Gordon Posted November 13, 2001 Share Posted November 13, 2001 Yes, after a long and bloody struggle, the German vanguard came up just short of breaking through to the Meuse river and then on to Antwerp. The American team wrested a minor victory after also suffering heavy casualties. Congratulations to the American team and a heart-felt thank you to all the participants on both sides who put up with my evil game-master-ship. Gordon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gpig Posted November 13, 2001 Share Posted November 13, 2001 Thanks Gordon. It was excellent! There was some grumbling along the way (some justified), but overall . . . I had a gas. I think you deserve a long rest. Or maybe you'll just lay-off all the trained monkeys that you had inputting our moves. I can't imagine you'll be creating a detailed AAR, like the first Rumble. Or can I? Gpig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Måkjager Posted November 13, 2001 Share Posted November 13, 2001 Well done Gordon , your time and effort is deeply appreciated. I had a blast After being involved in this i can say that its only now i get a true understanding of the game given to us by BTS....never have i paid soooooo much attention to terrain and possible lines of sight...constantly fretting about my Panther. I had set out "hoping" that i could at least take part in most of the game....if i survived..then that was a bonus. That i actually got to do that and much more make's me made up The only niggle i had was the lack of schreck teams on the Axis side...i felt it might have made the Allied use of the choke point a bit more problematic....but it was only a small niggle. As for the radio net...it worked like a charm for me... i really felt part of a bigger group..and also at time all alone. To our Brave enemy.....congrats on a good game To KG Pieper....were are reduced in strenght but wiser for the future....for our fallen kamaraden....we shall remember your sacrifices. To my fellow Pz kamaraden... jdmorse ,knifeforkspoon(jon mead) and Biggest Dog(Tom Oliver).......a BIG THANKS guys....your a great bunch of lads... really enjoyed the radio chatter ..and for some strange quirk of fate...we were ALL Mac user's regards Måkjager [ 11-12-2001: Message edited by: Måkjager ]</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Mekanik Posted November 13, 2001 Share Posted November 13, 2001 Gordon, Thanks for all your hard work, I had a great time with the whole thing and the chain of communication gives is a realistic chaotic feel. I can't imagine how many hours a week you put into it. I would love to hear some stories or plans from the German side. Anyway we can swap passwords to the message board to see each others plans and worries? Hey Germans, we were hoping you didn't make a run for the last VL, we were a little weak on the defense back there. Defending was easier to coordinate than your full scale attack I'm sure. Any funny stories from your side? Otto ATG T-20 (died) V-13 Sherman V-25 Sherman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Mekanik Posted November 13, 2001 Share Posted November 13, 2001 Wow Makjager, I tip my hat to you!!! You sure racked up the units, I'll post the image in case you are too shy to brag What an adversary, so how did you survive while so many of your comrads didn't? Otto Allied member [ 11-12-2001: Message edited by: Otto Mekanik ]</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Måkjager Posted November 13, 2001 Share Posted November 13, 2001 hehehe...there goes me ego...outta that door shucks Otto , what can i say..... Well usually i play from a high camera angle..so i never "really" looked at the terrain. I also wanted to keep my Panther alive as long as possible as i thought it was the only unit i was getting. So.... i just tried to imagine where possible ambush site might be ( was right about the AT guns in general ) examine the terrain ahead for the best position for my panther and then the careful use of HUNT < MOVE < REVERSE commands at the proper times to my mind ...and using machine gun fire against Infantry all the time , just incase a enemy tank appeared in sight... as the last thing you need is to be using the main weapon against soft targets when hard ones are very near by and lining up their sights on you. During the course of this battle my Panther did take several hits....but all were deflected in part due to hull down positions which i always tried to find. That panther seemed to have a charmed life as i was able to partly get through the daisy chain mine field ...ko a Hellcat and then reverse back through it.....i can tell ye...i sweated buckets when i seen what was happening Thats all....but having looked at the AAR map....i am a wee bit unhappy that i could not get into position quick enough to engage those 4 Shermans sitting in the scattered trees at the end ..but that how it goes. My final tally would not have been possible without the aid of my fellow Pz Kommanders as they had an effect on the outcome of some of my engagements. The ouchy part i think for our KG was losing our KTs to the 57mm AT guns....see they DO WORK regards Måkjager ps having looked at the movies i can now ID the vehicle's which i ko'ed V-1 M10 , V-2 M36 , V-4 M18 ,V-15 M4A3 ,V-17 M4A3 and V-22 a M3 HT....brave lads [ 11-12-2001: Message edited by: Måkjager ]</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogface21 Posted November 13, 2001 Share Posted November 13, 2001 I hate to ask a stupid question, but how DO you play a team game? Is there another one planned? And finally, how do I get in? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Dorosh Posted November 13, 2001 Share Posted November 13, 2001 If there is sufficient interest, and if the German commander agrees, I can post the URL to the German team website that I created. I bailed out as CO a few turns into the game, but I think the pregame planning was excellent on all the Germans' part - especially the so called CRAYON plan (LOL)! Would be interested in hearing how the Americans prepared for the game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogface21 Posted November 13, 2001 Share Posted November 13, 2001 I would be interested! How does it work? Does each player get a few units, then coordinate with team members? That sounds like a blast! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kanonier Reichmann Posted November 13, 2001 Share Posted November 13, 2001 <blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Michael Dorosh: If there is sufficient interest, and if the German commander agrees, I can post the URL to the German team website that I created. I bailed out as CO a few turns into the game, but I think the pregame planning was excellent on all the Germans' part - especially the so called CRAYON plan (LOL)! Would be interested in hearing how the Americans prepared for the game.<hr></blockquote> I'm not the German commander but I can't think of any reason why anyone would object, the game's now over. The detail & extent of information you provided early on was truly impressive & I think everybody should get to see how much time and effort you put into it (at least in the early stages anyway). My thanks to Gordon whose task was pretty thankless & yet he devoted heaps of time to this battle with no complaints. My own personal accomplishment was to lose the first tank in the game (V21 Lynx)- but it was at the forefront of the column in my defense , & then V38 StuH42 to AT mines & finally V53 SdKfz 7/1 to daisy-chain mines. At times the game was acutely exasperating but I'm sure no more so than than the real thing was to the commanders at the time. For this very reason I thought the scenario was very cleverly designed by Gordon & I take my hat off to him. Thanks once again to all my team mates & opponents for a great game and to Gordon for taking the time to make it all possible. Regards Jim R. [ 11-13-2001: Message edited by: Kanonier Reichmann ]</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon Posted November 13, 2001 Author Share Posted November 13, 2001 A heap of replies ... Gpig: Unfortunately, I'm just not going to have the time to do an AAR like the first one. I'm looking for volunteers, however. Måkjager: Shreck teams. Hmm. That's the first I've heard of that one. Shreck teams tend to die pretty quickly on the attack. Besides, which team had the killer tanks versus the tin-cans? Otto Mekanik: By all means, examine each other's posts (even exchange movie files if you'd like - don't expect me to be sending 'em out again over my modem though). The US password was "ergograph" and the German was "iodine". And Måkjager racked up the most kills because he racked up the most bribes. I said I was evil, not fair. Dogface21: Watch the board for another announcement (no guarantee that I'll be running another, however but I'm happy to share the rules with anyone willing to run one of their own). Michael: Opening up your website for pre-game German planning to "the public" would be fantastic. You (and the German team) put a lot of effort into it and it deserves to be appreciated. Gordon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sledge59 Posted November 13, 2001 Share Posted November 13, 2001 Thanks for hosting Gordon, fantastic job! Good game everyone. Defense was extremely difficult after the minefield was penetrated. It'd be great to share team preparation history. I'd also like to get a copy of the scenario now that we're finished. Måkjager you are "hell on treads"! CRAYON plan??