DAR - Montesquieu ( not for you Jag65! )

[Matt_Mulder]

my intact platoon on the right flank is moving towards his rear. Not a soul, it seems like a wasted opportunity. Still, I order my guys to go a little faster and hug the hedges for next turn. The demo team will blow some holes and we'll see what happens. Surely he has moved his entire forces in the village and will be laughing at me while he lights my guys up from the Abbaye and other tall buildings, but I can try to save face. After all it's a game, isn't it ?

So, here's the overview of the following turn :



My guys in the center are resting for one minute before rushing for the forest where I intend to hide them and maybe ambush the enemy when he moves in for the kill. The left side is doomed, as heavy gunfire rains down on my guys, causing a fews of them to snap and to run around.

Remember my right flank and how intact it was until now? Well, here's why ( check my " Soon-to-be-dead soldaten " circle to see where it happens.
Half a squad shoots at anything that moves in the upper floors of the Mairie. My enemy takes full advantage of the slightly uphill terrain and moves his tank in full view of my guys. What happens next is predictable :



My fourth guy is undaunted and keeps shooting his Kar98, probably in the long-time-gone "fanatic" stance of the Close Combat series.

Menawhile a whole platoon of my boys enters his deployment zone, un-challenged:



What about my Puma by the way? Well, the mortar shells stopped falling around the vehicle and the crew took some Thompson bursts on the hull prior to being ordered to stick to the wall and target anyone in sight. Guess who the Puma spots ? Yes, the very same mortar team. No wonder the shots were accurate.



Screaming obscenities, the machine-gunner mows down the whole mortar team, laughing hysterically. Well, I suppose so. The lone survivor surrenders.


Ok, another turn!
Here's the overview :



on the left, what is left of my left flank. A few guys crapping their pants holed up in houses. Half a squad has limited visibility on the carnage, so doesn't break down crying. Still, if it moves, the men are going to get butchered. Best chance is to wait for an opportunity to kill a few of his guys.

The center has half-retreated in the woods. The rest will follow next turn, since it looks quiet along the road. My Puma kills a few more of his soldiers and decides to go for a stroll along the hedgerow, maybe lurking for more routed soldiers to lay revenge upon.

The right flank sees a continuous firefight develop. His tank disappears from view, which is not good, but all the guys wo can see someone in the village fire on it, and no casualties are caused on either side.

The guys on the far right flank have closed in on the hedges, and my demo team will blow holes in the next two minutes, maybe I'll be able to surprise him. Who knows? I doubt it but I'll try.

Meanwhile, I order my Panther to back up a little so he can have a better overview. If the enemy breaches the wall, the high-velocity 75mm gun will be the last thing he sees. Hopefully!!!

 

[Matt_Mulder]

A couple of turns have passed, and nothing really interesting happened.
Well, the first turn saw the opposite upper floors exchanging fire, no casualties.
The second saw the firefight become a little more violent. I had ordered my Panther to light up the top floor othe clocktower, and after 15 seconds of aiming, no shot fired. Probably some house angle...damnit

Now, my guys are retreating from the center towards the back of the right flank in the woods, and only will remain my sole active mg gunner and a panzershreck guy with two rockets. They shouted that they didn't care anymore about their lives and that they'd die as heroes. My opponent will be happy to oblige.

 

[Matt_Mulder]

I'm back !

Here's the only noticeable thing that happened in the last minute :


My Puma got face to face with a Stuart, which sent two shells crashing on the front of the armored vehicle, blasting its left wheels. Any other crew would have bailed out after this, especially after having a damaged hull and a wounded crew member.
Not these guys. These guys were shaken for 30secs, then stayed in their Puma. They're crazy.

In the previously-right-flank-now-center, my Panther shoots at the enemy in the clocktower. I hope it did some damage.
in the hotel, most of my infantrymen are harassing the enemy with small arms and machinegun fire.

And what do I hear in the skies? A ROARING ENGINE ! The enemy has launched his ultimate asset, a plane ! God I need to send my Panther rolling anywhere, it's the only thing to do to avoid being blasted into oblivion by a P-47 payload.

Here's the overview :


here is the overview of my forces but from the "refreshed" and more actual angle :



NEXT TURN : nothing. I hope my enemy gets sloppy and makes a mistake. I'll wait a couple more turns and I'll ask for a ceasefire, I lost enough men.