Penry
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Posts posted by Penry
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Orders:
Halftrack heroes will reverse out of the action, take up a whole new hunting path, then hunt and reverse in a new tripodal (is that a word even?) pattern.
Orange halftrack and yellow infantry squad will hunt forward. Halftrack is still to the front, so will pause for 30 seconds first again!
Recon team dark blue will hunt forward into the depths of the forest
Recon team mid blue will move forward half the arrow, then hunt the rest of the way. I'm anxious to take out that mortar team ASAP.
Recon team light blue will move forward half the arrow, then hunt the remainder.
Farm halftrack to cease fire.
Mortar team to continue light targetting the woods on the other side of north bridge.
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Turn 5
More joy with my halftrack in the south woods, although the Italians did get some reward too!
The Italian who was in the halftrack's sights at the end of the last minute didn't survive long, despite adopting the foetal position in the dirt. Only waving the white flag might have saved him!
My halftrack then reversed out of the action, back to the anchor point of my bipodal attack pattern. While starting off on its new axis, a grenade landed near the rear of the halftrack, killing my rear gunner.
Soon another couple of Italians came into view, running for there lives, into the depths of the forest. Shame they didn't run fast enough - two more kills for my halftrack heroes!
My halftrack slammed back into reverse not long after, and before the end of the minute two more Italians fell to the curtain of lead I was laying down. I've got to say, despite being a very rash strategy, flushing out the woods with my halftrack has reaped huge dividends!
Elsewhere, BD's mortar team (red circle) showed their faces, launching a couple of rounds across the width of the valley. The first round landed near my scout team near the edge of the south forest. The second round was uncomfortably close to my scout team in the foxholes by the southern barn. The sooner I deal with this mortar team the better!
My own mortar team continued with their mission, with little success. The first round landed in the soup; the second was very long, landing way beyond the intended woods. I might have got lucky and hit a follow up team, but it would have been a pure fluke if I did. Both mortar teams had a round in the air as the clock stopped.....
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Orders:
Two jeeps circled in white to dismount.
Purple halftrack and pink infantry squad to hunt forward just a bit. My halftrack outpaced the infantry boys last turn, something I didn't want to happen, so my halftrack will pause for half a minute first.
My other halftrack will reverse out of combat a bit, then hunt forward along a different axis, then reverse to the previous spot, then hunt forward on another axis, and repeat. I don't want to push forward any more, but I don't want to lose contact with BDs men, and I don't want to remain stationary either!
Recon team in north forest to sprint to the edge of the map and then hunt thier way up towards where I suspect BDs mortar team to be setting up.....
(forgot to plot movement path on image below)
(Must have coffee before playing first turn in the morning!)
Farmyard halftrack - as before
Mortar team - as before, except I've switched to target light, to conserve ammo.
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Turn 4
More action for my halftrack in the southern woods. It wasn't long before he spotted another Italian HQ member, running deeper into the woods, and couldn't help but follow....
Soon he came across an infantryman blocking his path, standing valiantly in the face of death. He didn't last long!
The turn ended with my halftrack laying down more hurt on another spotted Italian.
You might also notice three Italians in the distance, lined up along the fence at the very edge of the woods. They're the ones looking down on the valley from turn 2.
In the north wood, I suffered my first casualty. My recon team, who had bailed out the jeep at the beginning of the turn, decided to hang around in the open for some unknown reason. A hidden Italian marksman (white circle in overview) took out one of my men, before the rest hit the dirt and must have disappeared from his view. Murphy's law that it was my Thompson man who bought it!
Other than that there wasn't a great deal going on. My AT team made it back to the safety of the farmhouse. My farmyard halftrack laid down some supressing fire on the woods by the north bridge, and my mortar team managed to get one round off at their target, landing just beyond the woods on the far side of the north bridge (marked as yellow star)
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poesel71 - I've thought more seriosuly about your criticism and have decided that, while it may be bad doctrine to take a halftrack into the woods unprotected, it has enabled me to disprupt BDs plans. In my mind at the moment, the best form of defence is offence. Had I not made such a risky decision BD would now be having the freedom to form up his numerous men and plan his attack according to his strategy. At least I have killed a handful and probably knocked the remainders morale some. I'm hoping to take out a few more before things get too hairy.
I take your point regarding my recon teams though. After looking at their composition I have decided that they would be best hunting through the woods, rather than having eyes on the valley below.
Please keep your criticism and advice coming. I'm learning all the time, and while the manual is awesome, it is very light on real world tactics. It's only by trial and error and external advise that I will become a better player!
ian - Thanks for the confirmation regarding my mortars. I'm always in a dilemma when I'm on defence, whether to stay idden for as long as possible, or whether to take an early opportunity, potential or otherwise, to score some hits.
