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Great assessment GloriousRuse!

Hubris: 1400-1500

1415: After grins and cheers in the command post, the staff set back to their work with a sense of hope and pride. Then the reports start to come in. The soviets still have over 100 AFVs, and a second major attack is emerging from the far woodlines. Units are low on ammo, and the constant soviet artillery has been sapping combat power. All of the jaguars and nearly half of the southern Leopards are out of the fight - very few are burning hulks, but firepower and mobility kills have left them just as useless as a full penetration

Soviet fire efforts double, and then re-double. The commander makes a bitter quip about consumption rates while the S4 elects not tell him their own guns are at this point consuming shells on direct throughput from division stocks, and even that is unable to keep up with the terrible demands of modern war. (In game, they are on "R" status - this is one of the areas where the game is very forgiving.)



Here they come again.

1418: One of the S1 clerks securing the TOC perimeter reports rumbling.

1421: The TOC is in tatters, its command vehicles no match for soviet tanks.



1430: LTC Seydlitz, commander 92nd Panzer Lehr BN, assumes command of TF Bear. The situation is not as bright as it was, but the outlook is positive, especially with the northern counter-attack getting ready to move. All fires are directed in support of the southern defenses, and the surviving tanks finish transferring ammo from the semi-ready just in time to meet the reds head on.



1500: The northern counter-attack fails.

"Tanks before PCs, threats before flanks, stopped before moving." A simple mantra drilled into every tank gunner over countless hours of training. And one forgotten in moments as the Leopards crest the hill. They have a field day with BMPs in their sights, and fail to notice the remaining T-64s in overwatch. Only one Leopard is actually penetrated, but a hail of 125mm shells smash the rest into inoperability as tracks blow off, guns are knocked out of battery, and spalling metal causes casualties. In minutes eight Leopards are either destroyed or being withdrawn from the field.

Still, the battle is grim but manageable. The soviet attack in the south made small gains, but petered out. Both sides are battered into uselessness there. And if the northern counter failed, it also put an end to any further moves by the MRR. Radio messages on division net indicate that the rest of the Lehr will be arriving in an hour if the battalion can just hold on.

Then there is one final crisis: scouts report a company of T-80s has made its way unobserved through the deep woods to the south, and is now racing towards the critical highway bridges. LTC Seydlitz has no forces left to send.

Germany doesn't need a colonel now; it needs a tank. He tells his driver to move out.

Did you know they don't give out Iron Crosses anymore? : 1500-1600 (end of game)

1547: The last desperate soviet thrust closes on the highway bridges, having been chased by shells for it's last three kilometers.

Inside the 6 track:

"Gunner, Sabot, Tank - 1 o'clock, 1850"
"Identified."
"Fire"
"On the way."
"Target, cease fire. Pick up your scan"

"UP!"
----

"Gunner! Tanks! 1150! Left tank first!"
"Identified!"
"Fire as you acquire!"
"ON THE WAY!"
"UP!"
"ON THE WAY!"

----
"Tank right THERE! 350! SHOOT THAT M)%#$ker!!"
BOOM!



The political backlash in Germany in the 70s lead to the Iron Cross no longer being an award of the Bundewehser. A new "cross of honor for valor" was instituted in the late 2000's. I'm not sure where that leaves LTC Seydlitz, but he deserves something after that...

Very informative and enjoyable AAR... [:)]

Excellent, GG both, thanks.

very enjoyable write up and its a great scenario.

if you want the full on horror of dealing with the Soviet Hinds, I'd recommend Dawn's First Light, its another gem either HtH or vs AI

Great AAR. The reporting was top notch and the comments on how things work were very well thought out. Looking forward to seeing the next one. [:D]

Thank you all for you comments. And thank you to Secret for maintaining a steady turn rate and being a good opponent.

Thank you for the fun match and this awesome AAR. This was a really intense match. GloriousRuse had me with his good defensiv tactics all the time under great pressure what made it really hard to cross all the natural obstacles and get in a good position to start my assault on the important VPs in time. His unexcpected far out forward defenses really messed up the timing of my initial plan. In the end that might have costed me the battle. In my opinion things went really downhill when I wasted almost all of my air power on his Northern counter attack and coordinated my final assault poorly due to poor scouting and wrong asumption of his defences in both cases. I was kind of surprised that only his HQ and support units where around the 2 1000 VP hexes in the back, excpected more protection for this 2 valuable VPs. Things might have turned out differently if I dedicated more forces to the flank attack.

Good job with your defense and the AAR.

Great job. Love the way you did your AAR!

Well done to both for an enjoyable AAR [:)]