Elephant Hunt: Semi-Interactive AAR

[Mad Russian]

Looking from the trees where 1st Tank Company is assembling.

Good Hunting.

MR

[Mad Russian]

The 1st Tank Company is almost in place....just a couple more minutes.

Good Hunting.

MR

[Mad Russian]

The eastern most platoon of 1st Tank Company reaches it's assigned position and faces to the west to face the oncoming German assault guns.

Good Hunting.

MR

[Mad Russian]

2nd Tank Company is moving to consolidate on the German eastern flank. One tank going through the trees with track damage bogs down for a few moments but then continues moving. The track damage will slow it's movements from now on and if it gets more track damage obviously we could lose that mobility of that tank.

Good Hunting.

MR

[Mad Russian]

The rest of 2nd Tank Company is out on the open steppes. You can see the last German HT that was hit by 2nd Tank Company burning on the horizon. Watching the smoke rise lazily into the afternoon air, knowing that men have died by your hand.

Still there is business at hand. This game of death is far from over on this afternoon.

The gunners are getting anxious. Radio traffic in the command tanks is intense since the first viewing of the German elephants. As the minutes slip past and the sun beats down, sweat runs down the back of your neck and tickles your nerves all the way down your spine.

Each moment ticks off like a day. The buzzing of insects and the flutter of birds puts a false calm to a day that will bring death to some of my comrades an friends. Maybe it will bring death to me as well.

If so, I ask only that I die a hero's death and take as many of the Fascist beasts as possible with me. If that's my end I die happy and will have avenged my parents who died in Kharkov earlier this spring.

Good Hunting.

MR

[Mad Russian]

Here Lt. Yerokhin sits and faces the German eastern flank.

One brother died at Stalingrad last year and his parents just this spring in the German recapture of Kharkov. Another brother is fighting up in the north somewhere close to Leningrad. At least that's what it said from the last letter he got from him 3 months ago.

He has 2 sisters that he has no idea where they are or if they are dead or alive.

Lt. Yerokhin fights like a Siberian Tiger for Mother Russia. Will he survive this day?

The end of the battle will tell.


Good Hunting.

MR

[Mad Russian]

2nd Tank Company assembly area.

Good Hunting.

MR

[Mad Russian]

While 1st Tank Company assembles in the woods to the south of Hill 254, 2nd Tank Company is assembling to the east and 3rd Tank Company rushes to assemble to the west of the hill.

Here 3rd Tank Company can be seen crossing the road and heading towards it's commander.

All the pieces of the ambush are coming together...if the Germans will just give us a few more minutes.

Good Hunting.

MR

[Mad Russian]

2nd Tank Company kills yet another German HT. The Germans must have an inexhaustible supply for this many to come out unescorted by tanks or SP Guns.

Good Hunting.

MR

[Mad Russian]

So, there we have it. The two turns were executed as you requested.

We have a firm contact with the German heavy Assault Guns. We have moved the Kill Zone to the west and are forming up on all three sides of the ambush.

Events are rapidly moving to a confrontation.

Is there anything you would like to do other than continue to form the sides of the ambush?

Good Hunting.

MR

[heinrich55]

I like it so far. Timing is going to be tricky. 1TC will have to engage the Elephants to hold their attention while 3TC and 2TC rush to flank. If they take too long, 1TC will be burning pretty quickly.

We also need to be concerned that trailing elements may strike our flanking elements in our flanks as we move to hit the Elephants.

Nothing is without risk. Pretty cool set-up.

Heinrich55

[Mad Russian]

There's nothing like playing a game for the first time. When you don't know what will happen. In CM we would never play a game more than once.

In this case, even I've not played this through, so while I know what the Germans have, I don't know what the AI will do with it. It's already done some interesting things that I wouldn't have thought I'd see.

In that first ever playing, unless it's a balanced scenario done by another designer it doesn't matter if it's balanced or not. Few combats are ever balanced in real life. That just adds to the intensity for me.

Good Hunting.

MR

[Mad Russian]

Striking at the elephants will be tricky. We outnumber the identified ones on the map 10 to 1, BUT, they are elephants. Not sure that's enough. And as you say, they may have support elements with them as well.

Good Hunting.

MR

[Mad Russian]

The only outstanding set of orders is for 3rd Tank Company to come on line on the west flank and 1st Tank Company to form up in the trees at the bottom of the hill.

Here is 3rd Tank Company swinging to the east. The platoons all have rush orders. They need to get into position as fast as possible.

Good Hunting.

MR

[Yoozername]

If the Ferdinands are truly forward like that, then I say hit them.  Just stopping the Ferdinands with a mobility kill is worth it as long as they don't get on a flag.  They seem to be pointed towards the west crossroads flag.  If 3TC can hit first, possibly getting side shots and diverting the attention of the Ferdinand platoon in it's direction, then 1TC and 2TC can swarm them and open up on sides and possibly rear shots.  The infantry can button them up.

I strongly suspect that German afv and infantry are right behind them and coming up the German's right flank.  But I say hit them and let's see what damage we can do.  All war is risk at some point.  We have no casualties yet (not counting that mobility loss). 

Let's see if MR can read a map and use the folds in the ground.  I know where I would go.

The Germans should keep in mind that they can threaten flags also. The 'halftrack' flag might be weak but I would wait till after the shootout to see what happens.

[Mad Russian]

I see how this is going...all at once it's, "we'll see how MR does things". Yeah, you guys are just trying to buy fire insurance, in case this whole attack goes up in flames you can say, "we let MR do it"! [:-]

Well, fine then.  [:)]

We'll give the attack a try and see what happens. [X(]

Good Hunting.

MR

[Mad Russian]

Here on the small Tac Map is where the German 2nd Thrust shows to be.

Good Hunting.

MR

[Mad Russian]

My orders then are for 3rd Tank Company to form an attack wedge on the German west side and the 2nd Tank Company to advance to the road on the east side. Once both formations are formed up and in their locations they can attack the German advance guard.

Good Hunting.

MR

[Yoozername]

Maybe MR can just hand the game over to another player for a couple of turns if he feels overwhelmed?  What version of the game is this?  We can pretend MR has been shot in the head by a firing squad but the bullets hit nothing vital and he is released after being issued a new helmet.

[Mad Russian]

Once I get the screen shots converted I'll post them and you can see how you've done. MR may not be the only one shot by a firing squad.....or getting a medal....we'll see.

I have the latest version, the one that should be released to the public soon.

Good Hunting.

MR