Combat photography: Photos from the front..

[Ultradave]

1 hour ago, Vacillator said:

Having played this from the other side against @Ultradave I know what a game it is.  Great pics!

That's a scary picture with that Panther out in the open. Those Russian tanks only need one hit to KO the Panthers. They are slow but pack a huge punch. I tried hard to sneak around and watch from cover and hull down. Even then....

Dave

[FlammenwerferX]

Dave, you are correct. He was knocked out the next turn. Lesson learned. 

[chuckdyke]

Ambushed! 

[chuckdyke]

All of the platoon inside hand grenade range. 

[Phantom Captain]

Suffered a weird time jump again...

A US Marine and Ma Deuce.

Out for a stroll in the country.

Edited December 2, 2023 by Phantom Captain

[Phantom Captain]

What new sorcery is this?

@FlammenwerferX and I have engaged at Ogledow.

[danfrodo]

8 hours ago, Phantom Captain said:

What new sorcery is this?

@FlammenwerferX and I have engaged at Ogledow.

Great pics as usual.  The Great King Tiger2 emerging from the smoke.  I still love these beasts.  I remember when I was young & foolish and thought these things were nearly invincible.  Then I played CM.  Oh, turns out 60 tons of steel is a lot more fragile than one would think.  Also at some point read how mechanically unreliable they were.  Kinda wish I could go back to my starry-eyed ignorance and idolize these things like I used to.  

[Phantom Captain]

9 hours ago, danfrodo said:

Great pics as usual.  The Great King Tiger2 emerging from the smoke.  I still love these beasts.  I remember when I was young & foolish and thought these things were nearly invincible.  Then I played CM.  Oh, turns out 60 tons of steel is a lot more fragile than one would think.  Also at some point read how mechanically unreliable they were.  Kinda wish I could go back to my starry-eyed ignorance and idolize these things like I used to.  

Thanks, I know excatly what you mean!

Ladies and Gentlemen, the "invincible" King Tiger.  

Just like you said Dan, the reality sets in pretty quick.

[danfrodo]

2 minutes ago, Phantom Captain said:

Thanks, I know excatly what you mean!

Ladies and Gentlemen, the "invincible" King Tiger.  

Just like you said Dan, the reality sets in pretty quick.

Dang, that is a big hole in the side.  T34/85?   IS2?  

[Phantom Captain]

5 minutes ago, danfrodo said:

Dang, that is a big hole in the side.  T34/85?   IS2?  

I wish I knew!  The fog is playing havoc with EVERYTHING.  I'm guessing IS-2 though.  I'm getting contacts in the fog but no spots.  @FlammenwerferX was just lying in wait for that one.

 

[danfrodo]

14 hours ago, Phantom Captain said:

I wish I knew!  The fog is playing havoc with EVERYTHING.  I'm guessing IS-2 though.  I'm getting contacts in the fog but no spots.  @FlammenwerferX was just lying in wait for that one.

 

Yeah, that really adds insult to injury when you're taking expensive losses and can't locate the perpetrator.  good luck!  

[Phantom Captain]

9 hours ago, danfrodo said:

Yeah, that really adds insult to injury when you're taking expensive losses and can't locate the perpetrator.  good luck!  

Confirmed spot of two T-34/85s.  

[Phantom Captain]

10 hours ago, danfrodo said:

Yeah, that really adds insult to injury when you're taking expensive losses and can't locate the perpetrator.  good luck!  

@George MC  I will say this, the map is amazing!  That being said, the ground is horrible!!  The fog makes it even worse!  George, why in the 9 hells would the Germans attack blind, over this ground, in the fog!!!  Arrggghhh!!  What a cool historic scenario to recreate.  

It's super fun so far, @FlammenwerferX jumped me at about, ohhhh, 200 meters or so?  It was a nice little ambush.  We traded one King Tiger for one T-34.  I'd say that's gonna work out super well for the enemy if this continues...

Now I'm all super jumpy as the other spotted T-34 just rammed it into reverse and disappeared into the fog.  It's like a freaking horror movie!

 

[danfrodo]

5 minutes ago, Phantom Captain said:

The fog makes it even worse!  George, why in the 9 hells would the Germans attack blind, over this ground, in the fog!!! 

