Heinrich505

Did you see the dirty looks the loader kept giving the gunner during those tests? Klaus was very upset with Hans. Clearly the thief who had been dipping into the schnapps supply for the unit recently had been identified. Further, it appeared that Hans had rolled over on his spectacles in a drunken stupor and crushed them, as he was not wearing them while firing the weapon. Those verdammt Berliners, thought Klaus, a Bavarian. Always bragging about how they can hold their liquor. He rolled his eyes as Hans happily swung the machine gun back and forth like an out-of-control see-saw while laughing maniacally. Heinrich505

dungeontiger, The videos are, indeed, a special treat. Very nice and much appreciated. Your Churchills are doing quite the job, it seems. The Achilles will be a welcome addition as you move them up. Great action. Heinrich505

Ian, Most of your tank engagements appear to be at knife-fighting range. If you run out of ammo your tank crews can just throw empty shell casings at the enemy. This is all pretty intense. Your StuH commanders were probably shaking their heads in sad amazement when you ordered them up against those Churchills. The call goes down the line....Panthers Vor!! I am following all this with great interest. Good screenies. Heinrich505

DC, Great action and excellent screen shots. The tale is riveting. I'm enjoying this a lot. Thanks for posting. Nice that you managed to get the zook guy off to medical attention. I figured he was a goner for sure. Sadly there won't be much left for graves registration of S/Sgt Rexford's crew. Heinrich505

He better effect the "rescue" of Riley before that baby cooks off or we'll be referring to him in past tense. Can he do buddy aid from that position? I like your explanation of why he'd run back to the burning M3. You can see some amazing things the pixeltruppen do if you just slow down and look for them. I just had a burning Sherman start exploding just as I was trying to rush a halftrack past it - two killed, halftrack knocked out, and 5 lightly wounded. I'd hate to be underneath that burning M3 when it decides to go off.... Heinrich505

Which menu has the "fix bayonets" order? I can't seem to find it..... c3k can be very persuasive. Heinrich505

Tiresias, That screen shot was painful. I know you hadn't counted on that possibility. Hang in there and see what happens. I haven't heard the fat lady singing yet. If your morale is still good your boys can put the hurt on the advancing enemy. I'd guess he is pretty brittle by now from the punishment he took earlier. Heinrich505

BD, Pretty brave guys you have staying so close to the barrage. These aren't the ones that took the hit from the smoke round, right? And yes, keep that fragile Priest back....I thought I saw Murphy hanging around nearby... :eek:

Oh man, berserkers! Good stuff. Was that snake-eyes on the first roll with a third die roll of a 1 on the red dice when shooting? I had quite a few German and Russian squads go berserk in the carnage of Stalingrad. Wait, maybe it was box-cars on a morale check followed by a die roll of less than 3 with 1 on the red dice? I am so confused now.... Heinrich505

BD, The Priest rules! Heinrich505

Tiresias, I am cringing watching your troops enduring the barrage. The tension mounts as things ratchet up to a finale. How will they fight? Will they fight like lions to avenge the loss of so many of their fellow landsers, or will they wearily throw their hands up knowing they cannot stand against such heavy odds? Good luck in the final moments of the battle. Positioning as you did has surely saved you many casualties. If the lads had been hiding in the windmills......... Heinrich505

Bil, Oh yes, I saw just how carefully you checked LOS prior to the truck rush, and I laud you for it - it paid off handsomely in very low casualties and was a major factor in the success of your advance to the villa. I still think you had the stones of Thor to run it. Thanks for an excellent AAR. Clearly we enjoyed the heck out of it. Heinrich505

Bil, I agree with Baneman on the truck rush. It was wild and crazy but worked. I don't think I would try that unless there was no other way. I thought you handled the Italian force well. I might have held back the Italian armor as support for the infantry, rather than using them to probe and flank. They were pretty brittle and once they lost their tank commander, they were mainly there to spread out target choices for ND's forces. Your flanking choices were well thought out and used terrain nicely. I'd say your aggressive attack, coupled with some really good use of the Grilles (well, the one did star while the other was cancelled out) saw you to the very doorstep of the villa. Yes, ND's flanking maneuver would have been problematic for you, but the main act was at the villa. You lost points in pressing the attack but the battle was always close. The ebb and flow of the engagement was really something. It kept me riveted. Both ND and your strategies played out very well within the capriciousness of Lady Luck and her influence. Very nicely done. Heinrich505

