Nippy Posted May 21, 2003 Share Posted May 21, 2003 Game Version: 1.03 Beta June 1942 Quick Battle - Nippy vs. Hansson Mid-Day/Overcast/Wet Ground. Mission: Soviet Attack Map: Custom Map by Hansson Points: 1000 Rarity: Standard Number of Turns – 30 with Variable ending. Enemy Force Disposition – A Germany combined arms force of unknown quality. Each side was allowed to purchase their own units. Unit Purchase Phase – Infantry and Support Weapons X1 ’42A Rifle Company X1 Pioneer Platoon X1 Regimental Recon Platoon X2 Maxim Machineguns X1 DsHK 12.7mm HMG X3 50mm Mortar team X2 PTRD teams X1 76.2mm AT gun X1 76.2mm Regimental Gun X1 82mm Mortar Artillery Spotter (6 tube) Tanks and other vehicles X2 MG carriers X2 Valentine IV Tanks X3 T-70 light Tanks X1 Truck (It’s the other non-tank units large enough to carry the Company HQ) X1 T-38M2 Tankette (Maybe it will make his forces laugh to death…) Deployment notes: The troops have been split into to groups, North and South. The river acts as the divide between their areas of operation. Group north is a sort of “diversion” and will push towards the small bridge. Group South is the heavy hitter with most of the tanks, on map artillery, and infantry. Other Notes: 1. “Always prepare for tanks” is my motto and each group is prepared. Group N has the towed AT guns plus the PTRD teams and pioneer squads with satchel charges. Group South has most of the tanks, including the Valentines with their high velocity 40mm guns. If no tanks are present they will serve in the bunker busting roll. 2. I notice that the ground is nice and wet. No fast movement orders for the Valentines. That’s what I like about infantry. They never bog. Time to bring the fight to the fascists! *Queue Saint-Sans ‘Dance of Death’* The Battle Map Turn #1 Order Phase – Group South is going to hang back a bit for now and not advance much. Group North and their T-38M2 at going to do a little probing to see what they can stir up. I’m going to let Group North get a bloody nose so to speak. Rumble around some tanks, fire some arty, and try to trick my opponent into thinking that this is the main push. Hey, it works in war movies, right? Turn #1 Action Phase – Not much happening. Everyone is moving forward at a slow pace with the tanks crawling through the mud. There was one infantry contact (moving south to north) by the church that my 82mm Mortar spotter noticed right at the end of the turn. The contact already moved out of LOS when the turn ended. Turn #2 Order Phase – I thought about dropping some 82mm HE loving on that infantry contact, but decided against it. I don’t want my opponent to know that I have an observer up there. I wouldn’t be surprised if he put TRPs on all the high points on the map and is just waiting to unload artillery on me if I try and put any “soft” targets or support weapons there. Turn #2 Action Phase – No contacts yet. One humorous note, a truck driving at full speed on open ground is slower than a walking 50mm Mortar team. Damn mud! Turn #3 Order Phase – I’m going to have one of the T-70s “Shoot and Scoot” on the road near town. The T-28M2 is going to move up towards the bridge at the north end of the map. The pioneers of Group North are now following the Recon platoon and advancing west. Group South is slowing plodding its way forward. I hope to launch a three-prong assault on the south most VL with the entire company of infantry and back up the attack with the other tanks. Note: At this time my opponent made a comment about hearing engine noises. Tremble in terror fascists! My green T-28 is going to drive all the way to Berlin! Turn #3 Action Phase – Still pretty quite, but I know it won’t last. Turn #4 Order Phase – Slight change in plan. Group South is going to start assaulting the Southern VL as Group North is moving slower than expected. I’m also committing one T-70 to the southern flank to support the infantry assault on the two hills south east of town. Turn #4 Action Phase – Everything went off without a hitch and no contact has been made with the enemy yet. Turn #5 Order Phase – Time to start the assault on the south hill/VL. I don’t know if he has any forces there or not, but the attacking troops will have lots of cover fire and tank support. If things get real bad the hill is in LOS of my 82mm observer. I’m also moving up the 76.2mm regimental gun to support Group North. Not many places to put it though. Attacking the south VL Turn #5 Action Phase – It was bound to happen sooner or later. One of the T-70s bogged. I just hope I can get him unstuck. Other than that, nothing to report. No contact with the enemy yet. I imagine my opponent must be getting pretty nervous by now. Turn #6 Order Phase – The truck has been reassigned to Group North as a backup gun tower. It’s useless on wet ground, the 50mm mortar teams outpaced it. I’m going to have the T-70 on the center road force fire at a few buildings. As I imagine he must have seen it by now. Might