JCawley's Operational Tournament status

[Iron Duke]

This thread is for Jason's OP tournament and all AAR's/discussions should be posted here. (Me and a few other's didn't care for the old title, so we started a new one)

The old thread can be found here

[Iron Duke]

After Action Report

Hauptman Guerrero “Iron Duke”

24 September 2001

Herr Colonel,

After receiving your Warning Order that the Ami onslaught would continue along the forest road, I made preparations at map coordinates D4.

I will not lie to you Colonel, this was a tough assignment, as I had only Recce to hold off an American armored thrust while covering the remainder of our forces from the terrible battle at C4. As I saw it…I had two options:

Conduct a fighting withdrawal.

Conduct a delaying action with Reece while KG-A quickly exited off the map.

Although you personally recommended me to exit the area as quickly as possible…I applaud you for giving the “on-site” commander the opportunity to change the plans as he saw fit. In this battle, I had to make use of both options 1 and 2 in order to preserve my unit and attempt to disrupt/destroy his.

After studying the terrain, I was able to locate a decent fighting position (FP1) within 10 meters of the road…covered by trees in front, a large wood to my right flank…and settled in a depression. Any enemy forces attempting to engage my positions would have to do so at their own peril. Thank God you had the foresight to issue 2 Panzerfaust’s to each of my motorized squads and with the addition of a Panzershrek team, I felt I could stop any initial advance along the forest road…as long as the Ami’s didn’t overwhelm me with their infantry too quickly.

300 meters South of FP1 (to the left) was an opening in the trees that led directly up to the dominant high ground in the area…this area also contained a small victory marker. At the opening, I positioned 2 half-squads of grenadiers to warn me of an Ami breakthrough attempt, and to ambush any Ami forces pushing through the opening (FP2). Once again I positioned them deep enough into the woods that they could not be engaged from further than 40 meters. To aid this squad, I assigned them an armored car. Since you had informed me that KG-A would be arriving shortly by the Southeast ‘corner’, I knew as long as this small team could delay any American thrust, I would be OK.

300 meters East of FP1 (behind) was a large wood that the road passed through, and also contained the only large victory flag. Here I positioned a SPW to hold the flag, and an armored car to cover the road incase the American commander attempted to “trigger” any ambushes by scouting with is recon elements.

There was one other small victory marker clear across the map in the North. There, I positioned another SPW to act as my flank guard and to take possession of the marker itself.

I sighted the large wooded area to the left flank of FP1 with a TRP, and quickly laid some anti-tank mines across the road near the large flag.

The battle began with the sound of tank guns slamming a wood directly in front (West) of FP2. This was quite distressing for me as I clearly made out 2 different guns…if the Ami’s made a strong push through the small opening in the woods, KG-A could be in great danger once it arrived. Against my better judgment, I ordered FP2’s armored car to investigate the opening, as I needed to know the size of the force attempting to breakthrough at this point. Just before the car was knocked out by what appeared to be a Sherman tank, it had spotted a platoon sized force moving into the woods where one of my half-squads lay in wait. This spotting alone was worth the death of the armored car…because if I lost this “side” of the opening…the American armor would have a field day with KG-A.

God was with us Colonel, for as soon as I had spotted the American infantry; KG-A arrived at the scene…and only 50 meters from FP2 and with a covered route to my positions! I immediately ordered Oldendahls’ platoon to quickly move to the left side of FP2 and ambush the American infantry. I then positioned Palkes’ platoon directly behind Oldendahl to finish off any enemy infantry that remained after the initial contact.

Oldendahl took the brunt of the firefight but with Palke’s help, I was able to rout the American platoon and hold FP2. As I had hoped, one of the American Sherman’s pushed through the opening to try and help out the hapless American platoon and I quickly destroyed it with a Faust.

The Ami’s wisely backed off from FP2 and attempted to pummel the woods where my men hid but I had ordered them to withdrawal with all haste just before the brunt of the 75mm shells hit.

At this point, since the FO that I had positioned with LOS down the road directly in front of FP1 had spotted nothing…I decided to scout out the large wood to the left of FP1, and see if the Americans would now abandon hopes of pushing through FP2 and move on FP1. This is exactly what the Americans did, although they left one Sherman close to FP2 in hopes of catching some of my infantry(?) As I made preparations at FP1, I ordered KG-A’s FO to drop smoke on my position’s there. I hoped that if I did have to move Edelstein’s platoon, I could use the cover to quickly evacuate the fighting position.

