm mortar missions (medium/medium).

24th minute continues: If the cowering and dead Rangers are not evidence enough of the relative ease of the German advance, their boldness in moving up soft skins full of more Grenadiers to the thick of the action surely is. To this trucks immediate left the thick smoke screen is still covering most of the left side of the ridge. I have light mortar rounds falling in the area. The truck making a juicy target.. Overview after 24 minutes: Im pulling back as fast as possible now. I will set up new defensive positions on my right, on the reverse slope. After this the Rangers from H Coy will start to withdraw with bounding movement, protecting each other with covering fire. Parts of I coy will take up positions on high ground to observe the enemy movement, call in mortar fire and when in range, put out covering fire with their BARs. On my left, I finally decide to pull out first platoon G Coy from the woods. I'm close to being allowed to exit the map and I'm feeling I will save more men by moving them towards the exit zone. I might inflict some good casualties if Id have them stay put but at the same time Id probably lose the entire platoon as POW once they get cut off. Doing this I am taking a risk.. I will leave the Grenadiers free way to move up Grille and HMG to cover the exit route for G Coy. With 1st Platoon in place they would be denied this option and would have to remove 1st Platoon by force first. I hope my decision will pay off. Blue arrows: Allied movement Red arrows: Axis advance Orange circles: 60 mm mortar missions (medium/medium) Black X: Allied casualties (I'm up to 6 so far with the Grenadiers having suffered only 1 confirmed casualty.)

Cant remember how it was back in Cmx1.. could we move AA guns back then? The 88 for sure but what about smaller 20 and 37 mm?

Same crap different names? On a more serious note.. I dont think the KT model is ugly, rather the oposit. Im very happy that BFC made the changes they did to the Porsche variant in CW and the Henschel model is just as good. That said, the OP have some interesting points when comparing the models. Maybe nothing major but small things like this is what many of us really care about. Any way.. feels good that BFC takes an interest to questions raised and look into it.

The 24th minute: The Axis advance continues: Grenadiers are moving in on the Ranger positions with little opposition. More Grenadiers are moving up on the ridge, behind their thick smokescreen. A single MMG tries to slow down the platoon that is moving across the open ground.. it manages to inflict a single casualty. After some initial fire the MMG crew is suppressed. Small arms fire inflict a casualty and a rifle grenade finishes the job. Another two Rangers are taken out. This is starting to look like a walk in the park for the men of the 15th Panzergrenadier Division. Some good news though as my mortar mission on the top of the ridge is hitting home even though the ridge is covered in smoke. I observe several hits close to contact icons. I hope this slows them down. The Grenadiers are close to H Coy. In some places less than 100 meters. Its high time to withdraw. The German smokescreen will work in my favour as its blowing in the direction of my withdrawal. A lone Ranger hunkering down as two of his team members have been wounded. As soon as suppression lifts he will run for it.

With light mortar fire falling in the woods at least a platoon worth of Grenadiers decides to swing to the left, out on the open field and join in the attack towards the ridge. They are out in the open. I have a mmg trained on them but over the last minute I have seen swift retaliation and suppression fire from the enemy HMG and Grille SPA. I don't think I will be able to do much. We need to reposition on the reverse slope. Grenadiers start to advance over open ground, towards the road that lies just between the ridge and the fields. The area that splits 1st and 2nd Platoon H Coy. In the woods 1st Platoon G Coy has taken up a better ambush position. A line with some depth is established. I'm afraid there will be no trap today as the Germans moving this way have swung to their left.. out in the open, moving in on 1st and 2nd Platoon H Coy. Im contemplating moving 1st Platoon forward to engage the enemy that has just moved out of the woods. I would have to move in close though as this platoon doesn't sport a mmg. If I move them up this could be rewarded greatly.. as I could attack the Germans from front and rear. At the same time I could stumble into a ambush set by Grenadiers still waiting in the woods. In the distance the German smokescreen on the ridge can be seen as well as the units from H Coy. After 22 minutes I coy arrives. Good news as I will need them to anchor a defensive line for H and G Coy to withdraw through. Its clear to me that I have made a few mistakes. I should have placed my units on my right in more of a reversed slope defense. The enemy just establishes fire superiority so fast with his many MG and SPA units. On the up side.. the enemy has taken his time to move forward. Im am soon allowed to move of map so I wont have to bunch up to much as I start to withdraw. The trick will be to time things perfectly. I don't want to sacrifice men to hold the enemy off If not absolutely required. Bounding movement and smoke will be key. I will also start to shell my own positions with 60 mm mortar fire. Timed right It will slow down the enemy considerably. I'm counting on the experienced Rangers to pull this off without any friendly fire. Overview after 23 minutes of combat: Red arrows: German advance. Blue arrows: Allied advance. Orange circles: 60 mm mortar missions. Black X:s are locations of allied casualties.

Aragorn2002 and kohlenklau, Happy you like it guys :-) -- Minute 19-23. As the Grenadiers starts to draw closer i decide its time to open up with the 30 cal M1919 mmgs from 2nd Platoon H Coy on the ridge. The distance being some 400 meters. I was hoping that the brush and vegetation in the area would leave the mmgs unspotted for at least a few minutes. Unfortunately this was not the case. Tracers can be seen coming the Germans way as a 30 cal starts to pour lead down range. It doesnt take long for the Germans to identify the firing positions. Two 150 mm Grille rounds impact near the mmg (one short and one just overhead). Two Grille SPA are spotted moving forward. Some 800 meters from my forward positions they start to open fire. I'm starting to feel a bit worried as the Grenadiers have five of these SPA in support. Seven minutes out before my withdrawal can begin.. so close but under fire it will not be an easy ride. The suppression and counter fire from a German mg deal the Rangers their first casualty. On the other side of the ridge, close to the road, under a heavy smoke screen as well as plenty of suppressing fire from HMGs, PzGrenadiers are making their way up the hill. The enemys leading elements are almost at the top of the hill, still out of sight from my revers slope defenders. As the Germans move forward into my ambush zone a mmg from 1st Platoon H coy starts to open up. The Germans go to ground and several of their MGs direct fire on the new threat. Another two KIA for the Rangers. Things are turning south, and fast.

+1 to Wodins idea.

I havent had time to check for my self yet.. anyone know if the boot uniform issue has been solved?

First off.. another big thanks for turning out such beautiful mods and even fixing a bug or two! Your skills when it comes to moding vehicles are second to none. As to decals and markings.. I just love it when thats included and I use all of them. For me it makes the models pop even more and the extra diversity is a big bost for me.

Great news Marco! Thanks for your efforts. The armor thinknes and penetration data ala cmx1 style for all vehicles is so awesome.

Great news! Thanks Juju!

Just insert module wherever my dear countryman put expansion and you'll get it Emrys