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#3757733 - 03/26/13 09:13 AM Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace  
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I'm starting a new multiplayer match with Rambler in Combat Mission: Battle for Normandy. The scenario is called "The Mace."

The situation: it's 20 August 1944, 1400 hours. The 1st Polish Armored Division has cut off the Chambois-Vimoutiers road and is now in possession of Mont Ormel ridge. Possession of this ridge allows them a commanding view over the Dive valley, and thus they are blocking the retreat of the German 7th Army from the Falaise Pocket. My forces, from 2nd SS Panzer Division, are tasked with pushing them off the ridge.

Forces: I have an assortment of panzergrenadiers from the Der Führer and Deutschland Regiments, plus armored support from 2nd SS Panzer Regiment and 2nd SS StuG battalion. My briefing states that only the 13th Company from Deutschland, along with a panzer platoon, is ready to attack. They will be reinforced by 14th Company, likely with some armored support, in about 30 minutes. Der Führer currently only has two platoons ready to go, so they will have to wait for more troops from the regiment, along with armored support, before attacking.

As the screenshot below shows, I have some hefty artillery fire on call: 4 x 81mm mortars, 4 x 120mm mortars, and 6x 215mm Nebelwerfer rocket launchers. Also seen here is the tactical map and my objectives:



And the map: as you can see, it's very big and very hilly.



And my forces starting at the beginning of the match. The first shot shows Deutschland's 13th Company and their supporting armor. Many of the rifle squads here are depleted from recent combat:



The platoons from Der Führer. While dismounted, they are in better shape personnel-wise:



The first order of business is to send out some scouts to see where Rambler's stationed his forces. I don't want to just blindly send my troops forward. So, after ensuring weapons and ammo levels are set, it's time to set up the first waypoints. My general plan is to have Der Führer attack towards the North-East slope, while Deutschland will move out towards the Knoll.

First orders for Der Führer:



First moves for Deutschland. I will move the dismounted platoon up cautiously, at this point just trying to see where Rambler is at. The platoon in halftracks and the Panther platoon will wait in cover for now:



And, to top things off, I'm going to use the Nebelwerfers right now, since once the game starts they take a very long time to call in. I'm going to center the bombardment on the area behind the Knoll and hope I hit something good:



And that's it for now! Now I wait for Rambler's first moves...

Inline advert (2nd and 3rd post)

#3757739 - 03/26/13 09:51 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Can't wait to read the follow up!

On a side note... what if he's reading?
I know I would be tempted...


Click to reveal..
"Himmiherrgottksakramentzefixhallelujah!"
Para_Bellum

"It takes forever +/- 2 weeks for the A-10 to get anywhere significant..."
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#3757749 - 03/26/13 10:52 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: komemiute]  
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Originally Posted By: komemiute
Can't wait to read the follow up!

On a side note... what if he's reading?
I know I would be tempted...


I trust that he won't be reading this. He knows I'm posting this here.

#3757781 - 03/26/13 12:55 PM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Respect between players is a must. My hat's off to both of you...

Also... KILL HIM! biggrin

Ehrm. I mean... I hope you win.


Click to reveal..
"Himmiherrgottksakramentzefixhallelujah!"
Para_Bellum

"It takes forever +/- 2 weeks for the A-10 to get anywhere significant..."
Ice

"Ha! If it gets him on the deck its a start!"
MigBuster

"What people like and what critics praise are rarely the same thing. 'Critic' is just another one of those unnecessary, overpaid, parasitic jobs that the human race has churned out so that clever slackers won't have to actually get a real job and possibly soil their hands."
Sauron
#3757913 - 03/26/13 05:31 PM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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This will be fun. Looking forward to reading it. Not many CMBN AARs posted here. One Question, the scenario...is this a stock scenario or did you have to download it from the repository?

#3758173 - 03/27/13 06:48 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: enigma6584]  
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Originally Posted By: enigma6584
One Question, the scenario...is this a stock scenario or did you have to download it from the repository?


It's a stock scenario that comes with the Commonwealth Forces module.

#3758174 - 03/27/13 06:49 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: komemiute]  
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Originally Posted By: komemiute
Respect between players is a must. My hat's off to both of you...

Also... KILL HIM! biggrin

Ehrm. I mean... I hope you win.


Well, I'm gonna have my work cut out for me, seeing as I'm going up against Polish forces. biggrin I suspect he has Firefly Shermans among his ranks. Those right there will ruin your day.

#3758665 - 03/28/13 02:51 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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wave I just ordered the Fortress Italy game Hope its as good as yours.

#3758793 - 03/28/13 01:53 PM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Originally Posted By: LukeFF
Originally Posted By: komemiute
Respect between players is a must. My hat's off to both of you...

Also... KILL HIM! biggrin

Ehrm. I mean... I hope you win.


Well, I'm gonna have my work cut out for me, seeing as I'm going up against Polish forces. biggrin I suspect he has Firefly Shermans among his ranks. Those right there will ruin your day.


If he has them they will indeed be a force to be reckoned with. He also looks to have the high ground. You are going to have to maneuver (it looks to me from your pics)along reverse slopes.

#3758810 - 03/28/13 02:14 PM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Wow, that is a big map! Good luck!


- Ice
#3758831 - 03/28/13 02:30 PM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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thumbsup Thanks for the information guy 's. Will order the game this weekend. The wife plays Warcraft all the time so I seem to have a lot of time.

#3759291 - 03/29/13 08:50 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: enigma6584]  
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Originally Posted By: enigma6584
You are going to have to maneuver (it looks to me from your pics)along reverse slopes.


Yep, definitely. Hence why recon is so important on a map like this.

#3759542 - 03/29/13 05:59 PM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Originally Posted By: LukeFF
Originally Posted By: enigma6584
You are going to have to maneuver (it looks to me from your pics)along reverse slopes.


Yep, definitely. Hence why recon is so important on a map like this.


Hard to see but I think I see your game is 2 hours long...correct? That is good if so. You'll have time then to do a proper recon. Good luck.

#3760617 - 04/01/13 07:39 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Yep, 2-hour long mission.

We've had a slight delay with it being a holiday weekend, but the battle should get going this week.

#3760640 - 04/01/13 09:32 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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I'll be interested to see how this turns out, as I'm currently halfway through playing this scenario as Germans against the AI. Good luck and thanks for the screen shots.

#3761568 - 04/02/13 08:27 PM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: weeksy]  
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Excellent - I love cmbn done a couple of aars on here in video format.

Cmbn is an awesome game - good luck to you both.

Skimbo


Never open an umbrella in your trousers
#3761741 - 04/03/13 05:16 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Yep, CMBN is a lot of fun. It's even more fun (and unpredictable) when you go up against a live opponent. Rambler and I have played a couple of matches now, and I have to say he's been a most worthy opponent.

#3761836 - 04/03/13 01:33 PM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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I'm just finishing this map up as the Poles against another opponent. He laid about 45 minutes worth of arty down on me. I've knocked out all his Panthers except one which is damaged, I captured the town on his side of the map, and I just started to counter attack his men in the open. They ran into the forest where my infantry company ambushed them in prepared positions.

I think he will be surrendering soon.

Big map, plus a lot of time to play makes this one of the best battles I've played in a long time.

Last edited by Richardg; 04/03/13 01:35 PM.
#3762381 - 04/04/13 08:42 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Alright, so back to the battle!

Almost immediately, one of my platoons from Der Führer picks up contact directly ahead. It looks like Rambler is moving some troops from the North-East Slope and the North Slope towards the map's center:






As the minute elapses, more contacts are moving from the North-East Slope towards the center:




Meanwhile, the first salvo of Nebelwerfer rockets begins to pummel the Knoll:



Thankfully, Obersturmführer Euling's forward observer team has line of sight on the area where Rambler is moving troops from the direction of the North-East Slope, so that general area is going to get a short 81mm strike. It should arrive in about 5 minutes:




I want to get more intel on what's lurking on the North-East Slope, so I'm detaching a couple of scout teams from the advancing Der Führer platoon and sending them forward to the hedgerows to see if they can spot anything. Meanwhile, the rest of the platoon will hunker down in the trees:



On the right, my scouts from Deutschland continue to move up to their first positions, so I should know soon if they can see anything of note:



And now I wait... smile

#3762467 - 04/04/13 01:36 PM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Regarding your scouts...do you use a very short cover arc in order to prevent them from firing? You know in order to have them hold fire and not draw attention to oneself? Looks to me like he is extending his picket line by a good distance.

#3762804 - 04/04/13 10:41 PM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: enigma6584]  
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Originally Posted By: enigma6584
Regarding your scouts...do you use a very short cover arc in order to prevent them from firing? You know in order to have them hold fire and not draw attention to oneself? Looks to me like he is extending his picket line by a good distance.


Yep, I do that. And hopefully I can push his picket line back a bit with that mortar strike. biggrin

#3762806 - 04/04/13 10:47 PM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Originally Posted By: LukeFF
Originally Posted By: enigma6584
Regarding your scouts...do you use a very short cover arc in order to prevent them from firing? You know in order to have them hold fire and not draw attention to oneself? Looks to me like he is extending his picket line by a good distance.


Yep, I do that. And hopefully I can push his picket line back a bit with that mortar strike. biggrin


Sound tactics. thumbsup I don't think I've ever had them without some very short cover arc. They are so valuable for spotting and staying unseen, would be a waste to have them open fire. Going to be fun watching that mortor strike. If you can, would be cool if you capture video of the strike and post up here for us to see in real time action.

#3762824 - 04/04/13 11:08 PM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: enigma6584]  
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Originally Posted By: enigma6584
Going to be fun watching that mortor strike. If you can, would be cool if you capture video of the strike and post up here for us to see in real time action.


I'll try to remember to do that. smile

#3762998 - 04/05/13 11:05 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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The chore of scouting continues. On the left flank, the scouts from Der Führer are not quite in position yet but will be next turn. Meanwhile, my units spot more infantry movement in the direction of the center of the map:




Meanwhile, enemy infantry continue to push forward from the North-East Slope. Hopefully my mortars will be in time to give these guys a warm reception: biggrin




Speaking of which, Obersturmführer Euling watches and waits for the first spotting rounds to fall:



I want some more eyes on what Rambler's doing, so I'm moving up the 9th Company HQ from Der Führer a bit:



Lastly, not much to report on Deutschland's flank at the moment. I'll move these scouts up next turn and continue to probe. The halftracks and armor will continue to wait:


#3763750 - 04/06/13 11:12 PM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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As my Der Führer scouts on the left flank move up, a couple of rifle potshots can be heard in the distance. Although no distinct location can be determined, at least I know now that Rambler has troops defending this space. I'm going to move up another scout team to the adjacent field, in addition to moving up another of my forward observer teams, since with their binoculars they are more adept at spotting distant troops:




Also, I'm moving my heavy machine gun platoon in preparation for moving up in this sector:



On the right flank, my Deutschland scouts haven't noticed anything, so I'm going to move them up to the next hedgerow. If all looks clear I'll start moving up the Hanomags and armor soon. Behind them, the Nebelwerfers continue to pummel their target zone:



#3764186 - 04/07/13 10:32 PM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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And first blood is drawn, at my expense: frown

On the left flank, a soldier from one of my rifle squads is felled by a Lee-Enfield:



This is followed a moment later by the forward observer being hit in the gut. You can see the aforementioned soldier in the background who was also hit. A moment later, the second man in the forward observer team was also knocked down:



The one good thing in all of this is that I finally know where this rifle fire is coming from. It happens to be the same hedgerow at which my scouts are located:



So, to counter this, I'm going to have the rifle squad that lost a soldier spray some fire in the direction of the contact. Meanwhile, I'm going to halt an MG42 team from the heavy machine gun squad and have them lay down some fire as well. Hopefully the combined fire will drive off these pests:





Meanwhile, I've noticed that Rambler is moving some troops away from the area where my 81mm mortar fire is schedule to land. I get the sense that he realizes this isn't a good place to put his troops. Speaking of which, the first spotting round has fallen:






I get the sense that Rambler is trying to establish an outpost in the center of the map, so I'm going to counter that with some 120mm mortar fire called in by one of my Company HQs. Hopefully he'll get the hint that this isn't a safe place to be:



Lastly, on the right flank, the Nebelwerfer strike has ended. My dismounted scouts from Deutschland have not spotted anything, so I'm going to start moving up the Hanomags now. My idea is to stay on the reverse slope side of this map as long as possible before hooking left and attacking the Knoll:



So, things are starting to heat up!

#3764330 - 04/08/13 05:04 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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As yet another of my guys falls to rifle fire, my suspicions are confirmed: I'm dealing with a sniper team. Thankfully, one of my rifle squads opens up with its LMG and dispatches the sniper, while his assistant is pinned to the ground:




I'm going to send this scout team in the direction of the last guy and see if I can't get them to finish that last guy off. As one of them has an MP44, this shouldn't be too difficult:



Meanwhile, another 81mm spotting round falls really close to where I want them to be. Fire for Effect should be called soon:



So, for now on this flank it's time to calm my guys down and perform buddy aid where needed. Other than Rambler pulling some troops back from the mortar target zone, he's not showing me a whole lot in this sector. And besides, my force is not yet ready on this flank to press forward.

Meanwhile, on the right flank, my scouts have still not spotting anything of importance. So, I'm going to move them up some more. Meanwhile, the Hanomags begin to move out:




#3764498 - 04/08/13 03:06 PM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Nice use of those scouts. Short, cautious and methodical. One small, tiny gripe against graphics...I wish BF would get rid of those "WH" license plates...they just don't look right on SS vehicles. nope biggrin Just have skins with no license plates would be better IMHO.

#3764919 - 04/09/13 03:29 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: enigma6584]  
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Originally Posted By: enigma6584
One small, tiny gripe against graphics...I wish BF would get rid of those "WH" license plates...they just don't look right on SS vehicles. nope biggrin Just have skins with no license plates would be better IMHO.


Yeah, it is a bit puzzling, considering the lengths they've gone to (and will be going to with Gustav Line) depicting vehicle skins for the appropriate time frame.

#3765620 - 04/10/13 02:13 PM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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UPDATES!!! pitchafit


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#3766007 - 04/11/13 08:07 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Coming. smile

As the turn begins, my pair of scouts slowly moves forward and sure enough, they spot the last man of the sniper team. My soldat with the MP44 takes care of him easily:




Meanwhile, another pair of my scouts notices a Vickers MG team retreating back towards the slope. They take a few pot shots at them, but to no effect:




However, Rambler does continue to push scouts forward in this sector. I'm going to adjust my 81mm mortar strike to target this position. If nothing else, I want Rambler to know I have eyes on him and that his scouts are not safe:




Finally, my scouts on the far left have spotted another group of scouts moving across the field to their front. I'm going to keep these scouts on hold-fire orders (especially since they all just have Kar98s), but I am going to send a light machine gun team over to the far left, since that seems to be the destination of Rambler's scouts:





Nothing to report on Deutschland's flank. All is still quiet over there.

#3766302 - 04/11/13 06:46 PM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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I didn't realize that you had lost your FO team. Ouch!

#3767084 - 04/13/13 08:20 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: enigma6584]  
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Originally Posted By: enigma6584
I didn't realize that you had lost your FO team. Ouch!


Yeah, that did hurt, but thankfully I have plenty of other units that can call in fire. One thing I did do wrong with eliminating that sniper team, though, is that I left that platoon in the woods on Hide orders for far too long.

