Axis Side - 20 000 point Quick Battle DAR

[A Canadian Cat]

Here is the first two of many Stugs about 2min behind them.

Meanwhile on my right flank 3 Battery is still doing well against the Churchills. But “well” is a relative term. Unlike earlier when a single Churchill KO'ed six Stugs this time the Stugs have KO'ed a Churchill but there are still two of them alive and well and two Stugs have lost their main guns. On top of that the battery put 18 rounds on target against one Churchill even scoring two penetrating hits and the damn thing is still running. This is not good.

This hit took out the Stug's gun.

Here is the view from the right where three Stugs are approaching the side of the Churchills.

Towards the end of the turn the field looks like below. The two stugs on the left have no working main gun and the Churchill in the centre with the hit text showing is the one that was hit 18 times this turn.

Here is what 18 hits looks like. Early in the turn the Churchill did manage to hit two Stugs and fire some MG rounds at some of my infantry.

Here is the video version:

The problem is that if every Churchill takes six to eight Stugs to kill I am pretty sure I will run out of Stugs before my opponent runs out of Churchills. He could easily have 18 to 24 Churchill tanks.

[A Canadian Cat]

Clearly the right thing to do is hit them from the side because hitting them from the front is just not working. The good news is 3 Platoon is setup to do just that...

I need to keep the pressure on those Churchills so they do not swing around. So moving up on the left side too.

Here is a view of my approach to the town. As you can see they can make it all the way to the buildings with cover. Those movement lines are for the armour support – which is a little behind.

Over on my left where the super Churchill did so well against me I am having the Panther's reposition to face the Churchills. I know the front armour of the Panther can handle the Churchill's 75mm guns and all I really need is to prevent those Churchills from interfering with my assault on the town.

The plan to take the bridge had been decided: Forget the mortar smoke I'll get Stugs to do it. These two Stugs have multiple smoke targeting points across the river. The wind will push the smoke across the opposite end of the bridge. After the smoke starts the Panthers and the infantry that are ready to go will storm across the bridge. Once across the AFVs can face the Staghound and there will be precious little its 40mm gun will be able to do. That is the plan anyway.

[A Canadian Cat]

5 Company continue to clear the Orchard. The plan is for them to hold their position for now. At some point they will press for the rail crossing but for now they will serve as flanking protection to the rest of the force. The Recon Half Track that has been firing on that Stuart will change places with a Stug hopefully the Stug will get a bit more traction against the Stuart.

The platoon from 2 Company and the Panther on guard duty have moved off to rejoin the group making their way towards the town.

[c3k]

Oh, the screenies are great! I DEMAND 20,000 screenshots for a 20,000 point game!

Very nice. Thanks.

[A Canadian Cat]

I DEMAND 20,000 screenshots for a 20,000 point game!

Well I *am* at 170 screen shots already. I am so glad I used 001 as my first number. But my screen shot directory will become a organizational night mare if I hit 1000 screen shots.

[womble]

Well I *am* at 170 screen shots already. I am so glad I used 001 as my first number. But my screen shot directory will become a organizational night mare if I hit 1000 screen shots.

Just move the screenies you've taken into a new subfolder called "Turns 1-x"...

[Heinrich505]

Ian,

Good call on using the StuGs for smoke. It might not be as all-encompassing as what the mortars would provide, but even a little bit of smoke will be better than none. You don't want to rush the bridge with no cover at all.

Your screenshots are excellent. They help us stay right in the action. Thanks.

Your only real option on the Churchills would seem to be lots of side hits. They are pretty tough.

Heinrich505

[A Canadian Cat]

Just move the screenies you've taken into a new subfolder called "Turns 1-x"...

If I break a 1000 I'll do that. Actually come to think of it I might do that sooner than 1000.

[A Canadian Cat]

Ian,

Good call on using the StuGs for smoke. It might not be as all-encompassing as what the mortars would provide, but even a little bit of smoke will be better than none. You don't want to rush the bridge with no cover at all.

My only worry is the wind - it is a nastly day and the smoke from the mortars dissipated as it formed. As Stephen said to me when I was complaining about it over coffee this morning "you picked the weather", so, I have no right to complain.

Your screenshots are excellent. They help us stay right in the action. Thanks.

Thank you.

Your only real option on the Churchills would seem to be lots of side hits. They are pretty tough.

Amazingly tough. I am going to have to treat them like I would Panthers.

[Pete Wenman]

Ian,

Great to see this unfolding from both sides, with what seems some great game play.

With all the action going on the map seems quite small now but great to see it being used.

P

[A Canadian Cat]

With all the action going on the map seems quite small now but great to see it being used.

Good, good. We really like your map. And I do not feel like it is small at all. There is plenty of room to maneuver. I am very pleased to have a map this big without it would would not have been much more difficult to mount such a huge battle.

[Baneman]

Map is very good, thank you.

Inspired by Ian and Dungeontiger's example, Undercovergeek and I have started a 12000 pointer on it ( although we turned it 90 degrees and ucg added some stuff - hope you don't mind ).

