Viking vs Monkey - Training Match

Viking vs Monkey - Training Match (Full Version)

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maniacalmonkey -> Viking vs Monkey - Training Match (4/14/2004 11:32:54 PM)
Viking has answered my request for some training in PBEM as I've only faced AI opponents thus far - I'm keeping a DAR so I can check back and see what faults led to my grisly demise [:D]. Setting: North Africa, June 17th 1941, 12:00, Visibility 22, 5000 points. My Germans vs. Viking's Brits. The map is quite open except for an interrupted ridge running N-S along the centre of the map. A road running W-E crosses the ridge practically in the middle. There are VH's at the north, center and south of the ridge, and one batch in each deployment zone. The southern end of the ridge is a bit more fragmented and rough terrain is scattered about. ********************** Hauptmann Affe anxiously paced back and forth through the few square feet that were his command dugout. He had just been given his first command in battle - Rommel wanted a string of hills taken to anchor the flank of one of the thrusts against the recent British counter-offensive. Affe's mission was to secure the hills and establish a forward position, so follow-up forces from the Afrika Korps could push through. The only problem, Affe had calculated, lay therein that there was a reinforced British battalion in the way. His silly-helmeted adversaries no doubt had little intention of letting the young Hauptmann go about his business in peace. The radio cracked - "Kontakt! Kontakt! Geschütz Dora, feuer frei!" The heavy boom of 88's echoed across the desert and Affe leapt into the air. "What's going on?" He hollered to his radio operator "What is it?" A broad smile was on the corporal's face: "Enemy reconnaisance units, herr Hautpmann! Brenn carriers. The 88's opened up and report a lot of smoke rising! I bet those hunde won't be showing their faces again any time soon! Hah!" Affe muttered several curses best not translated. 88's firing on reconnaisance vehicles. That was not what he had been taught. He smacked the corporal roundly about the head: "Dummkopf! Tell the 88's that fired to pack up and relocate to their secondary positions! I'll have words with anyone else who fires at those silly little tin cans!" It was always easier to blame crews and smack corporals, but the fact was he had not issued priorities of targets or ranges of engagement to his 88's. Affe made a mental note for later use. "Send out the bikes!" ************************** Turn one came and went, not much action. Several 88's opened up on some British Brens and revealed their positions. 3" mortar fire followed shortly. The British must be driving drunk because I can't make head or tails of the dust trails they're throwing up in the desert [:D]. Everywhere the Brens go they pop smoke, and my beautiful lanes of fire have been reduced significantly. Looks like the Brits want a knife fight in the smoke [:@] Motorcycle and armoured car recon moves out and skirmishes with Brens and scattered LMG's and ATR's on the eastern half of the ridge. Turn ended with more British smoke dropped from 3" mortars [:@]

maniacalmonkey -> RE: Viking vs Monkey - Training Match (4/15/2004 10:08:00 PM)
Turn 2 sees my MC recon come under intense light machine gun fire from the Brens. And hey, some of them carry ATR's. And some carry AA guns... Amazing what the Brits won't bolt onto their silly tin cans [:D]. My AC recon fall easy prey to some of the heavier British recon vehicles. In the North, two are blasted by something with a significantly louder "boom" - first signs of the British armour, or just scattered AT fire from the depths of the desert? The MC company continues to duke it out with the British recon in the dust. British light forward positions reported in the southern hills. Of course, one stubborn 88 insists on trying to pop a British armoured car on the road [8\|] British artillery peppers the reverse slopes of the hills and burst among some mechanized infantry spotted while dismounting their halftracks - nothing to be worried about. Some of the rock formations get hit pretty badly too, and Affe figures those would have made pretty good infantry positions [:D] We can hear treads rumbling closer, have spotted the first few rifle squads that are in the vanguard of their main force. Soon...

