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Hitler's Son - CMBB AAR.


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Turn 24

 

Winding in amongst the houses and rubble on the left, Sheaffer's Stug provides a bit of support to my beleagured infantry, splashing 75mm about liberally.

https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/CM/HS/hs139stugsf3.jpg

Even with the support, I could really use some more infantry. The ones I have are badly wounded, or low on ammo, or both.

 

"Just take up the whole road, arschloch!"

https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/CM/HS/hs140pz3offroad.jpg

The immobile Stug's crew weep with shame.

 

Poppe's Stug spies a T-34, which hurriedly manoeuvres out of sight.

https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/CM/HS/hs137poppespy34.jpg

Next time, Sov boy. Mind you, there are at least two more tanks in that area too. Quite glad that Panzer III is headed this way.

 

The panzergrens push on, wiping out more remnants of enemy units, still to take a casualty themselves.

https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/CM/HS/138pgrfpushup.jpg

Soon have this place secure.

 

Turn 25

 

One of the approaching tanks turns out to be a self-propelled gun of some kind, probably an SU-85.

https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/CM/HS/hs141poppekill.jpg

Poppe smacks an AP into it anyway. Then swaps to an approaching T-34.

https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/CM/HS/hs142poppekill2.jpg

After poking two holes in that, Poppe decides that the SU-85 crew isn't bailing out fast enough.

https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/CM/HS/hs143poppekill1.jpg

The crew exits the tank. At several hundred metres per second. In bits. Dead. And on fire.

 

My panzergren reinforcements find another enemy.

https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/CM/HS/hs144infkill.jpg

After a few rounds and a grenade, the unit is eliminated. Looks like all that HE caused some casualties after all.

 

Turn 26

 

Coming under fire from multiple directions, and with my troops closing in, an MG crew throw in the towel.

https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/CM/HS/hs145capturedmg.jpg

'Crew' is exaggerating, as there's only one man left, but still, one less enemy MG.

 

I thought these shenanigans were over.

https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/CM/HS/hs146stugbogsyetagain.jpg

As long as you get out of it...

 

Two Stugs and two rifle squads bang away at enemy units in the hope of disrupting their attack.

https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/CM/HS/hs148stugsriflesflank.jpg

There's still a lot of enemy there.

 

The Panzer III closes in.

https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/CM/HS/hs149pz3closesin.jpg

That 50mm will come in handy, suppressing infantry if nothing else.

 

Poppe's Stug spots another SU-85, and puts a round into it with ease.

https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/CM/HS/hs147poppesu852.jpg

And promptly shits himself when the reply whizzes past. That 85mm is quite capable of killing most tanks, and will certainly do the Stug over good and proper.

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Turn 27

 

Poppe, sweating a bit, puts three shots home, and the SU-85 refuses to quit.

https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/CM/HS/hs150fourhits.jpg

The fourth does the trick, though. Flipping 'eck.

 

Lippert's batt. HQ gets into trouble and takes casualties.

https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/CM/HS/hs151batthqintrouble.jpg

Oh dear. This could be the beginning of the breakthrough. Despite fire from the Stugs, their units are still advancing.

 

And you will know us by the trail of dead!

https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/CM/HS/hs152trailofdead.jpg

Although not all were finished off by my panzergrens, a lot were. Fresh troops sweeping through a thoroughly hammered area can often cause disproportionate damage.

 

Turn 28

 

My platoon of reinforcements clears the wood, and spots enemies streaming in and out across the fields.

https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/CM/HS/hs153infspotted.jpg

Shame I no longer have much firepower, I could punish them severely crossing terrain like that.

 

Poppe, occupied providing HE, misses another SU-85 targeting him.

https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/CM/HS/hs154poppeignores.jpg

Wake up boy, school is in session! Thankfully, the shots missed.

 

No mud can hold my Stugs (except one)!

https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/CM/HS/hs156stugfree.jpg

It's been something of a rite of passage, getting stuck in the mud.

 

A particularly close shell alerts Poppe.

https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/CM/HS/hs155poppewakesup.jpg

He manages what the SU-85 didn't.

 

Turn 29

 

Schumacher advances, covered by Feibelkorn.

https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/CM/HS/hs159schuadv.jpg

Move along, nothing to see here. Certainly no tanks.

 

Hmm. Tanks.

https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/CM/HS/hs157moretanks.jpg

There's a few more still to kill, I see. Luckily, I can still call on 5 Stugs, a Panzer IV and a Panzer III.

 

Things are getting desperate in the centre, with some HQs down to their last man.

https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/CM/HS/hs158degrelle1.jpg

A nice, fresh platoon or three teleporting in right now would be lovely. Hint hint.

 

Penzel's Panzer III gets a nasty start when an SPG has a pop.

https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/CM/HS/hs161penzelpz3miss.jpg

And if a round hits, it'll give him a nasty stop.

 

This is the work of the single worst artillery spotter I have ever seen.

https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/CM/HS/hs160artyagain.jpg

Simply missing is one thing, and not at all unusual, but this chap keeps stopping and starting, indicating target adjustments. Worst eyesight ever, that man.

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Turn 30

 

Penzel has a shot, misses, and is justly rewarded.

https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/CM/HS/hs162penzelout.jpg

The 85mm is not to be underestimated. Frontal penetration, versus the tank's thickest armour, and still killed four out of five crew. The 85mm will happily do the same to my Stugs and Panzer IVs.

 

Larmann's tank hunter team, eager to add an SU-85 to their tally, run out from the rubble and throw themselves among the trees, now close enough to cover the road.

https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/CM/HS/hs165thmove.jpg

With the Panzer III dead, I now only have Poppe's Stug covering that approach.

 

Merely firing isn't doing the job, so the rifles get stuck in.

https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/CM/HS/hs163riflesgetstuckin.jpg

I have about five sections, out of the whole of my force, that are above half strength, and have some ammo left. Things are getting a little urgent, and the fact that this is a variable-turn battle merely makes it worse.

 

The reserve platoon pushes forward, moving into nearby clumps of trees, and spotting several T-34s across the fields, to the benefit of Schumacher, who is following.

https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/CM/HS/hs164schutankspot.jpg

With only one mobile Panzer IV, I will have to be careful.

 

Heubaum, cursing the weight of his MG34 and yet happy it isn't the heavy version, heads to catch up with the platoon.

https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/CM/HS/hs166heubaumshifts.jpg

He's the closest thing I've got to a HMG, and I want to catch the enemy infantry in those fields with some firepower.

 

Turn 31

 

With a little more supporting fire from Poppe's Stug, and the last few rounds from my infantry sections, the HQs make their escape.

https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/CM/HS/169hqsretreat.jpg

Regretting that extra bratwurst? Probably.

 

My panzergrens draw attention to themselves, lighting up the enemy infantry fleeing across the fields.

https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/CM/HS/hs168infundert34fire.jpg

No casualties, this time. Luckier and luckier.

 

Apparently, the SPG that killed Penzel's Panzer III wasn't an 85mm.

https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/CM/HS/hs167152mmomg.jpg

152mm, according to the awed gazes of my infantry. Oh deary me.

 

And, in fine tradition, Poppe is too busy banging HE into the attacking enemy infantry to notice this monster being aimed at him.

https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/CM/HS/hs170poppetrgtd.jpg

I wonder how fast Larmann's tank hunters can move...

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Thanks lads, those comments gave me a bit of heart.

 

Turn 32

 

My infantry, again hammering the enemy as they flee, attract more tank attention.

https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/CM/HS/hs172moretankfire.jpg

No casualties, but it pinned two sections briefly.

 

The 152mm shoots, and misses, giving Larmann's team time to rush forward and hoy a grenade bundle at the SPG.

https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/CM/HS/hs171thspgkill.jpg

Poppe encourages the crew out of the SPG with an AP round, and as they exit, they're SMG'd to death by Larmann.

 

There really is a lot of infantry here, but most of them are prone, so I'm guessing they're pinned, panicked, or broken.

https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/CM/HS/hs173loadsoinf.jpg

Which is good news, because all my units there are out of ammo, my Stugs have no more HE, and I'm generally a spent force. I'll have to move a few sections over from the right.

 

Turn 33

 

Shifting selected sections left, towards the centre. Those with some ammo left, basically.

https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/CM/HS/hs176shiftleftinf.jpg

I might lose the central flag, but I'm confident I can hold onto the other three, and that, coupled with the amount of damage I've dealt out, means a win.

 

As they shift left, they pick up three what-might-be-T34s.

https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/CM/HS/hs1743t34s.jpg

Not worried, I've got plenty of armour left to combat them.

 

Sheaffer's Stug shifts to help cover the road in the centre, I've only just noticed Poppe's got 4 AP rounds left.

https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/CM/HS/hs177sheafstugtotherescue.jpg

Looks like there's no more tanks coming on the left anyway.

 

Good thing Sheaffer's coming to the rescue.

https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/CM/HS/hs175385s.jpg

Larmann's still in place, but he's down to grenades, which aren't that good versus tanks.

 

Turn 34

 

Larmann tries a grenade.

https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/CM/HS/hs178larmannbravetry.jpg

Hits, does absolutely nothing else. When using grenades, it's more luck than anything.

 

The SU-85 takes offence at being grenaded, and rolls right at Larmann.

https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/CM/HS/hs179larmannsavedbypoppe.jpg

Poppe saves his skin, punching one of his last AP rounds into the SU-85's flank.

 

An SU-85 decides to try racing in close, only to get a 75mm AP round in the face.

https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/CM/HS/hs180poppekill5.jpg

Poppe's making the last AP rounds he has count.

 

Things are getting a tad difficult in the centre, even as the first of the shifted sections are coming into play.

https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/CM/HS/hs181gettinghard.jpg

I dearly hope this ends on turn 35.

 

Turn 35

 

Sheaffer takes up a position covering the central road.

https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/CM/HS/hs183sheafferposition.jpg

As he's off to one side, he'll get a flank shot at any vehicles coming down it too.

 

A new enemy tank presents itself.

https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/CM/HS/hs182newenemytank.jpg

Sadly, a Lend-Lease Sherman won't survive a 75mm. Too bad.

 

'Fresh' infantry get into position in the centre.

https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/CM/HS/hs184freshinf.jpg

Bit of a joke, but they only have to hold out a few more turns. Hopefully.

 

Come in, over, der fat fraulein is singing.

https://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h109/FullAuto_2006/CM/HS/hsresult-1.jpg

Didn't do too badly there.

 

MVU goes to Poppe, for his score of 1 T-34 and 7 SU-85s. Cracking.

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Well, the Stug getting bogged down wasn't my fault, but losing that Panzer III certainly was. Criminal, really.

 

My defence was too linear, although I was mobile enough to cope with enemy attacks. Really should have bulked up in the centre, and the left was probably too constricted to mount a serious tank attack through (the 76.2mm gun never fired a shot).

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p.s.: RIP, Bunning, cratered veteran sniper. :cool:

 

Indeed. A minute of silence, please.

 

FAIR, very fair assessment. FA, you had us all worried, than 92%?! :(

 

Well, I was worried myself, some of those tank attacks were a leetle bit scary.

 

My thanks to the scenario designer, and you lot who read the mad scribblings of one loon lost in the tactical wilderness.

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