DAR - Montesquieu ( not for you Jag65! )

[Matt_Mulder]

Hi guys!

Here's my first feeble attempt at a D.A.R. I am playtesting my own map, called "Montesquieu 1.0" which appears here :

against a seasoned veteran of the French very active and very hardcore appui-feu website, Jag65. I am an average player, with not even 5 PBEMs on my list, but I spent countless hours trying and dying against the A.I. in previous CM games. I have a particular affection for CMBN but I promise I'll get CMFI soon as I love this theater. Well, let's get to it !

this is a low-quality screenshot of the map from far, far up.
As you can see, there are 3 objectives scattered in the village, worth 200pts each.

My deployment zone has a bump on the right side, made on purpose to give an edge to each player. I'll get a headstart on the Hotel Calvados, and my opponent will have a similar bump towards the Abbey.

- - - THE FORCES - - -
Since this is a medium Meeting Engagement, I'll have the possibility to create a balanced yet realistic force. By that I mean that I will make my own Kampfgruppe ( Battlegroup ).
I like during the selection of forces to give names to a few commanders there and there to give every game a particular aspect.

INFANTRY :
1st Infantry Kompanie ( Bauer, reg)
_1st platoon (vet) 3x Fusiliers
_2nd platoon (vet) 3x Fusiliers, 1x Panzershreck
_3rd platoon "recon" (vet) : 1x scout, 1x LMG42, 1x sniper(elite), 1x fusiliers, 1 breach

2nd Infantry Kompanie ( Von Bek, vet)
_1st platoon (vet) 3x Fusiliers
_2nd platoon (vet) 3x Fusiliers, 1x Panzershreck
_3rd platoon "recon" (vet) : 1x scout, 1x LMG42, 1x sniper(elite), 1x fusiliers, 1x panzershreck, 1 breach

TANKS :
_ Panther HQ ( Kersh, vet)
_ 1x Panther ( reg )
_ 1x STUH 42 ( reg )
_ 1x Puma (reg )

In Normandy we all know it was chaos for the German army. The situation was evolving so fast that for quite a few units in the campaign it was very difficult to communicate, organize and fight as an efficient force, thus the creation of my "KG Bauer".

As you have seen, both of my Kompanies have a special platoon that I nicknamed "recon", because this is what they are going to do, going first with the ability to answer to any kind of threat. Since this map has been designed for trying out many tactics, I put the emphasis on infantry with a "veteran" feel, since what's left of the battalion has been fighting like hell during the first part of the campaign.

About the tanks : my first game on this map has been won with 3 Panthers. This time I wanted to try something different and play with gun calibers. Given that I spent a big chunk of my points on infantry ( queen of the battlefield, a German famous poster said ) my tanks would have to be located at crucial points of my advance, BUT they would be there to create confusion as to where I'm coming from.

No, no arty...the Germans are short on radio sets and on experienced spotters, not to mention ammo. I willingly discarded this option because since the Abbaye is higher than the two other objectives I'm going for, he will have the best place to spot. I don't want to risk a close combat QB with spotters who can't see more than 150meters ahead. I need infantry to take and hold the village, I need to allow the main force to escape the American pincer movement !


DEPLOYMENT AND ORDERS PHASE :

As I said earlier, we both have a bump in our deployment zones to facilitate the capture of one objective each, and to "orient" the map towards a town center battle. The first time I played this map it didn't go well for my enemy as I rushed everyone forward and pretty much secured it before he had a chance to get in there. It costs physically though, because the whole map is going uphill and takes a toll on the pixeltruppen's condition.

Here is my general battle plan :

LEFT FLANK : nothing but wheat, still, the enemy can try to trap me from there. I put a Panther with a "hunt" order so I get a chance to light my French buddy up in the clock tower if he ever ventures there.

CENTER : In the wheatfield, 2nd Kompanie is going to run for the walls, while my STUH is issued a "fast" order towards it. He will shoot its way in ( the circle on the wall ) and allow for one platoon to rush in the village and secure the houses leading to the Abbey.
The "recon" platoon is going to run along the hedgerow and blast a hole in the wall as well, to allow for a quick run to the Mairie.
Another platoon walks behind them, ready to go either way depending on where the enemy will be.
The Puma is tasked with providing overwatch on the road. As I said, it's an uphill map, so no chance of spotting on turn one. Still, if the enemy rushes with vehicles at some point, he will expect a disturbance from the road since it's obvious I could place some guns there. I just put the Puma and its 50mm to provide fire support when needed when it's gonna get bloody in the village. Maybe a flank shot on a Sherman, which I don't doubt the enemy bought plenty?

