Matrix Games Forums

OK - on to the next AAR. This one I hope to do a little more attacking. I have not played it yet and I am still just researching the battle (something I like to do before playing). This little teaser is a write-up I found on the web of the battle from the American side. It is broader than just this battle. I hope it gets folks interested in the AAR and also sets the context of the battle. Enjoy for now.

Web View:

https://www.dropbox.com/el/?r=/s/n8tqhc ... _GoDzoGpIA

PowerPoint Show:

https://www.dropbox.com/el/?r=/s/w0f9zz ... R3nPgajblQ

Here is installment one - preparation for battle...

Web View:

https://www.dropbox.com/el/?r=/s/cphja3 ... vPvKK2C6gQ

PowerPoint Show

https://www.dropbox.com/el/?r=/s/vz21a6 ... LlIgvgMDzg

Great stuff Yakstock. Thanks so much for all the info. Can't wait to see how you deal with the challenge. I've started this great scenario a couple of times recently (as Axis) and have not been able to do very well (though I did encounter a bug which messed it up for me a bit....). I assume you won't go for a frontal assault on the Dom? In which case you'll have more ambitious flanking plans - as I always have - but might find if you're as crap a player as I am, that getting round the Dom in numbers isn't so easy, because, as ever, the Allies - after an initial delay - have seemingly masses of men and materiel coming in. My plan has always been to surround the Dom, cut-off the reinforcement points behind it (and get into Butgenbach in the process - the main entry point for Allied reinforcements is just north of Butgenbach), hold the Morschheck crossroads, thinking that if I could take and hold Butgenback and the Dom, plus kill a quantity of the opposition, then that would be enough for a marginal victory. I have never aimed higher than that and never got better than a draw. Looking forward to your account. Thanks again.

Very nice presentation. I'm eagerly awaiting the next installment.

Phoenix,

This is a tough one. So far I only have played through day one (and will try to post it this weekend). I can assure you I am probably doing as good (or as bad) as you have done. I reached none of my personal objectives on day one and will be thinking a bit before plowing ahead with day two. As always, after playing once I will probably have a host of ideas about the next time, but that is what makes the first time playing a scenario so much fun.

Day one-two

Web View:

https://www.dropbox.com/el/?r=/s/6o722b ... 7dMmNGlB7g

PowerPoint Show:

https://www.dropbox.com/el/?r=/s/4hzsor ... z6NsAx93Gw

Enjoy

Very nice AAR Yakstock. J'adore .....!

André

outstanding, looking forward to the next part. Thx for putting this together.

p.s. i think your too spread out[;)]....it will be interesting to see how it turns out.

Fascinating. Thanks. I saw someone else do that decoy attack to the north of the line in an AAR here, I think. I think it did, in fact, draw quite a concentration to that corner, just not the arty. I had similar arty probs on the Dom (as did the Axis in reality, as you know - in fact, that's the major factor in these Bulge battles, is it not - the allied arty superiority?). The Dom is just a little hill, by the way, not a town. There were a couple of farmhouses there in 1944, now there's a farm machine big shed complex (check it out on google earth with the excellent BFTB battlefield overlays - if you haven't already - there used to be a photo on google earth of the Big Red 1 memorial at the roundabout on the top of the Dom, but it's been removed (maybe the farm machine factory didn't like it or something) - you can still see the small obelisk there though, even without the photo).

Was it misty on the Dom, by the way? As it was in reality? That was a major factor I think in the Allies beating off the early attacks as the Axis tanks couldn't engage long range and were very vulnerable to bazooka fire etc.

I don't know what you're going to do now. I would be tempted to send all those paras into Butgenbach (a major objective) leaving just a blocking force at Ober- . But Butgenbach is no doubt thick with troops by now. I think - with respect - that your decision to not attack in force (what force you had, at any rate) during the first night was really a mistake (though realistic, in terms of German doctrine back then, perhaps). Or you could have at least moved nearly all of your force into blocking positions behind the Dom under cover of darkness.

Still, maybe it won't make a diff. You need to get Butgenbach as well, I think, to do better than a marginal defeat, or draw. But you'd be in good historical company if you achieved even a marginal defeat, remember. This was certainly a major defeat for the Axis in RL, I think.

Phoenix - thanks for the info - I will definitely check it out. I go back and forth on the first night activity - I am one to be swayed by what I think matches reality and try not to push too hard - I also think the game punishes atypical activity fairly well. How do you find the overlays on google earth? It is always foggy and muddy in this scenario. I will be tackling day three sometime today and post as soon as I can. It is good to take a break and look at the situation periodically and reassess your strategy - so I will also do that today.

Budd - I think you are right and will factor in your advice - thx

found this...

"The tour features battle locations with descriptions, in-game map
overlays over the present-day satellite terrain, battle lines with
German counterattack objectives, and more!

Getting the Battlefield Tour working is quick and easy:

1. Download and install Google Earth.
2. Download the Battlefield Tour. (70MB)
3. Double click the Battlefield Tour (which is named
“BattlesfromtheBulge-BattlefieldTour.kmz”).
4. Google Earth will automatically open and load the Battlefield
Tour.
5. The “Temporary Places” list located at the “Places” pane in the top
left of the screen will list all battles, map overlays, battle lines,
and other features which can be toggled on and off. Note that
selecting to display all of the tour’s features at once may cause
Google Earth to respond very slowly."

Google Earth Tour:

ftp://ftp.matrixgames.com/pub/BattlesFr ... ldTour.kmz

Greetz,

Eddy Sterckx

Yes. That's it. The google earth tour. You can switch the overlays on and off. Helps you see the battlefield very clearly. I usually change google earth options, to use anti-aliasing etc, but also to exaggerate the terrain a little, to say 1.2. That way you can see it better.

If that link doesn't work try - http://www.matrixgames.com/products/377/downloads/ - and look for the tour there (this is the BFTB downloads page)

are you saying that you can switch this off and on during play. This sounds awesome. Can anyone post a screen of this in use, please.

It's in google earth. Not in the game. There are overlay maps of the BFTB battlefields to go in google earth (via the above-mentioned battlefield tour). You can thus see the terrain clearly (by using google earth - the game remains unchanged). You can also, incidentally, see how fantastic the maps are.

Day three - what a day:

Web:

https://www.dropbox.com/el/?r=/s/y7p66y ... TGECJRrr5A

PowerPoint Show:

https://www.dropbox.com/el/?r=/s/ke4wg5 ... KAMFH_p9Rw

Interesting. Seems like a good day for you, no? Can't recall - do you have more reinforcements coming, or is that it?

Very good day - victory meter is tilting positive. I am looking at a few more replacements coming in (27 Fusilier). Just need to not go backwards on day four:

nice. looking forward to see what the AI does here. 2 gaps in your lines, the big gap and the smaller gap between your units on the right. Whats the intel on those enemy units in the gaps, in supply? fighting shape? Where does the AI draw supply from? Do you know where the AI reinforcements come from? where are your supply points, is it just one point on the right of the map or do you draw from the bottom also..Could you mix in a few more broad shots during your AAR, if it wouldn't be too much trouble. Great AAR, looking forward to the next part.

Just looking you get the 2nd and 3rd battalion 5th FJ come in twice...

Woden - my mistake on the copy and paste of the OOB - game is right, user error! (fixed it)