#3768345 - 04/16/13 07:58 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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As the next turn begins, one of my MG42 heavy MG teams spots the Vickers MG team heading back towards the slope. They send a few shots downrange before the team momentarily disappears from sight. A few moments later they are seen heading along a wall and farther away from my troops:






Meanwhile, the scout team my scouts spotted moving across the field have slipped out of sight for a moment, but I know where they are. I now have this light MG team keeping a watch on the field where I know they're at:



The 81mm mortar team has acknowledged the request to adjust fire and should be putting rounds on the new target area shortly:



Not much to report on the right flank. I'm going to continue moving up my scouts, as usual. I was tempted to move my Panthers up this turn, but I want to keep them where they're at for now in case Rambler sends something significant from the direction of the North-East Slope. If he does, my armor has some good sight lines in this area from which it can engage the enemy. But, until that occurs, I don't want them to be needlessly spotted by Rambler and subject themselves to artillery fire. For now, just the Hanomags will move up - into the group of trees.



#3770021 - 04/19/13 04:13 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Not a lot to report on this next turn. The only real event of significance is that the spotting round from my adjusted 81mm fire mission was pretty close to the designated target, so that fire mission should be going in very soon. My 120mm fire mission is still about 3 minutes out.

On the right flank, I'm going to give my scouts a breather for a minute and move the rest of the dismounted 2nd Platoon up.


#3770023 - 04/19/13 04:30 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Tense. When you have your tanks and other vehicles standing still from the set-up phase, do you put them in "hide" mode? I thought I read somewhere that you can do that and it will simulate the vehicles having a lower sound profile.

#3770597 - 04/20/13 03:07 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Yep, I put them on Hide orders. They will indeed emit a lower sound profile when one does that.

#3770662 - 04/20/13 09:05 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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With my 81mm mortar mission adjusted, Rambler knows I'm trying to target his scouts, so he sends them scrambling away to the west:



As they are scurrying away, one of my rifle squads spots and opens fire on them with an MG42. At the end of the turn the scouts were still being fired upon but had not yet been hit:



Meanwhile, on the right flank, my scouts will move up a bit more. I'm almost to the point where I'm ready to swing left and attack the Knoll objective. When that's the case I'm going to need to move my Panthers up, but for now I'm keeping them at their starting point, just in case they need to react to something on the left:


#3771036 - 04/21/13 09:33 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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As the next turn opens, Rambler's scouts are chased away by mortar fire and fire from that same MG42 team. After pausing for a moment, they hook right and continue moving north. By the end of the turn they're in a new location, which conveniently is within sight of one of my forward observer teams. So, they're going to get some more 81mm attention. biggrin





As you can see from my screenshots, I have a battery of 105mm howitzers now at my disposal. Since I have some time, I'm going to move up one of my rifle platoon HQs and call in a fire mission on the slope. I'm concerned Rambler has some AT weaponry lurking among the treeline and hedgerows there:



Lastly, my scouts on the right flank still have spotting nothing. It's almost time to form up for an attack on the Knoll, but until then, more scouting is the order of the day:


#3772361 - 04/24/13 04:29 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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As the turn plays out, a pair of my scouts (highlighted in yellow) on the left flank take a bit of machine gun fire. I'm not sure exactly where it's coming from, but it's most likely coming from the small group of buildings across the field. I'm not going to worry about them right now, but once I start my assault I'll need to either blind them with smoke or hit them with artillery fire:



Also, I've ordered one of my rifle platoon leaders to call in a 120mm mortar fire mission here, as I've a suspicion Rambler has some hidden AT assets along this slope:



On the right flank, my scouts and dismounted infantry platoon continue to cautiously move up. Also, in preparation for the attack on the Knoll, I'm moving up two of my Panthers to support them. The platoon HQ and one other tank will stay back for now:


#3774436 - 04/28/13 10:03 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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As the next turn unfolds, my men spot Rambler's ever-elusive scouts again. Shortly after this pic was taken they were fired upon and they vanished from sight, behind the cover of the hedge:



Curiously, I can hear one of Rambler's mortars firing on this section of the map. This smoke shell was followed by another one at practically the same location as the turn ended. It looks like he's trying to put down a smokescreen, but for what? If he's trying to blind my scouts, it won't do much good, since my axis of attack on this side of the map will be farther to the left:



The first of my 120mm mortar fire missions is now underway. Hopefully I can rustle out any scouts I think Rambler has in this area:



On the right flank, two of my Panthers rumble forward to support the upcoming attack:



My Hanomags on the right flank have gone as far as I want them to with troops aboard, so 1st Platoon and the company XO team will dismount here before moving forward. Only the company HQ will remain in its halftrack. Meanwhile, my scouts from 2nd Platoon will continue to move forward:




My reinforcements are due to arrive soon, and then the real fireworks can start. smile

#3775572 - 04/30/13 07:08 PM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Going to be a show indeed.

#3775806 - 05/01/13 02:22 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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This next minute just turns out to be one of those unlucky ones. frown What I thought was a smoke barrage turned out to be a mortar strike aimed at the adjacent hedgerow. This round killed my platoon's commanding officer but somehow didn't kill the XO. I've cancelled the 120mm fire mission he was going to call in and instead am going to have one of my forward observer teams call it in (which I should have done all along, instead of risking my HQ section like that).




Rambler's scouts pop their heads up again, including a couple who look like they're escaping the 120mm mortar strike behind them:




All looks clear on the right flank, so I think it's high time to mount my attack on the Knoll objective. 1st Platoon, now dismounted, will take the left flank, while 2nd Platoon will advance on the right. Meanwhile, two Panthers will cover from the treeline on the left:



Now, I can only wonder what sort of nasty surprises Rambler has in store for me...

#3779120 - 05/08/13 10:43 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Alright, we're back at it. smile As you recall, I lost one of my platoon leaders last turn to a mortar round. This turn, the platoon 2nd-in-command nearly shares the same fate when a round lands on the other side of the hedgerow:



Rambler's scouts, ever aware they are the target of mortar fire, scamper away. Because of that, I'm calling off the mortar strike I had planned for them:



Otherwise, not much to report this turn. My two platoons on the right flank are still getting themselves in position before they make the big push for the Knoll:


#3779332 - 05/08/13 05:51 PM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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If there is one thing this game-simulation points out about the real world war fighting, it is that artillery, no matter how small is extremely deadly to flesh and bone.

#3780231 - 05/10/13 10:31 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Finally, on the right flank my troops have sighted Rambler's scouts in this sector. They look to be behind a hedgerow just beyond a cluster of buildings. I'm not too worried about them right now, but I'm going to move up a pair of half tracks in case they become a nuisance or prove to be more than just scouts. Otherwise, my troops will continue to move in the direction of the Knoll, being careful to stay on the far side of the hedgerows and thus hopefully out of sight of Rambler's scouts:




In the middle, while that one group of scouts scampers away, another group of scouts pops up to take their place. confused It's a shame I called off the mortar barrage in this area, but his scouts aren't going to see much here, anyways.



Over on the left flank, two mortar rounds come dangerously close to my platoon leader. I really need to get this guy out here before he bites the dust. He'll be pulling back into the woods next turn, along with a few other troops who are too far forward.


#3792207 - 06/05/13 03:05 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Hmmm.. has there been a truce declared?

#3793478 - 06/07/13 08:29 PM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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I'm on a business trip right now, so it's on hiatus until I get back home.

#3796504 - 06/14/13 03:33 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Look forward the next step.

#3798583 - 06/18/13 07:20 PM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Hopefully it won't be long. smile We should be picking this battle up again within the next week.

#3802258 - 06/27/13 07:15 PM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Alright, leave is over! Back to the front, men! grunt

There wasn't a whole lot of action this turn. About the only thing of note occurred on the left flank of Der Führer, when my leftmost scouts encountered a British patrol. They opened fire on them, and a short time later the patrol disappeared from sight:



On the right flank, my two platoons from Deutschland continue to move forward towards the Knoll objective:



Finally, towards the end of the turn, my 120mm bombardment request for the Northeast Slope was acknowledged by the firing team.

For this next turn, I've decided that my heavy machine gun section on the left flank would be better served with the units to their right, as I plan to attack towards the Northeast slope through the dead ground there. My rifle platoon on the left flank I intend to use as a diversionary force once my main attack is underway. In the best case they'll hook around on the left flank and will outflank Rambler's defenders in this area:



Over on the right flank, my XO team from 5th Company will scout around to the left, while my two rifle platoons will continue to move up the hill towards the Knoll:


#3804860 - 07/04/13 08:29 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Nothing of consequence really happened on this next turn, save for a spotting round from my 120mm mortar strike. My men from Deutschland continue to make their push towards the Knoll.

#3805389 - 07/05/13 05:23 PM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Halfway through the next turn, I see a spotting round land near the Manor. I'm not quite sure what is up with that, since I haven't ordered any fire in that area:



Not much else happened this turn, save for another spotting round for my 120mm mortar strike on the left flank. My troops from 5th Company, Deutschland Regiment continue to make good progress towards the Knoll. Since the way looks clear, I'm going to move up a pair of half tracks a bit more and clear a way through some wire fencing. That way, I can then move my Panthers through the gap next turn without fear of them sustaining any track damage.



#3805638 - 07/06/13 05:33 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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The next turn didn't yield much action. I'm still waiting on my StuGs to show up before I make my push on the left flank.

#3807931 - 07/11/13 08:19 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Not much action again this next turn. So far, my 5th Company Deutschland scouts haven't spotted anything, so I'm going to move them forward to the next hedgerow. The Knoll objective is within reach. smile


#3809201 - 07/14/13 04:09 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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As the next turn unfolds, my XO team from 5th Company Deutschland spots some more of Rambler's scouts moving forward. By turn's end they were on the left flank of my Deutschland troops. I'm going to keep an eye on them, but since my 81mm mortars are tied up with another mission right now I'm not going to worry about sending any ordnance their way:




Meanwhile, in Der Führer's sector, the 120mm mortar strike finishes its bombardment. In hindsight, I should have coincided this bombardment with an attack order. Still, I can hope that I degraded Rambler's defenses somewhat in this sector:



On the right flank, my scouts have just about made to the next hedge without any issues. I'm going to have them wait here for a turn to see if they can spot anything that might be trouble, and then after that I'll move up the rest of the company, along with the halftracks and Panthers. I'm still keeping two Panthers in reserve, in order to keep a long-range counter to any armor that may cause trouble on the left flank.



#3809220 - 07/14/13 07:06 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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The next turn doesn't see much action. On the left flank my Der Führer scouts spot a Vickers team on the move. On the right flank, my Deutschland scouts continue to encounter no opposition.




The plan now is to move up 5th Company Deutschland en masse, along with two Panther tanks. Once that is complete, the plan is to secure the Knoll objective and start probing towards the slope beyond. However, since I'm due more reinforcements for this regiment (including armor), I'm just going to probe a bit. I'm sure it's going to be tough fight trying to take the slope.


#3809622 - 07/15/13 04:30 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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About 12 seconds into the next turn, a mortar round landed disturbingly close to my troops positioned along the hedgerow. Unless by some coincidence this was a spotting round from my 81mm tubes that was way off target, I have to conclude that Rambler has this area under observation. No troops were hit by this strike, thankfully.



Because of that mortar round, I'm adjusting my plan a bit. 1st platoon will reposition to the right in the dead ground, which should keep them out of the sight of the enemy. Until I make my big push towards the North Slope, I don't need to have them exposed, anyways. 2nd platoon will spread out and push forward into the copse of trees just ahead. That will give them some cover from any enemy fire Rambler has planned for this area.


#3810138 - 07/16/13 08:18 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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This was not a good turn for me. Shortly after the turn began, a mortar round takes out one of my squad leaders and lightly injures one of my MG42 gunners:



And then, towards the end of the turn, another round takes out one of my assistant squad leaders and another machine gunner. I really should have held these guys in place instead of running them across the field with mortar fire around:



The orders for the next turn are focused on getting my men spread out as much as possible. Rambler obviously has this area targeted for mortar fire, so I can't have my men just milling about, making themselves easy targets. The lead platoon will continue to push into the trees ahead, while the trailing platoon will spread out as much as they can and hit the dirt. Thankfully, this latter platoon HQ unit has a nice big shell hole in which to hide.

#3811068 - 07/18/13 04:51 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Right as my 81mm mortar barrage on Rambler's scouts is set to begin, they bug out for safer ground. Grrrr....



Meanwhile, as my men from Deutschland hunker down and wait for the inevitable mortar barrage, one observant soldier notices a pair of Rambler's scouts down the road behind a hedge:




Another spotting round lands near my troops, but this time it's close to my halftracks. No damage are injuries are inflicted by it.



Now that my 81mm mortars are available again, I'm going to have my XO team from Deutschland attempt to deal with the scouts they spotted a while ago. In addition, I'm going to move up two halftracks (one 37mm and one 7.92mm) to deal with the freshly-spotted scout team on my right flank.



#3812334 - 07/21/13 12:37 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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As my halftracks move up to deal with Rambler's scouts, the two of them fire on my MG-armed vehicle. Several rounds hit the halftrack, but of course the Hanomag is pretty much impervious to this sort of fire. My gunner returns the favor a short while later, and the two scouts hit the dirt. My 37mm halftrack did not have a good line of sight on them, so I'm going to move it up a bit next turn and see if that helps.

Otherwise, the only action this turn was another mortar round falling in this sector. I get the feeling this is just a slow, harassing fire mean to keep my head down.



#3812377 - 07/21/13 04:36 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Instead of waiting to be subjected to more enemy fire from my Hanomags, Rambler's scouts make a run for it.

Other than that, nothing much happened this turn. Next turn, I am going to try and recover that MG42 I lost, even though harassing mortar fire is continuing.


#3813497 - 07/23/13 07:05 PM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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As the next turn begins, my infantry spot a very juicy target on the far side of the map: a 17-pounder AT gun! I'm moving one of my platoon leaders into position so that he can call in an arty strike on this position:




#3813897 - 07/24/13 06:30 PM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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My rifle squad on the right flank recovered the MG42 from the guy who was hit, and the platoon HQ I moved into position can now see the enemy AT gun, so I'm having him call in a mortar strike on it.

At the end of the turn, my long-awaited reinforcements for both strike groups arrived on the map. For Der Führer, I received a platoon of Panzer IVs and about a company's worth of infantry. They are going to move forward and scout ahead before I make a big push forward. Plus, I also need to move a forward observer team over here so they can call in a smokescreen before my units advance.

For Deutschland, I also received about a company's worth of infantry, plus one StuG III. I'm sending them forward to join the rest of the group, along with the two Panthers I've been holding back. There's no real reason any more for me to keep them back here, so the sooner they can join up with the other two, the better.




#3815270 - 07/28/13 05:49 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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As the next turn unfolds, my scouts on the left flank have picked up an unidentified armor contact. It's a good thing, then, that I have two Panzer IVs in this area:



For the next turn, I'm going to send these MP44-armed scouts forward to see if they can pick up any contacts. In the meanwhile, my forward observer should be in position next turn to call in a smokescreen for my advance:


#3824055 - 08/19/13 03:01 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Ahem!... biggrin

#3826083 - 08/23/13 07:17 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Yes, yes, I know. smile

We've been on hiatus for a while, because I've been dealing with the death of my mother, who passed away on 2 August. But, we plan to pick this up again soon.

#3826109 - 08/23/13 09:34 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Sorry Luke, I was not aware of your mom's passing. My condolences.
frown

#3826498 - 08/23/13 11:18 PM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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No worries, and thank you. smile

#3827087 - 08/25/13 03:51 PM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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I'm sorry to hear of your loss Luke. I have enjoyed the posts so far.


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#3827320 - 08/26/13 07:29 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Thanks. smile We'll hopefully be resuming the festivities this week.

Her and I on the day I graduated from boot camp in South Carolina:





#3827410 - 08/26/13 01:12 PM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Originally Posted By: LukeFF
Yes, yes, I know. smile
We've been on hiatus for a while, because I've been dealing with the death of my mother, who passed away on 2 August. But, we plan to pick this up again soon.


Sorry to hear about the death of your mom Luke ... My mom and I are very close and I dread that day..


Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.
#3827413 - 08/26/13 01:21 PM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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My condolences Luke. Is there a connection that involved your trip to Israel ?


