White Manor AAR: c3k as ALLIES

[c3k]

Grrr.... More....

Turn 10 (ish). down to 1:11:00.

This shows the turn at 1:11:12. I've labeled my platoons as B1, etc. That should get even the newbest of you up to speed. Over on my right, B3 is the tip of the spear, the lead point, the high motivated individuals. I've got two tanks in position near B3 to spray down sfhand's likely hiding spots. I shall call them "orange" and "blue". Their yellow arrows, pictured above, show where they're area targeting. They are buttoned up. No brain splatters for sfhand! He'll have to pry open my armor before he can get to my men's brainpans!

Close examination between the two highlighted tanks shows the icon for my team which just took a casualty. They're hors de combat...for now. I'll allow them the chance to erase that yellow streak later on. My men give me a "huzzah" for showing such forbearance. "You're welcome, men."

A closeup of B3 and the blue tank:

Deep in the shadows of the bocage in screen-middle are the huddled team with the out of command icon. Over on the right edge are some other guys, huddled for cover. That's okay, I've got fresh meat filling in the gaps. You can see the smoke from the area targeting my Stuart is laying down. MG's and 37mm HE. Well, the HE may not be worth much... I may need to swap over to TARGET LIGHT to get both MG's in action, rather than just the one. (TARGET uses the main gun, rather than the coax. Either way, the bow MG will fire. In this case, I think the coax would be better... I'll fix that, later.)

Here's a view, just a few seconds later, showing the left side:

You can see that C3, although not exposing itself unduly, is pressuring the middle. C2 and C1 are doing fine work on the left.

[c3k]

And this is how it's done:

A combination of suppressive firepower, deployed infantry, bold maneuver, and, of course, outstanding leadership. Child's play, really.

Of course, once you get some men across, you need to get MORE men across. Soviet bridgehead style is best.

Not a single casualty crossing the road or entering the field. This is better than savegaming vs. the AI. They say "pride goes before the fall". Perhaps that is true...for lesser mortals. We'll be in Berlin before Christmas, men.

[Erwin]

Love the humorous approach.

[c3k]

Okay, a bit earlier Bil Hardenberger questioned my lack of armor on my center/left. (Remember, ALL this fighting occurred BEFORE any posting on the forum...)

Here's the overview at 1:10:00 (End of turn 10):

Bil hit the nail on the head. I've got plenty of armor working on my right. I need to get something over on my left. I put the demo team up in front of C2 in order to blast a gap or two for infantry. I can use them to help the tank, as well.

I hope sfhad sees the rooster tail and rushes whatever antitank elements he has over to the left. Or, at least, he doesn't move antitank assets from middle/left to my right. The rooster tails (tank and previous jeep) should help keep some units pinned with indecision.

We'll see...

[c3k]

Okay, back to the current action.

Turn 12, 1:09:47. By B3. The area fire has been going on for almost 2 full turns. I've got infantry across the road. Let's get something better there...

This could be dangerous. That's okay: I'm willing to risk my men. They thank me.

He could have something waiting in that field, or along the bocage. Shrug. I've got enough eyes out there that I'll spot and kill whichever unit he uses.

I'm not sure what that new spot is. Shrug. I'll get to it.

[c3k]

Let's look to the left...

I've got C1 slinking around while C2 moves to flank some Germans...

Here it is a few seconds later...

[Bil Hardenberger]

This is a fun AAR Ken.. so it appears that sfhand is deficient in flank security. Way to punish him for that oversight. :cool:

[c3k]

And some closeups of the fight pictured above:

Life is all sunshine and flowers for me this turn. Or is it?

[c3k]

While all this goodness was happening on my left, I heard something on my right...

Well, that seems to've come from the German spot labeled "Huh?" several postings upstream...

And this is where it ended up:

And here is what happened...

Sfhand put that 'schreck in a great spot. The center of that far field has a keyhole LOS through to my plowed field. My area fire was all too short.

No matter! I am willing to absorb all the HE he can produce. I will merely send more men and machines.

[c3k]

And then, just to round out the final move of this minute...

This team has finished giving first aid to the man that was down. They've come out through the gate (just in front of the just-destroyed Stuart) and are gaining a toehold on my side of the bocage which the Stuart had been area-firing against.

[noob]

Sfhand put that 'schreck in a great spot. The center of that far field has a keyhole LOS through to my plowed field. My area fire was all too short.

