How do you know it's a Typhoon and not a Spitfire? I think both carry 20mm?
Three Towns (Stafford vs Drifter Man DAR)
- Thread starter Drifter Man
- Start date
And... apart from these annoying air attacks, how do you find your overall plan is coming along? Are you achieving the objectives that you wanted to achieve at this point?
Yeah from the pricing difference I'd say that the theory that the purchase price is based on the unit's combat value is not right. The price includes rarity as well. The German commander is not supposed to have aircraft in a QB, period.
Hard to explain... I have difficulty telling them apart, too. But an attack with 4x 20mm looks differently from one with 2x 20mm. Also, their engines make different sounds. And in the second pass, Spitfire uses up its remaining 20mm ammo very quickly and you can see that. After that it can come back many times with MG only, though.
Trust me, it's a Typhoon
We're only 11 minutes in - and I didn't expect to be already fighting Stafford this early. But overall yes, I am where I wanted to be. Flanks covered (I hope) and pushing forward at the center. I'll post situation updates, I am considering 20-minute intervals for these.
By the way... I had thought about the air attacks as "annoying" until that latest turn. I have more infantry than I need and also a few excess halftracks (including mortar halftracks), so losing a platoon's worth of infantry and some halftracks was not a big issue. But the assault guns are everything - if I lose too many too early, I'll lose the game. Basically all of the activity I ordered for the next turn is about minimizing the chances I'll lose another one.
B
Blady
Guest
That's why I think the aircrafts are well worth their points (at least in this game) for him. Quite historically so, it's not so much the actual damage they cause as in the "fear and confusion" they cause. You are forced to deal with a threat he has not, it costs him exactly no effort apart from the initial points spent. You are forced to hide your armor, hide your halftracks and spend (even if just mental) time having to deal with a threat. It influences your psyche in the end too.
Meanwhile, nicely fitting with his strategy, he advances his armor, and pushes up his infantry to capture his (perceived) strongholds and take up defensive positions there, building a nice basis for a final push into "your" victory location. I'm quite confident once you overcome the ridge "battles" you have plenty up your sleeve to displace him, but it does come down to how much support you have to spend to conquer those ridges. Until then, he's just doing his own thing behind them, like ferrying truckloads of troops back and forth in plain sight.
Trust me, it's a Typhoon
Trust me, I trust you
You have a very fine eye for details in this game.
B
Blady
Guest
In God I trust. Everyone else must bring data.
-Deming
-Deming
...which doesn't guarantee victory, but it does guarantee spending a long time replaying turns.Trust me, I trust you
You have a very fine eye for details in this game.
It's hard to say - I am not "psychologically" affected by the aircraft alone, but I do spend a lot of effort trying to minimize damage - and whether the effort has any effect is unclear. What's bugging me is that it literally cost him no mental effort to plot a few areas for the planes that were guaranteed to be filled with juicy targets... while I was certain this was prohibited by our rules.That's why I think the aircrafts are well worth their points (at least in this game) for him. Quite historically so, it's not so much the actual damage they cause as in the "fear and confusion" they cause. You are forced to deal with a threat he has not, it costs him exactly no effort apart from the initial points spent. You are forced to hide your armor, hide your halftracks and spend (even if just mental) time having to deal with a threat. It influences your psyche in the end too.
Meanwhile, nicely fitting with his strategy, he advances his armor, and pushes up his infantry to capture his (perceived) strongholds and take up defensive positions there, building a nice basis for a final push into "your" victory location. I'm quite confident once you overcome the ridge "battles" you have plenty up your sleeve to displace him, but it does come down to how much support you have to spend to conquer those ridges. Until then, he's just doing his own thing behind them, like ferrying truckloads of troops back and forth in plain sight.
Anyway, it didn't ruin the game and in general I like that he brought planes, planes are fun. Let's see if the 15th minute brings more air activity.
It is my impression now that he had been much more careful in the opening turns than I was giving him credit for. He sent a few fast units across the map, which would provide early warning if I were to do the same thing. Once he got into contact he took some casualties, but now he knows where I am and where he is safe, and now his real move begins. Time to start interfering
1302 hrs, Turn 12. The Typhoon roulette gets one more spin: today's winner is an empty halftrack parked at the outskirts of Wynton. Infantry in the building next to which the halftrack stood is pinned but unharmed. The crew is gone though.
