ChappyCanuck

I love the historical touches, Koh. And I am sure Mitch Sterlin would be honoured - you have his castle on the map and he is included in our game. Thanks for the effort Koh! Pro Patria

Canadians (and maybe other nationalities) used to call the Shermans, "Ronsons" after the popular cigarette lighter of the time, because it caught fire so easily.

I need them.....like 5 minutes ago!

2nd Battle of Dommelin Minutes 17-15 As Sgt Houston's Firefly rolled precariously forward towards the enemy forces, he noticed a panzershreck team running towards him from the buildings of Valkenswaard. The turret traversed, and the tank's MGs forced the AT team to the road, bullets striking all around them. Then the main gun roared and Houston noticed the death of one of the team members. Take that! Above: a panzerschreck team gets shredded Houston, and the other Sherman commanded by Nolan, continued to race forward towards the main road coming out of Valkenswaard. They split up, knowing the 20mm flak truck had just disappeared by reversing back behind some of the outbuildings. Houston was the first to see it. He engaged it with MGs and noticed one of the 20mm AA crew fall off the truck. Once again it tried to escape by reversing, but this time the powerful Firefly shell blew it to pieces. But Houston glanced to the right and noticed a new, and far worse, impending threat. On the main road in Valkenswaard, he spotted two Pak40s and their crews wheeling their deadly guns up the road. He saw that one was still limbered, the other was ready to go. Fortunately his gunner also noticed this threat quickly and fired a hasty first round...but it hit a tree and exploded harmlessly. The next minute would be tense....would he be able to eliminate those guns in time? Above: Houston's gunner fires a first round towards the two Pak40's, but it strikes a tree...the Pak40 on the left is ready to go, the one on the right is still limbered On the far left, another 20mm Flak truck was advancing with a Jadgpanther and the leading para elements. It's rapid firing gun shredded a universal carrier parked to the rear of Capt Chappy's location. An angry cheer was then emitted from the soldiers around Chappy, as the second 20mm Flak truck went up in flames from a tank round. One of Kuderian's tanks had taken it forever out of action. Two AA trucks gone in one minute...just in time.....where is that Typhoon? Both friendly and enemy artillery was raining down. The Germans were targeting Deelshurk and inflicted some casualties, while the remainder of the 25lber artillery was dropping on the leading elements of the German advance. And mysteriously, the panzers were pulling back. What are they doing? Reacting to Houston's flanking? Crossing back across the river and attacking in the center? Above: friendly and enemy fire missions...note the friendly smokescreens that were fired in the midst of the Germans minutes ago to screen Houston's Firefly on the far right

Yes we shall wait and see if you can get that sorted out, Greg. Good luck!

Greg, you said it best: "For the rest, I have admiration for all of you guys contributing to the making of that fantastic Campaign. It really brings CM to a level i had not even dreamed off." For me, this is best this game can get. I am just amazed that more CM players do not get involved with campaigns. So when are you back? Because Koh will not have the game ready to go yet

Our esteemed Canadian novelist, Farley Mowat, was both a rifle platoon commander and the Intelligence Officer for the Hasty P's in Italy...I would highly recommend his book, "The Regiment": it is shocking and horrifying

