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AXIS - CMBN-Market Garden - BETA AAR


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Ken's support tank appeared on my far right... he fired some MG and main gun rounds.. I took one casualty. I have precious little over there to stop him... but all I am interested in with this tank is to keep him busy and engaged so he can't be used against my town attack force.

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Ken has started to deploy a PIAT towards my Jpz... this is good, exactly what I had hoped for.. Ken is starting to dislodge town defenders to deal with my feint force.

Note in this image the location of the PIAT, a jeep loaded with an MG unit.. sorry I realized later there is no way it can carry both an MG and a mortar. this one is carrying an MG team.

I need to close this back door to keep Ken from this continuous reinforcement. I am considering a movement as indicated to close the back door.. this is risky.. he could have a PIAT team back there.. however if you think about it I find that unlikely as I would bet he will want all of those on the line to combat my assault force on the town.

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My support force continues to move forward and is starting to suppress the enemy defenses. Watch the this video of the support force moving and suppressing the defenses

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Sure took that building apart at 0:16-0:19. No doubt the prior damage may have had something to do with that, still a lot of effect coming from 20 mm.

In the street I grew up there were several new buildings because of a German 20 mm defending from behind a canal there in April 1945. That piece single-handedly blocked the Canadian advance for several hours.

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Sure took that building apart at 0:16-0:19. No doubt the prior damage may have had something to do with that, still a lot of effect coming from 20 mm.

Michael

Michael, yeah that building was targeted by Ken's AA tanks earlier in the battle... and actually though I showed just one, it was hit by two volleys this turn from the Wirblewind. I am loving that vehicle.. very effective, and I am not even close to running out of ammo for it.

Bil

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Ken is pushing his support tank down the flank road toward my lone squad on the far right (my right)... is it really his plan to keep this valuable resource bottled up away from the real action in this, no pun intended, "side show"?

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My Jpz is moving slowly over these fields but is starting to penetrate into Ken's rear.. it is alone so I am kind of worried about it, but we'll just have to see what kind of damage it can do back there. If nothing else it will force Ken to send some units out to meet it... or run away, his troops have been pretty good at running away so far in this game so that'll probably be his answer :D

I had planned to send some halftracks behind it to provide some support but they are losing their gunners at an alarming rate to Ken's hidden gunners so I am calling that off.

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Like I just mentioned in c3k's thread:

"Though unemployment figures are currently very high, and my job might be on the line, I most certainly would NOT apply for the vacancy of machine gunner in a Sdkfz.

It must be THE most lethal position in all of Combat Mission's history."

Bill, I empathize..

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And isn't that strange, since the Sdkfz gunners have a shield and the US gunners do not on their M3s? Odd, but I do find the US gunners a bit more survivable. However, this could be simply my too limited set for statistical analysis. I bitched a lot recently about Pak crew vulnerability, but played a CMFI/GL scenario vs. AI (Smoke Em if you Got Em) wherein a Pak gave me absolute fits, continuing to KO vehicles after several iterations of, "surely THAT must have killed him!" fires. So I conclude that sometimes Paks die easy, and sometimes, not so much... Just wish I could influence that a bit more.

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And isn't that strange, since the Sdkfz gunners have a shield and the US gunners do not on their M3s? Odd, but I do find the US gunners a bit more survivable.

Oh, I do not find that. The US HTs are even more skittish and for good reason. An MG 42 can not only KO the gunner but anyone on board is at risk.

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Michael Emrys,

Hmm. Freudian slip or "Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar."

Seedorf81,

Would imagine running point isn't good for one's life expectancy, either.

ian.leslie,

Slab sides on U.S. halftracks--feature or benefit? Certainly, it's easier to manufacture rectangular fighting compartments, as opposed to the ballistically angled 251 type. Am unaware the 251s were ever called "purple heart boxes" or anything like that. And, yes, the MG-42, inside around ~300 meters, is a direct threat to even a buttoned U.S. halftrack.

Regards,

John Kettler

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And isn't that strange, since the Sdkfz gunners have a shield and the US gunners do not on their M3s? Odd, but I do find the US gunners a bit more survivable. However, this could be simply my too limited set for statistical analysis.

