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CM Final Blitzkrieg - ALLIED (Defense) BETA Battle Report


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TURN 25 (1:06-1:05)

TEAM PAIN M36 Section:  Okay, its getting ridiculous now... ;) he spotted my foremost Team Pain M36 and took it out with one shot from the JT.  Note the exit hole at the rear of the turret... that one hurts.  These guys weren't supposed to get engaged until he came over the center ridge.. I checked LOS and it looked to me like it was blocked to the JT.. guess not.  I give credit to Baneman for finding the perfect position for his JT... that was well done.  [edit: I had second thoughts about a remark (now removed) that was not fair to Baneman, sorry Ian.. I blame it on the stress. ;)  It had been bothering me all day.]

I need to think of something to take that asset away from him, or I'm going to lose the entire left side of my force.   I am not confident that the two Team Pain Shermans are safe where they are.. it's possible that as the smoke clears his JT will be able to spot them,  So they need to skedaddle.. but are pretty much pinned, as he has shown he has visibility over that entire front ridge.

Turn%2B25-M36.png

 

TEAM PUNISHMENT SHERMAN Section:  Well, I got my wish this turn, I got to see how the Jumbo would fare against the Panther gun.. and it did rather well...  it takes three hits from Panther-3 and suffers only minor damage.. the driver is taken out by some internal spalling, but this tank is still operational.  When I did my orders after last turn I saw that his Panther could have LOS to the Jumbo so I advanced and angled the hull to maximize protection, slightly angled to the panther... next turn I try to get out from under that gun. because I cannot spot him and continued hits can only end with one result.

Turn%2B25-Team%2BPunishment%2BJumbo.PNG

 

Team Punishment's Easy-8 advanced on the little copse of wood in front of the L Shaped Wood, there is about a platoon of infantry in there, and began pummeling it.  Only one known casualty, but i suspect more.  Sadly the Easy 8's TC fell to automatic gun fire.  So I continue to take hits.. and I cannot afford to take hits like that,

Turn%2B25-Team%2BPunishment%2BEasy%2B8o. 

Edited by Bil Hardenberger
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TURN 26 (1:05-1:04)

TEAM PUNISHMENT SHERMAN SECTION:  Luckily the Jumbo in Team Punishment received no more fire from Panther-3... and it now sits alongside the Easy 8 which spent the entire turn firing into the small copse of woods, hopefully causing some punishment.  ;) 

Turn%2B25-Team%2BPunishment%2BShermans.p

 

JAGDTIGER:  Well this is interesting... the JT appears to have reversed then taken a left moving towards my Team Punishment Sherman Section.  Could this open up an opportunity for me?  I will say this.. any move I make to counter this will be long and he'll be able to see it coming and be able to react before I can get into position.. so I need to think hard on my response, I need to give him problems on more than one flank... this tank destroyer is, I believe, the key to the battle and it is in capable hands... that is never a good thing. 

Turn%2B26-JT%2Bmovement.PNG

 

Edited by Bil Hardenberger
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Ref Sturmtiger ROF, there is nothing on this in the relevant Catalog of Enemy Ordnance entry, perhaps because there had not yet been time to assess it. 

http://www.lonesentry.com/ordnance/sturmmorser-38-cm-rocket-tiger-chassis.html

While I freely grant the projectiles are huge, I'd remind people the crane is there because of the vertical lift involved in loading ammo. That is something altogether different from handling the rounds inside the fighting compartment, taking them from ready racks. As you can see here, there is loading tray equipped with rollers, hugely simplifying the reloading process and drastically shortening the time you might expect it to take. This is very much like the way naval guns are loaded. No idea whether the Sturmtiger had power ramming. For comparison, note the WW II US 8'/55 gun is in the same projectile weight class, and there is power ramming. 10 rpm! For US 8' howitzer M1, which fires a lighter projectile, since same doesn't have to smash through armor or take the G loads of a full-blown naval rifle, the ROF is 1 rpm or 3 rounds in two minutes at max ROF. Sustained is 1 round every two minutes. Also of importance, I think, in assessing Sturmtiger ROF is that the rocket projectiles are entirely self-contained, so there is no ammo unpacking; there are no bagged powder charges to deal with, no breech swabbing, no fuzes to be set, firing offsets to be computed by the FDC, relayed to the gun, and other operations typical of the FA case, at least. The Sturmtiger is a DF weapon, though if it has the sights, I suppose it could be used for IF. Again, huge time savings.

Regarding the 3 dead Shermans, think of what a 250 pound bomb would do it dropped smack among three closely spaced Shermans, which I recall reading they were. Believe one was turned turtle, too. (Goes away and digs) Here's what seems to me to be credible sourcing. Axis History Forum has this quote.

Kleine, E. and Kühn, V. Tiger: the History of a Legendary Weapon, 1942-45. p.245

Strumtiger-Kompanie 1001 destroyed a large bunker in the Westwall Line with a single rocket. In one village in the combat zone in which there were several Sherman tanks, a direct hit inflicted severe damage. Almost all of the Shermans were put out of operation and their crews killed or wounded.

