A Legend Is Born DAR (Now completed)

[Crossroads]

TURNS 14-20 INTO THE BATTLE

Turn 14 H-hour! My plan is to attack Arracourt from Northeast, while having the panzers using the paved road for close support.

Enemy artillery hits the ground behind my forward troops. As my troops start to move cautiously forward, I wish the next enemy artillery phase does the same.




Turn 15. Fat chance! The US artillery hits me particularly hard! I must have lost four or five tanks to artillery this turn alone.

Separately, North of Arracourt, I lost my last armed half track to enemy Hellcats, ambushing them from a forest hex near the road. My tanks, hiding in a hull-down position near by, took a swift revenge. Road cleared!

The attack on Arracourt is about to begin. I have taken a town hex providing a view of Arracourt, soon under siege.

To provide a left pincer for my attack, I quickly brought the units responsible for securing the left flank of my advance to front line, with orders to attack Arracourt from South.



I have by now located the general whereabouts of US artillery. North of Arracourt, I sent a Panzer company to deal with the artillery deployed behind the forest of Bezange La Grande. Little did I know I will run into a US relief force, that will slowly push their way towards Arracourt.



Turns 17 and 18 witness some hard fighting as the noose around Arracourt tightens. The US troops fight bravely, with great support from artillery. In the beginning of turn 17 I had a positive VP tally of 37 points, swinging into -54 in a course of just two turns.

Worryingly, I am running out of smoke shells.



At the end of turn 20, the siege of Arracourt is truly on.

Without much cover nor smoke, it is a difficult task to assault and capture the GIs, dug in in the safety of the town. VPs go to -80 at their worst.

I was able to just have enough units to make one concentrated assault on the non-objective town hex, but it failed. With plenty of armour available, I will continue to soften them up. As an observation, the enemy is now only using smoke to cover the main target hex, meaning they propably do not have a limitless stack of smoke shells either.

US platoons show up in my rear. I welcome the hostiles with the two mkIV platoons left for rear guard duty. US relief force from North continues to push towards Arracourt, but I am in the process of stabilising the front there.

The terrain provides grim proof for the strength of enemy artillery. With the lack of supply, I typically have half of the friendly tubes empty of ammo - and there isn't that many of them to begin with!

Not much of the plan left. Just stay the course and try to oust the pesky Amerikäner from Arracourt!