(Yes, I should have written "platoon" instead of "squad", but my awesomely basic MS Paint skills are coupled with some form of laziness)

RIGHT : 1st Kompanie is going to replicate 1st kompanie movement orders, with recon platoon rushing to the side of the Hotel while another platoon runs in the woods and then from house to house towards the objective. Another platoon follows at a distance ready to provide assistance either way. My Panther manned by an Eastern Front veteran ( Battlefront, I'm looking at you ) will try to disturb the enemy's movements by rushing towards the far right hedgerows and maybe catching a platoon there by surprise, then I will order him to retreat and support the attack on the hotel.

Well, I'll try to place somme narrative there and there to keep you interested. I like putting my imagination at work when I play. It's going to be fun, even though I'm probably in for a very tough fight. My opponent Jag65 is well versed in the arts of Combat Mission. I designed the map so I have a slight advantage, of course, but my clumsiness is going to compensate for it I'm sure.

Bring it on !

 

[Matt_Mulder]

on a side note, you will notice a few holes there and there on the map to maximize the number of approaches, and to give some "concealment" to the enemy unless he decides to use demo charges to go directly towards the objectives. I assume he will use them since I know for a fact that he's going to have to blast two walls to get in. Still, he's not disadvantaged, since he's 100m closer to it and he won't have to exhaust his troops in the process.
Rushing towards the two objectives in center+right gave me an advantage in my previous test, so I'm going to test it again with slightly different forces, see how it goes.
battle !

 

[Matt_Mulder]

Turn 1 :
Well, it's starting. My STUH42 rushes to the wall and hits it twice with its 105mm, while the infantry follows.

Meanwhile, the right flank advances as well. My Panther is performing its manoeuver full throttle, guess he'll be touching the hedge in the next minute, maybe he'll find something?

The Puma stays between the trees, on the road. It's going to be a long wait for the guys inside , as I don't intend on using it too soon.

 

[Matt_Mulder]

Turns 2 and 3:
everyone is reaching the waypoints in a proper manner. the STUH has blasted a hole big enough for him to get inside the center. The tank is followed closely by 1st platoon of B company ready to fan out and take a few houses towards the abbaye. Turn 4 they will be advancing together.

on the other side of the center, my recon platoon has reached the wall and the demo team (green) is taking its time to take positions and blast the wall so both 3rd "recon" platoon and 2nd platoon can reach the town hall ( Mairie ) with little risk. Turn 4 the sniper and the scout team are going to rush towards the Mairie and try to spot incoming infantry from there.

On the right flank, outside the walls, I'm closing in on the hotel with both 2nd and 3rd "recon" platoons from A Kompanie. Hauptmann von Bek and 1st platoon are following and wait for contact while 2d and 3rd divide up and run for the first houses they can reach. a little group of fusiliers is running towards the closest house from the road when friendly shots are fired towards the enemy's positions. I check and see this :

One of his guys take a superbly mspaint-o-shopped bullet to the face, and right at the moment I capture it, the impact is visible on the small wall behind him. Maybe another shot, who knows ? I investigate :

Turns out the radio operator from platoon HQ saw a silhouette running out of the woods and shot at it successfully, imitated by another member of the squad. First kill !

If I can see him, he can see me and return fire takes a toll of my forwardmost fusiliers. A metallic noise coupled with bits of brains falling on the ground:

The fusiliers keep on running towards safety. The last five seconds of the turn are "mine", as two of the recon soldiers already in the Hotel pour some serious mp40 fire at enemies in a house 60m away. Suppression time !

The line of houses will protect them from enemy fire unless the Americans get closer and come from the sides, which I'll try to cover as best I can. Fortunately, I'm not short on infantry, let's hope he doesn't coordinate with arty and tanks otherwise this side of the map is a done deal.
For turn 4 my right flank keeps the same orders, which are pretty much " get in the houses asap and stay there ". Cover will be provided by the Panther who hadn't seen anyone in the enemy's left back field. If he's moving towards the Hotel

I assume the enemy has focused on taking the abbaye and securing the Mairie. He was probably expecting me to take the hotel more quickly ( as I told him we both had a deployment phase advantage with one objective ). Still, he was probably trying the same "annoy and harass" tactic I am currently trying to put up with my stuh and my first platoon on the left flank. We'll see.

