John Kettler Posted April 27, 2006 Share Posted April 27, 2006 Stalin's Organist, Nice! Looks as though I need to dig out some of my old manuals and take a refresher course on Russian tactical symbology! The way I read it, though, four armored attacks of some sort (believe it to be tanks) and of not yet remembered by me size, hit the 375th's front and were repelled, as evidenced by the fishhooking of the directional arrows. Further, not one of the attacks made it through the protective minefields. Thus, none got across the trench line, either. The table indicates the armament of the strongpoints behind the trench and mines, and these strongpoints are all organized to handle attack from any direction. I don't know what the difference is between the two 76mm gun types (speculate, though, one's the stubby regimental gun), but the 45mm is clear enough, and I take the last category to be tanks in direct support of the infantry. Just inside the division's left is its armored counterattack force of about two company strength,plus a smaller one further back, and behind the forward strongpoints are positions for both antitank and regular artillery (two different symbols for the gun trails). The deep flanks are protected with additional strongpoints, CPs are all over the place, as are more apparent ATG positions, and the position is made formidable over and above the forces and engineering by what I think are villages which would channelize the daylights out of any attacking force which actually broke through. How'd I do? Regards, John Kettler 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mike Posted April 28, 2006 Share Posted April 28, 2006 I haven't got a clue John!! I thought the "defeated attacks" were illustrative/optimistic/propaganda only - they seem a bit pathetic to have been anything real! I thought the 4th column was probably ATR's, and like you assume the smaller number of 76mm's are regimetnal howitzers. Thre are a few positions that are not identified in the table of armaments - 1/, 2/ and 3/93 nan, a couple labled 3c6 (I think they may be infantry without AT assets?), and 1/193cn, 1243cn, 1245cn, 1247cn which have gun symbols so may be independant AT or artillery units? And there's "263mn" at the south end which I have no idea about - it has a symbol that looks like an eyeball 60 tanks is about a Regiment isn't it? Seems like quite a lot for support of a Rifle Division in defence. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonC Posted April 28, 2006 Share Posted April 28, 2006 SO - note the size of the "strongpoints" - 2 km across. Not a nest 100m across. I agree the last column in ATRs. The one listing at the bottom on the left of 61 items seems to be an army tank brigade in support - 96th TB. 1/93, 2/93 and 3/93 are probably elements of the division's artillery regiment. Note that the main SS attack hit the division off to this one's right, the 52nd, which you can see a divisional boundary for at the top of the map. 375 was actually in the sector of the German 168th infantry division, though SS-T might have brushed its right flank, pushing the 155th GRR into its positions. 96 TB went into the line between 375 and the recoiling 52nd, initially in support of the 155th GRR. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mike Posted April 28, 2006 Share Posted April 28, 2006 Originally posted by JasonC: SO - note the size of the "strongpoints" - 2 km across. Not a nest 100m across. some of them are up to 3 km in some directions according to the scale - but then those ones contain 12 and 20 76mm guns. the map gives no indication of how the defences were arranged within those formations of course. given the number of such boxes I assume that those labelled 1c6, 2c6 or 3c6 are based upon an infantry batalion - there are 10 such positions, 7 with AT defences and 3 without - 1 of the later is in the front line between positions 4 and 5 which each have a little more AT than the other "nTOn" positions. There's plenty of room for "nests" giving crossing and flanking fire. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonC Posted April 28, 2006 Share Posted April 28, 2006 Remaining Panzer IVs - 3 have been lost to guns plus 2 to mines - all pulling up to close range of the old gun nests, and have spots of the still firing Maxims. 2 sent to heads down so far. 2 Tigers also through the wire and mines barrier. (Other pair are still on their overwatch hill). An armored infantry platoon working through village on the right after debusing. Russian infantry and weapons so far are on the wooded hills right at the map edges on either side, where the entrenched guns were. A few others - ATRs probably - spread along the middle ridge. The endless FO fire on the right continues. I now understand why C was firing light 82mm mortars (I counted over 100 shell this minute, again) at tanks. It seems he gave himself infinite ammo for his 82mm mortars and doesn't much care what he fires them at, as a result (lol). Now 600 rounds and counting, with no signs of slowing. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Kettler Posted April 28, 2006 Share Posted April 28, 2006 JasonC, I think that your willingness to painstakingly count mortar bursts in this manner is nothing short of astounding. Please contact Moon straight away for some sort of gaming hyperanalysis award. Wow! On a lighter note, have you located and reviewed the detailed strongpoint layout in Caidin's THE TIGERS ARE BURNING yet? Regards, John Kettler 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corvidae Posted April 28, 2006 Author Share Posted April 28, 2006 One AT rifle, who went into panic on turn 3, is still sneaking on turn 14, and still in panic. He did fire twice on turn 3, and took fire from a big gun,But has not been fired on since turn 4. He has been sneaking for 10 solid minutes. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
