WC round 3: Willy vs. Belisarius!

[stevemk1a]

Horst twitches suddenly at the sharp report of a high velocity tank gun in the valley below him ... nearly three years of fighting and surviving while so many of his kameraden have fallen have left him with an almost supernatural ability to detect danger and sense a threat ... this skill has caused him to be assigned to one of the Kampfgruppe's scout teams. Horst grips his Kar98k tighter and creeps slowly up the wooded hillside, he starts to tremble and murmur to himself softly ... his nerves have been getting worse and worse these past days, and he wonders how long before he becomes another of those blank-eyed zombies he has seen in the hospitals back home! Horst tops the crest, exclaims "Gott im Himmel!" and ducks back down. Scores of Bolshie tanks and infantry in the valley below ... he scrambles down the slope towards the radio operator ...

The enemy is making skillful use of battlefield smoke to mask his movements ... an attack in the centre with Flamethrower tanks and Halftrack mounted infantry is underway despite heavy arty fire ... A concentration of AFV's and men is spotted to the north and the south is quiet ... too quiet ... where is the real push? ... we'll be ready

[Belisarius]

The bravery of the central SMG company will be noted in the regimental diary. Not only are they enduring fire from at least three 120mm mortar batteries and two 105mm batteries, they are gaining ground in the face of direct fire! An immobilized halftrack (facing the wrong way ofcourse) takes a 120mm round in the back and fireballs with a big KA-WHUMP. It was a write-off anyway. Dang Amerikanski equipment.. :p

Inspired by their comrades bravery, the rest of the group are making every effort to gain their ground and recieve the grace of the Great Leader. German scouts are encountered in the north and dealt with in a rather brisk manner.

Despite yelling orders at the top of his lungs, the Stuart platoon commander in the south can't hold his wingman back as he scuttles over a ridge. A revealed PaK position is just too tempting a target... unfortunately he fails to kill it and may now learn his lesson the hard way.

German positions are still too good to face head on, too many PzIV on overwatch (and I know just how good that targeting is...ask Jess ), so we harrass them with artillery fire. 152mm fire in the north has made at least some Panzers leave their protected area and move forward.....riiiight were we want them. :p

[stevemk1a]

We must grudgingly acknowledge the bravery of the Russian troops assaulting the central hill ... they are advancing through heavy arty fire, direct tank fire, and even flamethrower attacks yet still they come as their losses mount ... On the northern hill, a T34 with riders is spotted and destroyed, and in the south, that over eager Stuart and his Tractor companion are killed, but the Stuart takes many shots to kill and forces me to reveal more positions than I would like Another infiltrator is found and liquidated, and I think I may know where some more are hiding

[Belisarius]

I'd say! It took 21 shots to take out a Stuart and a tractor!


The fight on the central hill turns into a meatgrinder as fascist troops assault our vehicles from all directions, like carrion sweeping down on a dead gazelle. Quick response mortars pummel them but to little avail, as their 120mm keeps on crashing donw on our men.

North, we are held back from passing the ridge summit due to concealed ATG positions. Two hits but fortunately no kills. We need scouts! What I wonder is; HOW could you hit that T-34?? The killing shot went OVER a height 20 hill to the height 15 hex directly behind it where the tank was! There are NO hills higher than 20 that you could shoot from..

I'm not good with Soviets....they fight well, but they don't rally as quick as I'm used to. :p

[stevemk1a]

Not too much action this turn ... took some pot shots at Russian infantry and tanks peeking over the northern hilltop, but result is limited to <klunk!> <klunk!> and some dead infanrymen and crewmembers. Ivan is stonking the northern vhex area with 120mm mortars and is beginning a prepatory smoke screen. Many tanks and SPG's are spotted behind the hill, waiting to move in. In the centre, we mop up a stunned OT34 and a halftrack. Further south not much except for a cheeky T34 that has been peeking out of the forest at us for several turns now

It's quiet now, but the storm will probably break soon

[Belisarius]

The Germans shows some unnerving recon skillz.

Lost a tank in the north because I'm stupid, but we've broken through on the ridge and await the counterattack. This will get bloody.

