A Canadian Cat

Can you give some more details? Were your squads outside or inside? Who spotted whom? What did the tank do? Note: you cannot fire bazookas, shreks and phausts from inside buildings. Only the PIAT can be fired from inside.

It is our divergence from this ^^^ that is why our numbers diverge so much from historical. How many times has a squad taken two or three casualties and you have ordered them to continue the attack right the next turn? 100% of you - that's what I thought. Real soldiers don't normally do that and their NCOs don't even order them to. They make sure they have good cover from whatever caused those casualties and then they make sure their buddies are taken care of. Then after many minutes have passed and more of their unit has arrived to help they start to make plans to move forward again.

Sorry for the delay in writing up the last turn. I forgot to copy the images to the right directory and I do not have access to it from my current location. Full write up will have to follow. Here is the summary - bad. The three stuarts are still pounding that corner and even though the squad pulled back OK the two Shrek Teams are sill suppressed and shaken and not firing. Those tanks are getting closer and so are the infantry. If they don't get their heads up and KO those tanks they are going to die once the infantry get there. The Stuart that drove write up to my squad in the bocage killed the rest of the squad out right. The remainder of the team directly and when the other team pulled back from the infantry fire (a good thing) they ran into the field covered by the tank (a bad thing) all are dead. Given my inability to deal with those three Stuarts there is no way that 2 Platoon is going to be able to cross the road to get to their planned final fighting positions. So they will just dig in to the farm and surrounding fields.

Plus lets face it by the the time you are captured you have had a really long and a really bad day. I suspect I would look pretty spaced out and tired after an experience like that too.

My bad for forgetting one group starts on map but it is not just three companies each company has an HQ plus there is a weapons company, plus the Battalion HQ and sometimes an engineering platoon.

My all time favorite is still Huzzar. It is a bit bigger but really good .

I just read your update and I have a question / concern about your travel mode entry. An 2 x 8 tile area for setup is pretty small. You mention that units arrive one platoon or four vehicles at a time. Does that mean you expect that CM reinforcements will be used? If so that should probably be called out in the rules. But even if you are using reinforcements to setup a battalion of infantry and a company of tanks in the 2x8 setup zone will likely not work very well. The way reinforcements work in CM scenario editor is you place all the units for the battle and then designate when they arrive. Given that you cannot place units on top of each other I fear it will not be possible to create a scenario to fit the attacking force in the setup zone. Plus consider this a battalion would easily be 4 x 4 + 1 platoon sized groups (three infantry companies of three platoons plus an HQ plus weapon company plus the battalion HQ units). That is 17 arrivals at a minimum spacing of 5min between arrivals it will take 85min for just a battalion of infantry to arrive. I am not sure if that is what you want. When I drove convoys we did drive in packets of 4 or five vehicles separated by driving distance - 4 or 5 seconds depending on speed (we were encouraged to have more than the driving school 2s between us). But our packets were not 5min a part - much less than that. I suggest that the depth of the setup zone for traveling be lengthened to 24 tiles and allow three groups (either platoon of infantry or four vehicles) to arrive at one time. Thus the same battalion would take 30min to arrive. It would be wise to experiment with the width of the setup zone as well.

A really tough turn. Lots of men go down some to tank fire some to mortar fire. OMG my shrek teams are all going to be sent back for remedial training. Hornung misses again. Long this time. Really really long. My opponent has indeed sent a Stuart down the North road along with his infantry. My guys take out a bunch of them but the tank just ignores it all drives right past on team and right up to another and starts taking my guys out. Hartenstien looses two men but does manage to get some grenades on target. Sadly the Stuart seems unaffected and keeps firing. This is the kind of thing that drive me nuts. Whenever I have a tank that gets ahead of its infantry it winds up destroyed. But when ever my opponent does it he takes out a bunch of my men. Grrr. The only bright spot in the turn is Haberfellner who manages to pretty much wipe out the enemy team coming down the street. Much of the rest of 2nd Platoon is setup to ambush the enemy on the South road. Schmit has successfully rejoined his team and is now part of Kohl's team B. Notice what Kohl is doing. I like it when my men are thinking on their own. Keep and eye on Kohl he might be platoon leader some day.