as well shake things up a little and see what happens. Both groups will continue advancing as planned. Turn #6 Action Phase – T-70 is still stuck. Not much else is happening. The T-70 on the road is doing “recon by fire” by taking shots at any houses in LOS. All the hills have made any advance troops a bit tired. Turn #7 Order Phase – The attack is going slower than expected, but if I rush into things I know I’ll get slaughtered. T-70 will continue to shoot into town while Group south rests a bit. Group north is heading for the bridge with the T-28 covering them. Also I’m moving up the 76.2mm AT gun to try and help them. Turn #7 Action Phase – I ordered a smoke strike on the South VL a few turns ago and the first spotter round just hit. The bogged T-70 is still, well, bogged. Most troops are now rested or ready with a few still tiring. Turn #8 Order Phase – A few tweaks to movement orders and that is about it. I’m going to have the 50mm mortars with 2nd platoon drop some rounds on the houses at the southern VL. Smoke barrage from the 82 spotter will hit in 24 seconds. I’ve also given the regimental gun disembarking orders near some tree in the north central part of the map. It will be able to bombard most of the buildings in town. I plan on destroying as many multi story buildings as I can in hopes of “blinding” my enemy. Turn #8 Action Phase – *Born free! Free as the Soviet tank line that handles better in the mud than their German counterparts!* Okay, it’s no snappy tune but that stuck T-70 just worked its way loose and is on the move again. Beyond that nothing much has happened yet. Turn #9 Order Phase – Almost do or die time. Two squads from 1st platoon are moving into the woods south of the south VL with 3rd platoon making a cautious advance in from the north. 2nd platoon, with large player added command delays will advance right up the middle in the rough ground east of the southern VL. North Group’s regimental gun is almost in position with a nice LOS into town. Turn #9 Action Phase – Still moving forward. The Regimental gun setup time is now at 55 seconds and will become active next turn. Turn #10 Order Phase – Group South’s tanks are going to move up. Meanwhile Group north is going to pull a little trick. The Pioneers on hill have been ordered into a stand of trees behind the T-28, for while they will assault the bridge. The trick is that all the squads in the platoon and have been split into half squads. They will link up when back in cover, but from my opponent’s view I hope it looks like a couple of platoons are moving on the bridge. I really can’t believe I’ve gotten this far without being fired on. Surely all his forces aren’t huddled in town. If they are, then the 82mm spotter will know right where to drop the rest of his shells. The situation as of Turn 10 Turn #10 Action Phase – Sukin Syn! I finally made contact near the bridge…an enemy arty strike just routed all of Group north. The recon troops are pinned and the pioneers are panicked and heading for the rear. I also spotted my first enemy soldier along the back of the river and he is being engaged by both the Regimental gun and the T-28. The only bright spot in this mess is that Group south now has less enemy arty strikes to worry about. I only hope they fair better. Turn #11 Order Phase – Bah, group north is so fubar it’s not even funny. What few troops can fire are going to let loose with every weapon they have to try and take the heat off of Group South. Looks like they filled their roll as “decoy” a little too well. It’s all in group south’s hands now. Note: I just had the strangest thought. I wonder what would have happened had a bought a bunch of assault boats and sailed a rifle platoon down the river. The way the river twists and turns you might have gotten pretty close with them. You have to admit, the look on the other guy’s face would be hilarious. Turn #11 Action Phase – This is just not my day. As the pioneers pout their way across the battlefield, I learned a new lesson. Advance to Contact + Steep slope with trees = exhausted troops. No matter, I’m just about the take the south VL with the other troops. The plan for when they get there is compacted into three steps. 1. Infantry takes the hill and lures out and AT guns HMG and bunkers along with enemy infantry. 2. Company HQ, who is chaperoning the 50mm mortars, moving up and knocked them out. 3. When AT guns are knocked out the tanks move up and take out any bunkers and infantry concentrations. Turn #12 Order Phase – 3rd platoon will rest a bit as they exhausted themselves advancing through the trees. The 50mm mortars and the Company HQ are going to move up and follow 1st platoon. The tanks are also getting a bit closing to cover them in case any enemy troops show up. On the northern front the infantry try to rally as I “walk” the 82mm spotter around. Turn #12 Action Phase – More Arty landed on the hill to the north, the pioneer platoon is now almost a complete loss. The Recon platoon is holding up somewhat better and has managed, with the help of the T-28 and Regimental gun, to bring an enemy mortar under fire. A sound contact was also spotted in the woods behind Group south’s 1st platoon. I listened to the turn movie a few more times and it sounds like a sniper rifle. Turn #13 Order Phase – Every weapon of Group north is now going to fire at that mortar. The Pioneer HQ unit, which is still somewhat intact, is going to fall back and try to give a command bonus to the towed guns that I have deployed. Group South is going to take the Southern VL in the next turn or two. I expect all hell to break loose there when the infantry crests that hill. I’ve sent one T-70 to do a quick “Shoot and Scoot” over the crest first to see if it attracts any “attention”. That sniper lurking about worries me though; he is in the direct route my support weapons are taking. Turn #13 Action Phase – Well, the enemy mortar bit the dust from a combination of rifle, HMG, and 82mm spotter fire. That sniper sound contact disappeared. I’m going to keep an eye out for him. Turn #14 Order Phase – I’m trying my best to get Group North formed up back into a fighting unit. Group South continues to envelope the south VL with it being flanked on both sides by my troops. 2nd platoon will storm it next turn providing the T-70 doesn’t see too much opposition Run away! Run away! Note: I’ve examined the damage around Group north. It looks He shot a good amount of arty at it. I hope that’s the last of it and Group South won’t have to face the same thing. Turn #14 Action Phase – Yet more Arty fired at Group North, which has now lost both towed guns and the T-28M2. The T-28 was killed by an AT gun to the west of the south VL. The AT gun is now in LOS of the 12.7mm HMG and my 82mm Spotter and won’t last long. Once that is dead the tanks will crest the hill and start laying down fire and the troops start to move into the center of town. Turn #15 Order Phase – The halfway point has been reached. It’s time to start moving on the large objective flag in the center of town. The spotted AT gun is going to be fired on by the PTRD teams, 12.7mm, and what few rounds of 82mm I have left. If it’s still not dead I’ll bring up the 50mm on map mortars and finish it off. Speaking of which, the sniper just took a pot shot at my company HQ in the forest and missed. Moving in on the main VL Turn #15 Action Phase – This is just not Group north’s day. Yet more off map arty continues to pound their positions. Meanwhile a MG carries was immobilized by the AT gun. The AT gun is now under heavy fire and will be hit with the last of the 82mm rounds at the tail end of the next turn. I also spotted a fox hole west of the south VL. I think it was the starting point for the now AWOL sniper that has been harassing me. Turn #16 Order Phase – In true WWI fashion, 2nd Platoon will go “over the top” of the south VL and occupy the two houses there. The HQ unit and other two squads will hold back in reserve. Meanwhile the HQ is set up to act as a spotter for the 50mm teams. I’m going to get the other infantry teams moving away from the south VL A.S.A.P as I fear the a TRP may be sitting on it as well. I’m going to call up the one mobile MG carrier to hold the south VL once 2nd platoon moves on. Turn #16 Action Phase – Group North is a bit more resilient than I thought. The Recon platoon is rather organized now and some units of the pioneers are starting to come around. Down south the first of my 82mm rounds have started to land and the 50mms are in position. Not a moment too soon. 2nd platoon to a bit of MG-42 fire. I’m not sure if it was an HMG, pillbox, or just an LMG team. Also that sniper is still making a pest of itself, but has yet to hit anything. Turn #17 Order Phase – After clearing the houses at the south VL 2nd platoon will support 3rd platoon in its push towards the main VL in the center of town. 1st platoon will advance behind them to the check for enemy stragglers and make sure the route is safe for the tanks. Turn #17 Action Phase – From hell’s heart I stab at thee! 82mm Spotter has now been put in for a medal. Not only did he just knock out one AT gun, but has suppressed one right next it just as it drew a bead on the T-70 attached to 1st platoon. Also that sniper in the woods was finally found and had a whole rifle platoon blaze away at him. Turn #18 Order Phase – 1st Platoon is moving west under the cover of a T-70 and a Maxim HMG. At the same time the 50mm mortars will start to fire on the remaining enemy AT gun. 2nd Platoon is falling back from the hill (it was empty but they did take a little more MG-42 fire) and will occupy 3rd platoon’s current positions while a few tanks crest the hill and scan the area. 3rd Platoon is now moving NW through the forest towards the main VL in the middle of town. Turn #18 Action Phase – 3rd platoon just dodged a bullet. They stopped 5 meters short of a wooden bunker sitting in the middle of the forest between the small cemetery and the town. 1st platoon is doing all right and made it across the open space, but one squad took a bit if MG-42 fire and is lagging behind. Group North is slowly coming out of shock and the recon platoon is redeploying behind the now dead T-28M2. Turn #19 Order Phase – 1st Platoon will continue to advance before swinging north and clearing out the area where the dead AT guns now are while the 50mms continue to bombard suspected enemy positions. I’m ordering a Valentine up to take out the wooden bunker blocking 3rd platoon. It’s a bit risky, but the tank will have some other tanks covering it. I’m just worried about AT mines. If the Valentine fails then 2nd platoon will have flank it and take it out. All the other tanks with Group South are going to crest the hill in support of the now moving infantry. Group north is getting ready to rush the bridge with what few forces they have. Turn #19 Action Phase – That second enemy AT gun is still in action and took a few pot shots at my tanks. Some of my tanks backed off from the AT gun and 2nd platoon took some MG-42 fire. 1st Platoon has hit a dug in enemy rifle squad surrounded by AP mines. They got through the mines with only 2 losses and that enemy squad is now outnumbered 4 to 1. Group north’s recon platoon is back on line and all rested up. Turn #20 Order Phase – I’m bringing massive fire to bear on the lone AT gun that keeps flickering out of spotted/non-spotted status. 1st Platoon is set to blast the German rifle squad to hell and back and the MG carrier is going to move into the trees to support them, as I don’t feel like risking bogging a tank. Group north is going to take a few more turns getting ready and hopefully have a few of the rallied pioneer units cover them. Turn #20 Action Phase – Win some. Lose some. A Valentine was lost to the remaining AT gun before that AT gun was in turn destroyed by 50mm mortar fire. 1st platoon decimated that German rifle squad they ran into. They are pinned for the moment but should recover quickly. Turn #21 Order Phase – 1st Platoon will press on while their tank support moves up. 2nd platoon will advance on the flank of the wooden bunker in support of the tanks I’m sending to knock it out. 3rd platoon will hold its ground until the bunker is knocked out. Group north will now storm the bridge with a few recon squads while the rest of the units hold back and provide cover fire. Turn #21 Action Phase – Another AT gun popped up to the south and killed the 2nd Valentine. A T-70 took a few hits but is okay. 1st Platoon is rallied and on the move, and will take out the AT gun in the next few turns, provided my 50mm mortars don’t get it first. As for Group North, their luck has changed a bit. They are taking on map mortar fire at the moment but one squad made it onto the bridge. Turn #22 Order Phase – I’ve redeployed the 50mm mortars and all three of them have a LOS on the 3rd AT gun and they have around 15 rounds left each. I’m going to bomb that AT gun back into the Stone Age. And if that doesn’t do it, then 1st platoon will. Meanwhile 2nd Platoon has advanced down the hill and is in position to cover the T-70 that is going to knock out the bunker in the woods with 3rd platoon ready to storm the area once the bunker is dead. A single squad from 2nd platoon is going to try to flank the bunker at the same time. In for a penny, in for a pound with Group North. The recon platoon has been ordered to storm the bridge while the pioneers provide cover fire. The two pronged assault I had been hoping for has finally arrived. I just hope it works. Note: He taunted me in has last e-mail. His troops can try the comedy stick on the 3 T-70s that are moving up. Turn #22 Action Phase – Poetry in motion. The 50mm mortars suppressed the enemy AT gun just as my tanks came over the hill. After an all turn bombardment the AT gun and its marker disappeared. No matter, the rest of the 50mm shells will go there too. The forward squad of 2nd platoon ran into an enemy rifle platoon protecting the flank of the wooden bunker and both are trading fire as of the end of the turn. On the north front, things are really looking up. A few platoons made it to the other side of the bridge after taking only light rifle fire. A bridgehead has been established with more forces about to arrive. Note: A retreating Soviet Tank crew and that German sniper got into an argument. The German lost. Turn #23 Order Phase – The 50mm shells and a tank are going to lay down more fire on the last known location of that 3rd AT gun. 1st Platoon will continue to advance until they are in LOS of where the gun is. They will also fire upon an MG-42 this as somewhere in the area of the first two AT guns 2nd Platoon is going to storm the bunking with the support of a T-70 that will be in range in 20 seconds. Every functioning unit of Group North is now storming the bridge. The