VikingNo2 -> RE: Viking vs Monkey - Training Match (4/16/2004 11:23:38 AM)
In the north and the south heavy mech infantry forces are pushing hard, due to being out gunned the Brits will have to smoke some of the battlefield soon. A couple of halftracks and a armored car get taken out as well as several crews to other armored cars, can;t have them wandering around the desrt give the Germans free recon after all[;)]

maniacalmonkey -> RE: Viking vs Monkey - Training Match (4/17/2004 1:23:11 AM)
"Smoke some of the battlefield" he says [8\|][;)] Turn three, things are getting serious. MC's are getting cut down left and right, but because they flee so very fast, they can rally in the rear area and come back for another go. Good! Casualties aren't few though. Good thing they're dirt cheap [:D] Our recon forces are obviously outmatched by their British counterparts - another thing to rethink. A mix of Kübelwagen-mounted recon squads, armoured cars, maybe an MC platoon and possibly even a light tank section or two would have been a far more effective mix. Mental note - recon doesn't just recon, it also needs to skirmish with enemy recon and vanguard forces for early-game land grab. In the centre of the map, things heat up. The mechanized SS platoon sent to contest the valley between the centre and southern hills gets peppered by British recon-mounted Vickers and Affe has had enough - a platoon of PzIv's rumbles down the valley to support the infantry, and finally we see some of the British tins go "pop" [:D]. More Panzer IV's move up the central hill, into the smoke and dust, to cover the flank of their brethren in the valley. The mechanized infantry north and south adapt their positions in preperation for the imminent British assault. Their 3" mortars have been joined by 75mm tubes and it's raining shells - good thing the SS rallies well! Those smoke shells obscuring the southern tip of the north hill must have been fired by armour... Soon...

maniacalmonkey -> RE: Viking vs Monkey - Training Match (4/17/2004 3:14:47 AM)
The Panzers drive the annoying British recon off the central hill, and create some breathing space in the valley for my beleaguered SS platoon to regroup. The MC's too rally up and make ready to leap into the smoke once more. We begin to exchange fire with British rifle- and support squads, tanks have been sighted. Looks like the British force is arriving at the front line meaning business. There appear to be a few 2-pounders scattered in the desert East of the ridge, which may make tank operations there dangerous. The dismounted infanry on the northern and southern hills grit their teeth against British artillery but hold on well enough. One lieutenant reports seeing British commandos advance in the centre of the field - some fire is exchanged before they characteristically pop smoke and disappear from sight. Affe orders full force applied when facing the British élite. The British barrage intensiefies, there appears to be no end to their 3" and 75mm tubes. Worse - this turn they actually manage to knock out a Halftrack and a Panzer IV, while a second Panzer has managed to throw a track on the dunes [:@] Our artillery responds with a few scattered barrages, but without an idea of where the Brits are in force, we are merely taking shots in the dark.

maniacalmonkey -> RE: Viking vs Monkey - Training Match (4/17/2004 11:34:07 AM)
Another turn passed! British recon forces drove an SS platoon off the Southern hill, but not before a small force of British tanks had been spotted attempting to outflank our tanks in the valley. The radio call went out for amroured support. Meanwhile, captain Musser arrived at the southern hill in person to get his first platoon back into shape, and led them back over the top. In the valley, things were still grim - the SS platoon was getting plastered by 75mm and 3" artillery fire, while a 2Pdr opened up and knocked out a PzIV. Up North, the MC's move out once more and immediately run into scattered British infantry. Shots are traded back and forth but the British go to ground while the Germans are perched high atop their bikes. No fair! [:'(] The British are putting a lot of artillery fire into three positions - the extreme flanks, and the central valley. Looks like they're trying to isolate the hills from each other and defeat my force in detail. Hah! They will have no such luck [:-] In the North, a platoon of PzIV's and their mounted infantry support moves around the tip of the northern hill and takes out a couple of highly aggravating British light vehicles. They open up on the scattered infantry and pop smoke to evade the attention of the accursed 2Pdrs. The left hook has begun. In the south, several PzIV's and a couple of Jagdpanzer, supported closely by mechanized SS, move into the dense smoke and put flanking fire into the British armour there. Several hits are reported but the Mathilda guarding the flank is tough. Smoke is deployed, infantry dismounts, and the Panzers prepare for a tough struggle in the dust. The turn ends with the British artillery still hammering our extreme flanks and the valley, keeping direly needed infantry pinned down. The German artillery responds in force to support the Panzers assaulting in the North and South. So far, the British have made no serious attempt to assault the Northern hill, and with their recon there knocked out, they'll have to duke it out with the SS at long range, unless they plot some fiendish flanking move - where did those Commandos go [:@]

