Main Event IV: M1A1 vs. Schwerpunkt

[Lord Bane]

Kelen I disagree. Other than the initial flag rush, and finally bringing his tanks out where they had some fields of fire, I have seen nothing that Mr. X has really done to get a victory. He has inflicted some losses on the Russians, but basically allowed at least a company of his men to be cut to ribbons while keeping his tanks hiding out of LOS. I could understand letting his men die if he had no other options, but he was just playing it very safe because he didn't want to lose his armor. I am actually not sure why he bought the armor in the first place. From what I can tell from the DAR, he did not use them except in a purely defensive role. IMO, tanks are for attacking. I actually think that he is playing not to lose rather than to win. I bet that he will end the game with many of his units full of ammunition and hiding. I was kind of hoping to see a knock out blow delivered. I wanted to see a brawl and have been watching a sparing match with full head gear!

I think it is time for a ceasefire to put the audience out of our misery! LOL...just kidding. But it has gotten pretty stale.
Lord Bane

[OWL]

Good points L Bane! After this battle, the Axis infantry CO will personally kill the tank unit cdr and send his family to a concentration camp!

owl

[Kelen]

Kelen I disagree. Other than the initial flag rush, and finally bringing his tanks out where they had some fields of fire, I have seen nothing that Mr. X has really done to get a victory. He has inflicted some losses on the Russians, but basically allowed at least a company of his men to be cut to ribbons while keeping his tanks hiding out of LOS. I could understand letting his men die if he had no other options, but he was just playing it very safe because he didn't want to lose his armor. I am actually not sure why he bought the armor in the first place. From what I can tell from the DAR, he did not use them except in a purely defensive role. IMO, tanks are for attacking. I actually think that he is playing not to lose rather than to win. I bet that he will end the game with many of his units full of ammunition and hiding. I was kind of hoping to see a knock out blow delivered. I wanted to see a brawl and have been watching a sparing match with full head gear!

I think it is time for a ceasefire to put the audience out of our misery! LOL...just kidding. But it has gotten pretty stale.
Lord Bane

Well I still don't know who Mr X is and therefore what the relevant skill levels are between the 2 opponents. M1A1 Does like his armour though, and knowing that must have affected Mr X's unit pick. He quite rightly summised from the start that his armour would be outnumbered and that he would have to be careful with it whilst trying to whittle away M1A1's. That he has done.

Whether Mr X has played too cautious with both his armour and infantry, or whether M1A1 should have brought more infantry for a forest fight rather than all that armour, (although the impact of those flame tanks cannot be denied); well that's for each of us spectators to decide, (and it'll be intersting to see both players views on that after the battle is over).

Would we have bought differing unit picks and played differently, probably, (but that's because we have all different playing styles). But also remember that we have the benefit of seeing the battle from both sides.

OK this fight has been a tad different from others we've seen, but I still think it's brave of 2 players, (whoever they may be), to fight it out in full view of everyone else. My earlier comment was merely to show that not everyone neccesarily has to be a genius to win a battle, or totally inept to lose one, (just look at Wellington at Waterloo, Grant at Gettysburg, and the D-Day landings may well have gone totally differenty if Hitler hadn't tried to run the whole show from Berlin).

I agree though that I would have like a seen faster play; it has bogged down some.

[Lord Bane]

So.......is this over then? Slightly anti-climactic.
Lord Bane

[Ratzki]

I just got the final turns, so I will be putting up the final pics and comments after I eat lunch and feed the kids.

[Ratzki]

Flag D is securely in German hands and Flag C is as well. This view is from the Russian turn. With German infantry on the move all that M1A1 is able to do is watch as his remaining infantry are located and cut down.
The Germans are startying to swing towards Flag B now, but bthere might not be enough time to take that flag. Plus the remaining Russian armor is influencing that flag as well.
M1 might be playing for a draw at this point but I do not think that he will get it as after looking over the victory % from each side, I would be inclined to give Mr. X the game by a slight margin but enough to get the win.



Pulling back to take a look, we find that M1 is full retreat on this side of the map. The Germans are moving fast to get at Flag B, at the right of the screen. There is little M1 can do there as well, as he has no infantry in the area, just his tanks and they are at quite a distance as well. The German Pz is making a move to flank the Russian armor, but at the last minute the Russian tanks move forward to take on the lone Pz hiding in the trees. It will be three vs one, not very good odds for the German Pz.



Within moments of the advance, the Russian T-34s find the lone Pz. A firefight breaks out, and the German scores the first kill. Now it will be the Russian turn as all ghuns train on the Pz. At 230m, this will be a quick figtht.



Bad news for the Russians. The German fire is accurate, and kill after kill is the name of the game for Mr.X. M1A1 sees his T-34s miss and miss again and again. He does not catch a break and soon it is over. Between the Pz and a German squad, M1's force now is in ruins.
I will say now that the outcome is will be in the German favour, if only M1A1 could have gotten a shot in things could have been different. With a turn left, he could have taken the flag B and had a go at the final German Pz, but now all seems lost.

[herroberst]

Fantastic end game. Seems M1A1 resorted to form and rashly advanced and lost his armor (and was unlucky too). Maybe I wasn't that far off suggesting Mr X would pull a tactical victory after all although the accounts suggest maybe a minor given casualties.

[bluehand]

from my experience, M1 is used to having veteran armor, hence his caution with regular. that is why he has been cautious. that and soviet accuracy sucks. Mr. X has clearly heard of M1's prowess with armor and that explains his caution with his forces. M1 had to make a move. unfortunately he was right in that regular and green soviet armor can't hit squat. he should have relied on speed and maneuver and worked his way around the flank or in to the rear of the enemy.

[Joonny]

Yeah, I am on my 3rd game with M1 at the moment, he whooped me at in the first 2 but on the 3rd ones my vet panzers made mincemeat of his crack t-34s and I managed to get a plt of marders right behind his SUs and rip them to pieces. Not had a turn from him in a while though.

Looks to me like he is playing very cautiously too

[Ratzki]

The final couple of turns slip away quietly with nothing much going on but Mr. X securing his positions on the flags. At the end, the outcome is clear, Mr. X wins the battle, but this looked like he had it in the bag for the last 10 turns or so. M1A1 just did not have enough punch to make it through the numerous Germans that were everywhere on the map. In the end, his advance just ran out of gas.
Below are the final screenshots of this battle that I will be posting. It was interesting from my perspective, I hope that everyone got some enjoyment out of it. Thanks for Der K letting me do the commentary, and yes, it is one heck of a lot of work doing this. Just letting anyone who figures they might want to give it a try.
Thanks everyone.

Ratzki