On my right flank, 1/6 receives some automatic cannon fire from Hill 36 - looks like my opponent brought some Crusader AA tanks. One man is lightly wounded. I need to watch out here
At the center, I lose another man to the Humber before it retreats under the cover of smoke when my assault guns roll in. In 3 minutes I should start dropping some heavy artillery into the woods in this area, to help with the advance... I haven't made much headway here yet and I expect a rifle platoon in the woods ahead - together with at least two Cromwells.
Now that the third aircraft is finished with its attack, and that I have enough troops in the center to prevent flanking surprises, I begin moving the 2nd Company and the assault guns on the left flank towards the northern end of North Ridge. They will need some time to deploy and Stafford may attack North Ridge in the meantime, but if I get there in time, I should be able to harass Stafford's traffic on the other side... or see whatever AT assets he has in store. From North Ridge you can see all the way to his setup zone in some places.
On my right flank, 1/6 receives some automatic cannon fire from Hill 36 - looks like my opponent brought some Crusader AA tanks. One man is lightly wounded. I need to watch out here
At the center, I lose another man to the Humber before it retreats under the cover of smoke when my assault guns roll in. In 3 minutes I should start dropping some heavy artillery into the woods in this area, to help with the advance... I haven't made much headway here yet and I expect a rifle platoon in the woods ahead - together with at least two Cromwells.
Now that the third aircraft is finished with its attack, and that I have enough troops in the center to prevent flanking surprises, I begin moving the 2nd Company and the assault guns on the left flank towards the northern end of North Ridge. They will need some time to deploy and Stafford may attack North Ridge in the meantime, but if I get there in time, I should be able to harass Stafford's traffic on the other side... or see whatever AT assets he has in store. From North Ridge you can see all the way to his setup zone in some places.
1304 hrs, Turns 13-14. Turn 13 was uneventful with no contacts and no exchange of fire. Turn 14 was not much different, but at the center, in the woods south of the road from Wynton to Louvoy, my and my opponent's scouts got in close contact - with only little fire exchanged and no casualties yet. Here is another image of the situation:
My opponent probably wants to avoid getting into the view of the assault guns and, based on the sound contacts I have, massed his armor in the woods where I cannot see yet. I think I have three major armor contacts - probably Cromwells - while the light armor contact should be the Humber LRC that retreated from here earlier. This Humber had slowed me down (and cost me two men) so that the smoke screen I laid with mortars has dissipated. Now I use the smoke screen of the Humber to move troops, but I need more, so I am ordering the StuH 42 to fire some 105mm smoke to add to the lot, while elements of 1/5 and 2/5 are to maneuver around the enemy position and enter the woods to the right-hand side (south) of the smoke screen. Meanwhile I am adjusting 150mm artillery to hit where the enemy tanks currently are - should be enough to force them to close hatches or to relocate. My opponent has a good position and I am concerned about a potential mortar position he could place in the area marked with the yellow circle. This position is nearly impossible to see from anywhere but I think I can bring 120mm mortars on it in a few minutes.
Elsewhere there is not much happening. I have put all my vehicles in cover - the next two minutes should show if Stafford has any more aircraft. All infantry is on foot. I am scouting along the northern edge of the map, across North Ridge, and I can see more troop movements far back north of Halberg - the Universal Carriers are coming back with troops. I think there may be a whole company on the move in the north.
My opponent probably wants to avoid getting into the view of the assault guns and, based on the sound contacts I have, massed his armor in the woods where I cannot see yet. I think I have three major armor contacts - probably Cromwells - while the light armor contact should be the Humber LRC that retreated from here earlier. This Humber had slowed me down (and cost me two men) so that the smoke screen I laid with mortars has dissipated. Now I use the smoke screen of the Humber to move troops, but I need more, so I am ordering the StuH 42 to fire some 105mm smoke to add to the lot, while elements of 1/5 and 2/5 are to maneuver around the enemy position and enter the woods to the right-hand side (south) of the smoke screen. Meanwhile I am adjusting 150mm artillery to hit where the enemy tanks currently are - should be enough to force them to close hatches or to relocate. My opponent has a good position and I am concerned about a potential mortar position he could place in the area marked with the yellow circle. This position is nearly impossible to see from anywhere but I think I can bring 120mm mortars on it in a few minutes.