Right before the end of the turn, the shooters spot a mortar team in the woods close to the road, but they manage somehow to overhear the noise of tank engines. Sound echoing on the walls around them probably...My Stuh will soon have company.

Hope you enjoy it.

 

[Nathangun]

Interesting battle, the over view screenies are small. Is there a chance to make them bigger ?

 

[mjkerner]

This looks really good, Matt! Are sponsored by Sam Peckinpah by any chance?

 

[Matt_Mulder]

Turn 4 :
here is the end-of-turn screenshot:

right flank :
the recon guys keep shooting while the rest of the platoon regroups. After the first contacts I didn't want to risk any of my guys running, since a single Thompson in the woods or in the church would have been able to kill a squad, physically or mentally ( or both ). A one-sided firefight ensues, but I see no casualties on his side, probably we were given blank 9mm bullets...sigh. At the last second, a burst erupts from the nearby church and pins down my squad. (sigh again)

Here's the screenshot :

Center:
the demo team uses a charge and breaches the wall, while my recon team sniper and scouts rush for the first houses in the row where the Mairie is. Immediately, there are infantry "?" near the entrance of the village center. The enemy had the same idea of rushing for the town center, and I fear the next couple of turns are going to be epic gunbattle-wise. At the same time an infantry platoon takes positions near the wall, to breathe a little and especially for me to be able to know where and when to launch them. However, for some reason, I know the guy facing me is a hardcore veteran and he probably have my whole plan figured out, so why not an arty strike along the wall after 5mins? I have to make sure this is not a good guess from my part, and I'll give them orders in the next two minutes tops.

( please note that given there is no forces on my left flank, the platoon and the STUH now constitute my left flank, still very close to the center)

Left flank:

My infantry platoon follows the STUH and enters the houses on the left, then I will split them and try to create some trouble for the enemy while my Stuh will interdict troop movement between his center and the abbaye ( at least, from inside the village )
And guess who shows up in place of an infantry platoon? Yes, a tank ! a 105mm Sherman ! the Stuh crew regrets not being part of a StugIII, as this tank at least had a couple of HEAT shells...well, I played with the calibers I pay the price for a bigger boom on infantry.

Here's a superbly well-made screenie patchwork :





Right after this, the Sherman disappears. He knows my EXPLOSIVE SHELLS won't do much damage to his tank, but still I must have scared the crew for a moment, maybe damaged optics or tracks or whatever...

A couple of shots are fired from the adjacent building, and the crew spots an infantry squad taking up positions in the building. Venting their anger, they load a third shell and shoot it in the building. I see no casualty, but he's probably pinned down now.

My far-left Panther?
Well, given that he's alone and that no one is exiting the woods to encircle me, I think he'll do some mindgame with the enemy. I'll punch a hole in the wall next to the abbaye for two reasons :
1 : to create an entrance for the Panther ( duuuuh ). If the fight gets nasty for my fusiliers, I'll send him in to blast the enemy and create confusion.
2 : to let him think I have a group of guys on the left side of the map along the wall. This way he'll probably shift people on the left side and/or slow down his advance on the Abbaye, which I definitely leave to him. I've got only one platoon on this side and if he's already there when I try to contest it, I'm gonna get mowed down.
just to make sure he doesn't try to encircle me, I send two guys to hide in the woods at the corner.

 

[Matt_Mulder]

sorry guys but it seems imageshack is having problems...if the screenies don't appear, they'll do a while later. From now on I will use a different image-hosting website.
cheers

 

[Nathangun]

I like the 'screenie patch work' good stuff.

 

[Matt_Mulder]

turn 5:
here is the overview at the end of turn 5 :


As you can see, my enemy Jag65 has advanced as fast as myself towards the objective in the center ( Mairie ). Since I see a few halftrack icons, this explains that. On the other hand, he probably wasn't expecting me to show up from the bunch of houses along the wall, that I breached with my STUH ( he has seen that ) and with my demo team ( maybe he hasn't seen it ). As I had ordered my scout team and my sniper team to get in the first building of the street ( the orange arrow ), this is what happened when they got there :



center:
my recon team pours fire into a single file of Americans going for the Mairie. There are at least one platoon and a half moving in for it. The deadly mp40s kill quite a few of them, and they retreat in panic. Hopefully I created a vacuum big enough for my men to run and contest the mairie in the next couple of turns, because the enemy has probably located a tank and/or halftracks to prevent my guys from doing the same. I'll have to engage my Panther...thinking about it.

talking about Panther, very far on the left


He blasted a hole in the wall, as expected. What was least expected were the few light tank spotting icons close to the abbaye. As you may have seen, there's a little space between wall and hedge so each of us can try to flank the enemy. I'm assuming he's going to try that with Stuarts or Recon vehicles. I decide then to leave my Panther there for the moment, maybe he'll take a shot when the occasion arises.

On the center-left:


nothing happened in the center left, the enemy is still pinned from my STUH shell, and my platoon has moved into position. Since there are no windows offering line of sight on the possible incoming forces ( my fault, I designed the map) , it's calm, time to rest a little since everyone's kind of winded here. Remember it's an uphill map?

Right flank:


Well, nothing much happened there either. Of course my forward guys keep shooting at the Americans, with an occasional return fire from them, but looks like he wasn't expecting my presence here, since a couple of his guys get it while running for cover. A mortar team is holed up in the church. That's good. My panther redeploys closer to my recon platoon, as I don't want him to get a lucky bazooka shot from the hedgerow occupied by my foe.

Next turn : the whole of A company is expected inside the village, on the left I'll get inside the Abbaye compound ( the bunch of houses next to it), while on the center my platoons will be occupying the houses to regroup and breathe a little, I'll be waiting for him to reveal his tanks then I'll plan accordingly. On the right flank, I'm regrouping an infantry platoon and I'm seriously thinking of trying to rush them across the field to flank him after blasting a hole in the hedgerow. Maybe that'll work?

We'll see!

 

[Matt_Mulder]

Well, the enemy is starting to bite. Luckily, he's cautious. He doesn't know I'm not really good at this game.
Let's see the overview at the end of the turn :

Turn 6:



Now for the details :
right:


A small firefight erupts, I kill some of his men, I take some return fire with no casualties. One of his squads flees becuse of the high volume of MG42 fire thrown at him. A good thing to keep them heads down on this side. My guys in the Hotel objective fire on the enemies present in the tall buildings on the left flank, a good thing too
For next turn, I will send a whole platoon on the far right, and I will try a flanking manoeuver. I have to bring the demo team though, cause no holes are present there. I should correct that in my Map 1.1...later. If by chance my platoon goes undetected and that I manage to have him fight on two sides, he's in trouble.

left:


absolutely nothing happens there. My men catch their breath, and four men go in the compound in the biggest house, no opposition. They'll stay there for a couple of minutes the time for me to figure out how many people he has on the left flank, and to compensate for my Panther now going full throttle into the village! Let's understand why :

center:
the good news with the center is that my scout team and my sniper team have massacred 15 guys in two minutes. 4 mp40 and 1 scoped G43 did a pretty good job against the riflemen.


On the other hand, I hear a loud boom next to the Mairie wall, he has entered the objective. It's going to be his tomb! Well, I hope so.

My 2nd platoon has occupied the houses after the breached wall, and I knew at least some of them would catch a glimpse of any armored vehicle trying to hide. They were not disappointed when they spotted a M-10 aligned with a house, 75m away ! After a couple of machinegun bursts, the M-10 spots my middle squad and...well...shoots at it :

bim! two dead, two wounded.

For next turn, I order two of the three squads from 2nd platoon in the center to get out of the houses and stay between them and the wall. The third squad has taken a casualty from return fire in the last second of the turn and will stay in the house unseen by the M-10 to keep firing on the enemy infantry still infiltrating the village.
I shouldn't have tried a full platoon movement before making sure who was facing me...gosh, it could have been a 105mm...By the way, this thing is not far as well. These two threats and the inability of my Stuh to deal efficiently with them make me rush my Panther in the village. Oh, and did I tell you I had ordered my Stuh to lay down smoke right in front of the M-10 without knowing it was there? It could have saved my guys' lives, but noooo, mister lazy stuh just didn't care about that order and stood still for the whole turn. Maybe a smoke order a little closer is going to make it do it...otherwise it's straight for the Eastern Front after the fight!

 

[Matt_Mulder]

Ok, in this turn my enemy's trying to silence my infantry using his big guns. Let's see how it worked...

left:


Looks like I was right when I chose to send guys to the left ! Probably some halftracks who dropped a few GIs in the Abbaye objective to consolidate his position. He probably knows I'm in the small compound waiting for him, but since my guys were there 30 seconds before the end of the turn they may have moved unnoticed. Now they're waiting for his scouts to show up, mp40 in hand

right:


The same small-intensity firefight continues, while my guys from the fresh platoon are moving in towards the far-right. In the next couple of turns they'll use 3rd platoon's demo team to blast their way into the fields and maybe, maybe, to my enemy's flank and rear. My guys in the center need to hold for that long.
How about them?

center:
my Stuh spots immediately the sneaky 105mm trying to shift position in the enemy's front. He takes a shot...


well, even a flank shot with an explosive shell wouldn't have done much damage, so hopefully there was someone in that house that got hit.
Then the Stuh finally sent smoke to distract the M-10's gunsights.
On the other side of the center, the firefight becomes tense and heavy, but my guys are miraculously cool in the face of death!



a halftrack rushes in the middle of the street, fires a couple of bursts into my retreating 2nd platoon and backs off, probably scared, but not hit ( only when I have a halftrack does the gunner get hit, sigh...). The 105mm appears right behind the halftrack, and I hear a collective gasp from the 15+ of my men with eyes on it, wondering where the killing lottery will put its shells.



BAM ! a 105mm shell hits the house where my scout and sniper team killed a lot of GIs from. And NOT A SCRATCH ! well, yes, the sniper team is wounded and one recon guy gets some shrapnel, but I'm amazed at my luck on this one, my guys could have been obliterated. At least they are pinned for next turn, but I don't care, it's better that the 105mm gets busy with my few guys there than my 3rd squad 2nd platoon watching it with fear. Rescue is on the way, but not now.

Overview at the end of turn :


Next turn, my Panthers stay still on both sides of the map, ready to go into rescue mode. My Stuh is on the lookout for targets of opportunity, my infantrymen in the center stay behind the houses for now given the armored presence, but a squad will be trying to go alongside the wall and maybe hit the mairie with flanking fire, if not annihilated by tanks first ! a detached AT team with two 30k rockets will try to get a good view of the M-10 and maybe try to hit it, but I'm not sure if the smoke my Stuh shot is thick enough for them not to be seen.
On the left flank, nobody moves, we wait for them to try and flank us...surpriz moda*+@^$ !
On the right flank, a platoon is resting for the next minute, then they'll get in the hole I ordered a demo team to make.

Turn 8, roll on!

 

[Matt_Mulder]

A sad turn for the glorious Wehrmacht, lots of letters to send home.

here's an overview at the end of the turn :



left:


finally something happens! yes, check the picture, you will see the beginning of an explosion in the house most exposed to the Abbaye. No direct danger to my guys, but the way I see it he's gonna try to demolish the house with his lousy cannons before he tries to flank me...wise decision. I never use suppressive fire for fear of being out of ammo at a critical point...a remnant of my Close Combat days probably when I was a teenager. Next turn, my guys are going to stand firm and wait for it, not afraid of a single shell...
Last second update: a spotting icon at the top of the tower! He's trying to have an overview...don't like my screenies mate? You wanna take a peak? I'll make it worth your while soon.

right:


No surprises there. My guys take some shots, but my enemy has found cover and doesn't seem to budge. Still, his forwardmost squad is not even 25m away from my first scout team. Meanwhile, 2nd platoon is moving and getting closer to the far right of the map, where my demo team has just arrived. Next turn, a blast, and right after that, an assault.

center:


Cursing against their stupid commander who refused to let them fall back, the scout team and the sniper team unleash hell on the Americans, who start returning fire with accuracy and frequency. The 105 Sherman placidly turns its turret, aims, and sends my sniper team ad patres. Valliant warriors...We'll mourn them later.

The right hand squad fires into the Mairie, dropping a couple of GIs in the process, shouting hysterically at the invaders. Between two bursts of machinegun fire, the squad leader sees the turret of the assault gun moving his way...and before he can order everyone down, a deadly shell explode in the house, killing 3 more guys.


The firefight claims the lives of two more guys before the turn ends, and this turn I lost 7 guys plus the pinned and the wounded. It's starting to become ugly...

Next turn !
On the left, my Panther will go full speed to meet the 105, to stop the carnage, I may lose him to the M-10 if the smoke clears, but I got to take this risk to save my right-center people. In the center, everyone's going to duck or defend themselvers as best they can. On the right side, I'll speed up the encirclement, if there are people to encircle of course. This veteran is so cunning he may have sent everyone inside the village!
on a side note, my Puma advances, hunting...

 

[Matt_Mulder]

Now after sleeping it over I think I shouldn't have ordered my Panther to rush in front of his M10. I don't trust the smoke screen to last long enough...this is a very bad feeling I'm having right now. If my panther goes down I ll get massacred downtown. if he makes it and faces the 105 like a good boy I still have a chance to cause pain around the Mairie. This is getting ugly

 

[Matt_Mulder]

and ugly it is...

Let's see first the left :



Nothing happened this turn here...He knows I'm here, I know he's there, and I'm pretty sure he lacks the demo charges to assault the little compound.

Let's see the right flank :


My platoon is closing in on the hedgerow, and my demo team blasts a big hole in it with two charges, so my Panther can slip through it in case I find too many targets on his rear. Next turn two scouts are going to run for the woods along the hedges and hunt for enemies while the rest of the platoon regroups and gets ready to attack.

Now, let's see what happened to my wonderful Panther !



PANTHER OBITUARY : well, I'm a complete idiot ! I thought that maybe the 105 had an explosive shell already loaded or being reloaded, and that my Panther could have spotted it at least...well, noooooo. The months of training my crew had in Germany don't teach that a big chunk of shell-lobbing metal in the middle of the street is a goddamn statue and not an enemy tank ! So, the Panther just stood there and said "hallo!" prior to taking a shell right in the face, killing a gunner and destroying the tank. I was glad the smoke had covered its approach, but in the end a 105 shell got it. If I ever get this 105 crew alive, I'll make sure they don't reach the POW camp. That's how bitter I am right now. However I know you're going to say " hey Matt, you send a Panther right in the enemy's gunsights". But I was guessing he had explosive shells loaded/being reloaded at the moment the tank showed up, that wasn't too risky a bet in my opinion. Especially given the little damage my own 105 shells did on his 105 Sherman...sigh...Right before killing my tank, the 105 had already knocked out my mp40-crazy scouts with a shell that killed two of them.

At the last second, what I think is a spotting round falls next to the wall, on the right-side of my center forces. These damn spotters at work.

Looks like my center is done unless a miracle happens.

Here's the overview at the endturn :


Next turn:
_On the left, I send half a squad running towards the church. That'll triger some response eventually.
_On the right, my scouts will be running to their death or scouting for enemy targets.
_In the center, I cautiously move an AT team ( you know, the guys with two 30 Panzerfausts ) outside the house, where they'll be waiting for the smoke to clear and maybe engage the M-10. The infantrymen hidden behind the houses will stay there, except for a squad that I'm rushing to the house near the panzerfaust guys ( there's a Panzershreck team as well, but not inside the house, right in front of it ) Maybe there will be infantry targets to shoot at and I'm not ready to lose the center without a good fight.
My STUH gets the order to shoot at the building he hit a few minutes ago, then reverse and get into position for firing at the top of the tower. I'm sure he has a good overview of what I'm doing and I want to make sure he pays for it. Or is it just anger...mmm...
My Puma will wait for any infantry target to present itself, and is closing on the main entrance of the village. I'm not even trying to bet on anything with armored vehicles now.
My veteran Panther will stay hidden behind the Hotel and provide support either to the flanking manoeuver, or he will dart in the village hoping to take as many americans as possible with him. None of these scenarios please me much, but since I feel he has no one to take the hotel, I think I'll have to redeploy it sooner or later.

Well...next turn...

 

[Matt_Mulder]

@nathangun enjoying the patchworks so far? And you guys, what could I do to make this DAR better? Open to suggestions, for as long as they're not too time-consuming

 

[Matt_Mulder]

So...here's the latest turn, due to my opponent's near-instantaneous return file rate.

On the left flank, nothing happened. Again. Oh, yes, my Stuh drives backwards and hits the clocktower twice. If there's a guy in there, he's dead.


On the right flank, the hole is blasted and my men start entering the field.

So what happens in the center?

A squad rushes in the house next to my dead scouts and snipers, while my two guys with panzerfausts exit it and crawl a mere 2 meters to get a good view of the M-10. The squad arrives just in time to save my two AT guys from close-range enemy fire. What looks like half a squad is pushing in the last of the three houses which compose the mairie.



The guys are saved and mine drop a few Americans. Slowly but surely, his numbers are decreasing. Soon he'll be like the Syrian army, little soldiers but plenty of armor...mmm...

On the other side of the Mairie, another half squad belonging to Uncle Sam is rushing towards me, I don't know why maybe he thought I was in a worse shape than I actually am. Or he wanted my Panther crew dead for some reason. My return fire takes a toll on them while from far away, an enemy squad provides a suppressive fire that doesn't suppress much since my guys are either hiding or out of sight.



Here's an overview of the turn :




As usual, blue represent his moves, orange mine. The circle represents what I suspect to be his reserve. I pray for him to send them

What will happen next turn ?

_My Stuh will redeploy where it was at the beginning, then lob a couple of shells in the last Mairie building, where I'm sure Jag65's GIs are going to like it very much.
_On the left, an idle-for-too-long platoon is going to rush towards the row of houses facing the Mairie so they can maybe get good shots at the enemy. Maybe create chaos, or get massacred. Whatever, I'm trying that.
_My two AT guys will cross the street Usain Bolt style, and hide between two houses. If they get fired upon from the Abbaye compound, I'll get intel on where his troops are located.
_The troops who "infiltrated" alongside the wall are going to "hunt" for enemy infantry while cautiously moving on the Mairie flank. Two half-squads are ordered to throw smoke once in position so I can...
_...move my panzershreck where my Panther got killed, and maybe it will be able to have a shot or two at the enemy tank. If that tank stays, the center objective is lost.
_On the right side, I'm rushing my platoon in the field and I'll be making a 90 degree turn pretty soon. Hope I'll stumble onto something, otherwise it's going to be a big disappointment.
_Last but not least, my Puma will make a 10-second slow movement in the entrance, guns at the ready, then retreat to safety. He'll surely get some valuable intel as to where his guys are. Because I know for a fact that he knows more about me than I know about him.

 

[Matt_Mulder]

The smell of burnt flesh, death and cordite are overwhelming in the center.

Let's see the overview !



I'm such a fool for believing my guys could run around without attracting fire. What happens on the very first second? this :



This boom means he owns the Mairie now, and that except for distant fire, I won't be able to make him budge from there. That is, unless something miraculous happens. You veterans must be smiling at my foolishness.

I don't want to type for an hour, so here's what happened to my guys :



a random moment of suffering :




Yep, the only "offensive action" my guys took this turn was my Stuh firing into the Mairie and my upper-floor guys in the Hotel on the right firing at his guys in the upper floors of the Mairie. Some mp40 bursts dropped a couple of GIs there and there, but not enough.

the AT guys were supposed to find cover between two houses and wait for his M-10 to make a mistake. Well, they got shot up pretty bad :


On the left flank, we're still deadlocked in the compound. As two half squads dashed across the street and entered the houses flanking the Mairie, his guys in the Abbaye opened up on them from behind. It's going to get hot in the next minute. However, his firing from the Abbaye attracted fire from my soldiers watching the passage to the Abbaye. Return fire drops one of them.

On the right flank, my platoon is infiltrating his rear that is probably devoid of targets. I'll have them cross the road with satchel charges and cause a little trouble, but only after I rest them for a while, they're tiring. sigh...
My guys are starting to fire heavily into the Mairie top floors. Satisfactory? well, yes, enough.



Well, 17 killed in a single turn pretty much nullifies my offensive capabilities in the center. His 105 and M-10 have fired at any position I occupied or am still occupying, taking a heavy toll on my guys. What is going to happen next turn :



The Stuh will rush for the corner and hit the church, my Panther will zigzag between some houses to get a chance to hit his "firebase" positions, my platoon will keep on infiltrating his rear. On top of that, my Puma will hunt for infantry at the entrance of the village and try to kill a few, waiting for a bigger feline to catch up and maybe try a decisive kamikaze action aimed at the 105 ( yes, you have guessed correctly )

If I lose my tanks, I'm done. Better make sure they can cause harm and trouble !

 

[Matt_Mulder]

Hello again, welcome to hell.

Here's an overview :



Another dozen soldiers hit the ground forever in this turn.
The flanking guys who wanted to take shots at the Mairie get into some serious crossfire between the Abbaye and the Mairie, then flee the scene.

The guys on the left, who I thought could be valuable in case Jag ventured their way, got spotted by the top-floor Abbaye guys and a firefight ensued. Now I know he has at least one Stuart in the woods next to the Abbaye, as a 37mm shell lands in the biggest house, killing two and sending the others running scared. Meanwhile, my Stuh shoots a few shells into the first church building to interdict any infantry sortie.





On the right side, well, I still advance with 1st platoon 1st Kompanie. Nothing in sight. My Hotel guys from the 3rd platoon are running out of targets and 2nd platoon is spread in the surroundings. The Puma gets four mortar hits in a 5 meter radius, luckily he didn't get any on top.


My Panther advances as fast as possible towards the entrance of the village to support my Puma and sort of lock the exit for any wheeled vehicle he might send this way.




in the center, now it's about who can I save and have retreating in good order. His 105 relentlessly lobs shells wherever my guys might be, but they're actually sheltering behind the houses. For how long I don't know, but I have to find a miracle solution and quick.

"Yeah, dude, keep shelling these houses, 'murica yeah"

Here is the Status of my forces at turn 11 :

B Kompanie ( von Bek )
_HQ : commander has been killed by the enemy supporting smal arms fire. The three other guys hold on.
_1st platoon : _1st squad : 9 OK
_2nd squad : 4 OK / 5 KIA
_3rd squad : 4 OK / 5 KIA

_2nd platoon: _1st squad : 1 panicking / 8 KIA
_2nd squad : 4 OK / 5 KIA
_3rd squad : 4 OK / 5 KIA
_Panzershreck; 2 OK

3rd platoon _HQ : all OK
_LMG42 : 1 OK / 1 KIA
_Sniper : 2 KIA
_Scouts : 3 KIA
_squad : 2 OK / 7 KIA
_breach : all OK

A Kompanie ( Bauer )
------ One soldier in 2nd squad / 2nd platoon is KIA ---- THE REST IS FINE !

So my center and my left are slowly crumbling, except for 1st/1st which is intact and may put up a good fight when the Amis come. I don't really believe in it now, but I gotta fight.
Half of my infantry is still operational, but with only one panther, one puma and the disadvantage of lower ground, I expect a fierce assault from Jag who will leave nothing to chance I'm sure. Maybe he spotted my infantry on the right flank and ihe's waiting for them with MGs, cause I haven't seen any since the beginning of the game.

The center of gravity of the battle is shifting on our right, and it will depend on who pushes first and how well. Excited to see in how many turns he can finish my pixeltruppen. All is lost, but today we die for Deutschland !

 

[Matt_Mulder]

so due to a quid-pro-quo the latest turns have been sitting for too long in a dropbox folder. Now let the coup de grâce begin ! two turns have passed this time since not much happened on the first one.

here's the overview :


The shelling pretty much stops, his infantry consolidates his grip on the Mairie and takes potshots at my guys on the right flank, to which they replicate furiously.
On the left flank, heavy volume of bullets pins and panics most of my guys, except for 5 strong ones who stay holed up in a house, waiting for the opportunity to take revenge. My left flank is definitely gone. Why?


that's why

The M-10 just drove 5meters between two houses and shot twice at my Stuh, who had an arc on the church...that's disappointing. The crew evacuates as the second shell perforates the armor and lands at the doorstep of the house nearby. Infantry panics as well and tries to flee the burning tank and the smoke, some of them taking bullets in the back.

My center, once made of valiant soldiers, is now a ragtag bunch of dirty bloodied guys. I order them to make their way through the hole I made 10mins ago and to retreat towards the forrest, where they will try to regroup and fight back as best they can. We'll see what happens to them. There's 15 guys with a rattled condition and most of them are wounded. On the plus side, I have two panzershrecks, one with 2 shots, the other with 6. Maybe they'll be able to hit the Americans back?



On the right flank, well no one moves except for the enemy mortar teams who try to shell my Puma and fails, since I miraculously order him to move back and forth, still keeping an eye on trhe entrance of the village. My Panther is parked nearby, overlooking the entrance as well, ready to fire. This one I'll try to keep for as long as possible.

The poles are shifting. I have to put up a good fight to save face, otherwise I'll be the perfect example of what not to do in a battle, especially if you do a DAR about it