Claymore Posted October 9, 2000 Share Posted October 9, 2000 Turns 11-15 I will drop all pretense in these AARs of having any M4s in reserve. Previously I had kept up the charade to slow Fionn from bringing up his Panthers too quickly. That worked for at most 2-3 turns and gave me some breathing space. Now read on and tremble at the awesome battle which is taking place! Ok listen here bub! We got them SS bums on the run but there's still lots of fight left in those slobs... Our tanks have graduallly been whittled down to a bare platoon but they are fanned out against and facing two PzVs on our right flank. They are all under cover about 350m distant and we should bag another this round. We have two platoons (-) with 3 zook teams guarding their flank. Maybe we can use combined arms and get both PzVs! In detail my right flank looks like this. I'm facing 2 enemy PzVs over frontline 700m broad. Trees and a small rise form the right of this front and infantry occupy the woods. I see some enemy infantry icons moving towards the woods and my men are occupying a former enemy postion and the foxholes/trees make good cover. The centre of the front has a scattered platoon of squads intermixed with zook teams. The enemy armour has good LOS to them, but they will be too occupied with my infantry to do more than harass them. I plan for them to move forward and assist my armour in taking down those pesky kitties. To the left of this are the ROUTED and decimated remains of Fionn's first platoon to contact my right flank infantry shoulder. They are out of the fight no matter how much they attempt to pull together and I will not pursue them further. We have our left flank secure with 2 companies (-) / zooks and 2 arty spotters ready to call down 105VT and 81mm on any interlopers. Our scout car was lost last turn but he gained us valuable intel before his destruction. The PzV left on this flank has moved down off his high perch and is possibly making towards the kessel. We will need to keep our eyes on further developments. In the kessel formed by these two shoulders of infantry, HTs and armour lie the remnants of another platoon of Fionns. The HT MGs have been steadily attriting these remainders and I think its time to apply some DIRECT HE to make them rethink their postion. Time to press GO!. Two turns worth of Kraut moaning and dying proceed. But other important factors have come to light as well! 1. Just as I anticipated the PzV on my left is clanking and clacking its way towards the central highlands. The turn previous to this I withdrew a single M4 just to counter this possibility. He his in FAST move and has a complete plot of waypoints around the central highlands. With the timing he will appear behind this PzV and take him in the rear. One of the right flank PzVs has clear LOS to him as he makes 1/2 of his run but the shots are at least 800m and with fairly good deflection. If this PzV does make the highlands he will be able to shoot down into the depression where two HTs and a single M4 now reside. I will move the HTs forward and behind some woods for cover. The M4 I will swing around the trees to take the charging PzV from the opposite rear aspect. I don't want him distracted on his mission by other targets so I place an ambush marker on the PzVs probable point to crest the hill. Fionn has moved a squad forward to probe this shoulder as well, back it looks like the remainder of a full platoon. I will let the squad gain a copse of woods that they are headed towards (that is only occupied by a single zook team) and then when the rest of the platoon joins up drop the hammer on him. Moving the two M4s to counter the left flank PzV should yield engagement distances of ~100m and with fast turrets and movement should bag me a kitty. 2. Fionn has joined the two right flank PzVs in postions which loosely support each other. There are no infantry (that I see) which are screening these tanks and my zooks may be of some use here. I have two E8s here in good cover and angle to the PzVs. I will play peek-a-boo with the M4 behind the building and charge the other to take the PzVs in the flank. As with the other flank, a single PzV has a long distance high deflection shot at this M4 and I put the odds of the M4 dying at about 1 in 5. I have husbanded the remaining M20 scouts and they are providing good intelligence. There is one PzV on this flank which has his vision screened by a small hill. My infantry may be able to advance up the hill and make a zook attack from close range. They need two turns of movement to get there so I start them off on a run... I am confident that while I may lose one M4 I will certainly bag one PzV this round and possibly another next. The birds are singing sweetly and the children playing quietly while my wife smiles and brings me a cool beer on my porch. I pat her on the backside and she gives me a sly smile and wink. Aaahhhh the world is a wonderful place. I press GO and watch the "blue bar of death" fill itself in. "Go ahead little bar" I say to myself..."every pixel represents just a little more death for the Vaterland". Then....I download the movie. The birds flutter down to the porch and are revealed to be vultures. My children appear before me with sharpened lawn tools and evil grins. My wife shrewly calls from the kitchen "aren't you done with that game yet! This is not good. A disquieting feeling of impending doom fills me. My eyes fall to the laptop screen as the movie starts...the M4 on a swing around the highlands is taken out by a quick 800m killshot. The flanking M4 charging down a hill slows for some inexplicable reason (NOT A WAYPOINT) and the far PzV lasers a round through his turret. WWWWAAAANNNNGGGG! BBBOOOOOMMMM! It's OK I say, now the PzV coming up the central highlands has to get its present from the other flanking E8....But....Aaaaahhhh! He's not engaging the PzV! Shoot dammit! Ok..now! Now! NOW! SHOOOOOOOOTTTT! I scream at the monitor but no joy. It appears that the Panther stopped just outside the ambush marker trigger level. However, he is only 150m and at 90 degrees to the Panther's facing when the turn ends. That's ok I say to myself he's a kill the next round for sure! The end of the turn now puts me down another two M4s! My kill ratio has fallen to 3:6. I still have two M4s against 3 panthers but with a sure kill the next turn. However, the thin edge of doubt has crept into my belief system. You know...the one which says that careful planning yields predictable results. I need to hedge my bets but I haven't much in the endgame to pull out. I still have my zook teams and one M4 against two Panthers on my right flank and a single M4 ready to kill a broadside PzV on my left flank. After all if you were looking at the broadside of a PzV from 150m and your gun is aimed and ready, wouldn't you think it was in the bag? I don't fully. A pull a platoon out of reserve and give them a mission I don't usually try in PBEM. Rush and assault that Panther boys. If by some miracle he survives the side shot then he will have his arse in your face and I hope you have the ability to give it a swift kick. I press GO once again...my children still look at me with feral eyes. Not a good omen. Well my friends, like I said nothing is in the bag in this game. The previous rounds which buoyed my self confidence are now but bitter ashes in my mouth. The M4 rounds goes winging off the Panther turret face and into space. The Panther does not return the favour and puts 75mm AP round straight through and through the Sherman. The catastrophic explosion ensures that whatever gene pool the E8 gunner came from is completely and totally truncated and terminated. No more little gunners with his "prowess" will be issuing forth from his loins. The assaulting infantry arrive to attempt the bum's rush on the PzV only to have him move lazily out of engagement distance.....AAAAAAHHHHH the unfairness of it all! My other M4 for some inexplicable reason (even though he had lots of waypoints left) pauses out-of-cover and is dispatched by one of the right flank Panthers. Aaaaahhhh! the unfairness of it all! Something MUST be wrong with CM I email Fionn and I WILL be posting to the forum to address this game bug. A small amount of salve which I can apply to my burned ego is the zook/infantry assault which was partially masked by the hill. The Panther which has just killed my last M4 rotates and slowly starts moving towards the awaiting infantry....the zook aims....shoots....BOOOOOOMMM! a dead kitty....a roasted kitty....catastrophic hit! The wheatfield blossoms into flame and thick smoke roils upwards towards whatever gods of war are gazing down at this field of battle. Another ray of sunlight which breaks through this smoke is what has occurred to the infantry which long ago I was hoping to pull into a trap. Sure enough his scouts arrived unmolested at the stand of trees and signaled to their komrades that every thing was clear....MUUUAAAHHAAAAHAAAA! I have pulled a full platoon with an excellent leader out of the left infantry shoulder and start them towards the woods slowly, and then the artillery starts to fall....first arriving is the light stuff but now I've got 105VT raining down on the poor buggers. Oh sure I may not have any armour left and Fionn has two kitties left to maul me but I am going to go down swinging! Final armour exchange is 2:1 in Fionn's favour. There are about 5-7 turns of death and dying left in this game and I may get another PzV yet. I will post the next installment of the AAR after these turns have finished. I've been invited by a website to upload the AAR so maybe I can get some screenshot/movies/statistic from Fionn as well. Fionn will most definitely have my scalp on his wall but the scars he bears will pain him long. Onwards to Berlin! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snake Eyes Posted October 9, 2000 Share Posted October 9, 2000 Claymore - Great reading!! It's a wargamer's soap opera. Can't wait for the next installment. ------------------ It is easy to be brave from a safe distance. -Aesop Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grognerd_Fogman Posted October 9, 2000 Share Posted October 9, 2000 Thanx much Claybert, that was very enjoyable. ------------------ Thanks for Athskin! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BK6583 Posted October 24, 2000 Share Posted October 24, 2000 Okay Claymore, I've been patiently waiting for your final AAR - what's up? Does Fionne ever lose? Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Priest Posted October 24, 2000 Share Posted October 24, 2000 Soon I hope. Eh Fionn? ------------------ Sir are you sure you want to go to red alert...it would mean changing the bulb -Priest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Pillar Posted October 24, 2000 Share Posted October 24, 2000 From what I've heard, Kwazydog and Madmatt kick Fionn's ass regularly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kanonier Reichmann Posted October 25, 2000 Share Posted October 25, 2000 <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Pillar: From what I've heard, Kwazydog and Madmatt kick Fionn's ass regularly. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> And Fionn not able to respond directly to this statement... very mean of you Pillar. But then again, what with his fairly arrogant nature perhaps it's deserved? Regards Jim R. ------------------ Steve to Combat Mission community: "If it's not in Combat Mission it never happened in reality"... nah that's not what I meant "If it's not in Combat Mission then the chances of it happening were miniscule"... hmmm, not quite "If it's not in Combat Mission then we didn't have the resources to code it"... rats, we've employed more people now "If it's not in Combat Mission, STIFF SH*T!"... yeh, that's what I meant to say Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest KwazyDog Posted October 25, 2000 Share Posted October 25, 2000 Eeeek, dont go starting terrible rumors like that Pillar, or Fionn may challenge me to a butt kicking, hehe Ive never played Fionn actually, but have played matt twice. The first battle was actually an operation and was absolutely awesome. I counted over 50 dead vehicles on the battlefield near the end. The second was a small tough battle between 2 company sized forces with tank support. Currently we are at 1 all in the scores Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Pillar Posted October 25, 2000 Share Posted October 25, 2000 That was a joke. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Claymore Posted October 25, 2000 Author Share Posted October 25, 2000 Alack and alas, the dreaded fickle finger of Fionn (F^3 or F-cubed) has fallen decidedly upon this poor wretched and pitiable creature. A full acounting of the dastardly events is currently being scribed for public display. There is good news however, so do not dispair my good and worthy people. Ye forces of evil and darkness have triumphed but momentarily. I have agreed to decend once more into the lion's den and do battle with this most foul opponent. It is a monsterously vast and dizzying array of forces which are pawing the earth as they await the appointed hour. Verily I say unto all who now look at these words...I shall kick the foul creature's but. I mean...who wants to get spanked twice in a row? Well...some do but remember this is CM not S&M. Cheers all... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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