Axis Side - 20 000 point Quick Battle DAR

[Pete Wenman]

Go on Womble - explain Blackadder to a German - wibble !

P

[womble]

Go on Womble - explain Blackadder to a German - wibble !

P

Okay, I'll give it a go...

Blackadder is a BBC TV comedy series which had 4 seasons and a couple of specials. Its star was Rowan Atkinson, who played the title role, following the fortunes of the Blackadder line through the centuries, starting with an alternate-history result at the Battle of Bosworth, and Edmund Blackadder being the least favourite son of Richard IV (the successor to Richard III, who won at Bosworth, but was killed by mistake by his nephew, Blackadder - history as we're taught it is a propaganda story dreamt up later by the Tudors).

The last season (Blackadder goes Fourth) was set in the first world war. The Blackadders are much reduced in station, with the current character being a captain of infantry in the trenches. Very much enamoured with the idea of surviving, there are many japes as Blackadder does his best to avoid being a statistic.

The specific reference is to a conversation, I believe between Blackadder and General Melchet. It goes something like:

Blackadder: So what's the plan this time, sir?

Melchet: We're going to advance slowly across no man's land shoulder to shoulder and defeat them in their own trenches!

Blackadder, aghast: Like we did the last 4 times, sir?

Melchet: Why, yes!

Blackadder, still shocked: Like we did the last 4 times and got slaughtered like lambs in a particularly inhumane slaughterhouse, sir?

Melchet (laughs): Yes, Blackadder!

Blackadder: But isn't that a bit insane, sir?

Melchet: Exactly! That's why they'll never expect us to do it again!

[A Canadian Cat]

Near the river my men slowly advance and meet no new resistance – yet.

The Panther’s cover my troops entrance into the town.

All the Churchill tanks blocking the entrance to the town have been chased away.

The orchard also remains quiet save for my Strummell firing one more round at the last known position of those.

[A Canadian Cat]

The advance along the river continues. The trailing platoon that took casualties earlier is tending to their fallen before resuming the advance.

I am sure the enemy wants us to follow them into the orchard and come under the guns of those Achilles on the ridge but I am not taking the bait. One Panther will move forward to the tree line and cover the advance into town and the other two will move quickly into town before those tank destroyers get a shot.

The shrek team has arrived to help protect the flank.

[A Canadian Cat]

Members of 1 Platoon 1 Company enter the town proper. The rest of their platoon mates and a couple of Panthers are right behind them.

Two of the three Panthers duel with the Achilles on the ridge as the enter town.

One of them loses – big. This is, at least in part, a fault of my orders. I knew there were possibly keyhole slots of visibility across the road into town. I ordered the two Panthers to fast move into the cover of town. The problem is I did not give the second Panther a long enough pause so that it could turn and rush across the open distance. The first Panther made if fine – nice and smooth and fast. But the second one turned and then did the stutter dance while the first one cleared out of its way. That gave the Achilles a critical few seconds to shoot at the stationary Panther.

Meanwhile a Stuart tanks appears in the area behind the lead platoons and the supporting armour. Oh man I have made a huge mistake. There is only a disabled Stug back there.

The Stuart starts firing on my surprised men. They run for cover and one of the Shrek teams takes aim and misses.

[A Canadian Cat]

Over at the other entrance to town and armoured car blunders into my position and is greeted with grenades.

Which miss.

More grenades…

This time they go off underneath.

Then the Shrek team hit it – on the wheels. At the end of the turn the armoured car is still operational but the crew must be freaking out.

[A Canadian Cat]

Near the river an MG team in over watch spots a Stuart tank and take aim at the tank commander.

They make the shot and the Stuart is dazed while more of my men cross some open ground in front of it.

All is quiet in the orchard.

[A Canadian Cat]

Near the river the orders are more of the same – move up a little at a time. One of the supporting Stugs has been tasked with shifting position to take out the Stuart that was spotted last turn.

I have ordered the Stug on the right flank to move up to deal with the intruding armoured car and the pull back to safety.

The town assault is a little in disarray. That Stuart in my rear is causing the infantry of 2 company to scramble for cover. They are also repositioning their AT assets to attack it. I also pulled a Stug back to deal with it in case the infantry cannot. At the front of the infantry column the plan continues as normal. One platoon will follow the Panther outside of town to scout for and protect from the Churchill tanks that are in the woods. While the other two platoons of 1 Company start going building to building into town.

[A Canadian Cat]

This is another mad minute.

My infantry put up quite a fight against that Stuart and I am sure they will take it out soon but luck is not with them this turn. Here is one squad firing a shrek and a faust round nearly simultaneously. The Stuart is in the trees, you can just see the muzzle flash from its MG.

Both rounds hit trees and failed to dispatch the Stuart. Other troops are closing in on the rear of the Stuart but do not get close enough yet. The Stuart makes a mess. It machine guns down a bunch of my men.

At the same time one of the scared off Churchill tanks scores a hit on a Panther. Only minor damage was done thankfully.

Nearby, my infantry have another problem. This time an armoured car appears from an unexpected direction. This looks scary…

But luckily for my men it gets way to close…

[A Canadian Cat]

And is met with a hail of grenades…

And dies just as it gets of a burst from its MG and hits one of my men.

Close to the river things are much better. A Panther spots a Stuart trying to flank my position.

And takes care of it in one shot.

Close to the Panther its infantry support spot a Churchill tank and open up on the tank commander who ducks out of the way.

[A Canadian Cat]

Which makes it easier for their platoon mate to get a nice shot from the grass.

But those damn trees foil his plans.

Over on the right flank the armoured car that was subject to grenades last turn is finished off including crew.

In the orchard another armoured car creeps up the road (the armoured car in the foreground is already dead and so is the Stuart tank on the bridge).

At the same time a scout team tries to sneak up on the orchard too.

[Seedorf81]

I love your description of the annoying and crazy movement when tanks follow each other too close:

"(..) did the stutterdance (..)".

Exactly!

[A Canadian Cat]

At the other entrance to town, now that the armoured car has been dispatched the Stug will move positions to prevent the Churchill tanks from escaping from the town. I am hoping that the threat from my town assault will make them want to turn and engage the attackers but if the decide not to then I want my forces over here to threaten the flank of the Churchill tanks. I do not think I have enough resources over here to repel and attack by them but I hope I can make it look like a bad option.

Chaos still reins due to that Stuart. More soldiers try to get at it from behind and my Stug is getting closer.

Near the river my forces manoeuver to flank that Churchill tank.

In the orchard I bring up a halftrack to help deal with that annoying scout team

And reposition a Stug to get an angle on that armoured car while at the same time trying avoid the guns of the Churchill tanks.

[A Canadian Cat]

Not a bad minute – my men finally dealt with that Stuart that slipped behind them. And it was not the infantry that saved them. It was a Stug. It came out of the trees right in front of the Stuart and wasted no time in dispatching it.

Closer to the entrance to town the Churchill tank could not get a show on the Panther but took out its frustrations on some of my infantry.

Near the river the Shrek team tried again to hit the enemy Churchill and again failed this time falling short.

In the orchard the approaching scout team is now facing a squad and a half track.

The approaching armoured car hits the Stug that is hunting it first. The crew panics and bails out even though the Stug is not seriously damaged.

[A Canadian Cat]

A lot of more of the same orders: Starting with that pesky scout team near the orchard.

I also reposition another Stug to deal with that armoured car. I need to protect the mortar team.

Move more infantry to flank the Churchill and try to get a Shrek team to have a clear LOF to it as well.

Now that the Stuart has been dealt with I get 1 Company to reorganize and resume its advance into town.

Another scout team has popped up near the other entrance to town. This time I have a Stug crew that has been hiding out in the woods. They have spotted the enemy scouts and are going to attack them from behind. At the same time the Stug will send some supporting HE their way.

[A Canadian Cat]

Assaulting the town continues again at a good pace. Outside the entrance a platoon of infantry supported by a Panther hunt for the Churchill tanks.

Meanwhile more of 1 Company enter the town. They encounter their first resistance, a scout team in the building at the bend in the street. The lead squad dispatches them easily.

The next platoon enters the town.

Trailing members of 2 Company and their supporting Stug keep watch on the flank.

On the hill at the other entrance to the town one of the Stugs moves up to keep the Churchill tanks from leaving the artillery kill zone.

[A Canadian Cat]

The spotted scouts on the far right flank come under fire from to directions. They route and run.

Near the river the lead troops enter the farm and find a tank crew.

And take the down.

Over by the orchard the intruding scout team runs in the face of the incoming fire.

[A Canadian Cat]

The Stug tracking the approaching Churchill gets a key hole shot.

And hits.

But the Churchill does what they have been doing all throughout this game – shrugs it off and returns fire.

The tree saved the Stug but I do not think I can stop the enemy from the orchard.

At the other side of the orchard the armoured car is still a threat.

[A Canadian Cat]

I send another Stug over to deal with the armoured car and pull back the one engaged with the Churchill. Plus back off some of the half-tracks.

3 Company moves away from the river and into the farm complex.

The town assault continues.

I want to keep the two Churchill tanks at the other entrance to the town from getting out so I move up a Stug to threaten them from the side.

[A Canadian Cat]

Here is the overall position after a little more than 40min. Friendly force symbols in white with defensive positions in blue. Known enemy positions in red. Key terrain is marked in green.

It looks good right. My forces have advanced well on two prongs and have held my left flank. One force is entering the Town objective and making reasonable progress. But little white blocks on the map are deceiving. My infantry battalion plus company is in good shape. They have taken few casualties and are in good order. My armour on the other hand is not in good shape. My Assault gun battalion has taken sever losses and has only a handful of operational AFVs probably not even a full company. Even the mighty Panther platoons have been degraded, one tank has been destroyed, one is on the verge of being immobilized and of the remaining two others have lost their main gun. That leaves two fully operational and one limping along. For that I have just barely scratched at my opponent’s Churchill battalion, which is what I think I am facing. Not a good showing. I can continue to push my attack as it stands now and grind for a while more but I think at this point that would lead to failure.

Let’s start with the overall picture:

At the orchard 5 Company and their supporting assault guns have been holding the Orchard and seen no real opposition until recently. However the number of AFVs have been whittled away over the course of the last 40min. Just one Churchill is threatening the orchard and I do not believe that those forces will be able to repel that Churchill due to the fact that it is backed up by three others and my forces’ mobility is severely restricted in the orchard.

After crossing the river, 3 Company has fought their way almost to the farm which is the stepping stone to the rail crossing but they are down to one fully operational Panther, one limping and two Stugs. I do not see how they can punch through and deal with whatever additional enemy forces might be on the objective.

At the town objective things have gone better – relatively speaking. 2 and 3 Battery have been severely degraded and there is only one fully operational Panther with 1 and 2 Company now. The infantry can continue to infiltrate the buildings of the town but at some point the will need help to remove enemy tanks. Couple that with the fact that two Churchill tanks have driven out of the town and is threatening 3 Battery an my right flank again.

The summary here is I am not going to succeed the way things are going. So here is the new plan:

• 5 Company and its remaining AFVs will pull back into the forest on the hill. Their job is still the same – protect the flank but in the woods they will be able to hit and disappear and to clear the hill the enemy tanks will have to enter the woods. 5 Company will have a shot at dealing with them then.
  
• The battalion AT guns (3 75mm guns) will not be reassigned to support 5 Company by taking up positions around the village and road crossing objective. That way the enemy tanks will not be able to ignore 5 Company and just drive around because that will lead them directly into the AT guns.
  
• 3 Company will finish taking the farm but that will be it. The Panthers will be pulled out and sent to the main town objective.
  
• Any assault guns that can be spared will also be reassigned to the town.
  
• The town objective will be the new focus.
  

[A Canadian Cat]

The tank duel near the town continues. This time with the Panther getting a hit on a Churchill tank that did no visible damage.

And an Achilles getting a hit on a Panther killing the tank commander and taking out its main gun.

Meanwhile the infantry continue to advance into the town.

Over near the other entrance to town the Churchill tanks get too close to the infantry.

Unfortunately for the Germans those Churchill tanks are tough. This one takes a shreck hit to the turret again – no visible effect.

[A Canadian Cat]

Another shreck team lies in wait.

Near the river crossing the infantry are now entering the farm. Starting with the villa.

In the orchard 5 Company is getting pressure from a Churchill tank but with nothing that can handle the beast it is time to go.

[A Canadian Cat]

Given the new plans this is the first orders phase where I can begin to carry the new plan out. Starting with backing 5 Company and support out of the orchard and onto the hill. These orders back all the infantry and heavy weapons into the woods and allocate an equal amount of guns on the edge of each woods. The plan is if the enemy tanks try to go through the woods they will fall victim to the infantry and if they try to go around the woods they will fall victim to the guns.

At the farm the Stugs are staying with the infantry but the Panthers are bugging out. I will set the infantry take and get settled in to the farm and then hold that position to prevent the enemy from crossing back across the river and attacking Battalion HQ.

The AT guns that I was planning to position over watching the town instead are reassigned to bolster 5 Company and 3 Company’s positions to prevent the enemy from taking the village that is now my Battalion HQ.

I am pulling back my last Stug that is directly in the path of the Churchill tanks at the other town entrance. I have Stugs on their flank and rear so there is no need to have this AFV get in front.

More infantry stream into town and their supporting Stug moves up to protect them and get a rear shot on those Churchill tanks.

[A Canadian Cat]

More infantry heading into town.

[A Canadian Cat]

My partner in this DAR is swamped at work right now. I cannot convince him to drop everything and play this right now Not sure how long before we resume but we will.