I was on the cusp, needed help...thanks. Victory!

[athlete]

Okay, in a previous post I had mentioned that I was playing regularly with a 30 year Armour School officer, and regularly get whipped. Well, thanks to the info in these forums, some trial and error (a lot!!!) and some operational research I've got him on the brink of his first defeat.

I've got one flag pretty much secured I think...I had chosen motorized pzrgrnds, so I got a pile of HTs and chose to race to town w/o recce and try and get in first. It worked and I'm mopping up the inf that got hung out when his armour got wiped out by Pz4s I had in place in support of the inf. The town held one large flag...there is another just s of town, and two other small flags. To get the second large flag, there is a fair sized woods between the town where most of my force is now and the flag, and adjacent to the flag/woods he has a bogged/immobile T34. In addition, he's moved his three remaining tanks, (2xT34s and a T26 I think) to the ridgeline overlooking the flag/immobile tank, though I think that ridge is prob right at the edge of his visibility due to the darkness of night.

Now, my wanton desire to wipe him out and hand him his ass is in conflict with the logical side of my brain that says, "Take a smaller force and go secure one of the smaller flags, avoiding what's left of his armour." I'm quite convinced that I'm way ahead in points at this stage since I have only lost a HT or two, and some inf, and he's lost at least 2xKVs, a few T34s and two or three light tanks, plus I have the town flag and I can't imagine he's getting it back.

So my options are:

1. Assault the large flag, which requires that I

a. Engage the immobilized tank which is around the other side of a basically oval shaped bush, and supported by infantry in the bush, or

b. try to outflank the 3 mobile tanks and engage them on the move

2. Bypass the second large flag and try and secure one or both of the remaining two small flags.

Btw, this decision might be easier if I had any arty left, but I don't.

[ May 17, 2005, 08:19 AM: Message edited by: athlete ]

[Yskonyn]

Any screenshots would help getting situational awareness...

[dieseltaylor]

Add up the points precisely. Why make these decisions on gut feelings when you can be reasonably accurate?

If you are ahead for sure ...... he should be gambling on attacking you.

[Gpig]

Sounds like you have the upper hand.

secure your defense. Try to imagine what he might do next and prepare for it.

Then let him come to you and WHACK him.

Gpig

[athlete]

I'll see if I can get screenshots...haven't done it before.

I gotta tell you though, he's a bright guy, and there are a few turns left, prob almost 10 or so, and he's pulled some 5h1t out of his hat before...I wonder whether I should give up the initiative....I will add up the points and see where we're at...any suggestions on where to get that data?

[Gpig]

Have you seen any of his infantry? (Other than the stuff in the woods, supporting his immob. T-34.)

Because maybe, due to the darkness of night, he's sneaking some infantry 'round to YOUR flank? Do you think he has a route?

Put out some eyeballs to your flanks. Keep your ears open. Be ready.

Are the other small flags easy for you to reach? You could load up your Company CO and a couple of squads (if you have them) and zip out to hold a small flag.

It's kind of a stand-off. I didn't read closely enough and just now realized your opponent ALSO holds a LARGE flag.

He may be content to wait it out, as well. Maybe he'll go for the small flag(s) to get it close.

Good luck!

Gpig

[JasonC]

It is not really possible to give advice without (1) your forces and (2) a map. But from what you've said, I would not attack those woods. I would hold in the town and scout toward one or another of the small flags, with a very modest infantry group leading (like HQ, 2 squads) and one count 'em one halftrack following. Almost everything else, have ready to kill any major attack on you in the town.

[athlete]

Ah, I think I've got about two reinforced platoons with HMGs, one understrength platoon, a HT, gun is out, a platoon of crack+ PzIVs, I have a HT w the L24 and two more HT w 81mm.

Don't know how to add a screenshot, but if I get around to figuring it out before Sunday when he's back from his canoe trip...I'll post it.

[JasonC]

Pz IV whats? From dead KVs, I assume longs, right?

[JasonC]

printscreen button. Open paint. Edit. Paste. Save as a jpg. Google to find the URL for a place called Image Shack, which will host the actual file, free. Browse to the jpg to select it, that uploads it. You get a bunch of links to the image location. Pick the thumbnail for forums one. Selection the whole thing with your mouse, "copy". Come back here, paste it into the body of a new post.

[Yskonyn]

And then give us 50, soldier!

Jason, did you serve?!

[slysniper]

Athlete,

You are doing great, play smart. Don't go for the overkill, make him play to you. As mentioned from others, make sure you are covered with holding the town from any future assault from him, likely inf. (he does not need the flag, just needs to neutralize it to get the points swing back to 500/000 for flags in his favor.