[Pete Wenman]

Inspired by Ian and Dungeontiger's example, Undercovergeek and I have started a 12000 pointer on it ( although we turned it 90 degrees and ucg added some stuff - hope you don't mind ).

Go for it, it's why I make the things.

But on second thoughts maybe I should make it a condition of use that a DAR as good as Ian's and DT's is posted

P

[A Canadian Cat]

Map is very good, thank you.

Inspired by Ian and Dungeontiger's example, Undercovergeek and I have started a 12000 pointer on it ( although we turned it 90 degrees and ucg added some stuff - hope you don't mind ).

That is totally cool! Are you guys going to do a write up? Not that you have to, just curious if you are. What did you add to the map?

[undercovergeek]

i can post some shots if you'd like, when i get home - we added a few VLs, theres now another railway line running perpendicular to the original and this has a railway station on the outskirts of the main town, theres a marshalling yard at one end of the original railway line, theres a fuel depot in the main town, an Axis HQ Chateau in one corner, and a hill top monastery overlooking the whole map from one side (im a sucker for cheesy hollywood war films and these have all been subjects of special missions and/or objectives, next would have been a church and a cemetery from The Eagle Has Landed, but theres already one there!)

[undercovergeek]

aaahhhh the power of imageshack!

this is the hill top monastery:-

[undercovergeek]

this is the railway station on the outskirts of town:-

[undercovergeek]

and the marshalling yard:-

[undercovergeek]

might not be a fully fledged DAR but will definitely post some action shots with an update or two, i have British forces versus Banemans evil Axis forces

[Baneman]

I hadn't planned on posting due to the fact that I assume I'll be rapidly crushed by the overwhelming Allied force. A common excu... complaint ... of Axis commanders, I understand

Of course, now I'll probably have to, if only to counter the totally biased BBC news reports with some stuff from Signal

[A Canadian Cat]

Very cool guys. Those changes would generate a totally different battle. Who starts closest to the hill top monastery? A plan is already forming in my head:)

[Baneman]

As the dastardly Axis, I have started on the Monastery side. It is in fact an Allied objective, but ucg has actually made the wall around it continuous, so his commandos will have to blast their way inside.

We thought it would be interesting to keep the deployment zones on the large side of the river, although we each have an objective over on the small side. Thus crossing is a problem for both of us.

We're only a few minutes in at the moment and knowing that there be Drago... Fireflies out there has made the Axis very cautious.

The Allies are cautious anyway

So far only a few sightings of enemy vehicles have livened things up. A very bolshie Staghound ( I think ) whaled on a Panther which couldn't see him. A few Axis rounds have been fired at scouting Allied vehicles, all missed

Sorry to have hijacked your thread, was mainly to add thanks for the map ( and concept, loving large battles )

[A Canadian Cat]

This turn finally brings a victory over some Churchill tanks. 3 Battery destroys two of them to complete the destruction of the troop of Churchills they were facing. The super Churchill that survived 18 hits last turn only lasts a few more. The crew bail out at the beginning of the turn and the tank takes a few more hits before being destroyed. The other remaining Churchill is dispatched quickly after only two or three hits.

The centre formation of Stugs keeping up their rate of fire on the super Churchill.

The last Churchill standing in 3 Battery's field of view is taken out.

This turn is a major relief to me. 3 Battery did loose the main gun on two Stugs but at least the put down some enemy tanks. It is unclear what enemy units might be in the vicinity but 3 Battery will be charged with finding out and making a safe location for the FO to come to call some fire down on the town.

At the village with the road bridge crossing my forces lay down smoke and are ready to pounce.

There is a problem: the smoke screen is just being blown away. Fighting in bad weather has its challenges. By the end of the turn there is almost no protection from the smoke screen and yet the smoke stretches across the other end of the bridge.

5 Company continues to move forward in the orchard. They have not secured the location where their scout half tracks were destroyed earlier.

[A Canadian Cat]

The Panthers on 1 Company's flank continue to back up into a better position to protect against the Churchills that are near by.

[A Canadian Cat]

3 Battery's new job, along with their supporting element from 2 Company, is to move forward in the direction the Churchill tanks came from in order to verify that the enemy is gone from the area and to allow the FO. I want the FO to move to the high ground so he can direct artillery barrages against the town before 1 Company assaults. My original thought was to position AT guns on the ridge overlooking the town under cover of smoke. Since smoke is pretty much useless I think I am going to have to come up with a different plan for my AT guns.

1 Company and most of 2 Company along with support from 2 Battery and a Panther move into their town assault jump off positions. One Stug moving through the forest is bogged and then immobilized in the woods. This weather is starting to cause problems.

With no smoke to speak of this bridge assaulting could be interesting. To compensate I order the Stugs to fire HE into the woods on the opposite side of the bridge. The assaulting force is lead by one platoon of infantry and three Panthers. The rest of 3 Company and the Stugs will follow once I see what they are up against.

5 Company moves further into the Orchard. They are almost at its farther edge. Once there they will setup a defensive perimeter and wait for a while.