maniacalmonkey -> RE: Viking vs Monkey - Training Match (4/17/2004 2:40:28 PM)
My northern hook is developing and clearing the area ahead of British recon and infantry. There's plenty of smoke to shield me from the worst of the 2Pdrs. Infantry moves off the Northern hill to occupy the rock fields ahead. I try to get some movement with the remains of my PzIV platoon on the central hill, only tu run into some 3" AA gun fire and lose another tank. This has effectively knocked the platoon out of offensive action. In the South we run into more Mathildas, but we manage to maintain the offensive. The SS advances with the armour into the choking dust and smoke, cutting down scattered recon teams and vehicle crews. One Jagdpanzer fails to draw a bead on an incoming Mathilda and vents his anger by putting a big hole in a solitary sniper instead [8D] MC's come and go, but there are not many of them left. Recon has been a disappointment overall. British regular infantry is appearing in increasing numbers and the long-range firepower of the SS is starting to take its toll. A few Cruisers have been spotted lingering at the back of the battlefield, reserves or flank guards? Who cares - their armour is paper thin and no match for the mighty PzIV... I hope [:D] British artillery continues to pound our positions badly, and they take out another PzIv [:@] Several others stand routed, their crews terrified and near concussion by the explosions. The infantry once again maintains itself well and rallies from the worst of the bombardments, enabling me to start pushing East. Our self-propelled Mortars let fly and drop rounds on suspected areas of British resistance that might threaten the flanks of the northern and southern thrusts. Special attention is paid to the hill in the South where the Mathildas are setting up shop. I need to get off of these accursed hills and into the smoke if I'm to stand a chance, all that 3" and 75mm fire is starting to count!

VikingNo2 -> RE: Viking vs Monkey - Training Match (4/17/2004 10:03:04 PM)
The cammand is finnally given to impatient commanders, British armor formations. Go to full speed the desert is covered with Dust trails[:D] Frou Pz-IV are burning allont with several halftracks and a couple of TDs in the South a dent is put into the German push, how big a dent is yet to be seen, in the north a bloody battle is about to start

maniacalmonkey -> RE: Viking vs Monkey - Training Match (4/18/2004 9:04:00 PM)
I'm afraid I didn't get the turn you sent me - I've already emailed you with a request to re-send. Affe is very nervous about the sketchy reports from his southern flanking force... [&o] Time for a little prayer

VikingNo2 -> RE: Viking vs Monkey - Training Match (4/18/2004 10:01:02 PM)
turn resent

maniacalmonkey -> RE: Viking vs Monkey - Training Match (4/19/2004 10:12:36 AM)
Hauptman Affe had clambered onto the hood of his command car and peered into the smoke through his fieldglasses. "Hans," he inquired "Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't I have a Southern flank?" Affe's corporal Hans feverishly worked the radio set but was unable to make it produce anything else than garbled cries, static, and battle noise. "I don't know what's going on Herr Hauptman, Brandt is not reporting and neither are the Panzers!" But Affe already knew. Through the smoke he saw the tell-tale flashes of ammunition cooking off and the thick black smoke of burning vehicles rose. "Hans, call of the southern attack!" He shouted "If the Panzers don't respond, get Brandt on the line and tell him to go knock on their hatches personally if he has to! We need to salvage what we can!" The line cracked: "Hauptkwartier, this is Brandt, southern flank critical! We have... static ...are pulling back, most of the Panzers... static ...request immediate reinforcement... static" Affe had turned pale. Something had to be done quickly before the British would roll up his entire battle line. "Hans! Get these battle orders sent out straight away: [CLASSIFIED]." ************************ Well, disaster has struck north, south and centre. In the south, the British armour calmly rumbled into my fields of fire and proceeded to pummel everything in sight. My forces got a mere handful of Opfire shots off (must've fired too much in my own turn) which managed to make a neat porthole in the side of a Daimler to aid their unscathed crew in recon duties [:@] You'd think an AT gun might fire against tanks... The Britsh in the south close off with more smoke and drive some recon vehicles around to hose my supporting infantry with LMG fire. One SS squad regroups to find a Bren carrier in their midst and take swift revenge [sm=00000055.gif] Up north, 2Pdr fire knocks out a couple more PzIV's and the infantry appears denser than I thought, though very hard to spot. We withdraw into the smoke, unable to accept further losses. AT guns, TD's and infantry perform exceptionally poorly on Opfire - a small morale boost is achieved when one of the AT guns knocks out a distant truck (the troops will probably mock me for years to come). The centre has practically collapsed. A few scattered units scurry about in the smoke, but what little recon I have left reports British commandos and infantry moving to occupy the central hill, possibly up to company strength. The valley between the central hill and the southern formations prepares to set up a desperate defense against the British armour rolling in from the south. Further armoured platoons have been sighted crossing the desert, throwing more weight against the beleaguered south. This shouldn't take long [:D]

