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Scharfschütze -> Waving the white flag... (10/21/2002 10:20:06 PM)
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Allright. I´m done.
I have one ISU-122s and maybe one and a half platoon of infantry, one 100mm ATG, four 57mm ATGs, some trucks and my mortars left. That truck movement in the north was no counterattack, but an attempt to evacuate the defenceless 57mm ATGs which were threatened to be overrun by Rangers. My losses are enormous: A full company of T-44 medium tanks, three out of four ISU-122s, a full company of SMG infantry (wiped out to the last man), two out of three platoons from a Guards infantry company destroyed, the third platoon at 50% of its original strength, an AT company of nine M1 Bazooka teams all dead, an engineer company reduced to a single squad, four Il-2m3 Shturmoviks shot down, and some more trucks, snipers and recons also lost.
Quite a list. How could this happen?
My strategy was relatively simple: Cover the center with 100mm ATGs and 12,7mm HMGs, mine the south to the point where it proof against attack, grab the northern VHs and fight in the city from north to south, relying on the company of SMG infantry to clear the way. Hold ISU-122s in reserve somewhere behing the lines but able to move into a good firing position to destroy any Pershings that exposed themselves. Four things prevented this plan from succeeding:
First, I lost way to many T-44s in close combat in the north. While some of them where lost to the fortunes of war and unlucky placements,like the company command tank that became the first tank casuality of this battle when a Mustang fighter spotted it in the midst of a wood, others were killed through plain bad luck. I had a Pershing move up to a dug-in T-44 in the north, miss the 89% to hit opfire at range one and then got destroyed by the Bazookas riding it. It´s platoonmate, also dug-in, missed a Pershing at a range of three hexes and got shot by a very low to hit shot in return. This smashed my lines in the far north and lost me a platoon of Guards infantry and three Bazookas in quick succession. Though I was able to even the score somewhat with the ISU-122s, I sure would have preferred to have retained my T-44s.
What else? Two of my three 160mm superheavy mortars had malfunctions, both very early in the game. A 120mm heavy mortar also failed, as did two 82mm mortars. That makes five out of fifteen mortars, with a distinct tendency of the heavier and more expensive ones to cease functioning.
Most annoying were my SMG infantry squads. I have used them to good effect in the past, but they performed abyssmal in this battle. They were regularly outgunned by the Rangers, even at point blank range. While the Garand may be one of the best rifles (I would have written the best, but then thought of the StG-44) and the Rangers are elite, the latter is true of the SMG infantry while the PPsh is a fearsome weapon indeed. Or should be: I consistently had rather low to-hit % at around 25% at range 1 and less than 10% at range 2. The Guards with their bolt-action Mosin rifles are more effective streetfighters!
This led me to use the SMGs as cannonfodder and do the mopping-up with Guards. Well, I should have bought conscripts instead.
In the south, I had set up a pretty decent screen of mines that did me no good at all. I had six squads of engineers lay mines there undisturbed for at least twelve turns before the defences where tested, and rokondo breached it in the first attempt, losing a total of three men to the mines, and no tanks...
Whatever. Congratulations, rokondo! Yet another battle won! I must admit that the continous pressure exerted prevented me from putting up a more spirited defence. A more cautious advance would have cost you dearly, but you were allways a step ahead, and I was reacting. Congratulations, once more!
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