Der fuhrer said so?

[Phantom Captain]

My scouts are killed before they can even do their jobs.

The scenario should be called "The Fog at Ogledow".  

Edited December 5, 2023 by Phantom Captain

[Phantom Captain]

5 minutes ago, danfrodo said:

Der fuhrer said so?

Ha! Combined with maybe their own belief in the KT's invincibility??  In any case, not a good situation.

Edited December 5, 2023 by Phantom Captain

[George MC]

8 hours ago, Phantom Captain said:

@George MC  I will say this, the map is amazing!  That being said, the ground is horrible!!  The fog makes it even worse!  George, why in the 9 hells would the Germans attack blind, over this ground, in the fog!!!  Arrggghhh!!  What a cool historic scenario to recreate.  

 

Yeah the combat record of the 501st during this and subsequent actions in the Sandomierz bridgehead was generally unimpressive. Possibly due to the original battalion being all but destroyed attempting to hold back Soviet attacks during Operation Bagration. Such catastrophic events would mean few of the experienced crews would survive to help form the cadre for the new unit to be rebuilt around. 

The 501st was reconstituted on the 14th July 1944 with the new Tiger IIs but this only gave the whole unit around a month to reform and train on the new vehicles, and as a combat unit, before being sent into action – perhaps therein lays the reasons for the lacklustre performance of the new tanks and their crews through August 1944?

Oh and overconfidence in the new vehicle...

Its worth noting that whilst this event figures highly in Soviet reports - due no doubt to meeting the Tiger II for the first time and giving the wunderwaffe weapon a kicking - German accounts are very scarce. there are reports from other units but nothing specific to this event from the unit involved - least as far as i could find in available English sources. The Soviet side has loads of versions based on the original Soviet reports (all of which repeat the incorrect date change so assume no-one repeating this has bothered to doubel check....).

Why did they attack? Well at the tactical level it is an odd decision for sure - no recce prior so they drove straight into an ambush. Some infantry support but they seem to not figure at all in Soviet reports and would appear did not even engage in any patrol activity. Its an interesting event which poses more questions that it answers for sure
 

[Phantom Captain]

3 hours ago, George MC said:

Yeah the combat record of the 501st during this and subsequent actions in the Sandomierz bridgehead was generally unimpressive. Possibly due to the original battalion being all but destroyed attempting to hold back Soviet attacks during Operation Bagration. Such catastrophic events would mean few of the experienced crews would survive to help form the cadre for the new unit to be rebuilt around. 

The 501st was reconstituted on the 14th July 1944 with the new Tiger IIs but this only gave the whole unit around a month to reform and train on the new vehicles, and as a combat unit, before being sent into action – perhaps therein lays the reasons for the lacklustre performance of the new tanks and their crews through August 1944?

Oh and overconfidence in the new vehicle...

Its worth noting that whilst this event figures highly in Soviet reports - due no doubt to meeting the Tiger II for the first time and giving the wunderwaffe weapon a kicking - German accounts are very scarce. there are reports from other units but nothing specific to this event from the unit involved - least as far as i could find in available English sources. The Soviet side has loads of versions based on the original Soviet reports (all of which repeat the incorrect date change so assume no-one repeating this has bothered to doubel check....).

Why did they attack? Well at the tactical level it is an odd decision for sure - no recce prior so they drove straight into an ambush. Some infantry support but they seem to not figure at all in Soviet reports and would appear did not even engage in any patrol activity. Its an interesting event which poses more questions that it answers for sure
 

That's how I'm seeing it right now, being in the middle of it.  Green crews and falling victim to their own propaganda.  Still, the King Tigers are very cool to play with and to see.  I haven't used them in any scenario in such a long time, I'm amazed at how fast the turret rotates!  I was expecting heavy and slow but that's not the case at all.  Maybe it's just really noticeable in this one because it's nice to have when you are pretty much blind.  Maybe it's a little advantage?  

In respect to your last point, it is true that history is full of examples of leaders of certain units making horrible decisions, to not only their own detriment, but usually also leading to horrific casualties of their men who have to carry out those orders.  I can think of many.

I like scenarios like this as you get to really be in the heads of those who were there and then have to determine what to do with the lousy circumstances.  Good times.

