mjkerner Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 This mini battle is being fought by Nathangun commanding US paratroopers, and me, commanding a platoon of Wehrmacht security troops in Kohlenklau's Panzer Command "The Road to Eindhoven" campaign. If you are following this campaign, you know there have been a lot of threads with campaign info, mini battles, and soon, "regular" battles. This battle (actually should be mini battle #2, chronologically, but was numbered in the order it was created by klk) was supposed to go in the Axis CMPzC Campaign information thread, but in an effort to keep these straight for the viewing public, I started a separate thread. The Campaign so far: The Allies' XXX Corps is driving its armor-laden columns toward Valkenswaard, where a scratch kampfgruppe has been formed under Oberst Kerner to stop, or at least delay, the Allies' offensive through Eindhoven and Nijmegen, and eventually over the Rhine, link with the British 1st Airborne at Arnhem, and on into Germany. Of immediate concern, British armor has tried to grab a bridge over the Dommel, southwest of Valkenswaard, but Hauptmann Burke and a detachment of his Luftwaffe Stafkompanie has successfully blown the bridge [officially, Mini-Battle #2], slowing the Allied attack against the Stafkompanie's defenses across the Dommel on the outskirts of Valkenswaard [big Battle #1"Assault on Hex (1, 7)"--or snazzily "Across the Dommel"] That battle is just gearing up as well, and will be reported on in yet another AAR thread. In terms of our little campaign, "Lost Eagles" is occurring nearly simultaneously with BB #1, but is taking place east of Valkenswaard. My apologies, but initial dispositions and opening moves pics will follow later tonight or tomorrow at the latest. Real life likes to take a swing at you out of the blue, just when you're about to go on stage.... 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sburke Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 Stage Fright? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjkerner Posted March 10, 2015 Author Share Posted March 10, 2015 (edited) The Good Hauptmann Doktor von Bletchler has been called away on urgent business, leaving the senior leutnant, Zonderz, in charge of 3 Kompanie, 28th Sicherungs Abteilung. Zonderz has been relentlessly exhorting his men to continue entrenching and fortifying their positions in Valkenswaard proper, when KG Kerner HQ excitedly radios that Allied parachutists are dropping just east of town! Zonderz is ordered to send a platoon to scout the situation, and capture and destroy all enemy troops encountered. Schiesse, no need to panic, my men spotted them in the distance before HQ even contacted us. A dozen or so chutes in the sky--could be some poor bomber crew whose bird just couldn't quite make it back home. But too, it looked like too many for that. Well, hopefully only a lost "stick" of parachutists, and not some sort of Commando raid or worse, a "pathfinder" group like they used in Normandy, leading the way for who knows how many more! Doppel scheisse, Normandy was the ****s, and now it's happening again. My security kompanie was nearly wiped out in just the first week of the invasion by chasing and engaging American 'chutists. Devils in Baggy Pants, as they are known. Then, being chased all across France, barely escaping with our lives, and finally stopping here, I thought, for a much needed rest and refit. No such luck. Mein Gott, what a situation, thrown together in a slap-dash kampfgruppe of discipline cases, marine schutzen, rear area luftwaffe troops, and training school units. And my own men are mostly green, just out of training, and really no more than glorified policemen! And this kampfgruppe is stop to an armored juggernaut! OKW is just plain crazy! And now these parachutists. Ach.... My men need experienced leadership in the trials ahead. The other platoon commanders have little actual combat experience, so I will lead this patrol myself. I don't have a good feeling about this... Leutnant Zonderz barks orders to his Alarm Gruppe,1st squad, 3rd Zug, to follow him, shouting to the other squad leaders to get their men ready, grab a section from the machine gun platoon, and follow as soon as possible. He'll need the heavy gun, because only the platoon and squad leaders have automatic weapons. And these parachutists will be armed to the teeth! ***************************************************************** Minute 1 Good, I can see the north-south road already, and discarded chutes in the first field. Maybe we can catch them in the open. There are woods and buildings bordering the area...if they are allowed to dig in in those trees, or hold up in those buildings, it will be nearly impossible to dig them out without being bled white! Okay, I'll send the following squads into the woods from the left, but skirting them so as to keep them in sight, while I take 1st squad and the machine gun into the copse of trees on the right as a base of fire to cover the other squads and lay down fire on that first building down the east-west road... Contact! We caught them still in their chutes! Feuer manner! Feuer! Minute 2 Mein Gott, these men couldn't hit Brunhilda's ass if it was wiggling right in front of their faces! Dozens of shots and not one hit!! They are escaping into those woods.... Lt. Zonderz is worried. A mortar or bazooka round hits the road behind 1st squad as a BAR team opens up from the wood line, while 3 or 4 paratroopers pop up from the long grass and make a run for the trees... Chasing verdammt fallschirmjagaers! That never ends well. I hope to Gott that was only a rifle grenat, 'cause if they have a mortar, we're fu...Ooooff! A sniper lets one single round fly... ...and Zonderz is down with a nasty wound to the neck and shoulder. Edited March 15, 2015 by mjkerner 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjkerner Posted March 10, 2015 Author Share Posted March 10, 2015 Stage Fright? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Migo441 Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 No, not Zonderz! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjkerner Posted March 10, 2015 Author Share Posted March 10, 2015 It's always the leader, innit. The war's over for him, which I think he is secretly happy about. He had a premonition it was going to be a bad day. I'm pretty certain it was a sniper, as opposed to just a good marksman, because he's the leader, there was a lull in the firing at that point, and I distinctly heard only one shot, saw the flash, and down he went. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kohlenklau Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjkerner Posted March 10, 2015 Author Share Posted March 10, 2015 The report of Zonderz's death has been greatly exaggerated. It's only a flesh wound...and bad one, mind you, but he ain't pushing up daisies quite yet. At least not until we grab his ammo, grenaten, etc. Obergefreiter Brauer has taken over the platoon and is at this very minute checking his procedural manual, issued by Heer Chief of Armaments General Grammont, co-authored by his deputy, Generalleutnant Charlemagne Braininajar, as to whether Brauer is allowed to retrieve Zonderz's maschinenpistole! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heinrich505 Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 Damn, not Zonderz!! That's gonna put a crimp in the plans for sure. The men are likely wondering if the rumors that Obergefreiter Brauer has an "itchy throat" are true. Didn't he tell Hans that he was having dreams about Vallhalla just the other night? There was a lot of whispering by the Gulaschkanone. Heinrich505 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjkerner Posted March 10, 2015 Author Share Posted March 10, 2015 Yeah, Brauer's a shirker, I think. -2 leadership, and he's nervous atm. Btw, Chief of Armaments and his minion shut down any hope of breaking procedure and allowing Brauer to grab the MP 40. [i had hopes that maybe the inability to lift MPs, Tommy Guns, etc., had changed, because two days ago in another pbem over at The FGM, a riflesection member scrounged an STG 44 from a downed komerade from the same team! I couldn't believe it. I assume that those are somehow considered like a heavier weapon or sumfink????] 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjkerner Posted March 10, 2015 Author Share Posted March 10, 2015 Sitrep Minuten 3-5 First, an act of kindness and mercy: Zonderz's men did manage to pick off one Para at least: The Paras are making for the buildings toward the SE. Brauer needs to get the men moving and try to catch as many as Paras while they are on the move. But he has to be cautious in those woods. There is some light undergrowth in there. The Paras will rip his men a new one if they aren't careful. Here's the overall situation: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heinrich505 Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 Mjkerner, Great stuff. Enjoying it. Did Brauer "accidentally" snap Zonderz's Identity tag in half while trying to pry his fingers loose from the maschinenpistole? Heinrich505 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kohlenklau Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 (edited) What horizon mod are you using mj? Looks like CMBN hedgerows! I now use Aris's MG Hollandaise horizons with one facing having various Dutch houses and buildings. I think I can see a windmill and maybe a discotheque. How about the UI? Is that a juju mod? Edited March 10, 2015 by kohlenklau 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kohlenklau Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 I love the color coding! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kohlenklau Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 Hey! Does anybody else think that guy from the death card looks a bit like Tim from home improvement? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjkerner Posted March 10, 2015 Author Share Posted March 10, 2015 Lol, no idea what horizon I have, I'll have to check. Could be from Italy for all I know! I'll have to grab Aris' mod, if I don't already have it. Does it include an Amsterdam Hash Bar? Yes, it's juju's UI mod. I agree, looks like Tim Whatshisname. He also looks like the new bad guy in Season 2 of Broadchurch...can't think of his name, but looks sort of like a cross between Timothy Hutton and Anthony Perkins. Heinrich, you might be on to something regarding Zonderz's ID tag! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kohlenklau Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 You got him on the run it seems. What time is it now and how much time is left? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjkerner Posted March 13, 2015 Author Share Posted March 13, 2015 (edited) Ummmm, I think 2 minutes after the 2nd squad reinforcement arrived, so 7 minutes in. He's definitely bugging toward the opposite side, but I can't go hell-bent-for-leather after him lest he leaves a couple of guys to blast me mid-stride. I was waiting for one more turn before I post more pics. Edited March 13, 2015 by mjkerner 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjkerner Posted March 15, 2015 Author Share Posted March 15, 2015 (edited) Sorry, I've been waiting for some action before resuming the report. After about Minute 5, as the Paratroopers appeared to be bugging out in earnest, it dawned on me that they weren't interested in holing up and taking as many Germans as they could with them before surrendering and/or getting wiped out. Mein Gott, I can be thick at times! Maybe that stick happens to have some high-ranking officers in it, or they have some important papers or some new comm device to protect. Knowing our illustrious CMPzC god, Herr Kohlenklau, the Allied commander probably has a more interesting incentive than merely to "stand and die" or "stand and die a while, then get out of Dodge, pronto." So, enough already, I have to throw caution to the wind (within reason) and make a move to pin his men and slow them until I can first get into position to cover potential map exit areas with fire, then mop them up. Minute 6 - 10 Overall plan for the next few minutes: start moving into the woods and continue to flush the rabbits, and get the HQ and 1st Squad down the road into to the edge of the wood line. HQ and 1st Squad heads down the road on the right flank...luckily, no Paras were occupying the building next to the road. However, the HQ suffers another casualty--not Brauer, though--as it moves out. The shot came from the left, from the woods that 2nd Squad is starting to clear. Not much happening as the 2nd Squad moves into the woods, until... Edited March 15, 2015 by mjkerner 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjkerner Posted March 15, 2015 Author Share Posted March 15, 2015 (edited) Minute 11 -13 (By the way, all times are relative, because I can't seem to count backwards --plus, I'm not sure what minute Phil turned this battle over to us!) Overall plans, just as before: ...2nd Squad runs right into at least one Trooper amongst that gaggle of contact markers in the above shot. Should be easy meat... Hmmm, I recall mentioning what poor shots my men are... Later, a single Trooper causes havoc in 1st Squad on the right... ...as 2 men of 1st Squad are hit, possibly from the same Trooper that was shown surrounded above. On the left, in the woods, 2nd Squad encounters more resistance, and a grenade battle breaks out. I can't tell if I hit anything, though. But at least I gathered some important intelligence for this little battle...it appears that many Troopers were hit while descending or injured upon landing. I count 8 down in the field east of the woods, and I am pretty certain my men didn't hit any of these. Edited March 15, 2015 by mjkerner 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heinrich505 Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 Who is that guy? Bet his dog tag reads R. Oad Runner. Could have sworn I heard "Beep Beep" just as he took off. Heinrich505 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kohlenklau Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 ...frozen like this they remind me of those little plastic army men. They always had that pose and a few others! If you go and dig around in southern Maryland (Lexington Park) where I grew up, they're probably still there! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjkerner Posted March 16, 2015 Author Share Posted March 16, 2015 Mine all got shot up by BB guns, then later, .22s. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kohlenklau Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 Maybe a premonition of your future cyber battlefield experiences? :-O 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjkerner Posted March 18, 2015 Author Share Posted March 18, 2015 (edited) Minute 13 - (I forgot/lost track...very near the end, how's that?) Time to get caught up here: After US Private "Slippery" Dick Slipp escaped from certain death surrounded by my Landsers in the wood, 2nd Squad continues to clear out the woods from the left, while 1st Squad accidentally clears the first house. I was going to send a unit in to clear it in an orderly fashion, but one of the sections spooked by the Paras opening up from the end of the woods near the road "cleared" it by running hell-bent-for-leather into it seeking refuge! A 1st Squad section and Brauer command section pop smoke to mask a dash to the Manor House, hopefully to get in close and grenade it before entry. 1st Squad section makes its dash to the Manor... ... and soon thereafter, 3 Troopers make a similar move! Too late! One down... ...then two more! So, woods cleared, house cleared and Manor cleared, as the 2nd Squad moves toward the Manor and beyond. Then the barn is cleared...the unit in there, which caused me to expend much ammo firing to suppress it, turned out to be an ammo cache. Alright! Brauer sends out patrols to the end of the road, and into the last house. All is cleared, all is well. They must have got them all! Edited March 18, 2015 by mjkerner 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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