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Section Leaders:
The Sunken Lane Click Here for Print Friendly .DOC Version! German Commander - Fionn
Kelly
Graphics Note: While the events in this AAR were played on a very recent Beta Build of Combat Mission. The graphics, at that time, were not finalized. For Final Graphics please view the POTD Feature which runs daily here and various features on the CMHQ-Annex site.
Turn
11: Thought
Processes: 1.
I’ve got a good fix on one of Bil’s
reinforcing companies. It basically appears to be orienting towards
Giesey’s platoon. 2.
I don’t know where the second company will be
committed and therefore I’ve decided to have Giesey’s platoon fight
it out alone against the entire, fresh British company bearing down on
it. I am going to need at least 1 platoon to slow down/counter-attack
the second British company wherever it appears and I don’t want to be
left without any reserve in case the platoon I commit to slow his 2nd
company gets wiped out quickly. Basically my plan is to use Bertram to
counter-attack into the flank of Bil’s second company ( which I
expect him to commit to the fight on my extreme right, ridge-line
flank) and keep Wittenberg as a reserve. Probably once Bertram moves
out I’ll have to commit Wittenberg to an assault into the flank of
the company on my left flank but I want to maintain my reserve for as
long as possible so I can commit it when it will have the greatest
impact. 3.
Giesey has 20 combat-capable men and the four
survivors of his Kompanie HQ in his little defensive position. I’ve
set them up in a shallow semi-circular defensive perimeter. I’ve
chosen the location for their initial defensive stance carefully. It is
a position which cannot be charged by tanks. Any tank which attempts to
get into position to fire on Giesey’s position will have to maneuvre
to do so and at the first sign of such a maneuvre I will pull
Giesey’s survivors back. They can’t fight back against a tank so,
at that point, there will be no point keeping them in a position where
they are nothing but targets any longer. 4.
A British rifle company comprises roughly 120
combat infantry plus support weaponry (MGs, FOs etc). Giesey is facing
an entire rifle company PLUS 3 tanks. The odds are considerably greater
than 6 to 1 in favor of the British attackers. This is the first
example of how Bil could use his concentrated reinforcements ( and the
local numerical advantage they give to his position wherever he chooses
to use them) to simply sledgehammer into and through my line. In Combat
Mission an attacker with a 2:1 numerical superiority will usually win
through unless the defender is truly in formidable defensive positions
with MG bunkers, pillboxes and plentiful artillery support. A 6:1
numerical superiority is just a bad joke.. I doubt Giesey and his men
are laughing though. 5.
Bil’s attack on my right flank is bound to
occur either this turn or next turn. I estimate that he will push his
infantry into the clump of scattered trees in between Sehmel and
Duve’s platoons, create a bridgehead there and then use this “safe
ground” to prevent my infantry from firing on his reinforcing company
as they cross the open ground to the “safe ground” and then roll up
the 1.5 platoons I have assembled in this sector with his 3 to 1 local
superiority in infantry and minimum of 3 tanks in support. 6.
The situation on each of my flanks looks
extremely dire BUT that is only because I have kept 1/3rd of
my total starting combat strength ( and closer to half of my current
combat strength) in reserve and pretty much out of the fight. This
reserve force is centrally placed and can either split and create a 1
platoon counter-attack into the flanks of each of Bil’s
reinforcing companies or can, if one of Bil’s assaults is
stopped cold, smash into the side and rear of his other thrust with two
full, combat-ready platoons of Panzergrenadiers. It’d be a slaughter
if I manage to do that. My basic thinking is a little similar to that
prevalent in Desert Storm. Keep their attention to their front and then
kick them in the ass with a force they didn’t think existed ;). Orders
Phase: I let my artillery barrage on
the forming up area of Bil’s surviving infantry go ahead. If they
attack this turn it’ll still catch their mortars and MG teams and if
they don’t attack this turn then a few salvoes of 120mm mortars ought
to really ruin Bil’s day. I order one of Duve’s
squads to crawl up the reverse slope of the ridge a little more until
it is in position to bring some fire to bear on the location where I
believe Bil’s attacking infantry will try to head. With a little luck
this squad ought to be able to get in a few SMG bursts just as Bil’s
troops are nearing the tree line on the other side of the ridge and
should really screw up the timing of his movement PLUS I’m sure
it’ll rattle him to come under fire and know that I’ve anticipated
his move. IF he doesn’t move forward this turn then my move isn’t a
risk since the infantry squad will still be on the reverse slope of the
ridge and so can’t be hit by DF HE. In other words there’s a
significant upside to this move if my hunch pays off and no downside if
my hunch doesn’t pay off. Action
Phase: Bil attacks this turn. The
picture below shows the main thrusts of his assault and shows the
locations of my forces attempting to hold them back. |
