A Canadian Cat Posted March 20, 2015 Share Posted March 20, 2015 Sweet! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kohlenklau Posted March 20, 2015 Share Posted March 20, 2015 I didn't know if that was a trench system or elaborate alien crop circles. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChappyCanuck Posted March 20, 2015 Author Share Posted March 20, 2015 I didn't know if that was a trench system or elaborate alien crop circles. funny you should mention that. If you look at some previous turns of mine you can see the faint outline of the pattern. I thought it was just a computer glitch or some terrain glitch. Apparently not... 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChappyCanuck Posted March 21, 2015 Author Share Posted March 21, 2015 MIN 31-29 When the mortar bombs began dropping on his section like rain, bringing cold death, Cpl Marshall knew with grim certainty that he was caught within a German kill zone. First the MGs and AA guns, and now the mortars - all focused on this location. And now his men's lives would be forever changed. A piece of shrapnel embedded in his left arm and he howled in pain. Earth and rock sprayed over him and his men, some of whom were not moving anymore; the remainder were pressing themselves against the cold ground, trying to evade the hot metal fragments. "Medic!!" The bombs kept falling. But to get up was to die. Marshall waited for a pause in the small barrage, and then he and his men would get the hell out of here. Lt MacDougal and his mortar team were fast approaching Cpl Marshall's section when the mortar bombs fell. His signaler dropped like a stone, legs punctured by several pieces of hot shrapnel. His war is over. MacDougal hit the dirt hard and threw his arms over his head, trying to protect himself. He heard a bang back near the destroyed bridge, then a whoosh sound streak by from right to left along the road. The smoke round from the Sherman impacted on the main road near the first trench section. Smoke meant screening. Screening meant that H-Hour was imminent, and this sudden mortar attack had now slowed his platoon from getting into position... Lt Jeremy and his troop of tanks, as well as the other tank troop, were in the form up position awaiting H-Hour, when they would cross the line of departure. Suddenly, he was informed that the scouts ahead had found another section of trench in depth, on this side of the road. "Engage!!!" The tanks began to fire their assortment of MGs over the heads of the leading scouts, the lines of tracer fire converging on the small section of trench. His worry was that an AT gun was entrenched there, and that wouldn't be nice at all. The volume of fire upon that location was fierce, however, and whatever occupants of that hole in the ground would be foolish to show themselves. Jeremy looked over his shoulder and smiled. All eight tanks were successful in crossing that damn river. It was a small miracle that none had become immobilised in that brackish water. A quick glance at his watch showed that H-Hour for the assault was near...and with that the tanks would be begin bounding forward along with the infantry. Here we go..... 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChappyCanuck Posted March 21, 2015 Author Share Posted March 21, 2015 And like a good thriller with a cliffhanger, I will be absent for a week. We have a meter of snowfall here, and with snow banks over 2 meters tall, everything looks like a white tunnel when driving the streets. My girlfriend and I are off to Mexico tomorrow for a break...Margaritas and beach....ahhhhh. But I will be back next Sunday, and the war will commence again...thanks for watching, whoever is watching 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nathangun Posted March 21, 2015 Share Posted March 21, 2015 Excellent AAR, or is it DAR? You spin a good yarn Chappy 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Canadian Cat Posted March 21, 2015 Share Posted March 21, 2015 Oh cliffhangers I fear for the character I created. Have a good holiday. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChappyCanuck Posted March 21, 2015 Author Share Posted March 21, 2015 Thanks war brothers! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kohlenklau Posted March 21, 2015 Share Posted March 21, 2015 I hope you and Jackie have a safe and fun time! Thanks for the great AAR and we will anxiously await your return to the battlefield. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heinrich505 Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 Arrgh. Lads in the kill zone and...a cliffhanger. Cross your fingers, IanL. Chappy, I hope your vacation was a good one. I was working all weekend and just got back to this thread today so I didn't know you'd snuck out for sun and beaches. It rained on our beaches in Texas all weekend. Heinrich505 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kohlenklau Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 Only I got to see the special turn that played out... ..half-way into the turn, a big helicopter from CMBS landed right there outside the Dutch village, one of the Bren carriers makes a bee-line over to it and Capt Chappy dismounts after he "acquires" his suitcase and bathing suit. The last thing we saw... must have been a new uniform mod?...his steel helmet changed into a sombrero and he then entered the helicopter and it took off. The whole company was flabbergasted! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
womble Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 funny you should mention that. If you look at some previous turns of mine you can see the faint outline of the pattern. I thought it was just a computer glitch or some terrain glitch. Apparently not... It is a known flaw in the implementation of trenches (at least) that at some view heights it's possible to discern the outline of trenches in the ground... Whole system to keep fortifications under FoW is a kludge, nailed together with genius and determination, I gather, so it's not a surprise there are "issues". 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doodlebug Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 Stop calling for a medic. You'll get no response. The CW have "Stretcher Bearers!". And you're about to cross the Start Line not the Line of Departure. You won't half confuse Tommy Atkins with these Americanisms. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Migo441 Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 It is a known flaw in the implementation of trenches (at least) that at some view heights it's possible to discern the outline of trenches in the ground... Huh. I've seen that artifacting with trenches and bunkers but was never sure if it had to do with peculiarities of my graphics card & settings or was a more general issue. Not ideal, all would agree, but I suppose we'll survive. What I hate is that it jumps out and you can't unsee it, i.e., it's easy to stumble upon it by simply raising the camera without making any attempt to pore over the map and exploit it. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
womble Posted March 24, 2015 Share Posted March 24, 2015 Huh. I've seen that artifacting with trenches and bunkers but was never sure if it had to do with peculiarities of my graphics card & settings or was a more general issue. Well, it may be an artefact of specific hardware/driver/software settings, to be sure, but it's fairly widespread; you are certainly not alone 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChappyCanuck Posted March 30, 2015 Author Share Posted March 30, 2015 Stop calling for a medic. You'll get no response. The CW have "Stretcher Bearers!". And you're about to cross the Start Line not the Line of Departure. You won't half confuse Tommy Atkins with these Americanisms. Gee I go away for a week and someone let the troll in... They are not Americanisms, they are NATOisms and it is the terminology I used throughout my career. I would use the same terminology to describe the action of a Roman Legion. Semantics...meh 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChappyCanuck Posted March 30, 2015 Author Share Posted March 30, 2015 Only I got to see the special turn that played out... ..half-way into the turn, a big helicopter from CMBS landed right there outside the Dutch village, one of the Bren carriers makes a bee-line over to it and Capt Chappy dismounts after he "acquires" his suitcase and bathing suit. The last thing we saw... must have been a new uniform mod?...his steel helmet changed into a sombrero and he then entered the helicopter and it took off. The whole company was flabbergasted! OK now that was funny, and a bit visually disturbing. But reeking of tequila and tacos, Capt Chappy has been returned to his task force and the war may commence again! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kohlenklau Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 Welcome back Mark. How did the meetings go down in Mexico? Any word on those new game ideas we discussed? "Combat Mission: Mexican Drug Cartel" or "Combat Mission Pancho Villa"...? We are very excited to have you back. Tanned, rested and ready. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChappyCanuck Posted March 30, 2015 Author Share Posted March 30, 2015 I actually prefer Combat Mission: Mayans vs Conquistadors! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nathangun Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 Welcome back from R&R soldier 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChappyCanuck Posted March 30, 2015 Author Share Posted March 30, 2015 MIN 28-27 L/Cpl O'Neill was in command of his 3-man scout team, and it was his job to get information on the far left flank. He and his men were slowly advancing through some brush and bushes, trying to be as quiet as possible, when he heard some metallic gun noises - large guns - and the chatter of German voices in the semi-dark. Suddenly, two enemy soldiers were running past his front, mere meters away. The sten gun chattered to life in his hands and one of the Germans fell screaming to the ground, clutching his wounds. The other immediately threw his gun down, thrust hands in the air, fell to his knees and yelled, "Surrender!" in barely