Elsewhere there is not much happening. I have put all my vehicles in cover - the next two minutes should show if Stafford has any more aircraft. All infantry is on foot. I am scouting along the northern edge of the map, across North Ridge, and I can see more troop movements far back north of Halberg - the Universal Carriers are coming back with troops. I think there may be a whole company on the move in the north.
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1305 hrs, Turn 15. The first skirmish with Stafford's troops doesn't go well, as I feared. I had noticed in our previous fighting that his troops seem exceptionally hard to kill - I believe it is due to his ability to read the terrain at the micro level. My scout team fires a dozen rounds at his scouts at minimum range and adds a grenade for good measure, but to no effect. 100% of their shots get blocked by a single tree that stands in between. Then they get wiped out within 5 seconds by another Biritsh team than closes in from another direction. A similar setup is playing out on the other side of the path in the woods, where another British infantry team - just 3 rifles - sits invulnerable behind a barrier of three closely spaced trees. A sniper joins in and altogether 5th company loses 5 men without getting any kills in return.
Scouts on the North Ridge report more traffic heading in - three Universal Carriers and a jeep carrying about 2/3 of another infantry platoon. I see the Bedford bus parked by the roadside, yes it has a two-man crew. In addition, I see another PIAT in the carriers - this could explain why Stafford got the truck as Single Vehicle - it could give him an extra PIAT, effectively for a cost of 28 points... not bad. Far back in the Allied setup zone, I hear two medium mortars opening fire: they are probably targeting North Ridge and specifically the position where my scouts are, which is the highest point of it and probably the only place the mortars can see. They must be firing at extreme range so I'll risk keeping the scouts there for another turn.
Scouts on the North Ridge report more traffic heading in - three Universal Carriers and a jeep carrying about 2/3 of another infantry platoon. I see the Bedford bus parked by the roadside, yes it has a two-man crew. In addition, I see another PIAT in the carriers - this could explain why Stafford got the truck as Single Vehicle - it could give him an extra PIAT, effectively for a cost of 28 points... not bad. Far back in the Allied setup zone, I hear two medium mortars opening fire: they are probably targeting North Ridge and specifically the position where my scouts are, which is the highest point of it and probably the only place the mortars can see. They must be firing at extreme range so I'll risk keeping the scouts there for another turn.
1306 hrs, Turn 16. I have to admit - I feel outclassed. Stafford plays a much higher league in infantry combat. His men are unsupported - two rounds fired by a Cromwell into the fray were a threat to his own troops rather than to mine - while I am shelling the area with HE: 81mm mortars, 105mm assault howitzer, 150mm, and I am getting the 120mm mortars on target, too - low intensity but some seem to be landing nicely. Yet, one after another my infantry units start blinking and break - or just "vanish". An MG42 gunner empties a magazine into the woods at a British infantry team. A rifle cracks in return and the gunner is hit. A team changing cover gets wiped out in seconds. This happens all over the place. No British casualties are registered, although I can't tell for sure what the HE did.
I suppress the sniper from last turn by gaming the game - I locate him by listening to the shot, then order a StuG and a mortar, one kilometer away and out of C2, to area fire the place - but not before he gets out another shot out and another kill. Then another sniper is heard and another man is hit. I lost 6 men in this turn and 1st Platoon, 5th Company is reduced to 50% strength.
The two mortars far back did not fire at Northern Ridge - they fired spotting rounds, also for the center. They landed uncomfortably close to what I think is the intended target - a wood patch with some of my troops... They already caused light injuries to two men from 2/5 that is moving in to reinforce 1/5.
I'll try to piece 1/5 together and resume the attack with more support. This was a pretty one-sided fight. Also, something seems to be afoot on Hill 36 - my opponent is sending some infantry across the field.
No aircraft at least... looks like the air attacks are over.
I suppress the sniper from last turn by gaming the game - I locate him by listening to the shot, then order a StuG and a mortar, one kilometer away and out of C2, to area fire the place - but not before he gets out another shot out and another kill. Then another sniper is heard and another man is hit. I lost 6 men in this turn and 1st Platoon, 5th Company is reduced to 50% strength.
The two mortars far back did not fire at Northern Ridge - they fired spotting rounds, also for the center. They landed uncomfortably close to what I think is the intended target - a wood patch with some of my troops... They already caused light injuries to two men from 2/5 that is moving in to reinforce 1/5.
I'll try to piece 1/5 together and resume the attack with more support. This was a pretty one-sided fight. Also, something seems to be afoot on Hill 36 - my opponent is sending some infantry across the field.
