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Axis Battle Report - The Gamey SOB Challenge


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Hmmm Bil has been landing the blows on you, I guess you are easier to spot sat in open, that loss of a T\C could be crucial.

Do you have any armour contacts showing for your tanks? Do they know there might be armour up there?

 

Nope.

 

Spotting is paramount in CM2.

 

Let's see what happens next. :-)

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The saga continues. After finishing off my HMG team, Bil's mortar team made mincemeat of my left mortar team, but not before my team got off a few rounds. Whether or not they caused any casualties to Bil's team is unknown at this time.

I reversed my right Panther a bit, trying to move it into a better firing position, and it took a ricochet from Bil's M10, which then moved back behind the crest of the hill. Where are Bil's Sherms? Only Bil knows (and perhaps you guys).

We got a bit of infantry action going this turn. Bil moved a scout team up to the VL on my right flank, and it was promptly mowed down by a half squad that I had moved into position behind a stone wall just a few seconds prior.

I have an HMG team deployed in (what I think is) a nice position on my left flank, just inside the tree line and to the rear of the VL. It seems to be doing a good job suppressing Bil's infantry. Bil has a bunch of troops massed up at the stone wall next to the road. If I can manage it, I would love to try to bring some HE love down on them next turn.

Edited by Doug Williams
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@c3k & SLIM

 

Yea, I hate losing that firebase up on the hill on my left flank, but I should have known that would happen.

 

As for those bunched up troops, I moved both tanks forward a bit, opened up. Here's hoping they get LoS. I also have another mortar team heading for high ground on my right flank.

 

I can only guess what Bil is planning with his Sherms and the TD. Is he going to try to time it so that they all come over the crest of the hill at the same time? If he does that and manages to knock out my Panthers, this will turn into a turkey shoot. I'll be left with nothing but shreks as an AT asset, and Bil will probably just sit the tanks on top of the hill and take pot shots. If the Panthers win the tank battle, the situation will be reversed and Bil will have a hard time taking the VLs. I'm still scratching my head about those little AT guns. Perhaps Bil thought I would buy halftracks and light tanks?

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I am surprised you did not try and move those teams out of harms way, might still have been same result I guess as exposed position and very vulnerable to mortars.

 

The loss of 50% of your arty is going to hurt bad.....

 

I guess you have to hope the Panthers can give you the edge... (as per your comments on way the game will go...)

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I am surprised you did not try and move those teams out of harms way, might still have been same result I guess as exposed position and very vulnerable to mortars.

 

The loss of 50% of your arty is going to hurt bad.....

 

I guess you have to hope the Panthers can give you the edge... (as per your comments on way the game will go...)

 

Yep, I should have. I doubt I could have saved the HMG team, but I certainly could have saved the mortar team. I just rolled the dice that my mortar team could bring suppressive area fire on his team before he shifted targets. :-(  On the bright side, he probably used at least half the ammo of that tube. :-/

 

Yep, I'm counting on the Panthers. That's why I bought Panthers and not PZIVs. Unfortunately, Bil's height advantage is helping him more than I realized it would (as I found out running some tests against the AI). I actually think Bil is being a little too cautious with his armor.

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Sorry about all the movie videos guys. I tend to get carried away with those sometimes (just ask anyone in WeBoB). I'll try to just stick to the AAR from now on.

@Holien Yes, most of the mortar team is still alive. Unfortunately, the mortar itself is knocked out.

Not a great deal happened that turn. I continued to move infantry forward. One Panther took a shot at some infantry. Looks like one of my LMG teams took a casualty. I feel like I'm starting to get my infantry into decent positions, given the limitations of the terrain. I'm trying to keep them spread out, because I fear Bil's mortar team(s). I continue to be concerned about what Bil is doing with his armor.

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This turn had more action. Bil is making a move toward the VL on my right. Fortunately for me, I have a strong infantry presence there, and Bil is losing troops for what seems to me like little gain. To be fair, he has a very difficult approach to this VL. I admire his bravado for even trying it at this point.

 

I ordered one Panther to briefly fire at one of Bil's units on the crest of the hill. It had binoculars, so hey, good target, right? Unfortunately, the trees intercepted all shots. Bil tried to back a truck out of the battle and a Panther took it out, blocking the road.

 

On my left flank, I can now see two armor (partial contact, movement, or whatever they are called) icons, on the hillside of Bil's territory. So that is where he is moving at least two of his armor. Not what I would have done in his place, but hey, that's why playing PBEM is so much better than the AI.

 

Also noted are a couple of mortar rounds landing close to the HMG team on my left flank, behind the VL. Damn. I love the placement of that team, but prudence dictates that I better get them the hell out of there ASAP.

 

I seem to have made a mistake with the mortar team on my right flank. It seems that I have given it orders to move to a location that it apparently can't get to, costing me at least two turns. ****. I'll try to make it move to somewhere useful.

 

Here is the video for this turn (all trees removed):

 

[

Edited by Doug Williams
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On my left flank, I can now see two armor (partial contact, movement, or whatever they are called) icons, on the hillside of Bil's territory. So that is where he is moving at least two of his armor. 

 

Without examining how those icons appeared, it's dangerous to assume they're for different vehicles...  That "At least one" tank has been there is probably the best you can be sure of from that minute's replay.

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What? No close-in, reverse-angle, replay movie for us? How can we criticize your moves, err, commiserate your bad fortune, without close ups? You've spoiled us...

 

 

Moving that MG team: good idea. (I'm in a pbem and got some spotting rounds near a firebase. I ignored them, thinking I had more time. Now I don't have a firebase.)

 

Ken

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@womble  That's a good point. Both icons may be for the same vehicle.

 

 

@c3k I'll do a couple more videos of that turn for ya. One for each flank, a bit closer in. Yes, I did indeed give that HMG team orders to quicktime out of that spot, but I fear that having to undeploy (is that a word?) the HMG will cost them precious seconds and that death from above will reach them before they manage to move. We'll see next turn.

 

 

 

 

BTW, in case anyone is wondering, I'm using a program called FRAPS to record the videos, then I run them through a great little freeware program called Handbrake, which compresses the AVI file down to MP4 format, making it much smaller and drastically reducing the time it takes to upload to YouTube. Even with all that, it still takes me around 20 minutes to record and upload each video, so most turns I'm just going to upload one video. I'm off today, however (well, I'm "off" every day, but I don't have to work today).

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Do note I'm not saying those contacts aren't from more than one tank, just pointing out that sometimes movement "tracks" can be deceptive as to numbers. Upon watching the other two videos, I think the chances of that trace on the hill being multiple tanks are higher than I first thought.

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Just out of interest how do you see the battle progressing? What will your key aims be? What threats do you expect?

Interesting questions. Almost sounds like a job interview. ;-)

I'm not a soothsayer or a prophet, but I'll make a few guesses.

Bil has been hiding his armor from me for several minutes. He is probably going to try something sneaky. I have two armor sound contacts on my left flank, so I'm moving one Panther forward a bit. If Bil is trying to pull some sneaky **** on my left flank, well.....let's see what happens. :-) IMO, he may have given up a big height advantage by not moving all his armor and M10s up over the hill in an attempt to overwhelm my Panthers.

On my right flank....I'm not too worried at this point. I have infantry assets in place and they are already causing casualties on Bil's premature advances. ;-)

Overconfidence? You decide. I've never won a CM battle by being timid. My understanding is that Bil is an expert tactician, and I am honored that he saw fit to accept my challenge. Let's see what tricks he has up his sleeve. ;-)

As for what is my key aim?

Edited by Doug Williams
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