AAR Against All Odds (3)

[Gpig]

I've been playing the swell Axis mini-campaign I found at the Scenario Depot and having a gas. These are 8 linked battles, with nicely done briefings holding them all together. Like a theoretical campaign game. Some units gain in experience from battle to battle. Some are lost. Some leaders excel, while others become bitter and resigned. The breifings really are the heart of this mini-campaign.

You are the German Commander of a fine Panzergrenadier company. Starting on D-Day, where you were tasked to capture two hills from the british, your company next saw serious action attempting to hold a bridge in the Falaise pocket.

Battle number 3 takes place in the Netherlands, 2 days after the Airborne landings of Market Garden.

So, Hauptmann Reimers company is thrown once more into the fray . . .

SPOILERS

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Map

| = roads

X = Whillemina Canal

+ = swamp/polder

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________\__B___|___________X_

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_______________|_A____D____X_

________C______|___________X_

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___________EAST____________X_

The map for this battle was very good. Very much what I imagine Holland should look like. Mostly flat, with raised roads above polder fields. This map was pretty much rural, with only a couple of small wooden houses for the whole map. There were some tiny quibbles for me, with the map. Mostly fine-tooth terrain thingys, like water "bumps" in the canal, marsh on hillsides, etc.. Like I said, minor.

The tactical possiblities for this map were many. As the commander, I know my mission is to remove the roadblock set up by American paratroops at A.

I've got a company of Pnzgrndrs (bloodied and experienced from battles throughout europe these past 3 months). I lost one of my excellent platoon leaders in Falaise, but have recieved another good replacement to command B platoons' veterans. Detmers is his name.

C platoon still has the steady Lt. Laudien. But they've picked up a squad of Green replacements.

D platoon's Lt Keczmar has become bitter and no longer feels a final victory is possible. (Thus losing his Morale modifier.) His men have noticed.

I also have Lt. Kollman's heavy weapons platoon back under my command. (They went missing in Falaise.) Along with their trusty 251/2's (Mortar) which were so useful on D-Day against the Brits.

And last but not least, I've recieved a platoon of CRACK pioneers under Lt. Stienmann. An impressive bunch.

Reinforcements will arrive in the form of "a couple of recce vehicles, 10-15 min." And armored support in half an hour. These are in response to reports of XXX corps sending armored support to the roadblock withing the immediate future.

First thing I do is decide to dismount and move all my platoons abreast, towards the objective. The Pioneers I place in B platoon's halftracks (getting some grumbling from Lt. Detmers), to act as my quick reaction hammer. Once I fix the Amis Paratroops positions, I plan to flank them if possible with the pioneers.

There is reasonable cover along the approach. But I have no illusions about being unobserved during our advance. The enemy have some slightly elevated positions, covered in woods, all along the objective line. They've picked thier spot well.

Heavy weapons I leave mounted, in order to set up at a nice piece of land (once secured by infantry) I think will help the final assualt.

Now that all of my platoons are dismounted, that leaves me 2 251/1's to act as recon vehicles just ahead of my infantry.

The road is raised a good 6-8m above the surrounding countryside. I advance Lt. Laudien's C plt to the South of the road. Lt. Detmer's Veterans in B plt. I advance just to the North of the road, using what cover there is along the way. Lt. Kreczmar's D platoon flanks far to the North, around the polder field. Backing them up are the 251/2's from Kollman's heavy weapons platoon. There is some good highground over there to the North, near the dike. I think the Mortar tracks may once again prove decisive from this location.

The advance goes well. No dreaded Jabos (overcast). No artillery. Yet.

First contact is from an enemy MG at C. Taking the lead squad of Laudien's platoon under fire. One man is hit. Damn. This is never easy on the commander. There will surely be more brave men down soon.

My recon tracks take the MG under fire. They also continue to advance in bounds. Staying to either ditch, along the main road. One of them eventually identifies, and comes under fire from two Jeep MG's. So far no AT guns. I'm now confident that there won't be any, since my two tracks have been tasty targets, on and off the pavement.

I get my reinforceing recce vehicles. A PUMA and a 251/9. (YAY, 75mm direct HE support!) Both are veteran. I race them up along the pavement and slightly into the ditches to provide HE support to Laudiens platoon. As he is now in good position/cover, East of C.

Laudien's plt. has also engaged what appears to be a platoon of Paratroops at C. Luckily, the A.I. commander did not pick the BEST possible position to place his troops. Laudien's casualties are still slight.

Lt. Detmers' Veterans are now ready to jump up and into the woods, just to the North of the roadblock. There is some deadly open ground between them and the objective. So I order him to wait until the heavy weapons plt is in place (which they are doing).

Lt. Kreczmar is still running Right (North) and encountering occasional long range MG fire from D.

Kollman's 251/2's set up position and start lobbing 81mm shells onto the (now) 2 enemy MG positions at D, and one enemy Mortar.

I lose a 251 to .50 cal fire, but Laudien's troopers take out the jeep, the next instant.

I decide to rush up my Pioneers along the pavement, to support B and C platoon. They are there in under a minute. I leave the flameteams and one squad mounted and disembark in the woods, to the left of the roadblock. Laudien's troopers have found these vital woods to be uninhabitted by the enemy.

Detmer's platoon faced with unusable terrain to the North of the road, charges over the top of the raised pavement to the South ditch in a very brave action. Under fire along the way, they sustain only one casualty. They now move up into the woods South of the roadblock also. I intend to recross the road again, with Detmers plt. Into the woods on the North side of the roadblock. So far it looks like there are no Paratroopers in that stand of woods either.

Meanwhile, on our left flank. Direct HE from the 251/9 and PUMA have forced a withdrawl of the enemy on the hieghts at C. They suffered the loss of at least one squad, plus an MMG.

Bazooka fire starts raining down on my parking lot of halftracks. YIKES! Luckily, the Paratroopers must not have had their chocolate ration today, as at least 8 bazooka rounds miss their target. One round does however score a hit, immobilizing one of my lead 251's on the road, in front of the roadblock.

My heavy weapons platoon now is fully operational. Kollman has done well to set up his 3 HMG teams in scattered trees, and somewhat high ground. The 251/2's continue to supress the enemies North flank.

Kreczmar's platoon engages the paratroopers 2nd platoon at D. I order them to withdrawl back through the woods, and over and into the dike canal (on the North side of the dike). There they can advance unseen another 100m and hopefully flank the defenders even deeper.

The dike is quite a heavy slope, however. Soon, D. plt. is quite tired after negotiating 100m of canal. I order them to hide and rest, before assaulting the Paratroops on the Right. They will enjoy a good covered approach once they come down from the dike.

My Pioneers and Laudiens platoon, now secure the woods to the South of the roadblock. This is a good position. I disembark a flameteam and move it up to hide in the Western treeline among my Crack Pioneer squads.

Laudiens Platoon I order to move South, hoping to turn West again to B. Covered by the Pioneers.

Lt. Detmers Platoon again crosses the road at a Sprint. Into the woods to the North of the roadblock. Under fire all the way, I can just picture them leaping from the blacktop, down into the welcoming cover of the woods. They now angle towards D. Maybe they can sandwich the Paratroops between themselves and Kreczmar's platoon.

The Paratroopers suddenly counter attack from B. Catching me off guard. At least a platoon of quality troopers leave me scrambling to hold the line.

Half of Laudiens platoon is caught in the open. One of his squads ends up down to a man! Also, I'd been moving up one of the Pioneer squads (still in thier halftrack) to a position West of the woods, now under counterattack. First the gunner aboard the track has his face shot off, then an enemy Rifle grenade knocks it out. This results in 6 casualites among the embarked Pioneer squad!!! (The 3 survivors flee back into the woods, and the calming influence of the excellent Lt. Steinmenn.)

At the end of the turn however, the Pioneers have balanced the playing field. They've managed to turn back one enemy squad, and there is another within range of my CRACK flameteam (still hidden).

Next turn, the flame team expends ALL of his ammo on the enemy Paratroop squad. Routing them into the LOS of the CRACK Pioneers. They make it back to a low wall before they are cut down to pieces.

On my right, Detmers and Kreczmar's platoons march resolutely towards each other, through the woods. Cleaning up resistance along the way. Finding shocked MMG teams, mortar teams and HQ units. Then they uncover the meat of the enemy paratroop platoon. Thier leader must have been well trained in camoflauge techniques, since they were hard to find. Casualties are piling up among my platoons on the right flank.

Then, Detmers's platton wrestes control of a VL from the paratroops, only to discover a counter attacking 3rd platoon of paratroopers. This counter-attack, though ill-coordinated, halves the manpower of B platoon. They do manage to hold onto the flag, but have very LOW ammo.

I order my PUMA up and around the Right flank to support Kreczmar's platoon. Also, I mount up my heavy weapons plt. in their halftracks with a mind to reinforceing the VL captured by Detmers.

Then things change again, with the arrival of enemy armor. Looks like a Stuart and a Sherman. Plus a platoon of British infantry.

Laudiens battered platoon comes under fire from the sherman. I order them to withdrawl to cover. the poineers, now the dominant force at C. I order to hide in the woods. Maybe they'll be able to close assault the sherman.

Detmers is also ordered to hide.

Kreczmar pursues some broken squads and MMG teams. Mopping up on the extreme right flank.

A quick and brutal gun battle erupts between my 251/9 (now hulldown, in the ditch, next to the roadblock) and the brit stuart. They both knock each other out.

The enemy Sherman, not having any targets to shoot at, blunders about West of B. Then my PUMA, which has been steadily moving to the Right, spots him. He stops, trains his gun on him, and let's fly with a first shot kill at about 500m. The Sherman explodes in a nasty fireball!

Things now become a mopping up operation. The brit infantry succumb quickly to my reinforcing Pz IV's that have raced up to support my VL's. My Pioneers rush and secure the VL at B. The rest is over.

Major victory. But a costly one. B and C platoon are at half strength. Good men lost.

I'm beginning to wonder if there is any point to it all. Maybe Kreczmar is right? . . .

On to the next one!!

[Fred]

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Gpig:

The enemy Sherman, not having any targets to shoot at, blunders about West of B. Then my PUMA, which has been steadily moving to the Right, spots him. He stops, trains his gun on him, and let's fly with a first shot kill at about 500m. The Sherman explodes in a nasty fireball!

On to the next one!!

<hr></blockquote>

Good shot!

I usually lose my Pumas before they are even able to turn into the right direction.

A 500 m kill; must be a side shot?

Fred

[Bigdog]

You should give it a review!

[Gpig]

Heh heh

Actually, I had given the first two a review, but the reviews were lost during the "troubles."

I just have not gotten around to it.

Gpig