VikingNo2 -> RE: Viking vs Monkey - Training Match (4/19/2004 10:58:29 AM)
British armor crests a ridge down south and takes out a Pz-IV and several halftracks, the souther vhexs are retaken but not secured, troops are moving in and have been told to be ready for a knife fight. Some units are keep in reserve just incase the German try that flanking move they have been setting up in the south, matildas are told to keep a watchful eye out In the center infantry is closing in on the center vhexs, a crew of a Pz-IV is dispatched and some fire is put into a mc squad that is trying to gather info. In the north, several halftracks are killed and some infantry is pushed back, British armor is almost on sceen to help the AT guns a infantry that has been holding a large mech infantry force in place, several 37mm at guns have been spotted. Orders are given to arty to make them a priority traget[;)]

maniacalmonkey -> RE: Viking vs Monkey - Training Match (4/20/2004 1:05:12 AM)
Tired & beat right now... Expect my next turn after a good night's sleep [:)]

maniacalmonkey -> RE: Viking vs Monkey - Training Match (4/20/2004 10:47:19 AM)
Jumpin' Bejeezus on a Pogo Stick! Where'd all those tanks come from all-of-a-sudden[X(] British armour thunders down onto our positions. The group crossing the ridge into the Valley once again did so calmly in the face of 37mm AT and a PzIV on Opfire, none of 'em managed to hit a thing before the Cruisers started flinging those huge shells around [sm=Christo_pull_hair.gif] The South is a mess. Captain Brandt radios in - position impossible to maintain - will sell our lives dearly - tell our families we love them - fix bayonettes. The North, not much better. Captain Schwendt reports the armour misjudged lanes of fire and ran into murderous flanking AT fire that recon had failed to spot (because they're all dead[:'(]). Armour suffers, infantry falls back under fire. Artillery continues to pound all positions. There are no communications with the centre. Unless anything short of a tactical nuclear strike or Act of God occurs in our favor, we have lost. Kampfgruppe Affe makes ready to take as many of the limey hunde with them to the grave[:@] ************************* Somewhere in the South, one of the last of the German Motorcycle squads regrouped, battered and bruised, to rejoin the fray. The men checked their ammo, took a quick drink of water and gunned their engines, taking off towards the furious roar of the battle at hand. There was a loud "BANG!" and thick black smoke spew from the back of Karl's motorcycle, the engine sputtering to a halt. Cursing and swearing, Karl got off to inspect his machine. The rest of his squad circled back, dismounted, and before long, poor Karl was working red-headed on his engine with all of his mates standing around offering less-than-useful comments about his engineering skills. "Maybe it's the crank shaft?" "Try this thing over here." "Did you fill up before we left?" "Seriously, try this. Are you listening?" "What are you, stupid?"

maniacalmonkey -> RE: Viking vs Monkey - Training Match (4/24/2004 4:10:10 PM)
A brief hiatus followd by another turn of carnage, Viking's limeys break through the valley and routh the poor SS platoon that had already suffered so much. The 37mm AT guns positioned to cover the valley are knocked out and a whole platoon of Cruisers moves in in close formation, supported by the omnipresent Brens and Chevrolets. Down south, the battered infantry blow the tracks off a cruiser in the smoke and kill some limey recon soldiers found running about. Another sniper is found trying to sneak into the rear area, but a roaming PzIV crew puts him out of my misery [:@] In the centre, Commandos move up the hill and rout what was left of the defense there. This leaves both the north and the south open to envelopment. Up north, the company defending the hill manages to hold on under intense artillery fire. More British infantry is seen massing up, trucks are racing around freely in the open desert and the 2Pdrs have made all German tank operations impossible. Smoke is popped and some MG fire exchanged. One Vickers is taken out by a craftily hidden 37mm[sm=00000622.gif] With all this pressure mounting, we'll have to yield our little northern hook soon and make the hill into a German Alamo[:@] We're doomed! Hauptmann Affe checks the clip of his Luger and uneasily fits his helmet on his head instead of his peaked cap. His staff and FO do the same. It is time for the ugly finale!

VikingNo2 -> RE: Viking vs Monkey - Training Match (4/25/2004 12:48:07 AM)
A Pz-IV is killed up north smoke is droped and forces are closing on the Northern Vhexs in Mass

maniacalmonkey -> RE: Viking vs Monkey - Training Match (4/25/2004 1:29:34 PM)
I bet they are[:D] Could use the turn though[;)]

VikingNo2 -> RE: Viking vs Monkey - Training Match (4/25/2004 9:35:54 PM)
I thought I sent it, I just sent it again please check to make sure its the right one

maniacalmonkey -> RE: Viking vs Monkey - Training Match (4/28/2004 3:13:31 PM)
The Brits are mopping up in the South and Centre, and are pushing boldly into the smoke up North where the remnants of the German kampfgruppe are making their Alamo. Fighting is close and deadly - while vehicle- and gun crews and depleted squads delay the British advance, the remains of captain Schwendt's SS Company attempt to organize a last-ditch defense of the northern VH's. Hidden 37mm's prepare to fire point-blank. A couple of Cruisers are knocked out as they stray too close. A couple of 88's which had been repositioned to cover the reverse slopes of the overrun hills blast away at British recon squads popping up over the ridge for a closer look. Those guns are too big to hide in the open, and the crews prepare to make their own mini-Alamoes. One British scout car gets an 88 shell right through the nose [:@] The headquarters and the artillery prepare to mount up and join the Alamo. We shall hold that bloody hill to the last! --Monkey [:@]

VikingNo2 -> RE: Viking vs Monkey - Training Match (5/9/2004 10:37:53 PM)
The Germans have the turn I think [&:]

maniacalmonkey -> RE: Viking vs Monkey - Training Match (5/11/2004 1:34:16 PM)
The germans have indeed [:D] Sorry Viking, I got knocked out with a pretty serious head cold and spent the last few days buried under a pile of blankets [:(] Your forces have swept the floor with my Kampfgruppe. Save for a handful of trucks and some scattered crewmen and depleted squads, nothing remains. Here's my preliminary report; My original plan was to take and hold the hills North and South with my Mech Inf. companies, one each. In the centre I intended to lay low for a while, with some minor efforts made by a platoon or two, but I had a couple of PzIV platoons standing by to rush up and punch through the centre. The Northern hill looked like a good place to lay down some flanking fire, so my third PzIV platoon was detached north to make a "hook", supported by a section of Jagdpanzer. Things started to go wrong pretty quickly. Your recon was much stronger and more aggressive than I had expected (there's something the AI won't teach you) and, after cutting my recon to pieces, actually gave my main force units some headaches. This caused me to commit my Panzers far too early, and they ended up either slugging it out in close conditions, or being torn apart by the AT-guns in the deep of the desert. My Northern hook fell apart amazingly quickly, my PzIV's in the centre were insufficiently supported (there was practically no infantry with them), and the PzIV platoon I sent to the South to thwart your armoured push there was outnumberd and blown to smithereens. All the while I was suffering arty fire from 75mm Howitzers and 3" and 2" mortars, with my puny handful of 80mm SP-mortars unable to do much in return. So, to sum it up, here are some lessons I learned: - Recon doesn't just recon - it must also fight off enemy recon and forward units, so it pays to have some firepower with you. I had a handful of armoured cars and a motorcycle company for recon - I would have done much better with some recon halftracks loaded with foot recon, backed up perhaps by some light armour. - Always support your infantry with tanks and your tanks with infantry. - AT-guns are best kept off op-fire, or they will reveal their position firing at enemy recon, resulting in a lot of unwanted attention. - Anything counts in large mounts. Eight 80mm mortars may seem like a nice bit of firepower, but a horde of smaller calibre artillery can easily outmatch them. - Don't plan on making two or three sepertate thrusts. Pick one and focus all power there. Don't get outnumbered where you're making your main effort. - Mechanized Infantry is expensive, especially if you'll only be using their halftracks as MG platforms once the infantry has been deployed. I reckon I could have bought quite some extra armour, and a decent recon force, had the infantry gone in trucks, or even on foot. Of course... What I'm really interested in is what advice the master has to offer me [:)] Cheers, --MMonkey

