Lucky 50mm ATG

[kump]

Who says CM Anti-Tank Guns are knocked off too easy? Okay, okay, I've had them taken out so fast I wondered what their purpose was. But I just finished a scenario with the luckiest little PaK 38 50mm AT Gun I ever saw in an AI game.

Regular unit, no big deal. Place in some woods in a remote area. Thought maybe a flanking move there, but if not, no sweat. He can sit there all day for all I care. Paid more attention to my PaK 40 ATG, got it lined down the road and ready for action.

Four Shermans show up. Slaughter my Green infantry. You notice when Green infantry get one or two HE blasts and they go running real fast. Totally maddening.

Those Shermans were ruining my day. My Stug IIIG and PaK40 waited to put a hurting on them. Its all I had. Stupid Shermans didn't go where I wanted them to go. Grrrr...

Game was approaching close to the end and I had lost half the objectives. Those Shermans refused to show themselves to my Stug and 75mm ATG.

Then the 50mm ATG got a glimpse of the side hull of one of those dastardly Shermans and BAMMMM, single shot and one brewed Sherman. He hollered in delight, I rolled my eyes. Yea, yea, you lucky bub. Just don't get too excited and keep your eyes open.

And then a second Sherman showed the little guy his side hull and BAMMMM, single shot and BIG explosion. Well you little lucky bastard! I swear I thought I saw the soldier jump for joy.

Now the other Shermans knew something bad was in those woods and started to approach. BAMMMM, that little 50mm ATG did it once again! This time the soldier stood up and danced. Three kills on first shots! I rubbed my eyes and checked. Yep, Regular unit, though I was promoting him on the spot to Elite!

Then the final Sherman showed its front hull and fired at the little guy. Oh boy, this is usually where you say bye-bye to ATGs. However, shell flew overhead. Little 50mm ATG fired and HIT again! This time, the Sherman lived, but main gun was damaged. Dang, that little guy was lucky.

Now the Sherman fired its machine guns while the little ATG fired six more shots! Two miss, two pinging off forward hull, one miss, and then BAMMMM, forward turret penetrated, Sherman dead.

Now how lucky can an ATG gun get? I've played over 100+ games and never has one of my little guys been so big and bad. And they definitely don't last for very long. Good placement is the trick, but a whole lot of luck went into this performance. And all in two turns.

Since the enemy had no tank support, I quickly retook the objectives. My 75mm ATG never fired a single shot! Boy, were those guys envious of the little one!

Sometimes I curse the computer's luck in CM. But one must remember, the shoe is sometimes on the other foot.

By the way, after the game ended and I returned to the map during the end game review, I went to congratulate the PaK 38 crew, and it was unmanned! Didn't take long to figure out where they were from the noise coming from the closest Inn. Almost got mad, but then I thought I should forget about regulations this time, they deserved it.

[SturmSebber]

hehe,

funny AAR.

It is true, sometimes a single unit can do amazing things.

The weirdest thing i ever saw was a friend of mine who had placed a 50 cal. as a sort of outpost in a house near a road. I surrounded the house with a platoon of green volkssturm and one or two regular squads and then stormed in from differant directions. That regular 50 cal. stood it's ground and killed all my men, it only became immobile. I had to use a 75mm halftrack to kill it. Useless to say my assault on that flank was stopped before it had even begun.

[ June 24, 2002, 03:59 AM: Message edited by: SturmSebber ]

[Soddball]

If I pick an ATG for a game, I pick 50mm guns over 75s. They turn faster, and over the short ranges that CM involves for the most part they're nearly as effective.

[Ozzy]

Well, you perfectly described how to deploy those small ATGs: short to medium range, placed in covering terrain, with angle to the enemy vehicles to achive side hits. They turn fast and have a small silhouette.

The 8.8s are the opposite: huge silhouette, immobile and turn rather slow. Their only advantage is ROF and penetratrion, that's why to engage them best at long ranges where the medium and fast allied turrets don't provide an advantage and where penetration is not sufficient (btw. I found that StuGs can be deployed best that way, too. I could not believe my eyes seeing a StuG III G (late) taking out a Sherman V at 2136 meters ( :eek: ) range, and the Sherman being unable to answer the fire)

[_Axe_]

I had a similar experience. Three 50mm ATs in some scattered trees took out five(!)StuGs and a MkIV in one turn! Completely saved the day.

Good thing I was playing in the afternoon. My yells may have woken the neighbors otherwise.

[Kanonier Reichmann]

Originally posted by Axe2121:

I had a similar experience. Three 50mm ATs in some scattered trees took out five(!)StuGs and a MkIV in one turn! Completely saved the day.

Good thing I was playing in the afternoon. My yells may have woken the neighbors otherwise.

Errr... either that was a mutinous situation you've just described or that AT gun was really 57 mm.

Regards

Jim R.

[ June 24, 2002, 07:18 AM: Message edited by: Kanonier Reichmann ]

[Redwolf]

You also have a slight chance to get tungsteen with the 50mm AT gun. That and TRPs do wonder.

I had a Sherman which apparently was out of HE, trying to overrun my AT gun in scattered trees. At 20m the shell (non-tungsteen) penetrated the front turret.