Made some advance in the south, but is stopped by a frekkin PANZERBÜCHSE

Maybe I should fall back and just camp around as well :rolleyes:

[stevemk1a]

"Slowly, slowly ..." intones the gunner as the Spw251/9 eases forwards. He spots a T34 flank on, and orders a stop ... aims ... fires and the stubby 75mm scores a hit and flaming kill on the first shot ! The intrepid halftrack continues along the slope and spots a SU76 assault gun which they also kill ...

The gun halftrack outperforms my tanks, all of which miss their targets. Many T34's and riders have topped the rise, and we prepare to repel them In the middle, we mop up yet another OT34 and chase back some bikers. In the south, we harass an advancing group of Stuarts and also some Halftracks and a T34 with panzer and small arms fire, but no kills ...

[Belisarius]

Devilry is with the enemy today. We have troubles dealing even with such puny things as halftracks and anti-tank rifles. Not a good way to fight a battle, eh?

On the northern ridge, all hell breaks loose when Russians clash with Germans, both sides calling down artillery almost on their own positions. Russian 50mm, 82mm, 120mm, 122mm and 152mm shells mixed with German 105mm and 120mm crash down, sending huge amounts of dirt into the sky. Russian infantry performs like a ballerina with both ankles broken, and the armor can't move into position. Next few turns will be uuuuglyyy. And NOW I remember I switched off half of my tubes! Dispatch riders are sent immediately down to the artillery positions telling them that I want every single gun to fire.

In the south, the engineers fail to spot the lurking ATR team. The small hill is contested, and German reinforcements are seen approaching. Tanks guarding the flank kills a 250 halftrack and a PzIV. Let's see how tough that rifle dude is now! :p

[stevemk1a]

Werner pulls down on the pistol grip of his Panzerbuchse 39 Anti-tank rifle and inserts a bottle necked, tungsten core 7.62mm round. "Target!" he yells to his assistant as he snaps shut the breech and scans the vehicles moving below him .... suddenly a Spw 250 halftrack erupts in flames behind him and he ducks his head momentarily. The assistant yells in his ear over the din - "T-34's are closest to us but we can't scratch them! Kill the loaded halftracks are following behind them!" A sharp <snap!> and one of the mob of halftracks rolls to a halt, smoke streaming from the engine bay. Werner begins to track another halftrack, when suddenly the MkIV panzer supporting the little forward hilltop position is hit by flanking fire from approaching T-34's ... the crew spills out, and heads rearwards. "It appears we must face Ivan alone" Werner says to his assistant as he crouches lower in his foxhole on the lonely hilltop and watches the approaching Red tanks with dread

Battle heating up on the northern hill! Heavy artillery is falling like rain and we are almost shelling the same targets panzers manage to kill a couple of T34's, and an OT34 is killed in the centre. An attack is developing in the far south, and poor Werner is all alone in front of it he's killed several halftracks and an armoured car or two this game, so I'll put him up for a posthumus Iron Cross! ):D

[Belisarius]

I'm getting beat up, but who's to blame but me? I know it was a bad idea, I just hate cautious playing. Makes for boooring games camping around at the same positions. :rolleyes:

I suck at playing SO....my army is now fully immobilized yet not scared enough to move away. So Willy can have free roam to kill my suppressed units as he please this round. Put in some rounds here and there hoping it would scare at least someone.

[stevemk1a]

Looks like a big move underway down south, at least 8 T-34's have broken cover and are moving forwards On the little hilltop Werner finally meets his maker, but a rag tag group of crews manages to put up a creditable fight against the advancing Russians. On the northern hill, StuG's manage to kill a couple of SU76's, but nobody could be rallied to head into the smoke and mop-up. The attack on the center vhexes seems to have petered out

[Belisarius]

Well, I won't be winning this one. Artillery has snapped the back of the red army in half.

Down south (were things are heading anyway, so to speak), the surviving T crew rallies itself enough to kill the PAK locking up the flank. Now they'll have to sneak over the hill... More PAKs spotted.