advance units took very little fire, so they should make it okay. Most of the pioneer units still have satchel charges and I hope to use them to blast my way to the main VL in the center of town. Turn #23 Action Phase – 1st platoon is on the move and is progressing quite nicely despite taking a bit of fire. 2nd Platoon lost a squad of infantry near the bunker, which I now believe to be the enemy’s main line of resistance. More infantry contacts are in the area. Thankfully more friendly infantry is on the way and the T-70 has arrived and brought the enemy under fire. Group north is still fighting a sea-saw battle for the bridge. Sever squads made it across, but the re-enforcements have come under fire and all falling back. Turn #24 Order Phase – Due to the time crunch, I’m splitting a single squad from 3rd platoon and sending them around each side of the wooden bunker. “A” section will flank to the right and will try to pincer the bunker and its support. “B” section will move to the left and try to link up 2nd platoon. If “A” makes it safely, then the rest of the platoon will follow him. If “B” makes it and “A” doesn’t then 3rd platoon will move up and support 2nd Platoon. If they both get killed 3rd platoon stays I place till the wooden bunker is destroyed. Tank support is moving in now to help with the final assault through the forest. Turn #24 Action Phase – I didn’t quite expect this. Both parts of the split squad made it to their destination, but “B” section ran into a mine field and some heavy fire from infantry in the woods. “A” section made it without incident and is now bringing the enemy under fire. 1st platoon has finally flushed out that pesky MG-42. It’s in the house at the SW end of the map. Turn #25 Order Phase – 3rd Platoon will flank right of the bunker while second platoon and its supporting tanks keep the enemy pinned and preoccupied. 1st Platoon is going to hail fire that poor MG-42 with the Support of a T-70 and the MG carrier. They will later move north and start clearing out enemy units on the way to town. Group north’s attack has finally fizzled out. The two squads that made it across are going to hunker down and wait for group south the come to them instead. Turn #25 Action Phase – Damn TAC-AI. A T-70 auto reversed away from the forest and some enemy infantry and right into a mine field to be immobilized. On the plus side it still has LOS on a few enemy units, so it can’t run away this time! 3rd platoon faired much better and their flanking move was a complete success and in a matter of seconds next turn they will bring the enemy under fire. 2nd Platoon however is starting to take heavy casualties and is starting to falter. 1st platoon and a few tanks have brought the MG-42 under fire. The MG carrier and a T-70 will continue to suppress the MG while 1st Platoon starts moving north towards town. Meanwhile the truck I reassigned to Group north to help evacuate gun and tank crews has come under very heavy rifle fire and lost a crewman. Flanking the Bunker in the woods Note: At this time, I would like to petition BTS into putting a new Soviet unit into the game. Satchel charge equipped NKVD units with orders to immobilize friendly tanks when they engage in heavy combat. At any rate, the surviving infantry of 2nd platoon are going to hold a “soap party” for that T-70 crew. Turn #26 Order Phase – 3rd platoon is assaulting into the woods to close the pincer around the bunker. Another T-70 has arrived to provide support fire. I am also sending the Company HQ unit to link up with 2nd and 3rd platoon. I imagine with all the heavy fight, both now and to come, they will need the command and morale boost. 1st Platoon is rushing north towards town while their support weapons suppress the MG-42 that has been pestering them. Turn #26 Action Phase – No wonder I haven’t seen much infantry or tanks, he blew all is points on %&$^# land mines. 2nd Platoon is slowly moving forward while 3rd platoon battles its way through the minefield. The bunker has been outflanked and is no longer a threat. The infantry behind it is starting to rout thanks to the two T-70s that are firing into the area. 1st platoon took a bit of fire but for the most part made it okay. A German squad tried to re-capture the north bridge and got a face for of lead for the town squads on the opposite bank. Turn #27 Order Phase – My opponent is in a bit of a bind here. He now has three fronts splitting his forces. The meager remnants of Group north that are holding the bridge. The large force moving past his bunker and minefield defense, and now 1st platoon which is racing towards town with little resistance. However, I myself am feeling the pinch of a shortage of infantry. 2nd and 3rd Platoon will still press towards town. 1st platoon is making a mad dash to rush up and support them in the final turns. Group north is throwing every last man it can into the meat grinder to both cross the bridge and set up a firebase on my side of the river. I won’t mind if this game ran into overtime, but I’m planning on that it won’t. Turn #27 Action Phase – 1st Platoon has come under a bit of fire and only one squad made it to the next patch of trees. 