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Allied AAR - CMPzC Campaign: The Road to Eindhoven - Dommelen Battle (hex 1, 6)


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Your repositioning is going great. I think he assumed you would dig in and defend Dommelen.

I sometimes miss a turn as maybe you or mjkerner have the tidy up option on and delete the older turns. :D

I think he guessed that as well...and I would be dead right now!  I must scoot to live another day :)

I do have the tidy option on. I will turn it off. MJ doesn't use CMH

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2nd Battle of Dommelin

Minutes 55-50

After 10 minutes of battle, the allied withdrawal has been successful. And a good thing too. The way that the Germans have set up their ATGs, support weapons and in the way in which they are advancing in force towards Dommelin, suggests that the axis commander expected that we would be defending Dommelin. But we aren't. Consolidation is nearing completion near Deelshurk.

While the FOO was scanning with his binoculars, he noticed this small vehicle (sarcasm):

Screen%20Shot%202015-10-21%20at%2011.04.

That MkIV has certainly put on weight! Yup, I didn't need to see that...I wonder how many Jagdpanthers the Germans have in this battle?

At the 9 minute mark, we received our first reinforcements:  a Coy HQ, one rifle platoon, an MMG and two medium mortars, all mounted as shown below:

Screen%20Shot%202015-10-22%20at%209.45.0

 

After 10 minutes, the battlefield looks like this:

Screen%20Shot%202015-10-23%20at%208.33.1

The reinforcements are at the bottom of the screen. The defence of Deelshurk is being completed on the right hand side. The two infantry platoons in the center are trudging a long way. They are headed to Deelshurk with their other platoon and Coy HQ. I have a FOO and Firefly remaining in Dommelin (upper left corner) to conduct a fighting withdrawal and inflict some casualties before evacuating the town. Finally, Maj Morningwood and two troops of tanks are taking position behind the wood on the left side. They are observing. They can engage both killing zones from there, or they can act as a counterattack force or blocking force. They are my flexible manoeuvre force.

The longer the enemy takes to assault us, the better for the allied position. The guns are preparing to strike with indirect fire, and HQ has informed Captain Chappy that possibly two Typhoons are on the way....but it will be a long time before they get here...

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Chappy,

  Let’s hope that Major Morningwood is not susceptible to “Tiger Fright,” or in this case “Jagdpanther Fright.”  I hope he is made of sterner stuff.  Just keep telling the lads they are just fat Mk IVs.  Love it.

  The consolidation looks to be just about complete.  Your Firefly has its work cut out for it.  Punching holes in the Jagdpanther will be quite a feat. 

 

Heinrich505

 

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I am very entertained lads! I have had a few too many IPA beers so maybe that is it. Maj Morningwood on the Squadron battle net: "Private Bloggins, that is just a fat MkIV. Chin chin. Tally ho and all that."

Thanks for the Vickers Koh...that Mel guy turned into quite a weirdo though...loved him in Mad Max, but then he went stupid crazy fast - maybe it was Tina Turnoff (oops Turner) who appeared in the 3rd Mad Max movie that prompted the lunacy!

 

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2nd Battle of Dommelin

Minutes 50-46

Captain Chappy ran down the stairs of the shot up building, and jumped back into his carrier.

"Driver, back to the river!" 

He was conscious of the fact that he needed a more central, slightly rear position in order to maintain observation and control of the battlegroup. As the driver accelerated, Chappy looked back down the long road and spotted the dust of approaching vehicles. A smile came to his face as he recognised the platoon of anti-tank guns trundling his way. He gave hasty orders over the radio to the platoon commander, indicating roughly where he wanted to position the guns.

Screen%20Shot%202015-10-26%20at%204.11.1

Chappy's carrier passed the two 81mm mortars that were lobbing harassing bombs into Valkenswaard at a slow rate, hoping to catch a light vehicle or infantry section in the open. As the carrier dipped into the low, muddy ground and crossed the slow moving stream, Chappy heard a sudden loud whistle and then ducked as the shell landed nearby on the muddy riverbank.

That was close!

Screen%20Shot%202015-10-26%20at%204.10.3

Chappy quickly checked his map, and noted the positions of his forces as well as the contact locations of the enemy. The leading enemy infantry had already crossed the main bridge between Dommelin and Valkenswaard.

Screen%20Shot%202015-10-26%20at%204.14.1

Two Jagdpanthers had already been spotted, and they were going to be a huge issue in the coming battle. Who knew how many more of them the Germans had in their back pocket? And was the German spotting round that just impacted the sign of something worse to come?

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2nd Battle of Dommelin

Minutes 46-44

 

         Major Morningwood was casually surveying the fields through his binoculars. What a lovely day. He sipped on a cup of tea that his loader had just brewed up inside the tank. Not bad, all things considering. He could hear the nervous bantering of his commanders nearby. They were all hatches open, in a nice hull down position, apparently far away from all the noise. They could see the strikes of the friendly 25 lbers hitting the fields adjacent to Valkensgaard. Jerry won't be pleased with that!

