Henri Posted January 23, 2001 Share Posted January 23, 2001 This is a true TCPIP story. I found out after the game that my opponent was 15 years old, so cut him some slack -he will not always be young and dumb, but I will only get older and probably dumber... We agreed to a TCPIP game and my opponent requested that I host and set up a 1000-pt assault where he was the defender with the Allies. He requested "no Tigers" and I said OK. I set up a 1000-point combined arms assault QB on a moderately forested map with small hills.As the attacker, I got 1750 points,with which I purchased a veteran Motorized SS Company, an additional SS rifle squad, a Panther, a Hetzer, a 251/9 halftrack, a Skdfz251/3 heavy armored car, plus 2 120 mm mortar FO's and a rocket squad. I usually avoid rockets which are likely to kill as many of my own men as the enemy's, but since he was on the defensive, I figured that his infantry would be mostly stationary near or behind the flags, and I could hit them before my men got close enough to be in danger from stray rockets. I also had 2 81 mm mortars that come with the infantry and a few machineguns. The map had a road going diagonally all the way across the map from the bottom left to the top right where most of the victory flags were, so I placed my 234/3 on that road in case a mad dash behind his armor would become required. There was one victory flag near the top left, and the others right of center near the top. So my strategy was to advance 3 platoons widely spaced across the map using whatever cover was available, keeping the other platoon in reserve some distance behind. I placed my Hetzer on the left on a reverse slope, hid the halftrack deep behind my lines, and put my Panther on the right also out of view. There was a rise in the center of the map which concealed my units, and I did not have the intention of showing my armor before I had determined the composition and disposition of his force.I immediately ordered my rockets to fire at the flag area on the right, hoping to do damage to enemy concentrations there.Thge waiting time was 3 minutes. With his 300 armor points, since we had agreed on "no Tigers", I assumed that the most armor he could have would be something like an M10 and a Sherman. To my surprise, as my infantry moved forward, they quickly spotted a Jumbo tank in the right top corner! To my query about this, my opponent replied that we had agreed on "no Tigers" and nothing had been said about "no Jumbos". He added insult to injury by adding "You don't like that, do you? Muahahahaha..." I resisted the urge to abort the game right there, and decided to pursue -I could always surrender later. The diagonal road passed behind the Jumbo, so I decided to see if the 234/3, which was quite capable of taking out a Jumbo from the rear, could outrun the Tiger's slow turret rotation. I raced the armored car up the road on "fast", and in one minute, he made it almost all the way across the map. But the Tiger used the new hull rotation as well as his turret, and nailed the armored car as it passed by his side -so much for fast armored cars against slow turret rotation. In the meantime, I had advanced my Panther between two copses of trees on the right from where he could see the Jumbo without much risk of being spotted by AT guns to the side, and he bounced a high velocity shell off the Jumbo's's turret.Damm! The Jumbo turned to face the Panther, fired and missed. The Panther bounced another shell off the Jumbo, then popped smoke and wisely backed out of sight. BTS has agreed to tone down the Jumbo's front armor in the next patch, because if the Panther's high-velocity 75 gun, which has more penetration than a Tiger's 88, can't take out a Jumbo from the front at 300 m, nothing can. While all this was going on, my infantry had continued advancing, and one SS platoon was advancing into some woods some 80 m directly in front of the Jumbo. Laughing in derision, my opponent now made a mistake: he began to advance the Jumbo to try to get a bead on my Panther, who used smoke to cover his backing up out of cover behind some trees. I decided that the situation called for some desperate measures, and I raced my infantry platoon forward to try to distract the Jumbo while I advanced my Panther once more, unconvinced that a panther could not take out a Jumbo. At the same time, I took a chance on moving my Hetzer toward the right, risking a shot to his side; but he was behind my infantry, and I hoped that any enemy AT units that fired on the Hetzer could be neutralized by the infantry before knocking out the Hetzer.I also opened up on suspected enemy positions with my two 120 mortars, hoping to minimize enemy infantry fire on my charging infantry. The Jumbo buttoned up and began to fire on the approaching squads, one of whom buckled and ran for cover. I ordered the one farthest to the right to run to the side of the Jumbo, he could try to get a shot to the side with his Panzerfaust. A machinegun in a building had opened up on my infantry, and I hoped that the artillery could suppress him. The Panther and the Hetzer moved closer and got the Jumbo in their sights, but the Hetzer missed a side shot and the Panther bounced another shell off the Hetzer's front armor.Now I felt confident that the Hetzer could get a side shot at the Jumbo, but he missed again as the Jumbo turned his turret towards the Hetzer while keeping his front to the hapless Panther. I had visions of my Hetzer brewing up from the Jumbo's next shot then the Jumbo lumbering over the Panther's carcass into my rear areas, when my infantry rush paid off: the infantry squad to the side of the Jumbo let loose with their Panzerfaust and killed it. Had teh Jumbo not advanced toward my infantry, it would have been very difficult to kill. At this point, my opponent said that he had no more time and disconnected; but he stayed on the chat forum for about an hour, where he proposed that we have an armor-only battle tomorrow. When I inquired about our ongoing game, he said that it was a draw, to which I belatedly agreed, noting in my mind that it was a victory for me. I'll tell ya this: next time I play this kid, I'm not agreeing to ANY limitations on armor purchases... Henri Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Space Thing Posted January 23, 2001 Share Posted January 23, 2001 Originally posted by Henri: it was a victory for me. I'll tell ya this: next time I play this kid, I'm not agreeing to ANY limitations on armor purchases... Henri Personally, I wouldn't play this kid ever again. Why expose yourself to something like that possibly happening again? As a suggestion for the future, when talking limitations, make sure that both sides are discussed. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freak Posted January 23, 2001 Share Posted January 23, 2001 hehe... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mensch Posted January 23, 2001 Share Posted January 23, 2001 Hey Henri tell me this kids name.. and make sure I don't play him. (email me) Off topic but this little snot sounds like he hopped in from the Starcraft Battle Net, for a dumb game I have never ever in my life seen a bunch of cheeting people in my life, (ie saying no attacking for the first 10 minutes - just build. Only to have the snot attack you in 5 minutes and says "well I thought it was dumb so I am attacking you") Anyhow, next time use the 75 rule or somefink. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polar Posted January 23, 2001 Share Posted January 23, 2001 I'd play him again... eventually you'll break him down and he'll admit he lost one. Sounds like he'll have a lot of opportunities to admit it too. Was in a Jumbo 76? Or just a plain Jumbo. Regardless, he might have done you a favor making you not buy Tigers. Joe ------------------ "I had no shoes and I cried, then I met a man who had no socks." - Fred Mertz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PzKpfw 1 Posted January 23, 2001 Share Posted January 23, 2001 ROFL Henri, you know thats just like a 15yr old; in that they would bring the next best thing, that did not break their agreement in this case you never said no 'Jumbo's' . Next time (if their is one) be very very specific on what is acceptable. Regards, John Waters ------------------ "We've got the finest tanks in the world. We just love to see the German Royal Tiger come up on the field". Lt.Gen. George S. Patton, Jr. February 1945. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrapGame Posted January 23, 2001 Share Posted January 23, 2001 Henri, Please e-mail me the name of this character as well. I haven't played any TCP/IP games yet, and I want to make sure that this person will not be one of the ones I play in the future. Thanks ------------------ CrapGame Buying CM for yourself is like giving lingerie to your significant other. It's the gift that keeps on giving back! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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