|
Allied Setup
"Time is working against us",
The Colonel had said. With that in mind I wasted no time. A few
minutes after we arrived with the Jeep, I was in a farmhouse
together with the company commanders and a warm cup of coffee,
bending over the map of the area. If there was any truth in the
intel we had, the situation couldn't be much worse.
Click on Image to Enlarge
The red areas mark our setup
zones, while the black circles stand for probable German poitions.
Most forces were massed in the middle, i.e. the Shermans (including
a Jumbo) and a company of infantry, supported by organic HMGs and
60mm mortars as well as a 81mm forward observer team.
Another platoon of infantry,
together with a few bazooka teams and a two FOs (one 81mm and one
105mm) were located in the corners. They could be moved between
the eastern and western setup zones, but not north-south (this is
done in CM through color-coding the setup zones, i.e. a unit
which has a specific color assigned to it can only start in the
setup zone of appropriate color).
My mission orders were clear -
take the town and bridge and hold it against the incoming German
reinforcements. A quick look at the map reveals what that means -
hold off the German attack from the east to gain enough time to
clear the town, then re-group and set up a concentrated defense
to the east. Sounds easy in theory, but the practical side is
tough because my resources are limited.
There are three key points on
which I base my tactical plan.
Taking the town and bridge
are my objectives. The faster I take them, the faster I
can concentrate on defending east.
The Germans have tanks and
armored infantry. My anti-tank capabilities are limited
to a platoon of Shermans and a number of bazookas. I will
have to use these assets against the incoming German
armored column and let the infantry clean the town.
My goal is to take the
town and hold it - NOT to destroy the German armored
column, only to delay it enough to enable me to achieve
my primary objectives.
With these points in mind, I
arrive at the following initial setup:
Click on Image to Enlarge
The red circles mark the setup of
one infantry platoon each, supported by a bazooka team and a 60mm
mortar team. The exception is the position on the south-east hill,
where only two squads are located. The other squad is detached -
together with a .30 cal MG to the eastern setup in the woods (the
blue circle) - to serve as an outpost. I could have used the full
platoon in the woods to the east, but I have decided to use them
to strenghten my grip on the town rather than waste them in the
woods, where they can be easily bypassed and overwhelmed. Again,
my objectives are to take and hold the town, not to stop the
Germans in the woods. And in order to delay the Krauts, I figure
that one MG and one squad will be enough to slow them down. I
will, however, withdraw them shortly after initial contact (as
marked by the blue arrow), Just keep 'em thinking is my motto
here.
Image at Full Size
The poor pigs in the outposts... the HMG
team and one squad have been ordered to harrass anything that
moves down this road, then to retreat and lure the enemy into an
ambush by a bazooka team (hiding just off the right screen edge)
The red arrows mark the planned
avenue of attack on the town. I will start from the north and the
south, using the other platoons to provide a base of fire and
move them up when needed. Depending on how the situation in the
town develops, I am planning to keep at least one platoon east of
the river to help defend the bridge.
The blue circles mark support
positions, manned mainly by MGs and bazooka teams. The task of
these detachments is to harrass the incoming Germans and pin them
down. The "x" mark planned ambush positions by bazookas,
with the hope to disable the leading vehicle and cut off the
complete road for the rest of the column (because the vehicles
cannot enter the woods - in fact, with the snow and all they will
already have trouble to advance on anything but the roads). These
detachments are too weak to hold against the enemy, though, and I
plan to withdraw them as soon as they fulfilled their tasks (although
I do kinda expect to lose them...)
The yellow markers are the
positions of my most valuable assets, the Shermans, including the
one that is the backbone of my defense - the 76mm Jumbo! I tried
to set up overlapping fields of fire with them, so as to enable
them to get at least one flank shot from one direction. The Jumbo
is located in the middle. It's front armor should enable it to
withstand pretty much anything the Germans can throw at him PLUS
it is in hull down position behind the stone wall. This should be
a tough nut to crack.
Image at Full Size
CM is true 3D action - the LOS to the
side of this farmhouse is free. One pixel to the left, and it
would be obstructed!
Another Sherman is located in the
south in a small dip (and also hull down), overlooking the
central road as well as the southern flank.
Image at Full Size
Yep... you see right - there is a Sherman,
and it is hull-down!
Image at Full Size
Same Sherman, as seen from the other
side... clear fields of fire!
The third Sherman is between the
two farmhouses in the center of the map. It has a good field of
fire into the flank of anything coming down the northern road,
while at the same time it will be hidden from view from anything
else.
The fourth Sherman is behind a
strech of trees in the north, hidden from the northern flank but
with a good field of fire to the center and south. The last
Sherman is way north in reserve. I am going to use it as mobile
artillery in support of the attack on the town, but as the
situation requires, I am prepared to move it in to the east and
deliver deadly flank shots against anything that passes the
middle of the map.
Two of the three FOs are on the
south-eastern hill. From there, they have a good view on most of
the map and should be able to put down accurate artillery support
whereever needed. One FO is located in the middle of the map in a
two-story high farmhouse. He will be the primary FO for the
eastern approach.
Overall, I am happy. I have two
ambushes on the north-eastern and south-eastern flanks. Nothing
to stop the Krauts, but enough to slow them down and make them
cautious. Then comes a strong MLR with interlocking fields of
fire from my tanks. On the left, I have a complete company
attacking the town from three directions - elite Fallschirmjäger
or not, this should be enough to break them.
Here is an overview shot from the
initial setup - the unit graphics have been set to "3x
enlarge" to make the better visible for the screenshot. This
has, it should be noted, no effect on gameplay, only on the
visual representation!
Image at Full Size
The Shermans are my MLR against
the incoming Germans - in the foreground you can see one of the platoons
tasked with the assault on the town. To the right
is another one. BTW, the river is solid ice, and although
slippery, it should be strong enough to carry my men!
So far so good! I finished the
coffee - now cold - and looked at my watch. Early afternoon! If
the Germans would come, then it would be soon!
|
