Into the Cauldron

Jim1954 · Post by **Jim1954** » Wed Jan 15, 2003 11:36 pm

A hearty welcome to the Forum, Reverend, this place could stand a touch of deity, I'd imagine.

hellcat · Post by **hellcat** » Thu Jan 16, 2003 12:17 am

Amen...

Ahem...

An enemy sniper has been located in a house on the edge of the city. On orders from the colonel we burned the building down to the ground - he didn't come out so assume his potatoe has been peeled

Artillery is now raining down heavily at the south western edge of the Workers Settlement. A scouting cavalry unit stumbled into some german engineers but managed to escape... The rest of the city remains strangely quiet... Is this a feint or the first schwerpunkt?

M4Jess · Post by **M4Jess** » Thu Jan 16, 2003 12:30 am

is this a random map??

hellcat · Post by **hellcat** » Thu Jan 16, 2003 1:11 am

Jess san nope it's Wild Bills' 'northern stalingrad' map = a big beast indeed!!! kinda reminds me of your market garden one

Jim1954 · Post by **Jim1954** » Thu Jan 16, 2003 1:13 am

hellcat can you post a zip of the map? I haven't seen a beast all day.

hellcat · Post by **hellcat** » Thu Jan 16, 2003 1:21 am

it's in the spwaw map directory of the game... entitled 'northern stalingrad' by wbw

Jim1954 · Post by **Jim1954** » Thu Jan 16, 2003 1:25 am

thanks

Orzel Bialy · Post by **Orzel Bialy** » Thu Jan 16, 2003 1:51 am

The leading recon elements continue to push forward...some begin to report having run into Ivan's infantry. A cavalry unit is forced to retreat to the north...two engineer units are encountered in the center.

Herr Oberst continues to advance according to plan...he doesn't like the fact that some of the lead elements have pierced the city's outlying blocks relatively unscathed.

Despite some calls for the support elements to rush forward...we hold back to allow our infantry a better chance of uncovering any awaiting traps. We know all to well that these first encounters are merely "trip wire" units....out searching ahead of their main defense lines.

Still, despite our caution, there is a growing tension among the panzer units as the shattered and burning skyline draws nearer. Billowing clouds of smoke and flame roll into the October sky...the never ending chatter of small arms fire and the thunderous booms of artillery shells all help to paint a picture of the Valley of Death on the "canvas" before us.

Hawk · Post by **Hawk** » Thu Jan 16, 2003 1:56 am

This is some great Reading guys....

hellcat · Post by **hellcat** » Thu Jan 16, 2003 2:10 pm

The first medal has been awarded to a genuine hero a the motherland!

Remember that keen eyed AA gunner that took out a flammpanzer... well along came a panzer IV and boom

another long range kill! The enemy tank traded shots with the gunners before it blew up so it's unlikely a 3rd kill will happen, unless we relocate him quickly...

It is our sad duty to report the loss of one of our own tanks...

not to enemy fire but crushed under a building while it took a shortcut:rolleyes:

Enemy engineers and infantry have been pushed back in a couple of places and we have also spotted enemy halftracks moving into the city...

Fighting remains sporadic and we have yet to locate any substantial enemy force... The situation mapski shows the main thrust to be near the Worker's settlement and a little further South...

Orzel Bialy · Post by **Orzel Bialy** » Thu Jan 16, 2003 7:55 pm

has begun to fall on the forward recon elements...and our first spotting of enemy armor has been made as well.

We continue to roll along at a steady pace...allowing our infantry time to scan the city for enemy units. Again, here and there they report finding enemy engineers and sappers...obviously stationed to serve as "look-outs" and ambush teams. Several of these Ivan units are engaged and destroyed in various parts of the town.

From all incoming reports Ivan has stationed tanks (heavy KV-1's and Medium T-34's) at the far end of long straight avenues...waiting for a panzer or HT to drive across it's LOS broadside. Regretfully, one Ivan tank does get its lucky shot when a HT engaged in silencing an 85 AA gun makes itself visible long enough for a flank shot.

So far the most unfortunate thing is that the damned wind is blowing so hard that smoke is useless for very long. It will make this operation that much more difficult to excute...as the troops are exhausting their smoke canisters at a far higher rate than expected.

hellcat · Post by **hellcat** » Fri Jan 17, 2003 5:44 am

We lose a tank to a shot from outside the city but we don't see where from

Germans are assaulting the western end of the workers settlement and so far have been repulsed with vigor

We shot up three or 4 enemy halftracks also this turn...

Enemy also attacking on the outskirts of the city a little further south, where they have also been repulsed...

These sectors will be sealed off to prevent the fascist infection from spreading into the city...

The medal winning AA gun has been spotted and targeted and Germans now openly moving across the open towards its position... it is unlikely we will be able to relocate it. This sector will be reinforced...

Our flame tanks are also going into action where we have toasted a spec ops squad.

In the extreme south no sign of the Germans at all?

Artillery in contact and called in! :p

M4Jess · Post by **M4Jess** » Fri Jan 17, 2003 6:12 am

Originally posted by hellcat
Jess san nope it's Wild Bills' 'northern stalingrad' map = a big beast indeed!!! kinda reminds me of your market garden one

Me thinks Redleg done did that there map....

hellcat · Post by **hellcat** » Fri Jan 17, 2003 7:12 am

doh you could be right Jess! If so apologies to John... it's such a great map!!

M4Jess · Post by **M4Jess** » Fri Jan 17, 2003 7:15 am

whees my panzie turn?

Orzel Bialy · Post by **Orzel Bialy** » Sat Jan 18, 2003 5:44 am

As the infantry moves deeper into the city they uncover more of Ivan's units...some infantry, some engineer, some cavalry and some armor.

Everywhere...amid the exploding artillery shells being lobbed into the city by both us and the Russians...men fight bloody little firefights. Casualities on both sides begin to mount.

To the center of the city a large number of Russian tanks have been spotted. The infantry closes in an engages them...drawing their fire and their attention...while death closes in from another direction. Machine guns, rifles, grenades are all employed to silence the Russian beasts...and when that fails our own panzers sneak in for a shot or two to finish the job.

Four of Ivan's tanks go up in flames during these encounters all along the front of our thrust...though we do lose our first panzer to Russian counter-tank fire.

Elsewhere...to the north and to the south other groups of infantry make their way further into the city...with little sightings of the enemy at all! (?)

Over all, Herr Oberst is pleased with how the battle has gone thus far. Depsite some losses...the Russians have been punished as well.

(ps...the first set of VH's fall this turn!

)

hellcat · Post by **hellcat** » Sat Jan 18, 2003 11:11 am

'I find the colonel in his banya... taking things in his usual relaxed way... I close the door to block out the scream of katushya... he looks at me and puts his vodka down...

'well?'

'Germans are attacking the Worker's settlement, they are approaching the Barrikady Gun Factory and also entered the city further south...' I blurt out.

'Mobile reserves?'

'We have one deployed and three more awaiting orders... should we commit another?'

'NO!' He screams as he throws his vodka glass at me. I duck and it smashes against the door. 'Not yet...' He murmurs quietly... 'Not until we find their tanks...'

'We have destroyed many halftracks and infantry units' I report

'What's happening in the Northern and Southern sectors?' He asks as he drains the last of the bottle.

'So far nothing... I think they are trying to break us into two sectors...'

'Find their tanks!' He barks at me 'Go!'

The city is bleak, everywhere there are proud heroes of the motherland taking up position or awaiting their orders. I drive from forward position to forward position and take the latest reports. Nikita my driver is expert at taking the short cuts across the rubble. Just over an hour later we pull up outside the Colonel's Banya once more.. I rush in throwing the door open and gasp... 'Colonel! We've found them...!!!'

Hawk · Post by **Hawk** » Sat Jan 18, 2003 11:40 am

This is GREAT reading guys!!!!!! More....More....

Orzel Bialy · Post by **Orzel Bialy** » Sat Jan 18, 2003 7:36 pm

Ivan's infantry has been spotted and engaged on nearly every sector of our thrust...and now we get word of very large tank deployments as well.

Herr Oberst listens intently and marks each report on his map..."they are only feeding in enough to keep their lines intact" he says as he rubs his chin.
"yes sir" I reply "but we have knocked out several of their panzers...and pushed their infantry back in several locations."
"That is of little matter..."He replies. "We must force him to engage the main body of his armor...and the farther we sink into the rubble of this damned city the harder it that task will be!"
I can only nod in agreement.

Our infantry continues to report the presence of a large body of Russian armor in the central part of the front...but they perform bravely against these steel beasts. Four more are put out of action by their reports...and that pesky Ivan AA gun is finally silenced, but only after exacting a terrible toll on our men and equipment.

Elsewhere, Ivan Infantry are found probing deep into our lines...and the Red Air Force makes it's appearance much to our dismay. Our artillery detachment will now have to be on the move as their locations were surely spotted by the Russian pilot...which will mean whole batteries must begin to mount up to move to their new firing spots. More Delays.

hellcat · Post by **hellcat** » Sun Jan 19, 2003 12:09 am

With the appearance of the German tanks and considerable fighting along the outskirts of the city the second mobile reserve has now been vectored into action... Our tanks continue to destroy halftracks and enemy tanks and even some mobile artillery... Counterattack forces go into action...

A large German force is approaching the Barrikady area but can hopefully be stopped...

The battle is well underway!

Into the Cauldron

Into the Valley of Death...

WoW!

Heavy Russian Artillery Fire

Burning Tanks...

Dam!!!

Stubborn Resistance