How to assault this town...hmmm

[athlete]

Short version (and he might be reading, so I have to be a little cryptic).

2000pt mtg engagement, it is a QB and the map worked out to be essentially hills running n/s on both the e and w sides of the map creating a big valley running n/s in the middle...the objectives are in a town in the valley.

Now, assuming roughly a platoon of tanks, some off map arty, a couple of on 81mm mortars and a company of inf, how would you approach the scenerio?

[roqf77]

err good luck! hmm to hard to say without more info are the hills passable to tanks?

[Beta1]

are you attacking along the valley or over the hills? (ie is the axis of advance n/s or e/w?)

[athlete]

Well, the game starts with us on the e and w. The hills are passable.

[Gpig]

Here's one idea.

Load up your OVERWATCH (arty spotter, HQ to spot for 81mm mrts, Mortars) on the tanks and race them to the first ridgeline. There you can quickly set 'em up to see the whole valley and your opponents ridgeline as well.

Don't pop your tanks over, yet. After they've unloaded the OW team, split up your platoon to the LEFT and RIGHT sides of the hills. Assuming you've got good tanks with thick turret armor, just position them at the ready to shoot and scoot, and/or just snipe from your hillside.

Do NOT let the enemy tanks get your own. Either be there first, to catch him moving . . . or ID him with your spotters then HUNT/S&S into action with a view to a kill. (Narrow covered Armor ARC.)

Find a route for your infantry company to infiltrate the village. When coming out of the hills, do not bunch up.

You KNOW your opponent is going to have eyes on the oppsoing ridgeline, ready to chuck all sorts of nasty things at you.

Anyhoo, that'd be my approach.

Good luck. (AAR?)

Gpig

[Dr. Rosenrosen]

You can either use your arty early to attack his ridge, or you can let him get into the village then nuke it. Depends how big your arty is. If you have 150mm or better, I'd let him take the village and then pummel it.

[athlete]

Well, this is what happened/is happening.

Swung my tanks and one platoon of inf to the south to climb up the side of the ridge and sweep across, had the other two platoons assemble west of the town in a good observation position.

I 'assaulted' the ridgeline, took out a Wolverine and a couple of squads of inf, then set up 3/5 Panthers to cover the town, and sent the other two up the ridge, lead by an L24 equipped HT and the inf.

L24 bought it from a gun at the top of the hill, but arty quickly returned the favor. Inf swept through the squad of inf assigned to cover the gun.

Tanks took out a couple buildings providing a smoke screen for the assembled inf to approach and take the town.

It was basically undefended except by the crew of a truck that I nailed early (with the inf onboard).

Took out one more gun with arty that was set up to cover the top of the ridgeline, and a Wolverine that popped up on the west ridge to engage a moving Panther.

Now he holds two flags, one large, one small, and I hold two small, but I also have two Wolverines, two guns, a truck full of inf, a couple squads and some crewmen on my points list. I figure I hang tight for the last 5 turns and wait to see how the points work out...he knows it's close with me probably having the points edge, so maybe he'll try to score some points.

[Steiner14]

Bah, what are points if you can have the EK1!?

You have 5 Panther left? Drive them at full speed through his lines, turn around and kick his a..!

Not possible?

[athlete]

It's possible...he uncharacteristically took an aircraft in this encounter and it's gone, plus he's got at least two tanks dead, and one I suspect has a dead gun, and at least two atgs are kapput...so I'm not sure how much AT equipment he has left, let alone in position to repel from the direction I choose.

The only thing is that Panthers are expensive; I could lose one of them and the points would be on his side...there's only 5 turns left or I might start moving troops toward the intersection and try and actual assault...i.e recce, tank/inf co-op, prepatory arty...etc...

I think I'll wait this one out, and try a more agressive approach next time.

Big thing for me at this point is that I was succesful in using a tactic in a ME that was not 'race to the objective and defend it', instead opting for a meticulous, co-ordinated approach from an unsuspected direction. Gives me some options later.

[athlete]

By the way, is there a way to save the map at this point? I kinda like it.