I'm not convinced digging in and waiting for death to visit you is always the best approach. I like 90% of my defence to do that, but I do like the heroics of that last 10% going on flushing out missions!
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LOL, so apart from doing everything wrong, I'm doing OK!
I never was much good at staying still. I'll try harder, honest!
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That looks like it will be last turn of the day. It's late in BDland and I haven't had a chat reply on returning the save.
What do you think guys? Any suggestions? Are my AT guns in reasonable positions? I know they're not the best places for them to be, but I didn't fancy hooking them up to a halftrack and hauling them into the woods - a decision that looks a good one in hindsight, what with BD's men crawling through them like ants!
Was it wise to fire the mortar at this early stage? Was it a good idea to open up with the halftrack in the farm, revealing its position?
So much to ponder......
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Orders:
Yellow halftrack to slow move through the forest, following the last known path of the fleeing Italians.
Red infantry squad to hunt into the forest, with a view to intersecting the path of fleeing Italians.
Red halftrack to wait 20 seconds then follow the infantry squad, to provide fire superiority when contact is made.
Blue jeep to move down forest track to edge of forest. I might unload the occupants into the forest there, or keep them ready for quick reserves elsewhere.
Two jeeps in southern forest. As is. Occupants loading up on ammo, then moving out next turn possibly.
Withdrawing AT team near farm to take cover in farmhouse and rest.
Mortar team to direct fire on forest the other side of the northern bridge. I suspect that BD's infantry squad are resting up after a sprint across the open. Time to disturn their downtime then!
M2 halftrack to the left of the farm. Area fire into the woods on the near side of the north bridge. If anyone is hiding in there then they needs to move out soon!
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Turn 3
A quiet turn, as I repositioned a few units.
My stranded AT team made their mad dash back to the farm. Despite BD having potshots from both sides of the valley (see overview later) they had almost made it back to safety by the end of the minute. Just a few more metres boys......
My ferry service jeep also made it to the head of the valley unscathed. I'm now unsure whether I will ferry the AT team in the buildings up to the northern forest or not. Still no sign of any armour, so I might just leave them in place for the time being. Two things I love about this game - the beauty of the graphics and vistas, and the attention to detail (notice my little AT man running back to the farm (white circle).
Other than the above, my other north forest jeep made it to its destination. My south forest halftrack made it to the edge of the map and turned to enter the forest again. The other halftrack in the southern forest unloaded its men, ready for both to press on into the unknown.......
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Orders:
Halftrack in southern forest - finish reversing out of the forest, then advance up the track and dogleg around to the left and around the back of the, no doubt, frightened Italians.
One jeep in southern forest to head down forest track towards farm.
Halftrack that has just entered southern forest - stop and dismount rifle squad. Will probably send both into the forest next turn.....
Two jeeps in northern forest - as previous orders.
AT team at north bridge - sprint back to farm!
Two MMG teams and mortar team - deploy :facepalm:
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Turn 2
Woooohooo! Things are heating up already!
My halftrack in the southern woods came up against a whole bunch of BD's Italians! I counted four groups of men, two HQs and two squads! I also counted at least five casualties for BD, probably more, as I was spraying lead around like it was going out of fashion. BD, for his part, replied by lobbing a couple of grenades and the odd spurt of small arms fire, but the only casualty for me was a slightly wounded gunner. My boys did decide that things were getting a bit too hot in amongst the trees and decided to withdraw, while laying down heavy supression, to a safer distance.
Also in the southern forest, spotted by my MMG team in the farmhouse, another rifle squad popped up right at the periphery and decided to take up an overwatch position over the valley (white circle in overview). It's at this stage that I realised that I forgot to deploy my two MMG teams, and my mortar team! Doh! I'm sure I did deploy them during setup, but then I think I must have sent them to a halftrack to get some goodies, then returned them to their positions and forgot to redeploy again! The mortar team isn't so bad, but the MMG teams take for ever to deploy!
My halftrack heading to the southern forest, with a rifle squad on board, spotted more Italians, just as it was about to enter the southern forest. The Italians were hot footing it to the northern bridge and looked in quite a rush (red circle in overview)!
I also spotted an Italian mortar team steaming up the hill towards the northern forest. I forgot to get a screenie of these guys, but I've circled them in yellow in the overview shot below. If they get in a good position and can direct fire onto one of my positions I might regret it. I'll have to deal with them sooner, rather than later.
Lastly, the rifle squad in the northern forest popped in and out of view for the whole turn. Towards the end of the minute there was the odd pop of rifle fire heading down towards my AT team hiding by the northern bridge. Coupled by the fact that that other rifle team is closing in on their position fast, I think it might be wise for them to get their arses out of there ASAP!
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Orders:
My halftrack in the south forest is to open up on the Italian rifle squad.
My rifle squad at the north bridge got safely back to the farm in their halftrack. It's off to the south forest for them!
My other rifle squad, in the halftrack on the saouth bridge, are to head for the buildings across the other side of the bridge. They'll most likely be heading to the north forest next turn.....
AT team near the south bridge to take cover in nearby building, until a life comes by.
One jeep in the north forest to head up the forest track, towards BD's Italians.
The other jeep is to head to the edge of the northern forest, to eventually pick up the AT team in the valley below.
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Turn 1
Most of the turn was absolutely silent, then, right at the end of the minute, I spotted some Italian infantry creeping forwards in both the north and south forests! Looks like BD's setup area was pretty broad, and not the very northwards point as I thought it would be!
In the south forest my halftrack almost ran into what must be an Italian infantry squad! Let's hope they don't have any rifle grenades, only one SMG man spotted so far!
In the north forest, my AT team hiding out at the north bridge spotted another Italian rifle squad hunting forwards. This time I spotted two rifles, but there is sure to me more up there! I can only guess my AT team's hiding spot (circled) has been compromised!
The state of play at the minutes end.....
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I'm hoping that someone else will spot BD's advance to the bridge, then when his armour appears I'll unhide and open up. That's the plan anyway!
But things might be compromised already......
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Here are things drawn out a little clearer, with orders and intended orders plotted.
And the big picture once again:
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North barn
One recon team will jump in the nearest jeep and head north up the forest track to find a position to look down at the northern end of the valley.
The other recon team will jump in the other jeep and head down to the southern bridge, to pick up the AT team and ferry them to a more useful position.
South barn
1st Platoon HQ will drive their halftrack northwards, then through the forest (hopefully) and wait to get a flanking position to catch BD unawares. I can already envisage coming up behind BDs men and mowing them down while they concentrate on the farm.
The two recon teams will each jump into a jeep and head into the forest, but nearer to the forest track.
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Setup
North bridge (the one closest to BigDork)
I've split a two man AT team off from the pack, given them a tube and four rounds and told them to hide down the side of the bridge.
The rest of the squad are loaded onto the halftrack and will be pegging it back to the farm.
I've positioned the bunkers in the most exposed positions I can. If BD plans to use them then he'll get minimal benefit from them.
My hope is that BD sees my withdrawal and thinks I have abandoned the bridge. I'm hoping that I get to inflict some damage, real and psychological to Bd and his Axis hardware....... :hide:
South bridge
Again, I've split off a two man AT team and loaded them up with gear, and have ordered them to cross over the bridge and hide.
The rest of the squad are in the halftrack and will also cross the bridge and wait in cover, to be a rapid reaction force. Either to head to the farm if needed, or to head to either forest.
Bunkers are positioned well on either side of the bridge, to provide a last ditch defensive position for the bridge.
The farm
Everyone has stocked up on ammo from one of the halftracks.
There is a MG team in both buildings, with a fire arc to just up to the near edge of the northern bridge. I'm happy to let BD take the bridge, but don't want to reveal my positions at the farm too soon.
Mortar team is hiding in a bunker in front of the left building. They can directly target both ends of the northern bridge, if needs be.
FO team are looking out of the right building, ready to call in some 81mm hurt......
My two AT guns are positioned (I hope) to maximise the cover from the two buildings. The AT gun on the left if definitely shielded by the adjacent building and can target up to the north bridge. The AT gun on the right is slightly exposed to the valley to its left, but BD will have to progress quite far up it to see down into the farm. This AT gun can also target to the north bridge, so between them they should have all angles covered and provide a good AT kill zone.
My halftracks are positioned (I hope) to provide some much needed small arms supression to the north. The halftrack on the left is the most exposed, and so is the one I have bled most for ammo for the farm occupants. Two other halftracks are at the rear of the farm. The last halftrack is wedged down the side of the right hand building, protected by the building to its left and with a great field of fire on the northern bridge.
The jeep is positioned to provide a quick getaway for my FO team, or my HQ support team, which is equiped with bazooka and 4 rounds.
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BD - as soon I read 'two reasons' I remembered that BN was one of your entry points.ining
I never had any intention of going for your barns, so I'm glad you misread my thoughts. I did plan on getting my mortar team up on the top of the hill, but we all know what happened there.....
Indeed, I think the STuG / Sherman matchup was the defining factor in this game. Once I started to dominate then it was plain sailing.
