I just got back from a wedding in Tulsa OK and my family and I are glad to be home. Why do I mention this? For the simple reason that because of this trip, my alarm clock was set an hour early, which meant that I not only got to play my PBEM game against Gila (who is down one tank now
) but that I also got to play nine or so turns of this campaign.
As it turns out, I was mistaken when I last reported on what turn I was on. I only got to turn 22 not 28 "or so." In any event. The battle came to a rather sudden end on turn 29. But let me give you a run down.
In the south, I was able to rally units of the rifle platoon gaurding HILL S and retake the objectives there, and even get a couple of them back into the trenches. The search for the missing PZ IIIh ended when a Ski squad was attacked by a german infantry squad behind my lines. In an attempt to locate and destroy this vagrent, another Ski squad stummbled on the missing Pz. It turns out that he never moved after routing the ski troop and destroying my Kv-1. Units were moved against him and he was destoryed in short order. The ACs and Ski platoons hanging out by the Pz graveyard were able to route multiple squads that tried to come around and trough the wreckage. Two 76mm on board guns assisted in pinning the enemy, so the tin cans and cruchies could send them packing. My ACs (BA-6s) showed themselves to be exellent fighters and will be rewarded for their efforts. (I.e. I may up grade them into something with more armour).
The counterattack on ROAD W was a success, but had the battle gone longer, its questionable how well we would have held out. As my troops moved north and took the objectives, a platoon of infnatry and two Pz (1 38b(t), 1 IIIh) were discovered. The tanks were dispatached in short order. The first routed by a flamethrower close assualt and destroyed at long range by a Kv-1. the other taken out by a rear shot (it was running from the carnage around HILL N) by a T-34/57. Artillary was called in (107 mortar and 122 howitzer) by the HQ of the Tank Company to break up the enemy line. My squads stacked up and popped smoke to make the enemy come to them. All known squads were routed by concentrated fire. One thing I can say about my troops. They may not be able to shoot the straightest, but they can throw a lot of ammunition down range.
The action around HILL N was both interesting and somewhat perdicatable. The only AFVs left in the north from the last post were a pair of ACs (222s I think.) I was able to damage both of them to some extent with my Zis-30s, and then close assaulted one with my mountain scouts, first immobilizing then destorying it. The scout took the consiqence of his actions and spend the rest of the battle running for cover (by the end with only one man left.) The other was dispatched by fire from the Zis-30s on the following turn. The infantry became heavier, but barible. Due to the wreckage and smoke, they have to get close to me before they can fire and close is about the only way my guys can hit anything. The GBUNK to the Northwest of HILL N did draw fire from a platoons worth of enemy soldiers, but was able to pin most of them down with the help of the Mountain sniper and ski troops also in the NW. Again, the success of these actions is due to the fact that the battle ended so suddenly. Had it continued for another 5-10 turns, it is probable that we would have been overrun.
A brief report on my para scouts and AOP behind enemy lines. They were able to destory two of the three mortars located near their position. Overall, I am please with their actions. Had I been figting a human, I think they might have drawn off a portion, however small of the assualt division that was approaching my troops. As it is, they got back there + blew stuff up + lived to return to me = mission accomplished!
Other than these conflicts, there was little of subtlty. The enemy's CB fire destoryed two of my ammo trucks, but didn't damage anything else. Now, let me tell you of the resaults of the battle, what was waiting for me, and some thoughts about the whole mess.
Results USSR Germany
Men 94 450
AFV 1 86
Artillary 0 2
Soft 2 0
Score ~4000 ~200
Decisive Victory!
One of my favoriate parts is to look at the map and enemy roster after a battle. The center of the map, not 300 meters from my most western troops gaurding HILL N was covered in at least two to three companyies worth of infantry and tank destoryers. It turns out the AI formations ran into the BC0 formation. The only way I would have stood a chance is if I nuked the crap out of their ranks before they ever got to me. They would have run me out of ammo faster then I would care to think. The only way I understand that the game ended 30 turns early is that the points they had in their AFVs that I had destoryed so vastly out weighed the points they had in their battle ready units that point wise it was statisticly "too difficult" to continue. I know the AI pulls out when the ratio of destroyed/routed to healthy gets to a certain point. (Or at least it considers pulling out when it gets to that point.) I've just never had it pull out 30 turns early. I'm not complaining at this point though.
Thoughts. My defence was flawed, as I mentioned in my last post. If I had to do it again, I would have been a more supported defence. When it came time for some units to fall back, they could not because they were on their own and consiquently wiped out for my error. Adapting a "protect the objective" stance, as oppoed to a "which way is the enemy going to come so I can kill him" stance, helped in many ways, but I forgot that goal half way through deployment, so I had some units sitting out on the edges of thinks that I could have used in a other locations and would have needed had the battle not ended early. The terrain made things interesting and it was kind of fun to try to track down the enemy in some spots. Overall, my troops performed better this battle then the ones previous (something that every general hopes for) and I was pleased with their successes. Special recognition must be given to the valient tankers and troops who stood against the onslaught of german armour, destorying over 60 AFVs with very little help. If you were to look closely at the kill to killers ratio each unit in the T-34/76 and marine platoons killed an average over 10 AFVs each in the space of only about 5 turns. The support troops (Ski troops and bunkers) did well for their service and I will look forward to serving with such troop again.
What the future holds is unseen. I'm having thoughts of reducing my force size by a platoon or two, but at the same time, I am pleased with their progress and use. I still need to be better at using my entire force as there were units that never moved, who's help would have been usefull. I feel good about the majority of this action and tenitivly look forward to another defend action. Upgrades after this will most likely be limited to the ACs and possibly Off Board CB 1, but I am unsure. Time and need will tell.
Ketch out.