Newbie Tourney Michammer Vs Paulinski

michammer

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Well, here is my AAR from my game with Paulinski. Hope you enjoy it.

"Task Force Lovelady"

12 turns
Allied moves first
12 hex visibility
Major Allied Defeat: 25
Minor Allied Defeat: 150
Minor Allied Victory: 225
Major Allied Victory: 350

ALLIES – Michammer
AXIS – Paulinski

Turn 1. A quick study of the map shows that there are 4 bunkers and 2 minefields in the immediate area and 7 objective hexes. First, I will clear the bunkers and the minefields before advancing on the objectives. Bunkers 3 and 4 will be cleared by the engineers, who will also clear the minefield leading into the woods. Captain McCauslan’s infantry company will clear Bunkers 1 and 2, and the T4 flails will clear the minefield blocking the hardball road.As soon as the minefield is cleared, I will send a force to move into Mausbach and secure it. Once Mausbach is secured, forces will move through to take Diepenlinchen and Krewinkel. Finally I wil move on Hill 283 and Gressenich, a move which will be aided by Lt Albertelli’s infantry company advancing through the woods to take Greesenich from the east.

An Engineer platoon is advanced to clear the southern minefield, and the LMG Section to help cover them. This unit is fired upon from the unit in bunker #4. An M8 armoured car is moved up to support the LMG section.

Meanwhile, Major Miller moves the other 2 engineer platoons next to bunker #3 and they are fired upon so the engineers fire smoke to hide themselves and prepare to assault next turn. Tank platoons are advanced towards the other 2 bunkers; #2 is found to be empty, and is occupied, but #1 is defended. Due to a communications mix up, an M8 armoured car platoon advances too close to bunker #1 and is destroyed.
 

michammer

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Turn 2

Turn 2. Reinforcements have arrived! This turns out to be my artillery, a tank destroyer platoon and a Sherman 105 platoon. Bunker #3 is assaulted and taken with the loss of the enemy unit, and the leader is captured as he tries to escape. The engineer platoon, LMG section, and M8 armoured car platoon are moved up to assault bunker 4 on the next turn, but the Engineer platoon is disrupted and forced to retreat. Captain McCausland takes 2 of his infantry platoons to assault bunker #1. Artillery fire is plotted on to both bunkers to soften them up for the assault. The flails are moved up to remove the remaining minefield.
 

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Turn 3

Turn 3. An M8 armoured car platoon is advanced forward, up the road, through Fleuth and takes Mausbach, but is fired upon by an AT gun on Hill 283, and is disrupted with the loss of all but one strength point. However, the remaining vehicle is still able to advance and to take Krewinkel. Artillery fire is plotted onto the AT gun..

Bunker #1 is assaulted and taken by Captain McCausland’s infantry, with tank support. The rest of the company is advanced into dead ground out of the LOS of the AT gun, ready to advance on Diepenlinchen. Meanwhile 2 tank platoons are moved around the left flank to advance on the town from the west.

Bunker #4 is becoming a thorn in my side. I want to send my second infantry company (arrived this turn) through the forest and around the enemy’s left flank, but they cannot enter the forest without being seen by the unit in bunker #4. The engineer platoon is moved forward again, ready to assault next turn. Major Miller takes an armoured car and halftrack to assault from the rear of the bunker. However, the German unit retreats from the bunker, allowing the allies to occupy.
 
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michammer

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Turn 4

Turn 4. The indirect artillery fire at the start of this turn causes smoke to rise from the area of Hill 283, and the disruption of the AT gun on the hill. With the retreat of the enemy unit in bunker #4, Lt Albertelli is able to move his company (3x Inf Pltns, an MG Section, a 60mm mortar section, and a 57mm AT section) into the trees to start their advance to take Gressenich from the east. This company is supported by an M10 GMC tank destroyer platoon. Other moves are made to position forces for the attack on Diepenlinchen and to fire upon the enemy light armour units in the trees south of Hill 283.
 

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Turn 5

Turn 5. Two of Captain McCausland’s platoons move towards Diepenlinchen and are fired upon by tanks that reveal themselves in the trees south of Hill 283, one of which appears to be a kitty. The enemy seems to have positioned many units in this patch of trees. A smoke shoot is plotted south of Diepenlinchen to allow these 2 pltns, and the rest of the company, to advance on the town next turn. An additional smoke shoot is planned to block the LOS of the enemy units in the trees. The tank pltns between Mausbach and Krewinkel move out to shoot and scoot at the enemy tanks in the trees, but lose one of their number in forcing one enemy unit to retreat. Lt Albertelli now has his company within striking distance of Gressenich and will move on the objective next turn.
 

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Turn 6

Turn 6. Due to a communications error (ie; I did not press the ALT key) the smoke screen south of the trees turns out to be an HE barrage. I am able to take Diepenlinchen, which was not defended. It appears that the enemy has allowed me to take the three objectives whilst concentrating his defences around Hill 283 and Gressenich. The armoured units in the trees are really bugging me. It is like I am firing tennis balls at them as I am getting nowhere. Meanwhile they are picking off my tanks one by one. I also lost 2 pltns of M8s that I thought were out of LOS of enemy units.

Lt Albertelli sends his company in to take Gressenich, but the town is well defended. There are 2 platoons of empty halftracks, an MG Pltn, a rifle pltn, an AT pltn, and a light armoured pltn that I can see. Two 60mm mortar sections are sent through the trees to help support the attack on on the town. Artillery fire is called down onto the defenders at Gressenich, and on the 88 on Hill 283.
 

