Yo,
@Rico.
I want you to know how much I really enjoyed playing the Island War - Battle One South. I know that it is counter-intuitive for the loser to have that much fun, so let me explain. It's the first game I've played where I had to deliberately consider how to withdraw in the face of an overwhelming enemy.
“Of all operations of war, a withdrawal under heavy enemy pressure is probably the most difficult and perilous. Indeed it is recorded of the great Moltke, that when he was being praised for his generalship in the Franco-Prussian War, and was told by an admirer that his reputation would rank with such great captains as Napoleon, Frederick, or Turenne, he answered, “No, for I have never conducted a retreat.†– Friedrich Wilhelm von Mellenthin
CM games are not designed for falling back. There are few chances to practice it in this game except as part of a larger campaign. So, I really enjoyed the challenge of figuring out what forces might best stifle an infantry attack under their twin umbrellas of formidable naval gunfire and uncontested air support. Nothing went as planned but I enjoyed the pre-game intellectual exercise and in-game trying to figure out timings. As you see, I loaded up on 81mm mortars and 75mm gun platforms in the hopes of making
@Nathangun pay dearly for taking this terrain. I also purchased several halftracks per your desire to see a true mech infantry force fielded. However, I was hoping to do something much more useful with the ones mounting 37mm guns. The breaking point for me came after
@Nathangun's naval gunnery took out most of my fire support network radio operators. When I lost the ability to call in fire missions and bring indirect fires quickly down on all my TRP's, I knew it was time to go. Niall did a brilliant job of targeting his off-shore artillery.
That being said, because this campaign awards a Ribbon to it's participants, I want to sit out the next few rounds or so that other FGM members can join in with you and
@Nathangun as much as possible on either side of the campaign. I look forward that those whom join the Reich might revenge my failure! Until then, I continue to observe with pleasure. Thank you for organizing this.
Freiherr Günter Heinrich Wilhelm Jürgen der Seibte von Dachs
- Schloß Dachsenhimmel, Das Rico Reich
(Call me, "Badger")