Perimeter Tournament Screen Shots & Discussion

[Poor Old Spike]

COMBAT FOOTAGE- airfield

With the end of the game imminent, I go for Andre's airfield by taking the risk of pushing my T-34/85's and halftrack ahead of the slow-moving infantry support, hoping the halftrack will draw the fire of any lurking schrecks/fausts which the T-34's can then deal with. (The main hangar was rubbled by earlier T-34 area-fire).
Suddenly a schreck comes flying out of the house on the left, note the small grey projectile in mid-flight..

But it falls short of my leading T-34..

And they all immediately return fire before he can shoot again. You had yer chance Jack..

 

[Andre]

thx was an thrilling match and an max on entertainment looking forward for your next competition:nuts:
Andre

 

[Poor Old Spike]

COMBAT FOOTAGE- coastal village

ER Chaser finishes off my small Russian battlegroup. It's the one that was going for the church in earlier screenshots but found its head in a noose surrounded by schrecks and fausts on all sides.
Here another one comes flying out of the trees at bott right..

German infantry closes in for the kill with grenades and is all over them..

 

[Poor Old Spike]

COMBAT FOOTAGE- hills

Bitter fighting for every inch of ground as my Russians edge slowly forward in the face of ER Chaser's potent combination of schrecks, artillery and small-arms fire..
The Red infantry begins to break and run..

 

[ER_Chaser]

And some incoming counter attack

 

[Poor Old Spike]

COMBAT FOOTAGE- hills

CMant sends 4 x T-34/85's against the German outpost and I hurl 4 x PzIVH's into their flank to head them off..
(the panzer near the flag was knocked out earlier)

A fierce tank battle erupts as the panzers come to a halt and begin pouring fire into the still-moving T-34's..

The T-34's fight for their lives but it swings the Germans way; all 4 T-34's are wrecked for the loss of 1 panzer..

 

[mangus2000]

I wish i had taken the Axis! But thats coz i'm far far to slow on attacks and have given POS time to reinforce and i'm stuck at the edges now:angry:

 

[Poor Old Spike]

COMBAT FOOTAGE- hills/airfield

While my 3 surviving PzIVH's (yellow ring) of the fierce tank battle at bottom left are still getting their breath back, CMant launches 2 x T-34/85's (top) in a surprise attack firing down the runway into their backs, they're the 2 that broke through the valley earlier..

One of my boys goes down as they desperately swivel their turrets to meet the threat.
(the bailer was put out of action in the previous tank fight )

After more exchanges of gunfire both T-34's are wrecked and 2 panzers survive..

 

[ER_Chaser]

One tiny suggestion to CMant:
this is a typical case where if you had well synced the two fronts, the results could very well be exactly the opposite. By this I mean, if you moved the airstrip task force two turns earlier (or the village force two turns later, whichever is possible), then you would have sandwiched those panzers in between, even if you then would have bad luck and lose some T34's, the panzers cannot possibly take care of front and back at the same time. At least one group will break through.

 

[Poor Old Spike]

COMBAT FOOTAGE- valley

Odies Russian infantry and armoured car flush the Germans out of the farm at the head of the valley..

 

[Poor Old Spike]

COMBAT FOOTAGE- marshes

Herrbixx's Tiger comes prowling and is engaged by my 2 x SU-100's..

The SU-100 is a fearsome weapon quite capable of handling Tigers. The result- a fair exchange, one for one.
The action also demonstrates the advantage of outnumbering the enemy; if he shoots one of yours down, your boys wingman will take revenge..

 

[Poor Old Spike]

FIRST RESULT JUST IN
CMant(Russ) = Draw


Endscreen- CMant's Russians kicked in almost the entire eastern half of the pocket-

The hills outpost was the scene of ferocious tank battles as CMant bled the defending panzers white.
Here in the endscreen pic 8 x PzIVH's and 4 x T-34/85's lie wrecked..

This game screenshot post numbers- 32 35 37 44 52 67 85 102 125 129 135 140 146 148 152
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GAMES FINISHED SO FAR- 1/26
(Tourney ends June 30th)

 

[Poor Old Spike]

RESULT JUST IN-
POS(Russ) minor win against Andre

Endscreen- my late T-34 thrust proved decisive by capturing the airfield..