         But then he noticed a lone spotting round strike near the destroyed bridge...and then all hell let loose.  German artillery rounds were impacting near Commander Nathan's tank troop and the infantry who just recently arrived to take up positions. Through his binoculars he saw one man drop to the ground. The war is over for that poor lad.

Screen%20Shot%202015-10-26%20at%2011.29.

The tanks, carriers and infantry began to scatter away from the aerial death. And then another round impacted on the roof of the building that Captain Chappy had just ducked into. That Chappy is a good fellow. I hope he is quite alright. The HE rounds kept raining down in the vicinity of the bridge, but, surprisingly, Morningwood only noticed the one casualty...so far.

Screen%20Shot%202015-10-27%20at%2011.59.

"Cpl Avery, you should see the light show up here. Apparently Jerry thinks..."

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSHHHHHHHH............CLANGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!

"Jesus Christ!"

What the devil was that?????    Morningwood recognised the voice of one of the tank commanders, Cpl Walters. "Incoming fire, sir!!!!"

Screen%20Shot%202015-10-26%20at%2011.35.

Morningwood had seen the brief flash and the ricochet of the large calibre round off Walter's tank. Fortunately it had impacted on the heavy armour of the barrel mount and deflected off. That was no 75mm shell....

"Have a look lads, have a look!" Then Morningstar heard Walters again: "Got him sir! 1500 meters, 12 o'clock, edge of buildings next to a stone wall! Jesus...that's a big one, sir!"  Walters didn't have to give the order to his gunner; the tank lurched as his gunner retaliated, but the round fell short....it was a long, long shot....

"I can't see him, sir" was the echo all around from the tank commanders. Only Walters had a line of sight onto him. The look on Walter's face froze as he noticed the flash in the distance...

Screen%20Shot%202015-10-26%20at%2011.31.

The heavy armoured piercing round flew overhead....and not far...a near miss. Morningwood realised that to fight this monster at long range was looking for trouble. "Pop smoke!!!! Reverse into cover!!!" The smoke canisters were deployed from the leading tanks and immediately a thick screen was produced. All six tanks gunned into motion, a rearward motion, as they tried to evade those large incoming shells. Thankfully the woods were near and all six tanks managed to escape the sniping gun of the Jagdpanther. A chill ran up Morningwood's spine - he never had to face those things in North Africa...

Screen%20Shot%202015-10-27%20at%208.22.5

 

 

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2nd Battle of Dommelin

Minutes 46-44

 

     Lt Nathan became aware of his tank's immobilisation only when he gave his driver the order to reverse.

     Either we are stuck in the mud or one of those arty shells did in the track. A tank that cannot move is a sitting duck. 

     But instead of having his crew bail out, Nathan realised the perilous situation near the bridge to Dommelin. He spotted large numbers of German infantry crossing the bridge and jogging towards Dommelin.  This was indeed very long range, but he had nothing else to contribute at the important.  "Gunner! Engage infantry on road, left of bridge!" The tank rocked as the shell left the gun, and at such long range, the first shot was wild.  But he had a seasoned gunner, and soon the tank shells were zeroing in on the enemy infantry, blowing many of them bits, while sending the others to ground.  The tank MGs joined in, and a steady hail of bullets raked the ground around the Germans.

Screen%20Shot%202015-10-28%20at%205.33.4

After a couple of minutes, more infantry were seen to be scrambling out of sight, while others lay bleeding on the road. It was at this time that Nathan noticed something interesting. The Firefly tank that sat quietly in Dommelin began to move around the other side of the town, heading for the unsupported German infantry, who were now fleeing his own guns. Into the fire they go...

Screen%20Shot%202015-10-29%20at%206.33.5

Above: the Firefly moves into position to block the advancing German infantry who are as yet unsupported

     Cpl Newton had his driver step on the pedal of his Sherman tank, speeding away from the German artillery landing behind them and near the destroyed bridge.  He was aware of the Jagdpanther up ahead and to the left, but Newton's tank was in a nice covered position along the road to Valkenswaard. The tank halted a couple hundred meters along the road, and Newton popped hatches to have a look. Suddenly, along the road into Valkenswaard, he spotted a Pak40 and its crew, hastily dismounting from a truck and trying to set up the dangerous gun near the corner of a building. Newton didn't have much time.  "Pak40, 12 o'clock, on road, 800 meters!!!"

     His gunner was a little nervous...anytime you heard about a Pak40 being visible meant that it could see you too. The first shot went well high and into the town.  "Steady man, steady!"  The gunner depressed the 75mm barrel and fired again.......bulls eye! The Pak40 blew into many pieces, while the crew disintegrated.

Screen%20Shot%202015-10-29%20at%206.23.1

     Cpl Newton's vantage point. And below, the German perspective:

Screen%20Shot%202015-10-29%20at%206.19.5

At the end of the 20th minute, the allied forces are deploying around the destroyed bridge and the town of Deelshurk. 4 x ATGs and 4 x 81mm mortars are set up on the outskirts of town. All of the guns are set up sited with enfilade fire in defilade protection. Bring on the panzers....

Screen%20Shot%202015-10-29%20at%206.33.0

 

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