Penry Posted August 5, 2012 Share Posted August 5, 2012 Checking in! DLing the game as I type. Need more free time...... 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigDork Posted August 7, 2012 Author Share Posted August 7, 2012 Checking in! DLing the game as I type. Need more free time...... Heya Penry! Glad to hear you picked up the game. Free time is always the trick here. When you're ready we can get a PBEM of our own going. I'm on vacation out of state until tomorrow. When I get settled in back home I'm gonna finish this up. I've got the final turn sitting in my inbox. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigDork Posted August 8, 2012 Author Share Posted August 8, 2012 TURN 24 & FINAL The fire from my soldiers coupled with accurate mortar strikes is too much for the Germans. Many German soldiers are left bleeding on ground and those that are somehow unscathed turn to flee. Even as they retreat they continue to be fired upon by my men. 25 minutes after the battle began, the cease fire went into affect. As the guns fall silent Tiresias and I care for the wounded and count the dead. I get off extremely lightly with only 8 dead and 9 wounded. Being able to get into good cover positions unmolested and wait for the Germans to come to me resulted in a very one-sided battle. The hero of the battle isn't in doubt. Lieutenant Colonel Deerskin in the M4A3(76)W not only took out both Panzers but also killed or incapacitated 28 German soldiers. His domination of the battlefield made the battle itself that much easier for me. He proved why he was in command of the armored battalion. Overall I think it Tiresias did a good job for his first PBEM outing. I've already provided him some thoughts of my own and hopefully he'll be along soon to give us some insight on the battle from his side. Most of my casualties came from the platoon on the right flank. As the battle was coming to an end, I got a bit sloppy and forgot about them for a couple turns. By the time I came back to them they'd run into some trouble with a MG and a squad in a building. It didn't change the results in the battle at all but I do feel bad for all the pixelated families who lost loved ones due to my oversight. Thanks to everyone for reading. Hopefully I was able to provide an enjoyable read. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocky Balboa Posted August 8, 2012 Share Posted August 8, 2012 Good AAR and I enjoyed the read. After the German player lost his 2 Panzers the game was pretty much fait accompli. This is the way it is in most battles. There are usually one or two key turning points that will decide the outcome. Had the US player lost his armor early on then I dare say the outcome would have been considerably different. Most certainly the US player would have had many more casualties. C'est la vie I applaud the German commander for continuing with the battle even though he was dealt a very severe blow with the loss of his Armor. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigDork Posted August 8, 2012 Author Share Posted August 8, 2012 I do give Tiresias a lot of credit for fighting on after the loss of his tanks. Before we started we agreed we would call it a any time if it got no fun for someone. I would have not blamed him at all for wanting to cease fire then. Glad we kept going though. Hopefully he picked up a bit more experience because of it. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eltorrente Posted August 8, 2012 Share Posted August 8, 2012 Good AAR. When I play PBEM's, if I lose my armor and my opponent still has a couple tanks rolling around, I'll give it a go for a bit, but usually surrender is the best option. If I'm in the Victory location I still have a chance and will fight on, but if I have to cross open fields to get there and he's just waiting for me - then the outcome is a foregone conclusion. He made a few errors that really cost him - the first being, of course, the placement of his tank in front of that house on the road with no cover in front, and the house blocking his rear. In the future, I'm sure he'd put it behind the house with half or more of his tank in cover. Not that anyone is beyond mistakes, of course - I make them all the time. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sburke Posted August 8, 2012 Share Posted August 8, 2012 I do give Tiresias a lot of credit for fighting on after the loss of his tanks. Before we started we agreed we would call it a any time if it got no fun for someone. I would have not blamed him at all for wanting to cease fire then. Glad we kept going though. Hopefully he picked up a bit more experience because of it. Yeah there is usually something that you can still try out and at that point you have nothing left to lose. Hats off to both of you, looking forward to the next one. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Canadian Cat Posted August 8, 2012 Share Posted August 8, 2012 I do give Tiresias a lot of credit for fighting on after the loss of his tanks. Before we started we agreed we would call it a any time if it got no fun for someone. I would have not blamed him at all for wanting to cease fire then. Glad we kept going though. Hopefully he picked up a bit more experience because of it. +1 to that. Trying to figure a way out of a tough spot is where learning really kicks in to high gear. At some point though throwing in the towel is a good idea. Well done and nice AAR too! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocky Balboa Posted August 8, 2012 Share Posted August 8, 2012 He made a few errors that really cost him - the first being, of course, the placement of his tank in front of that house on the road with no cover in front, and the house blocking his rear. In the future, I'm sure he'd put it behind the house with half or more of his tank in cover. Not that anyone is beyond mistakes, of course - I make them all the time. I'm don't agree that his tank placement was in error. There may have been other locations that might have been better but I don't believe it's location kept it from engaging the US tank. In addition he had his second tank in a seemingly perfect position (assuming it had a clear LOS down that road) to support his first tank. Even with the bad luck of losing his first tank, the second tank should have at least gotten off a shot. Also Losing the second tank essentially the same way he lost the first was just an unfortunate mishap that no one could have predicted. All in all I think the German player had the initial advantage in force composition by having a 2:1 superiority in tanks. And he used them correctly by placing them in positions where one could support the other. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eltorrente Posted August 8, 2012 Share Posted August 8, 2012 I'm don't agree that his tank placement was in error. There may have been other locations that might have been better but I don't believe it's location kept it from engaging the US tank. In addition he had his second tank in a seemingly perfect position (assuming it had a clear LOS down that road) to support his first tank. Even with the bad luck of losing his first tank, the second tank should have at least gotten off a shot. Also Losing the second tank essentially the same way he lost the first was just an unfortunate mishap that no one could have predicted. All in all I think the German player had the initial advantage in force composition by having a 2:1 superiority in tanks. And he used them correctly by placing them in positions where one could support the other. I think it was a mistake to put it in a position to not be able to back up, and if he had been on the other side of the house, he could have still seen down the road, and at least had a good portion of his hull hidden by the house. Given a choice between the two spots, behind the house would have been safer. His position behind or in front of the house probably didn't matter in terms of him seeing or not seeing the Sherman, but the Sherman would have had a slightly harder time seeing him. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigDork Posted August 8, 2012 Author Share Posted August 8, 2012 All in all I think the German player had the initial advantage in force composition by having a 2:1 superiority in tanks. And he used them correctly by placing them in positions where one could support the other. I had a second Sherman in the way back on my left flank. I didn't bring it forward until the very end of the battle. For most of the time it was in a hull down overwatch position waiting for the Germans to rush the village. I think other than putting his Panzer in a position where it couldn't reverse his placement wasn't that off. His tank had a decent view down the road. I just got the drop on him. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiresias Posted August 9, 2012 Share Posted August 9, 2012 Hello all, Now that the battle's over I've had the chance to read BigDork's AAR. Huge thanks must go to him both for the game and for the excellent reports here on the forum, it makes for a really great read. Also, thanks to all of you for reading and for your supportive comments. This was my first PBEM in CMx2 and I learned a few important lessons the hard way - notably, as several people have already pointed out, that positioning that tank with no means of reversing out of its position was a seriously stupid move. I rarely play meeting engagements and definitely started off too slow as well, although the opportunities for concealment on my approach were limited and predictable, which made it a bit tricky. After the loss of my armour early on, the only (slim) chance of winning that I could see was to try to soften up the VL with some artillery, then attempt an assault. I think that a real-life commander would have probably given it up at this stage (as, again, some readers have mentioned), but as BigDork said it was huge fun playing and it helped me to keep on learning the game. Again, my thanks go to BigDork for being such a positive and supportive opponent throughout this encounter. We'll be reconvening for some CM:FI action in the near future and will doubtless keep you posted. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocky Balboa Posted August 9, 2012 Share Posted August 9, 2012 Hello all, Now that the battle's over I've had the chance to read BigDork's AAR. Huge thanks must go to him both for the game and for the excellent reports here on the forum, it makes for a really great read. Also, thanks to all of you for reading and for your supportive comments. ...... I learned a few important lessons the hard way - notably, as several people have already pointed out, that positioning that tank with no means of reversing out of its position was a seriously stupid move. The fact that your tank could not reverse did not lead to its demise. Even if it had room, it would have still died because the US tank fired and took it out in one shot. Had the first shot missed then maybe the inability to reverse into cover would have been a factor. Your second tank did have room to reverse but it didnt survive either. The big question I have is why didn't at least one of your tanks spot the US tank especially with it moving and firing in your LOS. If possible I would like to get some information from you on your tank crews. What was their status and experience level? Where these green crews when you purchased them? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrdeaL Posted August 9, 2012 Share Posted August 9, 2012 Excellent read gentlemen! Keep them coming! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiresias Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 The fact that your tank could not reverse did not lead to its demise. Even if it had room, it would have still died because the US tank fired and took it out in one shot. Had the first shot missed then maybe the inability to reverse into cover would have been a factor. Your second tank did have room to reverse but it didnt survive either. The big question I have is why didn't at least one of your tanks spot the US tank especially with it moving and firing in your LOS. If possible I would like to get some information from you on your tank crews. What was their status and experience level? Where these green crews when you purchased them? I'm afraid I've now deleted the relevant game files because we actually finished playing this a few days ago, but the crews were either regular or veteran, with normal motivation. In the case of the first tank, I was aware that (again through inexperience more than anything else) I had slightly misjudged a cover arc which I had set for it so that it would take out anything in its LOS on the road. Its actual LOS was further than the arc' maximum extent, although the difference was about two metres or so, and therefore relatively marginal. Even so, that might have explained why the Sherman was able to get its shot off. I am certain that the Sherman entered its arc before firing, but the arc itself was sloppy measurement on my part. The second tank did not spot the Sherman. I was quite surprised by this because it was sitting there unbuttoned and had been all game up to that point. It had good LOS up the road to about the point where the Sherman appears to have been sitting when it fired. I know that the question of spotting has been raised as a result of this AAR and to be honest I'm not too wound up about it as I still find the game hugely playable, but this did strike me as odd - or at least unfortunate - at the time. Hope this helps; let me know if I can add anything more. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocky Balboa Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 Thanks for the explanation and thanks to both of you for a great AAR 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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