No aircraft at least... looks like the air attacks are over.
It's a whole different game without the TRPs isn't it?
Seriously though, I think these little cases of Stafford winning the firefights must be down to luck of the dice. If both his and your teams are in forest cover, and you manage to fire off a whole MG magazine at close range, then it's just bad luck that it had no effect.
Seriously though, I think these little cases of Stafford winning the firefights must be down to luck of the dice. If both his and your teams are in forest cover, and you manage to fire off a whole MG magazine at close range, then it's just bad luck that it had no effect.
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You are probably right. I am attacking, so I end up being more exposed than he is. Only 4 of my 11 casualties were taken in close fighting, the rest was on the move or snipers. That I could not inflict visible casualties can well be down to luck. The key problem is that I ended up one stretch of open field short of the woods, which was caused by the Humber LRC that was parked there and slowed me down, and the suicide Humber that popped smoke right in the line of sight of the StuG so my opponent could bring a Cromwell to cover the Humber for long enough for another crew to take it... etc. Plain and simple, I was too slow.It's a whole different game without the TRPs isn't it?
Seriously though, I think these little cases of Stafford winning the firefights must be down to luck of the dice. If both his and your teams are in forest cover, and you manage to fire off a whole MG magazine at close range, then it's just bad luck that it had no effect.
I still have the fresh memory of our last battle where it took me a full hour to produce a visible "red cross" casualty on Stafford's side.
1307 hrs, Turn 17. The attack in the woods southwest of Louvoy is called off. During the retreat I take two more casualties - one is due to a fragment of a 105mm HE fired from a StuH 42, which exploded around 100 m away. I want to see if I can put the two assault howitzers to good use - I wanted to bring some interesting vehicles so here they are. I am still a bit under the influence of my CMx1 habits, where big gun vehicles and big on-map guns in general (the 150mm IG was a standard thing to see on the German side in QB) were very effective. Woods did not block fire and there were no "reverse slopes" - if you could see somewhere you could fire. This meant that on-map mortars were nothing special and AFVs and big guns could rule.
After replaying the last few turns I concluded I really messed up this attack. My opponent defended with just two squads and no support except one sniper (probably just one, not two). My artillery fell mostly short or long. The long ones may have hit HQ units or reserves in the back, if there were any, but did not seem to affect the two squads fighting up front. Once my scout teams were eliminated, I should have stopped and bring in support fire on the discovered enemy positions. But my follow-up units... followed up too closely after the scouts and got hit almost instantly with them. Let's do better next time.
In the north I have moved two StuGs towards North Ridge, but for now I am staying behind out of sight. Scouts have been observing "Stafford's car park" about 850 m east of the ridge - a few Universals just came in with infantry while empty truck and a halftrack are getting ready to depart. The halftrack also has a two-man crew, so probably a Single Vehicle, too. But the scouts have been spotted - probably from the nearby hills just north of Louvoy - and were attacked unexpectedly by a Humber LRC. It is the same Humber that blocked me for a few turns in the woods southwest of Louvoy - riddled with MG fire and with a new crew, but still a fully functional armored car. It stopped 40 m away from the scouts and opened fire. It is a small miracle that the scouts were not immediately hit, and that just a second before the end of the turn the Humber gunner started reloading. This should give them a few seconds to escape.
I have a StuG nearby and I could go over the ridge to take it out, but I don't want to do it. Reasons:
In the south a halftrack arrives in the woods at Hill 33, defended by 1/6. It is carrying the equivalent of an infantry squad (HQ+6 men, possibly carrier scouts) and a light mortar detachment. I assume he is going to attack the positions of 1/6, so I order mortar fire in the woods to cover them.
After replaying the last few turns I concluded I really messed up this attack. My opponent defended with just two squads and no support except one sniper (probably just one, not two). My artillery fell mostly short or long. The long ones may have hit HQ units or reserves in the back, if there were any, but did not seem to affect the two squads fighting up front. Once my scout teams were eliminated, I should have stopped and bring in support fire on the discovered enemy positions. But my follow-up units... followed up too closely after the scouts and got hit almost instantly with them. Let's do better next time.
