Section Leaders:
Fionn Kelly & Madmatt

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German Movies for Turns 4-6

German Commander - Fionn Kelly

German AAR: Turns 4 to 6

Turn 4

Orders Phase:

Well, all is continuing apace. My sperrbrecher elements are moving nicely into place on the ridgelines immediately facing the projected enemy Main Line of Resistance. My Maneuvre Element is pushing forward at speed, my dismounted reconnaissance elements have yet to come under any seriously intense fire  and are sweeping forward to towards the last set of hills before the village proper. I can spy several enemy infantry units displacing from the village and filtering into hilltop positions on the central hill. This is quite pleasing to me as it will allow me to call artillery down on their heads and attrit them at little cost in lives or vehicles.

On my left Wollak’s platoon is ordered forward to the last clump of woods before the hilltop. I plan to have his men and he wait there for a turn or two until my artillery can soften up the hilltop enemy sufficiently to make a rush practicable.

On my right I order my Panthers to continue forward. Boy that little Greyhound crew must be crapping their pants by now. They’ve got a squad of Crack SS Panzergrenadiers running after them and three Panthers grinding slowly after them. Rather them than me that’s for sure.

Action Phase:

As the above picture shows the clump of trees Wollak and his platoon have advanced to has come under an absolutely murderous 81mm barrage. I’ve only lost one man so far but this can’t last. Worst of all I can determine that two enemy tanks are also beginning to pummel the woods with direct fire HE. I doubt I’ll stay here for two turns.

The sperrbrecher elements have moved into overwatch positions on all important prominences. The rightmost circled tank is a Panther but I felt it was worth circling as it is in a good overwatch position at the moment, even though it isn’t a sperrbrecher unit.

 Well, that Greyhound crew must be breaking all sorts of land speed records. It is handily outdistancing my chasing infantry and tanks. Still, it’s only a minor distraction as it has no real combat capability and utility and it would be incorrect for readers to assume that my dwelling on it here was reflected in an equal pre-occupation when playing. I only mention it here since it is amusing. In reality it player no part in any decision-making process as, at this stage of the battle, crews have no noticeable combat potential.

Turn 5

Orders Phase:

Wollack’s platoon is being fired on by 2 x 81mm FOs and 2 tanks. Given that my men had hidden well at the end of the 4^th turn I can assume that Gary will give his tanks “area target” orders. What this means is that I now have an opportunity to move to new locations without his tanks breaking their “target area” lock. As for the artillery.. Well, with 81mm shells a lateral displacement of some 20 metres can keep one safe from 95% of the artillery. Bearing those two facts in mind I have ordered Wollack’s platoon forward to the little bunch of scattered trees to their fore. I have also ordered one half-squad to rush into a crater near the wooded hilltop. I will see what fires at this guy and then use that info to create my enemy strength assessment. If the enemy has a half-platoon or so I’ll rush him next turn. If not, I’ll have to wait a while longer.

Elsewhere I continue my “recon swarm” of half-squads and have my tanks continue moving forward and into overwatch positions. Basically though there will be little action elsewhere until such time as my reconnaissance screen meets Gary’s infantry. Certainly I could force the issue along more quickly by pushing my sperrbrecher units and reserves up but since there is no NEED for them to be committed I prefer to keep them in reserve. I always try to destroy the enemy with the smallest force possible as that allows me to keep the largest reserve possible. Large reserves have won me many of my games.

Oh, also note the little trick I use to rid myself of the enemy gun moving up the hill on my left flank. I can’t draw LOS to the gun from any of my sperrbrechers BUT one can draw LOS to a point only a couple of metres from the gun so I decide to area fire at that spot. Thank God for the area effect of HE eh? The gun is taken out quickly at absolutely no risk to my own units. Given its movement it was probably an AT gun of some potency with which Gary hoped to catch my units in their flanks.

Action Phase:

Well, well, well. Wollak’s platoon suffers several further casualties but is still quite combat-capable. It ends the turn having lost eight men in total since the beginning of the battle but having fulfilled its mission.

