U 2 Bernie...

[Orzel Bialy]

handed out by my Chars!

Two Pzkw III's moving up the hill from the main road are brewed up by my dinosaur tanks...and then so are two more on a road coming down from the north...where Bernie is having a field day against my chicken-sh*t infantry!

To the south a large armored formation is on the move...and Bernie seems to be in trouble there the most. Could this be a French victory in the making??? Say it ain't so Bernie...where is that battery of 88mm's I've been waiting to see open up and reduce my Chars and S-35's to piles of scrap?

[Bernie]

Originally posted by Orzel Bialy
one company only eh? Well, you have an entire DCR Demi-Brigade bearing down on you my friend!

I figured you'd try to overwhelm me with 38t's and Pzkw III's and as such I went for a armor heavy set-up....not to mention it seemed fairly cheap to buy what I did!

If you want to re-set the battle, let me know. The last thing I would be able to stomach is a decisive Frog victory! lol

and yes, those 75's are deadly...shocked the Hell out of me as well when I opened up with them. However, I was getting off shots on the flanks of those AFV's....and as thin as the armor was on those early model Pzkw III's, the weight of shot from even a 75 field howitzer would probably be deadly against them. Still it was a bit disturbing to watch.

38t's weren't availible when I selected my forces, so I stuck with the IIIg's. To make matters worse, I already bought my AUX forces and didn't get any more IIIg's. Instead I picked up a couple of ammo trucks (forgot to get more during setup), some 105mm OB for counter battery fire and some AC's for rear area protection against possible partisan attacks. Let's play it out for now and see what happens. I'll have to use all my skills though to isolate and destroy those steel escargot of yours!

[Bernie]

Originally posted by Orzel Bialy
handed out by my Chars!

Two Pzkw III's moving up the hill from the main road are brewed up by my dinosaur tanks...and then so are two more on a road coming down from the north...where Bernie is having a field day against my chicken-sh*t infantry!

To the south a large armored formation is on the move...and Bernie seems to be in trouble there the most. Could this be a French victory in the making??? Say it ain't so Bernie...where is that battery of 88mm's I've been waiting to see open up and reduce my Chars and S-35's to piles of scrap?

Um... Ah.... I didn't buy any 88's

I mean... Errr... Ah... These are FRENCH tanks we're talking about! I figured 88's would be overkill...

[Orzel Bialy]

you mean you are the Germans in pre 43' battle-gear and you didn't buy any 88's? Wow!

It is my standard MOP to always purchase at least a plt of those babies when a scenario is based on the years 39'-42'. They come in handy if you have to take on Chars, Matildas, or those Russian monsters...and all you have is early model Pzkw IV's and up-gunned Pzkw III's.

This should be interesting indeed!

[Bernie]

Originally posted by Orzel Bialy
you mean you are the Germans in pre 43' battle-gear and you didn't buy any 88's? Wow!

It is my standard MOP to always purchase at least a plt of those babies when a scenario is based on the years 39'-42'. They come in handy if you have to take on Chars, Matildas, or those Russian monsters...and all you have is early model Pzkw IV's and up-gunned Pzkw III's.

This should be interesting indeed!

Like I said, I figured 88's would be overkill against French armor... Who knew?

Anyway, I made it through another turn, without losing any more tanks, and I even managed to hurt some Char B1's... not kill them, but I hurt 'em. I think my arty is also starting to have an effect, your tanks aren't shooting back as much.

On the OOB side of the problem, I see what's wrong with the setup. Someone goofed and gave those 75mm SA guns AP rounds (and PEN factors) when my research shows they never had anything but HE. Also, two sources I found show that the B1 used a 37mm SA gun for anti-tank, and that it wasn't until the B1 bis that the 47mm SA was used (along with an armor upgrade from 40mm to 60mm). Also in the OOB, the 75mm has an ACC value of 28, which is way too high (IMHO) for a gun that had no traverse at all. You had to aim the entire tank to use it, not something easily done.

I'm not sure what to do at this point. If we modify the OOB to correct this we get security violations and don't match the "official" OOBs. If we reset the game, we still have the 75mm problem (but I could compensate with some more ATG's). I say we play it out and see just how good I really am.

[Orzel Bialy]

you arty is starting to have a telling effect on my armor now...one barrage and nearly a dozen tanks will not even allow a rally attempt...while half that number flee at the end of the turn.

As for the OoB's....I should pass this one to Bryan, as he might be able to assist in getting those issues corrected.

[Bernie]

Originally posted by Orzel Bialy
you arty is starting to have a telling effect on my armor now...one barrage and nearly a dozen tanks will not even allow a rally attempt...while half that number flee at the end of the turn.

As for the OoB's....I should pass this one to Bryan, as he might be able to assist in getting those issues corrected.

I already posted a message about it in the OOB thread in the main forum. Feel free to add to it if you wish.

[Orzel Bialy]

Bernies arty has suppressed 75% of my units...even the armor now. Over half my units won't even allow a rally attempt...as they flee back towards Paris in one Hell of a hurry. :p

It looks like you won't need 88's after all Bernie.

[Bernie]

Okay! Nailed an R-40 this turn, with a Pzkw II of all things! Got him with the 20mm's in a side shot.

Your Char B's are still moving through the woods to the south, but I think my engineers there can handle them for now. If not, well, who knows what they might find when they come out?

I also managed to take back some VH's, and stole a few in your rear areas to boot. (Love my spec ops troops!)

The artillery barrage is continuing, though I'm starting to wear out some of my 81mm's Maybe I can have them bored out to 120mm's??

Back to you Frenchy!

[Orzel Bialy]

lots of fighting this turn...and my forces are taking heavy losses along the entire front.

However, whatever unit I do regain control of is turned around and immediately sent back into harms way to get a mouth full of fighting!:mad:

Bernies arty is about the only weapon he really needed...as the suppression factors it inflicts are just outrageous! lol

[Bernie]

Originally posted by Orzel Bialy
lots of fighting this turn...and my forces are taking heavy losses along the entire front.

However, whatever unit I do regain control of is turned around and immediately sent back into harms way to get a mouth full of fighting!:mad:

Bernies arty is about the only weapon he really needed...as the suppression factors it inflicts are just outrageous! lol

I never did post my AAR for the last turn (phone lines here are terrible when it rains) so I'll add it here.

I was finally able to manuver some IIIg's into side shot positions on the bulk of your armor, with telling effect! Even a couple of Char B's got nailed, along with a gaggle of Souma's and R-40's. Your infantry is in total rout I think. Just the sight of a tank sends them scurrying. As for my arty, it's interesting the effect plain old 81mm mortars are having. True, I do have some 105mm OB, but the vast bulk of my arty is 81 and 50mm mortars (easier to shoot & scoot, and you can buy a lot of mortar tubes with 500 points (10% of the 5k we started with))

[Orzel Bialy]

The French armor manages to take out some of those pesky SiG's that had been pounding them without pity...as the central sector of the field stabilizes once more.

To the north there is too much smoke, fire and death to make out exactly what's going on. ( since my infantry is probably somewhere around the area of Dunkirk already, waiting in advance for ships to show up and spirit them away ) There are a lot of destroyed vehicles up there too...and although Bernie has bounced back and bloodied the French armor, I'm thinking this one will end up being a draw.

[Bernie]

Deep in the woods, towards the center of the map, two Lorainne's sit parked, tailgate to tailgate. A string quartet plays off to one side, while white jacketed stewards carry heavy platters of food to candlelit tables. The laughter of several women can be heard amidst the clink and clank of ostentatious medals pinned above fat bellies. In the distance artillery fire lights the night sky and its deep rumble trembles through the ground. Slowly, quietly, 30 pairs of concealed eyes take in the scene as three squads of spec-ops troops surround the French HQ. On a silent signal the night is suddenly shattered as the first Lorainne explodes in a flash, taking the troops it contained with it. They had not been privileged to take part in the drunken feast, but they take part now in its demise. An object hurtles from the darkness and pate' flies wildly as a grenade takes out the nearest table, along with the pompous swine who occupied it. The women who had been seated upon corpulent laps are already gone, fleeing into the darkness around the camp at the first volley of shots. The shots had been aimed high, a signal to them that their job was done, and now they rejoin the troops surrounding the HQ and take up weapons against the French vermin who remain. The "Honey Trap" has worked perfectly, and now the French HQ will exist no more.

[Orzel Bialy]

and a Special Ops attack on my HQ...I still managed to destroy about a half dozen German AFV's.

However, persistant German arty has forced a vast majority of my armor into headlong retreat...and the infantry has been routed since turn three.

elsewhere my relief column ran into some more of Bernies Special Ops boys...out in the middle of nowhere, obviously looking for a re-inforced French HQ position and/or Arty park that never was.

[Bernie]

Originally posted by Orzel Bialy
and a Special Ops attack on my HQ...I still managed to destroy about a half dozen German AFV's.

However, persistant German arty has forced a vast majority of my armor into headlong retreat...and the infantry has been routed since turn three.

elsewhere my relief column ran into some more of Bernies Special Ops boys...out in the middle of nowhere, obviously looking for a re-inforced French HQ position and/or Arty park that never was.

Ah, my foresight in placing troops along likely routes of resupply has borne some fruit.

[Bernie]

You know the worst part of playing the Germans against the French? Getting the French to stop retreating long enough to kill them!

I did manage to slow down a Char B though. I think I blew it's treads off with a 15cm HE shot. Three or four (I lost count) Somua's won't be going home after running afoul of two IIIg's and a roving band of engineers. Both your HQ Lorainnes are now gone, along with their troops, and your HQ staff was last seen running for the map edge, losing men as they went.

[Orzel Bialy]

pffftttttttt, who cares about a HQ staff when your units normal morale is crapola? What's losing it going to do...drop these guys morale into the negatives? And suppression factors can only go so high...no biggy here. lol

Anyway...Bernie you might want to plan on having four less Panzers and two less SiG's to work with. The 75mm of my Chars took care of them...what a gun! LMAO! :p

Sure the French units are beat up...sure they might have been shoved around and pummeled...but for the first time they won't suffer a defeat it seems. That alone is a moral victory to me! lol:)

[Bernie]

Originally posted by Orzel Bialy
pffftttttttt, who cares about a HQ staff when your units normal morale is crapola? What's losing it going to do...drop these guys morale into the negatives? And suppression factors can only go so high...no biggy here. lol

Anyway...Bernie you might want to plan on having four less Panzers and two less SiG's to work with. The 75mm of my Chars took care of them...what a gun! LMAO! :p

Sure the French units are beat up...sure they might have been shoved around and pummeled...but for the first time they won't suffer a defeat it seems. That alone is a moral victory to me! lol:)

I had that many of them left?!?

Who are the gunners on those tanks, Daniel Boone, Davey Crockett and Annie Oakley?

[Bernie]

It's been two weeks now...

How about rousting those frogs of yours out of the cafe's and bordello's and sending them back to the front?