I take back what I said about Kraft leading his squad better than I could. Sure I made a mistake getting him into that mess but he should have go his guys to just go though the gap and into the next field. Just 2m more and there could have been survivors. Kraft's 3 squad is down to only two men - the scout team that was not with him on his mission to the West. All of Kraft's team are wounded, killed or have surrendered. That is the bad news. The good news is more Blue on Blue artillery. My opponent must be thinking I have artillery aimed at him. Those Stuarts are keeping my men pinned pretty well. At the end of the turn Hornung's team managed to pop their heads up long enough to miss - their shot hit a tree part way there. The fire from those Stuarts did let up a little and that has allowed schafer to get some of his men to safety. 2nd Platoon is almost setup and ready for the attack from the East. The Flanking Stuarts continued to pound the bocage where Altner was located and the platoon and their support in the East continued to pound Schmidt's last location. Excellent blast away.

Speaking of trenches... I would have preferred half the trenches and the rest in fox holes and two sand bag walls (one for each AT gun). We should negotiate the ability to choose trenches, fox holes, sand bag walls for the op layer - CM rules.

Just passing on a tip someone gave me. I find it very useful. Understand, my AAR has been on hold for a cray long time due to my opponent 's work commitments.

It might come as a surprise to hear me say I think you are quite correct in many ways. And held a nearly identical view for a long time. I too get angry when I hear the "us against them" dehumanizing propaganda or the "you are with us or against" us talk. Bottom line much of war is powerful people getting us normal folk to do their dirty work for them - and that pisses me off. The leaders are not risking their lives. So, in that sense it is BS to convince us to join up. However at some point you have to stand up against aggression. Or sometimes you have little real choice but to be there in uniform. At that point you as a solider can behave with honor or not. It is your choice. Regardless of the honor of those who started it or those who send you or the BS they fed you. *You* still have agency even in those restricted circumstances and it is *you* you decide how you will conduct yourself. In that sense an individual can behave with honour even for an dishonourable cause. Just MHO

Correct, I think my guys are doing great. In spite of my throwing Kraft into a dangerous situation. Going against that company coming from the West all alone so far away and when I knew they were too close I let him attack anyway. In hind sight I think I should have kept him one field closer. Then he could have caught the lead elements at the cross roads. I really hope I can take out some more Stuarts. The fire they are throwing down is impressive and totally messing my teams that are under it. Thank goodness it is only 37mm. Trenches: The problem with trenches is they suck in bocage. Fox holes work behind the bocage a little but trenches do not. If your guys are in the trenches they cannot see through the bocage. So my trench plan is three fold: The outlying trenches are artillery bait. I was hoping the Canadians would see my scouts and the trenches and throw some artillery their way. I do not think that has worked out. Inner trenches outside of the final two bocage fields provide a place to hide from artillery. Most of my men can pull back from the bocage and find a trench to hide in if the big stuff starts falling. The final two bocage fields have trenches in them for the last stand. They are positioned so once my men cannot hold the bocage any longer they can pull back to the trench and fight the enemy at the bocage line.

Kraft's men begin to crawl away. By the end of the turn all but one are along the bocage near the opening they can use to escape to fight again. Even the last man has begun to move. Sadly they are still shaken and out of my command. I think Kraft is doing a better job anyway. Schmidt just gets away as all hell opens up on his previous position. I think we might be facing an entire company of Stuarts. Altner has a positive visual on 5 Stuarts. One is burning. Ober has a positive visual on three of them and the in coming fire at Schmidt's location included explosions but the infantry were too far away for grenades. So that is ten Stuarts. But the distribution is off. If it really is only two platoons then one is flanking us to the South an the other is split into two with a lone Stuart in support of the attack from the East. I think a more likely scenario is that there is a platoon to the South, one to the North and one to the East. In the coming turns hopefully I will see if I am correct. Altner pulls back from his position just all five Stuarts open up on his previous position. I'll take all the luck we can get. That is three teams in danger either getting away clean or in the process. I have decided to change the ambush plans. The farm house and small barns in the lower centre of the image offer protection to the court yard form all sides and also good escape routes either North or West. My teams in the buildings and bocage can ambush the road. And from the court yard they can surpise the enemy when they enter a building. The road to the right (South) is where the flanking Stuarts can enter the village and from the stone wall next to the barn Altner can cover that road but no have to face five tanks at once.

I have watched the next turn now too. I have to say I am very happy with how this is going. So far I have only lost three men. While one squad is under very heavy fire and totally messed up everyone else is able to move and fire when needed. Even Kraft! I am impressed with this leader ship. Although shaken for the last two turns he managed to get all but one of his men moving away from the incoming fire. He pretty much executed exactly the orders I would have given him. Very cool.

I pull back Schmidt's team and meet up with the rest of his squad to face those intruders. Plus I pull Altner back from the corner to join 2nd Platoon. He can cover the South side approach but in such away that he is not shooting all his rounds into an open field. I adjust members of 1 platoon to face the enemy coming from the north.

In the South Altner takes three shots at the Stuarts with his Shrek. First shot is long, second one is short. Then he switches targets and missed a second Stuart. Oh man not good. In this screen shot you can actually see three Stuarts. But there are two more. One in the field but behind that tree on the left and one off screen further to the left. Schmidt spots what turns out to be about a platoon of infantry coming in from the East they seem to be avoiding the road. Members of 2nd platoon face the enemy to the North Kraft is under fire from two directions while shaken they are still fighting effectively. In the background you can see my opponent is suffering some blue on blue artillery casualties.

Oh no problem go right a head.

Just FYI, <shift>ESC pauses without the "PAUSED ESC to continue..." message. I am enjoying your write up BTW

I was really surprised to see that. Having small teams way out a head like that is a sure fire way to get guys killed. I was not paying attention to what unit it was. A sniper team. That is even more odd.

Yeah that was difficult to watch. His big problem was he switched targets. That third shot should have been just right on the first target. Need top put his armoured cover arc back on.

Ober takes his first shot which falls short: Unfortunately the volume of fire that comes back from those three Stuarts and their infantry is so high Ober's team and the squad next to them keep their heads down the rest of the turn. No one is hit but they are messed up. Meanwhile further to the West Kraft's team opens up at close range. They take our first casualty but they inflict many more before the turn ends. To help Ober get back into the fight I move platoon commander Gelband closer so he can help rally his troops.

Sadly not yet. He is still alive so it could still happen but he and his mates have had a tough minute.

No. When you get right down to it the grunt soldier and his NCOs and junior officers are *no* different on either side. In general. I realize that there are some formations that were created to commit those atrocities and my argument breaks down for that. But for the regular soldier convinced or conscripted into service is just trying to stay alive and defend their country. They *can* have honour. As Forest Gump would say "honour is as honour does". The true honour a solider possess comes from *their* behaviour and *their* motivation. Which is why I say a soldier on either side can be honourable. Don't forget there was dishonourable behaviour committed by some soldiers in all armies. At what level in command and what level of knowledge of atrocities that breaks down is not clear for sure. I recently heard an interview with a documentary film maker or author (I forget which) who is working on a project documenting the Japanese atrocities committed in China. His take on it though is to try to learn about the motivation / training / etc of the soldiers who committed those atrocities. I came away from listening to what he learned about their training (which amounted to brainwashing really) and the techniques used to create monsters who would carry out horrific acts out of ordinary men questioning how we should judge them.

Yeah, it can be brain dead about that kind of thing. All comes from our orders being specific and not task based. The order you wanted to give was "back up a bit and see if you can get that Panther to follow you so our buddy over to the right can get better shot" but all you can actually order "is move backwards 20m and face your turret that way". I personally think that getting more specific about things like turret direction would lead us to have more bad things happen - like in this case if the Panther did not follow and your tank totally ignored the infantry even though the would make an excellent target. I have reduced my use of the face command because of this kind of thing. The crew spend all their effort facing the way I wanted them to all the while failing to engage a nice juicy target just off to the right. Where as if I just arrange it so the last way point move gets them more or less facing the way I want they never have any trouble picking off that target of opportunity because I have not given them any conflicting orders. Ah, I did not know there was an automatic 180 arc key as well. Might be handy once in a while.