Just as I spotted 2 Sherman tanks moving on FP1, more American infantry advanced on Edelstein’s platoon. Fortunately, this turned out to be a lone Bazooka team and we quickly overwhelmed them. As the smoke shells began to fall in and around FP1, one of the Sherman’s attempted to “make a break” for it by racing down the road to the bend that lead due East to the large victory marker. It was met with a Panzershrek round and was quickly set ablaze. The second tank meanwhile, was providing overwatch along the road running through the trees directly in front (west) of FP1. I knew that if I did not act quickly, all opportunity for knocking out that tank would be lost, as I felt the Americans had had enough and would seek to escape. I ordered Edelstein to rush his men to the sides of the road to knock out that tank, and they where met by some enfilade fire from a wood 75 meters North of FP1…more American infantry. These sounded like medium machine guns but I could not be sure at this point. Just as the Sherman completed its pivot and began to escape, Unteroffizier Lonn placed a Panzerfaust into the rear turret of the tank. It was quite an excellent shot and I am recommending Lonn for an award.

At this point I believe the American commander lost heart and control of his men, for the Sherman at FP2 charged through the gap there, and managed to make it halfway up the hill where he knocked out the only other vehicle I lost, a SPW carrying 2 HMG’s. I then ordered Palke’s platoon to rush up the hill and knock out that Sherman before he got too far into my rear areas. He did so with great skill and cunning…literally exploding the Sherman and killing all its crew aboard.

Going by American TO&E, I expected at least one more Sherman and I had spotted at least 2 half-tracks near FP1. 2 Panzer IVH’s had arrived earlier, but I decided that they remain covering the road, where they where in good position to move quickly either North or South depending if I needed them to do so.

The SPW near the Northern marker reported light vehicle sounds coming from the other side of a small hill near its position. I quickly dispatched my remaining armored car to investigate and sure enough, a third half-track had been sent here apparently with the same orders in mind as my SPW. The AC made quick work of it and besides mopping up of a couple Bazooka teams/MMG’s, the battle ended at that point.

Here are the final stats:

Allied Attacker:

59 casualties (15KIA)

4 M4A3 Sherman tanks knocked out

1 M3 Halftrack knocked out

Either the Americans had a “short” platoon of tanks or the commander managed to race one off the board because that’s all he had on the map.

My losses where:

39 casualties (11KIA) Most of these fell on the 2 HMG teams in the SPW.

1 AC knocked out

1 SPW knocked out

The final score was 77 to 23 resulting in an Axis Major Victory.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Lessons Learned

Flexibility in command to the on-site commander greatly aids in the battle.

Panzerfaust 60 is a lethal weapon in tight, wooded areas.

Placement of infantry is crucial when attempting to fight/ambush tanks. They must be positioned in such a way that the tank must place itself in jeopardy in order to engage the ambushing infantry. This range should never exceed 40 meters.

If attacking through a wooded area, any armored force must be accompanied by adequate numbers of infantry.

If only one element of infantry exists, do not attempt to push through in another area other than where you attempt to breech the MLR with infantry, with unsupported tanks; they will be lost.

[ 09-25-2001: Message edited by: Iron Duke ]

[Iron Duke]

Where's the Allied AAR for this 3rd round???

:confused:

[Iron Duke]

Is this thing still going on? I haven't seen anything on it in a week...nor any emails...what's the deal?

[Dirtweasle]

Good question. Have not seen anything either. It's one of the problems I have with these campaigns in general. There is no constant stream of communications, news, etc...

[Wreck]

Guys, from Jason:

"I'm a bit under the weather at the moment, so my level of output isn't at its best. But I hope to get back on the work for this by late tomorrow at the latest."

I hope we can get the new operational turn done in time for folks to play Sunday, but we shall see.

[JasonC]

The turn results have been assessed, and the next op-move orders are pending from the operational commanders. This is the first night move. Whether there will be much tactical action during it is obviously up to the commander's decisions.

The basic results of the first day's action were that the US drove part way down the wooded road east, but the ground was expensive and they did not manage to push further in the afternoon. Further details are not known to both sides, and so won't be discussed here.

The Americans lost a platoon of Shermans, another of Stuarts, and several cavalry vehicles, plus infantry losses of course. They were also under one operational scale bombardment, where the effects are not known to the German side. The Germans lost a StuG platoon, some PAK, and some light armor, along with infantry losses. They also experienced several operational bombardments, where again the effects are not known to both sides.

As for the delay in the last turn, I got the AAR results from the German commander for the last fight several days ago. I didn't get one from the Allied commander. I decided to go ahead anyway, as the description and scenario end information from the German AAR was sufficient to allocate losses.

I've been less than chipper the last few days with a cold, and that delayed turnaround for this move. The results and calls for the next set of operational orders went out late Friday night. We've been averaging about 1 operational move per week, which I think is the realistic, sustainable pace. Arranging each tactical combat always takes a few days, but using TCP/IP has still be much faster than PBEM could have achieved.

Some players may have been disappointed by the level of involvement so far, simply because only portions of each side's force have yet engaged with each other. So not all tactical commanders have had a battle. It may be that the number of players we signed up could accomodate a larger fight.

The scale we have has produced managable battles that have been designed and completed on a reasonable schedule. Some commanders have fought twice. To produce a game per week for each player, however, does not seem feasible, and each side's forces would burn out pretty quickly doing that.

In our fight, the operational map (initially) doesn't really allow that anyway. Terrain has so far channeled the fighting to 1 or 2 tactical battles per operational move.

If any player is interested in an updated situation report, just mail me or your commander and ask. I expect players to talk with their commanders without my prompting it, and vice versa. I have tried to go through the commanders rather than managing a dozen contacts directly, both to keep it managable and to compartmentalize information on each side of the fight.

If you feel out of the loop, get after your side commander (Jarmo for the Americans, Leonard for the Germans) and ask him to assign you tactical command in the next battle that comes up, or get into the operational situation with him and recommend a new use for the troops he thinks of as assigned to you.

I hope this helps.

[Jarmo]

What's happening with the tourney? I've heard nothing for a while, except some good suggestions from my subcommanders.

I've submitted the allies night orders, have the germans?

Jason appears to be alive, basing on the ten page posts.

[JasonC]

Orders have been received, and yes I am alive. The delay is mostly my fault, but I can tell you there aren't any night battles, and the morning op move situation reports will be out to the commanders by tonight.

[JasonC]

We are now on the 6th operational move, noon of the 2nd day. The last couple have seen maneuvering and shell lobbing, but not tactical collisions.

[JasonC]

Trading barrages. Afternoon of the 2nd day.

[Jarmo]

It's good to have air superiority.

Not only does it cause damage, but we also know pretty well if it did.

[JasonC]

Second night, still cat and mouse...

[JasonC]

Morning of the 3rd day...

[JasonC]

And now an overcast noon, still maneuvering...

[Jarmo]

I'll give the orders soon, but in the meanwhile, let's not let this thread drown.

[JasonC]

On noon of the third day, another tactical combat (finally - LOL) out east, where the wooded road emerges back into farmland. The scenario file has been sent to the operational commanders. They still have to select their tactical leaders for this one.

The Americans are still attacking. They cleared the rest of the wooded road in the meantime without tactical opposition. The Germans pulled back after various barrage attacks there. If they win the upcoming tactical fight, they will have moved 3 miles east by northeast along that road in as many days.

[Jarmo]

Hey bad guys! Who's doing the fighting for your side this time?

[Wreck]

Jarmo: looks to be either me or James Morton. Read your email.

[Jarmo]

Okay, we also seem to have some problems locating someone willing to charge the MG nest. Will get back to you sometime soon.

[Wreck]

E3 AAR

The forces given the Germans for defense in the sector were meager. I had a veteran platoon, a company HQ, and two MkIVs. I expected to be attacked by at least a company of infantry and a platoon of Shermans, possibly more.

Knowing the German forces were inferior, the infantry were set up in good defensive terrain with good forward vision. They were placed so as to ambush likely routes of half-squad advances, in sufficiently thick trees that then could reasonably run away from tank fire expected as soon as they revealed themselves. The panzers were set up close together, hiding in a patch of scattered trees with a thin LOS down the road, though, not to the edge of the map. TRPs were placed in terrain I thought it most likely the Americans would advance along: two patches of woods, both along the road.

Initially very little happened. We sat still, seeing only an American squad move across a gap in woods along the road (probably a half squad). Gradually other units also moved where we could briefly see them, following the first unit. Unfortunately these scouts managed to mostly slip by my first TRP; I had thought I would see them flit across the open to the woods it was in, but I guess not. I wasted a turn of shells on what was probably just a single half squad.

Seeing a tank sitting on the road near the board edge, I had the feeling that the scattered trees it was in held more Americans. A turn and a half of 81mm mortar fire proved this suspicion correct; several tanks moved out of the woods to escape the off chance of a hit doing anything. I could not see any damage caused by this strike, however.

Meanwhile, the Americans were weighing in with 105 arty, stonking both of the more forward victory locations. Fortunately I had set up near, but not in, either location. After a fair count of shells into both locations, the church in the center VL was flattened by the American tanks. They also worked over a small building near the bend in the road.

About this time a scout squad moving up the left side triggered the ambush of two of my squads and their platoon leader. Unfortunately it happened right at the end of the turn, and the American tanks could see the area down the road. I gave orders for each unit to fire for 28 seconds then run away. This worked nicely; the half squad was killed and the retaliatory fire minimal before my guys got back out of sight. I then ordered the guys to withdraw in the next turn, as 105mm arty was sure to saturate the area. And so it did, though, by bugging out I lost little.

Eventually the Americans got a bit more impatient with their tanks, and finally moved forward enough that my two panzers could see one sherman 105. They had been aiming at the area in ambush for many turns. One of them brewed up the Sherman in its first shot.