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Dorosh Posted November 13, 2001 Share Posted November 13, 2001 German Team Rumble Page Congrats to commander Hines and the stalwart efforts of his men! I really am interested in seeing some screenshots from the American side, plus thoughts on how you set up, etc. If anyone wants to send me German screenshots, I'll be happy to host them on the archives page - MrSpkr's plan crayon is there plus a couple of early shots. I withdrew halfway through and unfortunately the casualty display and reinforcements were never updated, but the American players should get a clear picture of what they were up against early on - and what we were trying to do. I was especially pleased with how everyone agreed to adopt common conventions for mapping and naming locations, etc., and the good communication. I'm personally looking forward to CM2 and another rumble. I suggested Stalingrad to Gordon - perhaps someone will pick up the torch when the time comes? This was our ops order, by the way. [ 11-13-2001: Message edited by: Michael Dorosh ]</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnifeForkSpoon Posted November 13, 2001 Share Posted November 13, 2001 Dittmer, here . . . Heh heh . . . I was commanding the German Pioneers. What a hell of a time we had, trying to clear that damn roadblock. AP mines, AT mines, DaisyChain mines, enemy infantry in infalading fire positions, HUGE artillery landing on our heads, direct HE from chaffee's, M-10's and Shermans and last but not least, the general mayhem that accompanies the attempt to get 10 different units/people to work as one. In the end, we only managed to clear one strip of DaisyChains off the road. The remaining strip STILL managed to take out at least 2 of our tanks/vehicles despite them giving it a WIDE berth. (At least as wide as the road would allow.) I'll say this, you G.I.'s set up one HELL of a nasty road block. Well thought out. I often wonder how we could have taken it easier . . . Good fun. I also was in on the medium tank platoon (in a Pz IV), plus I had a Panther in the reinforcing Panther platoon. Those two platoons were well coordinated units, and I'd be glad to serve with those lads again. (Though, I did lose both of my tanks, with only one kill to show for it.) KFS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WineCape Posted November 13, 2001 Share Posted November 13, 2001 Put me on the list for a Rumble III applicant if there is going to be one in the future. Would love to participate. Seems you lads had lots of fun as can be gathered from scanning Dorosh's webpages for the Rumble II as well as the the radio message boards. Regards, Charl Theron ----------------- [Making wine] is like having children; you love them all, but boy, are they different. -- Bunny Finkelstein, Judd’s Hill Winery, 1998 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogface21 Posted November 13, 2001 Share Posted November 13, 2001 Ohh, that looks like alot of fun, I can see why it took so much work! Well, I hate to barge in uninvited, but if you ever need a PUMA pilot again, let me know! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
André Posted November 13, 2001 Share Posted November 13, 2001 Congratulations guys! I played the Allied CO for the first half of the battle, but had to retire to the real world duties. If you want to check out the Allied briefing, go here: http://home.online.no/~andhess/cmrumble/rumbleII.html Enjoy! Heinz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Mekanik Posted November 13, 2001 Share Posted November 13, 2001 Heinz!!!, our starting leader. You were gone but not forgotten. You did great with our initial planning and coordination. Thanks for all your time too. I'm not sure which allied member decided on on that roadblock location but it was perfect, I think Heinz came up with it though? Germans, Where did the infantry come from that attacked the village? Did they start on that side of the map or did they travel all the way from the road/bridge VL area? We sure got lucky with the artillery stopping your attack, all we had was a platoon(minus half squad) and a machine holding the village. We had to run some Shermans to the town. Oh by the way I was the first Sherman(V-13) to arrive at the town, my apologies to the infantry platoon that I pummeled near the village Great German web site and I just LOVE seeing your message board, it's hilarous reading what the other side was thinking. You germans would laugh because we americans were so paranoid that their were German Paratroopers behind our lines and what else Gordon pulled over on us. Otto Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon Posted November 13, 2001 Author Share Posted November 13, 2001 Otto, I caught more flak from the Germans for that infantry reinforcement group than I did from the Americans. :eek: The issue was that they were a completely separate unit that had found a ford over the river (hence infantry only) who were making an uncoordinated attack (at least with respect to the main Kampfgruppe) on the hamlet. An integral component of the design of this Rumble was that each CO had to devise a plan using inadequate at start forces, while not knowing what reinforcements would arrive, or when. All, A Rumble of this size was very difficult to GM, at least until units started to die. I'd suggest that the next Rumble borrow a page from the "team cooperative" approach and either have 2 GMs (one for each side), or simply have the COs for each side plot and exchange movie files for their teams. Gordon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sledge59 Posted November 13, 2001 Share Posted November 13, 2001 The mines and wire were a part of allied engineer platoon F's assets. Captain Heinz had a lot to do with the final layout, along with a crucial suggestion from Lt. PawBroon. Heinz's clear orders were: "Stop them here". It was a significant gamble to place all these resources at the bottleneck. If the Germans had come over the ridge with a huge infantry force, things might have gone somewhat differently. The idea was to deny combined arms to the attackers for as long as possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kanonier Reichmann Posted November 13, 2001 Share Posted November 13, 2001 <blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Sledge59: It was a significant gamble to place all these resources at the bottleneck. If the Germans had come over the ridge with a huge infantry force, things might have gone somewhat differently. The idea was to deny combined arms to the attackers for as long as possible.<hr></blockquote> Don't worry, we had that particular area marked as a probable site for ambushes & we suspected mines would be on the menu as well since we received a Pioneer platton as re-inforcements, making us very suspicious. I must admit I thought the extent of the mine-fields made available to the Americans seemed a bit over the top since, if the battered remnants of the Pioneer platoon hadn't managed to clear away that one daisy chain minefield whilst under 105mm VT fire, the game would have become extremely boring for the German side. Not much fun sitting behind AP & AT minefields with no means to penetrate them and no ability to manouvre around them due to the terrain. Be that as it may, we were able to (just) forge through & Mikjager became the legendary one man army in the process through his Panthers single-handed destruction of half the American army! Just one thing.. can somebody reveal the password for the Allies on that Ezyboard site so I can view what you guys were discussing through all those turns? Regards Jim R. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sledge59 Posted November 13, 2001 Share Posted November 13, 2001 The password is "ergograph" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Dorosh Posted November 14, 2001 Share Posted November 14, 2001 The American stuff makes for great reading. If I get time, and in the absence of volunteers from elsewhere, I would be interested in putting up some webpages - with the radio transmissions from both sides. Would prefer someone else do this since I have a lot on my plate; if anyone wants help from this end, or vice versa, let me know. Would be quite interesting. I still want to know why that lone 60mm mortar was set up on our side of the river. I had great fun killing him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sledge59 Posted November 14, 2001 Share Posted November 14, 2001 IIRC Claymore reasoned that you wouldn't come charging over what you called 'Hill 189'. Force blue wanted to create havoc as you crossed the bridge. Every member of those frontal forces knew that their life expectancy would be short, so the plan was to make the bridge flag costly to take. When the mortar and bazooka were spotted so quickly, things began to crumble. Lt. Claymore was killed by a Tiger's 88, and the AT guns fought bravely but couldn't get many penetrations on their hits. PawBroon had a better time of it, singlehandedly taking out the Pumas, yet he had refused safe passage through the minefield during setup in order to deny road travel to all. What was the story behind that early allied prisoner that was paraded around by the bridge? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kanonier Reichmann Posted November 14, 2001 Share Posted November 14, 2001 <blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Sledge59: What was the story behind that early allied prisoner that was paraded around by the bridge?<hr></blockquote> The story was that we attempted to be historically accurtate since we represented Kampfgruppe Peiper in the Ardennes so we area targetted the captured crew of the 76mm AT gun with a Panther (from memory) in an attempt to execute him for taking out our King Tiger. Caused one casualty IIRC & then didn't bother completing the task... other more pressing issues such as getting down the road at maximum speed. BTW, thanks sledge59 for the password. If anyone didn't pick up on the German password it was "iodine" Regards Jim R. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts