Ritirare! Allied attack AAR

[Penry]

Orders:

Mortar boy - run down hill with mortar tube!!!! :runaway:

Mortar team - switch targets from farmyard to northern R35 (red line and cross)

Mortar team 2 - continue trying to get a shot close to southern R35 (yellow line and cross)

MMG team - move to field corner a redeploy to cover flanking attempts from north forest (white lines are firing arc)

Runaway halftrack - break through fence and rejoin gang by building (black arrow)

MMG halftrack - dismount passengers - one MMG team to woods by bridge and one MMG team to helf way to bridge woods (green arrow and cross). HQ support to south forest border (blue arrow)

Rifle squad halftrack - dismount - rifle team to half way up hill. Halftrack to twist and turn back to riverbank.

Expected plan success rate 0.7%..... :cute:

[Penry]

Turn 7

Not as bad as last turn, but not as good as I'd like it to be! Where to start? Let's start on a possible high shall we?

I managed to get five mortar rounds to land close to BDs southern R35. The last time I had a visual on it was about 5-10 seconds before the first round landed and the commander was out of his cockpit. The R35 certainly didn't move forward from its position, so it can only have stayed put or gone into reverse. If the commander stayed out then I think I must have had a fairly good chance to have hit him with a bit of shrapnel. I've got to take positives when and where I can, but I won't be counting this as a certain kill until it's obvious that I've bagged my second commander. i.e. The R35 isn't firing at an obvious target.

More mortar joy around the farm. My mortar team who were shifting targets to BDs northern R35 fired two more rounds at the farm before shifting their tube. One round was already in the air, so three more rounds landed at the farm. I doubt I caught anyone with these rounds, but it might just have given BD something to think about, and may just be keeping a few heads down at the farm.

The same team got two rounds off 'at' BDs northern R35, but the first was way long and I even questioned if I had designated the correct target. The second was in the air as the turn ended, so we'll see next turn if the first was just an unlucky shot.....

[Penry]

Not so good was what befell my HQ support team. I lost three out of the four of them, the first two as they were running along. The third as he got up from hitting the floor. BD sure has some sharp shooters in that farm. As things stand they seem to be better than the Germans I faced in Normandy. BD was wary of playing the Italians before this game. I wonder if he still feels the same way?

The last event was just sloppiness on my part. The perils of finishing off your turn at 11pm after two killer days at work. After bringing my left flank half track safely all the way back to the two buildings I hold, I then managed to lose him to a single round from BDs northen R35. Despite aiming to park it just out of sight and safe behind a building it stopped just a little bit too far forward. There goes another half track!

This happened right at the end of the turn, a turn I thought had gone reasonably well for me. A bit of a kick in the teeth, but I'm getting used to that in this game!

[Penry]

And so to the overview.

As you'll see my front MMG team made it to the woods on the other side of the first bridge. Now all I have to do is be patient, careful and sensible and get them into a position to keep an eye on the farm.

The second MMG team got half way, as planned, so they also completed their mission. My rifle team got half way up the edge of the ploughed field, but now its time to start worrying where the rounds are going to come from.

You might also see that my wheelie halftrack survivor is still in the southern forest, still panicked, but still alive. I wonder if he could yet fulfill as useful recon role?

[Penry]

Orders:

Slowing it right down. Caution, caution, caution!

Northern mortar to continue trying to get a hit on/near northern R35.

Southern mortar to hold fire on southern R35 in a bid to conserve ammo.

Front MMG team to edge forward through the bridgeside woods.

Rear MMG team to crawl along the river bank.

Rifle squad to crawl up the ploughed field. Half track to reverse back down the hill.

FO survivor to move forward towards bridge.

That is all!

[Penry]

And that brings the game up to date. As you can see I have been far too hasty, far too careless and far too wasteful. I've spent the last three games with BigDork on the defensive side, so this attacking lark has caught me a bot off guard.

Without giving anything away, if you're reading BDs side of the AAR too, I certainly appreciate your feedback, even if it is of the 'Go back to the tutorials you noob' type of comment. I'm here to learn and I'm here to get even deeper into this game that is fast becoming my number one game. It's a rollercoaster of a ride, it's stressful at times, but it sure as hell is great fun!

[poesel]

Thanks for writing this up.

The only bit for advice I can give you comes from these very nice Armchair General turorials:

'Don't be in a rush to get killed'

It astonishes me time and time again how much you can achieve with patience. After years of playing I can count the number of games I have lost because time ran out on one hand and I wouldn't even have to use a finger.

[Seedorf81]

Penry,

really love your "straight from the heart" comments.

Patience is something I cannot advice you on, because even after years of playing CM I still get impatient and then f%#k things up.

But the mincemeat-approach seems to work: identify a spotted enemy and overwhelm with as much firepower as possible, disable/destroy, and only then take on the next spotted enemy. Piece by piece with fire-superiority, even if it takes a lot of time to position enough firepower in the right places.

(Bill Hardenberger does that mercilessly! Check his AAR's.)

[Penry]

Thanks gents for the advice. Indeed, fire superiority is an often used phrase that keeps cropping up in the various youtube vids I've wath about CM. I'll keep that in mind for this little battle! I'll go and read Bill's AARs too, just need to find more time.....

[Lethaface]

Nice AAR! I guess being cautious until the Shermans you mentioned arrive wouldn't be a bad idea

[Erwin]

Wow. great AAR.

[Penry]

Thanks guys!

Be patient and cautious until midway through the battle! That's a tall order for someone as impatient as me!

I'm fine when I'm defending, although I do get itchy feet after a while, but when I'm attacking it's a real effort not to keep moving about!

I'm sure that by the time I get my Shermans, BigDork will have got his STuGs, if he hasn't already got them hiding around his end of the map.....

[Penry]

Turn 8

Hmmmmmm, looks like caution, patience and slowing it down might be paying dividends! Who'd have thought it eh? I think I definitely had a case of the 'new game giggles' and that excitement got transferred to some hasty action for those first few turns, especially when BD and I were firing turns back and forth with indecent haste! Now we're back to a turn a day the pendulum seems to be swinging back in my favour!

Four more rounds landed close to BDs southern R35 before my mortar team finished their fire mission. I simply can't believe that I have failed to cause some sort of grief for BD here!

On my left flank I managed to get two rounds in the vicinity of the northern R35. One was well overshot, but just before the turn ended I landed one right in from of his tank! I can see that his tank is buttoned up, but I'm hoping that a round landing that close might at least cause some damage to the tank itself.

[Penry]

Elsewhere my two MMG teams did well, both progressing nicely on their missions.

My rifle squad in the halftrack didn't do quite what I wanted them too thought. Instead of getting out before the halftrack reversed down the hill they waited until had reversed all the way back down the hill and then got out. At least they are all still alive and in one piece though!

My FO survivor also didn't do what I expected him to either. He went out of control as soon as the turn started and didn't come back under control until late in the round, by which time he had legged it back down the road.

The sloppy halftrack driver did the opposite, running forward in panic all the way to the first bridge. He might just have run himslef into a mission there. I do like to see a brave volunteer.....

My only loss this turn was the last member of the HQ support team who were trying to cross the ploughed field. I'm still a bit concerned about the accuracy of those shooters at the farm, but in comparison to those previous turn losing just one man ranks as a major success!

[Penry]

Orders:

Mortar team - one more turn popping off rounds at the northern R35.

FO survivor - rejoin the lads in the courtyard.

Halftrack driver - sneak forward and onto the bridge. It would be good to get a LOS on that southern R35 again, to see if I've done any damage to it.

MMG teams - sneak forward......

Rifle squad - hunt, then sneak up ploughed field.

[womble]

...looks like caution, patience and slowing it down might be paying dividends!

Good for you. Don't slow down too much though, since artillery remains a potential threat One of several dilemmas CM presents to the attacker...

Four more rounds landed close to BDs southern R35 before my mortar team finished their fire mission. I simply can't believe that I have failed to cause some sort of grief for BD here!

Not sure what version you're playing with, but I wouldn't be so sure. There was a behaviour change which reduced the damage that "small" (which I think includes the 60mm) explsions do to armour. But even prior to that, once even those littleuns are buttoned, you'll need a direct hit on the engine deck to do anything more than system damage. Your shrapnel burst kill on the TC at 35m or so can perhaps be attributed as your only example so far this game of "beginner's luck" Just don't expect that sort of result as a norm when shooting at armour with mortars.

