COMBAT GALLERY

[PoorOldSpike]

As my Russians shake out into two columns,Herrbixx suddenly hits them with 2 x Kingtigers(?)


Kingtiger(?) v Red Army..

[PoorOldSpike]

Odies T-34/85's ruthlessly expose the Panthers Achilles Heel, its weak turret front..

[PoorOldSpike]

Bert Blitzkrieg's Russian M17's lethal quad 50-cal riddles the thin back of my Hetzer..



The M17 had sprayed the Hetzers back a few times in the previous turn without effect, but now the Hetzers luck runs out..



A few seconds later my schreck gets the M17, but it's a poor exchange rate for me, a Hetzer for a halftrack..





(Incidentally the M17's stats page (Enter) gives no penetration values for its quad 50's because they're MG's)

[PoorOldSpike]

Stndrtnfhr's Russian infantry come bursting out of the woods..
(yellow ring= see closeup footage below)


Up close and personal; the Russians gatecrash the house and the two SMG squads spray each other..


And the Russian squad prevails..

[PoorOldSpike]

Michael Dorosh's infantry cross a ford under panzer fire while the AT-rifleman at bott right keeps the tank commander distracted and buttoned with a series of pings..

[PoorOldSpike]

1- I spotted Airborne Bob's Panther at this location earlier and predict it'll be coming down the road towards my Russian garrison at the hills outpost..
2- So I send 3 x T-34/85's hooking round to hunt it down in the side armour..
3- The thin arrow shows my intended route..



Uh-oh, my boys walk into two Panthers head-on, the hunters have become the hunted..



The Panths carve up the 2 leading T-34's real bad, they started milling around and fired back but missed and I lose both,they had their chance.
I was able to jam the brakes on the rear T-34 to save him from a similar fate..


PS- the T-34's had infantry aboard simply because I was about to transport them to another sector, and hadn't time to unload them..

[PoorOldSpike]

The battle for control of the airfield rages as CMant's 4 x SU-76's break out of the forest with infantry in support.
I hurl 4 PzIVH's into their path (top right) and also manage to get a schreck and flak gun into action to help blunt the Russian spearhead.
Inset- the flak gun makes mincemeat of an SU's thin side armour..

[PoorOldSpike]

Advancing from the sailing club (background) Cmant's Red Army kicked in the door to the hills outpost (bott left) by wiping out 4 x PzIVH's (yellow circle) so I race another 4 panzers (bott right) from the airfield to the defence of the outpost..

[PoorOldSpike]

I send this small Russian battlegroup spearheaded by 2 x T-34/85's and an SU-100 to conquer ER Chaser's coastal village in a surprise attack from the rear, anticipating only minor resistance because I expect whatever German troops are there to be facing the beach..
(The sea is all Fords to allow amphibious landings)




But no sooner do the Russians begin rolling with the armour area-firing into the church on the move, than the supporting infantry is pinned by small arms fire, but even worse the armour finds its head is in a noose, ambushed by German infantry on all sides..



Ominous whooshing sounds are heard from indeterminate locations and my SU-100 is stopped in its tracks..




The Germans finish them off. Here another faust comes flying out of the trees at bott right..




German infantry closes in for the kill with grenades..

[PoorOldSpike]

After capturing the marshes outpost at bott left, I wheel my T-34/85's into line astern formation for an attack on the richest prize on the map-Der Kuenstler's airfield..



But before I can move off he launches a spoiling attack with a fusillade of schrecks and fausts (red fire lanes) killing two T-34's and making the rest mill around in confusion. Only the T-34 leader gets through and finds himself alone at the tip of the arrow, frantically radioing "where are my comrades?"




The punch-drunk T-34's turrets swing like crazy looking for whoever's firing at them..