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CM/PzC N44 H2H Operation CM Battle Hex 12-10 Allied DAR


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The Stuart V platoon under my command is surrounded, and reports are that enemy forces are closing in on all sides with lots of PZIV and Grenadiers.

Trying to stand and fight would be suicidal, and I have no idea where and how the enemy will be coming at me. My best option is to try and escape to fight another day.

My plan is to alternate going left and right into the field toward the exit zone. By going left and right, I hope to catch a PZIV that I think may be waiting for me in that last field. I figure the first Stuart may get hit, but the second thru fourth may get an angle and may do some damage.

12_10_InitialPlan.jpg

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I begin rolling the platoon out at full speed, and soon tank contacts are reported and rounds begin flying from all around. The bocage was mostly very low, so LOS was an issue from everywhere on the map.

My Platoon Leader is narrowly missed, mere seconds after rolling out.

TakingFire_NearMiss.jpg

A couple seconds later, the rear Stuart's commander suffers what must have been a gruesome death, painting the inside of the tank with blood and gore. Note his hat has been blown off:

Commander_Death.jpg

Showered with blood, the remaining crew decide to stop where they are and shoot it out. They lost sight of the PZIV that nailed them, so they take aim on another tank that has just narrowly missed them with a round. Meanwhile, the rest of the Stuarts stay on throttle and stick to the plan - under heavy fire the whole time.

This pic shows the situation after 25 seconds. Three Stuart V's are speeding toward their escape, while the last one is making a last great act of defiance.

Stuart_LastStand.jpg

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The rear Stuart scores a solid hit on PZIV! Penetration, causing tank to button up, not sure if it caused much damage. The tank ended up moving to it's right, and aiming at another Stuart after this hit.

PZIV_TurretHit.jpg

The Stuart now takes aim at the group of 3 PZIV's posing the most danger. He aims, but is destroyed before getting a shot off. At this point the other Stuarts have made it into the next field amid a crossfire.

Stuart_Explosion.jpg

The lead Stuart takes aim at the damaged PZIV and fires off a shot while speeding across the field.

LeadStuart_Firing.jpg

Another solid hit on the PZIV. After this hit, I think the crew freaked out or maybe I killed someone. It's turret stopped moving after this point, then I lost visual contact, because the remaining Stuarts all quit looking at him.

PZIV_HullHit.jpg

The lead Stuart heads into the final field, while the second Stuart follows his original orders and heads into the dangerous field next to the 3 PZIV's.

The Stuart and the Panzers all open up with MG's and cannon as soon as he enters this field.

SecondStuart_Battling.jpg

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Quick, dirty, fun! This is a great example of why light tanks sound so good on paper and on recce theory, but don't do so well when they meet MBT's or other main forces, and don't have heavier weapons to back them up. Ow.

Thanks for taking the time to post a great AAR.

Ken

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Quick, dirty, fun! This is a great example of why light tanks sound so good on paper and on recce theory, but don't do so well when they meet MBT's or other main forces, and don't have heavier weapons to back them up. Ow.

Thanks for taking the time to post a great AAR.

Ken

Heh, yeah I only had basically 1 minute to work with, but there was plenty of action so I just went with it. :)

I like Stuarts - they're good at what they're meant for. I was surprised to see one get a front turret penetration on a PZIV. I wasn't expecting them to do much unless it was from the side or rear.

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The stricken crew bails out in the face of danger.

BailOut.jpg

The approaching PZIVs are moving toward the other Stuarts, so the Stuart's Commander does his best to help his comrades. Despite the other crewman surrendering, the Commander fights on, causing the PZIV to button up.

BraveCommander.jpg

The first tank to make it to the exit zone is hit and destroyed literally a half second before disappearing! So close..

LastSecondDestroy.jpg

The last tank alive is the Platoon Leader, and he valiantly tries to take out who he can. He lines up and fires on the front PZIV while speeding toward the exit zone.

PlatoonLeaderFiring.jpg

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He hits the PZIV with a solid shot in the turret. I think the turret had been turning toward the bailed crewman, causing them to surrender - but giving the Platoon Commander a better shot.

PZIVturretHit.jpg

The Platoon leader gets to the exit zone and fires another shot off, causing armor spalling on the hull.

PZIVhit2.jpg

Once again, in the last second before exiting the battle, a Stuart dies, and the turn and battle is over.

FinalKill.jpg

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Yeah, mjkerner, that would be great. I hope this operation produces tons of battles and we get a chance to go at it with at least a slightly even force. What I really liked was that we had the opportunity to have an effect on the larger battle. I really wanted to get at least a couple Stuarts off the map so they could fight another day.

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