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Turn 7

Turn 7. Captain McCausland’s company is advanced through Diepenlinchen and moves straight towards Hill 283. Two pltns of Shermans are brought up to cover the advance, but 1 pltn is forced to retreat by the kitty pltn in the trees. My other tank pltns continue to fire tennis balls at the German armour, though a StuG pltn is forced to retreat.

Lt Albertelli pulls the advanced units of his company back out of the enemy’s LOS. An Axis halftrack pltn approaches the company position but is forced to retreat with losses by the 57mm AT section. An M10 TD is called forward and inflicts more losses on the enemy formation. The 2 additional mortar sections reach their destination but are unable to unload this turn. The Sherman 105 pltn is advanced out of LOS to help support Captain McCausland, and will continue its advance next turn under the cover of smoke.
 

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Tunr 8

Turn 8. The tennis ball barrage has worked! The armoured units in the trees have pulled back out of LOS. It looks like they are pulling back to help defend Gressenich, as there is a lot of enemy movement in that direction. A Sherman pltn is ordered to advance down the road to the hex next to the trees, where it is fired upon by a number of armoured pltns and is forced to retreat (the enemy did not pull back as far as I had expected). The remaining Sherman pltns are advanced to a positon where they will be out of LOS of these enemy units.

Captain McCausland moves his company to the base of Hill 283, where it is out of the LOS of the 88. Hopefully, I will be able to take this position next turn and move onto the objective itself. I am going to have to take this objective as I do not believe that I will now be able to take Gressenich in the time remaining. If I take Hill 283, I may be able to make a dash for the 2 smaller objectives to the north.
 

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Turn 9

Turn 9. After the artillery barrage, the 88 fires at a haltrack pltn and destroys it. Captain McCausland’s company move into position, assisted by the company halftracks, to assault the gun position. I move my Sherman 105 into LOS to “soften” the position, and its first shot destroys the 88. Hill 283 is occupied by US forces. Unfortunately, the enemy counterattacks and retakes the objective, occupying with 3 infantry pltns. The IP once occupied by the 88 is also reoccupied by the enemy.

My tank platoons play shoot and scoot with the Axis armour, eliminating 1 pltn, and finally destroying a Panther, forcing the rest of the pltn to retreat. Unfortunately, Gressenich is too heavily defended for an infantry company to assault alone.
 

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Turns 10 and 11

Turn 10. This turn is spent playing shoot and scoot with the Axis tank pltns. A couple of StuGs and a Panther are destroyed, but at the cost of a couple of Shermans and an M10. At Gressenich, an M10 pltn takes out some halftracks, but loses half its strength when a StuG pltn advances out of the town. Other forces are positioned to be ready to assault the objectives on Hill 283 and at Gressenich.

Turn 11. Pretty much the same as turn 10, except my tanks do not scoot. More of my tanks are destroyed for one off his. Lt Albertelli’s company is getting nowhere. The AT gun on the Gressenich objective is destroyed. The remaining M10 at Gressenich is also destroyed. I now have units in position to assault the objective on Hill 283 on turn 12.
 

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The End

Turn 12. The objective on Hill 283 is taken and occupied by 2 commanders, 2 halftracks and an engineer pltn. A tank pltn and a halftrack pltn are able to advance down the road and take the Gressenich objective. The enemy launches fierce counterattacks and retakes Gressenich, but Hill 283 is held by the commanders and 1 halftrack. Fortunately, the enemy does not have the strength to force these units out. The battle ends in a draw.

Assessment. The allies need to achieve 150 pts just to obtain a draw. An Allied Minor Victory is set at 225 pts. Therefore, the allies have to take at least 3 of the 50 pt objectives, and win the attrition battle just to get a draw. Paulinski set his defence well. Knowing that I needed to take at least 4, and probably all 5, of the 50 pt objectives to secure an Allied Minor Victory, he let me have the 3 southern most objectives and concentrated his defence around the remaining 2.

By placing his units on Hill 283 and in the trees south of the hill, my opponent could cover all of the approaches to both of the objectives on Hill 283 and in Gressenich. I was unable to move into position to take either of these objectives without being subjected to heavy fire.

I became very frustrated by the armoured units in the trees south of Hill 283 – 2 panther pltns, 2 StuG pltns and some other light armour. I could not dislodge them, and didn’t think I ever would. Then on turn 8 my opponent withdrew these units, much to my relief and amazement. Was I causing more concern than I could ascertain? Maybe Paulinski could explain his decision to move these units.

I took Hill 283 on turn 9 but was immediately ejected, and was not able to enter the objective again until turn 12. I did not get anywhere near the Gressenich objective until turn 12, and that was a gamble, when I simply advanced a Sherman pltn down the road and found the objective hex undefended. Unfortunately, I could not spare enough forces to occupy the hex, and he was easily able to push me out.

I now believe that the decision to split my infantry was wrong. I should have kept both companies within reach of each other. Maybe I should have just sent some armoured cars through the trees. To get to the objective hex in Gressenich, Lt Albertelli’s company had to fight through the town, and never even came close.

Another mistake I made, was not using my Sherman 105 earlier. I had it sat out of LOS and forgot about it until turn 7 (it arrived on turn 2).

All in all, a very good, intense, exciting game against a very worthy opponent, and a great learning experience.
 

Paulinski

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Indeed a very intense and exiting game as well as excellent AAR. As to my decision to withdraw the armor from Hill 283 I was concerned with your shermans aproaching and taking side shots against my armor. I was also struggling with supply basically since round 1. I had my HQ units not too far from the armor platoons yet my panthers and stugs were suffering from lack of supply.
 
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