2nd and 3rd platoon have broken the back of resistance near the bunker and will be able to press forward next turn. The bunker itself got a grenade rammed down the firing slit for its troubles and the bailed crew will be “greeted” by over 30 very unhappy Russian infantrymen. Group north was able to fend off the small counter attack against the bridge. Turn #28 Order Phase – All of Group south is moving forward. 1st Platoon is going to try to move more of its squads up now that tank support has caught up with them. 2nd Platoon is going to consolidate around the area of the bunker with 3rd Platoon charges west. Group north will try to hold the bridge during the final turns. Turn #28 Action Phase – After a short firefight Group north still controls the bridge. Group south is on the move with some difficulty. 1st Platoon has come under fire from the town itself and only one squad and the HQ unit made it to a patch of trees near town. 3rd Platoons has started charging west and has run across the dead bodies of several dead enemy squads and has taking several other fleeing enemy squads under fire. 2nd Platoon has cleared the area around the bunker and is now rallied and rested. Turn #29 Order Phase – Only a few Squads of Group north are operational. They will do their best to hold the bridge and hope that the enemy diverts his assets towards town. The MG Carrier and T-70 attached to 1st Platoon will move up to the edge of town with the support of the lone squad and HQ unit, the others are on their own and I hope they are able to rally. 2nd and 3rd platoon, along with their single functioning T-70, are now racing towards the woods at the edge of town. I hope they will all arrive at the same time and in good order. Then I will be able to begin the storming of the main VL on turn 30. Turn #29 Action Phase – 1st Platoon has taken more fire and is pinned and one squad has already routed. 2nd and 3rd platoon are in position but some units are lagging or are very tired. However, the MG Carrier and one T-70 has arrived at the edge of town and is close enough to put ownership of the main VL into question. Meanwhile in the north, another counter attack was launched against the bridge and has been stalled by the few defenders there. All that is holding it is three depleted rifle squads, one of which is routed. Turn #30 Order Phase – Well I’ll be darned. A T-70 now has LOS on the enemy infantry pestering Group north. Firing commands have been changed accordingly. All the tanks now have orders to move into town while the infantry covers them. A few squads from Group south will try to force their way into town while the more tired units provide cover fire and rest up a bit. I’ve inflicted some heavy losses on his fleeing infantry the last few turns. I hope the kill points will help tip the scales in my favor. Turn #30 Action Phase – Another AT gun was spotted behind the church in the wheat fields. It got a few shots in on a T-70 but didn’t do any damage before it managed to back off. The “probe” into town was turned back by heavy rifle fire. The other units have caught up and are somewhat rested now, if not a little rattled. Another counter-attack was launched against the north bridge as was beaten back thanks to the DShK and a few pioneer squads. Turn #31 Order Phase – I think I’ve advanced as far as I can. I’m going to hit the ceasefire button and see if my enemy has had enough. However, that won’t stop me from using the T-70s to bombard the town. Turn #31 Action Phase – The defenders in the church have routed and most of 2nd and 3rd platoon are on the firing line. The north bridge is holding on, just barely. However, I caught a glimpse of some enemy troops moving up to reinforce the main VL. Turn #32 Order Phase – Surly this can’t last too much longer? Either way I’m going to stand my ground so to speak with a ‘grab and hold’. The north VL should hold for the last few turns and the forces near the main VL will put it into question and at least deny him those points. A total rush of the main VL with either tanks or infantry would be suicidal, as I believe there are still some fresh troops there. Even if I do take it there is no guarantee that the depleted forces that did make it could hold out if this game goes for a full 35 turns. I have decided to use what forces that are up and moving with Group south to charge into the now secured church while other units hold back and cover both them and the last of the tanks that are moving forward to support the final attack. Turn #32 Action phase – One of my rifle squads (all ready horribly depleted) was destroyed in the church, but other rifle squads have taken up position in some small buildings near it and the tanks are all in position to cover the main VL. No more attacks have been launched against the north bridge, and to that effect lots of enemy rifle squads have appeared in the large buildings in and to the west of the main VL. Turn #33 Order Phase – It just won’t end! More rifle squads are being ordered up into the church. An assault against the main VL is now impossible. However, two T-70s and the MG carrier are now pouring fire into the main VL and any enemy units in the area. The AT gun behind the main VL is now out of LOS of any of my attacking and armor units and shouldn’t pose a problem Turn #33 Action Phase – I take back the “won’t end!” thing. The party is over. The whole mess ended with a draw, and I’m damn lucky at that as he got ownership of the main VL on the ending turn. AAR screen And so the battle ends with a draw. It’s a rather apt description if I do say so myself. On one hand the enemy’s AT capacity has been destroyed and my surviving tanks, which still have a good amount of ammo, are running wild on the map. On the other hand, the enemy has more infantry squads that are much less “rattled” than mine, are holed up in the large buildings around the main VL, and it would probably take me another 30 turns to root them out. Of course, those buildings are surrounded by nothing but empty space. So he really doesn’t have a choice of stepping outside for a smoke. Post Battle Analysis and review: We both had good time playing this battle, and we both learned a lot. I think Hansson was overly surprised to see so many light tanks out in force. Judging by the four 50mm/L60 AT guns he purchased, he was expecting a parade of KVs and T-34s. The little T-70 has two advantages going for it. Thick turret armor and radios, mixed in with a cheaper price makes them a good purchase. No multi-turn command delays here. Now let’s bring out the parade of my fudge ups and divide them into three phases. Purchase, planning, and execution. Purchase Phase: - The towed guns were a bit of a mistake. I’ve had some success using them on the attack on larger maps, but on such a small map they were way too vulnerable to artillery and mortars. I think group north would have had better benefited if they had been given either more MG carriers or cheaper T-60 light tanks for support. - Group north should have been either a company of Pioneers or a company of Recon troops. The lack of a Company HQ really hurt them when that artillery strike hit them. As it goes in combat, the HQ units took it the worst, and when an HQ unit is suppressed it can’t rally the squads in its platoon. A Company HQ unit coming up behind them to sort things out would have really helped speed things up. - Why didn’t I pay attention to ground conditions? On wet ground the truck I bought to mechanize the company HQ was worthless on wet ground. This is one problem with early war Soviet forces. They have no tracked unit (short of a tank) that can carry full squads. - I should have allocated some points to special weapons as they would have been useful on such a small map. A few flamethrowers or a flame- tank and an SMG squad would have been very useful in the forests and town. Planning Phase: - Group north lacked any kind of true armored support except for the T-28M2, and all that had was a single MG. A T-70 should have been allocated to them at the start of the battle. - My math was a bit off with VL point costs. I thought that 2 small flags = 1 Large. Turns out the 1 large flag is worth 300 with the 2 small ones only are worth 100 points each. I should have thrown all my forces at the south VL and the main VL in town and said to hell with the north bridge as the losses to take it were not worth it. Execution: - I messed up with the 82mm Spotter. I let him drop shells for a full turn longer than he was supposed to. With a 6 tube barrage going he burned up a lot off ammo on an empty tree line. - I deployed the AT guns way too early. I should have waited till more of his artillery had been expended. On the other hand, he did have 2 spotters and they threw every last single round at Group north. I imagine a strike on group south when it was around the bunker would have foiled my attack entirely. - As the time crunch got worse, I became hasty with the tanks. I lost both Valentines before they could even fire a shot. I foolishly sent them over the top of the south VL, where the 50mm AT guns tore into their weak front hull armor. - Near the end, I tried to rush 1st platoon of group south up the road into town. An MG42 put a stop to that in a big hurry. Instead I should have moved them to the south edge of the map into the woods. They then could have crept north and taken out both that MG42 and a few surviving gun crews for extra points/kills. - I don’t know why I didn’t think to flank that bunker sooner. I wasted a lot of time hoping one of the T-70s would come up and take it out. Turns out I could just walk around it as it wasn’t very well supported. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hensworth Posted May 21, 2003 Share Posted May 21, 2003 A note of appreciation 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowbart Posted May 21, 2003 Share Posted May 21, 2003 Great play-by-play commentation and analysis! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guachi Posted May 22, 2003 Share Posted May 22, 2003 Thanks much for the AAR and the effort put into it. Jason 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lou2000 Posted May 22, 2003 Share Posted May 22, 2003 Nice AAR .... I've just started playing an ME against Hansson (thanks to the Proving Grounds ),So I'll have to see what intelligence I can gather on his style of play I'm also taking a few notes and may throw out an AAR on the game. I'll have to try view the pics later as your daily bandwidth has already been reached ! Some ISP's just dont realise the importance of CMBB screenshots 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markl Posted May 22, 2003 Share Posted May 22, 2003 Thanks for the great AAR, With good AAR's like this could a link be put up so we down load it with all the pictures etc. I cut and pasted this one because it was so good to add to my library of AAR's. Keep up the god work, it is appreciated. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hansson Posted May 22, 2003 Share Posted May 22, 2003 Great stuff. I'm working on getting my homepage to work so I can upload a few screens. I'll add some comments too then! :cool: 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hansson Posted May 22, 2003 Share Posted May 22, 2003 Ok, a few comments. I've never written an AAR and I didn't make any notes during the game so this is just from the top of my head. First I want to say that this was the second PBEM I played in. Ever. So my experience with CMBB was about a week when we started off. Since then I've finished off a few more and I've learnt a lot since. My OOB was: 1 x Rifle 41 infantry company (regular) 1 x Sharpshooter (crack) 2 x 81mm mortar spotters (regular) 1 x MG 42 LMG (points filler) (regular) 4 x 50 mm AT guns (regular) 1 x wooden pillbox w/ mg (regular) 8 x AP mines 4 x AT mines 2 x TRP's The battlemap from my perspective is here. I have an unhealthy love for bunkers, mines, static defenses and fanatic defenders. Had I been head of the OKH I'd probably made the same mistakes the führer did. In this game I had a wooden MG pillbox surrounded by mines and a rifle platoon as support. In front of the bunker I had a TRP. You can see it here. I had a platoon defending the bridge and the rest spread out among the buildings. My guns were spread out - two to take on any vehicles that managed to get into the village on short range and two in a battery overlooking the hill crest. My sniper's mission was recon and trying to nail a few TC's. When the game started my sniper discovered we were facing a horde of light tanks. Kommissar Butscher held his TC's buttoned but my sniper got a few chances of which he missed all. Died without doing anything usefull. Later on I saw a larger bolshevik force gather at the hill east of the bridge. In the vicinity two AT guns were setting up. Time for some shelling, I thought. You can see the guns to the right in this picture. Apparently, the results were good. My biggest disappointment was the ease with the Soviets passed and went round my glorious bunker. Not a single kill! The defending platoon was soon routed. Soon the attackers closed in on the buildings and the odds started to stack against me.. I was quite happy with the draw as I thought I was heading for a total loss. I guess I was very lucky in the end. All in all a nice game. Great, *fast* opponent (we played the game in ten days). I got some good pointers about the map and have made some improvements on it. I also learned a lot about CMBB in general. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murph Posted May 22, 2003 Share Posted May 22, 2003 This is fantastic, guys, thank yo uso much for taking the time! Great aar, lots of detail, and good pictures to help us keep track. Just great. Honestly, this is the best thing after actually being able to play, and sometimes it's even BETTER than the game. Cheers to the two of you. Murph 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew H. Posted May 22, 2003 Share Posted May 22, 2003 Yeah, I really appreciated this AAR, too. I especially liked that you put the whole thing up at once, rather than teasing us by putting up a couple of turns at a time. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capt. Toleran Posted May 22, 2003 Share Posted May 22, 2003 (Bump) Excellent AAR -- please continue to post these when you can, as it was very enjoyable and you did a really good job of clearly explaining what was going on and what your thought processes were. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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