Penry
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Posts posted by Penry
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And here we are again! I achieved a late victory in the last game, when it could easily have gone the other way numerous times. It was a real roller coaster of a ride and there were a number of times when I really felt like throwing in the towel. It will be interesting to see how BigDork handles the counter attack and whether my men can pull off another victory.
So, let's get the ball rolling!
Briefing
Interesting that there is no mention of any Germans on BD's side, not even as reinforcements! This is putting me in an optimisitic mood before we have even kicked the action off! I've yet to meet these Semovente tank destroyers that are mentioned, but I've just had a look at them in the manual and I'm hoping that they are the 47 mm variety rather than the 90mm monsters! They both sound typically quirky pieces of Italian hardware, so they should be interesting either way!
By the looks of things BD will be counter attacking from the north east. I don't have as many reinforcements this time, the SPG halftracks at around midway through the battle by the looks of things. I also don't have quite as much indirect assets as last time - some 60mm tubes on the map and a 81mm section from offmap.
I think I'll concentrate on holding the valley objectives again, as I'd have to spread myself really thin to hold all five of them, as you'll see in the next post.
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Great write up BD!
I've been itching for the game to finish for ages, so I can read your version of events. Thankfully my memory isn't as shot as I thought it was and all those memories, good and bad, came flooding back!
Looking forward to the reverse of this pig of a map. Prepare to feel the pain!
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Turn 61
First minute of overtime - nothing to report.....
Turn 62
Second minute of overtime - nothing to report, except......
VICTORY!
And the final positions.....
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Turn 60
And there was me thinking BD had all but thrown the towel in, but he is still trying to cripple my Sherman in the northern woods. First my Sherman spotted a German with, I presume, a rifle mounted grenade. It wasn't long before he was mown down with my Shermans machine gun.
Then I spotted at least one, probably more, Italians towards the northern barn. A main round from the Sherman was followed up by more machine gun fire, resulting in one visible kill, possibly more hidden ones.
Everywhere else was quiet, and with the clock ticking into overtime, I ordered my boys to dig in and hold tight.
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ComradeP - I see your point, but I did make sure that I had a fire arc over the STuGs. I've no explanation for the success of my assault and was as shocked to see such a comprehensive vistory as you!
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Turn 59
BDs men visible in the southern forest were soon blow to pulp, with my hunting Sherman going well over board, firing numerous main rounds into their position. I meant to ask them to target light, so it was my fault, but poor BD must be cursing my heavy handedness!
Right at the end of the turn my immobilised Sherman, in the northern forest, received a penetrating hit in its side hull armour. No idea where the round came from, but if I'm not careful I might lose it before the game ends......
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Turn 58
Little of note, except BDs men in the northern forest look to have slipped away into the smoke laid down by my injured Sherman.
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Turn 57
Towards the end of last turn my stricken Sherman popped a few smoke grenades as the sudden downturn in their fortunes caused them to panic. This behaviour continued again at the beginning of this turn, but at least they were still able to fight back, when the opportunity presented itself. I wonder if BDs men are similarly rooted to the spot and are unable to capitalise on the situation or flee to safety......
Another couple of infantry contacts presented themsleves, so I will spend the next turn trying to liquidise them, without putting my Shermans in danger!
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Turn 56
Sloppy, sloppy, sloppy!
That's what you get for being to relaxed and casual when you think you've got everything sewn up!
I sent my left flank Sherman into the northern forest, by way of the forest road, and didn't check to see if it was buttoned up. I managed to take out a few of BDs defenders, but it wasn't long before my tank commander was on the wrong end of the bullets!
To make matters worse BDs men threw a ton of grenades at my Sherman and managed to immobilise it. I won't be making that mistake again! I was too confident and thought that I wouldn't need any infantry support. Thought I'd bag myslef some more kills, even if I didn't take the barn objective. WRONG!!!
Other than my stupid eagerness to inflict more pain on BD there was very little of note.
Orders:
Withdraw the two other Shermans at the other end of the northern forest and stick to consolidating the valley bottom and the three associated objectives. I have neither the time, nor the men in suitable condition to make a last gasp assault on either forest barn.
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I'm really looking forward to reading BDs side of events, and really hope he gets the time to continue and finish his AAR. I appreciate that his RL circumstances have changed somewhat recently and I'm glad he still has the time to at least return the save.
I'm particularly interested in seeing where his setup zones were. I can't help feeling he set up too deep in the forests and should have been hurting me badly from the very first seconds.
Most of all I'm looking forward to part two, to see how well I can defend the valley from his counter attack......