Kersteter’s half-squad has come under intense enemy fire. Not only has he run into the remains of an enemy platoon but he has also managed to have a couple of HMGs open fire on him also. The good news is that two of the enemy squads are definitely down to under 2/3rds strength but the bad news is that I certainly don’t have the strength to rush them. With this borne in mind I think I’ll commit Wollak to take the right of the wooded hilltop and my reserve platoon to take the left of the wooded hilltop ( where most of the US infantry are).

Elsewhere one of Gary’s Shermans pops up to engage my Panthers. I still don’t understand why he isn’t committing all three Shermans behind that hill to stunting my Maneuvre Element when it is at its most vulnerable ( maneuvring with its flanks to the enemy tanks) but I’m not at all disappointed that he is missing his best opportunity to stop them.

Since Gary’s Shermans have Tungsten this tank vs tank duel is actually very even. With that in mind I’m ordering the other Panther forward. I have a feeling I’ll lose at least one of them next turn.

Turn 6

Orders Phase:

Wollack. Advance with half your men onto the wooded hilltop. Use the other half to provide covering fire. The instant you have a foothold bring those you left behind to provide covering fire forward and hold your bridgehead. I’ve ordered the reserve platoon in full defilade behind you to advance and support you. I NEED you to keep the enemy fully occupied while the reserve advances. Good luck.

Maneuvre Element… Move forward and engage the enemy Sherman. Disregard all other targets. I want that enemy Panzer to burn.

Reserve Element. I’m committing half of you now.

Husum… Move forward as quickly as possible and bolster Wollack before the enemy can recover from the shock of his attack, realize how weak he is, and annihilate him.  

Frick… Take the central hill. I have ordered the reconnaissance platoon there to drive itself into the enemy position but it will not be strong enough to gain any ground. While it pins the enemy in place maneuvre to an advantageous position and charge the enemy’s flanks.

Sperrbrecher Element… Destroy anything which attempts to intervene.

Action Phase:

Wollack’s platoon drives itself forcefully into the wooded area. The first elements to enter the woods suffer heavily from concentrated machinegun and rifle fire but have survived well enough to allow me to commit the firebase elements. This should suffice to create a tenable bridgehead so long as Frick moves up quickly.

The combined effect of the artillery barrages hitting this hilltop must be very telling. I think I have surprised Gary by how closely I am willing to follow my own barrages. In fact, I definitely have men in the target area of my own 81mm barrages. As near as I can estimate right now the 150 metre deep by 60 metre wide area from the scattered trees held by Wollak’s firebase element down to the last of the enemy units cowering o the reverse slope is being hit by two of Gary’s FO's and 4 of mine. His units must be in pretty bad shape by now. Once I punch through the platoon and MGs guarding the hilltop I predict I’ll be facing mostly shattered survivors. So long as I don’t rush through them I can easily reduce them at little cost…. That’s the plan anyway.

Panzerfuehrer? Panzerfuehrer? Repeat last message… Hello? As if out of nowhere this Panther simply died. I have absolutely no idea who fired at it, where they are or what weapons system they are manning. All I know is that the tank is no longer available for my plans.

Fortunately for me its loss coincided with the destruction of what I had believed to be an enemy Sherman. In fact it turned out I killed a Veteran Hellcat. Sehr Gut!

As the tank which killed the Hellcat begins to reverse back from its exposed position it is hit on its front turret several times. Given the rapidity and ineffectiveness of the fire I’d say it is coming from a 40mm Bofors gun. Damnit, that must have killed my other Panther… Those guns have just enough power to punch through the terribly weak side armour.

Robbe, buy your gunner a Schnapps. Robbe’s gunner placed his third 75mm HE shell directly INTO the emplacement housing the enemy light gun ( which I still believe is a 40mm Bofors but which hasn’t been positively identified yet). I LOVE having high-quality gunners. They are so deadly to dug-in guns.