In the north I have moved two StuGs towards North Ridge, but for now I am staying behind out of sight. Scouts have been observing "Stafford's car park" about 850 m east of the ridge - a few Universals just came in with infantry while empty truck and a halftrack are getting ready to depart. The halftrack also has a two-man crew, so probably a Single Vehicle, too. But the scouts have been spotted - probably from the nearby hills just north of Louvoy - and were attacked unexpectedly by a Humber LRC. It is the same Humber that blocked me for a few turns in the woods southwest of Louvoy - riddled with MG fire and with a new crew, but still a fully functional armored car. It stopped 40 m away from the scouts and opened fire. It is a small miracle that the scouts were not immediately hit, and that just a second before the end of the turn the Humber gunner started reloading. This should give them a few seconds to escape.
I have a StuG nearby and I could go over the ridge to take it out, but I don't want to do it. Reasons:
- The slope is so steep that I would have to put the StuG right on top of the ridge to see the Humber. This would expose it fully to everything all the way to Stafford's setup zone.
- The crew of the Humber could be a PIAT team - there is no way to tell - and this could all be an elaborate trap set up by Stafford, who is going to kill the scouts and then immediately unload the crew to attack any armor nearby
In the south a halftrack arrives in the woods at Hill 33, defended by 1/6. It is carrying the equivalent of an infantry squad (HQ+6 men, possibly carrier scouts) and a light mortar detachment. I assume he is going to attack the positions of 1/6, so I order mortar fire in the woods to cover them.
In the last pic, are you using direct or indirect mortar fire, and which mortar is firing?
I suppose you're aiming at the point where it says "Hill 33"?
I suppose you're aiming at the point where it says "Hill 33"?
Direct fire. I do not see the top of the hill where they unloaded, but I found a place for the mortar from which it can see through a gap in the woods and fire ~60 meters in front of 1/6 Platoon. Far enough, hopefully, to avoid hitting my own people.
1308 hrs, Turn 18. This turn is again quiet. The squad in the woods at Hill 33 did not attack, and the mortar is still taking range. It is possible that Stafford just wants to defend here.
I mentioned some infantry heading out of Hill 36 towards my lines a few turns ago. As Stafford told me, these troops - 5 in total - glitched out while embarking on a vehicle and he lost control of them. They are running towards the southwest corner of the map. I hope all gets fixed once I take them out and I can understand my opponent's frustration. One of these "rogue pixeltruppen" is an antitank guy with a PIAT.
In the north, my scouts retreated and so did the Humber LRC, which immediately headed towards the center of my northern flank to create some more mayhem. It is just approaching a hiding infantry team - I do not think they got spotted but they will get spotted any second now. My men might get wiped out - no chance against and armored Bren gun at this range, and there is nowhere to run or hide this time. But they have a Panzerfaust and a StuG covering them should see the Humber any second. I hope this plays out in my favor, that's all I can do about it anyway.
I spend about an hour over the map figuring out what big maneuver I could make to attack the center from another direction, but decide there is no need to rush things or take unreasonable risks, like exposing StuGs to flanking attacks. Let's keep probing for now.
Is there any range where rifles and LMG can penetrate the Humber LRC without using AP ammunition?
No - not frontally.
Edit: this made me wonder... what if I picked up some AP from a halftrack so that troops could use it with their LMG?
1309 hrs, Turn 19. One more turn that went by without casualties on my side. I can feel in my bones this may be the last one for a while.
It was good that I and Obergefreiter Jenz and his men kept our cool in the face of the approaching Humber LRC at the southern end of North Ridge. Neither my opponent nor the enemy crew had any idea that I had a scouting team there, and the armored car whizzed by at high speed with hatches open. Jenz's team forced them to close again, and one second later a 75mm AP in the face took out this last Humber (at least the last one I know of).
I am concerned how my opponent keeps probing how well I cover my approaches. A Cromwell breaking through the antitank barrier at the wrong place could do a lot of damage. The greatest concern is the road from Louvoy to Wynton: The assault gun company commander still has not yet recovered from panic state and the StuG covering the road remains dismounted. In the end, I decide to move one StuG from the left flank to cover the center. Once the company commander comes to his senses and returns to the immobilized vehicle, the road will be covered and this extra StuG can support 5th Company in their push against Louvoy and Hill 36.