Somewhat later I noticed that a second Sherman was hidden from the view of my two behind the small building that was now weakened from its earlier American workover. So I had one panzer blow up the building while the other was ordered to target the tank. This would have worked great except the Sherman had been ordered to pull back... so my two fired a shot or two, but missed, and then it went out of LOS.

By this time shells were raining down on the area the MkIVs were in. One of them got gun damaged, but otherwise they were fine.

Meanwhile towards the middle a halftrack had moved up to the edge of a scattered woods, and a passenger let off there. I targeted my remaining 81mm mortars here, which started with no effect. The halftrack moved forward and they saw the observer; he pulled the fire

over the track and got a hit in the second turn of fire! Flaming halftrack, and also a 60mm mortar knocked out.

Near the end of the game an American half squad had moved to claim the VL in the flattened church. The squad and company commander over there assaulted and killed all but one of the scouts. And so it ended, with Americans controlling the center VL and Germans on the remaining two.

Allied attacker

35 casualties (9 KIA)

1 mortar destroyed

2 vehicles knocked out

Men OK: 116

Score: 24

German defender:

14 casualties (3 KIA)

Men OK: 37

Score: 76

[JasonC]

Very well done, Wreck, a textbook case of the ambush and fall back defense - without full need to fall back, it was conducted so successfully. Considering the 3:1 odds you faced, that was easily the most impressive tactical performance of the campaign.

Which I am now calling, as a German victory by TKO. The Americans have been outfought, especially at the tactical level (though Leonard was also very good at the operational level); and if they are going to lose fights like the last, they have little hope of reaching their eventual objectives, even with operational reinforcement. Over 3 days, the American task force lost 15 AFVs and 300 men, advancing only 2 miles toward the right flank, and going nowhere on the other main route ahead. The American task was harder, but they were also outplayed, and the combination has put victory quite out of reach for the US side.

Those involved in the campaign have been sent an email about its course, and an invitation to try again with some significant changes.

[Jarmo]

I must speak out in defense of Andrew's last fight.

I was going to direct a two company assault against the german defenses, but with the traffic jams behid the lines, the second company couldn't make it. With the disasters our fights had been, I decided against going all out this time before I could be sure we have overwhelming odds in our favour.

Andrew had specific orders to probe out what kind of defenses we were facing and to NOT try to win alone before the rest of the force appears. Certainly, the losses suffered were greater than I had hoped and the losses caused lesser than I hoped, but that was the case in every fight we fought. (exept for that one success)

Anyway, I'd certainly want to try this again.

Would someone else like to take up the overall command or should I do it again?

[Jarmo]

To sum up what the operation was about from our/my point of view. Not to whine, but to clear out why we did what we did.

At first we went for an attack. There seemed to be only two routes open for us and due to terrain, we were unable to achieve more than 1 to 1 local odds. To my dismay, we were repeatedly thrown back with heavy casualties.

Then our intel reported the axis might actually have a numerical superiority.

I concluded we only have an edge in artillery and decided to spend a few days softening the defenders with arty. This seemed to work, as there were reports of burning vehicles. (Later we even found out the germans had to withdraw due to the artillery?)

I was somewhat surprised to see we started running out of shells, though.

Our superiors were not happy with the slow progress and agreed to send additional forces to speed things up.

The campaign ended before the additional forces could be used!

They would have attacked next turn alongside the probing party of last turn, with the benefit of information about enemy forces. I'm confident we could have brushed all opposition aside, as weak as it was.

[JasonC]

No doubt it would have been "brushed aside" on the second try (I shudder to think it might take a third LOL). But then that is because it was just a rear guard buying time after the German withdrawl (from the bombardment, not forced but to reduce losses by not standing under it), while the main blocking force assembled behind it and dug in.

But you hardly needed more to make that force as strong as you'd see on one map. If you sent double, you'd see the same kind of fight, you'd just also turn the weak defenders out of position even if you lost, because they could not possibly divide to stop both "halves". I understand the point about just probing, because of previous results and to wait for additional troops, and it does help. But losing 2.5 times the men and 2 vehicles to 1 only damaged, when you had 3:1 odds in every category, obviously wasn't great. Wreck did a fine job on defense.

I think a new campaign is a better idea, and one much less channeled by terrain. That wound up making this one a much more linearly affair than I intended. As a result, there were more op moves than tactical battles - by a factor of 2 -and many of the tactical commanders were idle. I already have a setting in mind for a new campaign, with the Germans on the attack this time. Anyone who join this last one and is still interested in welcome. I'll see how many of those there are.

As for operational command, you did fine overall on that score. There were things you could have done better, but that is par for the course. It was the tactical fights that killed the American side, more than the operational decisions. If you want the American operational command for the new fight, you've got it.