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#3827666 - 08/26/13 10:26 PM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: oldgrognard]  
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Originally Posted By: oldgrognard
My condolences Luke. Is there a connection that involved your trip to Israel ?


Well, everything really started with my mother's health not long after I went over to Israel for that business trip. She started developing what the doctors first thought were symptoms of a stroke. But, when the tests came back they found a tumor that was putting pressure on the right side of her brain; it had started as a tumor in her chest that spread to her head. She was never a smoker, but her father was a smoker, and several of her relatives have also died of cancer, so it's probably something genetically related in the family.

Anyways, they removed the tumor in her head right away, and amazingly she was back home in two weeks, and it looked like things were looking alright. The last time I saw and spoke to her was on the 4th of July, and by all accounts she was on the mend and feeling better. But then, two weeks later the tumor in her chest started causing her problems with pain and fluid buildup, so she had to go into the hospital yet again for a week. During this time they put a tube in her chest to help drain the fluid. It was also during this time my parents celebrated (well, if one can call it that) their last wedding anniversary.

Three days after being discharged she started having chest problems again, so she was taken to the ER but not admitted. They sent her home with one of those home oxygen systems one typically sees elderly people using. Two nights later, the night before she died (a Thursday), her and my dad had what was a reasonably normal evening and talked about him running some errands that next day after work. The next morning when my father left for work, he checked to make sure she was physically OK before leaving, because he could stay home otherwise. She seemed OK, so he left for work.

And that was it. About 5 hours later she called 911 but couldn't even get a word in to the dispatcher, so they sent police and paramedics to the house. She couldn't even walk to the door, so they had to break the door open to get into the house. She was still alive and breathing when they got her to the ER, but she made it clear she didn't want to be kept alive on a respirator. And so, that's where she died, a few minutes before noon. My father and I didn't find out until over an hour later, so by then it was of course too late. frown

But, she's in the presence of the Lord now and no longer suffering. We miss her very, very dearly, but we know we'll see her one day again.

#3827667 - 08/26/13 10:27 PM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: Bearcat99]  
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Originally Posted By: Bearcat99
Sorry to hear about the death of your mom Luke ... My mom and I are very close and I dread that day..


Same here. We were very close, and so the way this happened all so suddenly was quite a shock. I'm still having a hard time believing she's gone.

#3827755 - 08/27/13 03:27 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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My deepest condolences prayers on your loss, mothers are God's gift to us all.


I used to work for a living, but then I took an arrow to the knee.
#3827803 - 08/27/13 07:26 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: theKhan]  
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Originally Posted By: vonKhan
My deepest condolences prayers on your loss, mothers are God's gift to us all.


Indeed. smile I was very blessed to have her as my mother.

#3827852 - 08/27/13 11:53 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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My sincere condolences Luke. My mother had the same health problems and died back in 2009, I know what you are feeling right now. I miss her every day.

BTW: nice AAR!

Last edited by trindade; 08/27/13 12:23 PM.
#3829759 - 08/31/13 09:04 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Thanks, guys. smile It's a tough time, for sure, but I'm going to get through this.

And now, we're back on! So, where were we...?

At the beginning of the next turn, Rambler's scouts on the right flank that I pinned down with haltrack fire are up and on the move again. No biggie.



Meanwhile, on the left flank, a contact near the intersection pops up. I don't know precisely what this is yet, but I have a hunch it's a Vickers team I spotted earlier. However, the more fruitful contact this turn came down the road paralleling the forest - a Sherman tank. It was spotted by some of my scouts back along the hedgerow:





I have two Panzer IVs that could deal with it, but I don't want to commit them yet until know whether Rambler has other tanks lying in wait. It could be that he's using this tank as bait. So, as long as it doesn't move I'm fine with where it's at right now.

The final action on the left flank is a couple of Rambler's scouts scurrying back towards the ridgeline, who are promptly fired upon by one of my infantry platoon HQ units. So far, it looks like Rambler doesn't have a lot of infantry guarding this flank.




Lastly, a couple of my infantry scouts on the left flank whom I've left with a short firing arc have failed to spot a sniper that's somehow sneaked up very close. It looks like one of my guys is about to have a bad day. frown But, I'm moving up a couple of guys with MP44s to take care of that problem.




~4 minutes until my artillery strike commences on the AT gun.

#3830427 - 09/01/13 11:20 PM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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And wouldn't you know it - that round from the sniper missed! It hit the tree trunk nearest the soldier on the right. You can just make out the puff of smoke it caused. Now fully alerted, the two riflemen return fire:



However, this sniper is very persistent, and he continues to return fire, downing the rifleman on the left:



Eventually the 3-man assault team (two of which have MP44s) I sent up to deal with the problem dispatched the sniper. The sniper had tried to beat a hasty retreat, but it was in vain. You can just make out the assault team in the distance:



Nothing much happened on the left flank this turn. I'm moving up my heavy machinegun platoon to cover this center field, through which I am going to move two rifle platoons forward in order to secure the left flank. Meanwhile, I'm going to move a Panzer IVJ forward to see if he can deal with the Sherman:



#3830944 - 09/03/13 09:59 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Not a whole lot of action this next turn. The Panzer IV did not spot the Sherman, but it does know that it's in the vicinity. Hopefully next turn he'll be able to target it.

The only other real notable action this turn was the first spotting round targeting the AT gun on the right flank. Hopefully this artillery barrage takes care of the problem. If it doesn't, I'm not going to waste time trying to get rid of it with one of my infantry platoon HQs and instead will move up one of my company HQs to take care of the issue.



#3831516 - 09/04/13 08:07 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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The next turn begins with one of my rifle platoons on the right-hand side of my left flank trading fire inconclusively with a Bren team across the field. I'm going to have some of these men take cover behind the wall the next turn, because I don't want them wasting time and exposing themselves to such a target. I have heavy machine guns and tanks for that sort of thing.




Meanwhile, on the right flank, my artillery fire is getting closer to that AT gun:



My XO team from 5th Company, Deutschland, spotted a scout team across the way, as I expected:



And, near the end of the turn, I could hear one of Rambler's mortars letting off a round. Gonna be interesting to see where that lands! Oh, and my Panzer IV still can't see that Sherman. mad I'm going to nudge him forward just a bit to see if he can get a good fix.

My orders for the next turn focus on doing some more scouting with 1st Platoon, 5th Company Deutschland and keep them from being easy mortar targets. I've kept them idle for way too long. Also, I'm going to cautiously move my StuG and these two Panthers forward. From their new positions they'll have good hull-down line of sight to the terrain several hundred meters ahead of them.




Next turn, my attack elements for the left flank (Der Führer) should be in position to move up.

#3832653 - 09/06/13 08:13 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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That round I heard from Rambler's mortar last turn lands to the left of the my rank-flank advance in Der Führer's sector. It's followed by several other spotting rounds in the area. It looks to me like Rambler is targeting this infantry platoon positioned amongst the wall, so I'm gonna need to spread them out:




Near the end of the turn, my scouts from the the rifle platoon pictured above spotted a 57mm AT gun in the treeline. I'm gonna have my forward observer team at the back of the map take care of this, with a 120mm mortar strike:




Meanwhile, on the right flank, my mortar strike on the 17-pounder AT gun has just about found its range. According to the info panel the strike should be coming in within the next minute:



My orders for the next turn include pushing my Deutschland scouts forward along my planned route of advance, pummeling a building on the left flank that I suspect is hiding some of Rambler's scouts, and pushing my infantry through the center field on the left flank of Der Führer. Concerning this last move, I have two HMGs plus a Panzer IV in support. The plan is push two rifle platoons across this field to the large hedgerow:




#3833224 - 09/07/13 09:16 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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On the left flank, this spotting round comes oh so close to my scout teams, but other than pinning them to the ground, they are not harmed by its impact. Nonetheless, I know for sure that Rambler is targeting this platoon now, so I'm going to move more of my men from this platoon into the adjacent buildings and deeper into the woods:




The first of my two rifle platoons has begun its advance through the center field on the left flank. The second platoon will begin its move next turn and bound past the first one:




Finally, in this sector, my Panzer IV was unable to target the building, even though the game is showing it having an unobstructed view of the target. mad So, I'm going to move him a bit next turn and try again.

On the right flank, my 120 mm mortar strike on the 17-pounder AT gun is in full swing, including this hit near the end of the turn that most likely wiped the gun out (the target cannot be seen due to all the dust and smoke in the air from the impacts):




That last screenshot makes me oh so happy. biggrin

#3833479 - 09/07/13 09:22 PM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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As my infantry advance through the center field on the left flank, they start to come under fire from the 57 mm AT gun recently spotted. The hedgerow is so far catching all of the rounds, but I'm going to hold up my infantry until the problem is dealt with. I'm going to order one of my Panzer IVs to lay down a smoke screen, and another one will shell the position of the gun:




On the right flank I'm almost certain that the 17-pounder AT gun has been knocked out, as another shell lands almost in the exact same spot as one of the ones that hit last turn. I'm going to hold the observing platoon for a moment here to see if they can confirm that, and then I'll replace them with the Company HQ in their spot:



Finally, at the end of the turn, my 5th Company Deutschland XO team spotted this Vickers team about 500 meters away. I've ordered them to call in an 81 mm mortar strike on the position:




#3833981 - 09/09/13 04:12 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Not a whole lot of action this next turn. My Panzer IV I ordered to fire on the 57 mm AT gun still won't fire off a shot, so I'm going to try moving him over yet a bit more (this issue has been around for about as long as CMx2 has been out - it has to do with how the game calculates line-of-sight solutions for armored vehicles).



Thankfully, I had better fortunes with the StuG I ordered to target the Vickers team. Right at the end of the turn it spotted the team and began spraying some MG fire its way, and it was aiming its main gun as the turn ended:


#3834209 - 09/09/13 05:02 PM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Some heavy fighting going on. Nice AAR!

#3835237 - 09/11/13 07:18 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Thanks! I get the feeling the action is really going to heat up quickly.

#3836534 - 09/13/13 07:23 PM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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At the start of the next turn, the Stug takes aim and fires at the Vickers team, who take cover behind the wall once the first round hits. They can't be seen anymore at the end of the turn, but I'm unsure if I've caused any casualties. Anyhow, I'm giving the StuG a Target Briefly command next turn and canceling the mortar request, since the StuG can easily take care of this problem:





Meanwhile, spotting rounds continue to fall near my advancing Deutschland troops. I'm going to continue moving my troops up aggressively, as I don't want them to sit in one spot for too long and thus become an easy target:




And, much to my chagrin, I find out that 17-pounder AT gun is still alive. mad So, I've ordered one of my Deutschland company HQs to call in another 120 mm mortar strike:



On the left flank, my Panzer IV finally gets into a good firing position and lands several hits on the 57 mm AT gun position, including this one. This will allow my infantry advance in the center field to resume:


#3838324 - 09/17/13 06:33 PM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Not a whole lot to report this next turn. My Panzer IV continues to pummel the position of the 57mm AT gun, and my mortar team reports that it's about ready to commence its firing mission on the target. The Vickers team spotted by my StuG wasn't seen this turn, while a couple more 75mm shells were lobbed its way. Infantry continues to advance on both flanks. Near the end of the turn, one of my Panzer IVs spotted this mortar team and was taking aim at it as the turn ended:


#3846267 - 10/05/13 05:08 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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We will be resuming action hopefully soon. smile

#3848818 - 10/11/13 07:19 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Alright, so we're back in action! At the start of the next turn, the aforementioned mortar team was observed running off towards the center of the map before they disappeared from sight.



Meanwhile, on the left flank, my leading rifle squads make contact with an enemy rifle team behind some bocage. After some return fire from my MGs they duck down and slip out of sight as well:




On the right flank, some mortar fire drops near my spotting position to call artillery fire on that 17-pounder AT gun, but so far it's proven ineffectual:



To deal with that enemy contact on my left flank, I'm going to move up two assault teams to the hedge, but for now they will go no farther than that. I don't want to overextend my rifle teams and have them being outflanked. Also, I'm going to move up the two overwatching HMG teams, in order so they can provide better flank protection and get me some eyes into what may be lurking in Rambler's backfield:




Finally, I have an entire company of infantry in reserve right now in this grove on the right flank. They're going to stay there for now.


#3848874 - 10/11/13 11:29 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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I'm loving this AAR. I know RL has been difficult but I'm really hanging to see how all this eventuates!


Rabbits, break right and climb.
#3849075 - 10/11/13 11:23 PM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: Smosh]  
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Originally Posted By: Smosh
I'm really hanging to see how all this eventuates!


Believe me, so am I! I have this nagging feeling that things have been too easy so far, because Rambler is instead keeping a nasty surprise in store for later. We shall soon see... smile

#3849439 - 10/13/13 04:40 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Right at the beginning of the next turn, the enemy team behind the hedgerow pops back up and starts firing. My left-hand assault team spots a rifleman and opens up on him, along with one of the squads back in support. After trading some fire, he falls to what looks like fire from an MP44 in my left-hand assault squad. The right-hand squad does not spot the team before the turn ends. I can still hear a Sten being fired from the same location, so that's still an issue to be dealt with:





After moving back into position, my scouts have reported that the 57 mm AT gun is still active, with at least one crewman. They open fire on said crewman, pinning him to the ground:



Nothing really happened on the right flank in Deutschland's sector this turn.

For this next turn, I've ordered one of my Der Führer company HQs to call in a short 81 mm mortar strike on this scout team:



On the far left flank, I've ordered that right-hand assault team to move a bit to the left to see if they can spot that enemy rifle team. To help cover them, I've ordered one of the supporting rifle squads to lay down suppressing fire for 15 seconds:



My HMG platoon from 9th Company Der Führer is not quite yet in position, so I'm going to wait a turn before having a rifle platoon from the same company fan out and probe ahead:



One of my Panzer IVs is going to move a bit to the right and pummel that 57 mm AT gun position some more. It's about time that thing gets knocked out!



Lastly, I've split off some more scouts on Deutschland's flank to scout out the terrain ahead:


#3849470 - 10/13/13 09:40 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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The source of the SMG fire pops up almost immediately at the start of the next turn. However, he and whomever is left of the team decides there's too much incoming fire, and so they make a run for it:



The Panzer IV continues to pummel the 57 mm AT gun position, including this shot:



In front of the AT gun, my troops along the wall catch sight of and open fire on a Bren team moving out of the woods. They make it to the hedgerow, where they drop out of sight. A short while later, the previously-spotted mortar team is seen running towards the same hedgerow. They're picked up by my 9th Company Der Führer HMG platoon at the end of the turn:





In Deutschland's sector, a mortar round lands uncomfortably close to the team spotting for the artillery fire planned for the 17-pounder AT gun. None of them are hit, but they all hit the dirt nonetheless:



For the next turn, 5th Company Deutschland will continue to scout ahead and advance cautiously:



I'm going to start moving up some of my men from 1st Platoon, 9th Company Der Führer to see if I can get within grenade range and take out that 57 mm AT gun:



3rd Platoon, 9th Company Der Führer will move up all the way to the hedgerow to scout for further enemy presence, and 2nd Platoon will begin scouting in preparation for moving out to the right of 3rd Platoon:



#3849651 - 10/13/13 10:41 PM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Awesome stuff. This is really starting to get exciting!


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#3850573 - 10/16/13 07:07 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Most of the action on this next turn centered around the 57 mm AT gun and the Bren & mortar teams on the opposite hedgerow. The AT gun continued to be subjected to MG fire from one of my tanks and my forward scouts.

My teams started taking more concentrated fire from the mortar and Bren team behind that hedgerow. One of my Panzer IVs even spotted them and let off a shot, which landed short. One man from my platoon here was seriously wounded, but it looked like the shot came from a sniper I've yet to uncover:




On the right flank, more spotting rounds for my artillery strike on the 17-pounder AT gun fell, while more enemy rounds landed around the spotting team, to no effect.

For this next turn, in Deutschland's sector I will continue to move my scouts up some more before moving the up the rest of 5th Company:



On the left, I'm ordering one of my Panzer IVs to target the hedgerow with MG fire to suppress the two enemy teams. As there are trees along the tank's sight line, I am ordering it to only fire its machine guns so as to avoid friendly fire casualties from 75 mm HE rounds. My MG34 from the weapons platoon of 9th Company will also contribute suppressing fire. All the while, I'll continue moving up my fire teams so they can get within grenade range of that AT gun:



#3851245 - 10/17/13 11:31 PM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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The action was hot and heavy this turn, and it again centered around the Bren and 81mm mortar team, the 57mm AT gun, and 1st Platoon of 9th Company.

The Bren team quickly decided this wasn't a good place to be, and it packed up and left soon after the turn started. However, the 81mm mortar team, initially unaffected by my fire, deployed behind the hedge. I knew this wasn't gonna be good:




Sure enough, the 81mm mortar starts firing in direct-fire mode against 1st Platoon. How this mortar did not take out my two scouts, I'll never know. In the background, you can see my assault teams moving up for the attack on the 57mm AT gun:



Meanwhile, other troops of the platoon continue to pelt the AT position with fire:



My MGs of 1st Platoon finally pin the 81mm mortar, but not before raining about half a dozen shells on their position. Mercifully, outside of some rattled nerves, not a single man was injured or killed by this attack:




The rest of the front was relatively quiet this turn.

For the next turn, the MG34 in 9th Company's weapons platoon and one of my Panzer IVs will shift their fire to the 81mm mortars position. As before, the Panzer IV will use only its MGs, since there are trees and buildings along its line of fire:




2nd Platoon, 9th Company scouts will fan out into the next field and see if they can spot anything. I know Rambler has a Sherman back here somewhere, but what else is a mystery:



Two 1st Platoon, 9th Company assault teams will continue to bound ever closer to the AT gun:



On the right flank, 1st and 2nd Platoons of 5th Company will continue to move forward. They are making very good progress:



Last edited by LukeFF; 10/17/13 11:42 PM.
#3851247 - 10/17/13 11:35 PM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Oh, and just to clarify things, as far as my infantry composition:

9th and 10th Company are on my left flank and are part of Der Führer Regiment. They are supported by a platoon of Panzer IVs.

5th and 6th Company are on my right flank and are part of Deutschland Regiment. They are supported by a platoon of Panthers. In addition, the StuG is attached to 6th Company.

#3852663 - 10/22/13 12:25 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Again, all of the action this next turn centered around the 57mm AT gun and hedgerow behind which the Bren and mortar teams took up position. However, this turn the 81mm mortar team decides to bug out:



My assault teams from 1st Platoon, 9th Company have made it into position for the assault on the 57mm AT gun:




That was pretty much it in terms of action this turn.

For this next turn, one of my assault teams will close with the AT gun. They have 3 automatic weapons and 7 grenades, which should do the trick. One of my Panzer IVs will provide covering fire with its machine guns, while another one will fire on the adjoining buildings with its MGs, in case Rambler has someone lurking in there:




Farther to the left, 2nd and 3rd Platoon, 9th Company will send scouts forward. Over in 5th Company's sector, I'm waiting for my trailing rifle platoon to catch up before I move them any farther.



#3852742 - 10/22/13 04:31 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Well your thread finally made me download the demo smile

Stumbled through the berlin demo scenario a few times, trying to get to grips with how the mortars work atm as i seem to be fluking getting them working randomly despite reading every tutorial i can get my hands on. I run out of ammo as well even though i have ammo bearers with them and i am also struggling with los and what hq does what and how ...and why biggrin.

Anyway i downloaded the Monster CBN tutorial from youtube last night which is nearly 3 hours long so it should clue me in a lot more.

Loving your AAR thumbsup


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#3853019 - 10/22/13 08:24 PM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Cool man! Yeah, the game does have a steep learning curve, but it's really fun once you get the hang of it.

#3853079 - 10/23/13 12:07 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Well i learned a stack last night. I didn't know you could move your troops and then have them also deploy a weapon, add target waypoints, change one waypoint to quick/fast ect, was really cool smile I was originally moving..then deploying at the waypoint as a seperate command once they had moved so i wasting time. I also didn't know you got a 'free shot' with arty/mortars at the beginning of the turn so that helped. Opening up the tanks to get a better field of vision, using target light so they don't open up with he and a heap more tricks.

I had the crossroads (demo) well flanked and set up for a final assault when i noticed i had only 5 seconds left in game time so i flunked out on the ground quota biggrin I need to use the pause button more when i am deciding what i am doing with my troops.

Is this the latest in the Combat mission series or ? Just wondering if i should purchase or hold off if something is on the horizon or has already surpassed it.

edit- i still struggled a little bit with the mortars. I kept the whole mortar group together with a flag guy (hq?) in the open to the left of their starting point. I then had scouts at the bocage directly in front and then more scouts in the farmhouses in front and to the left as well as two Shermans behind the bocage doing overwatch. The shermans could see across a field in front but i kept getting denied on mortar drop or when it wasn't denied (for some reason) i would be like yes! but then i could not select point/linear or area regardless in the arty option. So i must have the c2 chain broken somewhere?

Also (and sorry for all the questions in your aar) is it possible to resupply the mortars or no ? and how many rounds do they expend regards Light/medium/heavy ?

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#3853080 - 10/23/13 12:09 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Yes, this is the latest iteration of the Combat Mission series. Up next tentatively is the Eastern Front, which will initially cover the last ~12 months of the war.

#3853088 - 10/23/13 12:30 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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This next turn has lots of action. First up, my assault team from 1st Platoon 9th Company makes it to within grenade range of the 57mm AT gun. Two grenades are lobbed over the sandbags - the first kills the remaining crewman, and the second one knocks out the gun (that's the second grenade about to go off in that 3rd pic):





Meanwhile, that 81mm mortar team is picked up again, crawling away on the ground:



Not all was well this turn. First off, some of my scouts from 2nd Platoon 9th Company ran into a picket line of troops in the far hedgerow. Two of the four men in the team are taken out, including the one in this pic trying to aim his rifle:



Meanwhile, one of my men in 1st Platoon 5th Company is hit by what sounds like MG fire, but from where it's coming I don't know:



And finally, my XO team from 6th Company comes under fire from the next hedgerow, but none of them are hit (yet):



So, for the next turn, 3rd Platoon 9th Company will move up in force to engage Rambler's pickets. I've ordered the team under fire in 2nd Platoon to take cover behind the wall, while I move another team into position to their right to engage the pickets:




I'm going to move my two reserve Panzer IVs out of cover and have them race up to the hedgerow adjacent to the cluster of buildings to the left of the 57mm AT gun. Since I know Rambler has a Sherman somewhere out there, I'm going to have one of my other Panzer IVs lay down a smokescreen:




Over on the right, I'm going to have 6th Company's StuG take some shots at the likely source of the fire being aimed at their company XO team. In addition, I'm going to move up two of my Panthers to assist in 5th Company's advance and see if they can assist in locating the source of the MG fire:




Things are definitely getting hot!

#3858988 - 11/06/13 01:04 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Ahem.


Good people sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.

Someday your life will flash in front of your eyes. Make sure it is worth watching.
#3859041 - 11/06/13 03:39 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Yeah, Rambler's been busy with other stuff lately. Bug him and see if you can get a turn out of him. biggrin

#3861453 - 11/12/13 05:38 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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And we're back! biggrin So, let's see, where were we...

3rd Platoon, 9th Company makes it up to the hedgerow and engages a Vickers MG team and a rifle team in far tree line. The Vickers is soon suppressed, and one of its team members is seen to go down:



Meanwhile, one of my HMGs from 9th Company's weapons platoon spots yet another Vickers MG behind this hedgerow. It engages and also soon suppresses it:



In Deutschland's sector, this scout that was bothering one of my XO teams makes a run for it instead of waiting to be targeted by my StuG. Of course, as things would go, shrapnel from an HE round took out one of the XO team members. Thankfully it wasn't the XO, though:



Otherwise, about the only other action was the mortar barrage beginning to fall on that 17-pounder AT gun. I'm not going to waste any more ordnance, though, if I fail to take it out, as it's not really bothering me right now.

For the next turn, I'm having my men from 2nd and 3rd Platoon, 9th Company hunker down until I can take care of these Vickers MG threats. To that end, I'm having one of my Panzer IVs and heavy machine guns target the one spotted on 9th Company's right flank. I'm a bit worried about this, though, because Rambler has a Sherman around here that hasn't been seen for a while now. I'm hoping it's not waiting in ambush for such a moment as this:




1st Platoon, 9th Company will begin cautiously moving up as well:



In Deutschland's sector, my rifle platoons are staying put for another turn, as the Panthers are still moving into position. I don't want my infantry moving without some heavy weapons in support - especially considering I don't have a weapons platoon over here.

#3863567 - 11/17/13 03:03 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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The rifle team being engaged by 3rd Platoon 9th Company decides to make a break for it, but as they turn to run, one of the two men visible falls to enemy fire. Meanwhile, the Vickers gunner turns his attention to one of his wounded buddies, but short while later he also decides to make a run for it. He leaves behind his wounded comrade and another pinned down by my fire:





However, one my rifle teams from 3rd platoon has a hard time of it this turn, losing a machine-gunner and a rifleman.

My two Panzer IVs make it to their waypoint, and the one assigned to target the Vickers team promptly sends two HE rounds...into an intervening hedge. rolleyes



As the above picture shows, they are taking some sort of incoming MG fire, so I'm going to button up both TCs for the next turn.

On the right flank, my 5th Company XO team spots this machine gun HQ team moving laterally in front of 1st Platoon 5th Company. At the end of the turn they were seen moving away into the forest in the foreground:



Right as the turn ends, one of the two Panthers sent up to support 5th Company spots this team lying in a field. Based on their position I think it's the guys that were harassing my 6th Company XO team:




And that was it for this turn. The only other action was the mortar fire continuing to pummel the location of the 17-pounder AT gun on the far right flank.

For the next turn, I'm having this particular Panzer IV switch to firing MGs only against the location of the Vickers team. Having him pound that hedge with cannon fire doesn't really do me any good:



1st Platoon 9th Company will continue to reposition. Two scouts will be sent to the upstairs floor of the middle building. To maintain better C2, the platoon HQ will move up to a position behind that same building:



To relieve the pressure on 3rd Platoon 9th Company, elements of 2nd platoon will move up to the stone wall in the center of the below pic and engage the enemy troops in the opposite hedgerow. Rambler has a Bren and a rifle team there that is giving 3rd Platoon problems right now:



To give my troops better combined arms support, my two trailing Panzer IVs will move up to a position behind 2nd & 3rd Platoon 9th Company. The second of the two tanks will begin moving 20 seconds after the first one:



Lastly, on the right flank, I am repositioning my StuG to better support 5th Company, and I'm beginning to move up my reserve 6th Company. 1st Platoon will move up first this turn:


#3866379 - 11/22/13 12:16 PM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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And ... ?


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#3866732 - 11/23/13 03:37 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: oldgrognard]  
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Originally Posted By: oldgrognard
And ... ?


We shall see. biggrin Sorry about the slow pace - Rambler is really busy with other things right now.

#3868246 - 11/27/13 02:37 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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As the next turn begins, I hear the sounds of an aircraft overhead. Not good! It may have been a glitch, as a patch was applied to the game between these last two turns, but now I've one more thing to worry about.

Onto the action: 2nd and 3rd Platoon 9th Company finally start putting some effective fire on the Polish troops in the opposite hedgerow:



My scouts from 1st Platoon 9th Company make it to the top of the farmhouse, and near the end of the turn they spot the 57mm AT gun. I'm glad to see my MG fire is keeping it pinned:




Over on the right flank, 1st Platoon 5th Company spots that same HQ moving farther into the forest:



The rifle team my Panther spotted at the end of the last turn disappeared, so my Panther held its fire. While all of this was going on, my men from 1st Platoon 5th Company tend to one of their wounded. He has an MP44, and so I'd like to keep that thing in action:



For the next turn, I am sending some scouts from 1st Platoon 5th Company over to the right flank to see if they can spot anything:



I am going to send the rest of 2nd Platoon 9th Company (minus the AT team) up to the stone wall to assist their comrades. Hopefully that will be enough to silence the enemy fire. Meanwhile, the two Panzer IVs I've send forward in this section will stop short. I'm worried that Rambler has an AT gun that would be perfectly sited to take those tanks out with enfilading fire:



Lastly, I'm sending 1st Platoon's HQ team to the top floor, so it can get a good look at the AT gun and call in some 81mm mortar fire on it. My MGs will continue to pour fire onto it, in order to keep their heads down until I can start dropping rounds on their heads:


#3871754 - 12/04/13 11:49 PM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Ahem ......


Good people sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.

Someday your life will flash in front of your eyes. Make sure it is worth watching.
#3872349 - 12/06/13 09:31 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Yes, yes... smile

2nd Platoon 9th Company finally starts putting down some good fire on the opposite hedgerow, and it's a good thing, as it seems Rambler has a fair number of troops in this area:



During the turn, 2nd and 3rd Platoons of 9th Company spot this Vickers MG team attempting to reinforce their comrades along the hedgerow. Moments later the man on the left was hit, and subsequently the team hit the dirt:



I kept that AT gun under fire. Every now and then one of its crew could be seen sticking their head up, but for most of the turn he kept his head down (machine gun suppression is much, much more effective in the game now than it was in the past):




As I mentioned above, it seems like Rambler has about 2 squads worth of infantry opposite 2nd Platoon 9th Company. There are 4 men visible in this shot, plus one more, which was taken as the turn ended:



Things were pretty quiet in 5th and 6th Company's Sector. About the only action was one of my XO teams spotting this lone rifleman slipping away behind some vegetation:



One of my squad leaders from 1st Platoon 5th Company finished rendering buddy aid, and he took the MP44 as I hoped. The only problem is he grabbed only one 30-round mag. rolleyes He's likely to become a liability if the squad sees any sustained combat:



For the next turn, I'll continue moving 1st and 2nd Platoons of 5th Company forward, under the watchful eyes of the StuG and 2 Panthers:



On the left flank, the weapons platoon of 9th Company will move up so they can better interdict any reinforcements Rambler tries to send this way. 3rd Platoon will shift to the right a bit in order to gain fire ascendancy on the hedgerow. 1st Platoon will remain where it is. Their squad leader doesn't quite have good line of site to the AT gun, so I'm having them reposition a bit. Hopefully that will allow them to gain a good spot on the gun, which of course will allow me to call down mortar fire on it. Until then, my Panzer IV will continue to pin it with MG fire:




Lastly, I toggled my terrain objectives to show just how close I am to one of them in this sector:


#3876180 - 12/13/13 12:11 PM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Poke. Poke.

Still alive ?


Good people sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.

Someday your life will flash in front of your eyes. Make sure it is worth watching.
#3876767 - 12/14/13 03:49 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: oldgrognard]  
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Cool AAR.

As a player can you "automate" some of the micro management?

A KG Kommander worrying about (or even knowing) how many mags an MP 44 SL has just seems a bit over the top.

Oh and where's the cab ranks of Typhoons and P-47's? winkngrin


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#3876832 - 12/14/13 07:40 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Still alive, but you may wanna poke Rambler and see if he's still breathing. biggrin

Yes Nixer, some of the micromanagement can be automated, but ultimately it's up to the player to ensure he gives his troops good orders. As for knowing about how much ammo a squad leader has - well, the player is ultimately not just the KG commander, but also the company CO, platoon sergeant, etc., so that sort of thing would be known in one way or another. Some of the ammo management is simplified - for instance, the game does not differentiate between belted and clipped ammo - so for instance an American rifle squad all draws from the same pool of .30-06 allotted to it. In a way, it's good - I can only image the coding nightmare it would be differentiating between magazines, rifle clips, MG belts, etc.