Learn to force him to react to you, if his tanks cannot support the small flags then send what you can without hurting your defence.

If it was me, if I am going to scout them other flags, (which he will have some inf defending)

why send a platoon which really likely not be able to take and hold a flag by itself, but add a tank and now that platoon can find the enemy let the tank clear the enemy from range and use the platoon or part platoon to hold the minor objective, also if he decides to respond to this threat with armour he would need to pull two or three tanks, your tank on defence should be able to slow that down and at least get a even kill. Also if he pulls that much armour, then the second main flag might be available, so he will be hard pressed to send any armour if he feels he needs to maintain his present defence.

The win will be nice but as you said you are not there yet, play smart to the end.

[JasonC]

Ysk - artillery, army reserve. Lots of long sequences to lay a gun, prep a round, get a gun to fire, or march order a battery. Streams of imperatives are that distinctive, yes?

[dieseltaylor]

Athlete

If you get Irfanview, from Tucows and many other places, its freeware and one of the best and most downloaded. Anyway one of its tricks is you can set it up to take multiple JPEGS and store them into any folder you desire.

Irfanview does loads of other tricks but for CMBB this is neat .... oh and it will allow you to slideshow them : )

[Yskonyn]

Jason - yeah you can read from your instructions that they are concise, focused on result, like you give orders in the army, that's why I asked.

I am a commercial airline pilot and I sometimes get the same question. I never served ('forced serve' for every young guy who became 18 y/o has been scrapped when I was around the age of 16 or so here in Holland), but in our job we give orders as well and this finds its way into social life one way or the other as well!

*note: not necessarily a bad thing!

[Gpig]

So? What happened, eh?

Gpig

[athlete]

Sorry guys, work has been nuts...just getting a chance,

Well, here's what happened:

When I posted last I had just beaten back his move on the town, and had left a covering force of the HT, one PIV (h I think...75mm L43) and a platoon of inf reinforced with a pair of HMGs. I had a reverse slope position to defend the flag from and the slope also had a buildings right in front of it so I was sitting pretty defensively I figured.

So I sent the remaining four tanks south with a pair of reinforced platoons and a couple HTs to go check out the area where the other big flag was (and a bogged down T34). I knew that to the west there were at least three tanks as I mentioned before, but they had gone out of view, so I had to be cautious or risk having him nail my advancing force from the flanks.

South of my obj I had sent a recce party (from the first few turns) of a tank hunter team and a sharp shooter, plus a HT w L24 and the HT w the 81mm to recce the extreme south small flag area. I brought them north a tad to support the advancing force to the north.

Turns out he sent his 3 western tanks back to swing south and come east to protect that large flag. Using the limited visibility of night I moved tank hunter team to an ambush point along the route of the 3 tanks and left the sharp shooter, L24 HT and 81mm HT on an overlooking ridge, again in an ambush position.

In the meantime, I (on the advise of you folks), stopped my advance toward the center large flag from the n town, and took up a defensive position around a small flag between the two. As I did this, two nme tanks (T34, T26) popped up over a ridge to the east...to this point I was not aware of them. Luckily my crack PIVs made short work of them with one shot kills. *phew*

His three western tanks took up position overlooking the bogged T34 at the center flags from a ridge just west...two went out of view, but one, the T26 (for some reason trailing the other two by a fair bit...got bogged?)was moving on a path that was s enough for my sharpshooter to see..."hmmm, says I...". I moved my L24 HT to a likeable shoot and scoot position and pause until next turn...then I set the sharp shooter up to take a shot at him.

Worked perfect...sharpshooter takes the shot, the crew commander buttons up...my L24 HT pops up and takes three shots, one tracks him, he drops back, the sharpshooter hides...by the time he's localized me, there is nothing to shoot back at. w00t! He's tracked, and for all intents and purposes, he's out of the fight. Mission accomplished.

My defensive position to the east is too far from his tanks to see (at night) from the ridge, so their happy.

I simply wait for the battle to expire and I get my first tactical victory....

Some notes:

Turns out that that small flag to the south that I thought about going for was defended by 2x57mm ATGs covering the approach I was JUST about to take. (Recall I had basically decided to bypass the large center flag as too risky, and go for the small s flag). It also had a full platoon of inf guarding it. The center flag however was only lightly defended, I prob coulda taken it with my two reinforced platoons w tank support coming from the east, as his remaining tanks were in no position to help out.

Nevertheless, my first victory against my friend the career tank officer. I had a big smile on my face until he tore me to shreds in the subsequent CMAK fight in Africa. heheh.

[Gpig]

nice work!

Gpig