Heinrich505

Tux, Wow, I had a bad week at work and wasn't able to get back to your battle until now. The action is heating up. I agree with John K, that gun opening up was likely due to no covered arc being set, or the quality of the gun troops. I loved your comment about the Soviet troops "adept at judging the muzzle elevation required to arch their bullets into dead ground." Figures that HQ units are getting hit. What are the odds. Sorry about the StuG commander. Your style of writing is quite riveting, and I enjoy reading it. Very nicely done. I didn't see your advance as wrong, and might have done something similar. I would have pushed through the woods too, on a semi-flanking move. All things being said, I concur with your tactical move back to the village, or as the Marines would say, Hell we're just advancing in a rearward direction. I'd also pull another StuG over, as you are doing. You are being "nickeled and dimed" on casualties, but you've gotten some retribution too, with several T-34s bagged and tagged. I'd say you are still doing well, and also agree with your clearind the woods to get a look-see on the other side. Maybe someone can get a good read on that pesky SU, and toss a grenade bundle on his rear deck. I'm kind of looking forward to seeing gouts of flame routing enemy troops from your flame tanks. I wouldn't want to be in that village when that happens, heh heh. By all means, keep this up. I agree with Rankorian, we need more of these AAR's posted. If I could figure out how to post pictures, I might be tempted. I like to post reviews on the Scenario Depot II, and they read more like action stories. Good fun. We are enjoying this greatly, and I, for one, am learning from it. Heinrich505

Adam1, That is what helped get the guys close enough to charge in the human wave. Heinrich505

Rankorian, Yep, I played it to the end and got a minor victory on the game. And yes, the AI came back very hard on counterattack, but I managed to hold them off. They took a lot of casualties, and the T-34s were able to stem the German armor. Heinrich505

Rankorian, I was able to get the infantry close, by crawling and sneaking. It took a while, but I think it was worth it. The AFVs kept up constant pinning fire on the factory, and then it was time. I sent the closer group (on the right) forward first, then the larger group on the swampy side. Oh yeah, there were plenty of casualties, but they didn't use a lot of ammo in the charge. I have to add, it was pretty impressive, until the Germans started cutting holes in the charging lines. Actually, the casualties weren't as bad as I had expected. I guess that was because I was fairly close. There was the unlucky squad that "found" the flamethrower boys as they hit the factory, and that squad was literally toast. However, the charging Russians cut the flame boys down moments after the first gout of fire. Those cries of "Urrahhh, Urrahhh" were pretty blood-curdling though. CM got that part right. To be fair, I've tried the Human Wave in other scenarios, with utterly dismal results. I've also had the AI try a Human Wave across a street in a scenario in Budapest, with a +1 CEB. I couldn't believe it, and then I opened up with everything, including the kitchen sink, and the yelling stopped abruptly. I would hazard a guess that the Human Wave might be somewhat successful only early on in the war. It was fun to try it, but conditions really have to be right for it to work with any degree of reliability. My combining it with a tank charge might have been the kicker, as the Germans' focus was split between the charging brown wave and the charging green steel wave. Heinrich505

Rankorian, I played this as the Russians, and laid back with the armor, pounding the factory for a while as I eased the infantry close. I also set up some ambush spots for the German armor that I expected to rush to the rescue. As a lark, I then used the "Human Wave" assault, once the two prong infantry got close enough. It was quite impressive, as they started out slow, yelling "Urrah, Urrah" and then sped up, charging headlong into the gunfire. If I had been on the receiving end of the wave, I would have had to fight down the panic. I also rushed the lighter armor into the fray, giving the infantry a head start. In this manner I was able to overwhelm the factory defenders fairly quickly, as many broke and tried to run, only to get caught in crossfire in the back areas of the factory, after the armor swept around there. Also, the T-34s were still intact and able to handle the German armor that arrived, too late to help their brethern. I managed a victory, but left a lot of my guys writhing in agony in the open spaces before the factory. In the beginning I started it to test how well the Human Wave might work, but then got caught up in the battle and pressed on to try for the win. Good scenario. Fun to play, and a lot of drama, if you look for that sort of thing. Heinrich505

Tux, Hey, sometimes you have to be aggressive. It is a Tiger, after all. I like the one-two punch with the StuG moving in to startle, while the Tiger eases up on Hunt. That will mess up the SU a bit, as they try to figure out who to shoot at first. A lot of crazy stuff can happen in those 60 seconds after you hit GO. Those StuG crews can be pretty resourceful. Also, I like your build-up in the woods. I think that will pay dividends. Keep up the good report. I'm enjoying the heck out of it. Heinrich505

Tux, I concur with John K. Spread the armor out just a bit. That SU won't have to adjust too much to shoot at both the Tiger and STuG. If they are further apart, the SU has to make a hard choice. I'm also leaning towards the ambush worry. I don't think that infantry that was spotted was any accident on the part of your opponent. I think it was deliberate, trying to lure you out or cause you to fire, giving away additional positions. He is cagey. I think your approach is cautious enough. Heinrich505

Tux, I'm loving it. Keep the action coming. Tension mounts as the Reds ease forward, looking for angles. A little "Tiger Fright" is a good thing, especially as you are trying to slide the STuG in to help with sighting. I hate those 152 Zvierboys. Their shells are the size of Volkswagons, as evidenced by the broken building. This is great reading and the comments are perfect for learning things. Please keep it up. Heinrich505

Leprechaun, Really nice AAR. I enjoyed it immensely. Keep Ragnar away from the recovered vodka. Nice work with the 88's. They had a major say in the action. Your pictures really made the action come alive. Thanks again, Heinrich505

Good Lord, that picture of the cannister round is absolutely chilling. Getting caught in that must be pure hell. Simply a modern version of what choice items were used in close-in broadsides with frigates in the time of sail, where anything, including extra silverware was jammed into the canon to provide extra lethality when trying to clear the decks of enemy sailors. Cool screenshot. Talk about a deadly scythe. Please keep it up. Your "commentary" is quite amusing. I do the same thing when I do reviews of scenarios over at the Scenario Depot II. It really enhances the read. Heinrich505

Tux, Nice action. It is really neat following the battle. Those flame tank guys must have been swearing in frustration, hull down like that. I would have figured the flame was turret mounted too. Nice move trying to coax the T-34 boys to unbutton. If Steve forgets to order them back inside, you've got a shot at clipping some of them. And yeah, figures. KV-II. Fortunately they have a terribly slow rate of fire, and don't carry much ammo. You might be able to slip some especially brave boys alongside, as the tankers can't see out of that monster, and would react slowly. Maybe Steve won't cover them too well.... Keep up the action. I'm enjoying the fight. Heinrich505

Ah yes, the action is hot and heavy. It is a good read. Keep it up, when you can. There must have been a secret vodka truck reinforcement somewhere, which would explain the molotov cocktails and the red boys proclivity at throwing them. I always cringe when I hear the sound of breaking bottles on tank steel. Heinrich505

Tux, Keep it coming. I'm enjoying the read. As McIvan said, the accompanying pictures are real good. We can keep track of the action fairly well. Heinrich505

Hey, too bad about the scout boys. Always leave room to back up fast. I love the "Gift from the Fatherland." Perhaps those tank boys just need a few more gifts before they cut and run. Heinrich505

Leprechaun, Keep em coming. I'm enjoying your narrative and the screenshots. Heinrich505

Really nice work. I just fired them up and they look excellent. The details and extras are appreciated. Thanks, Heinrich505

Cuirassier, Will be waiting to see what happens next. Heinrich505

David I, They are amazing. I've just padded across a snowy landscape, white flakes falling, and the Tigers and Panthers look wonderful. Thanks for your efforts. They are greatly appreciated. Heinrich505

Vergeltungswaffe, Thanks for the reply. I appreciate the link, and spent some time with it already. I'll double check the zip files to see if they've got file folders inside them. I did some more messing around, and actually got the mods to work. I don't really know what I did, but I've got snow covered StugIIIs, Tigers and Panthers wandering around the map. So, something worked, and I agree with you, McMMM seems to be a very smooth system. Thanks again for the link and suggestions. Heinrich505

I recently downloaded McMMM but can't seem to make it work. I get an error message when trying to load David I's latest mods, such as the snow covered JagdPanther. I can't quite figure out what I am doing wrong, so helpful suggestions from you guys would be appreciated. The whole modding question scares those of us that are not very "computer literate." Any assistance would be welcome. Thanks, Heinrich505

Very nice. I feel cold just looking at them. Thanks, David I, Heinrich505

Pat, I did have fun. Read the AAR in the discussions. Learned some hard lessons, as in don't put your halftracks in harms way before you know where the hidden guns are, unless you need additional lighting from the explosions and flames. Arrgghh. Ah, yes, as for my CMMODS odyssy, I had to break down and try the "I forgot my login handle" and the moderator sent me that. Then I had to do the "I forgot my password" and got that too. YESSSSS, I am back in. They say memory is the second thing to go with old age.... Heinrich505

Patboy, Was this your operation? It is listed under Kutusov at the Proving Grounds. If you are one and the same, I enjoyed the heck out of it and left a review and discussion you may enjoy. Heinrich505

David I, A quick question. Are your mods available elsewhere than CMMODS? I have tried several times to register there, but get shut out by some sort of computer glitch that says my username is already in use, even after changing it to all sorts of different ones. I tried to e-mail the site, but never heard back from them. Where else might I find your excellent work? Heinrich505

David I, Thanks for all the amazing mods. You have given us more than enough gifts. Enjoy your Christmas and thanks again, especially for the STuGs and Panthers. Heinrich505