Section Leaders:
Fionn Kelly & Madmatt

Riesberg

German – Riesberg
Turn 13

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ORDERS FOR THIRTEENTH MINUTE

  My first order is to watch for the US to ask for a cease-fire. Both sides have fought hard and suffered greatly, and I don’t think further fighting and dying will greatly alter the status.

Next I must make a critical decision about Schafer’s platoon. This decision is predicated upon the actions the Americans will take. I see two possibilities for the US commander:

1)      Stay in current positions, as his infantry are too weak to push out of the town, and using the tanks currently parked at the front houses would expose them to the brave Hermanns.

2)      Continue pushing at the town’s rear, and bring the tanks forward in support, despite the possibility of yet another miraculous shot from Hermanns.

If 1) is going to happen, then I would have an opportunity to hurt the enemy infantry still more. On the other hand, if the Americans continue pushing, keeping Schafer in place would most likely lead to his loss.

I decide to act upon the assumption that the Americans will follow course 2), and give Schafer orders to pull back into the trees, covered against a tank rush by Hermanns’ Panzerschreck. I do so for the following reasons:

1)      While Schafer’s men have performed more than admirably, they are being worn down. One squad is at half strength and is panicking, although I hope to regain command.

2)      Hurting the US infantry more would serve no real purpose, as they are not controlling the town. Rather, the two tanks are the main American presence in Riesberg. Without highly mobile, armored anti-tank firepower (I do not say “without lethal anti-tank weaponry” because Hermanns has definitely proven himself lethal) there is no chance that I can kill the two tanks.

The Americans can keep the piece of Riesberg they have claimed.

Machen will fire more smoke to cover the movement of Bahr’s men; they have to get across the open ground this turn or else Bahr will be killed.

Meister’s heavy squad must get out of the church. If the American tanks shell the building, it could collapse and kill him.

With Beerbauer’s gun out of action and Machen’s mortar not threatened, I and my HQ section will move back into town. We will take command of Eymer and Jacob, as well as assisting Meister should he need to split his platoon.

ACTION IN THIRTEENTH MINUTE

  Schafer’s men are able to get away from the US infantry, but one squad has only one man left, and has broken under the stress. I cannot blame them, and their behavior now does nothing to diminish the accomplishments they made earlier.

Unfortunately, Hermanns has moved too close to the enemy, and his assistant is hit by fire from the US HQ section.

Meister’s heavy squad gets out of the church and resumes its position of watching the US infantry’s roadside flank.

The US tanks do not move at all; instead they are firing high explosive shells at every target they can see. Eymer and Jacob’s building is one such target, and Eymer is prevented from firing as much as I wanted him to. My HQ section is almost close enough to command these two units, so their effectiveness should increase.

The US infantry on the road do not swarm over Bahr, but the situation is unfavorable nonetheless. The heavy squad, after starting from cover along with the others, turns back when the US infantry fires at it. The other two squads are with Bahr by the end of the minute, but the heavily-armed squad’s action leaves Bahr in considerable jeopardy.

“Two of Bahr’s squads have joined him at the road, but the squad with the LMG42 has turned back toward the trees.”