#3878561 - 12/17/13 08:14 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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As the next turn begins, my men from 2nd Platoon 9th Company continue to pour fire into the opposite hedgerow to good effect. However, one of my men from this platoon falls to enemy fire not far into the turn:



Meanwhile, a few meters away, one of his comrades bravely applies buddy aid to a fallen machine gunner while the rest of the platoon pours fire into the hedges. A few minutes later he becomes one very well-armed soldier: biggrin




Rambler obviously has eyes on my troops in this sector, as a spotting round falls near 3rd Platoon 9th Company's position:



Nothing of note happened in Deutschland's sector this turn.

For the next turn, my scouts from 1st Platoon 5th Company will reposition to see what's ahead of the platoon. 2nd Platoon will continue following up behind them. 6th Company is also continuing to trail 5th Company on the left:



On the left flank, I'm repositioning these two Panzer IVs to a position along the hedgerow, as right now they aren't really doing me any good. 3rd Platoon 9th Company will also move to a spot near these two tanks, as it's likely Rambler's mortar fire is aimed for them. 2nd Platoon will stay put for now, but I may need to move them in a hurry:



Lastly, 1st Platoon 9th Company's CO has eyes on that AT gun, so he's going to call in a short, 2-tube 81mm mortar strike on it. Estimated time-on-target is 5 minutes:


#3884616 - 12/27/13 06:10 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Shortly after the next turn begins, I spot what is likely the same Vickers team I encountered earlier in 9th Company's sector up and on the move again towards the hedgerow. I'm not quite sure what Rambler's plan is, because during the turn one of his rifle teams decides to beat a retreat from that same hedgerow:




Speaking of 9th Company, it's a good thing I evacuated them out of their old position, because another mortar round lands very close to where they once were not that long ago:



In Deutschland's area, a curious thing happened as one of my squads from 1st Platoon 5th Company noticed movement in the treeline behind us, and so they opened up with an MG42. In the second pic, you can just make out the shots being sent into the woods, left-of-center:




I've a hunch that Rambler has an AT team waiting in ambush in that treeline, since I would have to move my tanks through those woods if I don't want them to damage their treads going over a stone wall. So, because of that, I'm going to have my men keep an eye on that woodline too see if anything more concrete pops up. No new orders are in the queue for my Der Führer units on the left flank.

#3884698 - 12/27/13 01:04 PM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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And then what happened ?


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#3886656 - 12/31/13 05:36 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: oldgrognard]  
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Originally Posted By: oldgrognard
And then what happened ?


Christmas leave. biggrin

#3889702 - 01/05/14 04:17 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Not a whole lot happened this next turn. The infantry that my men of 5th Company spotted in the treeline last turn were nowhere to be seen this turn. On the left flank, 2nd Platoon traded fire with the Vickers MG team I'd previously spotted. Otherwise, that was about it:



I've lots of moves planned for next turn. First up on, the right flank, I'm going to move up my two reserve Panthers, so that they aren't out of position if I need them in a hurry. They will move up to where the other 2 Panthers and the StuG currently are positioned. Meanwhile, the two forward Panthers will move around the wall and up to where 1st Platoon 5th Company is positioned. Since they will be moving through an area where I suspect enemy infantry to be, I am ordered my troops from 2nd Platoon 5th Company to lay down some covering fire into the treeline:




To 5th Company's left, my reserve 6th Company will continue to move up through the woods:



On the left flank, my forward observer team from 9th Company, who is now in the building adjacent to my 1st Platoon 9th Company HQ, is going to call in two different sets of mortar fire. The first will be an 81mm mortar barrage where Rambler has that Vickers team and some other assorted troops:



The second fire plan will be a 105mm smokescreen, indicated by the green line below. The idea is to provide cover for my left flank as my troops move along the treeline at the right of the screenshot. This will allow me to move into the objective zone and hopefully see where Rambler has his armor:



Lastly, in order to put this move into action, I am disengaging 2nd Platoon 9th Company from the firefight they're currently involved in with Rambler's troops along the hedgerow. They are still in good shape, and I don't want them to be ground down by Rambler's infantry or mortar fire. They will rally at the location near where I am having 2nd Platoon move to, which is shown below.

Meanwhile, 10th Company, my infantry reserve in this area, is continuing to move up and is just out of sight at the right edge of this pic:


#3896845 - 01/17/14 02:24 PM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Don't make me beg for more. I am always ashamed of myself after I beg.


Good people sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.

Someday your life will flash in front of your eyes. Make sure it is worth watching.
#3898009 - 01/19/14 12:03 PM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Another one begging (too old to feel shame anymore:) ). Love this aar, and really interested in how it goes.
Thanks!

Last edited by Staniol; 01/19/14 12:04 PM.

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#3900728 - 01/24/14 08:34 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Rambler's been ill as of late, so that's delayed things. I'll post a new update as soon as he sends me a new turn. smile

#3900777 - 01/24/14 12:26 PM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Thank you for the update. All the best to him.


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#3901700 - 01/25/14 11:59 PM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Wow, it's amazing how timing can be everything in this game. As I mentioned up above, I ordered 2nd Platoon 9th Company to displace from their current position. This they did in good order, and it turns out that was very wise. Within seconds of the last troops moving out of the area, the mortar fire (which looks like 81mm) began to fall around their former position:

(Sadly, I did have to leave my wounded behind, as to do otherwise would have shredded 2nd Platoon).





On the right flank, 2nd Platoon 5th Company starts to open fire on the suspected enemy position in the treeline to their rear:



But, it was these troops from 1st Platoon that spotted the enemy, which looks to be some sort of platoon leader or forward observer, judging by his animations. After a few seconds of taking enemy fire he slipped out of sight:




Meanwhile, by turn's end, the lead Panther had safely made it through the treeline:



For the next turn, 1st Platoon 5th Company will continue its advance forward. The first men up will be the overwatch element, and 30 seconds later the maneuver element will begin to move up to the next row of tall hedges:



Not much is planned for 9th Company. I am going to let 2nd and 3rd platoons catch their breath before I give one of them a scouting mission. I know Rambler has Shermans in this area, and I want to find out where they are. Otherwise, I'm just waiting for my mortar fire missions to take effect. The earliest of those - the fire mission on the AT gun - is about 2 minutes away.

#3902297 - 01/27/14 06:38 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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On this next turn, Rambler's mortars continue to pummel the former positions of 2nd and 3rd platoons 9th Company, but they do no harm to me:



On the right flank, my troops from 2nd Platoon 6th Company spot the enemy team inside the treeline again, as the trailing Panther moves up. After a few seconds of taking fire the enemy team disappears from sight, ducking back into cover:




Meanwhile, as my assault teams from 1st Platoon 5th Company move up to the next hedgerow, the XO team from 6th Company spots an enemy team and begins to engage them:





Finally, as the turn ends, the mortars were just starting to fall on the 57mm AT gun that 9th Company spotted. No impacts were yet observed, however.

For the next turn, I am going to have my overwatch teams from 1st Platoon 5th Company spray the hedgerow ahead of them with MG fire, which should pin the enemy troops there and allow my assault teams to take them out (one of them is just out of sight on the right in this image). One of my Panthers will also put some fire on the target as well.



My two trailing Panthers will also start to move up through the treeline this next turn, including the platoon HQ. The StuG, which is attached to 6th Company, will remain in overwatch:



Finally, on the left flank, 2nd Platoon 9th Company has been chosen for the scouting mission I previously mentioned, as they are more or less the weakest platoon in the company. They will move up to a position near 1st Platoon, and then I will send a couple of scout teams forward to see if they can find Rambler's Shermans. You can see near the top-center of the image below the last known position of his tanks:


#3904216 - 01/30/14 08:54 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Well, this next turn was very busy. I'll start with the not-so-good events on the right flank with 5th Company:

As you recall, I sent two advance teams from 1st Platoon up to the next row of hedges. While the left-hand team made it safely, the team on the right lost a man to an unspotted enemy while on the move, and when they reached the hedgerow, they lost another man to fire from a Sten. This fire probably came from the scout team which, spotted last turn, had begun to retreat at the beginning of the turn but then stopped when it saw my troops:





Thankfully, the left-hand team was on the ball, and their team leader dispatched at least one of the enemy scouts with his recently-acquired MP44:



Lastly, my 10th Company HQ team, way over on the left-hand side of the map, spotted enemy infantry headed towards 5th Company as the turn was coming to an end. This looks to be like at least a squad-size element. There's not much I can do about them now but watch and see where they go:



Things went much better on the left flank with 9th Company. As the turn began, one of my HMGs from the weapons platoon kept up the fire on the 57mm AT gun, which buys me time until the mortar fire mission can begin:



But, the big action this turn in this sector began shortly after 2nd Platoon began to move up for its scouting mission. 1st Squad, while on the move, finally found that Sherman that had been hiding, right where I thought it would be! Disaster was narrowly averted as the Sherman, aware of 2nd Platoon's presence, fired an HE round that missed high:



Fortunately, I had positioned my Panzer IV platoon well, and so a moment later the left-hand tank I had positioned with another way back behind some hedges took aim at the Sherman and, unlike the commander's name biggrin , it connected with its first shot:



The Panzer IV reloaded and took a second shot, which somehow missed high. All this time, the Sherman never took a shot at my tank, which leads me to believe it never located my tank, or the crew was too shaken to return fire. In any event, shot number 3 hit the mark, and as shot number 4 was on the way, the crew had decided it was time to bail. No matter - the final hit settled the issue and set the Sherman on fire. Huzzah!

(The distance to target in this engagement was 493 meters).





For the next turn, I am still going to move up 2nd Platoon 9th Company as the scouting platoon. Two of the squads need a rest this turn, but 3rd Squad and the platoon CO will begin to move up. The plan is to move them along the right-hand side of the road in the treeline that leads to where the knocked-out Sherman is:



The Panzer IV platoon HQ tank is going to reposition slightly and fire on the position of the AT gun. With any luck it'll knock it out and save me some mortar shells in the process:



As for the right flank...1st Platoon 5th Company is going to stay put for now. I have the feeling that the enemy fire that took out one of my men came from the right flank, so I am going to send 2nd Platoon up to the right and see if they notice anything out of the ordinary. 1st Squad will split into 2 teams, while 2nd and 3rd squads will move up the stand of trees in reserve. The two trailing Panthers will also be in position to provide support if necessary. Lastly, the StuG III will provide some supporting fire on a position where I know Rambler had some troops a while ago:




Lastly, I have the feeling I won't be able to use 5th Company for much more sustained action, so I'm having 6th Company move up from cover to the next cluster of trees. I don't want to be caught out of position with an under-strength infantry company if Rambler shows up with strong enemy forces in this area:


#3904375 - 01/30/14 04:45 PM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Vo ist das Jabo's????? (as good as my German gets)

Did England sink or something in this scenario??


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#3904682 - 01/31/14 02:03 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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I don't think there were any Allied aircraft involved in the real version of this battle.

#3910927 - 02/12/14 08:28 PM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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This next turn wasn't terribly busy. On the right flank, Rambler started moving up more troops to counter my advance by 5th and 6th Companies. Under the observation of the 10th Company HQ team, they stopped at the short hedgerow in the middle of the second pic. More on them later:




On the left flank, that 57mm AT gun continues to take a number of near-direct hits from my mortar barrage, but it continues to remain in action somehow:



That was about it, other than the recently-destroyed Sherman continuing to burn, with the occasional cook-off from its ammo storage.

On the next turn, 2nd Platoon 9th Company will begin to move up through the edge of the forest alongside the paved road. 2nd Squad will be in the lead, trailed by 1st Squad. Once there is enough space, 3rd Platoon will follow their path. 1st Platoon will remain in reserve:




Back to the troops my 10th Company HQ spotted: this unit has been ordered to call in a short 120mm mortar strike on the enemy's position. If nothing else, I want Rambler to know that I have eyes on him:



The remainder of 1st Platoon 5h Company will move up to the hedgerow currently occupied by my advance teams, along with a Panther:




Meanwhile, nothing seems to be happening on the right flank to where I sent 2nd Platoon, so the StuG will move up to to take the place of the Panther I'm moving:



Lastly, I'm going to be a bit more assertive in moving up 10th Company, my reserve rifle company on the left flank. The two rifle platoons will move up this next turn:


#3911011 - 02/13/14 12:27 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Just be sure to not take any prisoners. popcorn

#3911069 - 02/13/14 04:22 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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biggrin

#3920467 - 03/05/14 03:21 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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I think I owe you guys a new update. smile

Some unexpected action took placed way back at the Knoll objective (on the right flank, where my 5th Company HQ section spotted some of Rambler's scouts attempting to make it back to enemy lines. The company CO opened up on him with his MP40, and after a couple of bursts at least one enemy soldier was seen taking cover inside a shell hole:




Other action this turn on this flank saw more of Rambler's troops successfully make it back to the treeline bordering 9th Company's sector:



Meanwhile, that stubborn AT gun was pelted with the last of the mortar rounds targeted at it, while my fire mission on the nearby hedgerow went to Fire for Effect:




2nd Platoon 9th Company started making its move into the treeline. Soon afterward, 2nd Squad started taking rifle fire, and just as the turn ended the squad was taking aim at a man positioned behind a hedge:




Next turn orders:

2nd Squad 2nd Platoon 9th Company will stay put and engage the enemy in the forest. 3rd Squad will flank around to the right of them with a short Quick and Hunt order. 1st Squad will move up on the left to catch any troops attempting to flee across the road. A Panzer IV will also back up a bit and provide suppressing fire with its machine guns:




Lastly, on the right flank, 1st Platoon 5th Company will regroup on the hedgerow, while 2nd Platoon will continue to follow up behind them. One more Panther will move up, while the StuG will continue to move into the trees:


#3920485 - 03/05/14 04:15 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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I've been looking forward to this update!


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#3920559 - 03/05/14 12:55 PM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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The company CO is right up there in the front line. Yet, he is not wearing a combat helmet. Does he not understand what could happen to him? nope yep

#3920812 - 03/05/14 08:23 PM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: enigma6584]  
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Originally Posted By: enigma6584
The company CO is right up there in the front line. Yet, he is not wearing a combat helmet. Does he not understand what could happen to him? nope yep


He wants to look more spiffy than his comrades!

(On a side note: it is kinda odd he's not wearing a helmet. In the German Army formations, the company CO wears a helmet).

#3921199 - 03/06/14 08:15 PM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Originally Posted By: LukeFF

(On a side note: it is kinda odd he's not wearing a helmet. In the German Army formations, the company CO wears a helmet).


That is what I thought too.

#3921638 - 03/07/14 08:35 PM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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The next turn begins with more enemy infantry contacts turning up almost instantly, with some of them taking shots at my infantry. However, my lead K98k rifleman is quicker on the draw, and he quickly drops one of the enemy. Moments later, my 2 MP44-armed troops open fire on another contact, taking another man down. Meanwhile, a Bren gunner decides he's had enough, and he successfully makes a run for it. And finally, the initial enemy contact we saw last turn also turns to run, but he is cut down by the squad I had sent around on the left flank for this very purpose.







Meanwhile, on the right flank, my trailing Panther notices an enemy contact in the woods behind him and opens fire on it. At least one man is seen to fall to its fire:




Finally, 1st Platoon 5th Company spots an enemy infantry team in the woods up ahead and fires a brief MG burst at it, after which the contact disappears from view:



Next turn orders:

One of my Panthers will move up and fire on the spot where 1st Platoon 5th Company spotted the enemy infantry, while the 2 trailing Panthers will join up with the rest of the platoon (yes, as you can see in the first shot, there are still some ugly pathfinding issues with vehicles). 2nd Platoon 5th Company will take up position on 1st Platoon's left flank:




5th Company will continue to advance forward:



On the left flank, 3rd Platoon 9th Company will move up behind 2nd Platoon, while 2nd Platoon will continue to move forward cautiously through the woods and along the road:



#3921652 - 03/07/14 09:03 PM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Ahhhhhh, now things are beginning to happen.


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#3921825 - 03/08/14 09:29 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: oldgrognard]  
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Originally Posted By: oldgrognard
Ahhhhhh, now things are beginning to happen.


Indeed. Now is when I'm going to make my push.

#3925088 - 03/15/14 03:40 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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And just when is this push going to happen ?

We're waiting. reading


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#3925118 - 03/15/14 07:01 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Sorry, it's been a busy week. smile Will get back to the next mission hopefully by the end of the weekend.

#3925455 - 03/16/14 04:34 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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About 10 seconds into the next turn, a spotting round lands near my reserve infantry company (10th Company) on the left flank. Fortunately no one is hit, but I know that I can't keep this company here for much longer:



Meanwhile, my men from 2nd Platoon 9th Company picked up this Bren gunner on the move. He was probably one of the troops that disengaged from the fighting in the treeline last turn. In any event, he dropped out of sight after taking fire from my troops:



On the right flank, my Panther made it into position and started firing on the last known position of the enemy in the treeline:



And that was about it for this turn.

Next turn orders:

6th Company (my reserve formation on the right flank, highlighted in yellow) will continue to move up in line formation to the next hedgerow. 5th Company will stay put and wait for 2nd Platoon and the trailing armor to catch up before advancing:



On the left flank, my Panzer IV covering the treeline advance will reposition to better support 9th Company's advance. 3rd Squad, 2nd Platoon will cross the road and take the lead, as the two other squads in the platoon need a moment to catch their breath:




Finally, 10th Company (highlighted in yellow) will make a move towards the woods, putting them in position to 9th Company's right. The two rifle platoons will move first, followed by the weapons platoon:


#3928361 - 03/22/14 03:44 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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As 2nd and 3rd platoons of 9th Company secure positions in the woods, another fleeing soldier is seen briefly before dropping out of sight. My men don't take any shots at him. However, much closer to my troops, two riflemen make their presence known, along with a pistol-armed soldier I can hear but not see. In any case, the two riflemen fall to my enemy fire after a brief exchange of fire:




While all of this was happening, Rambler's Vickers MG took aim at my men at the edge of the treeline, which caused my men to take cover but resulted in no casualties.

On the right flank, my right-hand Panther spots a Vickers machine gun team that looks like it's just trying to reach friendly territory. My tank shoots a few bursts of MG fire at it before the team ducks into cover and out of sight:



6th and 10th Companies continued their advance without any troubles.

Next turn orders:

Although Rambler is probably going to have that Vickers MG team on the right flank on the move, I'm going to take a chance that they're still taking cover, and so I'm going to have my StuG move over and fire its MGs at it:



I'm going to send a pair of scouts from 2nd Platoon 5th Company forward to see if Rambler has anything lurking up ahead. In any event, 6th Company will eventually take over this area and provide flank protection as 5th Company moves forward:




On the left flank, I'm going to have 2nd and 3rd Platoon move a bit deeper into the treeline, so they won't be as exposed to Rambler's MG. I still have a smokescreen mission on call that should mask that MG, so I'm not in any hurry. And besides, I have the advantage in firepower being in the woods, so I can afford to make this move:


#3930365 - 03/26/14 05:56 PM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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C'mon, you're going to make me beg aren't you ?


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#3931630 - 03/29/14 02:55 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: oldgrognard]  
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Originally Posted By: oldgrognard
C'mon, you're going to make me beg aren't you ?


I'd love to go faster, but Rambler is taking his sweet time. biggrin

#3931957 - 03/29/14 10:46 PM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Originally Posted By: LukeFF
Originally Posted By: oldgrognard
C'mon, you're going to make me beg aren't you ?


I'd love to go faster, but Rambler is taking his sweet time. biggrin


I just had to watch 100 screenies reload to read that. pitchafit neaner

edit: Ignore that strange man who keeps pushing for action, he act's like a damn officer or something! winkngrin

Last edited by Nixer; 03/29/14 10:49 PM. Reason: screenshot overload

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#3932382 - 03/31/14 04:50 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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There will be a new update posted soon. smile

#3932406 - 03/31/14 07:10 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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It seems that Rambler is attempting to retake the woods on my left flank, but he's not getting very far. Shortly into this next turn, one of his men is quickly and brutally cut down by an MG42 from 3rd Squad, 2nd Platoon, 9th Company. Another soldier - this one carrying a Sten SMG - was also seen running towards my men, but he dropped out of sight and was not seen for the rest of the turn:



On the right flank, Rambler must have eyes on my men here, because the first of two spotting rounds fell in this area this turn. That's gonna require a change of plans. Meanwhile, the StuG fired on the last known position of the MG team, but they were not spotted during this turn:




And that was about it for this turn. Next turn orders:

Because I know Rambler has eyes on 5th Company, I am going to displace 1st Platoon from the hedgerow and prepare to move them through the woods on the right. I am going to keep 2nd Platoon in place for this next turn, to hopefully give Rambler the idea that I still plan to cross this field and so encourage him to not cancel this fire mission. The next turn, though, they will be following 2nd Platoon into the woods on the right. With the success 9th Company has had in the woods so far, I feel comfortable making this move, as my small arms firepower is significantly better than Rambler's when it comes to close-range action:



6th Company will stay put for now and take cover. If the enemy mortar barrage does land where I think it will, they should be safe from it.

On the left flank, aside from moving a few men forward, 2nd and 3rd Platoons of 9th Company will stay put this next turn. For one, it looks like Rambler is trying to retake this portion of the woods, as besides him moving men up, it looks like he is trying to lay down a smokescreen of sorts. In any case, staying stationary and allowing him to come to me will allow my guys to spot and interdict his movements easier, and it also allows me to make my next move: getting 10th Company into a useful position. 2nd Platoon 10th Company will move up to a line abreast position on 9th Company's right flank. This will allow me to cast a wider net around any counter-moves by Rambler, and it will allow me to take a broader path towards the objective. In addition, the weapons platoon will move up to join the rest of 10th Company and wait for further orders:



#3935165 - 04/06/14 04:50 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Yeesh, this was an ugly turn on the left flank. No more did the turn begin than I began hearing rifle shots from unspotted enemies in the forest. Sure enough, just as 2nd Platoon 10th Company was getting into position, men started falling from 1st and 3rd squads to small arms fire and hand grenades. 2nd squad lost its leader by turn's end, and as a result their morale is currently shaken and thus out of my control for the moment. The platoon CO does have good leadership skills and is in verbal & visual contact, so hopefully they will recover quickly. Nonetheless, this was a rude awakening for them, for sure:






Things went better on the right flank. As 1st Platoon of 5th Company made its move towards the forest, one of my Panthers picked up the Vickers MG team and began to lay down fire on it. A moment later my infantry opened fire as well, and the man carrying the MG was seen to fall:





Next turn orders:

2nd Platoon 10th Company is in no shape to move right now, so they will stay put and attempt to recover their nerve this next turn. Meanwhile, 2nd Platoon of 9th Company will move cautiously forward to see if they can root out the men who caused the mayhem last turn:



4th Platoon (weapons platoon) 10th Company will halt their movement for now, and instead 1st Platoon will move up in preparation for moving into the forest. I'm not quite ready to move them into the woods yet, since I don't know the extent of the forces facing me here:



On the right flank, 1st Platoon 5th Company will start to move into the woods. 2nd Platoon will also begin its withdrawal from the hedgeline and prepare to follow 1st Platoon:



#3939382 - 04/15/14 12:44 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Hello ?


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#3939432 - 04/15/14 02:35 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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I'm here. smile Believe me, I want to get this going as well.

#3940551 - 04/17/14 08:54 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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This was another painful turn. No more had the turn began then I started losing men from both 9th and 10th Companies to Rambler's unspotted submachine-gunners. About the only thing that went right for me was that, right near the turn's end, my men from 9th Company got a good spot on an enemy HQ team, fired on it, and forced it into retreat. My squad from 10th Company that was shaken last turn has recovered, so I can use them again for future movements:




In other events in this sector, a Vickers MG adjacent to the now knocked-out AT gun showed itself, and by turn's end it was being fired upon by one of my HMGs from the weapons platoon of 9th Company:



On the right flank, 1st Platoon of 5th Company gave me some very nice intel: two Sherman tanks, one of which is a Firefly. By the way the Firefly is positioned, it's apparent that Rambler hoped I was going to take a route far to the right of my actual movement path:






(In that last picture, the Firefly is behind the Sherman, in the adjacent field).

Hopefully I can put those guys out of business quickly.

Next turn orders:

One of my machine gun teams from 2nd Platoon 5th Company will move up a bit and area fire into an area that I know is occupied by Rambler's troops. Hopefully I can kill a few guys that way or at least force them to pull back. Meanwhile, one my Panzer IVs will move up and area fire into the treeline, in an area that (again) has enemy troops waiting:




On the right flank, 1st Platoon 5th Company will get out of the line of fire of those two Shermans, and 2nd Platoon will stop where they are and take cover. Meanwhile, my Panther platoon leader will move up into a position whereby he should be able to see both Shermans. The StuG will also move up and attempt to take out the enemy. Those pink lines mean that the tanks are to stop and engage any enemy armor as soon as they are spotted, instead of traveling all the way to the end of the waypoint before firing:



I really, really hope that Firefly doesn't see me before I can open fire. Those things have a nasty gun, and at this range (about 430 meters) they can smoke any panzer that crosses their path. They do still have the armor of your typical Sherman, though, so that does work in my favor.

#3942772 - 04/22/14 08:35 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Well, as the saying goes, no plan survives contact with the enemy, and that was certainly true on this turn. sigh

We begin with the Panther. It made it into position but, as it was slewing its turret and preparing to take a shot at the closest Sherman, a previously-unspotted man behind a hedge opened up with his Sten and killed my commander. The Panther, naturally spooked, quickly reversed. It took a shot at the Sherman, but it missed short:



Then there is the StuG. It made it into firing position, but the Sherman spotted it first and put one round right through it, destroying the vehicle and killing the commander and gunner:



Things went much better on the left flank. My men regained their composure, and finally my cordon did what I wanted it to do: stop Rambler's advance. On the left, my men from 9th Company opened up on the previously spotted HQ team and took one man out with an MP44. On the right, I did lose one man in 10th Company, but the men kept their nerves and took out a number of men, including a couple in the second screenshot below. Other men of Rambler's were taken out this turn, as I could hear the cries of agony coming from his ranks:




Next turn orders:

Well, if at first you don't succeed, try again. I'm going to send my now 4-man Panther forward again (this time with the hatch closed), along with a second Panther from the platoon. I know where the Sten gunner is that took out my tank commander, but my men from 1st Platoon 5th Company need to rest a bit before dealing with him. The last thing I need is more casualties due to my men being too tired. Other than that, on the left flank I'm detaching a few men to deal with the wounded:


#3942934 - 04/22/14 04:09 PM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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An SS Panther runs from a Sten gun???


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#3943214 - 04/23/14 08:02 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: Nixer]  
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Originally Posted By: Nixer
An SS Panther runs from a Sten gun???


Even SS men have their limits. biggrin

#3944986 - 04/26/14 08:43 PM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Nothing worthy of a screenshot happened on this next turn, outside of a stray mortar round landing near my men on the left flank. Thankfully it caused no casualties to my men. It's probably a 2-inch mortar that's part of one his rifle teams. On the right flank, the two Panthers I sent forward to attack the two Shermans found...nothing. sigh

Next turn orders:

The two Panthers will continue to hunt forward, looking for those two Shermans. I can't imagine that Rambler repositioned them that fast, so hopefully they'll pick them up this next turn:



One of the other Panthers will reposition to its right, in preparation to cover 2nd Platoon 5th Company's advance. I'm going to have that latter unit cut across the field to that area where the trees jut out a bit:



On the left flank, I realize that I have a golden opportunity to move my men forward with the help of the newly-created smoke cover. So, 3rd Platoon 9th Company will start the advance. 2nd Squad will take up position on the hedgerow to the left of the paved road, while 1st Squad will take up position to their right on the right-hand side of the road. The nearest Panzer IV will stay in place to provide overwatch. Meanwhile, 10th Company will stay in place and continue to tend to their wounded:


#3946914 - 04/30/14 07:47 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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While my two Panthers tasked with hunting those Sherman still did not find them, the left-hand Panther did spot the Sten gunner who took previously took out my TC. After suppressing him with machine gun fire, an HE round made sure he would never get up again:





On the left flank, I began my advance with 9th Company, which was met by rifle and Bren gun fire from that flanking hedgerow that apparently I've not yet cleared out. My Panzer IV did not take any casualties (as I have him buttoned up), but I did lose one man in the advance:




And, it wouldn't be a turn if I didn't lose more men to Rambler's invisible forest dwellers. mad This time it was 2 more men from 3rd squad, 2nd Platoon, 10th Company:



Next turn orders:

My lead Panzer IV will turn and engage the position of the enfilading Bren gun fire, while another tank from the platoon will move up and engage another position that is reported to hold enemy troops:




Meanwhile, 3rd squad, 2nd Platoon, 10th Company will pull back from the forest to a more secure position. They are already down to 50% strength, and so I don't want to lose any more men from this unit in a vain attempt to hold the forest. I'm obviously have to going to find another way around for them.

Finally, 2nd Platoon 5th Company is just about ready to make their move forward. This next turn a small overwatch force will move up, which will then cover the advance of the rest of the platoon the turn after that. 6th Company is still staying put.


#3947005 - 04/30/14 01:17 PM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Nice. Way to think about your troops too that's what most great leaders do. biggrin

#3948717 - 05/03/14 10:54 PM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: Stormtrooper]  
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Originally Posted By: Stormtrooper
Nice. Way to think about your troops too that's what most great leaders do. biggrin


Well, I don't consider myself to be a great leader in this game, but I do try my best. biggrin

On this next turn, my Panzer IV pivots and starts hurling HE shells and MG fire at Rambler's Bren gunner. I can't spot any casualties from this fire, but I do know that gunner did duck down and take cover:



Right as the turn ends, my second Panzer IV pulls up to the firing line, and it's then I realize I need to reposition it a bit the next turn. screwy biggrin



Meanwhile, on the other side of the forest, I successfully extricated my 50%-strength squad. It's probably good that I did, because I could hear Rambler firing off some MG rounds as they pulled back. Meanwhile, Rambler's still-unspotted 2-inch mortar exploded in the vicinity but caused no casualties:



A whole lot of nothing happened on the right flank.

Next turn orders:

As my left flank is now being shrouded in smoke (including my previous smoke mission I called in, I am moving up the rest of 3rd Platoon 9th Company to the hedgerow:



On the right flank, 1st Platoon 5th Company will start to slowly move into the forest. To their left, under the covering fire of one of my Panthers, a scout team from 2nd Platoon will move up to the edge of the trees:



#3948743 - 05/04/14 12:25 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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#3951716 - 05/10/14 06:49 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Nothing really screenshot-worthy occurred this next turn, but I was given a very good bit of intel on Rambler's intentions. Directly in front of 9th Company's position, I can hear the sound of his tanks knocking over fences and hedges. That tells me he probably has a platoon of Shermans headed my way. On the right flank, my men from 5th Company moved up without much issue. So, with that in mind...

My 1st Platoon 9th Company HQ team will call in a short 81mm mortar strike on a rifle team that is still giving me problems. Meanwhile, one of my machine gun teams from the 9th Company weapons platoon will redeploy to in order to provide better flanking fire:




My two forward-deployed Panzer IVs will back up a bit, stop their current firing orders, and prepare for whatever armor Rambler is sending my way. Their new positions will also give them a bit of hull-down protection:



On the right flank, 5th Company will continue their advance into the edges of the woods. I'm about ready to send 6th Company forward as well, since it looks like Rambler isn't really defending this area with much. I'm just a bit concerned, though, about sending them across so much open ground:


#3956655 - 05/22/14 12:13 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Awwwwww; c'mon already. You're killing us.


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#3956694 - 05/22/14 02:24 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: oldgrognard]  
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Originally Posted By: oldgrognard
Awwwwww; c'mon already. You're killing us.


I'll have a new turn to post in a day or two. smile It's been a busy week at work.

#3957065 - 05/23/14 03:10 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Nothing really screenshot-worthy on this next turn. My men of 2nd Platoon 5th Company made it safely into the woods on the right flank. On the left flank, Rambler directed some rifle and SMG fire towards 10th Company, but nothing harmed me.

Next turn orders:

2nd Platoon 5th Company will continue its move forward, as they've encountered no opposition at all:



6th Company finally has a mission: screen the left flank of 5th Company's advance. I need them to clear out this dirt road to their left, as my tanks will eventually need to move up along it to help support my advance. 2nd Platoon will be the first to move forward:



No new orders on the left flank. My Panzer IVs are positioned and ready to counter any armored advance, which I'm expecting.

#3957842 - 05/25/14 03:42 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Well, Rambler really threw me a curveball this next turn. Instead of moving to face my Panther platoon head-on, he sent them around into my backfield on the right-hand side. eek The end result was three of my halftracks were destroyed by a rampaging Sherman, which apparently has some sort of infantry support. I really wasn't expecting that:





He also sent at least 1 Sherman up closer to my infantry on the right flank. Thankfully this one hadn't fired on anything by turn's end:



Nearer to the front, the Panther that had previously lost its TC exacted further revenge by firing on a survivor from the enemy SMG unit:



My advance units from 6th Company began their advance without issue.

And that was it for this turn.

Now, what to do about this turn of events...

First off, I'm giving the remaining three SPWs orders to reverse out of their current positions as fast as possible, though I'm full expecting more to fall to the Sherman's fire. On the bright side, they are only halftracks:



Two of my Panthers (I forgot to take a screenshot of one of them) will reverse their facing to take on the Sherman(s) Rambler has heading my way. Fortunately, their elevated position gives them good line-of-sight to where I expect the Sherman(s) to travel:



Finally, the other two platoons of 6th Company will begin to move up:


#3958568 - 05/27/14 03:44 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Rambler must've known something about the disposition of my Panthers, because at the start of the next turn the Sherman that was moving into the line of my Panther's fire suddenly did an about-face and reversed into the cover of the trees. mad



Meanwhile, the leaderless Panther continued exacting its revenge on the SMG team and took out one of its members with machine gun fire:



And, as expected, one more halftrack fell to the other Sherman's fire, although the other 2 did retreat into safety.

On the left flank, Weapons Platoon, 10th Company spotted some enemy infantry moving towards my right flank, but since I had them hidden they did not open fire. Now I wish I had...



Next turn orders:

The two Panthers I re-oriented will stay where they are, in case that Sherman decides to move forward again.

Weapons Platoon, 10th Company will move forward and see if they can interdict Rambler's advance:



6th Company will continue its advance along the road, with 3rd Platoon leading the way:


#3960603 - 05/31/14 05:37 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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A good turn all-around. As my men from 2nd Platoon 10th Company began firing on a sound contact they had in the woods, another man from a light mortar team popped up to their right. On of my machine gunners stopped firing, prepped a grenade, and lobbed it very close to the enemy's position. Whether the grenade took him out I'm not sure of:





Over on the left, a two-man team (also from 2nd Platoon) I've detailed to render medical aid to the fallen in the woods instead encountered an enemy rifleman. This guy earned two potato mashers for his trouble, which he survived. However, as he attempted to run away, the grenade-lobbing soldier quickly dispatched him with a burst of MP44 fire:





Nothing much happened on the right flank, outside of the aforementioned Sherman backing up into the cover of the trees. sigh

Next turn orders:

6th Company continues its advance to clear the dirt road, and 5th Company is continuing to slowly move forward and clear the woods (tree detail was turned off in the second screenshot to better show their waypoint orders):



#3960879 - 05/31/14 10:35 PM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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...and then things swing right back the other way... sigh

My forward left-hand Panzer IV spotted one Sherman at the far edge of the map, followed soon after by another one. The first shot from one of the Shermans missed. Then, my Panzer IV lined up a shot, fired...and hit the tree directly in front of him, which only served to take out 3 of my nearby infantry. mad And, of course, the next shot from one of the Shermans took out the Panzer IV and all of its crewman. Serves 'em right for being such fools with their targeting. The right-hand Panzer IV was not in a position to take a shot.







The only consolation this turn was that Rambler's HQ unit on the right flank was finally eliminated with MG fire from the Panther that's down by one crewman, soon after this screenshot was taken:



Next turn orders:

I'm going to move up one of my trailing Panzer IVs, so I can try to take out that pair of Shermans. Once he is in position, I will then move both tanks forward. Until then, the forward-most Panzer IV will stay put. 1 Panzer IV taking on two Shermans is not a chance I'm going to take. Also, since my platoon HQ from 1st Platoon 9th Company can see the Shermans, he's going to call in a 120mm mortar strike. At the least, I'll convince Rambler to reposition them, which would be fine with me:




On the right flank, 5th & 6th Companies will continue their advance:



#3960889 - 05/31/14 11:09 PM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Keep 'em coming.

Your losses on armored vehicles is getting to be a worry. Unless the Panthers can tip the scales you are in trouble.


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#3960932 - 06/01/14 12:42 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: oldgrognard]  
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Originally Posted By: oldgrognard
Your losses on armored vehicles is getting to be a worry. Unless the Panthers can tip the scales you are in trouble.


Yeah, that is a worry. I have lost a couple of chances now to take out more of his tanks, and I know he still has at least one Firefly on the loose. The good thing is I do have all four of my Panthers. Things are always going to be dicey, though with Panzer IVs - they just can't take much punishment by this stage of the war.

#3961018 - 06/01/14 07:21 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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As the next turn unfolds, I catch sight of a few more infantrymen moving into the woods on the left flank. My weapons platoon XO from 9th Company takes a couple of rifle shots at them, but I didn't see any hits:




What I thought was only two Shermans on this left flank turns into three Shermans, which tells me I'm facing a platoon of them in this area:




On the right flank, my advance units from 5th Company encountered automatic weapons fire, but no solid enemy contacts have yet been spotted.

Next turn orders:

I'm going to spread my 5th Company teams out a bit and see if I can interdict the troops sending the fire my way:



My 5th Company XO team is going to move back around and see if they can see what Rambler's Sherman(s) are up to:



Having two Panthers facing towards the aforementioned Sherman's aborted advance isn't doing me any good, and I have a sound contact on enemy armor heading towards the dirt road, so I'm going to move one of those Panthers forward to cover the road. Meanwhile, 6th Company will continue its advance:




Lastly, some repositioning of my Panzer IVs is in order. The forward most tank will back up and then move up into the woods to a position where it can hopefully take a shot at the Sherman on the move. The other Panzer IV will also be given similar orders. This way I don't have to face all three of those Shermans at once, and I gain some concealment from being in the treeline:



#3961192 - 06/01/14 05:52 PM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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In the first screenshot now, it looks like there is a Sherman burning. No mention of you getting one.


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Someday your life will flash in front of your eyes. Make sure it is worth watching.
#3961375 - 06/02/14 03:26 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: oldgrognard]  
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Originally Posted By: oldgrognard
In the first screenshot now, it looks like there is a Sherman burning. No mention of you getting one.


http://simhq.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/3904216/Re:_Combat_Mission_Normandy_Du#Post3904216 biggrin

And on to the next turn:

About the only action this turn is that Rambler finally found my company HQ element that's been holding on to the rearmost objective (this is the same Sherman that took out the halftracks previously). One man was killed by its fire this turn. Whether they can hold on remains to be seen:



Elsewhere, this is the disposition of Rambler's Shermans on the left flank at turn's end. The good thing is that this sets me up nicely for a flank shot on the next turn:



Next turn orders:

My two Panzer IVs need to move up a bit more, but they should be set up nicely for a flank shot on Rambler's forward-most Sherman. Then I'll have to figure out what to do with those other two (the green tank icon with the question mark over it shows where they think the enemy tank is, which is pretty much where it's really at):



And, 6th Company will continue it's advance to cover the still-moving Panther:


#3961663 - 06/02/14 07:11 PM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Thanks Luke. It was so long ago I had forgotten. When this is done, I think I will go back to the beginning and read again so I get put it in better flow for my old feeble mind. old_simmer


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#3961902 - 06/03/14 08:26 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Lots of action on this next turn!

On the left flank, my two Panzer IVs made it into position. But, before they could open fire, one of my heavy machine guns from 9th Company's weapons platoon opened up on the Sherman. This did have the benefit of forcing the TC to close his hatch, thus reducing his situational awareness. Then, a moment later, the left-hand Panzer IV got a bead on the Sherman, fired, and landed a partial-penetrating hit on it. This caused the Sherman to back off and pop smoke, which leads me to believe I took out one of its crewman or at least caused some significant internal damage to the tank. The smoke cloud prevented my tanks from taking any more shots at it:






On the right flank, my infantry from 6th Company confirmed my suspicions: Rambler has at least one Sherman overwatching this field. By some miracle it had not fired on my men by turn's end, nor had it started to slew its turret:




And, back at the rearmost objective, my men from 5th Company HQ weathered the Sherman's fire, only to come under attack by an enemy infantry team. This man on the left emptied an entire MP40 mag without hitting that man on the left, while the Company CO is apparently oblivious to what's going on around him. Typical officer. biggrin At turn's end, the man on the left was being targeted by the rifleman he failed to hit, while the CO and the radioman were hugging the dirt:



Next turn orders:

My 5th Company XO team will take a slight detour and try to help out their Company CO with some flanking fire:



The Panther I sent over to the dirt road will now move back to take a shot at the Sherman, while my infantry will scramble for the nearest cover:



On the left flank, my two Panzer IVs will stay where they are and wait for the smoke cloud from the Sherman to dissipate. Wherever the Sherman moves, my Panzers will have a shot on him, so I'd rather they just stay still. Meanwhile, the HQ tank will move up to cover the paved road, as I have a tentative contact on some light armor in the area. The last thing I need is a tank rampaging through here and cutting my men to ribbons:


#3963572 - 06/06/14 08:31 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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And the pendulum swings right back the other way... sigh

Apparently there was a narrow space in the smoke through which Rambler's Sherman could see me, because no sooner did the turn begin than he started lobbing shells my way. None of them hit either of my tanks, but the right-hand tank was spooked enough to back out of position, never spotting the enemy in the process:



On the right flank, the Sherman I hoped to target with my Panther instead decided to back out of position and make for a trail running through the forest perpendicular to the road. It's probably a good thing this happened, because his turret was slewing towards my men as he made this move:




Farther over in the woods, 5th Platoon made contact with an enemy rifleman, who was fired upon but was not hit:




The 5th Company HQ team back at the rearmost objective was wiped out. frown The radioman was taken out by rifle fire, and then a grenade finished off the other two men.

Next turn orders:

Having now switched places, the Panzer IV now on the right will move forward and (re)attempt to engage the Sherman, while the other Panzer IV will take up the former position of its comrade:



My left-hand Panther will move back onto the dirt road to a spot that should enable me to hit the Sherman from behind. I'd send it into the field to the left, but that area is un-scouted, and I don't want to risk losing a tank to an unseen threat. Meanwhile, one of my other Panthers will redeploy to help counter any more armor that may show up:




Lastly, some suppressing fire from 5th Platoon will be laid on the spot in the woods where the enemy rifleman was spotted, while an assault team moves up in an attempt to take him out:


#3964863 - 06/09/14 04:49 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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First off, on the right flank: this Panther had two shots taken at it from a Firefly (based on the sound of the gun), but it was never spotted by this crew. Somehow both shots missed. Meanwhile, the Sherman I was trying to tag before it disappeared into the forest got away before my Panther could get into position to take it out:



Meanwhile, in the woods, 5th Company managed to root out an enemy rifle squad, and it was fired upon by this team, which happens to wield 2(!) MP44s. At least two men were seen to fall, with a third also likely:





And then there was the left flank...

My left-hand Panzer IV did not make it into its new position in time. Instead, it took a hit that killed the gunner, and then it took another hit that knocked out its engine and took out a nearby infantryman. Meanwhile, the other Panzer IV took a hit that just about knocked out its tracks. So, I have one tank that's now nothing more than a pillbox and one that's close to being one. mad




But there was good news in this sector: Weapons Platoon, 10th Company caught some of Rambler's troops in the open, trying to make for the forest. They were first fired upon by the left hand MG42, followed by the other one a moment later. No hits were observed, but by turn's end these men had hit the dirt:






Next turn orders...(sigh)

The other Panther I have near the HQ tank will swing around and try to spot the Firefly:



5th Company will continue to move forward and attempt to clear out any more infantry lurking around:



This other Panther will move up to the dirt road to see if it can catch Rambler's infantry from behind, and the other Panther will move up a bit to see if it can interdict any of Rambler's armor. 6th Company will also continue to move up:




As for the Panzer IVs...not much I can do with them. I'm expecting at least one to die on this next turn.

#3965416 - 06/10/14 08:30 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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And the heat was turned up quite a bit in this next turn!

First off, right as the turn began, the still-unseen Firefly finally found its range against my left-hand Panther, but since this tank is hull down the round clanged harmlessly away (that has to be the most beautiful sound in the game when it's your armor being targeted yep). Meanwhile, my second Panther made it to its new spot, only to find a second Firefly! eek Its first shot missed well high. Meanwhile, the left-hand Panther also spotted this second Firefly and put a round through the turret, killing one of its crewmen. A followup shot by my right-hand Panther made sure it was put out of business for good. Meanwhile, another shot from the other Firefly hit the left-hand Panther that caused some armor spalling, but otherwise all systems in the tank were still intact at turn's end. The left-hand Panther then took up targeting the remaining Firefly, but it hadn't found the range by turn's end. The other Panther hadn't picked up the target yet, but it does know it's in the area.

You'll also see some messages about hits on the rear turret. Apparently Rambler has some enemy infantry operating in my rear area, based on the sound of the gunfire. I'm going to just let him have at it, since enemy infantry here mean they aren't opposing my advance elsewhere.










My 2 other Panthers didn't fare as well. The left-hand Panther had its commander taken out, probably by rifle fire coming from the farm up ahead. Meanwhile, the right-hand Panther found what sounds like a 57mm AT gun in the treeline up ahead (its foxholes noted in the 3rd screenshot). Right towards the end it scored a hit that I thought had taken out the main gun (based on the damage display) but, contrary to what was shown, I was able to give targeting orders for the main gun but not the coax MG when setting up the next turn:





Meanwhile, in the forest, 5th Platoon encountered a team that took out two men by rifle fire. The Second Platoon HQ team found the source of the fire and began firing on them, though I don't know if they managed to hit anyone. By turn's end the team with the 2 casualties had turned to render medical aid:







On the left flank, as expected, my stricken Panzer IV finally bit the dust. However, my other almost-immobile tank re-acquired the Sherman that's caused me so many problems and put a round through its upper front hull, causing to (again) back off and pop smoke. As you can see, though, there are a whole bunch of Shermans crawling all over this place. I can only hope my two remaining Panzer IVs in this area can hold the line, or I'm going to be in a world of trouble:





Next turn orders:

The left-hand Panther on the dirt road will fire on the suspected source of the rifle fire that took out its crewman, while the other Panther will back off. I'm not going to try to tempt fate and have this tank end up as an expensive pillbox. I really need to keep my armor alive at this point and not lose it in risky gambles. Meanwhile, 6th Company will start to fan out to the right:


#3967614 - 06/14/14 08:23 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Man, Rambler sure is making life difficult for me...

The second Firefly I was targeting decided to not hang around and instead reversed out of view:




Meanwhile, in the woods, my two MP44 men from 5th Company stopped their buddy aid to return fire and lob a few grenades towards the enemy team previously spotted. One man was seen to go down in this exchange of fire:






Meanwhile, a squad from 3rd Platoon 6th Company spotted another Sherman peeking its gun through the hedgerows, though once again it did not spot my men:




My Panther I ordered to hit the farmhouse did a very good job, knocking a very large hole out of it by turn's end:



And then there was the left flank... sigh

Once again, that same Sherman that immobilized one Panzer IV by somehow firing through smoke did it once again to my other Panzer IV. I cannot figure out whether this is just a case of bad luck for me, or that Sherman is unrealistically able to pick up targets through the smoke. Meanwhile, 3rd Platoon 9th Company has now lost its HQ element and is slowly losing all of its combat power. This area is just crawling with Shermans:




Alright, so it's time to make some changes:

5th Company will continue to move forward and clear out the infantry to its front:



One Panther will move over to where 6th Company spotted the Sherman and attempt to take it out. Hopefully this time it won't try to move away before I can get to it:



In a big move, I'm going to move one Panther over to the left flank and try to clean up that mess, since its front armor is pretty much impervious to Sherman 75s. It will be moving through terrain that is clear of enemy infantry and along a reverse slope, so hopefully this will work. It will probably take about 5 minutes to execute this maneuver, though:



9th Company will bug out of its current positions. 1st Platoon is practically at full strength, so it will make a move towards the MGs of 10th Company, along with Weapons Platoon. The intent will be first to provide safe passage for my Rescue Panther and then to make a push towards the North Slope. 2nd Platoon will join 2nd Platoon of 10th Company, and 3rd Platoon will try to make a run for it, under the cover of some smoke shells fired by my immobile Panzer IV. From this point (where 2nd Platoon is headed) I still hold onto the North-East Slope objective, although since Rambler also has troops on it I won't gain any points for it. Conversely, though, I'm also denying the points to him:






1st Platoon 10th Company will also join the push towards the North Slope, and my one remaining functional Panzer IV will move up the road a bit and try to stop any retreat by Rambler's armor. I already lost a chance to tag one Sherman this way, and so I don't want to lose the chance with another:




These next turns sure are going to be interesting. smile

#3968044 - 06/15/14 07:08 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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As my right-hand Panther begins to make its move, a Sherman 75 crosses the path near where one of the Fireflies was taken out. It slips out of sight before the left-hand Panther has a chance to line up a shot on it:




Then, as the right-hand Panther continues its move, it spots some enemy infantry moving right towards my two tanks. The Panther opens up with its coax MG and takes out two men:






And then, this same Panther spots a Sherman 75 coming up over the hill as the turn ended. This is probably the same Sherman that took such a toll on my halftracks:




Meanwhile, in the woods, 5th Company continues to clean up. Two more men were cut down this turn, while an HQ team was sent running as the turn ended:





The enemy riflemen in front of Weapons Platoon 10th Company showed their faces again, trying to take out the commander of my Panzer IV. Instead, they received a reply of gunfire from my two HMGs, cutting down one of their number as they attempted to flee:




On the left flank, as expected, 3rd Platoon 9th Company did not make it out of the line of fire of the Shermans, and most of its men were dead or wounded by turn's end. One HMG and the HQ from Weapons Platoon made it out, but the other HMG was too slow in moving and had lost one man by turn's end. 1st Platoon retreated in good order:



Next turn orders:

1st Platoon 10th Company will continue to move forward into the trees. 5th Company will continue cleaning out the woods, and the Panther who spotted the Sherman will stay put and attempt to take it out:




#3968417 - 06/16/14 02:01 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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This next turn was very good for my armor. First off, one of my rearguard Panthers picked up that Sherman. The Sherman actually fired first, but its shot landed short and hit the hedgerow in front of the Panther. The Panther replied by putting a round through the Sherman, setting it on fire and sending the crew fleeing:





Meanwhile, my immobilized Panzer IV finally got a spot on the Sherman that's caused me so many problems and also set this one on fire. The TC was cut down by MG fire as he attempted to run away:





5th Company continued to move up in the woods and fired on a couple of fleeing infantry contacts, but no kills could be confirmed. Meanwhile, back over on the left, some more enemy infantry popped their heads up and took out one of my men, but my men were returning fire by turn's end:




1st Platoon 10th Company came into contact with a 57 mm AT gun. Its first shot missed, but its second shot took out three of my men. Before that second shot my men were able to return fire and take out one its crew. Nearby, my Panther I'm redeploying continues to make good progress:






And, miraculously, the remnants of 3rd Platoon 9th Company did make it out of the Sherman's line of fire, thanks in no small part to the smokescreen the Panzer IV lay down (more on them in a moment). The other HMG of 9th Company's Weapons Platoon recovered from being fired upon and is now ready to move.

Next turn orders:

1st Platoon 9th Company will continue to move to support 1st Platoon 10th Company. The battered remnants of 3rd Platoon 9th Company will stay in the area and act as an AT ambush, seeing as they possess a Panzerfaust 30:




To counter the 57 mm AT gun, one of my HMGs from 10th Company will lay suppressing fire down on it, while my nearby Panzer IV will move up and target it with HE fire. This is going to be critical to ensure my redeploying Panther can make it through to the left flank:




5th Company will continue to move up in the woods, while the Panther that took out the Sherman last turn will remain in place and area fire on the infantry that I know is still in the area. Meanwhile, seeing that I really can't counter the Sherman overlooking the field that 6th Company occupies, they will back out and take up position on 5th Company's right flank. This way they can help clear out the forest, as I continue to move towards the objective:




#3968420 - 06/16/14 02:08 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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By the way, this is the situation for the armor on both sides, as I see it at the moment:

Me:

3 Panthers fully functional, 2 of which have lost their TC.
1 Panther with main gun knocked out but MGs still functional.
2 Panzer IVs destroyed.
1 Panzer IV immobilized but otherwise still functional
1 Panzer IV fully functional
1 StuG III destroyed

Rambler:

3 Sherman 75s destroyed
1 Sherman Firefly destroyed
1 Sherman Firefly intact
At least 4 and probably 5 or 6 Sherman 75s intact

#3969346 - 06/17/14 08:55 PM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Bravo!

The duel is getting spicy. duel


I used to work for a living, but then I took an arrow to the knee.
#3969393 - 06/17/14 11:10 PM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: theKhan]  
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Originally Posted By: vonKhan
Bravo!

The duel is getting spicy. duel


Yep! Who knows how this match is going to end up.

#3969540 - 06/18/14 08:27 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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The action remained hot and heavy on this next turn. To start off, while my right-hand Panther in the screenshots below was busy firing on the position of Rambler's infantry, the left-hand Panther picked up the second Sherman 75 that I knew was in my backfield, coming up through the forest. Like before, the Sherman got off the first shot, but it hit a tree. My Panther's first shot also hit the tree branches in front of the Sherman, but the second shot hit home and set the tank ablaze:






That 57 mm AT gun got off one more shot at my men, but since they were on the move the only damage it did was to lightly wound one of my squad leaders. Not long afterwards the gun, under a hail of machine gun fire, finally succumbed to a 75 mm round from my Panzer IV:




Over on the left flank, Rambler made a concerted effort to drive me out of the treeline, but his men were cut up badly by my return fire. Even the left-hand HMG from 10th Company, along with its platoon HQ, joined in the firefight, taking out at least the three men in the second screenshot. Well-concealed LMGs along the hedgerow also contributed to take out a least 5 men of Rambler's in this exchange of fire, if not more:






Back on the right flank, 6th Company made contact with the men who've been taking potshots at my two Panthers. Under heavy fire, they quickly retreated:




5th Company had a bit of a rough go this turn, as it was hit by rifle fire and a grenade that took out ~2 men.

Finally, my Panther I'm sending over to the left is finally in the home stretch and should be in position next turn. This decision is all the more critical now, because Rambler sent a pair of men to knock out my immobilized Panzer IV (it's a IMO hokey abstraction where simple hand grenades have the power to take out tanks):




Next turn orders:

My right-hand Panther will turn its attention to a Bren team I spotted near one of the knocked out Shermans:



6th Company will continue to redeploy, and 1st & Weapons Platoons of 9th Company will continue to move up to support 1st Platoon 10th Company's advance:




Like I told Rambler, there's going to be a lot of Red Cross messages going out after this battle. wounded

#3977800 - 07/07/14 11:25 PM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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And then what happened ?


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#3977852 - 07/08/14 01:22 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: oldgrognard]  
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Yep... getting interesting thumbsup


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#3977879 - 07/08/14 03:07 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Rambler went on vacation, but we should be resuming things this week.

#3978993 - 07/10/14 07:49 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Alright, back to the action!

5th Company continued to clean up in the woods. A lone soldier with a Sten was spotted, who sprayed some fire at my men but hit nothing. In return, he was cut down by fire from an MP44, in addition to a volley of 3 grenades. By turn's end at least 3 victims could be seen. Also note both the machine gunner and his assistant are toting MP44s. These are guys not to be trifled with! biggrin







Behind 5th Company, my Panther took a shot at the location I'd spotted the Bren team, but they'd packed up by the time the round landed, which for them was probably a good thing. A moment later, this same tank spotted what is likely the last man of the team Rambler sent forward to attack my tanks and, while the man was rendering aid to a fallen comrade, felled him with a burst of MG fire. Finally, the remainder of my StuG crew spotted another Sherman in the woods near the spot where the other Sherman was taken out, so that will have to be dealt with:








Over on the left flank, my Panther made it into position, but nothing had been spotted by it by turn's end:



My one remaining Panzer IV moved forward to engage the infantry I'd spotted in the field. Both men in the second screenshot - one of whom can be seen taking cover right after his comrade was killed - were taken out by MG fire. Then, a moment later, the Sherman I've been keeping an eye on noticed my Panzer IV and turned to engage it. The first shot missed, and as the turn ended another shot was in mid-flight. My tank has yet to spot it:







Next turn orders:

My Panther on the left flank will stay put for a moment. Meanwhile, one of my de-crewed Panzer IV teams will move up in the adjacent building and try to get a look at Rambler's Shermans. I don't want my Panther blundering forward into a trap:



Provided my Panzer IV survives, it is going to shoot a smoke round at the Sherman and then back up to reposition over to the right. That way it will have a better look at the Sherman and hopefully keep its attention away from my infantry:



On the right flank, my right-hand Panther will re-orient itself to face the Sherman. 5th Company will continue to slowly move forward, and the XO team will move up to call in a fire mission on the AT gun that knocked out the gun of one of my Panthers. The main body of 6th Company is still on the move and is receiving no new orders for now:





Rambler's infantry is sure taking a beating, so it makes me wonder how much he's having to lean on his armor now.

#3979477 - 07/11/14 04:05 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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And, in keeping with tradition, I lost yet another tank commander to enemy small arms fire. rolleyes The Panther that I re-oriented to face the Sherman encountered enemy troops moving along the treeline, and sure enough they took my commander out:




Over in the woods, 5th Company continued to trade grenades and small arms fire with the enemy. No casualties were seen on either side, though Rambler's men were sent running. Meanwhile, a Sherman popped up in the woods ahead of 5th Company, its attention directed towards my gunless Panther:




A second Sherman also showed up in this area this turn, headed towards the left flank where my Panzer IV is. Speaking of which, that round and another one did hit home (taking out the driver), but all of the tank's subsystems are still in order, and it was able to carry out the orders I'd given it last turn:




The tank crew I sent to the building spotted nothing. That tells me that Rambler is moving his armor over to my right flank. So, with that in mind...

The Panther I sent over to the far left will shift to face the Shermans moving up along the road. Hopefully, along with the Panzer IV, I can put the squeeze on these Shermans:



The Panther that lost its crewman and backed away in panic has actually presented me with a good opportunity to take out the Sherman moving up along the treeline. It will turn around and move up to a shot where it can see the Sherman. Also, to play it safe, I'm sending forward a Panzerschreck team that hopefully won't be spotted:




The one Panther still hanging out in the back will stay here and area fire briefly on where I spotted an enemy rifleman, which also puts it into good shape to face the Sherman in the woods. 6th Company will continue to move forward towards the woods, and 5th Company will continue to weed out the enemy:




Man, what a battle! There's nothing quite like facing a human opponent in this game, that's for sure.

#3979635 - 07/11/14 03:30 PM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Isn't it dangerous to have a lone panther in the 2nd last picture without any infantry support?


I used to work for a living, but then I took an arrow to the knee.
#3979956 - 07/12/14 07:43 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: theKhan]  
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Originally Posted By: vonKhan
Isn't it dangerous to have a lone panther in the 2nd last picture without any infantry support?


I do have infantry in the area but yes, it is dangerous to not have infantry support near one's tanks in this game. I don't think Rambler was counting on my Panthers spotting his men as they tried to close assault it.

#3981577 - 07/16/14 05:12 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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More grenades and fire were exchanged in the woods between 5th Company & Rambler's men this turn. I lost 2 men, but I took out at least one of his men and possibly some others. The body count is really starting to pile up in that area.

Meanwhile, up ahead, the Panther caught first sight of the Sherman moving through the woods. The first shot hit the trees, but the second shot ripped through the Sherman and detonated its ammo storage:





However, I made a really bad mistake in leaving the flank of one of my Panthers exposed, as near the turn's end a Firefly put a round through its side and put it out of business:



Over on the right, my Panzer IV tank crew spotted this Sherman, as well as a Sherman (not in the screenshot) maneuvering in the background. I'm going to have to keep an eye on that:



Next turn orders:

For now I'm going to keep the orders for my Panther & Panzer IV on the left flank as-is. I'm going to move a scout team over, though, so I can keep an eye on what Rambler is doing with his Shermans. Most likely I will have to spin that one around to deal with the threat:



My XO team from 6th Company will call in a 120 mm mortar strike on the position of the AT gun that defanged my Panther:



I'm going to have to move my Panther back around to act as a guard against the Sherman I know is still in the woods to my rear. Meanwhile, 1st Platoon 10th Company will continue to move, while 1st Platoon 9th Company needs a moment to catch its breath:




29 minutes left on the clock. If I can survive til then it will be a miracle.

#3984804 - 07/23/14 06:38 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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As my Panther moves to redeploy, it's hit in its side by an unseen Sherman. This is a major blow, as it takes out the loader and, more importantly, the weapon controls. That leaves me now with one working Panther.



I soon realize Rambler still has Shermans everywhere. My men spot one guarding the main road. And then, much to my chagrin, two more show up behind my Panzer IV and, sure enough, they immobilize it with a hit to the engine. Somehow this tank was still alive at turn's end and slewing its turret to face the threat. Whether it will live long enough to do anything is highly improbable:






My men finally get a good spot on the 57 mm AT gun that took out my Panther's gun. It's firing at the tank, which is fine by me. Meanwhile, the Panzerschreck team I sent forward to deal with the Sherman in the woods had one of its men taken out by a mortar round:





Next turn orders:

Turn my one remaining functional Panther around and have him deal with the two Shermans. As they are preoccupied with the Panzer IV it should have a good chance of success. Meanwhile, the crew of the weaponless Panther will bail out and become infantry:




6th Company will make a big push for the woods. If I can get them in there they should be safe, seeing as I've dealt with the enemy infantry in this area pretty darn well. 1st Platoon 10th Company will also continue to move:




If I can get my men safely into the woods I may be able to hold on, as tanks are at a decisive disadvantage there, and I have plenty of Panzerfausts & Panzerschrecks. Although, a platoon of Tigers would be nice right about now... biggrin

#3985806 - 07/25/14 06:46 AM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Alright, so this'll be it for the next two weeks or so, as I'm heading out on vacation. Cya all then!

#3995703 - 08/14/14 11:30 PM Re: Combat Mission Normandy During-Action Report: The Mace [Re: LukeFF]  
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Ok; vacation's over. Back to amusing us.


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Someday your life will flash in front of your eyes. Make sure it is worth watching.
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