I think the shield is more a device to enhance the morale of the gunner than anything else. Because be it a Sdkfz or a M3 or a Bren Carrier chances are that the gunner will have to be replaced when he gets his head shot off.

I bitched a lot recently about Pak crew vulnerability, but played a CMFI/GL scenario vs. AI (Smoke Em if you Got Em) wherein a Pak gave me absolute fits, continuing to KO vehicles after several iterations of, "surely THAT must have killed him!" fires. So I conclude that sometimes Paks die easy, and sometimes, not so much... Just wish I could influence that a bit more.

I find very effective to direct HE area fire to the sides or the rear of the ATG emplacement. US 57mm ATG especially are death traps for their crew once spotted. If the ATG is in a trench or behind a good reverse slope position, this doesn't work very well or at all, and I need to try to blind it with smoke and flank it or get infantry within effective range to pick off the crew or just admit heavy losses as my tanks have to rush the position as in an image from an old picture book depicting a cavalry charge...

A well-thought out defense in depth with ATG's of lethal calibres is quite a nightmare to break through.

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So, over these two turns my Jpz has driven very deep... it is in danger however... Ken did have a PIAT over here (of course he did) and it got several rounds off... only one of which hit (top image)... this hit did no damage however.

The last round (bottom image) was a near miss but caused some track damage.. and now this Jpz is limping along. Ken might be able to bag this vehicle so I need to think of something clever.

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At the end of the thirty-fifth minute you can see where the Jpz is in relation to Ken's PIAT.. the PIAT is moving towards this vehicle and it is moving veery slow now so I have to be very careful at this point. Luckily I do have a unit that has the moving PIAT team spotted....

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On my extreme right Ken has turned his Support tank away from my waiting infantry squad... I think he might have spotted my Moebelwagen in overwatch and gotten spooked. This is good actually, as I can now pull the Moebelwagen back into its harrassment role until I see where the support tank pops out.

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Back in the attack on the town... I am not getting enough suppression on Ken's defenders... though I am taking very few casualties his fire is having a good suppressive effect on my dismounts and my halftracks. I have very little information on the placement of Ken's units so I need to slow down and really try to get some better suppression.

Note, I do not need to capture that objective to win this game.. I only need to keep Ken from scoring those points... and that is my intent in this game.

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Ken's support tank came out between the field of death and the Dunes.. it immediately engaged my withdrawing Moebelwagen with MG fire... hmm... no damage and my vehicle pulls out of sight relatively quickly.

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It was inevitable that I eventually run in to Ken's PIAT defense.. my Wirblewind ran into it first.. it gets hit and ;penetrated twice this turn.. damage? Radio was knocked out.. oh, and the commander was killed... ;) still operational though.

Ken also dropped a few spotting rounds in this area.. so time to pull back for a bit.. I also identify the locations of at least five of Ken's teams this turn. Also.. I know where that PIAT came from.

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Childress,

I well remember how he feared ATGs, since they were camouflaged and hard to spot.

Bil,

Considering how tightly packed men, weaponry and ammo are in that Wirbelwind, I'd say you had miracles flying in formation to survive two PIAT hits and still be able to fight. Were it my Wirbelwind, a near miss would've discombobulated it!

Regards,

John Kettler

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I'm no ordnance grog, but seems that the Wirbelwind was at no less than 200 meters from Ken's PIAT positions. At that range, the penetrating effect of the PIAT would be not much at all, actually having a HE effect instead which seems to be quite accurately modelled as roughly the same as that of a 2in mortar shell direct hit on a lightly armored open top AFV.

Bil's Panther can and should laugh off those PIAT things at that range.

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I'm no ordnance grog, but seems that the Wirbelwind was at no less than 200 meters from Ken's PIAT positions. At that range, the penetrating effect of the PIAT would be not much at all, actually having a HE effect instead which seems to be quite accurately modelled as roughly the same as that of a 2in mortar shell direct hit on a lightly armored open top AFV.

Bil's Panther can and should laugh off those PIAT things at that range.

PIAT warhead is HEAT. Range does not affect penetration.

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