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poesel - Thanks for the feedback regarding my AAR. It's been a roller coaster of a ride, which has pulled all sorts of emotions from me, but I love playing this game and love writing AARs.
As for game balance, it's a hard one. Looking back over this AAR there have been times when I've been close to throwing in the towel and then times when I've thought that I might just pull a victory out the bag.
I got off to a bad start and it wasn't until the fifteenth minute, with the arrival of my tank destroyers, that I thought I might be able to make any sort of impression in the valley. BDs R35s and defensive setup were causing me all sorts of problems and I had no ideas about how to make any headway.
For the next ten minutes I got the impression that I was slowly working my way back into the game. My tank destroyers were giving BD something to think about and he was no longer dictating events quite so much. I was also laying some serious hurt on his farmyard with my prolonged artillery strikes.
Then, around twenty five minutes in, BDs STuGs showed up and BD once again took the initiative and my optimism and maneuvers ground to a halt. I had no counter for these brutes and I got the impression that BD could do pretty much what he wanted.
Thankfully I 'only' had five minutes to wait things out before my first lot of Shermans turned up. I think I got a good slice of luck with how things turned out and things could quite easily have gone badly for me in these match ups. The Shermans are good, but also very vulnerable if they take any sort of penetrating hit.
Minute 37 was a huge one for me. My sniper hero really turned the game for me psychologically and I began to think that I really could get a good result out of this encounter. I was finally able to visualise pushing on down the valley and rolling over BDs defenses.
When my second platoon of Shermans turned up with fifteen minutes to go, on the southern side of the river, I knew that I had BD over a barrel. I now had Shermans on both sides of the river and I was sure that I could get a lot of value from that turn on. I decided to turn the aggression full up and really throw everything at BD, which I get the impression broke his resistance both in game and in real life.
I'm not sure that I would have done so well if the second lot of Shermans had arrived on the north side of the river, or if I hadn't thrown caution to the wind and gone all out.
I also think that the outcome could have been much worse for me if BD had been much more aggressive in the first quarter of the encounter. If he had been able to get more guns on me while I was bottled up in and around my buildings then he could have massacred my men.
Of course these things are all very well in hindsight. That's the beauty of this game IMO, or one of them at least. Knowledge is power and having a good feeling for the situation both at the present and near future are vital. If BD had known that I had no answer to his R35s, or STuGs then he could have made mince meat out of me!
My last thought on 'balance' is that, to be honest, it doesn't really concern me that much. I'm not a fan of balanced encounters just for the sake of balance per se. I think as long as there is enjoyment to be had then I couldn't care less is I win, lose or draw. It's all about the journey for me, however rough it is!
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Turn 55
Looks like BD has all but thrown the towel in. No resistance to my Shermans driving around and mopping up the remnants of his defence.
Here's how things looked at the end of the minute:
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Turn 54
Not a huge amount to report, except my Shermans went about their business of sweeping up what remains of BDs defences.
My Sherman on the north side of the far bridge mopped up the AT gun crew that were nearby.
My Sherman at the far end of the northern forest liquidised one cowering tank crew.
Otherwise the turn was unremarkable, with the first two VLs well secured and my infantry taking their time moving up the the last central VL.
Orders: Above two mentioned Shermans to sweep around the eastern end of the map, clearing out any of BDs stragglers.
Continue to move towards securing the far bridge.
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Turn 53
Everything is going to plan. It must only be a matter of time before BD waves the white flag!
My two forward Shermans made short work of the bridge defenders that decided to hand around and fight for the last bit of land. The result was never in doubt though and it wasn't long before they had well and truly secured the location.
My left flank Sherman pushed all the way up, so it won't be long before he clears that area of the battlefield.
Two more Shermans secured the road leading from the famryard to the far bridge, so the coast is clear now for my infantry to push up to the farthest victory location.
Orders:
Infantry push on and secure the far bridge.
All other infantry to dig in.
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Orders:
A general moving up of the valley of my Shermans, followed by a handful of infantrymen to secure the far bridge. All units to fire at will.
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Turn 52
Perfect! Scratch two tanks and at least three men!
First to go was the STuG, which must have been immobilised by my first shot, as it didn't budge an inch before another penetrating round hit its right hull superstructure, spelling the end of its involvement. One crew member bailed out and ran back up the hill and into the woods.....
Then the R35 suffered a similar fate. A single round penetrating its upper front hull, knocking it out and forcing the commander out and running for his life.
I also got one confirmed kill each to the STuG tank crew by the edge of the northern forest, the mortar crew in the southern forest and some Italian infantrymen running back across the far bridge.
