Random chatter...

[Jim von Krieg]

In the east, Pax25 and I are locked in mortal combat along the Vistula.

I am unable to pause to group for a massed attack due to my foes rapid movement. My center position is under duress from the mailed German fist seeking to crack my defenses. To relieve the pressure on my defenses, I attack from the march with four heavy tank companies. Two on the right flank and two on the left flank.

As the massed Germans fires pound on my infantry in their defensive positions, my heavies made their presence felt by hammering the Tigers moving up to engage me. As I slammed into his left and right flank simultaneously, his Tigers took a beating. His right flank is solid with help close at hand; however, his left is more problematic. As 88mm rounds bounce off the tough hide of the IS-2's, the Tigers are proving a tad more brittle when struck by 122mm rounds.

His Panthers and King Tigers are busy knocking the hell out of my infantry. However, he needs time to dig them out.

The next few turns are going to be very interesting as we are locked in fairly close combat at the moment.

Jim

On my right, the IS-2s are really laying waste to the Tigers attempting to push forward. His earlier attempt to enter the village with only armor was thrown back. He established a good crossfire for the close fight just outside the village, but his Tigers fired at extremely long range at my KV-85s moving in the center village. This unmasked his positions AND used up the majority of his OPFIRE on his left. This exposed his Tigers to engagement by IS-2s and SU-85s at fairly close range and it was brutal. Two Tiger companies badly mauled.

Additionally, after getting expelled from the village, Pax brought up some Panthers to support his left flank. They engaged my reinforcing T34/85s entering the area at long range to no effect. Unfortunately, the Panthers engaged them as they were moving forward through Improved Positions. Between the T34/85s and the IS-2s in the area, the Panther Company was destroyed. Unexpectedly, the T34/85s achieved good results in this isolated duel.

In the Center, Pax continues to pound mercilessly my exposed infantry. Not much I can do there at this point, but hold on to my Trenches and IPs. He is close, but I can't hit him head on to knock him back. Those Panthers and King Tigers would slice me and dice me. All I can do is send in more infantry to hold the line.

While Pax is pounding on the front door, he is trying to move in behind with two Tiger companies to cut me off. This is where my Stalin's using terrain masking made their presence known as they flood the area. I isolated and mauled a Tiger Company. After my Stalin's hammered the Tigers, my T34/85s raced to the high ground and I think are now in place to drive deep into his position. Still have to deal with a lone Tiger up there, but I don't think that will be much of a problem.

I think I've ripped his left flank open. No contact with his infantry which I got a glimpse of as it moved forward. I forgot to turn my lurker AT gun OPFIRE off, so when the Tigers retreated out of the village, my guy popped off at the Tigers to his doom. His infantry was moving up, but I think it is too late now. I don't think they have much in the area to prevent my boys from pushing out of the village to hammer his left flank.

I'm threatened in the center. With his second company of Tigers on overwatch behind my position, I can't readily race my tanks up the road to reinforce the position. My infantry is pushing forward to reinforce, but I need some heavies in the village that will guarantee the position doesn't fall. I can see his infantry (looks like engineers) cresting the ridge and moving forward. If he gets his ground pounders in there, it won't be good for me.

A valuable lesson... Check your OPFIRE settings... inadvertent shots at the wrong time can blow your plan all to hell... I am one that doesn't like to let OPFIRE rule my battle plan, it can make or break you... but I got a tad bit sloppy and exposed a key spotter at a crucial point in the battle... I sensed his infantry was moving up and plastered the road... Unfortunately, the loss of eyes on resulted in errant shots to little effect...

Great day of gaming today. All my current opponents were exchanging turns AND I was busy getting up to speed on 48th Panzer as well as organizing our team... We're about to go hot on a massive team game... I can't wait to get into this...

Have a great weekend everyone...

Jim

In the East along the Vistula, the Red Army counter-offensive is well underway... My T34 company slid around Pax's right flank and are rolling up some easy pickings... scratch scout car, HQ and an infantry ladened half-track... as well as taking a VP hex... I ran out of ammo before I ran out of targets... deeper, my sleeper forces begin to emerge from hiding...

On Pax's left flank, the T34 and IS-2 companies have emerged from the treeline and are administering death and destruction... His push into the village with his infantry forces ran straight into my other IS-2 and SU-85 companies waiting for his counterattack... the hexes have changed hands several times, but I think he's fast running out of troops in the area... His Tigers charged north, but another one burns... Only one Tiger left I think.. Of course, an IS-2 is also burning... My infantry is pretty shot up, but with all my heavy armor he's in big trouble...

In the center, we're really tearing up each other at point blank range... IS-2s soak up all the OPFIRE as they explode under the weight of German tank rounds at 250m's.... Other IS-2s and KV-85s slam into the Panthers that took the trench-line... They suffer heavy casualties and surprise...

Huzzah! Huzzah! Huzzah! Russian infantry surges forward in close combat to encircle and overwhelm a company of Panthers... Other infantry unleash a barrage of small arms fire on the German Engineers and Panzergrenadiers moving up to assault the Russian positions... I think his attack is broken...

More IS-2s move forward to the stage into the village... There is no way I'm getting throw out of this position now... I'm in there behind an infantry screen that is somewhat battered, but it still exists...

He still has powerful forces in the area as his King Tigers rule where ever they stand... However, the rest of the battlefield is wide open and those Kings can't be everywhere..