Just a small action from an Eindhoven scenario

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Mr. Personality
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Just a small action from an Eindhoven scenario

Post by Mr. Personality »

Even though I feel a bit guilty when I do so, I nevertheless enjoy exploiting bad decisions on the AI. Last night's action was a case in point. I'm sorry I didn't take some screen captures as I went, but I've included some blank maps with arrows.

Anyway, I've been playing the Eindhoven double drop scenario, and by the afternoon of Day 4, all objectives were under control except the unneeded bridges at Best. Most of my forces were committed to the defense of the already captured objectives, but not the modestly-sized but powerful 15/19 Hussars. My initial plan was to send them from Uden (where they had participated in its liberation) back to Best where they would secure the two bridges and objectives. If nothing else, I wanted to keep the Germans from getting any more victory points. Anyway, Germans were already concentrating near Veghel in an arc roughly centered due west of that town.

Even though I was counting on the German attacks being ineffectual on the fourth afternoon and overnight, I also knew that their troops would harass and delay the Hussars on their way on of town, especially since the Hussars would be trying to make their escape during hours of darkness. Since everything was pretty well in hand for the Allies, I decided on a gamble - countermand the Hussars' orders and ask them to move northwest out of Veghel, loop around at the bridge at Dinter, and then attack back towards Veghel in the morning, hopefully finding lots of German units sandwiched between the Aa river and the canal to its southwest.

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Mr. Personality
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RE: Just a small action from an Eindhoven scenario

Post by Mr. Personality »

Everything worked out perfectly. There were two German units who appeared to be guarding the bridge at Dinter, but they were far enough to the northwest of the bridge that my units were able to slip by unmolested - especially given the low light conditions and some arty that I called in to distract (and eventually drive off) the Germans. I spent the early morning hours of the 5th day slipping my units closer and closer through the woods to the relatively less dense woods that are immediately to the northwest of Veghel.

Daylight arrived on the morning of the 5th, and the bounty of tired, disorganized German units was greater than I had even hoped. The river and canal prevented escape on two sides, and my entrenched 501st Airborne provided the anvil to the third side. The Hussars were rested, organized, and ready to kick some German butt. They attacked in a broad line, and even with minimal infantry support (the 30 Corps bridging engineers if you can believe it), German units were surrendering or being destroyed right and left. Select artillery barrages kept any retreating units from recovering to a stronger state.

Even at maximum zoom, some of the crosses are so close on top of each other than I cannot really count the total number of destroyed or captured German units. My best guess is 36 units. At daylight I had drawn a rectangle around all of the German units that were visible to me, and it was estimating 1200 troops. I'll be interested to see at the end of the scenario what my totals will be.

I'd love to hear everyone else's favorite 'gotcha' moments when you had your opponent by their cohones. [:D]

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Arjuna
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RE: Just a small action from an Eindhoven scenario

Post by Arjuna »

Very nice. A bold manouvre, well executed and a devastating result. What more could a commander want. [:)]
Dave "Arjuna" O'Connor
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Panther Paul
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RE: Just a small action from an Eindhoven scenario

Post by Panther Paul »

And those Germans thought they had secure flanks [:D]
Paul Scobell
Panther Games Pty Ltd
Mr. Personality
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RE: Just a small action from an Eindhoven scenario

Post by Mr. Personality »

Panther Games staff,

You don't by chance sponsor any awards for HTTR players? If you do, I'd like to self-nominate in the category of "Best non-bridging use of bridging engineers." [;)]

It's fun to gamble with electronic soldiers on both sides. If I were a real life commander facing the decision I faced, I'm not sure if I would have gambled on this high risk/high reward situation. There was the real potential for the Hussars to be 1) caught in a road column on their outbound leg through territory that I hadn't even pretended to scout and/or 2) caught by dug in forces in the more dense forests where I deployed the armor in the middle of the night. Since I lacked any real infantry support for this effort, I could have lost quite a bit of strength from one of my only reserves at this point in the battle.
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Arjuna
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RE: Just a small action from an Eindhoven scenario

Post by Arjuna »

Alas, no we don't sponsor awards for "Best non-bridging use of bridging engineers". Though I'm really tempted to sponsor one for the "most reckless gamble that paid off". Of course your little episode here would be an automatic candidate. Come to think of it though maybe a category of "most reckless gamble that failed" would attract more nominations. [;)]
Dave "Arjuna" O'Connor
www.panthergames.com
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