Below- the battle for the coastal village was very brutal, Andre's Germans kept my units pinned in the beachhead for most of the game, note the thin light blue lines denoting a hail of infantry small-arms fire coming in from the flanks.
The tank battle cost him 4 Hetzers (blue circles) and cost me 3 T-34/85's (red circles)
But I later brought in 2 more T-34/85's from the marshes sector to break the deadlock and they can be seen close up to the flag..

This game screenshot post numbers- 22 23 27 53 81 141 153
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GAMES FINISHED SO FAR- 2/26
(Tourney ends June 30th)

 

[Poor Old Spike]

COMBAT FOOTAGE- coastal village

Herrbixx's gun crew see a perfect target - a T-34/85 on the skyline - and remember what they were told in training -"If you've got the shot, take it"

Scratch one T-34... Ironically I was reversing it at the time (purple arrow) because I didn't want it to get caught up in the rocky ground to its front. It never saw the gun til it fired..

 

[Poor Old Spike]

COMBAT FOOTAGE- marshes

ER Chaser's Germans close in on the marshes outpost in a feeding frenzy with Panther support..
I had 2 x T-34's and an SU-100 in this sector but sent them against the coastal village where they were ambushed and wrecked (red circle) in earlier screenshots, leaving the marshes naked and helpless..

 

[Poor Old Spike]

COMBAT FOOTAGE- hills

After securing the sailing club (bottom), my Russians begin moving on the hills outpost (background) but Guderian establishes a blocking wall of 4 x Hetzers across my front (blue arrows).
I respond by launching all my armour (3 x T-34/85's and 2 x SU-100's) against them (red arrows)

After a violent prolonged gunfight all the Hetzers are wrecked for the loss of a single SU-100.
My T-34's got some side shots against them which was the deciding factor, while the powerful SU-100's drilled straight through their fronts..

Closeup- whereas T-34/85's can have trouble penetrating a Hetzer's upper hull front, SU-100's usually have no trouble at all as demonstrated here..

 

[Poor Old Spike]

COMBAT FOOTAGE- airfield

This is from the same turn as the previous screenshots, I race a pair of SU-100's to have a crack at a big bunch of Guderians armour icons near head of valley in background but run head-on into 6 of his assorted panzers/ Hetzers coming my way.

The SU-100's wipe the floor with them, killing 4 out of 6 for no SU losses.
None of the Germans had time to fire back, in fact some began popping smoke and reversing when they caught sight of the SU's..

 

[Poor Old Spike]

COMBAT FOOTAGE- hills

My Russian advance towards the hills outpost (far background right, among trees) is barred by Seel's gun up on the ridge. I earlier wrecked the Hetzer in a tank shootout, but because the gun is slightly over the ridge my tanks haven't been able to hit it; their shots either fly over its head or impact short on the front of the ridgeline. The gun however can get good shots on my tanks like sitting ducks..

So I lay down heavy infantry small-arms fire (red lines) on the gun to keep its head down, and rush it with my 3 x SU-100's and a T-34/85 (arrows)

It works, next turn my armour is up on the ridge and able to get clear area-fire shots at the gun icon which is quickly knocked out..

 

[Poor Old Spike]

COMBAT FOOTAGE- airfield

Der Kuenstler's German squad punishes my T-34 for breaking the first rule in the tank driver's handbook-"Never drive within 40metres (grenade-throwing range) of any terrain that could be concealing enemy infantry"
(Okay i'll take the rap for driving them too close but my excuse is they'd been under schreck attack from behind in the previous turn and I was racing them down the runway to get away in a hurry..)

 

[Poor Old Spike]

COMBAT FOOTAGE- hills

At last I'm able to silence Der Kuenstler's troublesome gun, just look at the havoc its been wreaking against my T-34's..
My last 2 T-34's can't see it (and it can't see them) because of intervening smoke from burning wrecks, so I use the well-known tactic of area-firing into the ground next to the gun, and the blast knocks it out.
(Note the blank panel (white circle) in its datastrip, that's how we know if a gun or infantry unit is kaput)