More traffic is reported on the enemy side of the map. In the north, the empty truck is returning to the Setup zone, while the halftrack seems to follow it first, then turns around and heads to Halberg - my opponent must have changed his mind about his troop movement plans there. I have a StuG lying in wait on the North Ridge, ready to cover the road used by the truck, but I let it go - I hope to catch the bus on its way back with something juicy inside. Another truck, fully loaded with troops (3 rifle sections, PIAT), is moving from Halberg to Louvoy and passes an empty truck heading back east. Here the empty one is seen taking a turn at the local bus stop at Rue Saint Germain
A handful of bugged soldiers continue their tireless run across the map. I can see that they will get into the woods on my side near where I have an FO, currently not busy directing any fires. The FO team should be able to handle this, but shooting enemy troops is not their job... way below their pay grade. I wanted to move them anyway, so I pull them out and order other teams to deal with the situation. A comfy SPW 251/3 command halftrack is on the way to pick them up. Meanwhile one StuG engages those bugged troops - wasting some precious HE ammo, so I decide to give the StuGs armor arcs. For the first time I see a StuG gun loader use the MG34 mounted on the roof:
1/6 defending the southern edge of the map is still waiting for the enemy troops to appear - but they do not. I am suprised to hear the halftrack in the woods - I expected Stafford would just drop off the troops and pull the halftrack out. The mortar now has range and is sending a few shells into the woods, but I won't be able to tell if they hit anything.
Mortar activity increases on the British side, too. A short 3in mortar attack - indirect, fired from ~2-3 km away - hits an area passed through by elements of the 5th Company not long ago, but causes no damage. An explosion of a 2in shell directly near 2/5 is more concerning. Stafford has taught me how DEADLY these little mortars can be. In return, I continue shelling the positions of the enemy platoon with 150mm harrassing fire - the last shell landed very nicely - and with 81mm mortars. 120mm will join in soon.
It was good that I and Obergefreiter Jenz and his men kept our cool in the face of the approaching Humber LRC at the southern end of North Ridge. Neither my opponent nor the enemy crew had any idea that I had a scouting team there, and the armored car whizzed by at high speed with hatches open. Jenz's team forced them to close again, and one second later a 75mm AP in the face took out this last Humber (at least the last one I know of).
I am concerned how my opponent keeps probing how well I cover my approaches. A Cromwell breaking through the antitank barrier at the wrong place could do a lot of damage. The greatest concern is the road from Louvoy to Wynton: The assault gun company commander still has not yet recovered from panic state and the StuG covering the road remains dismounted. In the end, I decide to move one StuG from the left flank to cover the center. Once the company commander comes to his senses and returns to the immobilized vehicle, the road will be covered and this extra StuG can support 5th Company in their push against Louvoy and Hill 36.
More traffic is reported on the enemy side of the map. In the north, the empty truck is returning to the Setup zone, while the halftrack seems to follow it first, then turns around and heads to Halberg - my opponent must have changed his mind about his troop movement plans there. I have a StuG lying in wait on the North Ridge, ready to cover the road used by the truck, but I let it go - I hope to catch the bus on its way back with something juicy inside. Another truck, fully loaded with troops (3 rifle sections, PIAT), is moving from Halberg to Louvoy and passes an empty truck heading back east. Here the empty one is seen taking a turn at the local bus stop at Rue Saint Germain
A handful of bugged soldiers continue their tireless run across the map. I can see that they will get into the woods on my side near where I have an FO, currently not busy directing any fires. The FO team should be able to handle this, but shooting enemy troops is not their job... way below their pay grade. I wanted to move them anyway, so I pull them out and order other teams to deal with the situation. A comfy SPW 251/3 command halftrack is on the way to pick them up. Meanwhile one StuG engages those bugged troops - wasting some precious HE ammo, so I decide to give the StuGs armor arcs. For the first time I see a StuG gun loader use the MG34 mounted on the roof:
1/6 defending the southern edge of the map is still waiting for the enemy troops to appear - but they do not. I am suprised to hear the halftrack in the woods - I expected Stafford would just drop off the troops and pull the halftrack out. The mortar now has range and is sending a few shells into the woods, but I won't be able to tell if they hit anything.
Mortar activity increases on the British side, too. A short 3in mortar attack - indirect, fired from ~2-3 km away - hits an area passed through by elements of the 5th Company not long ago, but causes no damage. An explosion of a 2in shell directly near 2/5 is more concerning. Stafford has taught me how DEADLY these little mortars can be. In return, I continue shelling the positions of the enemy platoon with 150mm harrassing fire - the last shell landed very nicely - and with 81mm mortars. 120mm will join in soon.