The best you're likely to do is slow the little critters down a bit.

My rifle squad in the halftrack didn't do quite what I wanted them too thought. Instead of getting out before the halftrack reversed down the hill they waited until had reversed all the way back down the hill and then got out.

If you want passengers to get out at the beginning of the turn, you have to use the "dismount" command (make sure you have the passengers selected, not the ride, else the ride's driver will dismount, and eject the passengers too...). You can't use the dismount command if there are movement orders already assigned, so if you decide halfway through a multiturn move order that you want the passengers to get out, you need to cancel the remainder of the move order before switching to the passengers and hitting dismount.

It's a bit of a fiddle, but it does meant that you also have the useful behaviour of troops automatically dismounting and beginning to execute their assigned movement order at the point the ride has completed all its assigned waypoints.

I'm still a bit concerned about the accuracy of those shooters at the farm...

About the only thing Italian "Groups" (their half-squads) going for them is the sheer number of rifles pointing downrange. I suspect they're not particularly more accurate, they're just throwing more lead, and the target was moving in the open (at under 200m, I get the impression).

[Penry]

Not too fast, slow it down, but not too slow - for a minute there I thought it was my Mrs posting!

I've always got that nagging fear that arty is going to be paying me a visit anytime now, my gaming history with BD has always been plagued with his screeching incoming rounds causing me a few more grey hairs!

I bought the FI/GL bundle, but I'm not sure what version that makes me. I bought the 2.0 upgrade for BN, but I don't think that applies to this theatre. What are the chances of immobilisation due to track damage, or am I thinking wishfully?

Thanks for the dismount tips, shame I wasted a turn or two. If BD can see what I'm doing he must be wondering what the hell I'm up to! Indecision, moi?

Thanks also for the clarification regarding my opponents. I guess I need to show them less of my men and more respect instead.

[womble]

Not too fast, slow it down, but not too slow - for a minute there I thought it was my Mrs posting!

Oo. And, indeed, er.

I bought the FI/GL bundle, but I'm not sure what version that makes me. I bought the 2.0 upgrade for BN, but I don't think that applies to this theatre. What are the chances of immobilisation due to track damage, or am I thinking wishfully?

I'm pretty sure that puts you post "small explosion on armour nerf", and I think, given the scatter of your shellbursts, that you're being somewhat wishful in your thinking.

Thanks for the dismount tips, shame I wasted a turn or two. If BD can see what I'm doing he must be wondering what the hell I'm up to! Indecision, moi?

I'm sure everyone's opponent has, at more than one stage, thought "What on earth is he trying to do?" The more paranoid ones might go so far as to wonder what devilish surprise such "unorthodox" maneuvers presage.

Thanks also for the clarification regarding my opponents. I guess I need to show them less of my men and more respect instead.

No problem.

[Penry]

Turn 9

Another fairly positive turn, although I am making slow progress and BD has now honed in on my location and pace enough to start calling in fire missions!

I lost the leader from my mortar squad (yellow circle in third image) when what looks like an incoming light mortar round landed just behind them. I presume it is a light mortar, as I simply couldn't locate where it came from. Two more followed soon after, which injured one of my men. Then BDs southern R35 came back into view and fired a shot across the valley, again just landing behind my mortar team and injuring another man. Time to get out of Dodge I think, if I'm not too late!

Artillery of a much larger size landed on the other side of the river, right at the rear edge of the map. It was enough to rattle one of my half tracks, sending it into reverse, and it's enough to prompt me to make some big changes in my next order phase. I've was advised not to stick around in one place too long, and now BD has underlined that advice. Point taken!

Otherwise things were pretty quiet. My MMG teams snuck forward, the front one slightly too far, resulting in some incoming small arms fire from the farmhouse, whicj killed one man and sent the other two crawling back into the trees. Damn, I had hoped they would stay undetected again this turn!

My lone half track driver managed to get to the bridge, but his mission is largely academic now, as the souther R35 had alrady come back into view and had demonstrated full operational ability by firing across the valley at my mortar team. I think I'll conserve this man and get him back under cover ASAP!