Nothing else, everythin up north is too suppressed to move. Mental note to self: don't bring MG-less AFV's to a close-quarters fight...:rolleyes:

[stevemk1a]

I think these are last turn's files ... they're timestamped May 26

[Belisarius]

Hmmm...

Trying again....

[stevemk1a]

In the south, Panzer IV's bounce a few rounds off of the T34 that killed my Pak- no kill though. We have better luck with flanking fire on a group of T-34's and desantniki riders in the field in front of the hill, and Panzers, Flakvierling, and MG42's open up on them! However, in my blood lust, I left a few AFV's exposed and expect the sting of return fire next turn ... In the north, a couple of T34's are spotted and harassed, but no kills.

Bel's Russians have been badly handicapped by terrain and visibility in this one ... but he's still putting up a hard fight !

[Belisarius]

I didn't like the look of this from the moment I saw the map and visibility range.. But I thought, this being WC and all, that it wouldn't be sportive of me to not accept... a commander can't always chose the site of battle.

South is a complete and utter disaster. With our overlooking guns taken out the German tanks flanked us without trouble. Again a map+vis problem. (I had no chance of setting up a defensive position before Willy did). The tanks that did survive are routed and hidden MGs chops down our infantry. Why do I have trouble spotting now ?? - HE should have... A OT-34 tries to take on the PzIV at long range, with predictable results.

North is a disaster as well, but not quite as much. The terrain takes a heavy toll on vehicles and men, but we manage to gain some 50 meters while killing a ATR, a StuG III and a PzIVh.

Finger on the F9.... over to you, Willy.

[stevemk1a]

In the south, the last few stunned Russian tanks stranded in the field are finished off, and their riders are mowed down. Another T34 is discovered lurking behind Werner's hill along with some infantry (any one else back there, dude?)

In the north, a heavy Soviet bombardment is being laid down across a wooded hilltop, and the enemy is grinding forwards ... a StuH42 is KO'd by a 152mm shell 'on the noggin' and the men are suffering badly under the heavy fire...

As Oberst willy scans the smoky hills and forests with his Zeiss binoculars, he pauses on each visible position and either issues corrective orders to his radio operator, or nods in satisfaction. Clouds of smoke and pillars of dirt rise around the northern hill like some giant pounding at the earth ... "Ivan will make his last push here for certain" he murmurs then checks his watch "He is pushing us hard, but time is running low."

[Belisarius]

Despite the bitterness of the situation, or maybe because of that, the men firms their grip and pushes forward once again, past the innumerable wrecks that once made up the armored forces.

North sees fighting as we push back the Panzergrenadiers, about a platoon of them. The tanks have gone into hiding, but a loud cheer that could be heard all the way to Berlin goes up as a 152mm turns a StuH inside out (as reported previously). I've had a lot of respect for that piece, glad to see it go! Artillery continues to fall like rain around the area, the German 105mm FH is a very effective piece! That is noted for future reference...

Fighting in the center is resumed as the cautiously advancing guards find some enemies to kill. :p In the south, a PzIV is lingering on the hilltop and is taken out with a single shot. :p The rest of the enemy forces has resumed their hiding tactics. Funny, the krauts doesn't seem to eager to fight today.

We will probably lose this one, but we'll go down fighting!

[stevemk1a]

"Over there ... you can see them coming down the hill towards our positions ... have you got contact with the Moerser battery?" "Jawohl, we have a spotting round on the way!" The weary Feldwebel adjusts his peaked cap to keep the drizzle out of his eyes and waits for the round to land ... "That's it! - spot on target! ... call it in! Fire for effect!"

Much Soviet armour in evidence moving forwards up north, a MkIV pokes its muzzle out to snipe at them, but is given a most unfriendly whack on the nose and slips back in to the woods ... In the middle sector, Russian infantry is encouraged to head rearwards with rifle and mg fire ... a retreating Guards squad is unlucky enough to discover a previously laid minefield .

"Come into my parlour, said the Spider to the Fly ..."

[Belisarius]

Heavy enemy artillery stopped all movement this turn.

Cripes, how many ammo dumps did you buy?! :rolleyes: