Yanks ( Frank W. ) vs. Krauts ( Vetkin ) in a northern France 1944 setting !

Frank W. · Post by **Frank W.** » Fri Jun 20, 2003 10:12 pm

Okay, this time a battle with occurs in northern france in late 1944. The forward elements of Pattons army suddenly stumble in a mixed German Force consisting of mixed elements of German forces that survived the invasion battles and they are ready for revenge !

This time the US don´t have that much air support and of course no heavy battleship guns at their hands so it should be a much fairer fight than in the Normandy bocages......

The countryside is typical france: mixed terrain, nice woods and fields some hills etc....weather seems to be quite good ( to be confirmed ).....

US forces want to reach the german border while the German commander still means " France is ours" !

Frank W. · Post by **Frank W.** » Sat Jun 21, 2003 12:46 am

aargh.. weather is again NOT good ! this time thunderstorm or rainstorm or whatever ( next time i select the weather instead of random setting ! ). so NO air f. the US and again slow movement almost as bad as in our desert game...

okay, our troops move forward ! the battelfield has a village in the center of a hill surounded by some woods and in the north and south some more hills, mixed with woods, fields some rocks and clear.

the germans shoot a arty barrage at the beginning w/ 150mm,81mm and nebelwerfers ( argh ), we answer w/ a
105 mm barrage aimed at the street behind the southern
hill as a suspected enemy approach route, and some smoke
on this hill because it overlooks most of the area in the south and the vic hexes there nearby a wooden area.

Vetkin · Post by **Vetkin** » Sat Jun 21, 2003 7:28 am

German command orders all recon units to move forward and secure VHes.

Middle Vhes are secured without problems. Northern hexes are not secured due to an overlooking 37mm and jeep. A tough skirmish in the southern VHes as another overlooking 37mm fires on MC units. A brave squad charges in front of the gun and fires everything it has, destroying the gun and its crew and forcing the accompanying MG squad to retreat.

I can't imagine the slaughter though as a HT is there standing by, the driver/Machinegunner not looking very happy with what happened to his cargo.

More artillery drops on both sides scattering mud, rocks and trees everywhere. Uknown results.

Frank W. · Post by **Frank W.** » Sat Jun 21, 2003 11:28 pm

north: all quite on the northern front

center: here we spot some more mc squads ( why haven´t the US forces none of them btw ? ). we rout one of them and kill 2 men. the enemy has secured most vic hexes near the village on the hill. like in the desert game we are too slow in this weather.

south: here we spot severall more bikes ! the vic hexes are taken by the nazis !

but we make them pay with some more of them killed. we use scout teams + bazookas riding on jeeps and M18 hellcats to strike panic among them. then we we order some 81 + 105mm fire in the direction !

Vetkin · Post by **Vetkin** » Sun Jun 22, 2003 12:11 am

Heard through propaganda speakers:
"France is ours! Surrender now, you will not succeed! The statue of liberty has just been destroyed! American liberty is dead!"

With these words pumping through multi-hundred watt speakers, the German forces move forward. A Tiger destroys a halftrack and an AA HT massacres the US engineers inside, dispersing the survivors. The rain combined with the mud in the forest makes the HT breakdown...

Elsewhere, MC squads fail to rally as they are receiving the full fury of the American's combined arms... mortars land at the end of the turn, further killing cyclists.

Frank W. · Post by **Frank W.** » Sun Jun 22, 2003 12:12 pm

whow ! what a turn....

north: at the beginning quiet, but then we move forward a jeep50 over a hill which get´s promply slaughtered by a hidden inf squad. we then try to move a M18 hellcat in position direction from north to center to threaten the enemy advance there, but there is another unspotted tiger which kills the hellcat with one lucky opp. fire shot. i get angry now move forward a 2nd M18 but only manage to shock the crew of this one.

center: the battle heats up, we lose another HT to a tiger ! or even 2 of them ? on the vic hexes hill a AA SPW and a STUH42 appear. we try to disable them with severall M18´s shooting out of the southern woods, but only we manage to damage the suspension of the STUH. mhh.. our crews must have drink too much targeting water ( whisky and the like

). we spot some MC squads there and a AA HT (4x50cal) completly kills one of them.

north: our barrage seems to have hit quite good and we attack here. jeeps,bazookas,scout teams and a M18 hellcat charge forward, take most of the vic hexes there back and rout most ( if not all ) motorbikers....

okay, till now a mixed turn for me, despite taking back the northern area i lost too much HT´s, a 50cal. jeep and a valuable M18 while only doing light damage to 2 of the german vehicles !

but i just awarded my arty for a silver star, because a barrage from 81 + 105mm is so good aimed that we kill 2 AA HT and 1 tiger (:eek: ) with top hits ! never seen this before in a game. 3 killed vehicles to arty hits killed :rolleyes:

Vetkin · Post by **Vetkin** » Sun Jun 22, 2003 6:50 pm

A Wolverine is destroyed in the North; Payback for that Tiger you wasted with artillery rounds

A bazooka team is ambushed by some German infantry, killing both men.

Elsewhere situation is precarious as MC screen is being steadily pushed back by firepower, infantry and mortar fire. A StuG is de-crewed south of town... action too much for the crewmen.

Artillery pounds both sides and causes casualties but not much else.

"Nothing we can do for that Tiger. Advance!!" Screams the German kommandant.

Frank W. · Post by **Frank W.** » Sun Jun 22, 2003 11:05 pm

north: the 2nd M18 ( not wolverine ) is destroyed, not much luck there. tigers against exposed light armor are deadly.

center: we manage to push the motorbikers back again. we kill some cremen, too but one of them refuses to die despite shelling with all weapons

2 or 3 vic hexes there taken! we shell the town and a spotted 2nd. STUH with 105mm. we see some more armor approacing, incl. 2 sturmtigers !:eek:

south: some more motorbikers die. we kill a pz.faust 30, too which tried to ambush a HT. and not to forget we take a fine sideshot on a 3rd. STUH in the center from the northern hill w/ a hellcat. one shot one hit - STUH dead. some poor GIs are killed by nebelwerfer barrage

Vetkin · Post by **Vetkin** » Mon Jun 23, 2003 8:18 am

North: Eerily quiet except for constant harrasment from 105mm howitzers.

Middle: A brave MC squad destroys 2 .50 cal jeeps... that should help the recon screen hold. A Pz30 team ambushes some scouts and a halftrack disabling the half-track and pushing the scouts back.

SoutH: Not much action except for some Shermans spotted.

Town in the middle is getting shelled to hell. Collateral damage is extremely high...

Frank W. · Post by **Frank W.** » Mon Jun 23, 2003 2:32 pm

north: quiet - except crewmen killed by some infantry

center ( wood ) : we spot a sturmtiger again and open fire with a 37mm AT gun, we disable it´s suspension.

center ( town ): behind the town ( eastern side of the hill ) we kill a STUH that was surpressed by our 105´s w/ a M18. we kill another AA HT w/ 40mm fire and rout one more MC squad, taking all vic hexes now, we suspect armor nearby because a building crashes so we once more shell the area w/ 105´s. all arty callibres of the enemy now angry drops steel in the area of the vic hexes nearby the town.

south: we kill + surpress 2-3 pz. faust teams trying to sneak in our lines. we lost another 50cal jeep to one of the surviving motorcycle squads.

Vetkin · Post by **Vetkin** » Tue Jun 24, 2003 5:40 pm

"Sturmbahnfuhrer! It seems our Stugs are dropping like flies! Their Wolverines are really doing a number on our mobile guns!"

"Aschla! (Hehehe don't know how to spell it only say it) Those hurehnsohns!!!! The attack proceeds no matter what!!"

"But sir!"

"No buts! Destroy them! Or do you want the Fuhrer to destroy US!?"

A HT is destroyed to the south by MG fire hitting vulnerable spots otherwise no other contact, casualties caused to 37mm gun and some scout teams...

Artillery pound both sides, destroying most of the town in the middle hill.

Frank W. · Post by **Frank W.** » Tue Jun 24, 2003 11:51 pm

north: quiet as usual, some crews from me killed that tried to look over a hill but ran into german inf. but they spot 2 sturmtigers sitting on the next hill in the east, they are in cover... you can move them, vetkin i will not try to move over there..

north-center wooden area: nothing special, we again disable a suspension. this time a tigers one. 40mm AA seems to be good at this

center town: nothing, heavy arty from germany

south: quiet, we kill a remaining pz.faust which ambushed a M4, but i had luck. not so lucky i was with enemy 150mm counter battery fire which only hits the 1st gun of the battery, but the whole one isn´t able to fire anymore. will this bug be corrected in the upcoming new steel version ???

and: THERE ARE NO WOLVERINES ! pls. teach your troops the us-tank types !

Frank W. · Post by **Frank W.** » Tue Jun 24, 2003 11:54 pm

Originally posted by Vetkin
"

"Aschla! (Hehehe don't know how to spell it only say it) Those hurehnsohns!!!! The attack proceeds no matter what!!"

you mean arschloch and hurensöhne.

what bad words you use :rolleyes:

Vetkin · Post by **Vetkin** » Wed Jun 25, 2003 8:55 am

North: Troops advancing... panzers have to go ahead of infantry who are slogging through the thunderstorm. A squad decimated to the far north by US.50 caliber. A 3-inch gun spotted. Sturmtiger fires and kills 4 of its crew. Bazooka squad eliminated and a ?rifle? squad hit hard and forced to back off.

Middle: Very eerily quiet. Each person waiting for the other's next move.

South: Not much luck... recon squad is all but destroyed. A few cyclists provide a bit more valuable recon info before dying.

Germans unleash hell with Nebelwerfers, 150mms and 81mms, punishing the US soldiers defending VHes to the north and to the south. Much casualties. US fire causes more damage to town. (Hehe propaganda here.)

Sorry for the foul language, I have this friend from Germany and he's starting to teach me deutsch. And what's the first thing almost everybody learns in a foreign language? The swear words

Frank W. · Post by **Frank W.** » Wed Jun 25, 2003 7:15 pm

north: a inf. squad which was decimated before w/ 50cal AA fire got killed by some crewmen from us.

north-wood: i did know that the nebelwerfers and 150mm will hurt my men there trying to defend the vic hexes... we shoot severall bazooka rounds at a tigerE but we don´t even damage the beast, the same w/ close assault from a recon squad.. but a M4HVSS moves boldy near a STUH w/ was surpressed by infantry fire between the town and woods and destrys it, than the M4 aims for a sturmtiger, got 8% hit change..and...WHOM...front hit...but..killed it !

center-town: 2 inf. squads spotted. 1 jeep and bazooka team killed. despite that we rout one of the inf. with a scout team and another one w/ a AA HT. then the M18´s attack ( considering the town was badly shelled before, we hope that much of it´s garrison is surpressed in some way ) BOOOM..105mm hit on a M18..only suspension damage..pooohhh...another M18 then kills the STUH, but spots a kingtiger on a eastern hill which shoots...and misses... we shoot back w/ a M4, hit one time but the shot bounces off. M4 drives back into cover...

south: quiet, except we kill a AA HT in the east with another easy 8.

Vetkin · Post by **Vetkin** » Thu Jun 26, 2003 10:53 am

The German commander surveys the battlefield before him and grits his teeth in fury. That was one expensive tank the Americans just blew up and a Konigstiger immobilized! The nerve...

There is nothing left of the town in the middle save for ruins and a cratered road. German infantry hunker down amidst a rain of artillery. They manage to chase off a .30 caliber team causing 2 casualties.

To the north, Tigers are still on told to hold as more artillery and rockets land on the northern VHes. Infantry and support are fast approaching to clear the way.

Nothing happening to the south although I suspect that I'll see some Shermans going over the hill very soon.

Frank W. · Post by **Frank W.** » Thu Jun 26, 2003 8:56 pm

north....nothing special....

north wood: we damage a tiger w/ 37mm AT fire and then kill it off w/ a M18

center town: we rout a inf squad

south: we kill a pz.faust 30 team

general: again we are hit by counter arty
fire. i should have buyed some heavy
arty, too

Vetkin · Post by **Vetkin** » Fri Jun 27, 2003 7:38 am

North: Another Inf squad of mine gets hit by .50 cal. A supporting AA HT is de-crewed... **** those ma deuces. A ?40mm?/?37mm? crew is direct fired by a sturm tiger and causes a few deaths.

Middle/Town: Spotted some M4s approaching although M18s remain sneakily out of sight. Infantry there is encircled I think but they will hold.

South: Quiet... it seems my last MC squad was massacred last turn.

Vetkin · Post by **Vetkin** » Sat Jun 28, 2003 4:30 pm

Ey where's my turn?

Frank W. · Post by **Frank W.** » Sun Jun 29, 2003 4:27 pm

it´s there, friend

not so friendly your losses:

north: one inf + a crew destroyed by 50cal AA.

north-center wood: one more sturmtiger dies. note to german players: the US 76mm gun can penetrate the front armor of the beast w/ APCR ammo at short distance with ease.....

center - town: quiet so far, we will now defend the vic hexes and don´t advance further because we have reached our tactical goal there. i think i destroyed one more STUH in this turn, too but i can´t remember where it was

south: quiet ?