An AI stomp AAR

[JasonC]

Prompted by various recent questions about German forces and how to use them, and by some I thought fairly silly claims about what little sisters of the poor the Germans are in CMBB, I decided to kick the AI again.

This time I picked something I don't do but players probably do pretty often - a small meeting engagement with both sides combined arms mech parent. I also decided to set it in realistic Kursk terrain - rural open gentle slopes, with medium damage. This gives a few scraps of trees and patches of rocky, 3 houses on the map one of them rubbled, a crater field in steppe, and bald gradual ridges.

And I took the Germans. This small, they can't afford decent arty and the armor is limited to 240 points. But I had not trouble. And not because I took 2 StuGs, either.

For armor I took 1 Pz IVH veteran quality, and a regular Marder III early model. For my infantry main body I took a veteran motorized Pz Gdr company. Since that comes with 4 HMGs I didn't need to add any of those, but it doesn't come with mortars and as mentioned, the 105 FOs are out of reach at this scale and ME setting. So I added 2 SPW 251/2s as they mortar and arty support.

Then for my extras, I took 1 sIG and 1 quad 20mm meat chopper, towed. And one Sdfz to pull them around if need be. And a single crack panzerschreck (which as it happens never got off a shot, but survived just fine).

The AI took LL stuff - 2 Churchills, 1 Valentinean SU-76, 3 pieces of assorted light armor - and a recon C company plus of infantry, 76mm FO, mortars and ATRs and the odd DP LMG etc.

Map had a bald central hill dividing my right from view of his whole front, other then his extreme left. This ensured first LOS in the center and my right would be short, on the order of 100-150m. On my left, though, I had a little saddle of higher ground, which could see his whole right. It could not see his left (opposite my right), so he also had one covered approach to the center ridge. On his right he also had some patches of rough stretching toward the center. There were a few rocky on my side opposite these, and maybe 100m ahead of my start line, a few small clumps of woods. On my right, a medium sized block of scattered trees at the edge of my start line.

I put the guns on the saddle on my left, in mere brush right at the back edge of the map. 100m ahead of them, 2 HMGs in a patch of rocky. An HQ with good command between them in open steppe, but hiding. That was my overwatch section. One platoon goes over there too, eyes on the woods patches, but just hides for now. Everybody else went on my right in and behind the trees, ready to move up the back slope of the center hill.

First turn I see a ton of stuff, all but one piece of his total armor, on his right = my left. My guns hold their fire, but the MGs can open up on his numerous accompanying infantry. Meanwhile the Panzer IV carries the other pair of MGs forward a bit, dropping on my side of the hill, then hunts up the ridge. Marder parallels to its right.

The IV engaged the Valentine over the crest and drills it with the first shot. Then it duels a Churchill and wins. Inside of 2 minutes, his armor is half gone. My Marder isn't so lucky in the next 2 and loses a duel with the SU-76, brewing up on its second shot. His other Churchill is seen but is in dead ground behind the hill.

While the Panzer was engaged, I let the guns open up, to maximize its chances. The Flak got a halftrack, scout car, and mortar teamw. The sIG got a carrier and some infantry. I left the sIG area firing at infantry.

At that point the SU comes over, after its Marder kill. It duels the sIG while it is shooting elsewhere. Come the command phase I look at the hit chance, with a LOS line skirting trees and skimming the hill etc. Reads 3%. So I switch to area fire from in front of the SU. One round and it explodes.

By now all the infantry on his right is in utter chaos, crawling this way and that etc. I advance my own up the backside of my ridge, along with the other 2 HMGs, and with the SPWs trailing somewhat. The leftmost platoon also advances to the woods, HMGs still stationary. And I probe forward with the Pz IV.

It finds the Churchill, both hull down, but doesn't pick it up very fast. 3 rounds are trading for 1, and the 3 win - Pz IV KOed. Next the Churchill backs up to a spot with LOS to the sIG, and duels it. It wins again. It is also, however, bogged, and soon immobilizes. Armor war has run its course, leaving him with one MG pill box (very weak HE and soon out). I try for GD with the Flak but give it up when 3-4 leave it still firing. (Note, Flak never spotted, firing at 800m from brush).

I go up my side of the hill, and find a company's worth of Russians coming up the other side. My MGs set up well shy of the crest, to see only his foremost men. Looks to be a big infantry firefight with minimal cover on both sides.

