Latka
Posts: 157
Joined: 9/29/2000
From: Honolulu, HI, USA
Status: offline
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Well, here's the first in what I hope to be at least a couple AARs for this week. As you'll see, it's rather long-winded. :D
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German WWII Campaign 1/5/42 (Battle 1)
"Agedabea", North Africa.
1700hrs. Visibility 38, Weather Clear
German Advance vs British Advance
(If this seems strange with me jumping from past to present tense and back again, that's 'cause I was trying to write while playing )
My forces (I was given like 4300 points to go "shopping"...oh, happy day!)
Mechanized SS Company
Motorized (Mech?) Rifle Co
Medium Panzer Platoon (PzKpfw IIIj)
4 88mm ATG with trucks
4 76mm Pak 36s with trucks
Motorized Engineer Co
2 SPW-251/17 20mm AAA Halftracks
3 Snipers
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After getting my butt whipped by several different nationalities and their mechanized Infantry Companies, I finally hopped on the bandwagon and decided to try it. I loaded up my troops and guns in trucks, and to my suprise, only the snipers were left without transport. No big deal though, those guys are supposed to be able to eat snakes and dirt and stuff :)
Opened the engagement with an arty barrage (105s and the rocket trucks, forget which type). I then raced forward with the Panzers and followed with the troops in SPW-251/1 Halftracks and assorted trucks. Into the 2nd turn, I spotted British scout cars, some Crusaders, and Mk VIb (Inf support tanks?). Thankfully, my Panzers scored a few hits at roughly 30 hexes, and for that period, their fire was unanswered. As they harrased the approaching vehicles (which became trucks that "pooped" out troops), I quickly scooted my trucks up to the front to drop off all the ATGs. In the next turn or so, I truly appreciated the speed with which all my mechanized forces had moved - the British arty strike landed *way* behind where I was. (Now to keep moving and not get caught in the next one!)
The 88s and Pak 36s came up "on-line" soon after I dropped 'em off. The Paks did a good job at dropping a few Marm-Herr III cars (they stick that damn 2 pound gun on just about everything!), but for their efforts they drew some pretty heavy return fire. The 88s did an equally impressive job. (I had divided the engagement area roughly into horizontal quarters and placed an 88 in each "sector). A few Crusaders were dispatched...one 88 gun crew had the skill and luck to destroy 2 of 'em, and both were fairly low percentage shots.
Now that the AFVs were occupied, I snuck my Halftracks up and started dropping off the troops. They quickly joined the fray, attacking the British rifle platoons and assorted crewmen in their areas. Up in the Northern part of the map, I managed to really bloody the nose of the thrust up there. The 88, the Pak, and the Panzer concentrated on the AFVs while the 4 groups of Infantry + MMG started laying waste to the infantry. Thinking that I had pinned them fairly well, I rushed forward with a few of the Machinegun equipped Halftracks and attempted to polish off the infantry...but, the surviving Crusaders didn't seem to like that too much - I drew quite a volley of fire (those friggin' 2 pounders again), and both my Halftracks ended up smoking wrecks. Thankfully, after suffering some pretty heavy losses, the enemy infantry turned tail.
In the center of the map, I was engaged in a 12 - 15 hex Infantry vs Infantry firefight. My 88 and Pak in that section were trying to work on the AFVs in the area, and the infantry trying to inch their way across to engage the British at closer range. Once again, I suffered a Halftrack loss or two (Jeez, these guys are going to ALL be walking by the 2nd battle!).
Figuring that this would be a good time to call in my meager reserves, I committed the rest of my forces. 1/2 of my engineers (err... should have swapped out some infantry positions, but oh well) went south, and the rest went north, hoping to sneak completely around to the rear. The southern folks drew some fire as they passed the already entrenched SS troopers, but all of the Halftracks made it out to where I needed them and dropped their Engineers off.
Then things got a little ugly for me. I lost 4 Halftracks and one Panzer in the UK turn. He took a couple of losses, but I was so wrapped up in trying to figure out my next move that I neglected to see which ones they were.
My next turn, I moved the Northern force further into enemy territory. It was then I discovered 50 British Infantry , all within about 5 hexes of eachother (20 in one hex alone!). A quick call to the 105 battery...but those rounds would come a few turns later.
By this time (only into turn 4), the targets were getting sparse in the northern section for my ATGs, so I called up the trucks to re-locate them. In the south, I decided to shift one of the guns slightly to give it a better field of fire...but my truck broke down on the way there. Jeez! It's hard to find good help these days :) I managed to do some damage to the infantry, but once again at the expense of a few halftracks. Honest...I'm not moving them up into the enemy lines, it just seems that with twin machineguns they draw a pretty heavy volume of fire in return for their actions.