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@womble Indeed, my one foray into the woods with my Sherman's didn't turn out very well! I realised it was a mistake going in without infantry support, my confidence was sky high and I felt invincible, but even with my broken troops, I don't think it would have made a difference.
Finesse has never been my strong point!
When my Sherman's turned up, especially the second lot, I had a very vivid mental picture of bullying my way down the valley. Thankfully that visualisation proved effective!Thanks once agin for all your help and input!
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I've spent a couple of hours before starting work this morning reading through the whole of my AAR again, re-absorbing the advice and suggestions made by everyone involved and trying to ram them home so they stay fresh in my mind. I'm back on the defensive next game, as BD tries to retake the valley. I'm going to take my time on the setup for Avanti, I think it is the most important phase of each battle and goes a long way to determining how the rest of the game plays out.
A huge thanks to everyone who contributed to this AAR and my CM education. I'm more than glad I reposted it from our quiet little corner of the web over at WPC. I hope you find round two as interesting and more than hope you continue to chip in with your invaluable 5c worth as you see fit.
Cheers once again!
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Womble, I checked the final save and reviewed the end screen and briefing screen and both indicate that points are awarded for victory locations only. I'd previously noted the VP allocation and knew the barns weren't worth much, hence my decision to concentrate on the three valley locations.
Reading through BDs AAR, it seems to me that he might have placed too much importance on holding the barns, especially when it must have been obvious that I was holed up in the valley and wasn't going anywhere near them anytime soon. Just look at how many men he has around the northern barn at endgame!
I've obviously only got my experience of the scenario to go on, but it would seem that ian.leslie had a much worse time of it than me, getting creamed by his opponent in his play through.
It will be interesting to see what forces we each get in Avanti and whether BD can make any sort of impression on my defences.
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Thanks womble! I read the manual about the Semoventes and have noted down their strengths and weaknesses. If BD starts with R35s I'm going to have to be careful again until my SPGs turn up. I guess a lot depends on how well I use my AT guns.
It looks like it will be best to limber up the AT guns and get them out of the farmyard, unless I can find some decent hiding spots there. Shame the setup zones are so limited, I didn't really want to start things off having to haul hardware around the map.
Good to hear that the AP rounds are effective against infantry, I was worried that they'd on,y be effective against BDs armour.
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It doesn't look like I can move the barbed wire at all. The units and equipment stationed at both barns look like they are not in a setup zone as such and can only be given orders for the first turns actions.
Thanks for the tips about AT guns, this will be the first time that I have used them in anger!
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Any brainwaves folks? I'll probably set this up on my days off (48 hours or so from now)
Avanti! BigDork vs Penry Reverse - ALLIED DEFENCE
in Combat Mission Fortress Italy
Posted
Turn 6
A pretty quiet turn, although I may just have inflicted some kills on BD and his men, but I also lost another man from my northern recon team. Just as they were switching from moving forward to hunting forward they came under some small arms fire, dropping one of my men and causing the other two to turn and run for it. I think that I've advanced enough down this flank now, and will take up a defensive position and let BD come to me. I'm not sure how much use two men will be, as BD has a few men up here, but they will at least act as an early warning when BD decides to move forward.
He's certainly decided to load this flank. I watched a whole squad of men run up the hill from the back of the map. They almost reached the top of the hill by the end of the minute (white circle in overview), but not before one of my halftracks in the farmyard squirted them with lead. Unfortunately it all fell short and BD escaped unharmed. His men are sure to need some rest at the top of the hill. I might just send him a welcome present.....
In the southern forest, my halftrack heroes had a quiet minute, at least offensively they did. They took a bit of small arms fire from BD, including some sort of MG fire, but no casualties were sustained and no visible ones given out. I have marked the location of the incoming MG fire on the overview with an orange circle.
My other halftrack crept forward and, right at the end of the minute, spotted an Italian with a mean looking machine gun (red circle below). A bit of research indicated that it is a Breda M30 LMG ( I didn't get to see much of BDs hardware last game, everything was blown up from a long way away!). Why is all the Italian equipment so messed up? I'd hate to think what goes on under the bonnet of all these Ferraris and Masseratis!
Needless to say, he's enemy number one next turn!
Other than the above it was a game of mortars. BD fired off two, with a third incoming at turn's end. the first landed midway between my jeep and the southern barn, the second landed near the foxholes on my side of the north bridge. Does BD think I have men in these foxholes? Does BD have two lots of mortars at the entrance to the northern forest?
My mortar team zerod in on where I suspect BDs men are resting up. The first round was a touch long, the second round landed right in the middle of the trees, the last round landed just by the bridge wall, on the tree side. If there is anyone there then I'm sure that I must have caused some damage!