Orzel's First Fight....Hellcat.

[hellcat]

ahh... we're attacking properly again, despite losing a couple of scout cars on mines around Orzels rear victory hexes and a pzIII that got knocked out after killing a somua we're making progress... Orzel has dispatched a counterattack force of somua, camions and infantry towards his rear VH but our infantry have managed to blunt their advance.

The French armor in the South are still a problem but we're whittling away at them and soon should be able to crunch them up - all being well...

my 155s have been silent as for two rounds now I have ended up possessing the area scheduled to be hit... my forward obs needs to learn some foresight methinks!

[Goblin]

Orzel,

I wouldn't take the French if you payed me, and gave me 3 to 1 odds! They should be better than they are, it was the Generals, not the troops that were the screwups.

Goblin- A Goblin doesn't wanna be a frog;)

[Orzel Bialy]

I was feeling the need to do something foolish when we were setting up the game...Hellcat even asked me twice if I really wanted to be the French in 1940
But for the Love of God...I didn't think they would be this **** bad! I mean the majority of my troops freeze solid after taking one burst of fire...suppression goes from 0-1 to 13-15 just like that.
The only good thing I have been able to take away from this is the hope that if I can still do moderately well with the French...I'll do better when playing "better" forces!
OK then, back to my observation slit trench with my bottle of cognac and field glasses...so I can sit back and watch the killing of the lambs. LOL

[hellcat]

despite what Orzel says, he is actually putting up quite a fight... his tanks Somua and CharB1 are rather accurate and can lift the lid off anything I've got to throw at him... grrrr

[Orzel Bialy]

Hellcat...are you accusing me of posting propaganda?

This turn was rather lack luster...didn't make up much ground and couldn't push back the German thrust in the middle. Hellcat's German infantry push mine aside with the whisp of their hand it seems. Only my armor seems to do the French nation justice and uphold its honor. The question is can they do much more without any infantry support...and that is the question that is in doubt!

However, despite my losses and the poor performance of a great many of my units...especially the infantry...I fight on. If France falls tomorrow this field of battle will at least carry the distinction of having been a hard fought duel.

Goblin...I had the same train of thought as you going into this battle...that it was the French leadership and tactics that cost them the battle, not the men. So I figured I might be able to do a bit better than they did in reality. That, however, has not happened...there are just too many short-comings for even new tactics to compensate for.

[Goblin]

That's because their in game numbers are off IMO.

Goblin- A Goblin loves the Legion

[hellcat]

scratch 3 more somuas and one more immobile... a good round from the Germans AND my reinforcements have now arrived. Their orders are to hunt down those CharB1s, hunt them down like dogs! (there is a cheese for anyone who gets them!) -

'tell me oberst... have you ever visited Paris before?'

[Orzel Bialy]

I played out my turn and was rewarded with the Crushing Defeat message...not a good start to my Pbem career!

Oh well, it's for the best that stinker was put to rest. I had little to fight with....except a surprise group of tanks that were about to take a couple VH's...but it would have only prolonged the painful scene of watching my men scatter to the wind.

Time to move on to the next battle. Hellcat, if you really want to try the French out...be my quest. You must also like having bamboo chutes rammed under your fingernails as well I suppose? It couldn't be any more painful than what I had to watch!

Oh well, newbie taught a lesson...time to grow from the experience and see what I can do the next time around.

Good battle there Hellcat...congrats to the victor.

PS...is that the shortest Pbem battle ever? Six turns...it must be close.

[Goblin]

Who set the turns that low? Post your OOB's and score for us! C'mon guys! If you give eachother the passwords, you can look at the map. Orzel, you should send that last turn to hellcat so he can see it.

Goblin- A Goblin wants results:D

[hellcat]

we were on 2000 points each... my oob was as follows:

German HQ

1 Troop of 3 SdKfz 222

1 Troop of 3 PzIIc

1 section of 2 PzIVc

1 section of 2 Stug ausf B

1 section of 2 Pzjager I

2 sections of 2 PzIIIg

1 motorised rifle platoon

1 mechanised Engineer platoon (Pioneer)

1 Spec Ops Platoon

1 flight of 2 Stuka

1 section of 2 88mm AA

1 section of 2 Sdkfz 11 movers

1 motorcycle platoon (3 units)

1 150mm Battery (offboard)

1 Forward Observer

1 Rifle Platoon

1 troop of 3 sdkfz 221

and I called reinforcements but they arrived on the last turn and took no part in the action they were:

1 section of PzIIIg

1 section of Pzjager 1b

1 Platoon of PzIVd

Due to the low points values it was an all round dirty fight where artillery couldn't really play a significant part as everyone was either spread thin or moving from one flashpoint to the next. The CharB1 french tanks were unscathed I think, except by Stuka attack and Orzel's use of them grouped together with Somua tanks supporting caused me a considerable headache in the Southern sector. My halftracks, movers and trucks allowed me great mobility with my infantry which enabled me to get them into the action wherever I spotted a gap. I must congratulate Orzel on his use of tank traps and also mines which managed to snag 4 or 5 of my recon vehicles in all! I must admit to having been rather rash in the early rounds when a quick pummelling from the French armour tore apart several of my tanks and after that it was very much a hit and run affair. Despite the relatively low points for this battle it was tense indeed and although the French morale in 1940 may not be up to much their armor is very accurate and deadly.

[Orzel Bialy]

My Poor French List of the Dead

____Germany____France
Men___96________192
Arty____0_________0
Soft____1_________2
APC____1_________0
APC____1_________8
AFV ____8________19
Glider___0________0
A/C_____0________0

Germany - 5379
Frogs - 1144

OOB

1 French HQ (Drunk General put into lunatic ward after battle)
1 105 Batttery (fired once and never heard from again)
1 Attack Sect (x2 Morane Fighters)
2 Plts of Char B1's (x3 each for 6 total)
3 Plts of S35's (x5 each for 15 total)
2 Plts of Camion AA AFV's (x4 each for 8 units) which are not
armored btw
1 sec of Camion AA AFV's (2 units) Bought to fend off Stukas -
failed in that role..but did help destroy an 88.
3 Engineer Plts (x3 each for 9 total )
1 Voltigeurs Plt
1 Voltigeurs Plt (with reg infantry)
3 sec of ATR units
1 Recon Sec ( woefully understrength )
1 Utility sec (x2 Pugeots)
1 HMG Plt (x4 Hotchkiss MG's )
1 HMG sec (x2 Hotchkiss MG's)

Much as Hellcat stated the battle started out promising. He rushed into rather quick and my setup allowed me to take some flank shots at him and score some quick kills.
Then his mobility and arty came into being and it went downhill from there. French morale suffered quickly and it was a task just keeping a force in being. The armor, though powerful, was slow and hampered by averaging about one round of fire a turn...due I suppose to the one-man turret factor of the French tanks at the time.
Overall a very frustrating battle...the potential was there for a good battle, but the means to utilize the strengths of certain French elements effectively were not...due to the poor infantry showing. Once I went on the defensive and had to compensate my routed infantry with my armor reserves...my chances of hitting back went out the window.
Although frustrating I still enjoyed it. After a while I was taking pleasure in just seeing how much damage I could do before the end came. Again, congrats Hellcat.

[Goblin]

Thanks guys, it was a good fight! Short, but good. Maybe you should have set the German numbers at 70-75, and the French numbers at 60-65. that would have made it more interesting. Maybe a rematch, in reverse?

Goblin- A Goblin gives suggestions;)

[hellcat]

we do plan a rematch in reverse, possibly a bigger game along the lines of a battle that never happened... to see if French v German armored engagement would pan out any better... what u say Orzel? Firstly though we're getting our boots on for a winter battle to the East...

I'll be borrowing the vodka for this one...

[Gary Tatro]

Take the Legion troops? They are far supperior to all the other french infantry and do not cost that much more. Also they get a +10 in moral and exp! Just a quick question. I am going to be playing the French in a PBEM game soon and I will probably buy all my infantry as Legioners. Also a quick pointer if you are going to play a nation you have never played before. Play a couple of rounds against the computer to test out the units. I know this is hind sight but.

[hellcat]

hi Gary, glad you're diving into the pbem scene, the water's warm Maybe see you across the smoke of a battlefield sometime in the not too distant...?

I will be purchasing legion forces in the rematch I think. There are also some other French elite special forces too aren't there?

[Orzel Bialy]

OHHHH SUUURRREEEEE.....get the advice now!

That' OK...I still don't think it will make the difference between victory and defeat. Perhaps I handled them wrong...but it was a task to just keep the morale high enough for them to shoot a couple times before they broke under return fire and fled.
Anyway, A reverse rematch will definitely be on the boards!

OK then...Hellcat, I'll set the map up when I get back tonight. You can be the Russians...and we'll go from there.

Get you greatcoats and gloves fella's the next stop:
OST FRONT IN WINTER!

[hellcat]

actually some of Orzels inf managed to wipe out an entire motorcycle unit in one go! so they were not all bad! Plus they get decent mg units...