In the center of the map there's a height 20 hill. On top of that is a cluster of VPs that my engineers are trying to take (they started out as two groups of 10 and one of 8). Well, what I thought was going to be a cake-walk has turned out to be quite a bloody battle. The Brits managed to get 3 scout cars up there, and they've been mucking up the whole operation. I did manage to set one of them on fire with the flamethrower though...muhahahahah. The other guys can't get close enough to do the same thing, so I've started a couple of Panzers up to that location from where they were.
Well, for their part, the Brits are definitely making me think of alternate plans. In the center of the map I've lost a few more Halftracks (thankfully I still have about 6 or 8 left), but I managed to claim a few vehicles during the British advance. The "clump of 50" Brits has now almost doubled...but the area they're in has as well. I am hoping I can finish off the work in the southern part (as well as the north) so I can collapse my forces in on the rear of the advancing troops. Well, in a perfect world I'm sure it'd work that way! Hahaha...thankfully I don't have to worry about one of Wild Bill's famous counterattaks (or counter-counter attacks) in this campaign. I'd be dead meat if I did!
Ahhh... things FINALLY seem to go my way. In the center "hill battle", A brave little group of Engineers that had thier position overrun finally came up out of the supression long enough to destroy a Crusader that had wandered too close. In the south, things were all but taken care of as the two Panzers in the area wiped out the rest of the AFVs. In the north, 3 Halftracks of Engineers managed to scoot along the top of the map undetected and drop in amongst the British Rifle Squads. They managed to destroy 3 British Rifle sections and chase off a 4th. That'll help my efforts up there. Now... if the Arty hits and my Pak and 88mm guns can get up to save the day...
And THEN the Arty arrived. The British troops were still nicely clumped together, and all 6 of my 105s pounded the area, with significant British casualties. I called for fire on the same area with the hopes that I could get off a few more barrages before my troops had to move in.
Down in the south, I pushed past the line where the burning British vehicles were and encountered more 2 pounder fire which claimed both of the Panzers marked for that area. My halftracks uncovered a few 2" mortar teams, and those were engaged with maximum machinegun fire.
Back on the "Hill" in the center, I had finally repelled the attack. All around there were burning British AFVs, thanks to my Engineer troops and their satchel charges / flamethrowers. Too bad sand doesn't burn, 'cause I'm sure I'd have a nice brush fire going by now! :)
(Turn 11)
The end is near! This turn I received only sporradic fire from the British, while the rest of the rifle squads that were caught in the Artillery Meatgrinder popped smoke and turnedtail. Hmm...actually, I may have spoken too soon. While all the enemy AFVs have been destroyed, their Infantry and ATGs are definitely still alive. In the south, I am uncovering little pockets of those damn 2-pounder guns. I rushed forward with two Panzers thinking I could ferret them out, but the end result was two smoking hulks of German armor. Hmpf! They're too close to my troops to call Arty in on 'em, so I guess I'll have to coordinate some Infantry attack.
Hahaha... in one of the funnier events to happen in a while, one of the crews from the PzKpfw IIIj that got hit earlier rushed forward and destroyed the very ATG that took them out. I guess there *is* some order in the world afterall!
Argh - now I'm finding out why you don't have your main force comprised of Engineers - those guys just don't carry enough ammo. The Southern push is almost complete, with just two 2 pound guns remaining before it's all clear. The northern section is shaping up fine, just some stragglers left there. The center section (on some British VPs) still has a fair amount of Infantry occupying it, but thanks to the Arty there is nowhere near the number that started out.
Is there something about the MG34 in the desert? I swear, like 50% of my MGs have broken down (granted, these were usually on Halftracks that were later destroyed, but...).
(Turn 18)
Finally, the south is clear. The northern part of the map is mostly clear, but I've still got to find those 2 pounders...and now that they've destroyed all my AFVs in the area, I get to do it on foot. Joy.
I'm going to swing my troops from the south up and try to close off the British Infantry in the center. Time to close down the Arty, 'cause they've been shooting kinda wild the past few turns. Don't need any unnecessary supression on my guys.
(Turn 21)
Whew... finally pushed the Brits off of the Victory points in the center. I used the Engineers quite extensively there. Once they get within 1 hex of the enemy, they tend to chew 'em up rather quickly. I guess it has something to do with the fact that nobody likes to be on fire :) Now, to push out to the east and destroy those pesky remaining 2 pounders.
...and I fought to a draw. A DRAW? Jeeeeeeesh. All that for a draw. Here are the final results:
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LOSSES:
Ger Men - 290
UK Men - 897
UK Arty - 40
Ger / UK Soft vehicles - 3 each
Ger APCs - 24
Ger AFVs - 10
UK AFVs - 28
Points
Germany 4645
UK 2499
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Thanks to those of you who actually read the whole thing!
-Andy
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