Ritirare! Allied attack AAR

[Penry]

Turn 25

INSANE!!!

Far too much going on for me to process accurately. I'm feeling tired and dazed from working too much, and I've got the feeling that I'm going down with a cold, so it was all a bit much for me this turn!

Chin up commander, get on with the job at hand!

Or maybe it was the pounding I got from BDs artillery this turn that has left me dazed and confused?

Thirty, yes thirty, rounds landed in and around my buildings. I was going to plot all their impact locations for your perusal, but I haven't got the energy to do that I'm afraid.

Thankfully I only lost one man to the bombardment - the commander of my self propelled gun. It could have been a lot worse and I'll take this as a victory on my part. Thirty arty rounds for the loss of one man is an awesome result for me!

One of my bridgeside scout teams is also pinned, but I have no immediate plans for them anyway, so no biggy there....

Towards the end of the turn I got some payback on BD, with my own artillery strike starting on his farmyard. Five rounds landed, with a sixth streaking down as the turn ended (expected impact location is the orange star).

There was also two spotting impacts from my second artillery strike (just at the bottom edge of the screenie and in the river), so this should see the beginning of a prolonged battering of BDs farmyard!

I'm hoping that one (or more) of the three rounds that landed near BDs AT gun position has caused some damage. Once I get my tank reinforcements I don't want to have to worry about an AT gun as well as the R35s!

The only other casualty I sustained this turn was one of the two crew that tried to re-man my rear self propelled gun. Interestingly BD had not even attempted to take out my rear self propeleld gun until my two men got back on board, when he immediately opened fire with his HMGer in the nearest farm building. This attracted the attention of BDs southern R35, who put three main rouns into my SPG, the second killing my gunner and sending the driver running, the third knocking out the SPG! I wonder why BD has left the SPG unmolested for a number of turns, then as soon as two men get back on board they go for the kill? Definitely worth noting for future events.....

My forward SPG put another smoke round into the copse (Mr Einstein was chuckling on my shoulder), but then got their A into G and managed to land one in their intended location. The smoke is pretty pathetic compared to my offboard smoke strike, but it will hopefully be better than nothing!

[Penry]

Orders:

OK, I'm rolling the dice and going for it ('hurray' I hear you all scream - 'finally'! )

When I say 'going for it', that is in a measured way of course. My CM history of 'big moves' hasn't gone very well, so I don't want to throw everything into the mix, just enough to test the waters - let's say I'm putting my big toe in!

First the easy stuff - my mortar team is deployed and will use their remaining eight rounds on the furthest farmhouse, hoping to damage the HMG that is no doubt in there too.

I'm also having a go at getting BDs southern R35. Hoping to use the smoke as cover I will:

Move my SPG down the road and try to get a shot off at BD before he can reply.

Move my bazooka 'team' in the copse out and hunt BDs R35, in the hope that a one man bazooka team can get one round off at least.

Open fire at BDs southern R35 with one of my regular half tracks, in the hope that it will distract him enough for either of my previous two assets to inflict a killing blow.

I'm also taking the opportunity to move up a number of units to my side of the bridge, in the hope that the smoke/attack on BDs R35 and my three arty strikes on the farmyard will be causing BDs defenders damage and suppression enough for me to launch an assualt in the very near future. I am moving up:

Two HQ support teams (armed with bazookas)

One empty mortar team

One rifle squad (armed with a bazooka)

In all 18 men (plus four bridge scouts already in position)

Lastly, I am sending my lone bridge scout across the bridge, to see what resistance, if any, he attracts. He refused to go last time (can't think why? ) - hopefully he's grown a pair since then.....

[Penry]

Turn 26

If I thought I had it bad, then BD must still be hiding under his desk after this round! Talk about a pounding! His farmyard took a real beating this turn! Sixty one rounds off hurt landed in and around his defensive positions. I now know what to set up and watch when I have a bad day at work!

One thing's for sure, his AT gun is out of action! Can't wait to see BDs post about this turn when the battle is over and we can look at each others thread. I'm dying to know just how effective my first artillery strike has been. Now I need BDs survivors to make a break for the rear and be caught in the second strike!

[Penry]

The repositioning of my men went well, all my infantry moved up to my side of the bridge, my lone rifleman crossed the bridge unharmed and my halftracks pushed forward a bit.

BDs southern R35 fired one more main round at my dead rear SPG before the smoke blocked his view. Looking at the smoke drifting across the ploughed field, the SPG smoke is better than I first thought. That round that landed near BDs R35 should keep him out of action for a while and definitely long enough for me to get my forward SPG into a decent firing position!

The only downer of the turn was the arrival near the end of the turn of some new armour for BD - the much awaited STuG - in the form of a IIIF/8 (I think). The one good of info I found out about it is that it doesn't appear have a MG, so I might have some joy with my bazooka teams, if not my SPG or the imminent arrival of my new armour!

I must say that this scenario seems to be really well balanced. BD seemed to have had the upper hand initially, then my SPGs turned up and the impetus shifted to me. Now BDs STuG has appeared, and it looks like he will be on top again. I wonder how many and what armour I will get in a few minutes, and whether I get the upper hand again......

[Penry]

Orders:

Go for it men!

Men around bridge (yellow circle) - cross bridge and take shelter in the copse to the left.

Men around buildings (orange circle) - move up to my side of the bridge.

Half tracks on my side of the bridge - move into support fire positions looking down onto farmyard.

MG team in copse on other side of bridge - move up and deploy.

Bazooka man on other side of bridge - run up ploughed field to get in range of R35.

Half tracks on other side of bridge - move up to support advance.

This turn should see the end of my first artillery strike and the start of my second one. Good luck BD!

[Penry]

Turn 27

Another turn of hurt for BDs defenders at the farmyard! Another fourty nine rounds landed on or around the place. I'd hate to think what state his men are in, they must be nervous wrecks!

Towards the end of the round I saw what I was looking for, BDs men crawling and running for their lives. Now they should get caught by my second artillery strike, which started midway through the turn!

Looks like I won't be having any more problems with the HMGer in the left farmhouse, and by the looks of things the right farmhouse won't be too far behind!

[Penry]

Away from the farm things didd't go quite so well. BDs southern R35 continued to be a pain, unleashing I don't know what at my infantrymen as they tried to cross the bridge. If anyone knows what this is I'd sure be glad to find out! Just as well it fell short and it caused no casualties, in fact I got away remarkably lightly with my failed river crossing - my men are all bunched up at the far end, too scared to swing a left into the woods.

Thankfully the R35s attention was broken and it swung to the left slightly, no doubt it has spotted something around my buildings. Maybe my infantrymen will get their chance next turn?

My advancing half tracks back at my buildings did manage to spot some more of BDs reserve armour, that is until the StuG showed signs of being interested in them, when they promptly slammed into reverse and got the hell out of dodge!

[Penry]

Other than the above I noticed the first spotting of BDs German infantrymen, streaming across the top of the ridge at the back of the battlefield, running full pelt in the direction of the rear bridge. I'm sure they will offer stiffer resistance to my measured attack than their Italian cousins, who have been more stubborn than I expected so far!

My halftracks also caught a brief glimpse of a mortar team and AT gun team at the rear bridge. Looks like BD is defending in depth. I have lots to keep an eye on and can't focus too much on BDs R35s and StuG.

Lastly, I got a armour sound contact on the diagonal forest track leading down from the northern forest to the rear of the battlefield. I presume (hope) that it is BDs northern R35 repositioning after giving up on its position in the northern forest. Time will tell!

[Penry]

Orders:

I'm commited now, there's no turning back!

Self propelled gun by my buildings - hunt forward and take out BDs southern R35. That should make my river crossing much easier!

Men on other side of the river - into the woods and rest until second arty strike is over.

Men on my side of the river crossing - cross, into the woods and rest.

Mortar team - expend remaining six rounds on BDs mortar and AT gun position at the rear bridge.

[womble]

BDs southern R35...unleashing I don't know what at my infantrymen as they tried to cross the bridge. If anyone knows what this is I'd sure be glad to find out!

That'll be a canister round. And it does exactly what it looks like it should if it intersects an infantry squad...

Other than the above I noticed the first spotting of BDs German infantrymen, streaming across the top of the ridge at the back of the battlefield, running full pelt in the direction of the rear bridge. I'm sure they will offer stiffer resistance to my measured attack than their Italian cousins, who have been more stubborn than I expected so far!

It's worth reiterating that the game doesn't model any inherent morale/experience/leadership factors by troop type. If you want your paras to be snake eating muddy funsters, you need them to be assigned Veteran or better experience, and high morale. Italian troops are allowed to have those factors too, and they have exactly the same effects as they would on other nationalities/arms. I'm not saying that your opposition so far does have high soft stats, but they could at least be Regular with Normal morale, and there's no real reason to "expect" the German reinforcements to have more than that, either (unless your briefing says the reinforcements are likely to be from an elite unit).

Historically, the Italian weaknesses were not at the level of the individual trooper or squad. Rather they were in equipment and doctrine: their rifles fired lighter rounds; MGs were Battalion level assets, as were light mortars; their LMG was probably one of the worst issued to any army at the time; doctrine, training and TO didn't permit their very large squads to break down into manageable fire teams; SMGs, though the type issued was competent, were pretty rare; their failings at higher command levels are well known. Where those weaknesses impinge at the tactical level, BFC have modelled them, but don't underestimate your average Italian fighting man, defending his home soil.

That said, the Germans do come with MG42/34s I expect, so they'll be dishing out more hurt...

[Penry]

Damn glad that it didn't hit my men then, that would have seriously put a downer on my crossing attempt!

Thanks for the info regarding the Italians. One of the reasons I got the FI and GL pack was to expand my knowledge of the war, having very little previous knowledge of this part of the war. Suggested reading would be very much appreciated!

[Penry]

Turn 28

Another action packed turn, another chaos filled turn, another body bag filled turn!

My self propelled gun finally got a line of sight on BDs southern R35, but it was a brief window of opportunity and I couldn't deliver the killer blow. I did get a side hull penetration, but I saw no confirmed kills and it managed to slip away back into the forest. I'm hoping that I killed the commander, but the driver is definitely living, if a little shaken!

At least I got it to withdraw to a position that wasn't directly threatening my men crossing the bridge. They did however suffer two serious hits this turn. The first looks like it was a freindly fire hit - a stray round from my second artillery strike on the farmyard possibly? Either way, six of my boys packed their bags and headed off to the great barracks in the sky!

The second looked like a shot from beyond BDs farm. Maybe it was the R35 that is hiding out back there, although it would have been a lucky shot through the dust a smoke that shrouds the farmyard. Another three good men sent packing.....

I was also taking intermittent small arms fire from a couple of locations in the southern forest. Looks like BD has a couple of squads over there, firing down into the valley.

I really need to get my men off that bridge, trouble is they seem to be well and truly stuck there, unable to push beyond the exposed exit and into the relative safety of the trees either side. Come on boys, grow a pair and push on!

[Penry]

Midway through the turn my second arty strike on BDs farmyard finished. I didn't manage to see any more confirmed kills, but my boys had better things to do this turn than doing body counts on enemy positions. If I can just make a push in the farm and get into a defensive position, ready for BDs inevitable counter attack.....

Towards the end of the turn a new threat arose. Another STuG emerged from the back of the northern forest and promptly knocked out one of my half tracks on the hill beside my buildings. One shot was all it took (unsurprisingly) and any of my half tracks who venture into that area are now going to be easy meat! Unfortunately one of my half tracks ended the turn shaken from incoming small arms fire and was reversing right into its line of fire.......

Here's the state of play at the end of the turn. As you can see BDs northern STuG has a great position overlooking my left flank and the numerous half tracks I have stationed around there. If BDs southern R35 can recover and is still operational then he will soon be in a position to threaten my attempted advance towards the farmyard, a mission not helped by the smalla rms fire coming in from the nearby infantry in the southern forest.

[Penry]

Orders:

SPG - reverse, then hunt forward to try to get a better angle on BDs southern R35.

Half track to the rear of the ploughed field - area fire on suspected infantry positions in southern forest (orange line)

Scattered men in ploughed field - run to the cover of the copse.

Teams on the bridge - get across and into cover!

Half tracks at my rear - get behind those trees!

One more minute or so until reinforcements!

[Penry]

Turn 29

Bad, bad, bad, bad, bad turn!

BDs STuG on the northern hill is ruling the battlefield and there is sod all I can do about it! If my imminent tank reinforcements do not pull something major out the bag I think I'm going to have to throw in the towel, otherwise I'll just be chucking these young mens' lives away needlessly!

As expected my out of command reversing half track reversed right into BDs STuGs line of sight and soon became victim #1. BD has so much time that he even fired an extra shot to make sure that the job was done well, not that it was needed!

The STuG then turned its attention to my boys on the bridge. Easy meat for the STuG and a number of men perished as stone fragements ripped them apart!

This image shows just what an awesome position BDs STuG is in, with complete command over the whole of the valley, from the farm to my entry point at the far edge of the map! The only places to hise are behind the trees and behind the two buildings!

[Penry]

One of my half tracks sped forward, to try and get into a position to dominate the farmyard. I was thinking that things were going well, as it reached its destination unscathed, although there were signs of the odd grenade being lobbed at it, but as soon as it stopped amongst the trees it came under fire from BDs R35 behind the village. Two shots and it was game over for that idea!

Having dispatched with my half track, the R35 also turned it's attention to my men on the bridge, unleashing a savage cannister round as they tried to exit the mouth of the bridge. I didn't suffer any casualties from it, it impacted harmlessly against the side of the bridge, but is was enough to send my men into panic!

[Penry]

My only good news of the turn was that I had a potentially successful mortar strike on the second bridge. Five rounds landed near to the bridge, four in a nice tight cluster around where the AT gun was stationed. The AT gun seems a distant threat now, the STuG(s) being far more lethal to my fading ambitions....

Here's the state of play at the end of the turn. Looks like there is nowhere to run to for me, and I'm back in a bloody tight spot.

Notice how BDs northern R35 has rejoined the action - how nice of him to compound my problems!

Add to that the StuG and R35 behind the farmyard, and the StuG at the left rear and things are going to be tough for my imminent tanks, making no mention of the two R35s in the southern forest!

[Penry]

Orders:

I'm too scared to move much, even if I could move much!

I decided to pivot my self propelled gun around and try to take out BDs northern R35, hopefully without exposing it to any of the other threats around the valley!

My mortar team, who are out of ammo, will sprint down to my buildings.

My 'scout' in the southern forest will head towards the last known position of the southern R35.

Holding out for those tank reinforcements......

[womble]

Add to that the StuG and R35 behind the farmyard, and the StuG at the left rear and things are going to be tough for my imminent tanks, making no mention of the two R35s in the southern forest!

The R35s can't really do more than scrape the paint off your Shermans, if you can keep the glacis pointed at 'em. I'm not sure they can even penetrate the side armour, at anything but really close range. Possibly worth a quick test, that.

[Penry]

Thanks for the info womble. I'm not really into doing tests outside of real play, prefering live trials and living with the consequences. Let's hope I don't live to regret my words.....

[Penry]

Turn 30

A pretty quiet turn, and I'm cream crackered, so I'll make this brief!

All the action centred around the bridge.

BDs northern STuG fired a main round at the side of the bridge - no casualties, lots of cowering men though.

Some sort of armour (I think it was the R35) fired a main round from behind the farmyard, striking the end of the brdieg and killing a man.

Numerous small arms fire contacts from the front bunkers around the farmyard (I'm guessing the Germans have arrived and are in position) - no casualties.

[Penry]

Orders:

Wooohooo!

5 M4A1's have arrived! I put them straight into action, hunting forward and concentrating on BDs northern STuGs position. Even if I lose one then I will consider it a good trade, maybe even two!

Go boys!

I also lined up another huge area arty strike on the farmyard. Six minutes and counting.....

[womble]

Wooohooo!

5 M4A1's have arrived! I put them straight into action, hunting forward and concentrating on BDs northern STuGs position. Even if I lose one then I will consider it a good trade, maybe even two!

Before you get too carried away, remember that the short 75 doesn't have a great success rate against the StuG's frontal armour. The StuG's gun isn't an auto kill on a Sherman, either, but if you can't get a flank shot, you might find that two dead Ronsons is getting off lightly.

I also lined up another huge area arty strike on the farmyard. Six minutes and counting.....

What? More arty? Impressive!

[herr_oberst]

Orders:

Wooohooo!

5 M4A1's have arrived! I put them straight into action, hunting forward and concentrating on BDs northern STuGs position. Even if I lose one then I will consider it a good trade, maybe even two!

Go boys!

If you're going hunting Stugs, you'll want more spread between vehicles. As it is, at a decent range you look like you're all lined up within gun traverse. Force the Stug to do at least some hull traverse to engage more than one of your tanks or it could get ugly real fast..

[Penry]

Gents - after reading your two comments I dreaded loading up the incoming save, fearing another disaster of a turn! Thankfully the God of newbies was looking down on me!

Thanks for your comments though, I'm taking it all in!

womble - I still have 44 rounds left in one arty team, twenty odd in the other. I plan to expend all 44 on my next strike, then make another rush attempt!