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Section Leaders:
Riesberg German – Riesberg
German Commander - Robert Hall (Tomcat)
Turn
11 First
big, big mistake! I'm
committed now with that right flank 81mm mortar whether I want to be or
not as it has probably been spotted.
Maybe I should have fired the 81mm mortar earlier to try and
keep the US squads back, but I did not have good LOS to them.
I discover why the 81mm mortar fired last turn.
I forgot to set it on an ambush marker!
Doh, that has really blown it!
I see big problems on this right flank now and decide against
shelling the 2-storey wooden building on my rear left flank with the
Flak 88 yet as I simply cannot afford to give away its position as well
just at the moment. As
the action starts, my 81mm mortar appears reluctant to fire as it loses
its target and is then itself targeted by the nearby US squads and a US
mortar unit. My 81mm
mortar quickly takes 2 casualties. Blast! The US
troops are too close. I
should have opened up earlier with area fire.
The 2-storey wooden building on my left rear flank is still
filling up nicely with US troops, I see.
Another US Platoon is now starting to move up the centre and the
Shermans are following closely. Just
a little closer please...... Turn
12 What
to do? I'm in danger of being overrun on my right flank by the
advancing US platoons, but I need to keep my Flak 88 hidden, if
possible, since the US central Shermans are on the move and will soon
be into LOS. I decide to
keep the Flak 88 hidden just one more turn!
Meantime on my left flank, I decide to run my sharpshooter into
a rear stone building where he has LOS to any assault from the left
rear flank and to move the Company Commander over to the left hand side
of his building for similar reasons. Oh,
no! As the action begins the 81mm mortar crew takes another
casualty from US mortar rounds and small arms fire and Breaks and
finally Routs! It is
heading directly to the "hiding" Flak 88 and mortar fire is
following its progress. Now
a platoon of US infantry suddenly rushes the Routed mortar unit and
they must surely uncover the Flak 88.
I cannot believe this is happening!
On the rear left flank, yet more infantry is infiltrating the
second 2-storey wooden building. Must be 2 full platoons of infantry there now.
And the central Shermans are inching ever forward, but
unfortunately for me, keeping infantry in front of them. Turn
13 Yippee! A Sherman has just come into LOS of the right flank Flak 88,
so I double check the targeting and keep my fingers crossed.
Since it does not look like any of the Shermans will make it up
the central roadway, I decide to re-deploy a Panzerschreck under cover
to the rear left flank where I think it will likely be needed soon.
Also, I decide to slightly re-position some of the ambushing
squads on that left rear flank since it appears likely when the assault
comes, I will have two full platoons to deal with, so I need to be
positioned absolutely correctly for maximum ambushing impact. Beautiful! One Sherman targeted and it takes 2 Flak 88 shots to kill it
plus maybe some collateral damage to the infantry unit it was carrying.
He would not even have seen it coming!
Meantime the platoon of US infantry are rushing the 81mm mortar
and are probably somewhat surprised to see a Flak 88 as well! The
Flak 88 then targets a running US infantry squad, fires HE to send it
packing, and re-targets another US infantry squad before the turn ends.
Unfortunately, it does not see the second Sherman coming forward
which must be in LOS too by now. I
wish the Flak 88 had targeted that second Sherman instead of the
infantry as the Flak 88 will now almost certainly be dead next turn
from the infantry platoon close assault.
On my left flank I see one of the Shermans decide to start up
that left flank.
Turn
14 No,
that second Sherman was and is not in LOS of the Flak 88 yet, so I
decide I have to target another US infantry squad to try and hold them
back. I would love to
target the 2-storey wooden house on my left rear flank instead, but I
simply cannot risk it this turn or I will definitely be overrun.
While all this is happening on my right flank, I decide I also
need to strengthen my left rear flank from the impending assault from
the two US infantry platoons. I
order a Volksgrenadier squad from D Platoon in one of the central
houses to move to the rear specifically to guard the Flak 88 as I do
not want to encourage a similar occurrence to what is currently taking
place on my right flank. I
also order the Company Commander to the rear stone building as well.
Hopefully the US will not see these moves and will still be
unaware I know of his presence in this region. As
we start the turn, the Flak 88 fires at the first US infantry squad and
causes a casualty. Maybe another shot will send it into retreat too, but hey,
what's this? I simply
cannot believe it. The
Flak 88 is changing targets to a more distant unit, probably a mortar.
No, no, no, that is not life-threatening yet, keep the infantry
squad targeted if you want to live!
The Flak 88 takes a stupid shot at the mortar unit and then
tries to re-target the original US infantry unit which is now running
wide to no doubt rush the Flak 88 from its flank.
Doh! Make your mind up! You
should never have moved off this US infantry squad in the first place! The
traverse is now too far for the Flak 88 gun to travel and with incoming
mortar fire as well, the Flak 88 crew panics and targeting simply goes
absolutely haywire. Why the **** did you not keep the orders you were given you
dumb 88? You would almost
certainly have caused 2 life-threatening US infantry squads to retreat.
If you don't follow orders and fire at life-threatening units,
you cannot expect to live! Next turn it most certainly will be curtains for you now.
Following orders would have saved you!
Turn
15 All
I can do now is to target the Flak 88 on the nearest infantry squad,
but I doubt it will be given the chance to fire at a mere 41metres.
On the left flank I decide it is time to move a Panzerschreck
into the woods to join the ambushing squads as there is bound to be a
Sherman along in this area sometime soon. The
action phase of this turn is a really bad one for me. First,
the inevitable happens and the Flak 88 is quickly killed.
I have no sympathy for the crew whatsoever.
Definitely a posthumous court martial is in order here!
If they cannot obey orders at a critical time, they are signing
their own death warrant. (I
believe BTS have improved the targeting behaviour and fixation of this
gun since the beta demo - I certainly hope so or there will be a lot of
dead Flak 88s around!). Lesson
No 1. Do not leave Flak 88 guns without infantry support for
protection as they cannot fend for themselves at close range. Then
it appears my roadside ambush has been spotted and is being shelled.
I am very surprised since those foxholes are in heavy woods and
should not be spotted, IMO, except up very close.
The nearest US unit seems about 65m away.
Then the forward right flank HMG unit in its foxhole within the
town boundaries, and in heavy woods, is spotted and shelled.
No way, José! That HMG unit is also in heavy woods and about 160m from the
nearest US unit. I
challenge anybody to see a unit in a well dug foxhole at 160m except in
the open! If all my
foxholes in heavy woods are going to be spotted at this sort of
distance, my plan is now completely doomed...... Movie Files German
Turn 11
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