DAR Kampfgruppe Engel (Mission 2) Warning Spoiler alert!

[Seedorf81]

Very well played. It looks to me that you're fighting force is still coherent.

I hardly ever seem to keep my forces that way, usually because of impatience.

Good game, beautiful AAR.

[Hilts]

Very well played. It looks to me that you're fighting force is still coherent.

I hardly ever seem to keep my forces that way, usually because of impatience.

Good game, beautiful AAR.

Cheers, mate! Glad you are enjoying it...

[Hilts]

I have captured and secured all the objectives but have decided to press on and expel the Americans from the town completely. Apart from some isolated and sporadic gunfire from one or two buildings, they appear to be in full retreat.

Small arms fire was heard from the building in the centre background. The Lynx returns fire as 2nd Zug troops move up.

Panther moves down the street of death. The scale of devastation in this part of the town is appalling. Burning vehicles and dead and dying troops are everywhere.

2nd Zug troops on the right flank have nearly reached the southern outskirts of the town.

Exhausted and demoralised enemy troops seem to be heading for this set of farm buildings to the south, perhaps to make a last stand. There is still no sign of the remaining Sherman

[Chudacabra]

Great AAR!

I am currently at the beginning of the fourth mission of the this campaign and it is really quite excellent. The third battle was downright harrowing at times. Sheer numbers do a good job of making up for the AI.

[Hilts]

Great AAR!

I am currently at the beginning of the fourth mission of the this campaign and it is really quite excellent. The third battle was downright harrowing at times. Sheer numbers do a good job of making up for the AI.

Cheers mate!

It seems a great pity to me that these excellent campaigns cannot be enjoyed by playing them against a human opponent instead of just the AI.

[Hilts]

Not much is happening now. US troops have been driven out of the town and German forces occupy most of the southern outskirts of the town.

The Panther moves to the corner of the street and machine guns anything that moves in the vicinity of the farm.

A jeep is shot up and up to twenty men are seen to fall. The rest flee for their lives and all thoughts of a last stand are wiped out.

Tending to the wounded in the Town Square.

Suddenly out of nowhere an enemy artillery strike hits the town right on buildings that are occupied by my troops. I don't know who is directing this strike as I have seen no sign of any FO's. My men dive for cover and are badly shaken but miraculously suffer no fatalities.

[Chudacabra]

Cheers mate!

It seems a great pity to me that these excellent campaigns cannot be enjoyed by playing them against a human opponent instead of just the AI.

Overall I agree, but I think that the sheer numerical disparity in some of the battles in this campaign makes them not particularly well suited to H2H play. While it is often somewhat unrealistic, in my experience more balanced forces (though not too perfect) make for much better gameplay against a human. While there is some improvement over CM1, I unfortunately don't feel the AI in CM2 is hugely improved.

[poesel]

I think a H2H campaign where one side has huge force initially and the other side has to grind it down over several battles might have a lot of potential.

Immobilizing one tank and destroying a mortar may be enough of a success as you won't see them again in later battles.

[Hilts]

After 90 minutes of bitter fighting all enemy troops have been driven out of the town and are seen fleeing to the south. My men are weary so do not pursue and instead rest up in the town in preparation for what comes next......

Mentioned in dispatches:

Leutnant Ober and his crew: 4 kills (2 Shermans, 2 Stuarts) and 20+ casualties

Obergefreiter Altschuler commander of Stummel 1: 1 57mm anti-tank gun destroyed and 16 casualties

Stabsgefreiter Munchbach in his Panzer 2 (Lynx): 9 casualties and involved in infantry support.

Obergefreiter Becker commander of Stummel 2: 7 casualties and infantry support role.

And finally a special mention should also go to Obergefreiter Langsfeld, commander of the Pak 40 and his crack crew who single handedly halted the American armoured counter-attack on the left flank: 3 kills (Shermans) plus 8 casualties

[Seedorf81]

Congratulations with great victory and near perfect AAR.

Enjoyed it very, very much..

[DavidFields]

This will be very helpful to me.

Quit it in my first "blind" try.

In a 90 minute scenario, I thought I would have about 60 minutes to take the town, and then the counter-attack would occur. But, as you showed, the counter--attack starts at less than 30 minutes in. This makes sense, because, otherwise, one could just cease-fire and likely win before the attack occurred.

I swung a platoon around to the right, came in from behind the town, and was mauled by Shermans, none of which went down the road that your AT gun had under its sights.

I am willing to move forward with losses, and lost an MkIV in the first battle, but having a precious platoon be crippled in a campaign like this would likely doom me.

Indeed, I cease-fire in the PT designed campaigns at the first likely moment that I will get a narrow win. Usually that means only contesting a key "occupy" objective. After that, even taking out, say, 4 Shermans, and "only" losing 10 men is a long-run loss.

Up the middle with alacrity, use the 105 artillery about 30 minutes in, and then I will cease-fire as soon as I can at least contest the city objectives.

I see we also have a difference in style. I almost never need to resupply my troops. You blast objectives prior to attacking--then might find no one is there. That is likely entirely, militarily, correct. I find the AI poor in holding fire. So I lure a target building/objective to fire--if not, the place is likely empty. Gamey, is true.

[Hilts]

Wow! 10 years since I did this very enjoyable DAR. Just bumping it up in case any of the current crop of players want to have a look. H

Edited December 9, 2023 by Hilts

[Raging Al]

Thanks for bumping it mate.  Just read this for the first time.  Fantastic work, made for a great read.

[Hilts]

On 12/10/2023 at 9:47 AM, Raging Al said:

Thanks for bumping it mate.  Just read this for the first time.  Fantastic work, made for a great read.

Cheers Al.

[kohlenklau]

Great job!

[AlexUK]

That was a very memorable mission. Replayed the campaign recently. The first time that counterattack freaked me out! Loved the map and the forces. PzII are great for anti personnel work and clearing buildings.