Here's how things look at the end of the turn. Notice my intrepid panicked rifleman near the far south of the map. If only he'd calm down, I might be able to gain some vital intel on BDs troop movements over there! He has at least picked up a sound contact on some armour back there.....

[Penry]

Orders:

Mortar team to retreat back down the hill. Looks like those missions were indeed unsuccessful and BD has grown wise to their location now!

At the buildings (white circle) - everyone inside the buildings except the two MMG teams keeping an eye out on either flank. Halftracks to move as close to cover as possible.

Halftrack driver at bridge - back and under cover.

Three halftracks on other side of river - forward, but keep as low down the hill as possible.

Platoon HQ - run forward to riverbank then hide.

Rifle squad - crawl up the hill - keep low and slow!

Front MMG team - back under cover

Rear MMG team - continue crawling along riverbank.

[Penry]

Question. Each of my half tracks has a bazooka and four rounds. Can anyone get access to these, or is it just the half track crew? How do they get access to them? They seem to be my only option against BDs R35s. I realise that I'd have to get up close and personal to use them, but at least it would be an option.

[womble]

At the buildings (white circle) - everyone inside the buildings...

'Nother piece of technical info: troops inside houses remain somewhat vulnerable to artillery bursts (the threat of which is what I'm gathering has caused you to take cover); much less vulnerable than outdoors, sure, but shell fragments can still come in through windows. That vulnerability is reduced if you Hide them (so they stay on their bellies) and/or if you can put them on an upper floor. It's best to avoid the uppermost floor if you think the bombardment is going to be strong enough to destroy the roof, since that can have disastrous consequences for the pTruppen on the top level, but it takes a lot of 60/47, and a fair amount of 81mm, or even 105 (you'll have to guestimate from the craters - if it's any bigger, you may be in trouble wherever you hide ) to knock a roof in, and if the bombardment turns out to be over a wide area, your troops will be safer upstairs.

Of course, Hiding reduces their situational awareness and pretty much stops them taking any offensive action, so you might not want to do that, and getting upstairs is best done on Slow, if there's any incoming small arms fire, or, indeed, when the shells are falling thick and fast.

[Baneman]

Question. Each of my half tracks has a bazooka and four rounds. Can anyone get access to these, or is it just the half track crew? How do they get access to them? They seem to be my only option against BDs R35s. I realise that I'd have to get up close and personal to use them, but at least it would be an option.

Anyone can access them. Mount up the team you want to get the bazooka then use the ACQUIRE command next turn ( in WEGO, you have to wait until they're all inside the vehicle ) to pick it up - just keep hitting the button until you've got everything you want.

Usually used simply to replenish ammo, but the plethora of bazooka's is nice for the Allies.

[womble]

There's also extra ammo for various infantry weapon systems, usually, too. Just be extra careful about what you do grab; there's no way to put it back if you take the wrong stuff.

[John Kettler]

Penry,

Your diamond game view is unique in my experience. I like your arch comments about some of your leaders, and I nearly choked laughing over your crack about BigDork's armor. Fortunately, when I encountered it, I was neither eating nor drinking!

I, too, have "treed" a vehicle, in my case, a jeep. And I can't blame it on casualties, merely abject terror while being shot at by multiple MGs and high velocity cannon! Shall have to post that one of these days.

You seem to have a very workmanlike approach to warfare, and your posts are both information rich and concise. Do you offer a correspondence course?! Mine, you see, tend to be considerably less succinct.

I see the halftracks are faithfully reflecting the name the GIs gave them: Purple Heart boxes. And the FO's getting creamed illustrates a phenomenon I remember well from CMx1--the little-known but lethal FO homing munitions. Between those and that guy Murphy, it's a wonder we ever get a successful shoot done!

You crack me up. Since that's the case, I'd like to know the name of the training course that lets your men hover while prone (Post 28)?

On a more serious note, if you head over to the Spotting thread, you'll find that every one of your halftrack mounted squads (rifle, MG, mortar) has a bazooka and two men designated to operate it. It's organic to the squad, not the vehicle. It's in the Crew Drill for Halftracks manual.

Regards,

John Kettler