l.cassidy Posted April 29, 2006 Share Posted April 29, 2006 Must be my booze buddy Cuirassierov, I haven't seen him since yesterday's vodka tasting session... Helluva hangover, poor son! Regards, Comrade Cassidof 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonC Posted April 29, 2006 Share Posted April 29, 2006 First Tiger lost to a reverse slope, trench RPG. Finds a T-34 platoon first, though, and with help from one Pz IV burns all three of them before it goes. Fair trade, I'd say. Currently 1 Tiger (RPG), 5 Panzer IVs (3 guns, 2 AT mines), 4 SPWs (2 mines, 2 ATRs) knocked out. 3 T-34s and 4 guns KOed on the other side. ATR fire continues to bother the SPWs but is declining a bit as tanks are now parked if front of the fire nests, have spots, and are pumping in shells and MG ammo. Infantry moving up on the right, finish off an ATR there (probably the one mentioned above). Elsewhere they are moving up, some in SPWs some not. Remaining tanks also moving forward. Position is now clear, a continuous long line of trench on an abrupt reverse slope of the rise that cuts clear across the map, anchored by the wooded fire nests already engaged. With a belt of AT mines and wire in front of it, basically past by now. ATRs and THs strung along the line, presumably squad infantry in among them too. It guns anchors and support tanks - or at least a portion of them - are toast. MGs and ATRs in the fire nests were providing the forward, ranged defense. Maxims are getting hurt by tank shells and are mostly pinned, recovering to fire occasionally. ATRs spotted in tree foxholes near them are being engaged now. Given the depth beyond, there may be another set of fire nests of similar composition (or 76 rather than 45, whatever) beyond the center ridge, toward the very back of the map, to support the reverse-slope trench position from range. Could always be another T-34 platoon out there too, of course. Half the time limit now used. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonC Posted April 30, 2006 Share Posted April 30, 2006 And sure enough, 2 more guns open fire from rises 1300m farther on. 76mm probably. They do quite well against the Panzer IVs. One is pinned by reply fire from a Tiger, the other is still up. Mostly because they are placed on descending slopes right behind sharp rises (as well as in trenches). The pinned one was pinned anyway because the Tiger got in 2 nearly perfect shots. Not a mortar or FO in the German toolbox. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuirassier Posted April 30, 2006 Share Posted April 30, 2006 Comrade Cassidof, You mistake me for one of your other regular drinking buddies. I was busy defending the glorious borders of the motherland from facist hordes. Comrade Cuirassierov Soviet High Command 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
l.cassidy Posted April 30, 2006 Share Posted April 30, 2006 Oh, you're still alive and well!!! I thought I've lost you down there in the steppe fighting the hitlerites... Well, let's celebrate Comrade! * pops open his canteen filled with moonshine * (yeah, I'm out of vodka at the moment...sigh!) JasonC, thanks for the super AAR. I'm enjoying every bit of it. No mortars in your toolbox? I feel like..."naked" if I don't have at least a couple of them! Cheers, Cassidy 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corvidae Posted April 30, 2006 Author Share Posted April 30, 2006 3 pz4 tanks down. and the pressure on my forward line eases. only a temporary respite i'm sure ,,,,, 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonC Posted April 30, 2006 Share Posted April 30, 2006 Quite. Especially with guns behind crests. Zero height, no direct hits possible, flat trajectory bug. Plus that "to hit" difficulty compounded with the "infantry fire" effect of trench cover, instead of both being the same one thing, difficulty to hit. Right now, I'd put an 81mm on each of the new guns and wait 2 minutes. Instead I get to wait for the Tigers to put rounds precisely at their feet (which are really direct hits). Making their ammo supply the magically critical factor. But it is a playtest, so who cares? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corvidae Posted April 30, 2006 Author Share Posted April 30, 2006 note to self ,, * give Jason a battery of 81mm mortars, and a decent suppy of ammo,, * you want 2 or 4 ? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonC Posted April 30, 2006 Share Posted April 30, 2006 A mostly armored Pz Gdr company like this would have 2 SPW 251/2s as its mortar support. We already discussed a 105mm radio FO, earlier in email. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corvidae Posted April 30, 2006 Author Share Posted April 30, 2006 this is my day how was yours? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonC Posted April 30, 2006 Share Posted April 30, 2006 Tigers fire at unkillable guns, pin them for a bit, they come back, repeat until out of ammo. Which isn't yet, thankfully. SPWs continue to suffer from ATRs, much less suppressed now that the Panzer IVs are gone and the Tigers are otherwise occupied. Some are also refusing to cross wire. Now I hear the air force arriving (lol). Somehow I doubt it is mine, but we'll see. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corvidae Posted April 30, 2006 Author Share Posted April 30, 2006 Jason,, sadly you are wrong ,,,, it is yours. Phuquing luftwaft I dont have airsupport. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonC Posted April 30, 2006 Share Posted April 30, 2006 Great. He ought to have an angle that can actually hit guns behind slopes. If he doesn't take off after a friendly vehicle instead, that is... 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuirassier Posted May 1, 2006 Share Posted May 1, 2006 Comrade Corvidae, Perhaps you should ask Stavka for more T-34's. Your's appear to be on fire. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corvidae Posted May 1, 2006 Author Share Posted May 1, 2006 Comrade Cuirassieroff, So they are ,, i didnt notice , will you be driving ? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuirassier Posted May 1, 2006 Share Posted May 1, 2006 Comrade Corvidae, As a loyal officer and supportive commander of our glorious fielded force, I would be honored to drive one of your flaming T-34 death traps into the flank of a facist Tiger. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corvidae Posted May 3, 2006 Author Share Posted May 3, 2006 and now i'm just waiting for the next turn. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corvidae Posted May 4, 2006 Author Share Posted May 4, 2006 And the luftwaft blasts my defences. Damm 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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