I have been trying the same sort of tactic with PIAT's. The reason being that they are designed for firing prone, so it seemed remiss to force them to kneel. The logical next step is to put them in crops. The only problem with PIAT's however is that against tanks they usually have to hit multiple times, which allows them to be spotted. So they need to be regarded as suicide AT troops in such terrain, however, one tank kill at a cost of one PIAT is a good trade off.

Shrek's on the other hand are better used kneeling, and the fact that they can kill with one hit means a better chance of relocation and thus survival. This means they definitely need to be hidden in crops, especially since potentially good hedge locations usually attract area fire from seasoned players.

I played this scenario recently as the Axis, and found it difficult to bring them to bear the traditional way, so i think this is going to be a standard practice for me in future, great idea sfhand.

p.s. One more advantage of deploying shreks in crops rather than hedges is that a field has so much more surface area than a hedge, so more places to hide.

[c3k]

Since I left that three man team running towards the bocage, let's look at them a few seconds later, 1:08:59...

This could be ugly. If they cannot control this part of the bocage, then I'll have to expend more effort.

Orange and Blue Teams are in position and are providing security.

Let's see what happened...

Two dead, one fleeing, one facing. That facing guy could be bad juju. A grenade or some automatic weapon action could be bad...

A few more seconds later...

All is good.

One thing to notice: the Orange Team, top screenshot, is the one that has eyes on that German team. They are the ones that clearing the bocage for the Yellow Team. It was a nice bonus having an LOS from there.

[c3k]

The most important action of the turn, to me, is here:

I've got eyes onto my "Key Field", including any dead zones. It's unlikely the far side of the field is defended. In order to enter this "Key Field", I'll have to blow a tank-sized gap in the bocage.

It's time to order up the demo team and the rest of B3...

[c3k]

I'd already set the B3/demo team in motion. (Remember, this is WeGo.)

Here they are, at 1:08:26...

And here they are at 1:08:18...

Either sfhand snuck someone into position, or he witheld fire for a nice effect. The cool outcome of this - for him - was leaving my demo team with only one demo charge.

If a line infantry unit provides buddy aid, I'll lose the demo charges carried by the wounded engineer. If my demo team provides buddy aid, I lose the timing for blowing into the Key Field. Also, they'll be exposed to whichever unit has LOS/LOF onto that spot. Grrr. Well done, sfhand.

Well, they're a demo team and they have a demo charge. The mission takes priority. I'll leave all three men writhing in the road for now. I'll send the demo team back to strip the bodies later.

[c3k]

And finally, a few overviews as the 12th minute comes to a close...

Above, you can see the right side, stripped of trees. I'll spend the next few turns working towards getting the blue and white lines.

I've tossed a couple comments into the screenshot to show what I think I'm facing.

Above is the overall view. My M5, in blue, is reinforcing the C1 left flank. They'll need a bit of firepower to push through the wheat fields across the road. I'm already getting fire from some Germans over there.

C2, orange, has secured the building cluster.

C3, yellow, has secured the foothold into the initial bocage block which should have sfhand's screening force.

The green circle is some mortar action. I want to bottle the screening force into that bocage block. The driveway which is the focus of the mortars is sunken. It's a great hiding spot. I hope he's got a company stacked in there! Anyway, a bit of HE for interdiction purposes there should contain some forces while C3's yellow group works the bocage from left to right. They're the hammer: B company is the anvil. C2, orange, should cover any squirters trying to get straight back over the road. It's not perfect, but it'll work.

[womble]

If a line infantry unit provides buddy aid, I'll lose the demo charges carried by the wounded engineer.

Not necessarily so. Like any item, there's no guarantee the demo charge will be recoverable (though they do usually seem to be), but if it is, whatever element that renders Buddy Aid will pick it up. They will also be able to use it, too. Not as quickly as "Engineer" specialists (a Regular, 0 Engineer takes, IIRC 20s to set a charge for Blast, whereas I've had Regular, 0 units take over a minute), but they'll do it.

So going ahead with your breach team and having a following infantry team grab the goodies is probably your best plan.

[c3k]

Okay, I'm back...

Remember that tank I sent to the left? Here's what was going on a few minutes earlier which prompted that decision:

Open fields, casualties, etc., etc.

C1, my platoon on my far left, will continue to press. I want to stress sfhand's defense. Hell, I just want to stress sfhand! Enough stress will lead to fractures in his will. When he crumbles, so, too, will his men. Flesh is unimportant: will is all.

Onwards!

[c3k]

Turn 13, 1:08:00 down to 1:07:00

Despite the WIA that C1 has taken, I'm pushing them forward to the line of bocage on my side of the road. Based on incoming fire, I think sfhand has positioned a team on the road. (See the picture in the post above.)

So, this is what's happened:

I put one squad left and split it. Part, in green, is going to lay down some justice on those Germans. In order to get them there, the guys in blue will secure that corner spot. The blue squad took a few hits. Sfhand has that area covered nicely from his wheatfield line. If I can get the blue guys up to the bocage, they'll gain some cover.

Meanwhile, I'm pushing more guys through the bush field, up to the road.

Ten seconds later, at 1:07:15, my left (C1 platoon) took more incoming...

Every German bullet fired here is a bullet not fired on my right!

A closer view of the bush field:

(There are a total of three casualties. Two are on top of one another in the middle of the field.)

[Bil Hardenberger]

Okay, I'm back...

I want to stress sfhand's defense. Hell, I just want to stress sfhand! Enough stress will lead to fractures in his will. When he crumbles, so, too, will his men. Flesh is unimportant: will is all.

Truer words have rarely been uttered Ken!

The psychological impact is rarely stressed but is indeed one of the most important aspects of combat and needs to be kept ever in mind.

Bil

[c3k]

As the 13th minute wound down, here's my left:

My guys in green cannot see any Germans where I thought there'd be some. My guys are cowering and not quite up to the corner. So, maybe they just need to crawl forward a bit more. Of course, they're horribly exposed to the Germans in the wheatfield. It happens.

Here's an overview of my left, at 1:07:01.

Like I wrote in the screenshot, this is fine. I'll gladly have a battle of attrition to pin down the defense. I'll keep pushing, especially to flank his line, but every German out in the field is one less German in a village house. That helps me. A lot.

[c3k]

Same turn, let's look at the right side. Again, this is THE critical zone. (To me!)

I've got B3 penetrating almost to my Key Field. B2 is sitting back, in reserve. B1 is lining the bocage, providing some support and staying out of the way. After sitting in position, B1 has provided some valuable intel:

That LOS is not something I'd expected. However, it shows the worth of keeping some guys stationary. Their situational awareness improves the longer they sit. The schreck team may, or may not, be the guys that took out my Stuart.

Regardless, in order to use the Key Field, I've got to control the bocage lines.

B3 will be ordered to close with and capture the tall grass field. They thank me.

While B3 preps to go over the top, I continue mortaring the sunken drive in that first bocage block. B1 is looking at the right part of it, and C3 is manuevering around on its left. A bag o'Germans would be nice.

[c3k]

B3, far right, at the end of the 13th minute.

While B3 lays down area fire, I threw several smoke grenades (after checking the wind) and ordered a team forward.

The trees are off to enhance the visibility. That team of studs needs to clear the "blue line". That will open up that entire flank for the rest of B3. The smoke will help B3 close with the blue line. There's a nice gap in the blue line that B3 can use to enter the field. I'll do that to secure my penetration's flank, as well as close off any safe haven to any Germans escaping from the front bocage block.

I've picked an endpoint for my Team o'Studs such that they will have LOS over the entire blue line. That will unhinge any defense of that entire field.

Here's a ground level view:

Once that tall grass field is secured, then B1 and C3 can clear the bocage block up front. That will free up those 2 platoons to wreak more mayhem. That's a good thing.

[c3k]

Finally, still the same turn, here's the benefit of flanking a defense rather than going in head-first:

These are my C3 flankers. They went up the central road, bypassing The Field o'Death, and gained the position I wanted right after my light mortar bombardment ended. You can see the welcome that sfhand had set up for me. That's barbed wire along the orange lines. Vicious, huh?

Next, my flankers will mow down anyone along that bocage. One good turn deserves another.

Thus far I've had something around 15 total casualties. Perhaps 2 or 3 KIA out of that total. (~7 on the left, 1 tank crewman, ~5 on the right, plus whoever I forgot about.)

[c3k]

Turn 14, 1:06:55

My Studs! on the right are gaining the bocage flanking position...

Yes! It pays off. Now, this should be quick work.

A few seconds and a few grenades later:

Unfortunately, the Studs! are 50% down. That causes them to flee. Yes, they are now fleeing Studs!

This is how it fits into the overall B3 scheme:

Regardless, B3 is doing well...

[c3k]

Over on the left, the attack is running into some defenders. That's cool...

As the turn develops...

Finally, as the turn ends, I really like how my left side is lined up. Despite the enemy, in their own line, my guys don't have any open flanks. There are a couple of odd objects coming down. Spotting rounds?