Now it is instructive to look at little at why I won easily from this point. Mine were vets, his were regulars. Mine are 2 MG42 squads, his are mostly rifle, with a few standard infantry thrown in. The initial range is 100-150, perfect for the Panzer rifle but not for his PPsHs. And I'm being helped by 4 HMG-42s, 2 of them from 400m and 2 of them from 125-150m.

So his first few units don't stand it. I then use short advances to get the front line of Panzer rifle squads onto the crest, and the bravest HQ. Which is spotting for the SPWs. The next 2-3 minutes, accurate 81mm hit the Russians on the other side of the hill, deep into their main body, while the MG buzz saw deals with anyone at the front crust. They become a crawling mess, too.

After that it is slow. My ammo gets to 15, 12, 9 on the squads. MGs with 40 left reposition to make it up. The schreck maneuvers to a shot at the Churchill but uses sneak, and it takes too long. Everybody drives the panicked enemy down the other side of the hill, jumping from crater to crater. Arcs shorten up to save ammo, an occasional Russian recovers nerve as a result. The Flak or HMGs or 81s are set on them and the advance continues in another minute.

Eventually my ammo is low enough for cease fire. Half a dozen good order Russian infantry is left, and the Churchill with only MG ammo, immobile.

I lost 13 men and the 2 tanks. The AI lost 135 and 6 vehicles, 3 AFVs and 3 light armor. The HMGs got 29 men between them, the sIG 10 and the SU, the Flak 2 light armor 5 men and a lot more in suppression.

It's just an AI stomp AAR, nothing more profound about it.

[Sgt Joch]

And your point is?

By the way, Jason C, I am playing through your Kursk scenario pack, (played the 0115 one PBEM and I am halfway through "1st SS initial assault", playing as Germans v. AI), and I am having a great time.

Are you working on anything else?

[phil stanbridge]

You can have a great time against the AI but it is rather predictable.

Out of interest Jason how large (points wise) was your ME?

[JasonC]

It was 1000 points.

My point isn't much - the AI is readily beatable obviously. I got a lot out of special German guns that I think are very powerful and great bargains. Also from SPw 251/2s, similar comment about them. I also got a lot out of HMG-42s which are far and away the best MGs in the game, and MGs are quite effective used right, in the right sort of terrain etc. In the armor war, I got perfectly adequate performance from vehicles that many German players shun, simply because they are vulnerable from the front to 76mm AP.

In other threads recently, I've heard comments like the Germans can't expect to advance on smaller maps or without lots of cover, others that the Russians dominate, etc. Clearly the AI can be defeated readily by anyone who knows what they are doing.

As for working on other things, I did the Operation Uranus pack around the same time, and I have another coming on Kutuzov (Orel counteroffensive that ends Kursk), which is being playtested. A few in that one still need briefings etc. I hope to have it on the proving grounds site by the end of the month or so.

I also did a north face of Kursk "campaign" that didn't take off as a format. I think I will revisit them and edit the forces to make them stand alone scenarios, and release that too - as a north front counterpart to 1SS-1st Day.

[Blofeld]

Originally posted by JasonC:

As for working on other things, I did the Operation Uranus pack around the same time, and I have another coming on Kutuzov (Orel counteroffensive that ends Kursk), which is being playtested. A few in that one still need briefings etc. I hope to have it on the proving grounds site by the end of the month or so.

I also did a north face of Kursk "campaign" that didn't take off as a format. I think I will revisit them and edit the forces to make them stand alone scenarios, and release that too - as a north front counterpart to 1SS-1st Day.

I am looking forward to trying those out.

[Jack Carr]

An enjoyable read. A bit of bad luck with your PzIV running into so much armor all at once.

[lucero1148]

A very good read.

[Sgt Joch]

Originally posted by JasonC:

As for working on other things, I did the Operation Uranus pack around the same time, and I have another coming on Kutuzov (Orel counteroffensive that ends Kursk), which is being playtested. A few in that one still need briefings etc. I hope to have it on the proving grounds site by the end of the month or so.

Calling JasonC - Did you ever release your Kutuzov scenario pack? I did not see it at TPG.

I would love to playtest it if it is available.

[David I]

That JasonC, he's a regular typing fool!

DavidI