All my other orders went according to plan. I now have two Shermans with a good height advantage on the northern slope and one Sherman with good height advantage, and a line of sight down the far bridge, on the southern slope. My southern Sherman is backed up by another Sherman and a halftrack, so the far brdieg should be cleared for taking this coming turn, or at worst the turn after.
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Orders:
Left flank Sherman (yellow) - fire of R35
Three Shermans around farmyard (orange) - fire on STuG
Assorted units around farmyard (red) - fire on tank crew.
Rear Sherman (purple) - move up to top of the hill.
Two Shermans around farmyard (light and mid blue) - advance towards far bridge
Halftrack by near bridge (dark blue) - advance towards far bridge
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Turn 51
A quietish turn, but one that went 100% according to plan, so I'm pleased with what happened.
Towards the end of last turn I noticed that there was the odd unexplained round landing near the farmyard, but I had no idea where they were coming from. Right at the end of the turn another incoming round was frozen in mid air, as it descended on the victory location. This turn I managed to catch a glimpse through the trees of the southern forest at my assailant - an Italian mortar team firing slowly into my new acquisition (grey circle)! My left flank Sherman fired a main round at the position, along with some small arms fire from the farmyard, and even though I didn't manage to confirm any kills I did do enough to cause them to pack up and run back into the depths of the wood.
I also caught a glimpse of an anti tank team running back across the far bridge (pink circle). No sign of the antitank gun, just two men running for their lives, so hopefully they are the ones who were manning the AT gun I spotted a couple of turns ago at the front of this bridge!
I then achieved a line of sight on BDs little R35 at the rear of the southern forest (black circle). My left flank Sherman fired a main round at it, but it fell just short and impacted in the dirt immediately in front of the little tank. This was followed up with some MG fire, which impacted into the its gun, which was enough to cause the R35 commander to button up and throw his tank into reverse. Hopefully I'll get a telling shot at it before it disappears.
Lastly, and as expected, BDs STuG (white circle) in the northern forest came into view at the head of the forest road, slammed on its breaks and started to turn to face the farmyard. It didn't get far in its turn before one of my Shermans slammed a main round into its right hull superstructure, achieving a penetration and possibly halting its turn, although it is hard to tell as the turn ended right after the penetration. Still, I have three Shermans with a line of fire on it, so it will only be a matter of seconds before I hopefully finish it off!
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Turn 50
Mop up time in the farmyard. Otherwise not much to report, except that I have eyes very firmly focused on where BDs armour is moving, both in the northern forest, and the return of the wounded little Italian tank at the rear of the southern forest. Hopefully in the next minute or two I will have dealt with both! Then the way will be clear to advance on the second bridge!
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Orders:
Front three Shermans (the blues) - push on the the far side of the farmyard, clearing the farmyard zone then focusing on the far bridge zone.
Rear two Shermans (the greens) - move up the the rear of the farmyard zone.
Left flank Sherman (white) - move up the left flank, to provide and elevated LOF over the valley.
Farmyard defenders (yellow) - advance to farmyard foxholes.
Farmyard MG team (orange) - advance to foxhole and set up overlooking southern forest.
South forest team (black) - return to farmyard foxholes.
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Turn 49
Onwards men, onwards!
My three spearhead Shermans rolled forward, spreading death before them, to all those who caught their attention. BDs defenders didn't stand a chance and I counted at least a dozen of his men bite the dust!
My infantry advanced over the bridge and a majority of them made it safely to the nearby woods. A few found the intensity of the situation too much and retreated, even though I didn't sustain a single casualty this turn! I guess their previous experiences have just been too much for them. Hopefully they will rally and I'll be able to get them back to the farmyard once I have fully secured it.
Apart from spraying the farmyard with torrents of lead, my Shermans also took pot shots at the defenders of the far bridge, who keep popping into view now and again. These defenders are pretty brittle too and some of them turned and ran, rather than thn face their inevitable deaths. I also noticed an old Italian anti tank gun, but even though it looks in one piece, it doesn't look manned, so hopefully won't pose any problems for the next stage of my end game assault.
Elsewhere my manoeuvers went to plan, with my various infantrymen all reaching their targets. I know have the first bridge manned, the farmyard ready to be captured and men in reserve to relieve either of these victory locations, ready for the push on the far bridge. With eleven minutes to go it is looking quite achieveable.
I have a Sherman and a SPG focused on the entrance to the north forest, should BDs STuG come back there. I have men lined up to defend my right flank from the southern forest and a MG team overlooking both the farmyard and the far bridge, to provide extra suppression for the big push.
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Jaws - stop messing with my head! The game does that well enough by itself!
The only thing I can think of that can be a threat to me now is some hidden armour (I would have thought BD would have brought it into play by now though), some hidden AT guns (see below) or some arty of his own (which I'll have to be careful of)
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Awesome info, thanks womble!
I'll have to look into those other scenarios some time soon Jaws. After all this one only has another 12 mins to go......
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Orders:
With twelve minutes to go and the farmyard just suffering another major pounding, it is make or break time and I've decided to risk all and make and advance on the farmyard.
Infantry:
Remnants of various infantry teams (yellow circles) will run to my side of the near bridge, to secure that objective and allow forward infantry elements to advance on the farmyard.
Forward infantry remnants (red circle) will cross bridge and move to front of forest on other side of the river.
Infantry remnants on other side of river (orange circle) will adance towards farmyard (except MG team setting up and fornt edge of forest)
MG team on left flank (white circle) to set up and provide covering fore into farmyard, in case there are any lurking survivors.
Armour:
Rear Sherman (black line) to take a position on left flank and overwatch into farmyard.
Half track near near bridge (pink circle) to try to squeeze past buring wreck on bridge and cross bridge.
Three Shermans on othe side of river (light/med/dark blue arrows) to advance on farmyard.
Other two Shermans on other side of river to hold position and provide covering fire into farmyard.
Let's hope there are no Schreck super heroes lurking in the farmyard......
Avanti! BigDork vs Penry Reverse - ALLIED DEFENCE
in Combat Mission Fortress Italy
Posted
The map
You'll no doubt be familiar with the map, if you followed our previous battle, so I won't post a load of screenies of the terrain again. There are three seperate setup zones (the two bridges and the farm), all in the bottom of the valley. The troops and equipment around either barn are not in setup zones as such and are unable to be moved until the game kicks off for real.
Starting troops
At the farm - 41 men
A Company
Company HQ - Binoculars and radio - 3 men - Regular training - above average commander
1st halftrack (M2) - Bazooka & 4 rounds and a radio - 2 men - Regular training - above average commander
L/50 M1 57mm Antitank gun - Binoculars - 4 men - Regular training - above average commander - armour piercing rounds only!
Forward Observer Section
FO Section HQ - Binoculars and radio - 3 men - Regular training - well below average commander
1st Jeep - Radio - 1 man - Regular training - below average commander
2nd Armoured Infantry Platoon
Platoon HQ - Binoculars - 3 men - Regular training - above average commander
HQ support team - None - 4 men - Regular training - above average commander
M1919A4 MMG team - Binoculars - 3 men - Regular training - above average commander
M1919A4 MMG team - Binoculars - 3 men - Regular training - above average commander
L/50 M1 57mm Antitank gun - Binoculars - 4 men - Regular training - above average commander - armour piercing rounds only!
M2 60mm Light mortar team - Binoculars - 5 men - Regular training - above average commander
1st halftrack (M2) - Bazooka & 4 rounds and a radio - 2 men - Regular training - above average commander
4th halftrack (M3 2xMG) - Bazooka & 4 rounds and a radio - 2 men - Regular training - above average commander
5th halftrack (M3 2xMG) - Bazooka & 4 rounds and a radio - 2 men - Regular training - above average commander
3 bunkers
2 two story houses
North bridge - 11 men
2nd Rifle Squad
Rifle squad - Binoculars - 9 men - Regular training - above average commander
3rd halftrack (M3 2xMG) - Bazooka & 4 rounds and a radio - 2 men - Regular training - above average commander
2 bunkers
South bridge - 11 men
1st Rifle Squad
Rifle squad - Binoculars - 9 men - Regular training - above average commander
2nd halftrack (M3 2xMG) - Bazooka & 4 rounds and a radio - 2 men - Regular training - above average commander
2 bunkers
At the south barn - 12 men
1st Recon Platoon
Recon Platoon HQ - Binoculars and radio - 3 men - Regular training - above average commander
1st halftrack (M2) - Bazooka & 4 rounds and a radio - 1 man - Regular training - above average commander
Recon section HQ - Binoculars - 4 men - Regular training - above average commander
1st Recon team - None - 4 men - Regular training - above average commander
1st Jeep - Radio - dismounted
2nd Jeep - Radio - dismounted
1 bunker
2 lots of barbed wire
1 single story building
At the north barn - 8 men
1st Recon Platoon
Recon section HQ - Binoculars - 4 men - Regular training - above average commander
1st Recon team - None - 4 men - Regular training - above average commander
1st Jeep - Radio - dismounted
2nd Jeep - Radio - dismounted
2 bunkers
2 lots of barbed wire
1 single story building
Off map
1 section of M1 81mm medium mortars - 2 tubes