Edited December 5, 2023 by Phantom Captain

[George MC]

53 minutes ago, Phantom Captain said:

That's how I'm seeing it right now, being in the middle of it.  Green crews and falling victim to their own propaganda.  Still, the King Tigers are very cool to play with and to see.  I haven't used them in any scenario in such a long time, I'm amazed at how fast the turret rotates!  I was expecting heavy and slow but that's not the case at all.  Maybe it's just really noticeable in this one because it's nice to have when you are pretty much blind.  Maybe it's a little advantage?  

In respect to your last point, it is true that history is full of examples of leaders of certain units making horrible decisions, to not only their own detriment, but usually also leading to horrific casualties of their men who have to carry out those orders.  I can think of many.

I like scenarios like this as you get to really be in the heads of those who were there and then have to determine what to do with the lousy circumstances.  Good times.

Oh aye for sure. That was a key reason for creating this action. Great to see it being appreciated

Oh yeah - the 501st’s record through August 1944 was so poor that on the 22nd August 1944 Major von Legat was relieved of his command. It is was also reported that he had links to the 20th July 1944 conspiracy to kill Hitler. I can't find out anything else about him post event, though guess somewhere there might be his service record if it was not destroyed during the war. Oh the 501 was later reformed as  sPz. Abt. 424 45 Tiger IIs and some Tiger Is, and was under the command of Major Saemisch. he led his whole unit into an ambush at Lissow in January 1945 most likely due to poor prior recce and/or misleading intelligence. The village was already occupied by JS-2 tanks and anti-tank guns. The result was that the majority of Tigers were either destroyed or lost to bad terrain. Terrible of echoes of the action in and around Ogledow four or so months earlier...

[Anthony P.]

Ogdelow is a great mission, I enjoyed it some years ago. I learnt that Panthers were preferable to King Tigers in going up against IS-2s, at least in that mission. The 75mm is about as good at penetrating IS armour as the 88 is, but it has a higher rate of fire, the tank is smaller and harder to spot, and the armour didn't play much of a role since most IS-2 shots seemed to hit the Tigers in the turret face plate.

[Phantom Captain]

6 hours ago, Anthony P. said:

Ogdelow is a great mission, I enjoyed it some years ago. I learnt that Panthers were preferable to King Tigers in going up against IS-2s, at least in that mission. The 75mm is about as good at penetrating IS armour as the 88 is, but it has a higher rate of fire, the tank is smaller and harder to spot, and the armour didn't play much of a role since most IS-2 shots seemed to hit the Tigers in the turret face plate.

Panthers are always the way to go, in my opinion!  Tiger I runs a close second...

[Brille]

Well I have a bad take on those  heavy kitties but thats about my own luck I suppose.

Usually when my opponents field them they are those invincible and frightening killing machines, hard to knock down.

When I field them they are like "whoopsie seems like I lost my tracks on that 10m journey."

or

"You know usually I would totally bounce that shot...but not this time,sorry."

I still remember my first experience with the Tiger in CMAK. First enemy contact with a Vallentine( 57mm gun). Two shots of his, one partial penetration aaaand the gun of the Tiger was gone. 

Thats why I usually go with Panthers, Panzer IV and other stuff. 

[PEB14]

7 hours ago, Brille said:

Well I have a bad take on those  heavy kitties but thats about my own luck I suppose.

Usually when my opponents field them they are those invincible and frightening killing machines, hard to knock down.

When I field them they are like "whoopsie seems like I lost my tracks on that 10m journey."

or

"You know usually I would totally bounce that shot...but not this time,sorry."

I still remember my first experience with the Tiger in CMAK. First enemy contact with a Vallentine( 57mm gun). Two shots of his, one partial penetration aaaand the gun of the Tiger was gone. 

Thats why I usually go with Panthers, Panzer IV and other stuff. 

I definitively need to play PBEM against you as the German player!

[FlammenwerferX]

From Tigers at Ogledow vs @Phantom Captain

[danfrodo]

3 hours ago, FlammenwerferX said:

From Tigers at Ogledow vs @Phantom Captain

Can't wait to see how this turns out.  Looks like a T34/76?  If it was a T34/85 I'd bet on the russian.  But here I think I'll still bet on the tiger despite the initial angle & sighting advantage of the T34.