Corsaire31 vs Von Reich AAR

C

Corsaire31

Guest
Just finished my second game since I returned to CM.

This time it's Italy landscape, rural, med cover and small hills, Dec 44, mid day, cloudy and dry. Large map, 25+ turns, 1500 pts. I play allied once more.
I go for a classic all around veteran OB :
1 Co US Infantry
2 Shermans 76 (the efficiency of the 76 is worth the extra cost)
1 Scout car to move teams and close support
2 Jeeps MG for scouting the map
Support :
1 Sniper / 2 .50 MGs / 1 arty 81mm 210 shots / 1 M4 HT 81mm mortar / 1 Bar

Here is the map in 2 parts and the original plans and initial sightings.

CarteVonReichG.jpg


CarteVonReichD.jpg


Because of lack of cover on approach, I decide not to go for the small flag and concentrate on the large one middle map.

Far left : 1 Plt to act as support for the assault once positioned (there is a depression hiding their move all the way to the road. 1 Jeep MG to scout the hill in front.

Center : 2 Plts + 1 Bar + Scout car to bring BAR early in position.

The 2 Shermans are hull down on high ground, the left one overlooks the main flag region, the center one behind a house to protect from the right part of the map is tasked at first with overlooking the top of the left hill. Both have armour firing arcs so they don't give away their position by shooting at anything.

Support center is on high ground, Co HQ + 1 sniper + 1 .50 MG + arty obs.
Support right is on high ground, 4th Plt HQ + 1 .50 MG + 3 60mm mortars + 81 mm mortar HT. 1 Jeep MG to scout right part of the map
 
Early on (Turn 2) I spot a Stug on the road in the center of the map.

StugIIIVR.jpg


By turns 4 and 5 I spot armour (Stug and PzIV) rolling down the map center.

PZIVVR.jpg
 
Soon I spot more all heading for the center crossroad.

StugIIIVR02.jpg


In the meantime my troops progress as planned with no firing from anywhere, and the Jeeps find nothing on the map sides and high grounds. I soon understand that VR has an armour heavy OB ( will count 6 Stugs and 3 PzIVs - which means he can have max a couple of Inf. platoons ) and that his plan is to make a mass attack from the map center. My first sniper shot makes a Stug Commander button up. The sniper will be useful for the whole game keeping his tanks closed whenever he can get a LOS.

StugIIISharpVR.jpg
 
I think that if he goes with the lot to the center flag, I'm going to have a hard time. Hoping to make him split his forces, I pop some smokes around the small flag like if I was covering some advance and I move the jeep around to make some noise. I don't know if it works or if he sticks to his initial plan, but I am happy to see 3 Stugs and a PzIV moving towards the small flag. They camp at the church, and put their infantry on foot.

StugsatchurchVR.jpg


In the meantime, I decide to slow down his advance to the main flag and start shelling the woods around the crossroad with the 3 60mm mortars and the 81 mm HT. I must have some success, because VR states in his mail "Nice arty..."

Mortart10VR.jpg
 
Being now sure nothing else is coming from the map sides, I reposition my left Sherman to have a kill zone around the main flag, covering both sides of the woods.

M476VR01.jpg


The shelling has forced his infantry to dismount and they have to crawl across the road under fire from the center .50 MG. They are left behind the tanks, which is good news, because the 3 other Stugs and 2 PzIVs are heading for the main flag.

BreakoutleftVR.jpg
 
We are now by turn 19 and I repositioned my troops for a left/right fight instead of down/up the map. This is the situation.

Situationturn19.jpg


I keep smoking the 3 Stugs by the church with the M4 mortar HT to keep them on that side of the map. There has been no significant shooting by now, and VR states that I'm making him nervous ( good point for me ) I move a bait platoon under heavy smoke which is soon engaged in a firefight with his infantry. One of his PzIVs has moved around the wood. With his infantry pinned down, he will have to move sooner or later in the kill zone if he wants to take the flag. On turn 20, he moves the 3 Stugs and the other PZIV. My center Sherman was just waiting for them...

GCS0002.jpg
 
First shot misses, second one gets the front Stug.

GCS0001.jpg


The PzIV returns fire and the second Stug turns to do the same.

GCS0003.jpg
 
Too late for the PZIV... The Stug scores a hit and my Sherman's gun is damaged. I have to pull it back in safety.

GCS0004.jpg


GCS0005.jpg
 
In the meantime, the second PZIV closes my bazooka from the "bait platoon" and takes two hits at 50m.

GCS0006.jpg


I spot a Stug coming back full steam from the right down the road. Can't cover it anymore, just have my sniper close it down.

GCS0007.jpg


My left Sherman doesn't need to cover the left of the woods anymore since the zook did the job, so I send it full steam in a race with the Stug.

GCS0008.jpg
 
The Stug takes some time to turn around, but my first shot is a few meters too long...

GCS0009.jpg


The second shot hits and shake it...

GCS0010.jpg


The Stug had the bad idea to stop in front of the assault platoon's zook. Boom goes the Stug...

GCS0011.jpg
 
Under cover from the remaining 25 smoke rounds, my assault and cover platoons come out of the woods and rush for the flag. His infantry platoon is still stuck in the firefight with the "bait platoon" which has taken some losses but holds its ground, with the support of the cover MG.

GCS0012.jpg


GCS0013.jpg
 
In the process, the zooks score each two hits on the two remaining Stugs.

GCS0014.jpg


GCS0016.jpg
 
Another Stug crosses the map, trying to go around the back door. Spotted early by the sniper, gives me time to reposition my remaining Sherman for the welcome.

GCS0017.jpg


With a 25% hit chance, I pull it back and the firefight scores no hit for the Sherman or the Stug.

GCS0018.jpg
 
We are now by turn 26 and my opponent decides to surrender, giving me a 91/9 victory and for the first time I own a flag (the small one) at the end of a game without ever sending anyone for it. I lost 1 Scout Car and 1 Jeep Mg + 1 Sherman gun damage. Killed 2 Stugs and 2 PzIVs, 2 other Stugs probably in bad shape after 2 zook hits each. Infantry platoon has been routed.
Keeps me thinking that unsupported armour in wooden areas are not easy to manage. I can tell VR that he also made me very nervous when I saw the number of tanks coming my way... I was patient enough to wait until turn 20 to let them enter the kill zone. I'm curious to know if my little deception operation on the small flag kept him thinking I was doing something there or if he only stuck to his original plan.
I proposed a rematch on ground and date of his choice.
 
I am surprised myself, I have a third one on the go, will AAR tomorrow... But thanks to your KVs, I think the winning series will come to an end... lol !
 
Excellent tactics Corsaire31, and thanks for sharing your AAF with us.

Lighthorse
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