@Stonecutter @IanL @snake_eye @Kuderian Gentlemen, orders! (refer to map below for place names/locations) Time now: 1200 hrs SITUATION: En - The Germans paid dearly for their defence of San Leonardo. Although they put up a skilled defence, they were crushed in the end, and their scattered remnants have retreated towards Casa Berardi. At San Donato, a smaller German force was likewise eliminated, and our flank secured. We have identified our opponents as the 65th Grenadiers and 190 PG Regt/90th PG Division. Intelligence has indicated that a counter-attack can be expected shortly towards San Leonardo, consisting of panzers and panzer grenadiers. Additionally, the enemy has been seen setting up ATGs in and around Cider Crossroads. Fr - RCR Battlegroup has successfully captured San Leonardo, but not without loss. A and B Coys sustained moderate casualties, and B Coy commander was killed. B Coy has been folded into D Coy to bolster its strength. A Coy is resting/replenishing in San Leonardo and will become the battlegroup reserve. D Coy is holding the line forward of San Leonardo. C Coy is preparing to move through D Coy and continue the advance towards Ortona. Cbt Team Stonecutter remains mobile and ready to advance alongside C Coy. At San Donato, A Coy of the Hasting & Prince Edward Regt (Hasty P’s) and a troop of tanks destroyed the German paras there, and San Donato has been captured. The Hasty P’s, our brigade friends, may provide us with support during this operation. Ground - the area between San Leonardo and Cider Crossroads is largely open with sparse trees and vineyards, and occasionally broken up by a farm or small village. The ground is undulating, providing dead ground to hide. However, there are large flat areas. The ground is muddy and wet - we had many tanks and other vehicles immobilized during the assault on San Leonardo. Vehicles should operate on roads whenever practical. A daunting terrain feature is “The Gully” located between Cider Crossroads and San Donato. Beware. MISSION: RCR Battlegroup will advance to, and capture, Casa Berardi in preparation for an assault on Cider Crossroads. EXECUTION: This operation will be conducted in 2 phases: Phase 1 - defend against imminent German counterattack towards San Leonardo; and Phase 2 - advance to Casa Berardi and capture it A Coy (Kuderian): Ph 1 - rest, replenish, feed in San Leonardo; Ph 2 - battlegroup reserve; follow along at a tactical bound behind C Coy Atts/Dets: nil C Coy (IanL): Ph 1 - rest, replenish, feed in San Leonardo; move towards D Coy and pass through them on Ph 2; Ph 2 - spearhead the advance to Casa Berardi, commencing at 1300 hrs, and capture it; Atts/Dets: for Ph 2 only, under command, all atts from D Coy (see below), Engineer squadron, 1+ bty 25lber, 2 x Kittyhawk missions D Coy (Snake_eye): Ph 1 - defend high ground north of San Leonardo; Ph 2 - prepare to advance to Cider Crossroads; Atts/Dets: for Ph 1, you have under command 1 Tp, A Sqn, 3RR (2 x Shermans), 1 x FOO, Mortar Platoon, AT Platoon (6 x 6lber), ACs/carriers of 4PLDG, 1 x bty 4.2” hvy mortars, 1 x Kittyhawk mission. For Ph 2, all attachments will be detached to C Coy. Cbt Team Stonecutter (Stonecutter): Ph 1 - rest, replenish, feed to SE San Leonardo; Ph 2 - support C Coy assault on Casa Berardi, maintain right flank protection, seize opportunities for pursuit ops Atts/Dets: for all phases, A Sqn, 3RR, elements 4 PLDG with carrier infantry Hasty P Cbt Team (Stonecutter): Ph 1 - move from San Donato area towards Cider Crossroads; Ph 2 - assist RCR Battlegroup with attack on Casa Berardi/Cider Crossroads. Atts/Dets: for all phases, B Coy, Hasty P’s and 2 x Tp, B Sqn, 3RR, 1 x FOO, various arty sp, elements 4 PLDG TIMINGS: 1. 1200 hrs - Time now; D Coy in position to defend 2. 1205-1210 hrs - 4.2” hvy mortars avail for D Coy 3. 1215 hrs - 1 x Kittyhawk mission for D Coy 4. 1300 hrs - C Coy and Cbt Team Stonecutter begin advance on Casa Berardi 5. 1315 hrs - 1 x Kittyhawk mission for C Coy; Hasty P’s arrive 6. 1330 hrs - 1 x Kittyhawk mission for C Coy 7. 1400 hrs - operation ends, consolidate as per orders COMMUNICATIONS: Phase 1 - Snake_eye (Greg) you are on your own for an entire hour! Let me know what you intend to do Phase 2 - IanL (Ian) and Stonecutter (Frank) will partake in a 2 player multi-battle; coordinate with each other often via email and CC me as well. Ian: A Coy will follow you at a tactical bound behind....they may not appear on map for phase 2 (depending on what our umpire does), but if they do, you can move them along safely behind. Good luck commanders and Pro Patria!

Indeed...not something I would normally try....but I have to try something...the front armour on those things is phenomenal!

2nd Battle of Dommelin Minutes 23-17 Sgt Houston noticed the Jagdpanther reverse quickly, and it was lost to sight as it backed behind some trees...and kept going. Damn! Thought I had him! Houston signalled to the Sherman beside him to advance. They were going to scoot up the far right flank near Valkenswaard and hopefully get a flanking on that panzer..... Captain Chappy was getting constant contact reports and sitreps about the enemy activity. It was clear now that their main advance was coming along the river in the center towards the town: paras, panzers and at least one 20mm flak truck. Three of the four Jagdpanthers had joined the assault; the remaining one was still on the right flank where Houston was stalking it. Chappy looked out the window of the building just as Cpl Newton's Sherman (his tank killed the ATG earlier) was destroyed by one of the approaching panzers. That was a lucky shot....he was hull down in the river bank! Above: Cpl Newton's demise On the far left, Maj Morningwood ordered both troops of tanks to surge forward to the edge of the woods and see if they could flank a panzer, albeit at long range. Lt Kuderian's troop crawled slowly through the trees and then sat...watching...waiting....no giant panzers to be seen. Wham!!! Kuderian's tank took a sudden, surprise hit, knocking it and Kuderian out of action forever. How did they not spot the moving giant first??? Above: Lt Kuderian's demise Although the main German effort was coming along the river, Capt Chappy noticed some paras creeping up near the right center, in front of Deelshurk. A squad of paras were crouched behind a stone wall. With satisfaction, he noticed that they were engaged by a 2" mortar, taking several of them out. But the main assault was now on. The Germans were moving steadily along the river bank. Chappy had ordered a 4 man lay back patrol out front near the Germans; they had inflicted several casualties, but then one of the Jagdpanthers, at close range, killed all four of them with an HE round from its main gun Above: the steady German advance towards Deelshurk....they are getting closer. Here the Jagdpanther eliminates the lay back patrol German artillery began to rain down on Deelshurk. We need some relief...where is the bloody RAF? Chappy noted that Sgt Houston and his Firefly had raced along the far right flank. Partial smokescreens had been created by friendly mortars, and Houston was giving it his all. He had chased off another flak truck, and he was about to try and out flank the one panzer on the far right. Above: Sgt Houston has dashed forward, smoke screening him from the panzer, seen in the upper center of the photo. Will he be able to outflank it? Stay tuned.... After 43 minutes, the battlefield looks like this: You can see the German main effort along the river. Mortars are firing in there now and a 25lber mission is being spotted there. The enemy is taking casualties, but right now those panzers are not stopping for anything...yet.

now that would be interesting.....

I like it! And that damn axis-loving MJ better see the light and join our side for a change

Hey Fred, you will be resting and recuperating with A Coy for the next phase. I have only so much room, and you have fought the most battles of anyone so far. Ian has yet to command, and Greg/Frank have only had one battle. 4 PLDG will be split up as per my upcoming orders. Have a good rest and enjoy the show!

@Stonecutter @IanL @snake_eye @Kuderian Gentlemen! If you consult my original Commander's Intent (pg 5 of this forum for me) you will note that we have completed Phase 1 of 4. Phase 1 stated: For Phase 1, during a preliminary artillery bombardment of the San Leonardo area, A and B Coys, complete with armour and engineer assets, will conduct an advance-to-contact to the Moro River, south of San Leonardo. After the infantry have crossed the fordable river, the engineers will attempt to complete three bridge crossings for the armour and follow on forces. A and B Coys will then seize San Leonardo. While this is transpiring, 4 PLDG will probe San Donato and take out the guns there, if possible. We are currently commencing Phase 2: For Phase 2, C and D Coys will pass through the lead companies and seize Casa Berardi. D Coy (with B Coy folded in) is out front, holding the line in case of a German counter-attack. A Coy is resting in San Leonardo. C Coy is currently moving forward to move through D Coy and advance to Casa Berardi, in conjunction with Combat Team Stonecutter. Orders for Turn 3B/4A to follow......stay tuned

I was thinking that about 30 minutes ago...battle time

2nd Battle of Dommelin Minutes 30-23 Lt Nathan and his crew sat nervously in their immobilised tank. They had been successful and lucky so far, but that panzer was out there somewhere. Three minutes later, Nathan saw the same beast that he had previously peppered with 75mm shells. This time, it's flank was presented. He knew he had to be quick. "Gunner traverse left! Panzer, 900 meters, 11 o'clock!" "No problem, sir! He ain't hard to spot." Once again the gun belched smoke as the round sped on its way. Nathan saw the impact on the road wheels of the panzer...but no kill. Seconds later his gunner fired again but the round deflected off harmlessly. Nathan knew he could kill this thing, maybe on the next shot. He peered again through his binos and.... Capt Chappy saw Nathan's tank engaging the Jagdpanther far out to the front of him. Suddenly, the streak of a large round going from right to left impacted with a large bang on Nathan's tank. Where did that come from???? Chappy immediately noticed two things: firstly, one of the three Jagdpanthers on the right had surprised Nathan and had opened fire on him, and secondly, no one had emerged from Nathan's tank...and it was burning. A horrible fate for his crew. Chappy next noticed the armoured car to his left scramble into some trees that lined a track. It began to fire, the small shells hitting the panzers to the right, in an effort to distract them. As the armoured car sped off, it seemed it would escape the sites of the panzers, when disaster struck. Like Nathan's crew, no one survived the giant, lethal blast of the 88mm shell. The armoured car sat there, burning. On the far left, Lt Kuderian's tank troop (the ones who previously engaged the 20mm Flak truck) noticed some German paras advancing towards the farmstead between Dommelin and themselves. Kuderian was quick to issue fire orders to his troop, and soon they were engaging the paras running across the open field. Kuderian noticed with satisfaction that many paras had fallen, dead or gravely wounded. Others were hunkered down, and others were trying to run away. But his guns kept belching death at the paratroopers... Above: Kuderian's handiwork....I counted 4 crosses during the last minute, but there are definitely more German casualties than that...and more to follow Back at Deelshurk town, Capt Ian glanced through his binoculars. He could see the three Jadgpanthers. They had been alone for several minutes, but now he noticed something new. Some paras were racing ahead in an effort to gain intelligence on his men's positions in the town. "Sniper, take them out." Ian didn't have to wait long....a loud crack sounded to his right, and through his binoculars he noticed the head of the leading para split open. Enough of this sh#t. Sgt Houston, commander of the remaining Sherman Firefly, heard the demise of Lt Nathan over the radio net. Houston's tank, and another beside him, were located on the far right side of the battlefield, hidden behind a farm building and a line of trees. Here they were safe....but they were not contributing. And his friends were dying. Houston ordered his tank and the Sherman to his right to advance slowly forward, past the barn, and snuggle in amongst some trees near the wheatfield. If he could catch a panzer in the flank at this range he would be successful. As they crawled forward, Houston noticed a 20mm Flak Truck on the edge of Valkenswaard. Change of plan. Houston's gunner engaged the flak truck, but the round was high and impacted against the building behind it. As his loader was replacing the fired shell, Houston noticed with horror that a Jagdpanther suddenly appeared to his front...front on. He quickly ordered both tanks to engage...and engage they did. Both Shermans fired simultaneously. The smaller round landed just in front of the panzer, while the larger Firefly round impacted on the tree directly above the panzer. he noticed the crew commander duck inside the panzer, lucky to be alive, yet buying Houston more time....what would happen next?

After inspecting the German dead, and interrogating prisoners, we have learned the following: Our opponents: 65th Grenadier DIvision and 190 PG Rgt of the 90th PG Division, as well as a Panzer Platoon of the 90th PG Division. During the last battle we eliminated the following HQs: 1 x PG Company HQ Unit. 3 x PG or rifle Platoon HQ Units. 2 x AT Platoon HQ's. 1 x MG Pl HQ. 1 x FOO team. 1 x MG Section HQ. 1 x Panzer Pl HQ

Congratulations to the RCR Battle Group for successfully investing San Leonardo! This was an important battle and we were able to seize a key piece of terrain/transportation hub as well as expanding our bridgehead from the Moro River. The German leadership in particular has been dealt a severe blow. Additionally, they have lost 5 x ATGs and 4 x panzers as well. Good stuff! With any operation/battle, there are lessons learned. Stonecutter (Frank) and I assembled this list from what we witnessed during the last battle: 1. Enemy artillery - bunching up and failure to anticipate enemy pre-planned bombardment areas caused us to suffer many casualties from two companies. We have to be more vigilant of areas like important crossroads, small villages, etc, (especially at the beginning of a battle) where the enemy may target for indirect fire. In the initial minutes, we lost a company commander and suffered lots of infantry casualties at a major crossroads leading from the Moro River. Moreover, bunching up was a problem. We are moving on very large maps in this campaign - there is no reason why we cannot spread out and minimize losses to indirect fire. 2 Armoured Cars are not Tanks - we lost a significant portion of our armoured cars to enemy tanks and ATGs early on. Some losses to these vehicles are expected in their scouting role, but they shouldn't be expected to slug it out with the aforementioned - for they will lose. We could have used these vehicles to suppress/destroy the HMGs that were firing long range to harass our advance. More importantly, they are the perfect vehicles for pursuit operations, and during this critical time of the battle we had none. 3. 6 lber Superiority - ATGs - confirmed that the six pounder is a great ATG. Mobile, accurate, lethal and quick to set up. Moving it forward in bounds is a good method of getting the most out of them. 4. Targeting Paks with Arty - A point light/harass target method is preferred and more productive when engaging enemy ATGs. Area fire against a single ATG is both wasteful and inefficient. The use of multiple missions with multiple observers provides a means of essentially taking enemy ATGs out of the game - Odin indicated that his Pak40s were suppressed for ~15 minutes from the incessant shelling so even if they were not knocked out they were unable to influence the battle once under continuous fire. 5. FOOs - FOOs - the loss of the B Coy FOO could have had a much greater impact if only heavy arty was available. More care needs to be taken to preserve FOOs so they can do their job later as they are better observers and can bring fire to bear more accurately and quickly. Also, FOOs should not be "hidden" when conducting a fire mission. 6. Onboard Mortars - the onboard 81mm mortars were fantastic and are quick to respond to any observer. These mortars should always be grouped with the Mortar HQ from the start, and seek an appropriate protected spot to provide fire support. This did not happen for us until later in the battle. Also, every vehicle should be stripped of all mortar ammo or co-located to maximize the number of rounds available. We were still recovering 81mm mortar ammo at battle's end - this is not ideal. For the 2" mortars, a similar approach should be used to strip the ammo and mortars from carriers as soon as possible. While it doesn't have much firepower, the 2" is ideal for providing smoke since it does so precisely and in a single turn. 7. Aggression in the Pursuit - most CM players are cautious, and rightly so. But there are moments in a battle, such as this one, when the enemy has decided to withdraw/retreat. It is at this point when caution must be thrown to the wind and maximum aggression becomes the rule. Once we did this towards the end of the battle, we eliminated many enemy HQs and sub-units that would have otherwise escaped. Especially with pre-panzerschreck German infantry, this is a sound tactic. Many thanks to Stonecutter for not only doing an AAR, but doing a very interesting and informative one! Again, well done commanders.....and now we must wait, re-supply, and attend to our casualties. Pro Patria!

Well writen AAR, Odin! As the overall commander for this battle, I can say you gave me and my subordinate commanders some scary moments - notably the initial counter-attack towards Fraser Bridge and the impressive shooting of your Paks, which earned them the MVP award in our eyes. An interesting perspective from our opponent's eyes. Thanks for the battle!

I see the 2nd Canadian Mattress Battalion has arrived!!!