passable English. O'Neill saw another German running from the trench where the tanks were engaging it with HE and MG fire; his bren gunner dropped him quickly with a burst through his abdomen. These were gun crews, and O'Neill was close to the prize... L/Cpl Barclay heard Lt MacDougal yell, "Go! Go! Go!" and so 3 section began the assault towards the German HQ trench. Mortar fire was finally coming down on top of the trench, and Barclay also noticed the small smokescreen that was intended to give his boys some cover. There was a small rise on the verges of the main road, which would also offer protection during the assault to the trench. Barclay heard the deep rattle of the .50 cal to his rear, firing over his head, the rounds impacting in and around the trench to his front. With all of this covering fire, surely taking the trench would be a matter of lobbing some grenades and running across the road. Barclay and his half section ran forward, breathing hard from the sudden exertion and frayed nerves. As they neared the verge, one of his soldiers tripped and smashed into Barclay, knocking him sideways into the path of the .50 cal tracer fire. One of the huge rounds tore through his leg, carrying on into the torso of the soldier who knocked him down. Barclay screamed in immense pain, and before he passed out, yelled, "Hawkins! Take over!" Capt Chappy was pleased with the course of the attack so far. His valuable scout teams had located some key German positions, and these were now being subjected to heavy firepower. Soon, Lt Jeremy's and Lt Kuderian's tanks would charge forward and mete out the knock out punch....unless Jerry had some surprises up his sleeve... 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doodlebug Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 Gee I go away for a week and someone let the troll in... They are not Americanisms, they are NATOisms and it is the terminology I used throughout my career. I would use the same terminology to describe the action of a Roman Legion. Semantics...meh Troll no. Pedant yes. No offence intended in the original post but I personally prefer the use of historical idioms and phraseology. Adds a little to the immersion factor IMHO. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChappyCanuck Posted April 2, 2015 Author Share Posted April 2, 2015 MIN 27-25 L/Cpl O'Neill and his scout team jumped into the German trench - protection at last. The twisted metal remains of a 20mm AA gun lay near the trench, along with its decimated crew. He could hear the gunning motor of two bren carriers coming up behind him. He knew his scout officer was in one, the bearded assault pioneers in the other. The main road was right in front of him; a quick run across the road to the other side would hopefully reveal that German mortar in a trench... Lt Jeremy had given the order for his troop to advance. The Shermans crashed through a fence line, seeking enemy soldiers, and more importantly, a fix on those two AA guns behind the village. As Jamieson's tank crashed through the fence line, from out of nowhere a German potato masher grenade flew to the left side of his tank. As he ducked down in the hatch, Jamieson heard the loud bang of the grenade, and the immediate halt of his tank. The tread had been severed, his tank immobilised. Where were they?? Our soldiers had just been by here! The stark realisation that he and his crew were in big trouble, hit him suddenly. "Traverse turret left!!!!" The whirring noise of the turret motor was like the sound of angels at this moment. Everything seemed to be in slow motion. He raised his head up through the hatch...he knew they were there somewhere. Lt Kuderian's troop was split in two and he didn't like that. He had to leave two tanks in the firebase, leaving only his tank and two others for the flanking drive. He saw Jeremy's troop begin to advance, and that was his notice to get his half troop moving ASAP. Kuderian's driver manoeuvred the tank towards the main road. The assaulting platoon to his right was MacDougal's, and he could see they were being engaged by those damn AA guns. The platoon had good cover along the road verge, but the fire was coming steady and more accurate as the seconds ticked on. "Driver, slightly right!" The Sherman angled right while on the move. As the tank cleared some trees, Kuderian noticed the AA guns. "Halt! Gunner traverse right! AA guns in trenches! Give 'em hell!" His gunner was one of the best in the regiment, and no sooner did the Sherman rock to a halt, when Kuderian saw the muzzle flash of the main gun. He watched the round impact near the closest AA gun, dropping some of the crew. "Scratch that gun! Engage second gun in depth!" 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heinrich505 Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 Yikes. Great stuff. Jamieson would appear to be in a tight spot. Heinrich505 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kuderian Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 Help! My avatar is in trouble 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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