Anyone got a battle history for the unit, preferably with some statement defining location specifics so US unit can be IDed? Gleefully, I observe that the previously unknown Strumtiger variant produced not only the usual Rw 61 devastation, but it was accompanied by such awful music that the enemy in the vicinity went mad!

Regarding Jagdtiger ROF, given the roominess of the fighting compartment and the fact that the gun is effectively fixed, as opposed to the gyrations attendant reloading the IS-2's rotating gun, the Jagdtiger ROF ought to be able to significantly exceed that of the Stalin 2, which also has separate loading ammo.

Regards,

John Kettler

Edited by John Kettler
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TURN 27 (1:04-1:03)

SITUATION:  Looks like the JagdTiger moved a bit towards the road, oriented to the center of the AO?  What can he see form there?  

Baneman has at least a split squad moving up his right map edge towards the woods and my scout team... 

I have lost sight of the two known Panthers, Panther-1 and Panther-3... and yes, that is a concern.

Team Pain's Sherman section is moving as shown below.. I really miss the high speed the Hellcats brought to the table.  Team Punishment's Sherman section is bait right now.. will he bring Panther-1 and Panther-3 forward in an effort to take them out?  If so I hope to have my three Jackson's in overwatch and able to hit them.  If the JagdTiger keeps moving in that direction.. something I am not convinced of yet... I may be able to get onto its rear aspect.. but for now that's just a hope.. perhaps a forlorn hope.  But still, one needs to have hope eh?  ;)  

Turn%2B27-Situation.png

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Hope? Hope is not needed while you field a fleet of jeeps filled with men who are, err, filled with zeal! Zeal filled men filled jeeps can drive you to the road to victory! Swarm him.

Kidding aside, the M36 ambush is a nice work. You seem to have three set up in a good arc. One of them (at least) should have a shot, if the JT comes out to play. I'm not sure what they'll do against the frontal aspect of the JT. As always, optics and gun are always vulnerable, if nothing else.

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Another lutker here. Following with great interest and love it so far. 

But a question that made me end my lurker existence: Have you considered falling back to your next line of defense? 

In your Decision making you concluded that the terrain gets more favourable the further in depth you are fighting. Also, you would nullify his intel he has so far, by forcing him to start all over at the next line. A new chance to flank his JT and even more exhausted infantry fighting in the open, no? 

 

Cheers. Great AAR writing!

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But a question that made me end my lurker existence: Have you considered falling back to your next line of defense? 

 Good question!

If I might add another.  From the look of your latest graphic, could your 2 Shermans be at risk to the AT assets of Baneman's split squad (as it appears they are about to, or already have, entered the woods on your left flank)?

Great AR!!!

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The lutker brought up a good question...

aw, man. I come out of hiding once in a few years and you make sure that I will always be remembered for this typo :-(

On a serious note though: He would probably attack in the same formation as he does already. His Inf can't spend its time and energy with rearrangements, neither can his JT due to risk of bogging. So he will attack in the same order. You on the other hand are a completely different story, you could completely rearrange your defense on the next line. The only reason why Baneman is acting, and you are reacting, is because baneman probably has a fairly good idea what he is up against and can use his JT accordingly. He can't say that if he losses contact and has to reestablish it at the next line.

Cheers

Edited by Calgar
Clean up work, so that c3k can't point out more typos
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Lol, I wouldn't have done it to anyone with at least 99 posts. ;)

The fallback to the next line is not a bad idea...

It is an excellent suggestion.  This battlefield and Bil's force mix are well suited to such tactics.  That was the  US Army's "Active Defense" philosophy for defending Europe against Soviet aggression during the post-Vietnam 1970's, especially after the 1973 October War.  Trade space for time.  It stretches the attacker and transfers local initiative to the defender.  The West Germans didn't really care for such plans because it was their territory being traded by NATO Forces against the Soviet's Broad Front / Deep Penetration strategies.  However, I don't think Bil need worry about such concerns . . . B)

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Lutker and gang.. yep.. I have to be honest, I think I've been a bit more aggressive than I needed to, this game was unfolding so slowly that I wanted to liven it up.. I think we all can agree that I succeeded in that?  ;)  Ugh...

I think I have target fixation now... that JagdTiger has become my white whale... 

He tasks me. He tasks me and I shall have him! I'll chase him 'round the moons of Nibia and 'round the Antares Maelstrom and 'round perdition's flames before I give him up!

I am really missing the Hellcat's speed.. the Shermans can take a better pounding, but they are so damned slow that any offensive operations in this terrain is going to be painful.

I know I should not have diverged from my original battle plan, but I threw in the kitchen sink to liven it up, plus I did get a little carried away, I can admit that.  Now that I have lost a good portion of my armor, it might be time to recede like the tide, sit back and let him come to me.  Still, I have hurt him.. but he has hurt me worse... all is not lost.. not yet anyway.  ;) 

To the last, I will grapple with thee... from Hell's heart, I stab at thee! For hate's sake, I spit my last breath at thee!

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