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Paul Vebber -> (7/22/2000 11:22:00 PM)
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I played a tough mid 42 Russian German game last night against Neil Stalker - Me in Rhode Island - He in Australia! An truley Global War!
This was August 42 on a med map. I had a Company of LL Stuarts and a PLt of Recom T-70s with a Plt of KVs supporting a Btn adance, one Guads CO and 2 regular Companies with a Havy mortar plt and an Offbaord 122 btty in support. I also had two plts of 45 and one of 76mm AT guns guarding my rear with recon troops in anti-Specs ops mode).
Neil had a Section of Tigers suporting what seemed to be two plts of Pz IVs Two of StuGs and maybe a Comapany of infantry, and a recon company with motor cyclists and PSW233 (mean machines those:-) with an SP btty in support.
I had a hill to the south that one pltoon of stuarts used to guard the southern flank, and the other two platoons and the KVs assaulted with the infantry force right up the gut to get and flank a key hill. A large woodes to the north offered a good oparaea for teh infantry. The recon tanks and SMG troops watched the northern flank. We immediately met in teh center where the Mk IVs who caused two of the KVs to bail (including the plt CO) sending the platoon into a command tailspin it would never really recover from becasue the plt HQ could never rally (turns out he had like 38 rally!) So my KVs where stuck - abou 4 hexes behind the hill. Actually not a bad place as they helped dust the crest when the Germans pushed forward, but never really part of the battle as I couldn't change their objective!.
My Stuarts behind the large hill sniped at flanking attempts by the Pz IVs and StuGs and managed to cause a couple to bail. The Tigers made an appearance but I hammered them with all 6 mortar tubes and suppressed the daylights out of one and managed to sneak a squad up to close assault it.
Unfortunately that gave away my force in the woods and 150 SPA rained down causing about a dozen casualties to one CO and effectively taking out of the game for 4 or 5 turns.
HE Direct fire is balanced, with the StuGs and Mk ivs doing good serice keeping my guards at bay with much higher suppression and a bit higher kill rate. Though I managed a couple of each close assaulted when they tried to hold their ground in the woods with meager infantry support.
About that time Neil's Spec Ops plt showed up in the midst of my artillery park and took out my 6 mortars and one AT gun before my rear guard could capture them!
Turns 3-6 with the heat down in the center due to good artillery support allowed Neil to probe my flanks and for many turns had just horrible luck, losing a Pair of Mk Ivs and a StuG to the Stuarts. Just When i was getting a bit cocky and pressed ahead, a single PZIV turned the flank of ridge I had my T-60s behind and killed three with as many shots causing the other two to retreat! (the suppression penalty for having your formation mates killed was raised substantially).
The next turn in the South my probe with the Stuart Plt lost two to a well placed StuG. The new Opfire rules played a big role in the mind games of trying keep the enemy guessing about whether a move is a feint or n assault and a real game in a game of do I fire at the cheap easy target, or wait for something juicier!
We jockeyed about for another 4 ro 5 turns his armor fire brigading my infantry and my armor ineffectual against his Panzers. As his infantry dwindled and my Armor dwindled, I realized I could not sustain an advance against his armor outside the woods unsupported, likewise he could not root me out of the woods with his meager infantry.
So with the objectives Split 3 Russ/2 German (and it getting to be like 3am :-) we called it a draw at turn 13! Had my KV plt been able to get its act together I think I could have pulled off a win, but I had fair points advantage as the Russians. Neil still had a Tiger to blunt that so I don't know!
Neil, had he gotten his infantry concentrated likely could have rolled out my infantry Btn 's flank once he crushed the remants of one or the other flank protection plt, But I sensed it was scattered and not rallying very fast.
All in all one of the most exciting battles I've had in a while, both sides seemed to wax and wane several times as we pushed, got blunted, regrouped and tried again. The tweaks to suppression for HE direct fire and formation losses worked well, and indirect fire was deadly, without being overwhleming, denying a 4x6 hex area for about 5 or 6 turns.
A few bugs to squash, but we seem well on track for a release of 3.0 in a week or 10 days.
Cross your fingers!
[This message has been edited by Paul Vebber (edited July 22, 2000).]
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