ND, Great write-up and excellent AAR. The screen shots kept us right in the thick of it all. It is neat seeing your Hall of Heroes. Heinrich505

Bil, Really now! Your modest protests are hard to believe... We know you wanted to end this episode in the most dramatic way possible. What better way than to have the immobilized Sherman suddenly erupt in a gigantic explosion. Not targeted by the Grille.....arr arr....right! Holy cow, what a turn of events. The way things were going back and forth, I'm not surprised that the errant round from the Grille accidentally struck the very target you were hoping for. I'd say that was a really good turn for the Mark IV, as it appeared that the Sherman's turret was pointing in the direction your tank was coming from. That might have gone badly for your tank, in light of the way the Sherman seemed to have second sight. You and Chris have done a masterful job on this battle. I've enjoyed the twists and turns and picked up some new ideas and strategies in the process. This was a really well done AAR. Thanks for sharing. Heinrich505

BD, Win or lose, these are great. Your screen shots are always welcome. Bring 'em on. I always learn something during these AARs, and I never tire of reading them. Thanks for posting. Heinrich505

Ah, Michael, truer words.... Bil, damn luck. Who could have forseen that squad blowing on into your LOS for the Mark IV. I think they were close enough that the tank crew would have fired on them even with a specific CA. You instinctively don't want "crunchies" running around close to your tank. They often have nasty things in their hands that might cause your tank grievous injury. Good call on reversing and coming up in a different and (hopefully!!) completely unexpectecd location. No fingernails are left...the tension mounts... Heinrich505

Bil, Roger that. Sorry on the mis-identification, and yes, the Mark IV should have no problems, especially with a flank shot. Just make sure the gunner doesn't fire over the top of the Sherman. Ouch! When you ease the tank up the slope, will you use Hunt and a narrow covered arc or just Slow with the covered arc? I am guessing you will use a covered arc to avoid the tank being distracted by something else, such as paratroopers with demo charges hiding nearby (hopefully not!!!). I've had some success using either Hunt or Slow but always with the CA. With that possessed Sherman out of the way, things will open up a bit and....another momentum swing. Can't wait. Heinrich505

Bil, Nice shooting on the M30s. They were a huge thorn in your side. It will be interesting to see if you can get enough killing rounds into the side of the immobilized Sherman to avoid....remembers sadly the earlier tank duel....the fast traverse on those babies. Ease your Mark III up very gently with a covered arc and you might get a killing shot first round out. As for the infantry rushing up in trucks.....SMOKE, vee need more SMOKE... Really cool action - I'm loving it. Heinrich505

hollister21, Yet another DAR - this is great! I concur with sburke on the shreks. I had one just duke it out with a Sherman through a gap in the hedgerow. He managed to hit a tree twice, but so did the Sherman - talk about nailbiting. Then he nailed the bugger in the turret and it was all she wrote. The Pleasure Beast is right - watch them carefully. Moments after my shrek boys nailed the Sherman they were dusted by angry Brit infantry. Keep us deep in screen shots - we love to see all the action. Thanks for posting. Heinrich505

...must...plunge....steel.....darts....into....eyes..... This was quite disturbing....but those boots....gotta have them. Heinrich505

Bil, This is like a rollercoaster ride. One minute you are up, the next down. It is a really a great read. Nice use of the rifle grenade.... . Mine don't seem to work as well... Keep up the action. This is like watching two prizefighters pounding each other with body blows. Great stuff. Heinrich505

ND, Hister and John are right. This is cracking good action. Your screen shots of the short but vicious firefight on the small hillock were especially dramatic. Excellent shots of the battle, especially the one looking up at the US boys trying to come to the aid of the bazooka team. This struggle has some amazing swings of momentum. Heinrich505

John, You are doing fine. It is like riding a bicycle...you never forget. Toss those training wheels. Download the demo and play around with that too. The change of terrain is great and makes you start thinking all over again for new problem solving - like not driving your Stuart tank through those damned grapevines and getting them all tangled up in your treads for a full immobilization....arggghhh. Heinrich505

Bil, I had a feeling that the Sherman would get the Mark IV - that usually happens to me. Ouch. Losing the Grille was not good either. I still think you have a very good position though. Heinrich505