Yay Colonel Chappy! lol

2nd Battle of Dommelin Minutes 37-30 Lt Nathan sat nervously in his immobilised tank. Basically, he and his crew were a sitting duck right now for one of those Jagdpanthers. Yet, he was determined to keep engaging those paras who were approaching Dommelin with HE rounds while they lasted. The crew are not impressed. And then, Nathan broke out into a fearful sweat. Approximately a thousand meters away, and following the river along its banks, he spotted the approaching thing he feared. "Gunner, engage AFV, 1 o'clock, 1000 meters!" The first shot missed, but the second and succeeding shots struck the metal giant on the front sloping hull, deflecting off. At that range, Nathan was hoping for a gun hit. Above: Hah, take that! We ruined your paint job! But the Jagdpanther did not respond back, and in a strange fashion, it began to reverse and disappear out of sight down by the river. Nathan couldn't believe his luck...did he scare the beast? Injure it? In any case he bought himself some time as he ordered his gunner to recommence engaging the advancing fallschirmjager in the far distance. Major Morningwood was getting tired of this hide and seek stuff. He had five other Shermans surrounding him at the back of the woods. They were waiting. He knew the importance of these two troops for the future, but waiting did nothing right now. It was time to try something else, so he ordered the first troop to go around back of the woods and face the other side towards Dommelin. The three tanks reversed through the woods, turned, and moved cautiously out the other side. When they halted, one of the tank commanders could see a 20mm AA Flak gun mounted on a truck. He proceeded to engage it quickly. The first round flew wildly overhead, but the second round landed true: At least one of the crew fell off the truck, dead. The truck reversed out of sight.....it was only damaged. But Morningwood was pleased to hear that a kubelwagon and another truck nearby were destroyed by the near misses on the Flak truck. Back in Deelshurk, one of the 6 lber ATGs at the edge of the small town saw another AA Flak truck at the edge of Valkenswaard. As the crew prepared to engage it, they were spotted by the enemy AA crew, who then proceeded to engage them. The 20mm explosive rounds raked the demolished house where the ATG was hiding. The ATG crew were protected and hid behind the remaining shell of the house, but unfortunately a lucky burst from the Flak truck struck home, and the ATG crew perished to a man. The battle is now at the halfway point. Enemy paras are advancing on Dommelin, but they have been engaged repeatedly by two Shermans at long range (one of them Lt Nathan) and by two 81mm mortars who are running short of ammo. A 25lber mission is being spotted there now, so hopefully that will wound and slow them some more. in the center, one Jagdpanther (the one Nathan engaged) and more paras are slowly moving south, following the bends of the river. And on the right, at Valkenswaard, three Jagdpanthers and two Flak trucks have been taking pot shots at just about everything. Currently, another 25lber mission is impacting on those Germans. Below is a snap shot of the current situation:

Yes but under extreme conditions - folding two companies and a platoon from another company to barely get 50 men! Now that defines casualties...yikes Replacements were few and far between until Ortona was taken. However, we still have a full division out there somewhere

Commanders: unfortunately I have decided to fold the remnants of B Coy into D Coy to bolster it. We have lost B Coy commander anyway (Grunt_GI has retired) so this makes sense on several levels. Snake_eye - you now have a rejuvenated D Coy. For consolidation I still want you in your original assigned area. However, I still need B Coy's area on the map covered as well. If you cannot physically occupy that B Coy crossroads because your resources are stretched, then at least be able to bring it under observation and fire.

I have enjoyed the San Leonardo multi battle - both watching and filling in when Stonecutter went on vaca. Two people on one side works great I think. Three people starts to stretch the response time for files, but if everyone is committed to being prompt it can work fine as well. But no more than 3 per side for sure. The coordination for multi battles is fun, but can be frustrating as we have discovered as well. I guess that is the "real life" element of miscommunication. Overall it includes more players in what is going on, instead of waiting in queue for your next singular battle. In conclusion, I enjoy both, but in a campaign I enjoy the new twist of multi player battles more.