Main Event V: Owl vs. Der Kuenstler

[Ratzki]

Der K. is crafty, speed is the name of the game, Owl will have to be on his game to win. I feel that Der K. has let Owl get to the some flags first and now knows where some of his forces are, maybe avoid tose flags altogether and effectively remove those units from the battle. Be interesting to see what goes on when the Pioneers get into range of the tanks.
Good job on the DAR so far!

[Joonny]

End of Turn 4

DK has TF-D into the housing estate, 2 platoon in a light building each with one squad on the top floor for overwatch. Risky strategy as one barrage of HE could decimate an entire plt, don't think Owl has LOS to here though.



TF-C has regained it's composure now but there is one squad that is done for, if DK can get this squad back into the battle it will be a long time before he does.



TF-A is entering the woods south of the logging camp. DK has mounted 3 flamethrowers and an MMG in HTs.

TF-B is moving towards the mayors house, not sure whether he is going to hold here or push on for the town square.



Owl has secure the train station with half of KG-A but the walking component of KG-A is still heading for a world of pain, it's slowly getting surrounded by 4 plts of inf and 1 plt of shermans



Owl seems to be setting up a permiter to the eastern edge of the town square, this should screen him slightly from TF-Ds advances but there is still TF-A and TF-B aswell as DKs recon force to his west, he has left the western approaches to the town pretty open.




KG-D is heading into the woods, looks like they are going to clash head on with TF-A and DK's recon force is in a good position to get in on their flank or even behind them. Owl has StuGs in the area, but they won't be able to help out if the fighting occurs deep in the woods.



It looks like DK will have the upper hand with the initial engagements, Owls spread out infantry is going to struggle against DKs concentrated infantry formations. However Owl does have an extra flag either under his control or which it is almost impossible for DK to get at the moment. It's going to be very difficult for DK to shift Owl out of the town square and I think the town square will be very low on DK's list of priorities.

Hopefully we she see some combat within the next few turns.

[Joonny]

End of turn 5

DK keeps advancing TF-A through the woods. The FTs and MMG he picked up in the HTs have simply been given a lift for 200m and dumped in the woods! hardly seems worth the effort of all that clicking to me!

KG-D is holding in the north of the woods, perhaps owl is just using them as a blocking force to stop any flanking moves from here?



DK has split off one plt from TF-D and swung TF-E up to his left. They are both on a collision course with KG-A, so KG-A no longer looks like getting envoloped but it is on a crash course with a force twice it's size.

Owl now has sound contacts on DK's shermans.



Oh and come on guys! 250+ views and only 2 or 3 of you have commented on this!

[Ratzki]

Could you post the occaisional picture with the trees turned on.

[Joonny]

Ha ha d'oh i'm just so used to playing with them off i forget! Will make sure to try and put them in for the rest of the DAR :)

[Joonny]

Notes from Owl

[Joonny]

I'm jumping ahead a few turns here but we have our first armor loss!

And I have to say it was down to what can only be described as a cock up from DK.

DK reverses his M7 Priest back down the road



Then he moves it forward on move to contact, buttoned! And right into the sights of a waiting PzIV



Even tho the M7 was on a MTC order and stopped the second the PzIV aquired it, i don't think it spotted the PzIV because it just sat there for a second or two while the PzIV lined up its barrel. And shoots, and scores a kill



The M7 burns but suprisingly 4 of the 7 crew survive



DK will surely lament the loss of that 114 blast 105mm, his 76s only have a blast of 45, gonna take a lot of HE shells to bring down a heavy building with that.

Full writeup of next couple of turns to follow soon.

[Joonny]

Turn 6, with trees on this time ;)

A plt from TF-D and all of TF-E converge right on the advancing plt from KG-A. DK only spots 2 squads, an LMG and a section HQ. I wonder why DK is advancing his men so tightly? perhaps he didn't expect to make contact but then he was moving them on MTC orders. Whatever the reason the result is whole platoons being suppressed by single squads.

DK still has the advantage here however as he is advancing on KG-A's flank, and Owl doesn't yet know whether this is another full plt or just scouts.




DK is the first to experience the little quircks that occur when the friendly map edges are set the wrong way round, or in this case at least rotated 90 degrees.

He moves his MG team across the road on MTC (allways run across roads IMO unless you know there's enemies facing you on the other side of it.

Then some MG fire comes in from a halftrack and panics, heads back for where it came fromm but then another burst of MG fire makes it switch back again, another burst and they break and start heading east (the default friendly map edge for the allies in QBs). In this case it worked well for DK as it got his MG team where he wanted it to be but hopefully it will be a reminder to him as this could be potentially catastrophic.



DK rushes his tank forward on fast, presumably trying to bag a HT or two, but Owls smoke screen prevents that, he does get off some MG fire at some inf on the pavement however, no serious casualties though.



TF-A continues its move through the pines.



KG-B has split, 1xPlt of Pz Grenadiers heading towards the train station, one heading towards the northern road.



Comments from Owl

[Ratzki]

It looks like both sides will be able to control 4 flags each, with little trouble. With the contested flag being the Town Square, where infantry has the advantage of short ranges and lots of cover. If Owl can resist the temptation to duke it out for the centre flag, he should be able to pull off a win, but if Der K. can lure him in to some street fighting and let Owl's force bleed out, then Der K. should have enough punch left to sqeek out a win.

[Joonny]

Yeah i deliberately try and make all my meeting engagement maps so they have equal numbers of flags that are easy to get to for both sides, this way i hope it prevents the typical, whoever gets to the flags first wins that usually accompanies meeting engagement scenarios.