New Scenario: Can't Stop Now

[David Aitken]

This is my third urban scenario and also an interesting little battle. British troops are required as reinforcements elsewhere, and must break through a small but powerful force of German airborne troops defending a bridge on their route, and get off the map as quickly as possible (within 15 turns).

Available from my webpage. Let me know what you think!

[ 06-10-2001: Message edited by: David Aitken ]

[Grunto IV]

AAR: (Spoiler):

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Ok... have set AI to +3 experience.

Setup: All units in orange.

Turn 1: Sending flanking tanks into center. Will steamroll center if possible. Dismounting infantry and they will move through on foot.

I don't know if there is time for this, but the right platoon will sneak into the first row of houses in front of it, and the left platoon, up the center. The vehicles will converge on the center.

Cromwells on the left will swing into the center and hunt forward in front of the halftracks and other waiting tanks. Challenger and Churchill on right will move forward with sneaking infantry, after 30-second pauses (let the infantry get out in front.

Concerns: Tanks - particularly on left - could be toasted quickly.

No contact on Turn 1, but it appears all the roads are mined.

Turn 2: Decide to run all fast vehicles through the town with Churchills moving up in support of foot infantry.

Center-right Cromwells moving out. Center-left halftracks pushing through yards to rear edge of town on left. Left Cromwells dashing for bridge. Halftracks on right also dashing for bridge. Churchills supporting sneaking infantry.

Concerns: Splitting force... not good. Moving vehicles through dicey terrain... not good. Go!

Taken under fire by apparent 75mm gun "nest" (2 or more?) on other side of river. Fire fairly ineffectual. Cromwells on left knocked out and immoblized (respectively) but apparent small-caliber AT gun (position unknown).

All other vehicles pressing forward.

Turn 3: With the loss of the two Cromwells, will have to 'charge with the Churchills as well.

All infantry now ordered to sprint toward the church and scattered woods to the right.

(clarification: "Churchills in center" were really 1 Churchill and 1 Challenger. On right, same thing; Churchill and Challenger; Challenger lost on turn 2.)

It looks like the 'light AT' gun might be a tank across the river.

Lost 2 or 3 more tanks and some halftracks. Appears 'tank' on other side is a Panther. Another gun pops up on other side of river.

Moving forward with whatever is left...

Go!

Have 3 tanks and 0 halftracks left. 2 tanks have 1 crew casualty.

Turn 5: Lost Churchill on left. Challenger moving up to get into LOS of Panther from around church. Remaining infantry rushing the bridge.... Lost Challenger trying to get at Panther.

Turn 6: Attack! Go!

1 platoon HQ made it 3/4 the way across the bridge then thought the best of it, and ran back under a hail of various types of German fire; 75mm short, 75mm long, machinegun, and other small arms.

Time to call this attack off. All vehicles knocked out.

Aftermath:

97-3 Axis total victory.

16 Axis Casualties (4 KIA)

90 Men OK

65 British Casualties (14 KIA)

1 Mortar Destroyed

16 Vehicles Knocked Out

75 Men OK

Turns out there are 2 Crack and 2 Vet 75mm Inf Guns, along with 2 Panzer IVs, then just a couple of platoons of fallschirmjagers.

With an almost 2:1 points advantage, perhaps this scenario should have been more doable on my part. Seeing as how it was over after 6 turns, I probably could have taken my time. Assuming 3 turns at the end to reload the troops onto the vehicles, and to get off of the map, I could have spent another 6 turns moving with caution.

Beware: If you move too fast (as I often do) you could get clobbered in this one.

I was going to cry "foul" at the "Panther" but 2 Panzer IVs seems OK. I would actually recommend StuGs in keeping with the Fallschimrjager 'spirit,' and 75mm recoilless instead of iG.

Nice map, interesting situation. I am to blame for this fiasco.

Andy

[David Aitken]

SPOILER

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Thanks for the AAR. Obviously giving the AI an experience bonus maybe wasn't the best of ideas, as its troops were already high quality. You also seem to have allowed it random setup positions, which would change the scenario somewhat. I agree that the PzIV's aren't in keeping with the Fallschirmjäger concept, but they are intended as Army reinforcements to the paras, not part of their force. I think by the nature of the scenario, the AI has a good chance of pulling a victory.

[Kingfish]

****Spoiler****

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I used the tanks to steamroll a path thru the town, blasting the houses as they went. The HTs followed a turn behind, ready to provide MG support if needed.

I lost a Cromwell to a Mark IV and a HT to an Inf gun, while another Cromwell was immobolized (who apparently got so pissed that he blew away two guns, a shreck team and a squad inside a house). Once my Challengers took out both Mark IVs I blitzed the HTs thru, guns blazing, across the bridge and off the map. The A.I. bailed after that.

[Grunto IV]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by David Aitken:

SPOILER

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Thanks for the AAR. Obviously giving the AI an experience bonus maybe wasn't the best of ideas, as its troops were already high quality. You also seem to have allowed it random setup positions, which would change the scenario somewhat. I agree that the PzIV's aren't in keeping with the Fallschirmjäger concept, but they are intended as Army reinforcements to the paras, not part of their force. I think by the nature of the scenario, the AI has a good chance of pulling a victory. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

yeah i see the default. the guns are right up front. with them across the river, it is tougher.

i tried it again, again with ai at +3 and random setup.

i shifted everything far right so as to use the terrain of the town to cover my advance from the opposite river bank on my left.

the guns were mostly on the other side of the river again, but this time i took out 2 guns and a panzer iv before calling off the attack. i still had about 4 halftracks.

i lost many 1:1 engagements between various allied tanks and the panzer IVs, before finally taking one panzer out. the remaining cromwell couldn't deal with the other panzer iv, though.

perhaps if the first 1:1 engagement had gone my way, the remaining tanks of mine could have made a go of it.

i lost 2 tanks in two shots to one of those pzks on turn 2. that was no way to start.

andy