TURN: 28 OF 60	SCENARIO NAME: Going to Town

Fionn Kelly - Germans vs. Americans - Martin Turewicz

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This has been a turn of movement but little combat. I’ve taken a few more losses from long-range enemy machinegun fire but nothing too serious. I only had three machineguns when this game started for my entire force but I’ve identified or captured at least 17 American machinegun positions. He has, therefore had, as many machineguns as I have squads in my relief force. If they had just been forward-deployed with a suitably strong AT screen in a single, self-supporting line instead of scattered in penny packets this sort of firepower would have ripped my assault apart. I’m really tempted to play this game from the American side I think I could have stopped the German force cold if I’d had this many MGs and bazookas. I can’t get over how many machinegun and bazooka teams I’ve run into or identified.

I’m going to give a casualty report on Turn 30 so people will get a sense of how I stand after conducting the crossings. Anyway, onto this very short report:

The bailed out crew of Sergeant Washington surrenders as soon as it is brought under fire by Unteroffizier Poppe. The four surviving crewmen are added to my bag and sent to the rear instantly. I don’t have the time to organise and assign guards. I have an MG set up in the rear and if any American POW units should attempt to escape my MGs will take care of them. For those on the BF.C forum who will wonder about this. Shooting escaping prisoners is allowed.

My forces continue to rush towards the house nearest the bridge under extremely heavy machinegun and rifle fire. I’m trying to use whatever natural cover, such as the hill to their north to protect them but still it seems I am suffering some casualties.

This is a more detailed shot of the rush to the house. Pretty soon I’ll have the remnants of the reinforcing Volksgrenadier platoon in that house and ready to back up Wiesenhofer when he rushes across the bridge and into the midst of the enemy infantry position

I have identified at least five enemy infantry squads, a couple of platoon HQs and 2 HMGs in this enemy position on the southern hill. I’m happy to say that my artillery barrage will be landing there either next turn or the turn after. It won’t be especially strong but it should shock them enough to allow an infantry assault to cause them some real trouble.

Overall my forces are advancing with an acceptable casualty rate. If I hadn’t lost all those half-tracks to planes and artillery I could have avoided these casualties by simply mounting the infantry into HTs and setting up a shuttle service from one point to another but as it is I must accept these casualties as I close with the enemy. I have set up

If my artillery barrage/shock assault and tank overrun work then I expect to rid Martin of at least two platoons worth of men (obviously heavily attrited). What this will mean is that he will have lost 3 infantry platoons and only have 6 left for the town defence. Of course Martin has taken heavy losses but so have I. I estimate that he will, even if he loses these two entire platoons, still outnumber me by close to two to one given that he has 6 platoons versus 4 and each of his platoons is 50% larger than mine. I will have to deploy Wiesenhofer’s Pz IV aggressively to redress this balance. It is risky but my mission is to deny the bridge AND the overlooking terrain to the enemy.

It is my assessment that this necessitates taking and holding the blockhouse overlooking the bridge and the first row of houses on the eastern side of the village. Once I have done this I will have achieved my mission, as stated in my mission orders, even if Martin still controls the apartment complex and church.