Mangudai -> RE: Viking vs Monkey - Training Match (5/12/2004 1:42:07 AM)
Viking is schooling me in the curriculum of hard knocks as we speak. My biggest lesson was smoke like crazy. Never let the enemy see you if it can be avoided. quote: - Recon doesn't just recon - it must also fight off enemy recon and forward units, so it pays to have some firepower with you. I had a handful of armoured cars and a motorcycle company for recon - I would have done much better with some recon halftracks loaded with foot recon, backed up perhaps by some light armour. I used plenty of recon halftracks and motorcycles. I wasted most of the motorcycles by advancing too fast and too deep. Note: be cautious, save some recon for midgame. Recon halftracks are handy, but Viking keeps picking them off with hit and run hellcat attacks. I completely forgot about kubelwagons, wish I had a few of those to charge into smokey positions and see whats hiding. quote: - Always support your infantry with tanks and your tanks with infantry. Yep, I learned that the hard way too. Once the lines of battle have developed, infantry are good for close recon. Keep some halftracks nearby so you can pull out of a tight spot, assuming they are not already routed. quote: - AT-guns are best kept off op-fire, or they will reveal their position firing at enemy recon, resulting in a lot of unwanted attention. Also, unloading in a high visibility position is a bad idea. I thought I was safe, but he probably has invisible scouts hanging around. quote: - Anything counts in large mounts. Eight 80mm mortars may seem like a nice bit of firepower, but a horde of smaller calibre artillery can easily outmatch them. Interesting, I've been using 80mm at the light end. 60's just dont have the range I want, unless they are attached to jeeps. quote: - Don't plan on making two or three sepertate thrusts. Pick one and focus all power there. Don't get outnumbered where you're making your main effort. And, don't counterattack his thrust unless you have to, or you can really bring decisive combat power to bear. Then again, a passive defense doesn't work either. Opfire is much more decisive against the AI. I guess you have to hit and run, but Viking will still make you pay. And, besides Tiger's aren't so good at the run part. quote: - Mechanized Infantry is expensive, especially if you'll only be using their halftracks as MG platforms once the infantry has been deployed. I reckon I could have bought quite some extra armour, and a decent recon force, had the infantry gone in trucks, or even on foot. I agree that you don't need to mechanize everybody. I've started buying about 1 halftrack for every two squads. After the initial deployment, advance mainly on foot and use the halftracks to get away. Once a squad has been spotted it doesn't pay to stay in the same spot. quote: Of course... What I'm really interested in is what advice the master has to offer me me too

maniacalmonkey -> RE: Viking vs Monkey - Training Match (5/13/2004 11:07:22 PM)
Aye, good to see I'm not the only one getting "educated" here :D Join zee army zey said... Ven ve get back to Berlin ve vill drink schnapps untill ve fall over and curse Viking's eyeballs for making our units kaput! Lesson one was hard but very educational already - looking forward to lesson two. Hats off to Viking for taking the time to educate stripeless noobs like me [&o]

maniacalmonkey -> RE: Viking vs Monkey - Training Match (6/2/2004 3:35:57 PM)
Ehrm... cough [:)]

VikingNo2 -> RE: Viking vs Monkey - Training Match (6/13/2004 6:57:47 AM)
I do have a few things to add, don't always turn you weapons off, I sometimes leave the AT guns on at about a range of 9 but make sure to set the range of supporting MG 2-3 hexs beyond the set distance of the AT gun. Also know your equipment I know that sound simple, but with out playing a bunch of game you just don't know. The Bren MG comes to mind once you learn what it can do it can be effectively employed

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